I'd love to post pictures of the kids in their cute costumes for Trick or Treating, but alas, I still have no digital camera. It's possible I can scan the actual photographs when I get them developed, but that's just not the same thing. I'm so desperate, I'm considering getting one of those Fisher Price kid's cameras. Those are even a bit too expesive to justify right now. Until that fateful day, I'll just have to tell you about it.
Chad went as a wizard. He already had a cape and staff, so last night I bought some black poster board to make a hat, glitter glue to decorate, and a 3ft gray wig. Sometime this morning I got a brilliant idea to cut 1ft from the wig to make a beard. I used a small piece of fabric with ties, and hot-glued the hair all over it. Made quite a mess, but it turned out nicely.
Cadence was a tooth fairy, not just a fairy but a tooth fairy. I cut two tooth-shaped pieces of white poster board and stapled them to either side of a dress-up purse she already had, then wrote "Tooth Pouch" in glitter and lots of pretty sparkly decorations all over it. She already had fairy wings and a crown she just got as a birthday gift, and she wore a purple sundress over her purple sweatsuit which pulled the whole thing together well.
Riley was a ballerina in one of my old dance costumes. The one she picked was the costume I wore my first year of dance when I was four, so it fit perfectly. Pink leotard with lots of gold sequins and a frilly pink tutu. She wore long johns underneath, the legs covered in tights. She was about the cutest thing on the planet, if I do say so myself.
Unfortunately, it was a disastrous night with huge wind gusts and rapidly dropping temperatures. (Welcome to Iowa, hope you have air conditioning and arctic outerwear, just in case.) We froze our butts off for the first few minutes before deciding to keep the car running and driving along the road as they went from house to house. Vic and I took turns escorting them, and the kids took warm-up breaks in the car often. Riley probably only went to every other house. They had a fantastic time though, which was the point.
On the way home, Riley's sleepy voice came from the back seat, "That was fun, Mama. Let's do that again sometime."
Monday, October 30, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
This has been a REALLY rough day...
The original plan today was Vic going to his friend's place to help with plumbing while I went to visit my grandma. After several failed attempts to get ahold of my grandma (they were probably at church), Vic's friend called to say his wife was in the hospital in pre-term labor. This friend's wife is a very nice woman, and although I wouldn't really consider her my friend, we get along very nicely when the Men are together doing Men things. Her due date was set for December 24th, but I guess they changed it at the hospital to the middle of December somewhere. Although her water broke, they're going to try to hold her off for a few more days until she reaches the 34wk mark. I'm concerned for her, and worried all day about it.
While getting my kids together to (finally) head to Grandma's my cousin called to tell me her grandma died sometime early this morning. While not related by blood, I spent many many nights in her home when I was a kid. I spent many summer days on her boat on the lake. I know every inch of her home and yard. I'm very sad to hear about her death, and I feel really bad for my cousin too.
This afternoon on the way home from Grandma's, I stopped by my older friend's house to visit and got some more sad news. A woman I ran around with in high school lost her 2-1/2 year old son last Wednesday. The funeral was yesterday and I didn't even know about it. She is no longer one of my friends, but we remain familiar enough acquaintances that I feel completely horrible to have missed the funeral.
I just got back from a late-night trip to Walmart for a sympathy card, some puzzle books to take to Vic's friend's wife when I visit her in the hospital, and a pair of pantyhose and a new blouse to wear to my cousin's grandmother's funeral on Wednesday. Ugh ugh and ugh.
While getting my kids together to (finally) head to Grandma's my cousin called to tell me her grandma died sometime early this morning. While not related by blood, I spent many many nights in her home when I was a kid. I spent many summer days on her boat on the lake. I know every inch of her home and yard. I'm very sad to hear about her death, and I feel really bad for my cousin too.
This afternoon on the way home from Grandma's, I stopped by my older friend's house to visit and got some more sad news. A woman I ran around with in high school lost her 2-1/2 year old son last Wednesday. The funeral was yesterday and I didn't even know about it. She is no longer one of my friends, but we remain familiar enough acquaintances that I feel completely horrible to have missed the funeral.
I just got back from a late-night trip to Walmart for a sympathy card, some puzzle books to take to Vic's friend's wife when I visit her in the hospital, and a pair of pantyhose and a new blouse to wear to my cousin's grandmother's funeral on Wednesday. Ugh ugh and ugh.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
To hell with the moral lessons I guess...
We've tried several times to inform the neighbors about the new hole in their siding. They never answer the door. I'm not sure if they're avoiding us or just don't hear us knocking, for whatever reason. Maybe they think we're Jehovah's Witnesses or something. I've decided to say to hell with it. If there were neighborhood witnesses, they would have told on us by now (unless of course they can't get ahold of those people either). Chad suggested just offering his services throughout the fall/winter. If he should see them out raking leaves, he will offer to help. If it snows, he's going over to clear their walk. I thought it was very responsible of him to say that, but I still think he should tell them about the damn arrow in their siding. I don't even know what to do about this.
And speaking of Jehovah's Witnesses. They stopped by today and shocked me by not asking if I study the bible or whether I'd like to visit their church. The lady just handed me her Watchtower publication thingy and said something like, "Here's some good news for you today." Then she walked away. I couldn't believe it. In case you were wondering, the "good news" is the end of false religion is coming. Thank goodness. I was getting tired of those damn Jehovah's Witnesses.
And speaking of Jehovah's Witnesses. They stopped by today and shocked me by not asking if I study the bible or whether I'd like to visit their church. The lady just handed me her Watchtower publication thingy and said something like, "Here's some good news for you today." Then she walked away. I couldn't believe it. In case you were wondering, the "good news" is the end of false religion is coming. Thank goodness. I was getting tired of those damn Jehovah's Witnesses.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Moral lessons and broken bones...
Friday morning Chad's archery practice ended after only a few minutes when one of his arrows ended up embedded in the neighbors' new vinyl siding. The neighbors weren't home, so I told him we would go over later and he would confess what he'd done and offer to make it up to them somehow. I'm not sure what can be done about a hole (crack?) in vinyl siding. Can you calk it? Do you have to replace the whole piece? These neighbors hired someone to do their siding for them, so I'm pretty sure they don't have extra pieces sitting around. I'm really not sure what the rules are for dealing with something like this.
Anyway, at 5:30 I spotted the nieghbor's car in the drive, so Chad and I were heading out the door to go talk to them when Riley started screaming from the bedroom. Chad and Cadence had just come out of that room, so nobody had seen what happened. Riley just told me she had tripped on the fan cord and fallen, and repeatedly chanted, "Ow, my arm!" I put her on the couch with an ice pack and tried to distract her with a book. I asked her to raise her arm, bend her elbow, and twist her wrist this way and that - none of which she would do. I wasn't sure if it was a serious injury or not. Ever smack your funny bone so hard you feel like you can't even move your arm?
After about twenty minutes it was obvious she wasn't feeling any better and it wasn't just a hard bump to the arm. We took her to the E.R. and found out that it was indeed broken. The xrays were excruciating for her, and I was kinda bummed they no longer let you have a paper picture - it's all on computers now - but the staff were all very nice. She must have landed on her elbow, and the humerus is broken right above the elbow joint. The doctor said this was a pretty common break. They constructed a splint out of casting material and wrapped the whole thing up in an ace bandage. She went home with a cute little arm sling and a huge stack of Pooh stickers.
