Book Meme

Thank you, Stina, for providing me blog material when I am short on time!


Book Meme Rules
1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.


The Clouds by Aristophanes

(This is a play and I'm not counting characters' names)

Pheidippides:
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?
Is that your argument? If so,
then I can be sententious too.

Now, before I tag people, I want to say a few words about this book. It is hilarious in a potty humor sort of way. They talk about bodily functions a lot and I imagine that most boys would enjoy reading it. However, I'm only on page 48 of 158, so I can't tell you if there is any inappropriate material (other than pure potty rudeness). Also, this play was written in 423 B.C. I never knew that the ancient Greeks were so downright crude!

Now, on to this tagging business. I tag April, Sally, Shelly, Jennwa, Catholic Stewardship because I enjoy reading their blogs so much! Besides which, they haven't participated yet. Enjoy, ladies.

Dreaming of Summer

Wordless Wednesday

Review Tuesday 1-29-2008

*I am really sorry I didn’t finish this post last night. Our power went out in the middle of it and didn’t come back on till this morning about 2. So, here it is, now.

Today's website is The Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Because this review is so long, I won't be doing a product or curriculum this week. Stay tuned next week for a bad review of a toaster oven and a positive review of a grammar curriculum.

Special Operations Warrior Foundation: The mission, as stated on their website, of this foundation is:
We pledge to continue to work diligently and unselfishly to preserve the legacy of our fallen Warriors through the college education of the families they
left behind.


Admittedly, this foundation has a special place in my heart. I first heard of them when we transferred to Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. in January of 2005. Gary, my husband, started supporting the Air National Guard Special Forces there. That was his mission--to take care of them. We started finding out all about them. That was easy to do sense we were immersed in them!

One of the first things I found out about the Special Forces is that it is just more dangerous to be a member of them. I'm not talking about going to war. I'm talking about training. Do you realize how dangerous their training is? They jump out of airplanes. They climb mountains. They jump out of helicopters. They rappel. They "shoot" at each other. They get "lost" in the woods. And they do lots of other stuff. The point is they have a lot more training deaths than do your every day soldier.

Most of the military charities cover wartime deaths. The reason I support the Special Operations Warrior Foundation so strongly is because they cover training deaths as well.

Who are they? The Special Operations Warrior Foundation was founded in 1980 as the Col. Arthur D. Simons Scholarship Fund. It was founded to provide funds for the 17 children of the nine men killed or incapacitated at Desert One. Since that time, it has expanded to cover “every child who has lost a parent while serving in Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations during an operational or training mission.”

What do they do? The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides “free college scholarships and educational counseling to the children surviving Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations personnel who are killed in a training accident or operational mission. These services are provided throughout the United States, or overseas, depending upon where the surviving children reside.”
Yes, I know I’ve done a lot of quoting here and it is not my intention to quote their entire website. So…

Recently, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation was given a four-star rating by the Charity Navigator, for the second year in a row. Only 4 veterans services & advocacy charities have received two consecutive 4-star ratings. There are less than 20 military charities nationwide that received a 4-star rating. There has been a lot of news lately about military charities not being all that they could be. There is a lot of wasted money. In fact the American Institute of Philanthropy reported during a hearing on Veterans Charities. The findings were quite horrible. They found that 75% of the charities in this field had a D or F grade. Now, unfortunately, they do not review SOWF. They do review some of the same charities as the Charity Navigator. Some of the charities that the Charity Navigator gave 4-stars to (the Navy-Marine Corp Relief Society and others like it in other branches) were given low grades by the American Institute of Philanthropy for having high monetary reserves. So, I would be interested to see someone else’s review of SOWF. However, I am confident that they would receive a high rating.

Just so you know and have a choice of charities ;), because I am such a wonderful blogger, I will give you a heads up on a few charities that they both reviewed and agreed on. I still prefer SOWF, but of course, we all have to choose for ourselves.

Fisher House Foundation: A worthy cause! They provide housing and (I believe) airfare for families of wounded soldiers to stay close to their soldiers while they are in the hospital. Sort of like a Ronald McDonald House for the military. They consistently rate high. They got an A+ from AIP and 4-stars from Charity Navigator.

Armed Services YMCA of the USA: Don’t know anything about them, but they got an A from AIP and 4-stars from Charity Navigator.

National Military Family Association: Sorry, don’t know anything: got A & 4-stars.

Another tip: There are lots of charities out there with VERY similar names, be sure you’re donating to the one you want to!

English as a Second Language-for all Americans?

I moved to Kentucky from Washington D.C. in May. When I lived in D.C., I found out that it is very useful to know Spanish. Now, I grew up in a city that, at first, might not strike you as the optimum place to find "diversity". I grew up in Tulsa, OK. Believe me, it is one of the most truly diverse cities I have lived in. Why? There are people there from all over the world. It is truly a melting pot, because the people all live together, work together, go to school together....

At least, it was when I was growing up. I have found that as we hear more and more about diversity, we find less and less diversity. Our cities are segregated into neighborhoods of one race or nationality. This is not because the government has forced it, but rather because there is a great divide in the people. You see, many people see division where there is none. Because they see the division, they create division. When people say that immigrants need to continue to speak their own language because otherwise they won't be able to communicate.... How does that make sense? Anyway... When people say, "Black power.", "White Power", "Gay Pride", "Woman Power", it all creates division. When people go out and quietly make friends with their neighbor and help those new immigrants learn English by speaking to them in English, that is how we lesson division in our communities. We do not help our immigrants by allowing them to continue to not learn English for 20 years.

