Homeschool and Etc.

After what I've been through, it drives me crazy to see weight loss blogs and "tips" on how to lose weight from people who are in, um, no position to give advice.

A long time ago, I was really smokin' it with the weight loss and I think then I went from about 220-something to 165 (I'm far bigger than 220 now, so don't ask). Now, you might think that 165 sounds kinda chubby still, but no. I was in the teeny size five things (size 5, for my height, is teeny) and people would tell me to QUIT IT ALREADY. I was, by the weight chart, exactly ONE pound overweight. One. I was exercising six miles a day and eating 1500 calories and I was one pound overweight.

Discouraging, a bit, but after speaking with my physician he said he was soooo not worried about it, ok?

Anyway, during that process (and it was a process that took about a year), I was on a weight-loss board. Those people eventually drove me NUTS and I left. The people who were doing the most talking were actually …

Ok, so I'm getting the kid his plastic plate and he asks for "poyits pawyyery." He is now insisting on using Polish pottery at every meal. The kid has maybe 50 words, but two of them are "poyits pawyyery," I guess. At least he hasn't figured out how to ask for the catalogue so he can pick his own set of dishes as some other boys have. The unhappy face, as near as I can figure, is from his back teeth bothering him. He is getting some four-year molars and tells me it hurts. I'm very grateful that he can show me where his owies are. That was one of my big fears, that he would be hurt and not be able to tell us what is bothering him. We at least can get "hurt" and a location. :)

Dad really needs to quit teasing the kid and calling her Laura Ingalls. Not pictured? The pink flowered prairie skirt. No bonnet. :)

Yep, on with the joke. But first, a word from our sponsor. Emperor went through the temperature-taking, hot compresses, baking soda and band-aid routine until yesterday when he...

Reacted badly to Band-Aid tape! Yes, he did!

SO, he had a big mucky red mess with trackmarks all over his arm and then... then... to top it all off the rash spread up his arm. Doctor says it's a fungal infection of some kind (didn't specify what) and has prescribed a cream! So all y'all who said "ringworm" get the special "I told you so" prize. In case you were wondering, the prize is that you can say, "I told you so!" in the comment section. :)

In other news, Emperor has lost four pounds. The doctor is unconcerned. Um. I didn't think tiny people were supposed to lose weight like that but ok. I told the doctor he gets fed well and I didn't understand it. OF COURSE Emperor then complains about not having enough time for seconds at the breakfast table. He is WORRI…

Well, it looked like it to me. But based on a phone conversation through the nurseline our insurance company provides, the conclusion reached is that Emperor can be helped through "home care." Warm compresses and baking soda/water compresses every four hours. Taking temperature frequently. Emperor JUST got finished with a round of oral antibiotics from his LAST bug bite. Nurseline recommends using the antibiotic ointment he got then (for a bug bite on his knee) for this bite (on his arm). Put dots around the border of the bite in Sharpie marker. Bandage. Call if it gets worse or he develops a low grade fever.
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Watch him carefully.
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By the way, the nurse on the line told me, Emperor is SO articulate! She has never heard a child of this age with such a vocabulary, and this polite as well. She is surprised he is homeschooled (um, I distinctly heard Emperor tell her during the interview that she was getting "a bit off topic" when the subject came up) but whatever we ar…

So. We could have gone to the license bureau and paid $6 for a permit renewal. But no. SOMEONE let his stuff expire two weeks ago, so that means gathering every paper known to Man and going to the "testing center" wayyyyyy across town, taking a test, paying more money, going BACK to the license bureau, paying more money, blah blah blah.

For *so* wanting to get out of this house, some people aren't really getting proactive about things. Blehhh.

Ok, ok. I kept hearing from him that he would be a bum after college for the longest time. He had this idea in his head that he would buy camping gear and "live off the land" somewhere like a homeless Grizzly Adams or something. Bit by bit, I think he is starting to realize some common sense.

