31 December 2007

Before Jesus Gets Packed Away...


You know, and not to be thought of for a whole 'nother year 'till next Christmas... Check out his sandy-blonde hair! You never knew that all of Jesus' entourage was colour-coordinated before this, either, or that all the hay in his stable was *miraculously* clean. I think this miracle is probably in one of those "lost gospels" or something because every creche I've seen has colour-coordinated and there is NO cow poopy near baby Jesus, ever.

Find Out About Yummy Lead!

And Cadmium! And Arsenic! And assorted other YUMMY flavours! This website pictures many toys commonly sold and gives the lowdown on what they found when they tested the toys:

http://www.healthytoys.org/home.php

I thought it was a *very* good idea. Why the drugs we take have to be screened and scientifically evaluated, sometimes for YEARS by our government, but the toys our children PUT IN THEIR MOUTHS and chew on do not have the same oversight, is beyond me. I wish the site were more comprehensive and tested toys 'way back to the 70s, because lots of those older toys are still around and being chewed on. We have several presently.

30 December 2007

Our Last Pumpkin Post of the Year!




We finally decided to cut open our pumpkins and see how many seeds are inside. Big pumpkins have larger seeds than smaller pumpkins. We made guesses as to how many seeds were in each one. The smaller pumpkin had 259 seeds, and the larger contained **469** seeds! I don't think we're planting all of the seeds next year. But we'll sure be able to be choosy and select the nicest-looking ones for springtime.

Homeschooling is NOT So Hard.

I wish I'd have known this starting out. I wish I'd have known that it's actually LESS work to just homeschool your child, than to be an "involved parent" at school.

We've enjoyed elementary school with our older boys. *Most* of the teachers were actually pretty competent and caring (the others, I save for another blog post, another day...). We had the children involved in extra activities like the Spanish Club or Service Club, or choir, and they got a fair bit out of the experience.

But it's a LOT of work.

You get about a ton of worksheets that must be done by a certain time. Usually on a day when you're sick or have no time. You get the phone calls about this or that, and about a zillion sheets per day that sometimes contain important news, so you MUST go through them daily. The schools also *love* to throw in half days, teacher in-service days and early dismissals. Not so bad, unless you have children at more than one school and the schedules are not co-ordinated. You've written "early dismissal" on the calendar, but don't know which child will show up early at your door until you see him.

Our son Elf is autistic, and by the time he got to first grade, it wasn't worth it any more to send him to public school. Combining the fundraisers, the homework, the sheets, the million conferences and the constant phone calls about my son's "choices," made for an AWFUL start to the school year. (Yes, he wakes up every morning and plots ALL these problem behaviours just to annoy you. Thank you for understanding the nature of autism. You dork.) Can you tell I found myself in an extremely adversarial position with the school staff? D and I began to seriously consider homeschooling.

Once we were in agreement, life became SO much easier. Yes, "hours per day," I suppose I spend more on homeschooling than public schooling. But they're hours *I* get to manage as I wish. Since Elf was in first grade, I was able to practice basic writing skills and math skills while I investigated the curriculum and materials that were available "out there."

And I found a LOT. I had no clue there was so much out there. Anyone even remotely considering homeschooling ought to just take a look and see what's out there. Go to the Rainbow Resource or CBD website, or find a "teachers' supply store" near you. Even if you decide to leave your child in public schools, there are just SO many materials out there that will be helpful to your family. You don't need $ylvan tutoring or anything like that to see marked improvements in your child's academic skills.

I hadn't realized how much energy I had been using to participate in my children's school life until Elf came home, either. No more fights about my child telling the entire kindergarten class that Santa is not real, or constantly being hit up for money (United Way, Scholastic book fair, fundraisers, teacher appreciation this, mitten tree that). I think I'm actually SAVING money by homeschooling, and I buy the expensive stuff.

One more thing I found out: I *like* teaching my younger children at home. I found out that I can spend 24/7 with these little children and still enjoy their company (most of the time). It's not true that you'd go crazy having everyone home all day. I think after about two weeks everyone is well-adjusted to the new routine. The children DO learn when to go do something in their room and leave Mom alone. FYI, our older two children are still in public schools (8th and 7th grades), so we still have to work around that occasional half-day or teacher in-service.

Are you thinking of homeschooling, or do you homeschool presently? Feel free to share your thoughts.

Can You Make "Graphics?"

http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2007/12/contest-for-carnival-of-homeschooling.html

I have no idea how to make graphics. I'm not really able to "copy" other people's stuff to my blog so well!! But if *you* know how to and want to enter, the carnival of homeschooling would like some entries that reflect what homeschooling means to you!! Go to www.whyhomeschool.blogspot.com for more.

Dig the New Get-Up.

Baby J, in his new Christmas jammies from L.L. Bean. I almost never buy new things for the younger boys, but this looked so soft and cuddly that I just had to get it. Hopefully it's "gender-neutral" enough that a girl could get away with wearing it later. Mmmm... it's very soft and snuggly. I *would* wish that it came in my size, but at this stage of pregnancy I go to the bathroom about every five minutes, and those zipper jammies are a real pain!

29 December 2007

Thankfully, It's Mostly Faded.

The Elf has asthma and is on a *bunch* of different things for it. Every few years our allergist wants to test him for allergies, to see if we need to treat him more aggressively. MOST of the markings on the Elf are faded, but I assure you it was *not* a fun afternoon getting him poked and marked-up. Good news: unlike last time, they see NO allergies!! We're not using the allergy meds and we'll see how he does.

Have you ever seen such a hairy back? I teased him and told him in the old days, the Indians would have shot him with their arrows thinking he was a bear. No, he says, they would call him "Big Turtle," just like they did to Daniel Boone. The nickname doesn't really seem to fit, though.

More Gingerbread Houses!




We tried making gingerbread houses just like on April's blog, but without the necessary skill and the little milk carton, they kinda fell down. They turned out more like little shanties than houses. They were still quite a bit of messy fun for the children to make and eat, however. They *did* remind me a bit of the ghetto gingerbread homes... click for link in bad taste, if you dare! http://www.gingerbreadghetto.com Found the link through Fark.com, as you would expect on a high-class endeavour like that.

We're Studying About Those Rebellious People in Boston.

This chapter in our Bob Jones history book is entitled, "Trouble in Boston." All about how King George sent about 4,000 redcoats into Boston. The people were determined not to pay taxes on tea, paint, windows, cloth, and paper under the Townshend Duties.

The more I read about the colonists and their fortitude, the more I wonder about ours. Well, our lack of fortitude. Or we're just confused into a lack of fortitude.

I can't think of a THING I'm not being taxed on. And I don't remember voting on most of these taxes... they're regulated by some mysterious force or committee "out there" and they add anywhere from 50 cents to several dollars on every bill I receive. In several different places and ways on the same bill, too. I'm sure the phone company or the gas people could add a "universal standardization fee" or something (just make something up!) to everyone's bill if they really wanted to, and almost no one would notice. When you get taxed 50 different ways on every bill, and by so many different people who all want a piece of you, you just shrug your shoulders and pay the bill. The county wants this. The state wants that. The city gets something, and then we're in a special hospital district or whatever... Now, if they just came out and TOLD us that we'd have to pay a $100 "Mafia fee" every month, I don't wonder if we wouldn't just be happier with that.