Now, on to a quote. I don't know if you noticed it, but our quote of the week comes from my 10 year old son, Gabriel. He said, "We don't eat Chinese food anymore, we're in America, we eat Mexican food." I just thought that was so much more appropriate than he knew.



Have a wonderful night!

My very first award!

Okay, I love these bloggy things that go on in the blogosphere. So, I was, of course, very excited to open my email and find out that Stina from Lord, Guard and Guide had give me this award! Thank you Stina!

Now, before I pass this special little "sharin' the love award" on, I want to mention how much I like the name of Stina's blog. If you would like to read the very touching story behind it, go here.

Now, on to the fun part. I'm awarding this love to Jill and Lesa, because they're my cousins and even though I barely know one and haven't even met the other (although I really need to sometime) I still love them and am really enjoying getting to know them through their blogs. I'm also awarding Sally because, well, she's my little sister. That's what ya' do, you know! And, finally, April, a friend in life, too.

A Response to "Questions"

Martin Cothran, a teacher and author, made a comment on his blog today that has started a firestorm of criticism from a couple of his readers. The comment was this:

• So here is my minimalist (but highly rigorous) K-8 school curriculum:
  · Latin
  · Mathematics
  · Reading & Writing
  · Music

The point being that you can leave out formalized instruction for science and history as separate subjects.

I wanted to respond to this post, but mainly to the comments. However, what I have to say is really not comment length. So, I decided to write a post of my own. First, I will give an overview of this premise. Then, I will respond directly to some of the comments.

It is my understanding of Mr. Cothran’s post that children will learn all the need to learn from these four subjects. This is certainly possible to do. For instance, in the learning of Latin, you usually learn history of Latin. It is difficult to learn, for instance, Latin sayings without teaching the children the history behind the sayings. Another, more encompassing, aspect is the reading and writing aspect. There is so much a child can learn in the act of reading and writing.

Now, I will address some of the direct concerns of Mr. Cothran’s readers.

What about kids who show great curiosity and motivation to study subjects outside your very small range? Should they also be “swatted down like flies in summer?”

This was in reference to Mr. Cothran’s assertion that Proliferating academic subjects should be swatted down like flies in summer.

Motheral goes on to say in a later comment, Judging by what you wrote, you don't "swat down" your kids' interests in subjects outside your "core curriculum," because (apparently) you know that would be bad for your kids -- an act of "hostility" toward their mental development, if you will.

My response:
Children who show interest in subjects outside this core curriculum should be encouraged to pursue their interests. The best way to do this is to provide them with the answers to their questions and encourage more questions through the answer.

I.E. The child asks, “Why is the sky blue?” Together, you find out the answer. (My son and I looked it up in our science encyclopedia.) In the course of finding out the answer, you will discover many things worth investigating (we did). Your child may want to play with prisms or light through water (my son noticed an experiment on a totally different subject, how clouds form, while he was flipping through the book that we promptly did). This could lead to learning about mirrors (refraction, diffraction, reflection).


1) Mr. Cochran frequently points out others’ seeming contradictions. Yet here he says
a) Only 4 or 5 subjects are necessary, and
b) Most other subjects are covered under ‘reading & writing’.


(Another comment)
There are a few very large gaps, which at least include critical thinking, learning where you fit in the world, and interactive learning. Science is an excellent tool for the first and third, social studies for the second.

(Another)
And like most other ways of understand the world, the best way to learn them (math and science) is by doing them, and encouraging interest in them as early as possible.

(Another)
And what about history and law? Do you really think kids can’t understand, say, the Constitution and basic rights of US citizens? Or do you not want them to understand this…. …Your refusal to include this in your recommended curriculum speaks volumes about your values…

…Most of the education-success stories I’ve read start with a kid being exposed to something at an early age, getting interested in it, and learning as much as possible on his/her own steam. There is no substitute for this, which is why it is important to expose kids to as many subjects as possible at an early age, thus increasing the likelihood of each kid finding something to pursue with a passion.

I think that’s enough quoting for this particular section.

I think that Mr. Cothran’s point is that you do not need a separate curriculum to learn history and science. History and science can both, at the K-8 level, be learned within the reading and writing curriculum. Indeed, some would argue that those subjects can be learned much higher, especially history, through that model.

I.E. Your child reads a book about the Egyptian pyramids. Maybe your child builds a model pyramid out of Legos (math). Your child learns what materials were used to make the pyramids (science). Your child learns what the pyramids were used for, why they were made, and who made them (social studies, history, and world religion). Your child reads (reading/English). Your child writes (writing/grammar).

So, what are we missing here? A bit more hands on science? Well, maybe the child could make the pyramid out of bricks that he makes himself using products that would have been available to the Egyptians. Maybe, he could mummify a chicken.

That is what is meant by “covering all the other subjects in the first 4”.

The best way to learn about history, law, the Constitution, and our rights and responsibilities is to read about them and to discuss what we have read. You do not need a separate curriculum to do that. Reading the Constitution is not only great reading and comprehension practice, it tells you a lot about the founding of our country and the way our country should be governed.

And why Latin, when Americans are behind other nations in learning foreign languages? Why not a living language, which would give kids the added advantage of being able to communicate with people of different cultures? Or do you consider that desirable?

