Magazines for Kids?

Is it worth it to buy a magazine subscription for the kids? Long ago, I subscribed to Highlights, which I LOVED as a kid - it made me actually look forward to going to the doctor and the dentist, but my kids weren't interested in it at all. I had to read Goofus and Gallant to myself and find the hidden pictures all alone. Which, if you know me, you could probably have guessed causes more than a little bit of frustration. One thing that the kids' school curriculum (My Father's World, www.mfwbooks.com) recommends is a subscription to God's World News, which is an awesome magazine that has different subscriptions for different ages, but it's like $24/year, and it's only published during the school year. That makes the cheap side of me cringe. Then, I got an email about Clubhouse magazine, from Focus on the Family, which is 12 issues per year for $20. Still cringing, but not as much. Even as an adult, I think getting mail - non-junk mail - is one of the most exciting parts of the day, and I know the kids would love that part of it. But we have SO much curriculum already, and then I'm going to feel like I need to keep all of the old magazines somewhere, and where exactly will that be? Any opinions out there? Anyone subscribe to something semi-educational that their kids actually read?

Digestion: Something I'm Good At

I've never had digestive problems. No heartburn (except when pregnant with Grace, which I blame on the presence of Schoonover genes in my body), no diarrhea, no constipation, no ulcers...certainly no lack of appetite - nothing. I am a finely tuned food-processing machine. However, it seems like everyone around me has some kind of problem, and I don't get it. I must just be blessed, because I'm positive that it's not my diet (the "I eat whatever I'm hungry for which is usually cereal or ice cream" diet). More than one of my friends has Celiac disease, which is a totally horrible, unfair disease that makes eating gluten - something that every single one of my favorite foods (cereal, pasta, bread, cake, cookies) contains - very damaging to your small intestine. I just bought some gluten-free Bisquick and am making this fruit swirl coffee cake for church on Sunday: http://www.glutenfreely.com/recipes/breakfast/d5d91f80-dd20-4091-ad08-2c1bc7e08a28, and I'm really hoping that it doesn't taste weird.
If you're having tummy troubles and suspect Celiac disease, you can be tested for it (it's a blood test). Try starting here to see if your symptoms match those of Celiac disease: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac_ez/.

Pinterest?

Do I really need another way to express myself online? Uh, no. One could argue, and probably win, that I don't need the means that I already have (this blog, Facebook, etc.). However, I still think this is kind of cool. It's called Pinterest, "A Place to Catalog the Things You Love." It sounds kind of materialistic and pointless at first - like a grown-up Christmas wish list - but you CAN use it to catalog things that aren't just...things. In theory.

The Great Toy Summit 2011

I'm missing the kids this morning, so I've been looking through their pictures on the computer. I came across one that Isaac took after elaborately staging a meeting of his toys, and it made me smile. I'm not sure what was decided at this event, but it looks serious.

Our parenting class this week focused on behavioral issues, like lying, sibling rivalry, and tattling. The book teaches that you need to recognize the difference between tattling, health and safety issues, and legitimate requests for parental assistance in resolving a dispute. Tattling is basically when they come to you just to try to get someone else in trouble. The other two are genuine requests for help that need some kind of parental intervention. I have such a hard time with this - with distinguishing between the three of these. If Simon comes to me and says Isaac just purposely whacked him in the head with a toy, what do I do? Is he trying to get Isaac in trouble? Yes, he is. But is he also legitimately upset to the point where he needs my help? I'm not sure. Is this a safety concern? Do I try to figure out who started it? Does it depend on whether there are bruises or bleeding? What if Simon started it? The book says that the Ezzos punish the tattler and the offender. So if Simon started it, and he tattled, do I just punish him? Or Isaac too? Do I just punish everyone every time anyone tattles? And if so, how? Isolation? To where? I only have so many rooms, and most of them have fun things to play with in them. I don't WANT to be involved in any of these arguments unless someone is seriously hurt or being seriously mean. But how do you define that to your kids? I don't even know how to define it for me. All day, every day, the kids are telling on each other to me, and I don't think I'm being consistent or helpful enough. I usually say, "I'm not interested in tattling," or "You need to solve this problem yourselves," but now I feel like that's too harsh and I need to do more to help mediate. I guess the underlying problem is that they aren't respecting each other or valuing their relationships. Maybe I need to focus more on the positive, relationship-building side of this problem and less on the negative, how-do-I-punish-them side of it. Argh.