On Monday I have to call the family doctor for a referral to the Pediatric Orthapedic Specialist. Since we have Medicaid, we have to choose a Preferred Provider, and may not see any doctor without that provider's referral. Kind of silly, and if they had people filing claims instead of computers, they might notice that she was just seen for a broken bone in the E.R. on Friday, so it wouldn't be a mystery why she was at the Orthapedic on Monday.
Still trying to figure out how I'm going to wash Riley's hair. She won't stand next to the tub and lean over the faucet, my bathroom sink is too small, and when I tried to lay her on the kitchen counter with her head in the sink she freaked out.
Anyway, at 5:30 I spotted the nieghbor's car in the drive, so Chad and I were heading out the door to go talk to them when Riley started screaming from the bedroom. Chad and Cadence had just come out of that room, so nobody had seen what happened. Riley just told me she had tripped on the fan cord and fallen, and repeatedly chanted, "Ow, my arm!" I put her on the couch with an ice pack and tried to distract her with a book. I asked her to raise her arm, bend her elbow, and twist her wrist this way and that - none of which she would do. I wasn't sure if it was a serious injury or not. Ever smack your funny bone so hard you feel like you can't even move your arm?
After about twenty minutes it was obvious she wasn't feeling any better and it wasn't just a hard bump to the arm. We took her to the E.R. and found out that it was indeed broken. The xrays were excruciating for her, and I was kinda bummed they no longer let you have a paper picture - it's all on computers now - but the staff were all very nice. She must have landed on her elbow, and the humerus is broken right above the elbow joint. The doctor said this was a pretty common break. They constructed a splint out of casting material and wrapped the whole thing up in an ace bandage. She went home with a cute little arm sling and a huge stack of Pooh stickers.
On Monday I have to call the family doctor for a referral to the Pediatric Orthapedic Specialist. Since we have Medicaid, we have to choose a Preferred Provider, and may not see any doctor without that provider's referral. Kind of silly, and if they had people filing claims instead of computers, they might notice that she was just seen for a broken bone in the E.R. on Friday, so it wouldn't be a mystery why she was at the Orthapedic on Monday.
Still trying to figure out how I'm going to wash Riley's hair. She won't stand next to the tub and lean over the faucet, my bathroom sink is too small, and when I tried to lay her on the kitchen counter with her head in the sink she freaked out.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
And my embarassment at the library...
I thought we were making a good impression at the local library. I'm always there in the middle of a weekday with my children, checking out a lot of teachers' resource books and such, and otherwise making it perfectly obvious that we are homeschoolers. I thought we were doing a good thing for the community by making such public appearances, especially when we always check out a gozillion books and my kids are just So Freaking Excited to be there. The staff are always helpful and pleasant to us.
Today my son needed to get a new library card. I guess they've changed their system, or maybe it was because we usually use my card and he rarely uses his own. Whatever. The librarian handed Chad his new card and told him, "Just sign your name on the card here." He took the card and very carefully printed CHAD on the line before setting down the pen. "Aren't you going to put your last name there?" I asked him. He gave me a confused look and said, "Last name?" I glanced once at the librarian before sarcastically saying, "Yeah, you know, that other name that goes with your first name?" He wrote the first letter before stopping to spell it out loud to me, in a questioning voice. He spelled it wrong. I corrected him, and he began to write again, stopping every 2 letters to ask what came next. The libarian never said a word, but I could feel the burning condescention.
HOW in the name of Bob did my son get to be 10 years old not knowing how to spell his own last name?!? All the way home, I got a lecture from my husband about what a terrible teacher I must be since he can't spell his own name, and doesn't remember if Iowa is the city or the state, and can't recall his phone number when asked.
It's not that I haven't taught him these things. He's had to spell his name (first and last) since kindergarten. The second half of second grade was spent learning about community, including our address, phone number, city, state, and country. The first half of third grade was spent learning about other states, what a capitol city was, etc. (We happen to live only minutes from Des Moines, so this applies to us directly since we're there at least a few times perweek). I didn't consider the possibility that Chad wouldn't retain this information without constant practice. It's true that since he is homeschooled, he doesn't often need to write his last name (even his first name, really), but you would think he would still remember how.
So, I guess we will practice all that stuff all over again. Daily, if necessary until I'm sure it's stuck. And just for good measure, I'd better make it a random practice exercise at least a few times per year from then on. *Sigh*
So much for that great community impression I was working on. *wink*
Today my son needed to get a new library card. I guess they've changed their system, or maybe it was because we usually use my card and he rarely uses his own. Whatever. The librarian handed Chad his new card and told him, "Just sign your name on the card here." He took the card and very carefully printed CHAD on the line before setting down the pen. "Aren't you going to put your last name there?" I asked him. He gave me a confused look and said, "Last name?" I glanced once at the librarian before sarcastically saying, "Yeah, you know, that other name that goes with your first name?" He wrote the first letter before stopping to spell it out loud to me, in a questioning voice. He spelled it wrong. I corrected him, and he began to write again, stopping every 2 letters to ask what came next. The libarian never said a word, but I could feel the burning condescention.
HOW in the name of Bob did my son get to be 10 years old not knowing how to spell his own last name?!? All the way home, I got a lecture from my husband about what a terrible teacher I must be since he can't spell his own name, and doesn't remember if Iowa is the city or the state, and can't recall his phone number when asked.
It's not that I haven't taught him these things. He's had to spell his name (first and last) since kindergarten. The second half of second grade was spent learning about community, including our address, phone number, city, state, and country. The first half of third grade was spent learning about other states, what a capitol city was, etc. (We happen to live only minutes from Des Moines, so this applies to us directly since we're there at least a few times perweek). I didn't consider the possibility that Chad wouldn't retain this information without constant practice. It's true that since he is homeschooled, he doesn't often need to write his last name (even his first name, really), but you would think he would still remember how.
So, I guess we will practice all that stuff all over again. Daily, if necessary until I'm sure it's stuck. And just for good measure, I'd better make it a random practice exercise at least a few times per year from then on. *Sigh*
So much for that great community impression I was working on. *wink*
Library Tuesday...
Ok, so I didn't go to the library last week. We've been sick.. and stuff. But our old checkouts were not overdue, and we had gotten a good supply of them last time, so the stretch was not so long really.
Our checkouts and planned reading for the next week (or so):
For our dinosaur unit
My Favorite Dinosaurs - John Sibbick
I Wonder Why Triceratops Had Horns and Other Questions About Dinosaurs
National Geographic: Dinosaurs - Paul Barrett
Discovering Dinosaurs with a Fossil Hunter - Judith Williams
Stories in Stone; The World of Animal Fossils - Jo S. Kittinger
Other reading
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
Mouse Makes Words - Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook
Billy's Big Game - Paul Harrison & Silvia Raga
Why the Frog Has Big Eyes - Betsy Franco
Pigs in the House - Steven Kroll
On a personal note, I just started reading Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I've never read Asimov before, so I'm not sure what I'm getting into as far as writing style. I have enjoyed what I've read so far. I'm curious though. I understand the Foundation series was written before Prelude was written. Am I reading these in the wrong order then, or will I be better off for reading this one first? This book has sparked some interesting thought about the loss of historical records through time.