(Another)…a language that no one speaks anymore…

Latin is the language of science, math and the root of English, Spanish, French, and Italian… If you learn Latin, it is very easy to learn any of the “romance” languages. It is easier to understand scientific terms if you understand Latin and texts don’t have to be “dumbed down” for you.


And why is music better than painting?

Music is better for the simple reason the scientific research has proven that learning to play a musical instrument (including your voice) helps your academic studies.

And how many parents have enough grounding in either subject (Latin and math) to teach it to their kids? At the K-8 level, that only applies to math; and even there you’d need to teach them how math works in other disciplines such as home-ec, science and engineering.

First, let me say that, I’m sorry Motheral, but I don’t understand what you mean about teaching them how math works in other disciplines. Are you saying we shouldn’t do that or that we should? If you’re saying that we should, most home schoolers do. If you're saying that we shouldn't, why not? But, on to the sentence that made me almost blow my top.

…How many parents have enough ground… My question is how much grounding do you need? Can I learn from the book the week before my child does? Of course I can. Can I reach my children math that I learned in school? Of course I can.

I have heard this argument against home schooling put many different ways….

You can’t teach them to read, because you’re not certified.
How could you possibly teach them a foreign language?
How could you teach them math?
What about when they get to high school?

Well, here is my answer. My children are 4, 7, and 10. My 4 year old is learning to read quite well without any interference by me, thank you. My 7 year old is laboring over learning to read because he is a right-brained kid, but he’s getting it. My 10 year old just finished reading The Iliad (unabridged). Thank God he finished it, now I can stop reading it! I think we’re doing okay. We’ve got a 100% success rate, there.
Math is a different subject (hee, hee). My poor children are so far behind. My 10 year old is doing, you know, 10-year-old stuff. Gee, too bad I, at 30, can’t teach it to him. My 7 year old is working a year in advance and by the end of next year will probably be 3 advanced 3 years. My 4 year old is slowly working his way through 1st grade math.

Yes, my children are gifted. I know that. I also know, though, that I can teach them what they need to know. I also know that if there reaches a point (around calculus if I’m not staying ahead of them) where I can’t teach them, that there are other people who can. Certainly parents take their children to tutors all the time. Why can’t I?

A philosophical, potential problem I see with home schooling:
If interested parents home school or private school, what motivation will there be to improve our dreadful public school system so that kids with uncaring parent(s) can learn?

Another:( in response to: putting our kids in public school will NOT save the public schools) No, but social commitment will. You know, electing concerned and competent lawmakers and executives, not stifling learning in favor of narrow religious opinions, trusting people who know more than we do to get the job done, and –most important—raising enough tax-revenue to pay for good schools, facilities, books and teachers…

…But you don’t seem to care enough to get over your defeatist attitude and join a real effort to make them better….

…. What about the many kids who have NO choice? Don’t we, as a society, owe them a public school system that works as well as possible? Or is your choice more important than their opportunity to be the best adults they can be?

Okay, wow. First, I just want to say that I will do all that is my power to make the public school system better. However, while that is happening, I am not going to let my children suffer for the sake of other children. How is that being responsible? …Is your choice more important than their opportunity to be the best adults they can be? My choice is to raise my children (also my main responsibility) to be the best adults they can be and educate them to their full potential. Sadly, the public school system is not currently capable of doing this. Interestingly enough, I have been accused of “having a defeatist attitude and not making an effort” before. Indeed, it has become something of a family joke. How is making sure my children (my primary responsibility) have the best education available to them, a defeatist attitude?

If they will let me on, I will serve on my school board. If they will let me have any input, I will give curriculum recommendations. I will tutor failing students for free. There is so much I am willing to do. I won't run copies for you. I won't grade papers. And, I won't sit in your classroom and chit chat with you while your students sit around and listen. Yes, my children were in both public and private schools. Yes, I volunteered in both. Yes, I was willing to copy and grade papers. Unfortunately, yes, much of the time I was "volunteering" in the classroom was spent gossiping with the teacher.

I’ve met plenty of people more intelligent and better educated than I, and none of them were home-schooled.

So, are you saying that the world is flat because you haven’t seen for yourself that the world is round? Perhaps you should attempt to meet a few home schooled people. Perhaps you should come talk to some of the middle school students in my home school group. You would be amazed at these kids' knowledge. They know far more than most adults do. Why? Because they have the time to pursue their interests, while at the same time getting a superior education to the one they would get in most public schools. Perhaps you should do a bit more research before you make comments like that. No, I will not link to studies and lists. If you’re so well educated, you know how to find them. While I, an uneducated housewife, defeatist home school mom wouldn’t know anything about it.

Read more on our decision to homeschool.

Review Tuesday

Whew! I almost forgot to post today! Then, it would have been Review Tuesday on Wednesday. Oh well!

Our website for the week is Ebates. Our product is Robertson's Real Beef Jerky. Our book is Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.

Ebates:

This website is a rebate site that allows you to shop through it and get rebates. It is similar to Upromise, only the money comes straight to you at the end of the quarter. So, it works like this: You visit the website and sign up. You shop "through" their website, meaning you go to the store's website from Ebates. They give you a portion of your purchase price back in a rebate.

I did the majority of my long distance Christmas shopping this way. I didn't make a lot of money, about $25. However, that was $25 I wouldn't have gotten back, otherwise. I was going to be purchasing these items, from these stores, anyway. So, I did save a bit of money.