He is even talking of applying to colleges or something. Yay! But I'm just a bit exasperated that my young man didn't have a definitive plan for "save for college and get out of the house" on his 14th birthday. Becaus…

It seems that companies are whittling down their package contents little by little, but leaving the boxes and packaging almost identical. I understand prices are going up. I don't like paying more for the same stuff, but looks like I have no choice about doing it. What isn't right is decreasing the number of ounces in a jar, but allowing the jar to look the same on the outside. The jars are frequently hollowed out weird on inside, making it harder for me to get the measly portions inside. Come on, people. Jelly is the worst in this regard.
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I can't say that it's exactly dishonest in the legal sense as it IS clearly labelled; there are only 129 diapers in the more recently-purchased box as opposed to 144. But still. Just charge more and be done with it. I don't want to be running to the store constantly to pick up a 2-pack of diapers in a mega box...

The Carnival of Homeschooling is hosted this week at Carletta's. Pop on over and read a selection of very varied posts on homeschooling. :)

Darren is a math teacher in California who had a horrible skiing accident earlier this year. He'd like to take a refund on the trip he prepaid to Iceland. He's not even able to walk yet; recovery is still several months away. I think he is only barely able to sit up in the car instead of lying... no way he can fly yet. Will you help him by asking folks politely to please give him a refund?

His original post is here. Thanks. :)

Have you ever priced American Girl dolls? Well, nevermind. Visit Blondee's blog and take a look at her giveaway! One super-cute Colonial outfit that would fit an 18-inch doll. :)

Question: do you want your curriculum provider to give you advice on how to run your home?

I'm just wondering. I've noticed that quite a few curriculum providers either offer newsletters with advice on how to run the household, or forums on how to get it all done/how much they love the curriculum.

I was remarking the other day that it bothered me that so many of the conference topics at the latest local homeschool convention were about Godly lifestyles, Godly parenting, time management, and that sort of thing. It irked me because while I understand that homeschooling is a lifestyle CHOICE, it's also (mostly) about the education of my child. Which means I'd want to see more about "how to keep a plan book" or how to do a workbox system or even a chat from XYZ Curriculum about "How to Teach XYZ."

Alpha Omega has a very helpful little section in the beginning of the teacher manuals about how to structure a "school" day and what they recommend f…

Please welcome my Lily Slim ticker. I also posted it on my sidebar. Look how hard I am working! I refuse to post starting/ending weights. Juuust trust me that I will still be overweight when I lose the 80 pounds. BUT this is my goal for now. It might not be updated this week, but ordinarily I will update it every Wednesday. Do feel free to notice the numbers and leave encouraging comments.

Laura from Day by Day in Our World has thrown a Sunshine Award my way! Thanks, Laura! The rules are to tell seven things about yourself and link to some other bloggers so that they can do the same! Sometimes I've made new bloggy friends by following links or popping over to someone's blog after they've made a comment on mine or a friend's.

And now, the seven things... but I will hit the shift key instead of the number for extra fun.

!. Ok. First thing. I've GOT to get things out of my brain, and the things I have to tell you aren't all about me, so you are stuck reading some random dribblings. Well, or clicking away. But then you would miss out.

@. I am not pregnant. I just thought I'd let you know that. Thank you for asking me when the baby is due and then when I tell you I'm not pregnant? Thanks for letting me know I waddle when I walk and you thought the baby dropped. You suck.

#. In unrelated news, I am now on a diet. Yeah, I spent a few weeks gorging …

Half of the people "euthanized" in Belgium are really murdered. That's what I'd call killing someone or allowing them to die without their consent. It's ok, though: those people have realllly good organs. Why wait around for some young kid to die in a car accident and bother with consent and all that blah blah blah. What a pain. Easier to just have a team of organ transplant people standing by while you kill somebody.

Just think of all the advantages! You know the blood type, size, weight, age and ethnicity of the deceased... before they're even deceased! That means you can line up your transplantees ahead of time. They don't have to wait for that phone call in the middle of the night; they can be allll ready at the hospital, waiting for their special moment. They're paying, so it's their organ, you know. It's all about the money.