The colonists didn't want to be taxed if they felt they had no representation. Hmm. Did you know, D even has to pay a percentage of his GROSS INCOME to Kansas City because he works there???! And does *he* get to vote for Mayor? Nope.

I guess you just had to "be there" to see what was so maddening about King George wanting a few shillings from every paint shipment. Because between sales tax, income tax(ES), and various connectivitiy/ usage/ whatever "fees," I kinda get nostalgic thinking the only things I'd have had to pay taxes on in Boston were paint, windows, cloth and the like.

Did we really want to die for that?? I need to go back and read some more history to figure out why this was all so important to those people. I'd like to understand more about that whole period in history.

28 December 2007

G and Patrick, 1996.


I wish they could grow up, but still be as cuddly and sweet as they used to be. Where's Momma's kisses??? I don't remember receiving any today from them.

It's A Homeschool Family!

http://www.timhawkins.net/video/homeschool.swf

Are you one, too? Found this little link on the Why Homeschool blog.

The Baby is a BOY!!

And he has brown hair. And he can crawl already!! I decided to leave him with an irresponsible relative and go swimming. Then I forgot about all my other children. I collected seashells at the edge of the pool in the sand (don't ask me how because I have no idea). I also ate sandwiches I did not have to make myself. Mmmm...

Then I changed my mind and wanted the baby back, but then the baby and I wound up in court somehow and the judge told me I could have the baby, but I had to raise him as a Muslim. I told him I'd sure do that, thinking, yeah, a Muslim who CONVERTED at the age of six months to Christianity, you betcha I can do that... Now HOW am I going to do that with court oversight??

I woke up just then.

27 December 2007

And Now, It's Time For Bed.


Well, for those of us who are able to sleep in beds. Baby J will NOT sleep in a pen. He will freak out, quite literally. He is extremely frightened of being alone. I have noticed this quality in him since he was a few months old and attributed it to his having so many brothers and always having someone around. No, he's really scared of being alone. He can't STAND solitude. He MUST be able to touch someone at all times. Frankly D and I are getting worried about him, especially in light of the fact that we already have two children diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. J gets so scared and upset at being alone that D has gone ahead and purchased a super-big blanket. He folds this in half and puts it on the floor in the safe, gated area. Then he sleeps on this with baby J and his other blankets. "Making the bed" in the morning consists of the older boys rumpling up this arrangement and throwing it on a chair in the corner where we keep our toddler picnic table (J keeps standing and jumping off this, so it's not used right now) and our little trampoline. J is a strange sleeper, too. He literally crawls in his sleep. In little circles. I'm not kidding. This child is the strangest sleeper I've ever seen. I can't wait until he gets a little common sense... hopefully then we will be able to convince him that a toddler bed would be a *great* idea.

Can't Touch This.

"Customers," that is. Whole Foods has a zero-tolerance policy on employees touching the customers. Even if they're shoplifting and running away. This story is totally asinine. Mind you, if the employee roughed him up a bit for fun or maybe spat on him on purpose, I could see the firing. Here's the link:

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/grocery_worker_fired_for_stopp.html

Just saw this little article on fark.com. Now all y'all hoods reading my blog know where to go shoplifting next. You might get caught, but if you can run you'll never be detained! Whoo-hoo!

After Christmas.


There is just a little time after the presents are unwrapped, when we become contemplative. We just seek a little quiet, and maybe some solitude from the bustle of the holidays.

26 December 2007

Freedoms Eroding in HIV Testing Decision

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110ap_hiv_testing.html

Yes, they say women can "opt out" of prenatal HIV testing in New Jersey. Um, just like I "opted out" of the testing when it was requested WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. Just a tiny checkmark in the corner of my bloodwork sheet that I *happened* to see. I was peeved. I very nearly got tested without consent.

You have to know what they're testing you for. Then you have to know that you CAN opt out. Then you have to resist medical pressure to submit to testing (subtle force if this is the only OB doctor on your insurance plan, and you don't want to anger her, etc.). Then you have to know HOW to opt out.

Let's think about this. Suppose you're an 18-year-old, newly pregnant and not very educated in the ways of the world. Think you have all the information needed to make the right decision? In addition to telling moms that HIV testing may save their children from contracting the disease if proper care is followed (notice the MAY and IF in the sentence??), I'd like them to produce a sheet about the effects of a positive HIV test on obtaining insurance and a job. They should also inform the potential test-ee that any positive result is given to the county health department and probably a bunch of other people.

I'm all for VOLUNTARY testing. Voluntary is, to my mind, when you're presented with a big bunch of options and you choose the ones you feel like you want to have. No arm-squeezing and certainly no little boxes checked on blood testing forms without informed consent.

All this money going out on the part of insurance companies for mandated testing. And for what benefit? New Jersey stats from the article:

"The state has about 115,000 births per year and had seven infants born with HIV in 2005, according to state health department officials."

Yep. And how many of those seven children had mothers with NO prenatal care in the first place? You just have to wonder.

Thanks For All The Toys, But...

Time to play with my old standby, Diet Pepsi bottles.

Reporting Like This Drives Me Nuts!

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2526656920071226?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=22&sp=true

The article tells us that lots of inner-city folks are getting tapeworms and other worms that are more prevalent in third-world countries. And plenty of Hispanics have these worms as well.

OK.

So... Does that mean that the "Hispanics" affected are mostly from Mexico and carrying dread disease? Or is it something about the food they're eating in *general* that is a source of concern? (Should *I* avoid tacos or is there some other food that is suspect?) Is it transmissible if those affected are working in food service or factory work?

The article tells us that one suspected source is animal feces in inner-city parks. Well, once you HAVE the worms, you could get seizures. OK. What are some other symptoms? Do you see the things crawling around when you poop/ throw up? Are they sexually transmissible? Are they transmissible in families by sharing cups, etc.? Is there a vaccine for these worms or a treatment? Antibiotics?

Reporting like this DRIVES ME NUTS. Stories like this tell you only enough to freak you out, and not enough to have some rational thought when you're done with the article. One would *think* from reading the article that Hispanics and inner-city dwellers are mangy, dirty worm-filled people spreading their vermin about these great United States. And I think there needs to be some balance or perspective in the article about what these worms are, how they're treated and how we don't need to flip out that our gardener or the workers in our local restaurants will infect us. If that's true. Which I hope it IS.

I honestly have no clue how easily spread these worms are from the article, or how to get rid of them. Or even whether I should worry about my own cat having such a problem!

Bleh. Please don't report the story at ALL if you're not going to get off your bottom and do a little research and explaining to the layperson next time, ok??

25 December 2007

J is Trying to Say Something!

Christmas 2007



Well, the cake didn't turn out exactly as we had planned. It was *supposed* to look like presents for Jesus. There was, however, plenty of excitement over the events of the day. Happy Christmas, everyone!

Look! A Present!