Since I do most of my online purchasing over the holidays and from Amazon (whom they only offer coupons for) for books, I am not really using the site a whole awful lot. However, it is worth it when I do use it.

This year, I am doing an experiment to see how cheap inexpensively I can buy Christmas. So, I probably won't be using the service for that much.

However, it is worth checking out. Just click on the link above. I will say that you joining through my link will give myself and you an extra $10 if done before February 14th. So, be aware that I have a somewhat ulterior motive for doing this particular review at this particular time. It doesn't change my opinion, however.

On to our product.

Robertson's Real Beef Jerky: Unfortunately, Roberson's is not giving me any free product for writing this review. Robertson's Beef Jerky is my favorite beef jerky. In fact, I refuse to eat any other beef jerky. When I was a child, I ate Slim Jim. However, now that I am a woman, I like my jerky, well, jerky!

This jerky is the real thing. Hence the word real in the product name. You have to tear it off with your teeth; then chew it for a long time. If you eat more than one piece in a day, your jaw will probably start to hurt. I know. When we moved here in May, I bought a pound. I ate beef jerky all day, every day for a week and could not figure out why my jaw hurt so bad. Duh!

I cannot eat Oberto beef jerky. I don't like the taste. Indeed, it makes me sick to my stomach. I have tried every kind of beef jerky there is available at gas stations, truck stops, etc. I don't like any of them. I have found Robertson's in one place only on my travels. That place is the midway stop on the turnpike from Joplin, Missouri to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Oh, I'm sure you can find it other places. I just don't know where!

So, now, I just have to order directly from the source. It's fresher that way, anyway.

Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka:

This book literally changed our lives, and probably saved one of our son's neck from my throttling fingers.

I read this book for the first time about 4 years ago when our son was 3. He maxed out all the tests in this book on spiritedness. He still does! We started implementing some of the strategies in this book and saw a remarkable difference almost immediately.

This book covers:

• identifying a spirited child
• determining what triggers your child's spiritedness
• effective strategies for dealing with each spirited trait
• predicting and preventing the trouble spots
  

The five common traits of spirited children, as listed in this book, are (may or may not exhibit all five):

• intensity
• persistence
• sensitivity
• high perceptiveness
• slow to adapt

There are also less common traits discussed in the book.

After reading this book, we started implementing some of the suggestions. We began to see an almost immediate improvement. Of course, I frequently fall off the bandwagon, but I read this book periodically and it always helps us get back on track.

Another story from our stack on this book:

When Xavier started kindergarten last year, his teacher called us for a conference on the second day of school. That is not a good sign. She told me that Xavier was not assimilating into school well. Could I please come to the conference with any strategies she could use to help him?

Well, I started thinking about it and realized that most of the strategies that I use for Xavier on a day to day basis, she might not think of. So, I got out my book and started writing stuff down. The first and most important thing was to make sure he was getting enough to eat. Apparently, they were trying to get him to eat things during snack time that he didn't like. Xavier is slow to adapt to anything and this includes food. So, we adapted their snack plan to allow him to eat a specific food at snack time. Interestingly, the older kids all brought snacks for snack time. Only the kindergartners were expected to eat whatever the teacher decided to serve that day. We discussed giving him plenty of warning before changing things. We discussed him not going to song practice. Apparently, he flung himself on the floor (no-no number 1), covered his ears and screamed during the whole thing. Well, the kid has really sensitive hearing. So, he got to sit in the pre-K classroom or the nurses office during song practice.

After about 2 weeks, his teacher called me back and said, "Wow! Xavier has the best smile! I don't think I ever saw him smile before. It's like the sun came out." Yup, that pretty much describes the boy's smile. And when he frowns, the clouds come and you're in for rough weather.

Anyway, I can't say enough about this book. If you have a child that is spirited and a bit hard to handle, check it out. You won't regret it!

Confessions of a Smut Nut

There are many romance authors who dislike the term smut. I guess they consider it derogatory. I, however, use the term affectionately.

I go through phases with my reading. My phases encompass both genre and author. It works like this. When I was 10 or 11, I discovered Louis L'Amour. I read all his books. Then, I discovered Anne McAffrey. I read all the Pern books. Then, I discovered the Dragonlance Chronicles. I read all those. Oh, did I mention that I read all these things over and over and over?

As I've gotten older, my tastes have broadened somewhat. However, you wouldn't notice it unless you watched my reading over the course of several years. My overriding genre of choice is romance, specifically historical romance--from the Regency era. Luckily for me, that seems to be a very popular genre and there are a lot of authors that write books about that era. So, in between my stints into other genres, I read romance books. Sometimes, I read them almost exclusively for years.

However, since we began homeschooling in August, I have had to start reading other books to keep up with my children's education. I have read part of The Iliad (I know, I kind of just fell off the wagon midway through), several youth fiction about Ancient Egypt, an abridged Odyssey (with Xavier), Anne of Green Gables, The Lonesome Gods, and more non-fiction books than I can remember. I haven't even had a desire to read romance. That, of course, is how I do. I even went and borrowed a series of Anne McAffrey's from my father's library over Christmas. I am a huge Anne McAffrey fan. But, after reading The Lonesome Gods again (I finished it Friday night), I am on a Louis L'Amour kick. So, tonight I bought another of his books, Sackett's Land. I happen to love all his Sackett books.