Our checkouts and planned reading for the next week (or so):
For our dinosaur unit
My Favorite Dinosaurs - John Sibbick
I Wonder Why Triceratops Had Horns and Other Questions About Dinosaurs
National Geographic: Dinosaurs - Paul Barrett
Discovering Dinosaurs with a Fossil Hunter - Judith Williams
Stories in Stone; The World of Animal Fossils - Jo S. Kittinger
Other reading
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
Mouse Makes Words - Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook
Billy's Big Game - Paul Harrison & Silvia Raga
Why the Frog Has Big Eyes - Betsy Franco
Pigs in the House - Steven Kroll
On a personal note, I just started reading Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I've never read Asimov before, so I'm not sure what I'm getting into as far as writing style. I have enjoyed what I've read so far. I'm curious though. I understand the Foundation series was written before Prelude was written. Am I reading these in the wrong order then, or will I be better off for reading this one first? This book has sparked some interesting thought about the loss of historical records through time.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Tis the season for coughing and sneezin'...
Friday I had a sore throat. I was thinking it was allergies, since every fall I get a sore throat for a couple of weeks. I have no idea what exactly I'm allergic to, but regardless it hits me every year. Nope. Saturday morning I woke up with a screaming headache and a sore throat, both of which hung on all day long. This morning it was those two symptoms, an aching chest, a fever, and a double-you-over-until-you-want-to-die kind of cough. Great.
Vic has all the same symptoms I do, only to a lesser degree. Doesn't stop him from whining about it.
Cadence had a fever today. She was tired and cranky.
Riley had diarrhea that didn't wait until she made it to the bathroom. Three times.
Chad had no symptoms of this cold (flu?), but didn't want to be left out of the whining. His arm hurt. And his neck a bit. And he was sure he was developing some weird bump on his foot.
We are all drinking orange juice in gigantic amounts, alternating with water to make up for lost fluids, and napping a lot. Everybody has their own drinking glass, in a different color, to keep from sharing any germs that might not already be public. This sucks bad. Right now is the first time I've felt relatively coherent in the last two days.
I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow, so I can make it to the grocery store before we're left with nothing but peanut butter and beans to eat. I'm also making a very cute sweater that I have to buy trim yarn for. I hope everyone else had a fun and healthy weekend.
Vic has all the same symptoms I do, only to a lesser degree. Doesn't stop him from whining about it.
Cadence had a fever today. She was tired and cranky.
Riley had diarrhea that didn't wait until she made it to the bathroom. Three times.
Chad had no symptoms of this cold (flu?), but didn't want to be left out of the whining. His arm hurt. And his neck a bit. And he was sure he was developing some weird bump on his foot.
We are all drinking orange juice in gigantic amounts, alternating with water to make up for lost fluids, and napping a lot. Everybody has their own drinking glass, in a different color, to keep from sharing any germs that might not already be public. This sucks bad. Right now is the first time I've felt relatively coherent in the last two days.
I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow, so I can make it to the grocery store before we're left with nothing but peanut butter and beans to eat. I'm also making a very cute sweater that I have to buy trim yarn for. I hope everyone else had a fun and healthy weekend.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Words to brighten my day...
Riley, from the back seat of the car: "Mama, do you know the sun is a actual star?"
She's three and 1/2. I'm not sure if she partially understands this, or if she's repeating something one of the older kids said. Either way, it really made me smile.
She's three and 1/2. I'm not sure if she partially understands this, or if she's repeating something one of the older kids said. Either way, it really made me smile.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Forced into housework...
We have fleas. I'm not exactly blaming my mother, but we had no fleas until she started staying with us, and fleas had taken over her house by that point. We do have 3 indoor-outdoor cats that could have just as easily brought them inside. Regardless of where they came from, they're here.
Last summer we battled with fleas for months. Raid and Hot Shot sprays and foggers. Flea baths for the unwilling cats every week. It was a nightmare, but after gobs and gobs of chemicals, we eventually got rid of them. So last weekend, when one single little flea was spotted, I decided to nip the whole mess in the bud and deep clean everywhere. I washed all the sheets and blankets. I vacuumed the whole house, even under stuff. (The carpet still looks as beautiful under the couch as when we installed it, which makes me hate the visible carpet, but I had no choice but to cover the pretty carpet just so the whole floor would match. God forbid someone come over, see that spot of pretty carpet and realize just how much we've wrecked it since it was put down.) I bathed the cats. Boxer, my 11 year old apricot point siamese, is the biggest howling baby every time he has a bath. It's really pretty funny.
Yesterday, while settling in for a nap on the couch, I found a flea crawling on the blanket I'd snagged from the girls' room. Ugh.
Last night I bought a box of 20 Mule Team Borax, having read plenty of testimonials about its flea-killing ability. So today I've been sprinkling it all over the carpet and rubbing it in with a broom. I've been washing all the blankets again. I may wash the stuffed animals too (Holy Hell will that be a job!). I've been adding Borax to the wash loads too. Not sure if it will help with the fleas, but it certainly helps with the nasty funk that permeates all my son's linens (what is that?!?). I'm considering making a solution of Borax and water to wash the cats in, but I'm not so sure about that. I know you can use boric acid and water to clean gunky kitten eyes, but I don't know if it's the same stuff in 20 Mule Team. More research needed on that I guess.
So, wish me luck. My house hasn't been cleaned this well since the last flea episode. I'm sure my husband is about ready to have a heart attack. In fact, maybe that's where the fleas are coming from...
Last summer we battled with fleas for months. Raid and Hot Shot sprays and foggers. Flea baths for the unwilling cats every week. It was a nightmare, but after gobs and gobs of chemicals, we eventually got rid of them. So last weekend, when one single little flea was spotted, I decided to nip the whole mess in the bud and deep clean everywhere. I washed all the sheets and blankets. I vacuumed the whole house, even under stuff. (The carpet still looks as beautiful under the couch as when we installed it, which makes me hate the visible carpet, but I had no choice but to cover the pretty carpet just so the whole floor would match. God forbid someone come over, see that spot of pretty carpet and realize just how much we've wrecked it since it was put down.) I bathed the cats. Boxer, my 11 year old apricot point siamese, is the biggest howling baby every time he has a bath. It's really pretty funny.
Yesterday, while settling in for a nap on the couch, I found a flea crawling on the blanket I'd snagged from the girls' room. Ugh.
Last night I bought a box of 20 Mule Team Borax, having read plenty of testimonials about its flea-killing ability. So today I've been sprinkling it all over the carpet and rubbing it in with a broom. I've been washing all the blankets again. I may wash the stuffed animals too (Holy Hell will that be a job!). I've been adding Borax to the wash loads too. Not sure if it will help with the fleas, but it certainly helps with the nasty funk that permeates all my son's linens (what is that?!?). I'm considering making a solution of Borax and water to wash the cats in, but I'm not so sure about that. I know you can use boric acid and water to clean gunky kitten eyes, but I don't know if it's the same stuff in 20 Mule Team. More research needed on that I guess.
So, wish me luck. My house hasn't been cleaned this well since the last flea episode. I'm sure my husband is about ready to have a heart attack. In fact, maybe that's where the fleas are coming from...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Why blogging sucks...