What I do with my presents is, I take them and run away so you can't "help" me open them. I look at them and play with them a bit. I eat the wrapper. Then I cry while you open the gift for me.

24 December 2007

Merry Christmas!

This photo was taken on Christmas, 1996. Patrick was three and G was 1 1/2. I was... much younger as well.

Please Don't Be A Stupid Racist.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071222/NEWS09/712220338/1001/NEWS

Now, you all know I dislike Obama. I really *don't* want him to become President. But it exasperates me to read stories of black folks not voting for him in the primaries because he's black! Way to perpetuate that stereotype that a black man will never be a US President.

But here's another stupid reason not to vote for Obama. He might get assassinated!

Hellooooo.... I think this fellow has some stupid, dumb, idiotic ideas. But I'm figuring he's man enough to know that there are dangers that come with this job and he's taken that into consideration with his family before throwing his hat into the ring. How insulting that others would deny him the chance at the presidency... not because they don't like his ideas, but because they want to protect him. Or because the best thing for black folks is (allegedly) to have a Democratic president, and Obama doesn't have a chance because he's black.

I would say that this is just moronic liberalism at work, but I've heard not-so-smart conservatives on other blogs talking about voting for Giuliani so that the GOP can beat the Democrats in the next election.

Whatever happened to voting for the best person for the job??!

Christmas 2004

We had just bought a digital camera this year, and I must have snapped over 50 photographs before I found any that were halfway decent. Of course, G broke out in a rash on his face (eczema) and Patrick's teeth were bothering him. He either just got, or was about to get, braces. He feels a lot better now after having had braces, because his teeth grew in in such a way that it was difficult for him to even chew. This photo was also taken when I was in the middle of painting trees everywhere, and once I finished the room looked like a bit of a forest for a while before I settled on the plain brown for all the walls.

23 December 2007

Merry Tossmass!

http://www.citizenlink.org/Stoplight/A000005834.cfm

Cute video I found while surfing blogs. I found this video on Kristina's blog, http://kristinas-soapbox.blogspot.com/

My Day at Church

I don't know. Maybe we need to join one of those religions where there is a lot of jumping around and stupid comments from the audience during the sermon. Anyone know of one?

I love Emperor, but he is driving me NUTS. Well, everyone seems to be driving me NUTS.

During church, G keeps sitting down during worship. I keep nudging him to stand up. He finally stands up, folds his arms and SCOWLS during the part where the congregation is singing about God's amazing grace. Finally, I had to drag him out into the hallway and admonish him that he is to stand throughout worship.

But, he says, lots of other people are sitting and it doesn't matter!! Well, if I manage to stand and I'm over three times his age, AND I'm eight months pregnant, this kid can stand during a few songs. And if he can't worship God with all his heart, I let him know he'd at least better act like a good Pharisee and pretend!

Meanwhile, Emperor has been leaning on the chair in front of him during service. I keep hinting at him to quit it. And hinting. Finally I had to growl/whisper at him that he'd best quit it and pay attention. Then he bawls because I hurt his feelings so I have to sit down and comfort him. G sees me doing this and thinks it's ok for HIM to sit, too. Elf sees this and sits as well.

I pinch G and he rolls his eyes and stands. Now he IS standing, but his hands are in his pockets and he is looking at his shoes. Emperor is still sniffling. I nudge Elf and Emperor to stand up and worship...

I'm so glad when worship time is over!

The pastor makes a comment to liven the crowd about his outfit making him blend with his surroundings. You probably can't see me too well, he says.

I CAN SEE YOU JUST FINE! Emperor makes sure that the worshippers in the next church half a mile up the road heard that one.

Now, I'll tell you, I keep hushing the kid, and he knows better. He really doesn't MEAN to be such a pain in the rear end. The problem comes when the pastor asks a question. Emperor will go ahead and answer it!! Yikes. I *want* the kid to participate, but he needs to know that you're really not supposed to answer the questions; you're supposed to sit perfectly still and stare STRAIGHT ahead unless you are looking at your Bible (or your children, in order to give them a good pinch when needed LOL!). I will say that his answers to the questions show that he has truly been listening. But I wish he wouldn't answer. He keeps forgetting what I just told him.

Like, great... when the pastor was reading about David worshipping in his underwear, he asks if "you" think it's ok to do. Whereupon of course the Emperor has to say NO IT'S NOT OK TO WORSHIP IN YOUR UNDERWEAR. Emperor, he wasn't really looking for you to answer! Now sit perfectly still and say NOTHING. Don't even move!

G starts pinging his foot on the wire back of the chair in front of him. Tap, tap. G gives me an angry look and quits. He puts just his nose and eyes outside his coat and fiddles around with his zipper.

Finally, service is over. Aaahh. I need to help Elf put his coat on, so I turn around for literally about 10 seconds. Emperor is gone!!!

He is onstage with the pastor making a nuisance of himself and hugging the worship team! I'm trying to get him to come over discreetly but of course that doesn't work and I have to march my fat self ALL the way to the front and make a display of myself in order to get him out of there.

In other news, the boys are wondering what my problem is and why I'm so grumpy after church.

22 December 2007

Homeschooling Stuff For Christmas

I will tell you what Elf and Emperor are receiving, since they don't read my blog. They sometimes pester me until I show them all the pictures. They like to see themselves online and know that they have an audience for their antics.

I'm getting them two dinosaur books from CBD, and a magnet set with all the dinosaur names on them. I think I'll just literally sit and read the books aloud to them for science time once we're done with octopuses. I'm not sure how all the eras (like "Jurassic," etc.) fit in with scientists who teach from a Christian perspective. These are childrens' books, but I thought they were detailed enough at least for a second-grade level.

In the past on pumpkins, octopi, etc., I've found a real wealth of worksheets and information that was on their level and not objectionable. Now I see that the worksheets on the free websites I run across classify the animals by their period. I'm not sure how that fits in with the books yet, but I was hoping to run across something that didn't insist on a time period but yet was a little beyond just a colouring sheet. I am really eager to read these books, but I know *I* wouldn't want to get a pre-read book for Christmas myself.

I think it will be an exciting unit though. I don't know why I keep doing these when I have perfectly good curriculum in a box all ready to go. We sort of alternate a bit. There are so many things to learn and I feel as though we're packing 20 years worth of schooling into a month sometimes!!

21 December 2007

Sad Feud Between Neighbours

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/20/Hernando/He_admits_picking_for.shtml?701

Little old man and woman neighbours have an ongoing feud about stealing tangerines. You know, if it were a "feud" between our family and our next door neighbours, they would start out by giving us three bags of tangerines, whether we wanted them or not. Then we'd have to counter with a couple bags of grapefruit. And we'd receive five bags of tangerines and some cookies back the next day.

I'm serious. We never win our feuds.

Good Morning!

SOMEONE gets up at 2:30 or 3 in the morning, traipses downstairs and plays his GameBoy until he crashes. I wake him up at about 5:30. See the little bag under his arm? That holds his game cartridges, and his game is tucked under his chin in the corner, but you can't see that in this picture. I tell the Emperor I don't mind so long as he doesn't make a bunch of noise, and so long as he is able to do all his work the next day and get up on time. Never been a problem!