Since Gabriel is the age I was when I started reading them, I want to introduce him to them. And, since Sackett's Land is the first book chronologically, I thought that would be a great place for him to start. They may be a bit violent for Gabriel. Gabriel is, when you come right down to it, a passivist. He abhors violence and the Iliad was much too bloody for him, although he enjoyed it, and he managed to finish it, even though I couldn't (which was not due to violence, I was just put to sleep every night by it).

However, today I found out that one of my favorite romance authors, Karen Hawkins, is coming out with a new book on the 22nd. Now, I already spent all my blow money for this pay period. And, I'm on a Louis L'Amour kick. What's a girl to do? This is a book I've been waiting to read since I read the last one in the series the day it came out. Well, the answer is, I have to show some restraint. Practice a little personal responsibility. Yada, yada, yada. Oy, the problems with being a conservative and practicing budgeting!

Almost Perfect, *sigh*

I was reading this article on Fox News:

Polish Scientists Figure Out Length of Perfect Legs

The premise is that women and men whose legs are 5% longer than average (proportionally) are considered the most attractive. 10% longer came in 2nd, average 3rd, and, sadly, 15% longer was a turn off.

Well, my legs are pretty long. So, I'm thinking to myself. Am I hot? I mean, the article doesn't say what average is. I know I've got long legs. I'm 5'4" and people seem to think that means I should wear petites. Well, it does if we're talking about dresses. But, my legs are half my body! My inseam is 30". So, I'm looking around. Thinking, wow, I should take my show on the road. Maybe I could pick up a gig somewhere. I could throw down some serious cash. Then, I found this article from the Telegraph UK:

Why Kylie Minogue could have the perfect legs

Research found that the average woman - at around 5ft 4in tall with an inside leg measurement of 29in - would need shapely 30.5in legs to reach perfection.

And now I know that I need another 1/2 inch to reach perfection. *SIGH*

On the up side, I picked a good man (which I already knew). According to the Daily Mail,

Previous work by the same researchers suggests women regard taller men as
good for a fling but see shorter men as better companions with whom to settle
down.

So, it all works out in the end. The hubby gets an almost perfect wife, and I get a companion that is great to settle down with.

Life is good.

Wordless Wednesday:Before, During, and After

Wordless Wednesday

Review Tuesday

If you have any suggestions for things for me to review, please leave a comment. If you have a different opinion, please feel free to comment. Finally, if you post a review of a product on you blog, feel free to leave that address in my comments!


Today's website is Homeschool Buyers Co-op. Today's product is Crayola Washable Markers. Today's book is Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham.

Homeschooling's #1 Way to Save

Okay, so, obviously, I love this website. The Homeschool Buyers Co-op has some really great stuff. First, I have to make a disclaimer. You have to be a homeschooler to join this group. However, I would consider anyone homeschooling a preschooler a homeschooler. Now, on to the good stuff.


Here are a few of the things the Co-op has available:

Group buys for HUGE discounts on educational stuff. For instance:

• Lego Robotics
• Cyber Ed Science (We got this one. The boys are LOVING it!)
• United Streaming Online
• High Quality Microscopes
• Prepme SAT/ACT prep for gifted students

Member discounts from educational suppliers.

Local discounts database for educators.

Dell discount program.

Membership is free and confidential!

You'll also find lots of free information such as databases of free curriculum, field trips, and educational contests and scholarships.

Something else I like about this co-op is that it exposes me to things I never would have found otherwise. For instance, I purchased the Cyber Ed membership through them. If not for Homeschool Buyers Co-op, I never even would have heard of Cyber Ed. At the time that they offered this group buy, I was looking for a science program to add to ours. I like the way we do science, but I felt like Gabriel just wasn't getting everything he needed. So, I was looking around for something to add to it. Then, Homeschool Buyers Co-op offered Cyber Ed as a group buy. I went online and used the trial mode. I was impressed. I knew that Gabriel would really like it. So, I went in on the group buy. Not only did I get a program that Gabriel LOVES (and Xavier begs to use), but I got it at a really great price.

I first heard about Homeschool Buyers Co-op through a yahoo group that I'm a part of. I actually ended up googling them because these people kept talking about the Lego group buy. Since Xavier is major time into Legos and also majorly into robotics, we will definitely be taking advantage of that group buy the next time it comes around. I had never even heard of Lego Robotics before! And let me tell you, they are expensive! But, it seems that I can get them for about half price on Homeschool Buyers Co-op.

They have a supplier sweepstakes. This is a nice feature. You get a chance to win some of the products that you already want. You do have to go to the website of the supplier, but that's not a big deal. A lot of times, I don't know enough about the product and want to check it out, anyway. Also, there are other ways to enter. One of the products they are giving away right now, is Switched on Schoolhouse. This is a Bible based curriculum that retails for $299.99. If you could get that for free, what a deal you'd be getting! Past suppliers have included Home Education Magazine, iPrint.com, Del Sol Books, and The Money Camp.

I am totally enjoying this website. My only problem is reigning myself in when it comes to purchasing things. It's a good thing I have my lovely Gary to ask me if I "really" need it. There are several products and websites that I have written down for future reference. Go ahead and check it out. All you need to do is click on the icon above.

Crayola Washable Markers: These are nice, bright markers. They are also washable! These markers easily clean up off walls, skin and clothes. Everyone always says to start your kids off with crayons because they're not as messy. Not me! I say start them off with washable markers.