I'm about the worst blogger in the world. Weeks, sometimes a month between posts. Sometimes I get busy living my life and don't find any time to write about it. Sometimes I'm just lazy and don't feel like it. Sometimes my life is so lame I don't feel I have anything to write about anyway. I'm almost always online at least once during the day; I just don't always get around to leaving some sign of my online presence here.
Apparently I'm not the only person who feels this way. Just this week, three of my daily reads are leaving the blogosphere. I will particularly miss Doc and Toraji. While I was a once-in-a-while commenter on Doc's blog, I don't believe I ever commented on Toraji's. I was thinking of leaving her a little message, something like, "I just lurked here, but I will miss your blog," but somehow it seemed too little too late. I wonder how many bloggers base the fun of their blogging experience on how many others read their words. I can imagine for some, if the only occasional readers or posters are real-life friends or family members, it may not be that much fun.
Mostly, I do this for myself. I write what I'm thinking, no matter how dull or contradictory to "normal" thought. Still, every post is composed with the small thought lingering in the back of my mind that others are reading. Or at least that others could read, if they happened by. So I try to make it at least mildly interesting to others. I can't compete with the humor and lightheartedness of other's blogs, but I'm very happy just writing my thoughts without being too overly boring. I celebrate my mediocrity.
You should not blog if you don't enjoy it. Even just a little. It's always sad to have to remove a blog from my read list, but I respect the authors' reasons for dropping out. Good luck, ladies. May your real lives be just as great as your blogs were.
Apparently I'm not the only person who feels this way. Just this week, three of my daily reads are leaving the blogosphere. I will particularly miss Doc and Toraji. While I was a once-in-a-while commenter on Doc's blog, I don't believe I ever commented on Toraji's. I was thinking of leaving her a little message, something like, "I just lurked here, but I will miss your blog," but somehow it seemed too little too late. I wonder how many bloggers base the fun of their blogging experience on how many others read their words. I can imagine for some, if the only occasional readers or posters are real-life friends or family members, it may not be that much fun.
Mostly, I do this for myself. I write what I'm thinking, no matter how dull or contradictory to "normal" thought. Still, every post is composed with the small thought lingering in the back of my mind that others are reading. Or at least that others could read, if they happened by. So I try to make it at least mildly interesting to others. I can't compete with the humor and lightheartedness of other's blogs, but I'm very happy just writing my thoughts without being too overly boring. I celebrate my mediocrity.
You should not blog if you don't enjoy it. Even just a little. It's always sad to have to remove a blog from my read list, but I respect the authors' reasons for dropping out. Good luck, ladies. May your real lives be just as great as your blogs were.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Deep Breath...
Dentist appointments start up again tomorrow. Thursday and Friday morning. Then Monday through Friday next week. Deep Breath. I think I need to lie down.
My mother is coming tonight to stay at our house until Friday and be a live-in babysitter again. This is alright, in very small doses, for me. Vic develops nervous ticks when she stays with us. We bicker more. It's not that he doesn't like her. I think he just likes his home to be his own. Next week I've arranged another sitter to watch the kids on Monday and Friday to lessen the days my mom stays here.
In leiu of actual textbook schooling during this time, we will be doing lots of reading. Group reading, independent reading, older-child-reading-to-younger-child reading, grandma reading, etc. I am hoping my mouth is not too numb or sore that I can actually read some aloud too, but we're not holding our breath.
Planned for the next couple weeks:
Books
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Golden Skull by John Blaine
Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo. LeSieg
In A People House by Theo. LeSieg
The Age of Dinosaurs by Jane Burton
How Big Were the Dinosaurs by Bernard Most
Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Other Stuff
Experiments from Linda's Homeschool Page on erosion and weathering
More experiments with home-grown crystals from Crystals and Crystal Gardens You Can Grow by Jean Stangl
My mother is coming tonight to stay at our house until Friday and be a live-in babysitter again. This is alright, in very small doses, for me. Vic develops nervous ticks when she stays with us. We bicker more. It's not that he doesn't like her. I think he just likes his home to be his own. Next week I've arranged another sitter to watch the kids on Monday and Friday to lessen the days my mom stays here.
In leiu of actual textbook schooling during this time, we will be doing lots of reading. Group reading, independent reading, older-child-reading-to-younger-child reading, grandma reading, etc. I am hoping my mouth is not too numb or sore that I can actually read some aloud too, but we're not holding our breath.
Planned for the next couple weeks:
Books
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Golden Skull by John Blaine
Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo. LeSieg
In A People House by Theo. LeSieg
The Age of Dinosaurs by Jane Burton
How Big Were the Dinosaurs by Bernard Most
Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Other Stuff
Experiments from Linda's Homeschool Page on erosion and weathering
More experiments with home-grown crystals from Crystals and Crystal Gardens You Can Grow by Jean Stangl
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Tuesday: Library Day...
I've declared Tuesday as Library Day. I'm not sure if that will work beyond this week, but we're going to try. We are limited having only one working vehicle, so I had to take Vic to work this morning before we could go anywhere. After some other errands, we headed to the library.
You'd think the kids were at an amusement park. They love trips to the library and because of this fact, so do I.
After deciding to teach a chronological history, somehow working in geography and government as well, I was on a hunt for books on early human existence. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find such books written at a juvenile level, especially just at the local public library. I finally found a book about the days of the mammoth, that had some information about early humans in it. I stuck it in my basket. I found another book about early civilization - wonderful. I stuck it in the basket. Near that book was a book about dinosaurs. Well, I though, dinosaurs did come before people, and what's the point of teaching about life on earth if I'm not starting at the begining right? I stuck the dinosaur book in the basket. Soon I found another book about dinosaurs with more detailed information and some great pictures. That went into the basket too. I browsed some more. Look, a book on how the earth was formed; volcanoes and earthquakes, water and wind erosion. Into the basket. Oh look, a book about the origins of the universe. Well, we are starting at the begining. Into the basket.
After all this, I decided that was a huge amount of stuff to cover at once, and we probably would not get through it all with the amount of information I was comfortable with, within the time I have the books checked out. I decided to wait on humans and just focus on the origins of the planet, and things that came before people. After we got home I was thinking about the orgins of the universe, and how this would be a great lead in for a unit on the solar system. That could take up a couple of weeks. *Sigh*
The good part of this story is the idea of units. We could do the solar system unit while learning about the origins of the universe. With the formation of the earth and dinosaurs, we can do units on erosion, geology, and evolution. We can study prehuman species. We can learn about the origins of language. And religion. There is literally no end to the stuff we could come up with and learn about. I should be feeling overwhelmed right now, but I'm actually pretty excited.
After I have a chance to find some of the units I'm thinking of, and print them, plan activites, and start them in practice... well then I'll be overwhelmed.
You'd think the kids were at an amusement park. They love trips to the library and because of this fact, so do I.
After deciding to teach a chronological history, somehow working in geography and government as well, I was on a hunt for books on early human existence. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find such books written at a juvenile level, especially just at the local public library. I finally found a book about the days of the mammoth, that had some information about early humans in it. I stuck it in my basket. I found another book about early civilization - wonderful. I stuck it in the basket. Near that book was a book about dinosaurs. Well, I though, dinosaurs did come before people, and what's the point of teaching about life on earth if I'm not starting at the begining right? I stuck the dinosaur book in the basket. Soon I found another book about dinosaurs with more detailed information and some great pictures. That went into the basket too. I browsed some more. Look, a book on how the earth was formed; volcanoes and earthquakes, water and wind erosion. Into the basket. Oh look, a book about the origins of the universe. Well, we are starting at the begining. Into the basket.