RAGBRAI and Granola Bars

RAGBRAI (which I think stands for Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa but am too lazy to confirm) is in Carroll tonight, and much as I love the idea of it and what it does for our state and community, I wish it were over already. All of the bikes and people and signs everywhere are adding a layer of stress to an already stressful week, and I don't like it. I owe a huge thank you to everyone who is volunteering and hosting bikers at their house, because I'm not doing anything. Except complaining. The kids are at Mike's house until NEXT Tuesday and I miss them already; we have a family reunion this weekend; two of John's older kids are staying with us; I have to get ready for school to start next week; and I'm all out of almond butter. So, in order to remain calm, I have been baking stuff. Bread, chocolate chip cookies, and granola bars. Here are some photos of the bars and the kids, and here's the link to the granola bar recipe (from Ina Garten, a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa):

Who Supports Planned Parenthood?

I've been looking for a list of companies and organizations that support Planned Parenthood and/or abortion, and the only list I can find is one that you have to purchase ($21.95): http://www.fightpp.org/index.cfm. It's from Life Decisions International and is called their "boycott list." I don't think I can really afford to buy the list, and I don't think I could handle boycotting every company on the list, but I am becoming a little bit more amenable to the idea of boycotting stuff for a worthy cause. It's kind of like organic food: I used to think, "Oh please, how could it possibly be worth my time/effort/money to think that hard about what I buy?" But now, I'm starting to see the point. I really hope Wal-Mart isn't on this list...

Farm Crawl

Doesn't this look like fun: http://www.farmcrawl.com/? You drive from farm to farm, checking out all of the animals and produce and eating yourself silly. Just think how many goats I'd get to see. It's on Sunday, October 2nd, so mark your calendars now!
Here are the links to the farms that are participating:
http://www.bluegatefarmfresh.com/
http://www.faktorwillowridge.com/index.html
http://www.peacetreebrewing.com/
http://www.coyote-run-farm.com/
http://www.crookedgapfarm.com/
http://www.dandfarms.com/http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chariton-IA/Pierces-Pumpkin-Patch/163211600308
http://www.reichertsdairyair.com/
http://www.grapeescapeiowa.com/
http://www.schneiderorchard.com/
http://www.whitebreastpottery.com/

Des Moines Farmer's Market

The Thams and Schoonover families went to the Des Moines downtown farmer's market last weekend, and it was awesome. As well as unbearably hot. I got some great stuff, including fresh almond butter (which is almost gone), cinnamon-raisin-walnut bread (which is long gone), lemon-chive pasta, a hunk of ginger, and garlic-lemon basil jelly. The jelly was definitely the most interesting find, and it's totally addictive. The flavor is really subtle, and you don't really taste it until after you've swallowed it. Very cool. Check out this and the other Blue Gate Farm preserves here: http://www.bluegatefarmfresh.com/Preserves.htm. I want to figure out how to make it, but I just discovered that you're generally not supposed to use a pressure canner on a ceramic/glass cooktop, because the top can crack from the heat and weight of the canner. Dang it. The only solution is to get a camping stove or some other stove substitute, which is probably an investment for another year. The canner itself is $85, plus the stove, plus the tools and jars...we're going to focus on freezing stuff this year instead. Luckily, you can freeze just about anything after you blanch it, so there you go. I might try drying some stuff too, like tomatoes and garlic. I want to try to braid the garlic together and hang it in the kitchen, like you see in vampire movies. Mwahahaha (diabolical laughter)...

Netflix News

Did you know that Netflix is raising their rates? I think we were paying $10 per month for the instant (internet/Wii) option plus 2 DVD's at a time by mail; the new rate is $16 for that same package. We dropped the mail-in option and are back down to $8 per month, which is okay with me. We only ordered 3 or 4 DVD's by mail, and one of them was Blues Brothers, which Isaac ordered unbeknownst to me and I didn't let him watch (partly because of the content and partly because he ordered it without asking me). Then, we lost the envelope that you mail it back in, so I have to go to the post office and get a new mailer to send it back in.
I still love Netflix, and it's still extraordinarily cheap. And someday, when I have a spare $1,000, I'm going to buy an internet-ready TV so I can enjoy it in my bedroom. What is an internet-ready TV? Check these out: http://spaceygracey.hubpages.com/hub/32-inch-LED-Internet-TV. Cool.