Now, I'll tell you why. When Gabriel (10) was 4, we went to see Atlantis in the theatre. We sat right up close, you know in the first row! When those big robotic monsters came down through the water it felt like they were on top of us. Wow! Gabriel was fascinated. The next day, I came in from hanging clothes out on the line to find lines drawn on every wall in my house. Gabriel had already learned not to draw on the wall. What was he thinking!!!?? He was drawing the map to Atlantis. Of course, Disney likes to promote drawing on walls! This is when I learned that washable markers are so much better than crayons. The parts of the walls where he had used marker came clean on the first swipe. The crayons had to be painted over!

Finally, you might ask, aren't there washable crayons? Yes, there are. Indeed, they're the only kind of crayons I'll allow in my house. But, they still don't have the wash of walls washability (is that a word?) that the washable markers have. I know.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham:

This is a bewitching book. It is a children's book. I would say that it is written on a 4th or 5th grade level. But, you really can't take my word on that. My 5th grader reads things others don't. It's just my best guess. I picked up this book to read during my bath the other night. I was planning to have Gabriel read it for his free reading. Since I try to read all the books he does, I was going to start it before he did.

Well, I couldn't put it down. I stayed up til 1:00 finishing this book. It is about Nathanial Bowditch who lived during the late 1700s. He wrote The American Practical Navigator. He was an amazing navigator and a mathematical genius. This was a great read. The hardships this boy overcame to learn were astronomical. I am currently reading this to our children as their bedtime story. We are all enjoying it. Even though I just read it Saturday, I am enjoying reading it all over again.

My Endorsement for President

Hello, my name is Kristina and I haven't blogged in 3 days. Oh well. I'm breaking my streak today. Did I say streak? I have no intention of streaking. Isn't that illegal? Couldn't I get arrested? There will be no streaking on this blog.

I have decided to make public my choice for president. This seems to be the popular thing to do. It seems to me that when you have a blog, you get to bare all your innermost private thoughts to the world at large. Not that I think who I want for president should be private. Indeed, if there is to be open discussion about candidates, eventually who you support will become public.

So, if you're observant, you'll have noticed my "endorsement" in the space to the right. Interestingly enough, I'm not sure I'm qualified to make an endorsement. I know who I want to be president. I think he is a good choice. However, what does it take to be good endorsement material. Certainly I think I'm good endorsement material. However, why would anyone listen to me? Why would the average reader spend any time thinking about my endorsement? I'm glad you asked. The reason the average reader should think about my endorsement is because of the amount of research I have put into this election. However, my endorsement is a little different than you might find on other blogs. Here goes....

I want Fred Thompson for president. I believe that he is a deep down conservative. Since that is what I am, he is the man for me. I am endorsing Fred Thompson for president. I hope that you will take the time to get to know him.

However, I do not believe that you should vote for someone just because someone tells you you should. That goes for your pastor, priest, rabbi, doctor, dentist, father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, daughter, son, etc. I believe that if you are going to vote (and I do believe that voting is one of our most important rights), you should be well informed. I know that it takes a long time to do the research to find which presidential candidate you agree with the most. However, I believe that our country is worth it. Each candidate has their own website. I suggest their issue pages as a starting point. You can quickly rule some of them out that way. Then, you can really get down to the nitty-gritty of picking your candidate. Also, you can catch up on most or all the debates on you tube.

So, get out there and find out what you believe and think is important. Then, get on those websites and find out what the candidates believe and think is important. Then, get busy endorsing your choice for president. And, if you find that you also like Fred Thompson, get the word out. He's going to make one great president.

Thick as Thieves

Wordless Wednesday

Review Tuesday

This week's reviews are on: Hoagies' Gifted Education Page, Floam, and Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

Website: Hoagies' Gifted Education Page
This is an awesome site for all things gifted. If there is information about being gifted, raising gifted children, or teaching gifted students, it is on this site.

A run down: On the parents' site, there are guides to

• Characteristics
• Testing
• Highly Gifted
• Traditional School
• Home Schooling
• Programs
• Parenting
• Social/Emotional
• Special Needs
• Special Topics
• Support
• Gifted Books
• Success Stories
• Resources
• Identification

There are pages for parents, educators, and kids & teens. There is even a shopping guide. The kids & teens page is really neat. They have links for smart toys, nerd shirts, magazines, reading lists, and more!

If you know someone who is gifted, this is a wonderful, free resource. I highly recommend it.

Product: Floam

Dominic (4) got this for Christmas. He refused to touch it. So, I had to. I'm very squeamish. I DO NOT like playing with gooey stuff. I did not enjoy this. Now that it has hardened, it is really cool. Dominic enjoyed watching me make his art project and he now proudly has it displayed on his bureau.

Prognosis: if your child likes getting icky, this is a fun product. If your child is squeamish, this is not a good product fit.

Book: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

This book literally changed our lives. In this book, Dave Ramsey gives a concise, easy to follow plan to turn your monetary life around. He helps you get on a budget and stay there. You'll pay off debt and make your life a lot easier. If you're already out of debt, there is information in this book for investing and planning the rest of your life (college, retirement, house). This is a very straightforward book. If you are looking for a book to help your family finances, this is my number one choice.

Right now, the Dave Ramsey site has this book free with the purchase of 2 CDs. They are selling this set for $19.99

Next, They'll Want Free Child Care....

Oh, wait, they already do! Did you see this story over on Fox News?

The gist of it is that pregnant teens want 4 weeks maternity from high school leave to recover and bond with their baby.