After all this, I decided that was a huge amount of stuff to cover at once, and we probably would not get through it all with the amount of information I was comfortable with, within the time I have the books checked out. I decided to wait on humans and just focus on the origins of the planet, and things that came before people. After we got home I was thinking about the orgins of the universe, and how this would be a great lead in for a unit on the solar system. That could take up a couple of weeks. *Sigh*
The good part of this story is the idea of units. We could do the solar system unit while learning about the origins of the universe. With the formation of the earth and dinosaurs, we can do units on erosion, geology, and evolution. We can study prehuman species. We can learn about the origins of language. And religion. There is literally no end to the stuff we could come up with and learn about. I should be feeling overwhelmed right now, but I'm actually pretty excited.
After I have a chance to find some of the units I'm thinking of, and print them, plan activites, and start them in practice... well then I'll be overwhelmed.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Church? Gosh, no!...
Last night, Cadence and Riley stayed overnight with my mom. It's not often they get the opportunity to hang out at Grandma's without Chad, but he was invited to a sleepover.
Chad insisted he didn't want to attend this sleepover, and it took a lot of cajolling on my part to talk him into it. I'm concerned not that he doesn't friends, but that he doesn't even want to. I think a lot of factors contribute to that. One being his experience in public school was so horrible that he can't imagine putting himself in another potentially humiliating position again. He is a very high-strung kid and has a tendency to do irritating and annoying things just to bother others, and that kind of kid is often not liked very much. We're working on the behaviors, but I can't really do much about how people respond to them. I also think he's become so used to interacting with adults that he's not quite sure how to behave otherwise. So we talked about all this, and came to the conclusion that while he wasn't too interested in making new friends, he didn't want to make any enemies either. Sometimes this socialization stuff has to be forced upon them I guess ;)
On the way to drop him off, I commented that he would probably have to be picked up early because one of the other moms was really churchy and would probably be picking her boys up early so they could make it to the early service. I wasn't even talking to Chad, but he heard me and said, "I don't want to go to church." I had to explain that I wasn't talking about him, I was talking about the other boys.
While I was chatting with the Mom in Charge, I mentioned that I would be after Chad early. "I was thinking about taking all the boys to church in the morning," she said. "Would that be ok? I could drop him off after."
"Umm..." I said. I stumbled. I stammered. I finally got the words, "We're not church people," to come out.
She stared. "I know that," she said, "that's why I figured I would ask you." She was still looking at me like I hadn't answered her question yet.
"I would really rather just pick him up early," I told her.
She stared. She began to become irritated, "You don't want him to go to church at all?" Surely, I must be crazy. Or just joking. Or something. Who, even if they don't go to church regularly, doesn't mind their kid going just one time? It is an extra hour of alone time after all.
"No," I finally said, regaining my composure. All the staring and uncomfortable silence was feeding my sense of humor really. "I'll be after him at 8:30. Have a good time, Chad!" Then I left, with her gaping and staring after me.
Hehehehe.
Chad did tell me this morning he didn't want to stay overnight again with that boy. He didn't say with anybody, though. And he didn't say he didn't have a good time. That's a good sign right?
Chad insisted he didn't want to attend this sleepover, and it took a lot of cajolling on my part to talk him into it. I'm concerned not that he doesn't friends, but that he doesn't even want to. I think a lot of factors contribute to that. One being his experience in public school was so horrible that he can't imagine putting himself in another potentially humiliating position again. He is a very high-strung kid and has a tendency to do irritating and annoying things just to bother others, and that kind of kid is often not liked very much. We're working on the behaviors, but I can't really do much about how people respond to them. I also think he's become so used to interacting with adults that he's not quite sure how to behave otherwise. So we talked about all this, and came to the conclusion that while he wasn't too interested in making new friends, he didn't want to make any enemies either. Sometimes this socialization stuff has to be forced upon them I guess ;)
On the way to drop him off, I commented that he would probably have to be picked up early because one of the other moms was really churchy and would probably be picking her boys up early so they could make it to the early service. I wasn't even talking to Chad, but he heard me and said, "I don't want to go to church." I had to explain that I wasn't talking about him, I was talking about the other boys.
While I was chatting with the Mom in Charge, I mentioned that I would be after Chad early. "I was thinking about taking all the boys to church in the morning," she said. "Would that be ok? I could drop him off after."
"Umm..." I said. I stumbled. I stammered. I finally got the words, "We're not church people," to come out.
She stared. "I know that," she said, "that's why I figured I would ask you." She was still looking at me like I hadn't answered her question yet.
"I would really rather just pick him up early," I told her.
She stared. She began to become irritated, "You don't want him to go to church at all?" Surely, I must be crazy. Or just joking. Or something. Who, even if they don't go to church regularly, doesn't mind their kid going just one time? It is an extra hour of alone time after all.
"No," I finally said, regaining my composure. All the staring and uncomfortable silence was feeding my sense of humor really. "I'll be after him at 8:30. Have a good time, Chad!" Then I left, with her gaping and staring after me.
Hehehehe.
Chad did tell me this morning he didn't want to stay overnight again with that boy. He didn't say with anybody, though. And he didn't say he didn't have a good time. That's a good sign right?
Thursday, September 14, 2006
No rest for the paranoid mother...
So I'm overprotective, according to most people's standards. So I'm paranoid that my kids' exposure to the "wrong" things might be devastatingly detrimental to their mentality and development. So I'm brainwashing my kids into rallying, sign-toting psycho-feminists. So what? They're my kids, right? So what is a paranoid brainwashing parent to do when every aspect of media is covered with advertising and programming unsuitable for the children?
I briefly considered eliminating the television altogether. The problem is I like television. And since we got cable, there is an unlimitted amount of educational stuff for my kids to watch on tv. As I type, Chad is watching a program on otters. A few days ago we watched a program called Extreme Earth (I think), and all three of my children spent the next couple of hours drawing pictures of tornados and volcanos, and making up various drastic scenarios that all involved the destruction of our house. They learn so much from the television.
And herein lies the problem. Not five minutes ago, there was a commercial break where 3 different men declared their sex lives are great since they lost weight with NutriSystem. The diet program commercial is on almost every break. In the evenings (I'm talking dinnertime, not after-the-kids-go-to-bed-primetime), we see commercials about E.D., which would be cryptic enough without the phrase, "Sex is a very important part of our relationship." The Tag body spray commercials are apalling. Almost every single commercial uses sex in some way to sell their product. I can't even buy deodorant without seeing a curvy, swaying woman in sexy black undies jumping from a balcony into her dress.
Last night I saw a commercial for a video game where players can "be a playboy" driving hot cars, living in palace-style homes, surrounded by their "ladies" (wearing just the suggestion of clothing). This game was rated E-10, for kids 10 and up. Is this the kind of thing most parents expect of their 10 year old sons? Materialism, with women being just another thing to collect? Really, it sickens me. It's just plain sad.
My kids know about sex. We've had many discussions about the purpose, the process, even the very basics of how. Still, I have issues with the sex-obsessed society we live in. I want my kids to grow up with a healthy attitude about sex. And I don't believe conducting every single aspect of one's life around sex is a healthy attitude.