Simon's Birthday

Simon Wood is seven years old! Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandma, Great-Grandpa, and Em & Todd & the cousins came over to help us celebrate this last kid-birthday of the household for 2011. He got a ton of art supplies, which he desperately needed, and I got to make my delicious new strawberry shortcake recipe and pass it off as birthday cake. I made it with fake sugar, sugar-free glaze, and light whipped cream/cream cheese, and you would never have known.

Countdown to School

I've been telling everyone that we're starting school on August 1, and I can't believe that it's only two weeks away! Is it too late to change my mind? Can't we have another month or two? Have we really spent enough time at the pool??
Anyway, I've been buying school supplies left and right and trying to get our workspace organized, and I'm starting to get kind of nervous/excited/scared. I feel like I used to feel as a student near the beginning of the year...half excitement, half dread. My current project is printing out stuff for the kids to paste on their "workspace dividers", which are those trifold state-fair-display boards that we're going to use to give everyone some privacy while they're working independently. One of the things I've printed for them to post on their dividers is a schedule of our day, which I'm hoping will look something like this:

7:00 – 8:00:        Get up and Get Ready

8:00 – 8:15:        Bible

8:15 – 8:30:        Language Arts

8:30 – 9:30:        Math

9:30 – 9:45:        Spelling

9:45 – 10:05:      English

10:05 – 10:15:    Math Drill and Snack

10:15 – 10:45:    Geography & Book Basket

10:45 – 11:05:    Science

11:15 – 11:45:    Reading

11:45 – 12:05:    Character Training

12:05 – 1:00:      Clean-up and Lunch

So, as you can see, by 12:05 we're done with our formal school day, and the afternoon is free for catching up on work or special projects, field trips, chores, errands, and fun stuff. My main concern is the getting up and getting ready by 8 part. Yes, we used to do this every day, but we've been totally slacking off all summer. Esme hasn't seen 7 a.m. - or 8 a.m. - for weeks. Yikes.

Jobs in Carroll

I know that Carroll seems kind of lame to people living in bigger, more exotic places - you know, like Des Moines. However, I love it here (don't tell the teenage me that I said that), and there are actually a lot of job opportunities, which surprises me a little bit. I was looking through the paper (not for a job for myself, I promise), and here's what I found:
Office assistant at New Cooperative
Farmland (factory) worker
Farmland production supervisor
Farmland maintenance/environmental coordinator
RN case manager at Iowa Hospice
Cook at Charlie's
Cook at Santa Maria
Full and part-time at the child care center
Waitress at A&W
Janitorial crew in "large retail store"
Commodity handler
Mediacom sales representative
Clerk at Sara Lee bakery
Automation technician at VT Industries
Child Care Consultant at West Central Community Action
School bus drivers
Part-time at Sunnybrook Assisted Living

So get out your necktie and your resume and come on over! Tell them the Schoonovers sent you.

Parenting is so...rewarding

Esme: Mom, I used to go to day care, then to school, then to day care again.
Me: Yes, you did.
Esme: That was really fun, Mom. I liked that.
Me: Yes, and now you get to stay home with me.
Esme: (silence)
Me: Would you rather go to day care again?
Esme: Yeah, Mom, I would.
Me: (silent meditation on the fact that children do NOT know what is best for them and internal struggle between Rational Me and the me who wants to drop to the floor and throw a temper tantrum)

Ah-Ooooh-Ga!

The kids were treated recently to a ride in the rumble seat of a Model A Ford with my friend Pat's husband Steve, who is Isaac and Simon's new hero (sorry, Anakin, you've been bumped). Look how shiny and cool this car is! Even I, who can't change her own tires or oil or tell the difference between a Mustang and a Camaro, can appreciate this black beauty.