Seven Fired in Hospital Hoax

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22347088

Seven staffers are fired after investigations show that at least six of them had "ample reason" to doubt a call stating that certain patients needed shock punishment. The article states that the patients were not being disruptive or misbehaving at the time... but shocks were administrated anyway!

Contrary to a previous news story stating that NO harm had been done, it's revealed that one child was treated for burns. Maybe the next story will contain mention of second degree burns... the next third degree... and eventually we'll find out that permanent, irreparable harm has been done to a child or young adult. Just my speculation, but the way these stories work out that's what we'll hear in, oh, eight months when everyone has forgotten about it.

Nice of them to fire the staffers. Not nice that these poor patients are, apparently, still stuck in the same hospital after this attack. And what kind of place initiates discipline by phone?? I hope the parents are able to collect their children or transfer them to another hospital.

Merry Christmas, and I hope criminal charges are pending.

20 December 2007

Just Me and My Dad

Throughout the 1970s, my parents had odd decorating and fashion ideas just like everyone else. Note the rotary telephone (museum quality!) and the IDOL OF BUDDHA on the coffee table. Groovy, huh??

Me, With My Baby Brother, Jim.

I guess I was ahead of my time with the mullet-cut thing. Are all of you parents of small children just LOVING this playpen or what??

Jesus Is Not Here Yet.

He's stashed in the buffet drawer beneath the creche and makes His appearance on Christmas morning.

19 December 2007

Boys in the Backyard


The four older boys had a blast playing in the snow recently. They came in pretty cold, though. Our sled from last year had cracked, so they decided to roll downhill and get all wet, frozen, and dizzy.

Smile... You're on "Way Too Candid Camera!"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22327081

This is why it's always a good idea to cross out the, "we can take photos during your surgery for educational purposes" line in standard hospital forms. I don't want anyone "educated" as to how ugly my butt is or whatever.

I think the news story would be just as effective had they left out the name of the poor fellow AND the exact nature of his tattoo, don't you?

We, the Court, Hereby Name Your Son Gregorio.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22326746

This is a true story. The parents wanted to pick out an unusual name for their child and chose Friday. Ok, not a name I'd choose, but they ARE his parents... aren't they?

Well, turns out officials are required by law to report "unusual" names to the court and they took it from there. Being a mostly Catholic country, Fridays are thought of as sad occasions (think "death of Jesus"). And the court felt that naming the child after the character in Robinson Crusoe would be pretty cruel and demeaning.

So THEY chose the really "normal"-sounding name of Gregorio. Yeah, the kid wouldn't be made fun of around here for a name like that. Oreo, oreo, oreo... No. No child would think that one up.

Sorry. I think "Friday" sounds more normal than "Oreo-boy," don't you?? We already have lots of children named Tuesdae, Summer, Autumn, June, Julius, etc. etc.

What are things coming to if parents can't even NAME their children without state approval? Blech. From now on, all boys will be named "Jacob" and all little girls will be named "Emily." We don't want controversy, you know.

18 December 2007

I'd Like to Be... Under the Sea...

Oh, why not? The boys wanted a unit on octopi. We have learned that their eyes are attached to their BODIES and not their heads. That some are very poisonous. That they're extremely intelligent and one of the few invertebrates with a good-sized brain. They're just cool. Elf and Emperor have enjoyed learning about them. Did you know they're mollusks as well??

G's First Birthday!!

In this picture, Patrick is 2 1/2 years old and G is turning one. D is organizing our pictures from our photo albums and scanning them into the computer. Likely this is not the last "vintage" photo you'll have to put up with if you read my blog.

Haw, Haw... That Was a Funny Prank!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/18/prank_led_school_to_treat_two_with_shock

A mental hospital administered *77* shocks to one inmate (we can't call them patients with treatments like this!) after a prank phone call to the center by a former student. Another poor soul received 29 unnecessary shocks. At least, that's all this hospital will admit to at present. The center "helps" people with autism and mental retardation who have "nowhere else to go" for treatment.

Please, if I ever *somehow* catch mental retardation or autism from a drinking fountain or something (ok just make up some story for the case of argument, would you please?), just let me babble and be homeless. Let me just take my chances "out there" rather than let me deal with such loving treatment for my own good.

I think it's interesting that social workers and the like are pressing charges against parents who keep their kids in "cages" while they sleep, but not against these people "yet". I could at least rationalize the "cage" thing at night. You know? Mom and dad NEED to sleep sometime and the child wanders. Solves it for me unless there's a fire, but then you come down to the old risk vs. benefit argument. You'd have to think about how likely a fire is verus how likely it is the child will wander off and electrocute himself or be hit by a car, etc. But I haven't heard anything about these hospital patients getting transferred to a place that stinkin' well cares for their well-being. Maybe their insurance "vacuums" or something... Thankfully folks in my family don't have that sort of severe disability or maybe they'd be forced into a home like that.

Maybe *I* would be forced into a home like that. I'm just one car accident away from losing all my mental abilities, you know. Christ calls us to have compassion on the widow and the fatherless, and stories like the Good Samaritan would lead me to believe He would want us to have a generous spirit and a soft heart toward those who would need some compassion.

That's why I'm thinking the prankster and the idiot who took the call and administered "punishment" should be burned at the stake.

I'm only half kidding.

17 December 2007

Free Ad For Spray 'N Wash!

This is about the only product that can not only get out *most* grass stains, but also, when added to musty-smelling laundry, helps it come out smelling fresh and Spray 'N Washy. I love this stuff. The little deodorant-stick thing for applying to stains isn't as good, though. Don't waste your money on that.

Stuff That Falls By The Wayside.

The extreme clean is gone. Well, at least it is in my house, compared to what things were like when I had "only" two children. No way I scrub and clean as well as I used to, given my other responsibilities. No, we're not filthy-grimy and hanging out with the hounds in the back of the pickup truck. No, we don't smell of possum or head lice. But the big, BIG blessing of having a larger family means that there are more people to care for, and consequently less time to keep house as METICULOUSLY. We still keep our house relatively nicely, though. Here is my list of confessions:

I no longer take a Q-tip to the woodwork to get the grimy nooks and crannies each week. I do not guarantee that eating off my floor is a very good idea at all. Um, I wouldn't try it. Vaccuming's a weekly thing on a good week, with the exception of the area the baby plays in. That's at LEAST twice a week; I'll give myself that much.

My sink is not polished every day. FlyLady is for people with three or fewer children. Or for really obsessed people with more children who want to clean all day, and I'm not one of them. You can be grateful if I rinse the dinner chunks down the drain by breakfast the next day and put the dishes in the washer. You're welcome.

I no longer wipe walls on a daily basis or touch-up paint every couple months. I've painted it, and I'll wipe if it's really gross, but otherwise, I get all the "touch-ups" done the next time I paint the wall. Wait a few years and it'll look good again.