I would like to find some information on raising children with an awareness of the tricks of the advertising world. I'm sure there are lots of parents out there who, like myself, are tired of how easily people are swayed by advertising and how much those little tricks change how people think. Other than just talking about these things with my kids, I'm not sure how to handle this.
In the meantime, I will be muting and/or shutting off the tube for a few minutes at commercial time. At least until we get a DVR.
I briefly considered eliminating the television altogether. The problem is I like television. And since we got cable, there is an unlimitted amount of educational stuff for my kids to watch on tv. As I type, Chad is watching a program on otters. A few days ago we watched a program called Extreme Earth (I think), and all three of my children spent the next couple of hours drawing pictures of tornados and volcanos, and making up various drastic scenarios that all involved the destruction of our house. They learn so much from the television.
And herein lies the problem. Not five minutes ago, there was a commercial break where 3 different men declared their sex lives are great since they lost weight with NutriSystem. The diet program commercial is on almost every break. In the evenings (I'm talking dinnertime, not after-the-kids-go-to-bed-primetime), we see commercials about E.D., which would be cryptic enough without the phrase, "Sex is a very important part of our relationship." The Tag body spray commercials are apalling. Almost every single commercial uses sex in some way to sell their product. I can't even buy deodorant without seeing a curvy, swaying woman in sexy black undies jumping from a balcony into her dress.
Last night I saw a commercial for a video game where players can "be a playboy" driving hot cars, living in palace-style homes, surrounded by their "ladies" (wearing just the suggestion of clothing). This game was rated E-10, for kids 10 and up. Is this the kind of thing most parents expect of their 10 year old sons? Materialism, with women being just another thing to collect? Really, it sickens me. It's just plain sad.
My kids know about sex. We've had many discussions about the purpose, the process, even the very basics of how. Still, I have issues with the sex-obsessed society we live in. I want my kids to grow up with a healthy attitude about sex. And I don't believe conducting every single aspect of one's life around sex is a healthy attitude.
I would like to find some information on raising children with an awareness of the tricks of the advertising world. I'm sure there are lots of parents out there who, like myself, are tired of how easily people are swayed by advertising and how much those little tricks change how people think. Other than just talking about these things with my kids, I'm not sure how to handle this.
In the meantime, I will be muting and/or shutting off the tube for a few minutes at commercial time. At least until we get a DVR.
Homeschool skip day(s)...
Does watching educational tv all day long count as homeschooling? I hope so. I've been so burnt out from all the running around and 6 consecutive dental appointments, including a root canal and an extraction, that I've not had the energy for any schooling. Thankfully my children are unschoolers at heart, and have been reading a lot of informative books and watching Aminal Planet the whole time. No cartoons or stupid Nickelodeon preteen sitcoms.
I don't know what constitutes "unschooling." It seems like every description I've read about unschooling is different than the last. While some unschoolers just let their kids run wild learning here and there at random, some have at least some kind of curriculum and simply let their kids learn it at their own pace. It's not important to me to fit homeschoolers into organized little boxes of "Christian Homeschoolers," "Unschoolers," or "Classical Homeschoolers," but it would be nice if I could find some small niche where I knew I would find others who think like I do.
I'm not a lazy homeschooler, but I also don't have strict lesson plans to follow. We "do" the textbooks until they're finished. We do some worksheets in there, if they're applicable, or maybe just because they're fun. We have lots of discussions. I also have been known to skip chapters if no one in our house can think of a good reason anyone at all should know this information, let alone a 10 year old kid. We focus on reading, writing and math. We never touch the basal reader. It sucks.
Lately though, I have been lazy. I don't want to do it. Neither do the kids. We had a great summer, and now the idea of sitting down and doing bookwork, even for a couple of hours, is overwhelming. I guess for now I will just be satisfied with a unit on Meercat Manor.
I don't know what constitutes "unschooling." It seems like every description I've read about unschooling is different than the last. While some unschoolers just let their kids run wild learning here and there at random, some have at least some kind of curriculum and simply let their kids learn it at their own pace. It's not important to me to fit homeschoolers into organized little boxes of "Christian Homeschoolers," "Unschoolers," or "Classical Homeschoolers," but it would be nice if I could find some small niche where I knew I would find others who think like I do.
I'm not a lazy homeschooler, but I also don't have strict lesson plans to follow. We "do" the textbooks until they're finished. We do some worksheets in there, if they're applicable, or maybe just because they're fun. We have lots of discussions. I also have been known to skip chapters if no one in our house can think of a good reason anyone at all should know this information, let alone a 10 year old kid. We focus on reading, writing and math. We never touch the basal reader. It sucks.
Lately though, I have been lazy. I don't want to do it. Neither do the kids. We had a great summer, and now the idea of sitting down and doing bookwork, even for a couple of hours, is overwhelming. I guess for now I will just be satisfied with a unit on Meercat Manor.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Template hunt...
I've been on a mission for a while now to replace my blog template. I don't have anything like photoshop to create my own. So I'm stuck with templates someone else created and paint. Ugh. Most templates I find are whole sets that have some aspects I like and some I don't. There are a lot of free templates out there for movie buffs and pc gamers. Lots of cartoony templates that have as much detail as a Microsoft webding. Gobs and gobs of flowery templates that remind me of my grandma's house.
I do know some html; more than the average computer-illiterate person but not nearly as much as an average teenager. There are a lot of computer terms that I don't understand, but I'm not as likely as some to become so intimidated by terminology that I won't even attempt to mess with it. Most of the html I know I learned from close examination and playing around. All that being said, I'm a bit reluctant to mess with the current template too much. I don't like the boxes. I don't like the margins. I'm scared to change them without finding a template that at least sort of matches what I'm looking for so I can get an idea of how to change it.
A few years ago I created a memorial website for my son on Yahoo's PageBuilder, but became so wrapped up in finding new graphics and constantly making changes that I had to leave off for a while. Like a few years or something. Ok, I completely abandoned the project for the risk of going insane. That and I'd prepared this really long story of my son's birth and death, only to have it plagerized on someone else's page. (How low do you have to be, joshsmommy, to steal my very personal words which I spent hours composing and crying over?) I'd love to make a new one with the knowledge I've gained since then, but I'm afraid I might repeat the maniacal web-searching and downloading that pulled me away from it last time.
Well anyway, I guess I will keep hunting through free template pages and really stupid graphics created by 13 year olds until I find one that suits me. Or at least comes close to suiting me. If anyone knows of some great websites for this, please let me know. (Please keep in mind that contrary to some people's claims, a page with 4 templates that are all exactly the same but with different backgrounds does not count as a "great website.")
I do know some html; more than the average computer-illiterate person but not nearly as much as an average teenager. There are a lot of computer terms that I don't understand, but I'm not as likely as some to become so intimidated by terminology that I won't even attempt to mess with it. Most of the html I know I learned from close examination and playing around. All that being said, I'm a bit reluctant to mess with the current template too much. I don't like the boxes. I don't like the margins. I'm scared to change them without finding a template that at least sort of matches what I'm looking for so I can get an idea of how to change it.