First, teens shouldn't be having babies. But, since we can't stop that with birth control, let's look at whether or not they should be able to recover their health after giving birth. Of course they should. I don't know about this particular school, but most have home study programs for students who have health issues. This covers "maternity leave" in most cases.

"Bond with their baby"? You don't bond with your child in 4 weeks. Bonding with a child takes years. Oh, sure, you get an initial bond that is really nice and sweet, but that long lasting forever bond takes years. Don't get me wrong. I think that first 4 weeks is extremely important. In fact, I think the first day is so important that I prefer to give birth at home so I don't have to be separated from my child at all. However, I think that time is actually more important to the mother than the child.

Children bond quite well when adopted. I think these children need to be adopted into loving homes where there are parents who can take care of them.

Beer for my horses

I love this song and he's done a great job with the video.

We Didn't Start It....But We'll Win It!

When I was growing up, I read a lot of Louis L'Amour books. I took a lot out of these books and highly recommend them for moral training for your children. :) Two of the things I took from these books is this: 1. Try to avoid a fight. If you can't avoid it, win it. 2. If it is obvious that you're not going to be able to avoid a fight, the easiest way to win it is to throw the first punch.

There are a lot of people who think we should get out of Iraq because they "didn't attack us". These people think they were lied to about weapons of mass destruction. Many of these people also believe that Iran and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are not a threat as long as we leave them alone.

First, Saddam Hussein gave monetary support to terrorists and allowed Al Qeada to train in Iraq. Since terrorists and Al Qeada did attack us, Iraq--through Saddam Hussein--is obliquely responsible as well. That whole giving aid and support to the enemy thing. He gave money to suicide bombers' families. That is encouraging to those bombers because it helps support their families. Iran does the same thing..... In fact, Saudi Arabia does, too.

Second, they have found weapons of mass destruction. The media just likes to say that what was found was not a significant enough supply to affect us. Hello! The amount of anthrax contained in letters was not significant and yet it really disrupted the mail in DC. Also, we have not searched the entire country, have we? We certainly gave him enough time to destroy or hide what he had. We are still finding mass graves. The man was evil. He needed to be gone.

To those people that think we're in the middle of a civil war, think again. These people are not trying to decide how to run their country. These are insurgents that have come there specifically to fight US. Also, Al Qeada is using some really despicable tactics to get people to join them. Take for example the practice of serving 11 year old boys up to their family roasted on a platter with the treat of doing the same to their other children. And why don't we hear about this on the nightly news? Why is it that all we ever hear about is what Al Qeada puts out in their press releases and about US soldier deaths and about water boarding? The American people need to know about the true atrocities that Al Qeada is perpetuating.

Iran is a treat. All you have to do is listen to Ahmadinejad and you'll know that they're a threat. First, they sponsor the terrorism happening in Iraq. We know that Iran is sending bombs to Iraq. We know that Ahmadinejad has said over and over again that he wants to wipe the "Little Satan" (Israel) off the face of the earth, then march right on over and do the same to the "Great Satan" (US) and do the same. Ahmadinejad wants to destroy us not because we are in the middle east, not because we are "interfering", but because are infidels. So, unless you want all America to convert to Islam, please, don't say that we are the reason for the attack on 9/11. Please, don't say we are the reason for the continued violence. We're not. But, we will fight the fight and win it.

Finally, for those people that say the war is lost and we need to leave now (practically every Democrat politician), the war is not lost. The surge is working. Since the beginning of the surge, deaths have steadily declined. Have you noticed the dearth of news about Iraq? Is it because the media doesn't like to report about good news? Is it because the only time the media wants to say anything about the war is when there is death and violence? If you bring our soldiers home now, you will be inviting attack on our homeland. You will also not allow them to do their job. So, instead of saying you support the military by wanting to bring them home, try actually supporting them. Get behind them and their mission. Send them your love and support. Tell the media to report the good stuff. Let them win the war.

This post is track backed to Angel's Guess Who's Issuing Death Threats Today? post over at Woman Honor Thyself.

Abolish the UN

Anti-Social....ism 2 Universal Healthcare

I have posted on this in brief before. However, I will come at it from a different point of view for this post.

This is information I got off John Edwards' website:

Under the Edwards Plan:

-Families without insurance will get coverage at an affordable price.
-Families with insurance will pay less and get more security and choices.
-Businesses and other employers will find it cheaper and easier to insure
their workers.

The Edwards Plan achieves universal coverage by:

-Requiring businesses and other employers to either cover their employees
or help finance their health insurance.
-Making insurance affordable by
creating new tax credits, expanding Medicaid and SCHIP, reforming insurance
laws, and taking innovative steps to contain health care costs.
-Creating
regional "Health Care Markets" to let every American share the bargaining power
to purchase an affordable, high-quality health plan, increase choices among
insurance plans, and cut costs for businesses offering insurance.
-Once
these steps have been taken, requiring all American residents to get insurance.

Securing universal healthcare for every American will require the active
involvement of millions of Americans.

I have several problems with this plan. The main one being that the government needs to get it's mitts out of my life. The idea of having bargaining power is a great idea. However, the government doesn't need to do it for us. They just need to get out of the way and let us do it. Instead, they frequently set the law up in such a way we can't have collective bargaining.


Second, why should the government dictate what employers offer their employees as compensation? If an employer wants a worker bad enough (ie that worker is going to increase their profit), they will pay the worker what he is worth. If that worker is only worth $3/hr, he probably isn't worth health care, either. We already have too much control going on in this country.