Everything is no longer put away in its proper place. Tons of 'stuff' gets strewn about my house and I don't have the energy or time to put it all away. I occasionally nag my children about their own messes, and clean up some of my own, but generally speaking we no longer differentiate between architectural terms like Victorian or Craftsman when we talk about our rooms having a unifying theme. It's "Lived-In." Except the garage...that's "pig sty" and I make no excuses for it, and put no effort into cleaning it up.

Do NOT ask about my refridgerator.

"Cleaning the bathroom" now consists of flushing the toilet, changing the trash and opening the blinds. Yiww. OK, maybe I do the countertops and sometimes the floors as well (I'm starting to have a hard time getting back up after scrubbing, though). But G gets a *dollar* to do all the toilets in the house. He's a boy and most of the time I let things slide when it's done to his manly standard of cleanliness. At least it gets done weekly, though. Cross that chore off my list.

I need to clean out the kitchen cabinets very badly. I used to have a *great* system for all the kitchen items... but I keep getting busy and we keep buying things in bulk. The only problem with that is occasionally we will misplace something because we don't stock properly (oldest thing out front, just like in the grocery stores) and wind up with BLACK ketchup in the cabinet when we're searching for a "fresh" bottle. In my defense, at least we didn't use it. We're not that frugal.

Yes, we do hand-me-downs. These are clean, but stained and worn. Shoes are scarecrow-worthy by the time the fifth little boy is done with them. We don't donate to thrift stores; we look like their beneficiaries. Our hair is combed and we usually smell pretty good if we haven't been eating too much of D's chili, but "clotheshorse" describes... no one in our family.

Haircuts are done at home, further contributing to the ragamuffin look my children sport.

I'll draw the line at the homemade shampoos and laundry soap made from soap flakes or dish detergent, though. We use Suave, White Rain or "whatever is on sale" for the older boys. The younger still use baby shampoo because I manage to get soap in their eyes occasionally no matter how careful I am.

But guess what? I'm saving about $60 in haircut fees every eight weeks or so, when you figure in the cost of my five boys plus D. No telling how much I'm saving with the hand-me-downs. And homeschooling the younger children makes them not need new backpacks, lunchboxes, shoes and other items nearly so often. I think that's a hidden benefit to homeschooling most people don't look at. I think there is some guy out there named "Bob Jones" who gets all that money I'm saving though LOL!

One thing that I find very strange is this idea that one's CAR or van can become yucky on a regular basis. Mine does not. With the exception of our annual family drive to look at Christmas lights and eat bunches of sugar cookies in the van, there is NO eating in the van. NO bringing in bits of paper. No books or toys. No TVs with DVDs. Guess what that means? NO mess!! My van is wayyy cleaner than about any other mom's you could think of. Too bad I just can't transfer those rules to my house.

Well... Better Than Nothing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22293189



The Saudi king "pardons" the rape victim mentioned in previous news stories. He makes sure to tell us all how *wonderful* the Saudi Arabian justice system is, and how it was a just verdict at the same time he was issuing this pardon. Maybe I'm not reading the story correctly, but I didn't see the penalties for the man who ALLEGEDLY was having an affair with this woman. Reminds me of the Bible story of the woman brought before Jesus for adultery.... there was no man anywhere waiting to hear what HIS punishment was so far as I know. Maybe we need to look in the gnostic texts for that one (hey, I'm just kidding LOL!).

16 December 2007

... While Visions of Treasures Danced in His Head.


Elf thinks the "alligator god" pictured in the book is really cool. He says he'd like to make his own mummy, not to worship, but just to find out how they did all those things in the book.

Take THAT, Verizon!!

I am so sick and tired of stupid ol' Verizon giving us telemarketing calls. Ugh. For the last three days, we've had at least ONE call each day. Yesterday the fellow really peed me off. I told the guy the day before that the number was on the Do Not Call list, please remove it from your list, etc. So when I went over that fact yesterday the guy kept talking in a heavy Indian accent! Like I said nothing!! I mean, thank you for at least learning my language before calling me... now you can go back and learn some manners as well. And today, D *finally* got baby J down for a nap, and guess who called???

I googled up the official Do Not Call List website with my VERY FAVOURITE DEMOCRAT, Jay Nixon. (And yes, I actually voted for him and think he's awesome in this job.) It took me maybe five minutes to type up and submit a complaint against this company. It was even easier than the time four years ago, when I called my complaint in. Yay!

Better still, idiot telemarketers who cause trouble can be fined big-time. More money for the state, which means they're going to WANT to go after the telemarketers who intentionally break the law. Good for everyone but the telemarketing companies. Yahoooo!

Take that one, Verizon.

15 December 2007

Yay For Patrick!

Eighth place this time, but mostly against high schoolers. We were looking outside at the snow this morning and wondering if he'd make it to the chess tournament at all. Not as many "interesting" stories this time about the tournament; last time a sore loser stuffed chess pieces into his mouth and had a tantrum, but this time, I guess everyone was pretty well-behaved.

Storage, Storage, Storage


We have every outfit from every child in storage. When our middle children, Elf and Emperor, grow or the seasons change, I dig around in our vast storehouse and pull out a "magic bag" full of clothes for that season. I have all of Patrick and G's old clothes waiting for Elf and Emperor to fit them. All of Elf and Emperor's clothes are waiting for J to fit them. All of J's old clothes are waiting for "the girl" to fit them. Someday, we will be DONE with car seats, potty chairs and about 100 bags of clothes. Meanwhile, it takes up a lot of space.

Autism, Thievery and Kidnapping.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/12/14/ads_anger_parents_of_autistic_children/4343

Autism is likened to a kidnapper who steals children so that they can never speak or be social in a series of ads that are supposed to call attention to the plight of those suffering from mental illness.

Oh, great. I really *love* how medically, autism is linked with mental illness in the first place. That makes me feel *great* as a parent, to have two kids diagnosed with a "mental illness." It's like telling poor old mom that she sure screwed up big-time and made her kid crazy. Twice. Thanks, guys.

I see that autistic children act like people with mental illness, and that the mental illness seems to the medical establishment to be a "co-morbid" condition. I will bet you, however, that someday they figure out that it's just a quirk within that autistic child that LOOKS LIKE mental illness, and maybe can be treated similarly to mental illness medication-wise because of the similar symptoms. But autistic does not equal crazy. It's autism. Can't it have its own category or be listed under "neurological conditions" or something? Otherwise you make insurance coverage a nightmare for poor Mom and Dad who are already dealing with quite enough.

And thanks, medical people, for associating "poor mental health in the parents" with having autistic children. Yeah, YOU just deal with some autistic kiddos day in and out for a few years, and wonder what their future is like, and wonder what on earth to do about this or that every day and see if YOU don't crack like an eggshell, too. And while you're at it, don't get all high and mighty talking about how lots of parents of autistic kids wind up getting a divorce. You have NO idea what dealing with this sort of thing can do to a marriage. Know what? Bet if you bothered to look at what autism REALLY does to families, you'll find these parents have very few IRL friends as well. Wow. And I'll congratulate you for having such a KEEN grasp of the obvious for noticing. How much do you get paid for these stupid studies??