Please ignore my opinion - and the opinion of many people in the world - that organ donation is supposed to be a las…

Something has happened to Woodjie. I would no longer classify him as non-verbal at all. SURE, he calls a skunk a "padda-bear," (why, I do not know) but he can get across what he needs to for the most part. Unfortunately not the "I need to go potty now" idea. But hey.

Now mind you, he's still autistic and doesn't get some of those obvious social cues. Sometimes this is an absolute riot. One day, we were waiting at the doctor's office and Woodjie was bouncing around and trying to tap the window where the office workers were manning the front desk. One of the ladies slid the window over and ask, "Can I help you?"

"Hep!" he said, boucing about and squeeeealing. And here he did that huge arms out and hand flapping thing he does when he's reallly happy.

"Ok," she asked. "HOW can I help you?"

"Ries?" he asked. She looked quizzical. "I eat a RIES? Crabby Patty? 'Leese?"

"Oh, you want FRIES?&quo…

We went out to lunch and looked for tadpoles in the local creek. And look! Elf has a new shirt. :)

Some parents feel that in order to teach their children at home, they absolutely must know a given subject inside and out. Others may have a certain level of competence, but rely heavily on the answer key or have their children complete courses online or with a little outside tutoring and lesson review to make sure everything's on track.

Most parents, however, will simply send for the yellow bus when they feel the time is right -- about when they have to start grading essays. :)

It seems sometimes as though there is a pecking order among homeschooling families. People who send their kids off to "government schools" after having them home are viewed askance as though they weren't committed enough. And why would you ever do that to your child, and having protected him this long, are you REALLY going to send him into that drug-infested cesspool to learn about how to wear baggy trousers and bad haircuts?

Are you committed enough? Do you love your kids enough? What's wr…

Strange things make me wonder. When I last flew several years ago, it seemed that all the old folks in wheelchairs and walkers and the whole shebang were loaded up first. It took them over 10 minutes to load six people and I wondered if there were a fire, would anybody make it out? I'm hardly a "survival of the fittest" kind of person, but I question the wisdom of allowing so many physically handicapped people to use a plane at once if there aren't good ways to get them in and out of the plane QUICKLY. It's a safety issue. (I'm not saying no handicapped people should fly. Just maybe not so many on one flight! Or have a few rows without standard seats in which you bolt the chairs to the floor like they do on the handicap busses, and wider aisles so you can just scoot these folks out fast! Just askin' for some common sense.)

Now I'm wondering how they would EVER be able to use the potty. The wheelchair doesn't even go up the aisles, so people who can…

Emperor chose the Blue Horizon plate set and is enjoying hot dogs on bread, fancy-style. Yep, I let him use his stuff early because why not. :)

It's coming up soon, and together with the check Nana and Grandpa sent, we were able to buy him two four-piece sets of Polish pottery from Blue Rose Pottery! Not pictured are the dessert plates, which are simply smaller than the large plates. Elf will now be able to eat every meal on his very own Polish Pottery. It is what *every boy wants* for his birthday and Christmas. Elf picked this out himself; it is his favourite design. Emperor has picked out a very intricate ($$!) set for his birthday, so he will get only one set. D says when the boys are older and leave the house, they can take their dishes with them. OK. So I need to get them interested in towels and flatware next? And can you believe the tiny Elf will be 11 this weekend? And that he doesn't want to be called Elfie McMelfie any more in public? He even says he is *not an elf at all.* I know. It's shocking.

Sad to say, he'd never been to a restaurant before. Ever. I might have taken him along when he was in the baby carrier, but that doesn't count. So last night, I got brave.

Well, not TOO brave. I took him to a buffet and paid first so I could scoot if I needed to. No sooner had we gotten in the door when Woodjie asked, "Ot dah MELL?" (What's that SMELL?) He's a polite one, he is. I guess Chinese food smells funny to him.

Brought him over to get a plate but he took off running. "ISH!!" he hollered. "Wook A ISH!!" Had to have the waiter move our table so that Woodjie and I would be near the fish. He spent most of the meal stimming and commenting on the behaviour of the various fish in the tank, what they were eating and what their names were.

