31 August 2014

Happy Weekend!


G came to visit from Smallville for the weekend and we got a chance to spend time together and go to lunch and all that sort of thing.  Only little people really pose for pictures any more, though...  Do you like Rose's "Doughnut of Death" bun?  It's basically a plastic sponge with a hole in the middle, popped onto the end of her ponytail. 

29 August 2014

Should You Test Your Child?

A facebook group poster was wondering whether her kindergarten child needed to do all the tests the school wanted.  One answer:

I opt in to every standardised test possible. The standards keep changing, and it's "normed" and updated all the time with new versions. We need the very latest information on how my child is doing.  

I also need to pressure my kid every year to be the *best* even though the *best* is really a relative and moving target. 

Since I have nothing else to care about, I find it gives me a false sense of security when my child tests well, and something to worry about if my child scores less than "average." Because golly, only 50 percent of the children score below the 50th percentile on a given test and YOU DO NOT WANT IT TO HAPPEN TO YOUR KID!!

I hope that helps!  :)


28 August 2014

Pics!

Sort of Clark Kent look, complete with chewy.  The kid has an astigmatism and bad vision.  He's cute tho'.  He says now he can see everything, but he can't see through fog.  Need different glasses for that.


Recently, Rose and Woodjie picked apples from our tree!

We try to write two sentences a couple of times a week.  This is Woodjie's.

Rose lives in sort of a crazy castle.

27 August 2014

Should Homeschoolers Police Their Own?

Should they speak out against the cray-cray in their own community?  Or just shut up about it?

Michael Farris said recently that HSLDA should focus on defending homeschool freedom, although they should have spoken out sooner against extreme patriarchy and the "overuse" of physical discipline that has resulted in more than one child death.

"I truly hope that our movement will continue to demonstrate considerable tolerance for differences of opinion," he wrote. "But I also hope that we will show the maturity to understand that some opinions deserve no promotion. Our movement will only be tainted by extremist views if we give our platforms over to such teachers."

Hmm.

Well. 

With that thought in mind, HSLDA, please take your own advice and stop promoting Common Core materials via email to your members.  Don't take their ad money if you are opposed to a federal education system, k?  Can we stop pandering to the crazies on both sides of the political spectrum?  

Please?


24 August 2014

Feeding Children Garbage, Literally.

The kid wanted pizza.  But they were sold out!  So the three different adults at one school decided the best thing to do would be to fish around in the trash, find some pizza, and give it to her. 

It sorta tasted funny, she complained.

Worse?  She's diabetic and somehow this particular pizza was what she was supposed to have.  Guess they couldn't save one for someone with medical needs.  Awful.

Even worse?  The parents are sending this kid to school again.  Because yeah, they should really trust that staff with their child's life every weekday.

23 August 2014

And We Criticise the Duggars.

A 24-year-old man has fathered at least 16 babies via surrogates, and since he's rich?  He wants to keep having  many as possible.  In fact, he planned to have so many kids that it would help him win elections. 

Ok, so he's a nut.  But I'm not sure he's done anything illegal, and I don't see why they've taken his children from him.

18 August 2014

Iowa Open

Ok, so Rose lost every game.  But she had a great time in the Rated Beginner section.  Emperor played in the Reserve section.  We got to see plenty of players we don't normally run across.  Still sorting the laundry from our trip.  :)

14 August 2014

Why I'm Not Shopping at Lands' End

Ohh, I was a great customer.  You really can't beat Lands' End for nice, reasonably-priced, fashionable girls' clothes that don't make your kid out to look like a Hoochie Mama.  I bought tons of stuff there over the years for all my children and sometimes even for myself.

All that changed recently.

I've been too embarrassed to blog about it until now.  You see, as a special "gift" for spending over $100, Lands' End apparently signs you up for a magazine subscription unless you opt out.  I must not have seen the fine print and soon after my last order, I received a copy of Self Magazine.

It's a glossy magazine with health tips, anorexic models, cheesy star interviews, fashion reviews of crap you will never buy, and so on.  And.  This particular magazine?  Had a product review.

Of vibrators.  VIBRATORS!  I couldn't even bring myself to read the article that had fireworks and the word WOW in the title.  D had a field day with it - oh!  Are you reading your magazine right now?  I hear they have (loud voice) great product reviews inside! 

I called Self to cancel, and they said they would.  The magazines are still arriving months later.  I also called Lands' End to complain and got totally blown off, as if it is just my problem, guess you didn't look at the fine print, sucks to be you and have a nice day.  No real apology whatsoever.

So this article in today's Kansas City Star does not surprise me.  Now they're sending out soft porn to all the guys. 

08 August 2014

What Men Are Really Saying When They Catcall

06 August 2014

What I Really Need to Buy

Pink swimming goggles.  For dogs.  Recommended by vets.  I don't know why I need to buy this, but this is a screenshot of one of the "products I might like" on Amazon.  Also?  Apparently?  Underwear.  I need yellow granny pant underwear.  Yellow.

05 August 2014

Is it Bullying if it Doesn't Bother You?

In one of his classes,  Emperor had only a couple friends because "the rest of the people are jerks and say nasty things to me." After clarifying a bit, I told him he was being bullied and that when it happens again, he should tell a teacher.

"What?  I'm not being bullied.  I'm not going to let them bully me.  They're just jerks."

I talked with him (ok, lectured) about how he shouldn't have to deal with that sort of hostile environment and so on.  Emperor countered that he was there to learn about (subject) and he's just not going to let these other kids keep him from that.  So there is no bullying going on because he's refusing to be bullied. 

Here I had kept him away from physical education last year because his twisted legs would prevent him from running well.  I know he is going to be mocked.  Emperor has been insisting - for some time - that it is not his problem if other people don't like him.  He would like to take PE, please.

So I have signed him up for PE this year.  I do hate sending him where he's going to be teased, but Emperor genuinely wants to go.  Emperor thinks I do not understand.  He cannot be bullied, he says, if it doesn't bother him.

02 August 2014

Crazy Comment Monday!

Old Elf photo.
(Posted a little early.)

A recent letter to the Washington Post criticises the paper for its sympathy toward parents who locked their adult autistic children up in their homes.  They call it the "least bad" choice in some instances.

I don't know everything about autism, and I certainly can't judge every situation and know what options are available to every parent.  But here's the thing.  The letter-writer is calling for compassion for autistic people and noting that abusive practices are abusive practices.  Simple as.

Comments range from the likes of "ask Michelle for a hashtag" and "people like that shouldn't be around the normal people" and "there is a limit to what we should put up with."

If someone said this about black people or some other minority group?  The Post would have removed those comments immediately and banned the poster.  How interesting that the comments not only stay, but they seem to represent the prevailing sentiment.

01 August 2014

The Dior Fusion Sneaker!

What a value!  It looks like a seven-year-old overused the Bedazzler (tm) on a pair of slippers, and the people from Dior turned around and tried to sell it for $1100.  Pics here.  I dunno.  It doesn't LOOK like they're encrusted with real rubies or anything valuable that would command a price over, say, $5, but meh!  Someone's probably going to actually buy this stuff and wear it.

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...