About the ads: Imagine someone calling attention to some other child's medical condition like that. Let's pretend your kid has horrible, disfiguring acne. The ad goes like this: Dear parent, We have your son. We are making sure that he will never get a date for the prom. We are making sure he looks really ugly. He doesn't have many friends, either.

Did that just call attention to your problem? Didn't you just feel the love and compassion there?? I'm sure there are plenty of people who would watch an ad like that and make life WORSE, not better, for that child.

If you *really* want to do some good for families with autism, you'll make sure that you contact all your representatives and urge equity in health insurance coverage for problem areas autistic people face: speech therapies, ABA therapies, occupational therapies, etc.

14 December 2007

What Happens Late in the Afternoon.

Lately, Woodjie has been conking out on the couch in the afternoons after screaming for about an hour and a half. That's fine with me. It's an improvement over the screaming for about two hours and then having to be in my arms for another hour or ELSE. I am a little nervous about his falling off the couch, but not nervous enough to disturb him while he is sleeping!! I just put several blankets and soft things beneath him, just in case. He has not fallen yet, and seems to know where he is while he is while he is sleeping. I've found him a few times almost halfway opening his eyes to see where he is, and then zonking again. Maybe someday he will learn to fall asleep all by himself away from Mom and Dad. As it is, D has all his blankets and curls up beside this couch to go to sleep each night. Otherwise, Woodjie PANICS. I have never seen a child who has such sheer TERROR of being alone or being bathed. And at such a young age, too.

This Is WRONG.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22262802

All preschoolers and day care children in New Jersey are now required to have flu shots. What this link does NOT tell you is that flu shots contain thimerosol... mercury. It's controversial at best, because many parents are concerned about a possible link to thimerosol and autism. And I have enough autism in my family, thank you so much.

The flu is nowhere near as serious as smallpox or polio. Soon we will be vaccinating for sniffles and chickenpox. (Oh, yeah, we do the chickenpox already... we just don't have the technology for the common cold. Yet.) Nevermind that there are probably about 100 different kinds of colds out there... how else could one get sick with a cold every year... but I'm concerned that the effect of the shots will be worse than just catching the disease itself.

AND... the unintended consequence of decisions like these:

Gardasil required for children.
Flu shots required for children.
Vaccine Recalls.
Rubella vaccine for boys.
Aborted fetal cells IN our vaccine and no-one tells us.
Monkeys used in vaccine production (iw).

... is that people like me tend to get PO'd when we find out about stuff like this in the news and we're starting to say: Fine! I won't get my kid immunized at all then, if that's how you're going to be! It wasn't a religious objection before, but it is now! Righteous, religious indignation. Giving onto Caesar what is Caesar's does NOT include my child and his health. I was wary about immunizations before things like this popped up, but now I'm downright distrustful and you're going to have a devil of a time trying to convince me to trust the medical establishment AT ALL now.

I think these medical people and lawmakers had better back off a bit and work on establishing RAPPORT with parents. Trust is one of those things that takes TIME to build. Telling me to do something "or else" circumvents that whole process, and it's NOT WORTH IT FOR THE FLU VACCINE. Wait until smallpox is rampant before you even *think* of such extreme measures, would ya??

What is going to start happening is that people will go underground, and polio and measles will come back like you wouldn't believe.

Wii Shortage at Christmas

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/technology/14wii.html?em&ex=1197781200&en=89496a4944567156&ei=5087%0A

You would think Nintendo would get their act together after a year and have enough Wiis available for purchase by the average consumer. I am NOT going to chase delivery trucks around or camp out for several hours in the hopes of maybe getting one of these devices.

Patrick wants one very badly. He has saved his money for over a year now for this system. Ordinarily, I would tell the kid to forget it and move on, but he is quite determined. He is GOING to have a Wii system no matter how long it takes him or how badly the company is treating those consumers waiting to buy.

I've bought the older boys each a sweatshirt and gotten them a CD to share. I told Patrick I was budgeting about $30 per child for Christmas and I've really run out of ideas for him. I took him through Wal-Mart and let him look around. He stopped at the Wii display and asked for $30 toward an "accessory pack" for the system.

Awww...

Sorry. Mom is not buying that unless you have a Wii. That would be rather like buying a fancy emergency roadside kit and spare tire for him before he has money for a car.

OK, he just wants the $30. Cash, please.

OK, I Want BRAND NAMES Here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22258423

It's not enough to tell me that some state I don't live in is going to ban mercury that is "intentionally added" to mascara. Thanks for telling me that mascara sometimes has harmful levels of mercury, and then leave me hanging as to... well... which brand names should be avoided?

And still, the reporter who did this story does not make it clear how mercury can get "accidentally added" to mascara. (I mean, do they pay someone to accidentally trip and spill a container of mercury into their mascara vat each week? How does this happen?)

This is one of those stories that gives you just enough information to make you realize you know less than you ever thought you knew, but not enough to know what it is you don't know or where to find out that information. Duh.

12 December 2007

Our New Desk.

Well, homeschooling doesn't work at the kitchen table because SOME little boy can open all the cabinets and cause trouble. One of our desks is now being used for an old computer, which leaves only one desk and two children. Solution: Mom gets the desk for teaching. The children are educated with a footboard that keeps falling off G's bed. It scoots away when not in use. For a while, Elf's desk was an I Spy book and Emperor had a Butter Battle book. This gives them a little more room.

You Can't Jail Them Because We Already Have Enough of "Their Kind" in Prison...

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/gangrape-sentence-right/2007/12/12/1197135550184.html

A TEN-year-old girl is gang-raped, and because the suspects HAPPEN to be Aborigines (Australian "native" people), you really can't send them to jail. Because it wouldn't help this particular sort of person... and they're over-represented in the prison population anyway... and the sex was probably sorta consensual because she shows no signs of a struggle... though we would NEVER imply that she asked for it even though we think she probably did, you know how smutty those ten-year-olds can get... and... well, it's just not right that there's all this outcry about it. I mean, if you want to "rehabilitate" someone, you shouldn't send them to jail if they're a member of an indigenous population group. All you white people shut up and stop clamouring for justice because... you know... it's not nice to punish the natives.

/// Wow. ///

I'm not getting why there needs to be ANY racial disparity EVER in sentencing. Here in America, if the law says that crack cocaine gets you X number of years for X number of grams, that's the way it OUGHT to be. Hello, no-one MAKES black people disproportionately violate that particular law (I mean, most serial killers are white, but when was the last time they whined about *that* little fact at sentencing time, and demanded their client get off free??). The Supreme Court was smokin' something when they handed that one down. Now probably the prison system will vomit up all KINDS of interesting vermin, coming to a town near you soon.

It makes me ill. Can we not just have, like, you know, one law that everybody's supposed to follow and when someone breaks the law, the sentence is the same no matter what your skin colour happens to be?? I know that that's a crazy and probably old-fashioned idea, but that's just how I feel about it.

Oh, and can I just add something here? The victim was an Aborigine as well. Where is the justice for this little girl??

11 December 2007

Christmas Cookies!