Woodjie loved serving himself fries and other foods from the buffet. Just this once, I didn't worry about his allergies, though I knew better than to outright give him pudding or ice cream. He kept ask…

You know those cute little "chubby board books" for tiny hands? There's nothing like snuzzling with a milk- and baby shampoo-smellin' tot and telling him, "Oh, lookit the BEAR. Big brown bear! Bear says, 'Roar!'"

Too tame for today's kids though. The stuff in the "Young Adult" section is amazingly horrid now (OH MY GOODNESS, you've been warned, but here's the link). You know it's going to trickle down to the toddlers soon enough. It won't be long before babies learn about incest, rape, and how Joey has two daddies and a sperm donor.

Ok, seriously? It's already started to happen. Can you imagine reading this book and telling your preschooler to get the F to sleep? No, really. Amazon sells it. Is there anything Amazon does NOT sell?

(Pictures: two sets of rock garden before/after shots.) When I tell people that I have several autistic children, they somehow seem to think that I am some walking marvel who can magically get everything done. The reality is that I cannot.
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My yard is overgrown and the poison ivy and small wild trees are literally five feet tall in some places. I cannot "just" go outside with the children and get things finished. I cannot "just" schedule my own medical appointments. I have to wait until summertime and then decide whether it's worth asking Patrick to take on a paid babysitting job. My husband is already "just" taking all the time off from work he can so that I can attend at least some dopey IEP meetings during the school year without ALLLLL the smaller children and he can get the dopey medical appointments done for certain children downtown or we can get cars serviced, or he takes days off when big things come up, etc. (nevermind vacations... they do …

I bought the shorts in the first picture at the thrift store simply because I thought they were kewl. After Emperor began wearing them, G said they were "Gangsta." Apparently "Gangsta" is a good thing clothing-wise. Emperor had some ripped up jeans and I thought it would be a fun project to make our own sort of "Gangsta" pants. Emperor drew Hello Kitty, a vacuum flower Pokemon, and some chess pieces on his shorts. That's Gangsta (I guess). I sewed all over the shorts... hmm... I will need to use contrasting thread next time and maybe some dye. Or maybe we can gussy this up later by adding a different colour marker.

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Of course, Elf wanted his own "Gangsta" shorts as well. So I let him doodle on his new shorts. Why not. His are decorated with Pokemon. We had a lot of fun making these and they'll be used all summer long.

I let Elf attend the end-of-year fifth grade party last week. I figured he'd want that extra few hours to say goodbye to friends, eat snacks and listen to the DJ music/whatever the kids do. So happens D took the day off work, so I decided I'd pop by with my camera to take some pictures and help out.

Do you see any pictures in this post? Me neither. There's a reason for that, though...

I found Elf in the corner just standing there, looking at his shoes. Everyone else was running back and forth all over the gym or dancing, or giggling in little groups. Asked Elf what was wrong.

Nothing.

Ok... nothing is wrong, but you are standing here doing nothing and not off with your friends.

That's right. And more than that, he's starting to get MAD AT EVERYONE because his friends keep asking him to dance or play and he doesn't wanna. But in answer to my question, NO. He doesn't want to leave.

Ok...

So I'm letting that sink in a minute. Hm. You know, Elf, your friends are …

I was intrigued by this article, of course posted by a friend on facebook, asking how young is "too" young. I'm thinking that if the rules say you have to be 14, then you're too young if you're 13 years, 11 months and 29 days old. Sorry, you just are.

NOBODY really follows the rules, though, and people sign up all over the place with crazy names like Happy-Elf Homeschool and stuff. There's no real way of knowing if the person you're playing YoVille with is really a 84-year-old or just turned 10. The internet is the internet, and it really shouldn't matter. Let the parents decide whether their kids get online...

So. I don't get why the facebook people make it theoretically impossible for children under 14 to get an account. I would care less so long as the parents give permission. How to verify that, I have no clue. I don't know how cars work, either, but I do have an opinion on the use of safety belts. :)

This is interesting, though. Could you im…