Food

I've made some pretty awesome food lately - in my own opinion, anyway. It's "health" food too. Kinda.
First, buttermilk and oat pancakes (it's the "and oat" that qualifies this as health food...the peanut butter and real maple syrup that I drowned them in notwithstanding): http://www.mydailymoment.com/recipes/super_buttermilk_oat_pancakes.php. I didn't add the cinnamon, because I thought that sounded weird. These were the first pancakes I've made (and I've made LOTS of pancakes) that actually rival the pancakes you get at a diner. Soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouthy goodness, and the oats were barely noticeable. I ended up soaking them for two nights, because of a surprise invitation to dinner at my parents' house.
My advice on the buttermilk is to buy powdered buttermilk, to which you just add water. They have it in the grocery store (even Fareway) in the baking aisle. You can also make buttermilk with regular milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Put one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and add enough milk to get to one cup. Let it sit for five minutes and then use it in your recipe. I don't think this turns out as well as the powdered stuff, but it means that you don't have to plan ahead quite as much.
Next, homemade pizza. I was going to make a homemade crust, but I wanted a thin crust, and when I read the instructions for thin crust online, I got a little bit intimidated. You have to refrigerate it overnight and roll it with a special rolly tool, and it sounded like something best left to my friends at Mama Mary's. I bought their thin whole wheat crust (there's the "health" component) and added:
Red sauce
Grape tomatoes (plus a few cherry tomatoes from our garden)
Sun-dried tomatoes
Green onions
Basil from the garden
Mozzarella (I grated a chunk of it - way better than the pre-shredded kind)
Feta cheese
I think I liked this way more than John did, but he was too nice to say anything. If I had a goat, I would have added goat cheese. Hint, hint.

And finally, the Dulce de Leche cheesecake, which I made with Stevia in the Raw (just screams "healthy", doesn't it?): http://splenda.tastebook.com/recipes/1397040-Dulce-de-Leche-Cheesecake. Supposedly, Stevia is "natural" and therefore better than Splenda. I have to say, I would never have known that this wasn't made with real sugar. And it was easy, because you can substitute Splenda or Stevia in any recipe in a 1:1 ratio to the amount of sugar it calls for. Check out my artistic photography:

Speaking of artistic photography, I was very sad to learn that the only DMACC in Iowa that offers a photography class - in the fall 2011 semester - is in Ankeny. I thought it would be cool to take a class with my stepmom, who is already a great photographer but has a love-hate relationship with her digital camera, but it doesn't look like there's anything available. Anyone have any ideas? An online class just sounds so boring and unhelpful. Do photography studios offer this? Starving artists? Starving high school art teachers??

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe - AWESOME

Okay, I know I've committed to healthier living, but I think I can healthen (is that a word?) this up. It is the most delicious strawberry shortcake I've ever had...we went to a potluck last weekend and I ate about a quarter of the pan (that is not an exaggeration - I went back for fourths or fifths). Here's the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/strawberry-angel-food-dessert/detail.aspx
Again, why is it that I'm just discovering this? Where have I been? I've gone to at least a hundred potlucks and have never seen this stuff before.
So, I'm thinking that I'll try to make the angel food cake with fake sugar, then use low-fat cream cheese and low-fat whipped cream, and either find a sugar-free glaze or make one myself. A lot of effort, I must say, but it'll be worth it if I can eat this on our new, healthier diet.
My question to you - which fake sugar is best? I might have to make the same recipe a few different times, using different fake sugars, just to see. This one would be a good candidate, since I love it and could live off it exclusively for a while. It does have four food groups in it, right? Fruit, dairy, fats, and grains? Is processed white flour a grain? I say yes.

Healthier Cheesecake?

I have a special weakness for cheesecake. I love to buy those mini-cheesecakes at Wal-Mart ($6, in the bakery section, makes 6 perfectly-sized servings) and top them with whipped cream, caramel syrup, and chocolate and/or peanut butter chips. It is my all-time favorite treat, discovered while I was pregnant with Grace. The best part is that the kids don't like it, and John feels guilty eating it, so I get pretty much the whole thing to myself. I'm drooling right now thinking about it. The salty, graham-crackery crust, the smooth cheesy cake, the fluffy whipped cream...Anyway, I really am trying to make healthier food for all of us, so I am going to TRY baking with Splenda. Fake Splenda, actually. So, in honor of my favorite cheesecake concoction, my first recipe is going to be Dulce de Leche cheesecake. Here's the recipe...I'll post a photo and a rating when I'm done:
http://splenda.tastebook.com/recipes/1397040-Dulce-de-Leche-Cheesecake
Now, you can probably buy Dulce de Leche, but probably not in Carroll. So, here's how to make it using sweetened condensed milk (I think I'm going to do the microwave method): http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dulce-De-Leche
I think they make low-fat and/or low-sugar sweetened condensed milk, so I think that's what I'm going to use.