We like to do our home ec. stuff on Tuesdays. Usually we eat a little snack and read. But this... was an undertaking. I think the cleaning alone took me an hour! All the older boys but Patrick had turns decorating cookies. I guess Patrick thinks he's too old or something. By the way, ALL the photos I've loaded up today are by D! He stayed home today because of the ice storm.


Pretty, But You Don't Want to Drive In It.




My House

OK, now you all know where I live. See the tree bending in the background?? A coating of ice is on about everything right now, but we are very grateful that we have power. D has had a fire in the woodburning stove over the last day so that the chimney will not freeze over with ice. If the power goes out, we'd like a good chance of staying warm without breathing hazardous fumes.

10 December 2007

Patrick, 1994

We figured out that sunscreen would have been a really great idea for our blonde child after he began getting surgeries to remove suspicious moles.

Take Your Medication.

Or if you're hearing voices, go GET some medication. Please do not figure that somehow God is against certain types of pharmaceuticals just because your conservative Christian brothers and sisters said so.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/10/shooter.youth/index.html

Yes, you need to be careful what you put in your body. But when you're hearing voices, acting weird and no one wants to be around you, it's time to see the doctor, ok? I've read in other news stories that the fellow who did this was homeschooled in a deeply religious family. Hopefully that doesn't get TOO much play in other places... but I will say... what I hear from more conservative homeschool families (like this one SEEMS to be at first glance, and you really don't know based on a news story... I'm just talking about generalities here...) is that somehow it's wrong to take medicines prescribed by a psychiatrist. That children should never be medicated.

I'm going to differ with you all in love on this one. I think after a careful consideration of the risks versus the benefits, it's certainly OK to take medication that has been prescribed by a physician. Just because you pray over your children and are schooling them up in the Lord does NOT make you totally immune to mental illness any more than any other physical ailment.

This story is just so sad, but that aspect of it is something I felt needed to be talked about. God bless you all.

Baby Tax Needed To Save Planet?

It's bad enough that EVERY stinkin' time I go to the OB for anything, that I get the, "And what would you like to do for birth control?" as if I needed to have something or I'd die... but... check this out:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22896334-2,00.html

Here, the OBs want to force you to pay taxes when you have any more than two children. Five THOUSAND per child over two, and $800 for the kid's extra breathing and paper usage per year. Somehow I would think even feeling this way would be a conflict of interest. I'd be very nervous delivering near someone who would think my "extra" children are sucking the planet dry.

I think people like this need to ride their bikes to work and eat nothing but organically produced food in their own gardens. They need to shear their own sheep and produce their own clothing before making such *stupid* statements. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones, you know.

Not Chubby Enough

This picture was taken about six months ago. Woodjie really has skinnied out - it makes me sad. He eats enough that he should be rolling to get places, but I guess all that walking and climbing on furniture he does now expends a few of those calories.

Monopoly

Lately the four older boys have taken to playing serious games of Monopoly. G has checked out a book about "How to Win at Monopoly" and studying up. Elf and Emperor get in on the games as well. Elf doesn't really have that drive to win. He'll make "trades" with people so that they will be happy. And he's very happy that THEY'RE happy. I keep trying to tell him that it's an every man for himself kind of game, but he'd rather play his way. G LOVES playing with him because he wants to win so badly.

The hard part of the game is at the very end when hotels are landed on, and debt has to be calculated. People lose their properties one by one and I HAVE heard some crying in the background through this painful process.

Then everyone happily starts a new game...

09 December 2007

Jousting

This jousting tournament was brought to you by: one plastic lid, one belt and a small plastic golf club.

08 December 2007

Snow!

This is the view from our porch. You can see our church in the background - it's a brown building, across the intersecting street. Photo by D!!!

New? Improved? School?

Let's give the kids free cell phones, and when they actually SHOW UP for school, they get some minutes on their phones. They will be the targets of the newest marketing campaign that proves that "school is cool." They'll receive messages on their phones from celebrities (recordings, of course) about how important school is. This program is coming to New York City schools soon and it's going to be magically funded by celebrities and donations. No, really. They're counting on this money falling out of the sky.

The students, seeing a good deal for them, would be less likely to drop out. The LA district spent over $200,000 on its own ad program in the hopes of keeping these children in school. It featured hip-hop ads and billboards with poor spelling ("Did u know..."). The lofty goal? Reduce the dropout rate from 25% to 20%. Keep up the good numbers like that, and I'll have to pack my bags and move out there! (Not.)

http://www.newsweek.com/id/72295/page/1

Maybe this is mean of me, but I can't say I blame children in the inner-city from dropping out or whatever. If they were to somehow stick it out in their violence-ridden schools, what jobs are out there for them? Do they have a clue how to apply for college, or which college would be for them? The ad campaign says that high school graduates earn an average of $175 more per week than dropouts. Yeah, right. Is that because most of the high school graduates went on to a four-year college and the dropouts are on welfare and don't have to work at all? I mean, where do these statistics come from? (Um, maybe you'd better not tell me.)

I think most students are smarter than we give them credit for. They want to know that the 40 hours or so a week they spend in school, plus homework time, is in their best interest. Is it going to be worth it to get this degree, or should I be a dishwasher at Denny's and at least have some spending money? Are there companies who readily hire high school graduates in that district? I mean at a decent wage. That would be so much more helpful to the students than a stupid cell phone. I suppose these districts should get some credit for trying to help students remain in school. But it is, after all, in their best financial interest anyway.

I tried checking out the Teenage Liberation Handbook for Patrick. It's all about how to quit school and develop YOUR OWN course of study. You know, free your brain so that all the "input" isn't just what "they" want you to know. Of course, if you want to go to a four-year college there are certain things you need to know, but beyond that, you could study whatever interests you. Be free from the school district AND your parents! But Patrick read a few pages and said, well, he's not motivated enough to do all that work. And he isn't paranoid about the government influences on his brain like I am. And no, he's NOT scared to go to school even though all the other children are 8 feet tall and 900 pounds, and wear black T-shirts featuring Marilyn Manson. What you do with people like that is, you act like you think they're big and bad and they leave you alone.

OK, Patrick. I love you. You're the sort of student that would save the district a lot of money on cell phones LOL!

Elf and Emperor's Homeschool Update

Mathmatics

Public school's curriculum, taught at home. They're learning about the clock -- again! -- because for some reason we're finding that the concepts of telling time and calculating what time it will be in 20 minutes, etc., are not sticking. We're adding dollars and cents together and using our decimals. We need to be able to do this on paper by lining our decimals up and carefully adding and subtracting. Sometimes, we use a calculator. That calculator is very tricky, and you need to remember that 65 cents is .65 and two cents is .02. When the calculator gives us an answer like 5.6, it really means five dollars and sixty cents!

English

Bob Jones English and Spelling, Grade 2. Singular and plural nouns, common and proper nouns, and separating words in a series with commas were in our latest unit. In spelling we're on our third lesson out of... oh, 48 or so!! That's ok. We're taking our time with spelling, and doing a lot of journal work with our spelling.

Bible

Bob Jones Grade 3. We've skipped a bit in our textbook and are learning about the birth of Jesus. We're learning to sing, "Little Town of Bethlehem." The angel Gabriel and his visits to Zacharias and Mary were covered.