A few years ago I created a memorial website for my son on Yahoo's PageBuilder, but became so wrapped up in finding new graphics and constantly making changes that I had to leave off for a while. Like a few years or something. Ok, I completely abandoned the project for the risk of going insane. That and I'd prepared this really long story of my son's birth and death, only to have it plagerized on someone else's page. (How low do you have to be, joshsmommy, to steal my very personal words which I spent hours composing and crying over?) I'd love to make a new one with the knowledge I've gained since then, but I'm afraid I might repeat the maniacal web-searching and downloading that pulled me away from it last time.
Well anyway, I guess I will keep hunting through free template pages and really stupid graphics created by 13 year olds until I find one that suits me. Or at least comes close to suiting me. If anyone knows of some great websites for this, please let me know. (Please keep in mind that contrary to some people's claims, a page with 4 templates that are all exactly the same but with different backgrounds does not count as a "great website.")
Friday, September 08, 2006
So.. Burnt.. Out...
Last week was cause for a tremendous rise in blood pressure as Vic and I started our dental work. I had a root canal, and he got three fillings and started a root canal of his own all by lunchtime on Friday.
This week, we are halfway through even more dental work. Yesterday I had a tooth pulled, requiring 4 shots before I was numb, and a really lot of pulling, prying, sawing, etc. It was a nightmare and now my jaw hurts so badly I can barely open my mouth to eat. Vic finished his root canal today while I got a filling in the tooth directly above the one they pulled yesterday. We go back tomorrow for more drilling and filling. Before we left today, we scheduled 7 more appointments for the end of the month. Oh the joy.
I have been having a lot of trouble keeping up with the 20 job applications each per week for Vic and I, recorded and turned in by noon each Friday. Trying to manage homeschooling, dental appointments, Vic's work, and 20 appointments filled out, logged and returned is a big load. And I just realized tonight that some paperwork that was supposed to be turned in on September 5th is still sitting on my computer desk waiting for me to fill it out. I really really REALLY hope this doesn't screw us for our assistance. I don't know what I would do if I had to fill all those papers out again, and when you lose assistance you can lose it for 6 months.
My vehicle registration is expired, and will be $162 to renew. Not that it matters, since my car payment is overdue as well, and the finance company calls at least 3 times a day. My property taxes are due. The garbage company called to say they would be stopping pickup if they didn't get a payment by tomorrow. My water is about to be disconnected. My phone and internet too. And you know what? I don't care very much. Well, obviously I CARE, but I'm just not very upset right now.
I am just tired. And my mouth hasn't hurt this bad in my whole life. And honestly, I'm numb to the whole assistance thing. I just go through the motions and fill out the papers and hope we don't lose everything before we make it out of this mess. I can't fix anything, which is frustrating, but there is no reason to worry constantly if there's nothing I can do, right? I am just hoping that within a few months this whole thing will be over. And I'm hoping that when it is over, I will still think it was a good idea. I hope I have no regrets for making these choices. I hope my children can understand. I hope we don't end up in a worse position than before. I hope I hope I hope
This week, we are halfway through even more dental work. Yesterday I had a tooth pulled, requiring 4 shots before I was numb, and a really lot of pulling, prying, sawing, etc. It was a nightmare and now my jaw hurts so badly I can barely open my mouth to eat. Vic finished his root canal today while I got a filling in the tooth directly above the one they pulled yesterday. We go back tomorrow for more drilling and filling. Before we left today, we scheduled 7 more appointments for the end of the month. Oh the joy.
I have been having a lot of trouble keeping up with the 20 job applications each per week for Vic and I, recorded and turned in by noon each Friday. Trying to manage homeschooling, dental appointments, Vic's work, and 20 appointments filled out, logged and returned is a big load. And I just realized tonight that some paperwork that was supposed to be turned in on September 5th is still sitting on my computer desk waiting for me to fill it out. I really really REALLY hope this doesn't screw us for our assistance. I don't know what I would do if I had to fill all those papers out again, and when you lose assistance you can lose it for 6 months.
My vehicle registration is expired, and will be $162 to renew. Not that it matters, since my car payment is overdue as well, and the finance company calls at least 3 times a day. My property taxes are due. The garbage company called to say they would be stopping pickup if they didn't get a payment by tomorrow. My water is about to be disconnected. My phone and internet too. And you know what? I don't care very much. Well, obviously I CARE, but I'm just not very upset right now.
I am just tired. And my mouth hasn't hurt this bad in my whole life. And honestly, I'm numb to the whole assistance thing. I just go through the motions and fill out the papers and hope we don't lose everything before we make it out of this mess. I can't fix anything, which is frustrating, but there is no reason to worry constantly if there's nothing I can do, right? I am just hoping that within a few months this whole thing will be over. And I'm hoping that when it is over, I will still think it was a good idea. I hope I have no regrets for making these choices. I hope my children can understand. I hope we don't end up in a worse position than before. I hope I hope I hope
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Backyard safari: The hunt for BBs...
Today the kids were restless. Fighting with each other. Nagging me about everything. Whining over the littlest issue. I sent them outside.I didn't ever think my kids would have to be encouraged to go outside, especially on a nice sunny day, but apparently they do. I thought the fact that we live in Iowa, where winters can be just one long string of sub-zero days and cloudy skies, they would appreciate any opportunity they had to be outside without a coat. They whined about having to go outside. They complained about having nothing to do. They wandered aimlessly around the yard with mopey faces on to prove how torturous my cruel punishment was.
On my way out to chastize them for being such technology-addicted robots, I noticed the container of BBs we recently bought for the BB gun were outside, and knocked over on the ground. I picked some up, and found a few that had strayed about a foot from the point of spillage. Gathering those, I found some more about a foot further than that. And some more. And some more. At that point I decided I was too lazy to pick them all up and that would be an excellent thing for my nothing-to-do children to take over.
Half an hour later, I found Chad constructing a sifting system. He had noticed the container for the BBs was full of dirt and grass (that probably ended up in there while they were picking up the spilled BBs), and he was cleaning it all out. The top of his contraption was a beach sifter, which allowed the dirt to fall through while catching larger things like the BBs and grass. The next level was a plastic lid from the recycle bin with holes punched just large enough for the BBs to fall through, but catch the grass.
And my grandmother thinks kids have to go to public school to learn how to "think properly." At least they found something to do.
On my way out to chastize them for being such technology-addicted robots, I noticed the container of BBs we recently bought for the BB gun were outside, and knocked over on the ground. I picked some up, and found a few that had strayed about a foot from the point of spillage. Gathering those, I found some more about a foot further than that. And some more. And some more. At that point I decided I was too lazy to pick them all up and that would be an excellent thing for my nothing-to-do children to take over.
Half an hour later, I found Chad constructing a sifting system. He had noticed the container for the BBs was full of dirt and grass (that probably ended up in there while they were picking up the spilled BBs), and he was cleaning it all out. The top of his contraption was a beach sifter, which allowed the dirt to fall through while catching larger things like the BBs and grass. The next level was a plastic lid from the recycle bin with holes punched just large enough for the BBs to fall through, but catch the grass.
And my grandmother thinks kids have to go to public school to learn how to "think properly." At least they found something to do.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Very crazy week...
I have been so busy this week! Monday was shots for Cadence and copies of immunization records for the district office. We ate lunch at my mother-in-law's house (she called it spaghetti, which it only slightly resembled and tasted drastically different). We visited my grandmother since we were in town.