Pickled Radishes Smell BAD

They smell like farts. Really, really bad farts. They taste okay, but it is not worth it. Don't do it. I can't even imagine what they might do to your digestive system. Take this OFF of your list of things to do with your garden produce. I had to put new Scentsy wax in my Scentsy after opening up the container, and I'm afraid to open it again to throw them away. If they weren't in my favorite tupperware bowl, I would throw the whole thing in the trash.

Things to Put on Salad to Make it More Fattening

Tell me your favorite salad toppers. We're trying to eat more healthfully, and if I have to eat plain lettuce salads, I will die.
Here are mine:
Avocado
Mushrooms
Grape Tomatoes
Craisins and dried fruit of any kind
Almonds
Honey-Roasted Peanuts
Sunflower Seeds
Feta Cheese
Bacon
Honey-Mustard Pretzels
Cottage Cheese
Chex Mix
Tuna Salad
Sugar Snap Peas
Pasta Salad (Suddenly Salad Classic is the BEST)
Pesto
Fresh Basil
Wonder Roast (rotisserie chicken)
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Yellow and Orange Peppers
Mozarella - the kind you buy in chunks or balls

Greek yogurt

Explosive Cardio

I love Exercise TV. I don't actually get it on my TV, but they have a Website from which you can watch a ton of free workout videos (or pay to download them, which I think is crazy, but I guess they're more portable that way). I just rediscovered it this morning, and I did this "explosive cardio" workout with Kendall Hogan (my favorite of all of their trainers): http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/explosive-cardio-6813. It's one of those workouts that start slow and trick you into thinking it's going to be a piece of cake, but by halfway through you're panting and sweating and wishing it was over. If you're like me and pretty much have to work out at home because of family logistics, you need to check out this site. I like to pick out one cardio and one strength workout per day, which ends up being about 50-60 minutes. You can do aerobics, kickboxing, abs, legs, arms, pilates...you name it. I'm not super-fit or anything, but I get a pretty challenging workout from most of them. When you're sick of your workout videos, this is an awesome alternative, and most of them don't require any equipment. Some use dumbells or an exercise ball, but that's about it.

Ice Cream in a Bag & Other Stuff

Have you ever heard of making ice cream in a Ziploc baggie? This is the coolest thing ever:

http://homeparents.about.com/od/recipesandcrafts/r/zip_icecream.htm
All you need are a small Ziploc bag, a large Ziploc bag, ice, salt, sugar, vanilla, and milk (or half and half). We are definitely trying this soon. I might have to add chocolate chips or Oreos or sprinkles or something too. Wouldn't this be fun for a birthday party?? I can't believe I've never heard of this, obsessed with ice cream as I am.
The cousins were over again yesterday, and we went to a puppet show at the library in the morning. It was hilarious. When we got home, I decided we should finally make these puppet kits that I've had for at least a couple of years. They're Martha Stewart and they are awesome - no cutting, no gluing, just peel and stick. Of course, I still had to help everyone with everything, but it was pretty simple. Afterward, I was treated to a wonderful, nonsensical puppet show orchestrated by Haley and boycotted by Sarah (because no one would give her any ROOM).

Links for homemade puppets:
http://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-puppets.html
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/talking-heads-710796/
http://www.squidoo.com/handpuppets

I wonder if I could find a pattern for a knit puppet...

A Compelling Reason to Home School

Is it necessary to categorize and teach about our historical figures according to their sexual orientation? Apparently, Senator Mark Leno in California thinks so. He's trying to pass a bill that would REQUIRE California schools to teach "LGBT history." The bill would also prevent schools from teaching anything that "reflects negatively" on LGBT Americans. I agree that we shouldn't exclude legitimately important historical figures from our kids' education just because they're gay, but why do we have to address the fact that they were gay at all? Why is that relevant? I don't know George Washington's dietary preferences, or whether he was a good horseman, or whether he liked brunettes...those things have nothing to do with his contribution to our nation or our history. If he had been gay, and I were taught that as a 10-year-old, would I have become more "tolerant" of homosexuality (which is one of the supposed goals of this bill)? Another of Senator Leno's goals is to teach kids that it's OK to be themselves. Is it really? What does that even mean? It's OK to do whatever you want to do, because that's just expressing your unique and treasured you-ness? I can't imagine anything more antithetical to what I'm trying to accomplish here at home with my kids. What's scary is that I think, at the root of it, my purpose is similar to Senator Leno's (his stated purpose, anyway) - we want to raise a generation of kids to be good people and good citizens. We just define "good" in totally, utterly, mystifyingly different ways.