Science

Second Grade Lifepacs. We're almost done with second grade science! We're working on finishing the ninth Lifepac out of ten. This one is about "Changes in Our World" and deals with seasons and the idea that animals and people change with seasons or as they grow. Then, when we're finished with the tenth book, we'll study whatever we want for the rest of the school year!!
Reading

Emperor is reading first grade readers from ABeka books. He's working on Brave and True. Elf is working on a Bob Jones second grade reader. We also read from the King James version of the Bible. I read aloud to the boys each day as well. We have started Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The boys were very impressed with the story of how Mr. Corse beat Big Bill Ritchie and his gang today!

Social Studies

Bob Jones Grade 2. When we're done with this science unit, we'll concentrate more on Social Studies. We haven't done any Social Studies since Thanksgiving. Then again, during the two weeks before Thanksgiving, we concentrated on Social Studies. Now, we are concentrating on science. Only so many hours in the day, you know.

07 December 2007

Christmas 1971


Don't Make Them Celebrities

The argument: publicizing the names and photos of those seeking media attention through their crimes is ENABLING them. I do see the argument that some lonely psycho from Omaha gets his photo on everyone's TV and computer screen after senselessly blasting away other people's lives. But it bothers me that so-and-so in my area might be passing bad checks and do I see his photo, name and address and get to hear about it? Suppose someone on my street were arrested for DWI... would I hear it on the news and see a photo? I do wonder if sometimes the only people who get that limelight (which should NOT be viewed as positive) are people who commit amazingly heinous crimes, or heinous crimes that are imaginative in some new way... perhaps more sadistic and cruel than we're used to reading about each night.

I know from my experience that even tiny local papers get read. People want to know what their neighbours are up to, and it isn't ALL nosiness. Once, as I was covering the police beat, a "not" got added to a "guilty" somewhere in my column. All you really have to do to make a mistake like that would be to physically cut the text (it runs in columns and you'd wax it down) incorrectly. It would be easily overlooked by the reporter and editor when there are about 50 entries... and it was. The fellow in question called up our office wanting to know if he got some sort of amazing pardon from City Hall and just hadn't been made aware of it yet... sorry fella. But thanks for letting us know of the error so we can print a correction on page 2 LOL!!

I think more attention needs to be given to local news. We don't need a novel about the Omaha mall shooter. A few column inches about how the depressed housing market affects "Yokeltown" would be much more valuable to the people in "Yokeltown." The nearest city metro would never get 'round to covering it, really. And I think the amalgamation of news is a shame. AP seems to rule about everything, and all it takes is a reporter or two not checking facts (or worse, being bought) and a slightly careless or too-trusting editor to really make a mess of the news. I guarantee that little mistakes don't get by for too long in the local news. Everyone knows too much about it already to just take YOUR word for it. And that's as it should be.

Hams For Hanukkah!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22147407

They make excellent presents for all your Muslim friends as well. On sale today!!

Diet Pepsi And Me: Photo By D!

I can play with other toys, but I simply MUST have my Diet Pepsi bottle nearby so I can hit things with it.

Go Away!

Do we *really* need telephone polls? Do I really care what my neighbours think about a particular issue? This article makes it sound as though the entire world is just going to fall to pieces unless a nice chunk of representative American households complete lengthy surveys by telephone on a regular basis:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22140953

I don't think I've ever answered telephone surveys that were randomly generated. I think I've answered a total of ONE survey, ever. That was from my local city, and it was well-publicized that they'd be calling some households to ask about how happy we were with city services, etc. I had some nice things to say about the road repair crew, because when I called about a problem they were out in less than HALF AN HOUR and fixed the problem (yay!). I had some not-nice things to say about city planning and schools. I think their goal was 1,000 households so I had, like, 1/1000th of an impact on a survey that the city planners might get 'round to looking at. Go me!!

06 December 2007

Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager

Chad Vader works in the Empire Grocery Store as the Day Shift Manager. You know you want to go to this website and watch an episode or two... We wound up watching all eight in a sitting! It's funny and cute, but has a few objectionable phrases I wouldn't want younger kids viewing. My older kids, however, hear this stuff on a semi-hourly basis in school so I'm not too worried about them.

http://www.blamesociety.net/chadvader/index.php#ep2

I'm Like, Soooo Confused

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8TC2II00&show_article=1

OK, so... Romney is a firm believer in the separation of church and state. But he lives his life according to Mormon tenets and his belief system has a deep impact on his life. But that would NEVER have *any* influence on his decisions if he were elected President. While he's president he'll magically get his moral and ethical direction for the office from some other place (not mentioned in the speech).

So it shouldn't matter that he's a Mormon because it's not nice to discriminate against someone based on his religious beliefs. Even though those beliefs influence the candidate's life. But then again, those beliefs would NEVER have any influence on his actions were he to become President.

Ok.

I'm so glad he cleared THAT one up, aren't you??

Yawn... Not Surprised

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/06/State/Happy_Meal_offer_leav.shtml

Mom is NOT happy that her daughter receives ADVERTISING from the public school. Wowwww. This mom is so disconnected as to be laughable. The children are a captive audience and we all know it. What do you think all those stupid assemblies are for during the school year?

In our district, they take half a day at every school to show all the KEWL TOYS you could get, kids, if you sell enough crap - I mean, "premium" products - during the fundraiser weeks. Oh, yeah, and the biggest seller gets a limo ride to the local pizza shop. Brought to you by CiCi's Pizza!!

So, not only do they waste half a day on the promotion at the expense of school time, but they are ACTIVELY advertising to the children. The PTA, which is made up of almost all the parents who actually show up to conferences and give a rip about their kids' education at the school, is the one that organizes the event. Thus, the rest of the parents are outvoted. Because the PTA is *your* organization, folks, and if you don't like how they run things... well, you can join up yourself and make change within.

Which I'm NOT going to do because the PTA national is in support of gay rights and blah blah blah. I really wanna homeschool all the children when I think about stuff like this.

05 December 2007

Happy Birthday Baby J!!

Woodjie has gotten so much bigger! He was born at *barely* seven pounds (No, seriously, that's preemie size for our family) and had to be hospitalized for a while after birth. We're so glad that he's home with us, and has grown so much! Now he can walk, hit people on the head with empty pop bottles, and give drooly love. Next year, sweetie, let's work on the "going to sleep at night without having to be on the floor with Dad," ok??

04 December 2007

I Know There Are People Starving... But...

They can eat virtual cake! Life is too short for me to be spending any money on anyone but me and my best friends. I NEED not only lotsa stuff for me, MY house, MY car and MY kids, but now I need to "pimp up" my virtual bad self as well:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/12/04/virtual.gifts.ap/index.html

I think everyone is going to need a new "avatar" that gets changed three times a day. We need to support the economy, you know. My avatar is going to have so much "bling" you won't even be able to tell it's an avatar. And it's going to live in a nicer neighbourhood than YOURS.

Bringing Garbage Home

Some people up the street were throwing this table away. It was in pretty bad shape and one of the legs was off. I've glued the leg back...