Tuesday the legal paperwork was due to the district office for Chad and Cadence. Form A (two pages this year), Plan of Instruction, testing option notification, and dual-enrollment form. Two copies to the district, one for me, and one for my portfolio reviewer. I was a copying fool for about two hours. I also had to pick up the books from the school, organize everything and create a lesson plan for the rest of this week. I was up until 1am. Ugh. This wouldn't be such an issue if the school could manage to get the books ready for me sometime sooner than the day before the first day of school.
Yesterday was our first actual homeschooling day this year. We've been doing stuff all summer, but most of it has been whatever the kids wanted to learn about or observe. Unschooling, in a sense. I got the pleasure of babysitting for my cousin, which I already told her I wasn't going to do but it was, "just this one time." She planned to be gone an hour, but it was closer to two. Thankfully, Chad was all done with his school work by the time she got here, so there was no further disruption from my conversation with her until she left an hour later. Cadence's school time went more smoothly since there were no toddler arguments going on in the background by then. Ugh again. We also had a barbecue to go to and didn't get home until after 9pm, an hour after Riley's bedtime. We spent 45 minutes trying to get my poor over-tired children to wind down and go to sleep.
I expected today to run a bit more smoothly, but apparently all three of my kids are suffering te effects of not quite enough sleep. Riley has been whining and bawling about absolutely everthing today, and the other two have spent the whole morning fighting with each other.
Coming up for the remainder of the week: 20 job applications, a birthday party I'd rather not go to, and dental checkups for my older two children. I did half our applications (ten for me and ten for Vic) online last night, since half our job contacts can be emailed. That leaves another 10 applications each that have to be collected, filled out and returned by tomorrow morning, when the job log is due. Let's not even get into the inconveniences caused by Vic working, my errands/appointments, and only one vehicle with current tags. Ugh, ugh, and ugh.
Next week should be a lot easier on everyone. The kids will be more accustomed to daily work We won't have any appointments leaving more time for collecting and returning applications. I won't be looking after any children that don't belong to me. That will be a lot easier, right? Right?
Tuesday the legal paperwork was due to the district office for Chad and Cadence. Form A (two pages this year), Plan of Instruction, testing option notification, and dual-enrollment form. Two copies to the district, one for me, and one for my portfolio reviewer. I was a copying fool for about two hours. I also had to pick up the books from the school, organize everything and create a lesson plan for the rest of this week. I was up until 1am. Ugh. This wouldn't be such an issue if the school could manage to get the books ready for me sometime sooner than the day before the first day of school.
Yesterday was our first actual homeschooling day this year. We've been doing stuff all summer, but most of it has been whatever the kids wanted to learn about or observe. Unschooling, in a sense. I got the pleasure of babysitting for my cousin, which I already told her I wasn't going to do but it was, "just this one time." She planned to be gone an hour, but it was closer to two. Thankfully, Chad was all done with his school work by the time she got here, so there was no further disruption from my conversation with her until she left an hour later. Cadence's school time went more smoothly since there were no toddler arguments going on in the background by then. Ugh again. We also had a barbecue to go to and didn't get home until after 9pm, an hour after Riley's bedtime. We spent 45 minutes trying to get my poor over-tired children to wind down and go to sleep.
I expected today to run a bit more smoothly, but apparently all three of my kids are suffering te effects of not quite enough sleep. Riley has been whining and bawling about absolutely everthing today, and the other two have spent the whole morning fighting with each other.
Coming up for the remainder of the week: 20 job applications, a birthday party I'd rather not go to, and dental checkups for my older two children. I did half our applications (ten for me and ten for Vic) online last night, since half our job contacts can be emailed. That leaves another 10 applications each that have to be collected, filled out and returned by tomorrow morning, when the job log is due. Let's not even get into the inconveniences caused by Vic working, my errands/appointments, and only one vehicle with current tags. Ugh, ugh, and ugh.
Next week should be a lot easier on everyone. The kids will be more accustomed to daily work We won't have any appointments leaving more time for collecting and returning applications. I won't be looking after any children that don't belong to me. That will be a lot easier, right? Right?
Saturday, August 19, 2006
...Beuller?...
I'm here. I'm still alive. I wonder how many people still check this blog, if anyone. I would not be surprised if the few people who were reading my sorry little blog have long abandoned me. I would have, if I were them. I just have no patience for slow posters.
For anyone who may still be periodically checking, or for those who may be new to my little miserable corner of the internet, I will update our situation.
We qualified for FIP, aka welfare money, a crappy $540/month. This will pay my utilities, but nothing else. We are getting $520/month food stamps, which is a tremendous help. I was concerned about losing my car, since the monthly alottment doesn't cover my car payment. It also doesn't cover my property taxes, due next month, or my internet access (can you believe that?!? They expect me to live without internet!). Fortunately, Vic found some work with a local remodelling guy for cash. Off the books. Illegal? Absulutely. Serious abuse of the system? Damn straight. But we can keep our car, which makes it possible for Vic to get a real, on the books job - or a job of any kind for that matter - once our dental work is all done. I don't lose my house because of a tax sale, and may even be able to pay the back taxes by the time we're done with this nightmare.
We had our first dental appointment on Wednesday. The dentist says dentures are a silly idea as long as we keep our 6 month checkups, and plans to fill or cap all our bad teeth. We're planning a root canal on my front tooth, which I'm sure isn't that bad, but I've never had one before so I'm a bit nervous. I wonder how silly the idea of dentures would be if I told the dentist the reality - that we may not be able to make our regular checkups unless we have some drastic change in income / insurance by then. Either way, by the middle of September, I should be all fixed up, Vic can start looking for a real job, and we can move on with our lives.
I can elaborate more on these subjects, as well as everything else that's been going on around here, in the next few days. I feel so much better now that things are starting to go more smoothly around here. I can't even tell you how relieved I am that Vic is working instead of rumbling around the house driving me crazy!
For anyone who may still be periodically checking, or for those who may be new to my little miserable corner of the internet, I will update our situation.
We qualified for FIP, aka welfare money, a crappy $540/month. This will pay my utilities, but nothing else. We are getting $520/month food stamps, which is a tremendous help. I was concerned about losing my car, since the monthly alottment doesn't cover my car payment. It also doesn't cover my property taxes, due next month, or my internet access (can you believe that?!? They expect me to live without internet!). Fortunately, Vic found some work with a local remodelling guy for cash. Off the books. Illegal? Absulutely. Serious abuse of the system? Damn straight. But we can keep our car, which makes it possible for Vic to get a real, on the books job - or a job of any kind for that matter - once our dental work is all done. I don't lose my house because of a tax sale, and may even be able to pay the back taxes by the time we're done with this nightmare.
We had our first dental appointment on Wednesday. The dentist says dentures are a silly idea as long as we keep our 6 month checkups, and plans to fill or cap all our bad teeth. We're planning a root canal on my front tooth, which I'm sure isn't that bad, but I've never had one before so I'm a bit nervous. I wonder how silly the idea of dentures would be if I told the dentist the reality - that we may not be able to make our regular checkups unless we have some drastic change in income / insurance by then. Either way, by the middle of September, I should be all fixed up, Vic can start looking for a real job, and we can move on with our lives.
I can elaborate more on these subjects, as well as everything else that's been going on around here, in the next few days. I feel so much better now that things are starting to go more smoothly around here. I can't even tell you how relieved I am that Vic is working instead of rumbling around the house driving me crazy!
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