Let's Do Something for Someone Else

One of the things I've wanted to do with the kids as a stay-at-home/homeschooling mom (which I haven't done at all) is find opportunities for us to do volunteer work as a family. I want the kids to grow up to be - as the Ezzos would say - "others-oriented," not self-oriented, and I want them to see that sometimes, the reward for hard work is something other than money. My excuse has been that I can't think of anything we could do with such little kids, but it turns out that this is kind of a lame excuse. Here's what I'm thinking we'll start with - We Care Kits through Hope Ministries in Des Moines. They're toiletry kits for a shelter, and you commit to making so many per month. You can write a little note with them, which is cool, and you can make them at home, which is even cooler.
The cousins are coming over today, and if we can get organized, we'll go to the store and each of us can make one.

Our Trip to Kansas City

We went to Kansas City
To see our lovely Aunt Ann
The 4-hour drive was pretty
From the inside of our van

We got to the hotel
And we screamed, "This is so nice!"
Our kids had their own bedroom
That's always worth the price

The Wiz was full of song and dance
It made us laugh and snort
Kaleidoscope let us create
Art of the Hallmark sort

The Olathe pool was enormous
It even had a lazy river
Aunt Ann treated us to so many fun things
That lady's a generous giver

We at a lot of tasty meals
Cinzetti's and Jack Stack
Best of all was dinner at Ann's
Believe me, we'll be back

We packed our things with sadness
And stopped for one last chat
On we went to Carroll
And that was the end of that

So here I am doing laundry
And mopping a sticky floor
I wonder, what's Aunt Ann doing
And when can we come back for more?

Bites Bite

I have a ton of bug bites right now, and they are ALL in places that I can't scratch when anyone is looking. I even have one on the most sensitive part of my breastfeeding mechanism, if you know what I mean. I didn't even know that was possible until now. I found a bunch of ways to try to stop the itching, although I'm feeling lazy and will probably just stick with my old standby (scratching) for now. Here they are - many of these are remedies you can concoct with ingredients in the pantry (vinegar, baking soda) or bathroom (deodorant, mouthwash):
http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Mosquito-Bites-from-Itching
I have GOT to get some serious bug repellant. Here are some organic/homemade solutions...which I'm willing to try, but I really, really like DEET (which only causes central nervous system problems if you use a concentration higher than 30% or put it on little babies):

• http://www.gardenmandy.com/5-homemade-chemical-free-bug-repellents-that-work/
• http://www.skin-care-recipes-and-remedies.com/homemade-insect-repellent.html
• http://crunchybetty.com/crunchy-kids-shoo-spray-homemade-insect-repellent
• http://1800recycling.com/2010/07/homemade-bug-repellent/

The easiest one of these is to dab vanilla extract on your wrists and behind your ears. I wonder if vanilla-scented lotion would do the same thing??

The Wiz

We're going to Kansas City this weekend to celebrate Aunt Ann's "mortgage burning" (something I fear I may never celebrate myself), and one of the things we're going to do is see the Wiz. Do you know what the Wiz is? Because I had no idea. It started as a Broadway musical in the 70s, then in 1978, it was made into a movie with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Nipsy Russell. It's kind of a modern-day African-American version of the Wizard of Oz. Bizarre, you say? I agree. Apparently, the Emerald City is the World Trade Center Plaza in New York City, and Dorothy is a shy schoolteacher from Harlem.
Link to the play: http://www.coterietheatre.org/the_wiz.aspx
Link to "Ease on Down the Road", a famous song from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5teusS_zvMw&feature=related
Link to the Wikipedia entry about the 1978 film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiz_%28film%29
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about the Wizard of Oz (or Michael Jackson, for that matter), something like this pops up.