Third, how does increasing taxes make insurance more affordable? They just take the money out of your pocket before you have a chance to decide how to spend it. Maybe you don't want insurance. Maybe you'd prefer to have a big screen TV. It doesn't make insurance more affordable, it just makes the rest of us pay for everyone else's insurance.

Finally, if I don't want health insurance, I should NOT be required to have it. This is America, not the Soviet Union.

This doesn't even begin to go into the fact that government run anything is just inefficient. It is just too big! When you have an organization that large, it is hard to run efficiently. It also doesn't encompass what kind of care we would get. I want to be able to choose for myself what kind and quality of care I get, not have it chosen for me.

If you haven't read The Giver by Lois Lowry, I recommend it. It is an easy read. It was, in fact, written for children, but I recommend it to adults. The reason I recommend it to adults is because it makes you think about what you have to give up for everything to be perfect.





Every time you accept a social program, you give up a little bit of your freedom.

Flag on the Floor?

So, I was looking at the news yesterday and saw this picture. I can tell you that I just BLEW MY TOP!!!!! I will say that Gary wants to know if maybe it is a bunting, but I don't think so.

I'm pretty sure that at the bottom of this picture is the flag on the floor. Any thoughts?

Introducing....

Gary has a blog!!! Take a look at it and enjoy. Thanks!

He's over at Standing the Watch.

Why I Have a Love/Hate Relationship with Legos

So, this is really a post to make Bill feel better about his train.

Two years ago, a very nice man, we'll call him Gary's ex-boss, passed down two large bins of Legos to my boys from his boys--then 11 and 13.

At the time, I thought this was a very nice thing. It meant we didn't have to spend a lot of money to immediately up grade our Lego collection by A LOT!

What I didn't know was that these Legos came with about 20 instruction booklets. Of course our children wanted us to immediately put together every single castle, train, car, space ship, fire truck.... that was available. So, Gary and I got started. We had a really fun date night where we spent 6 hours putting together 2 castles. After the kids got up the next morning, it took 10 minutes to break them both.

You might ask WHY it took us 6 hours to put these two piddly castles together. After all, the instructions aren't hard to follow. However, try finding a piece that is 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch....

in this.

Fortunately, we are blessed with children that mostly prefer to use their imaginations and build to their own inner architect. So, it is only rarely that we have to sit for hours and hours searching through Lego pieces only to finally build this 2" x 2" dune buggy. Aaah, the joys of being a Mom.

Wordless Wednesday--3 Days + 2 Sons-in-law working=most of the ice storm limbs in 1 pile

Anti- Social...ism 1

I recently read this post by Crystal. Her post was about personal responsibility and I'm not sure that she was expecting the vehement responses that she got. None of the responses were mean, bad, or disrespectful and I was very impressed by the ability of her readers to disagree without coming across as angry. I did comment. However, this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart, so I decided to make what will probably be a long, rambling sort of post. I'll try to keep it short.

Society in America has been trying to make us all into mind-numbed robots unable to think and do for ourselves. Wow, that's a strong statement! Let me do some more explaining.

I'll start with Social Security, one of America's oldest socialist programs.

Let's do a primer, shall we? Social security encompasses several welfare and insurance programs. The most well known being:
-Retirement Insurance Benefits (what people get when they retire, based on their age)
-Unemployment
-Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
-Medicare
-Medicaid
-SCHIP
-Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

You didn't know that all those things were being paid for by your FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes, did you? You thought it was just your retirement, didn't you? Well the truth is, you're not paying for your retirement, anyway. If you follow the money, you'll find that the U.S. Social Security program is the largest government program in the world and the greatest expense in the federal budget, with 20.9% for social security and 20.4% for Medicare.

A little history: The Social Security Act was signed into existence by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935 as part of the New Deal. Two supreme court rulings affirmed the constitutionality of the Social Security Act.
In Steward Machine Company v. Davis 301 U.S. 548 (1937), the court said, "[It] is too late today for the argument to be heard with tolerance that in a crisis so extreme the use of the moneys of the nation to relieve the unemployed and their dependents is a use for any purpose narrower than the promotion of the general welfare".
Helvering v. Davis, 301 U.S. 619 (1937) upheld the program because, "The proceeds of both [employee and employer] taxes are to be paid into the Treasury like internal-revenue taxes generally, and are not earmarked in any way".

If the above reasons are the only reasons that the Social Security Act is considered constitutional, then I in my very un-legal mind, consider the Social Security Act unconstitutional. There are two reasons I consider it unconstitutional. One, we are not "in a crisis so extreme". This was enacted during the Great Depression and never have we again been in a crisis that extreme. Second, this is now paid by a separate payroll tax. It is earmarked in every way. So, the two reasons listed above are no longer valid. If I had the money to sue, I would! I want my money back. I know that we'll never get social security. Frankly, I'm not eligible. I never will be, on my own right. If Gary works long enough, I'll be eligible based on his work, which I just DON'T get! However, I have not worked long enough to qualify for Social Security retirement on my own. I never plan to.

Next, I want to talk about the fact that social security is not the retirement plan that so many people seem to think it is. Social Security is a welfare program that you paid into while you were working. During your working years, you paid to support those people who were retired. Now that you have retired, we are paying to support you. That's it. It's welfare.

I have heard many baby boomers saying, "But, you don't understand. You're preparing for your retirement. You know what may be coming... We didn't" Okay, people, this is where the personal responsibility thing comes in. First of all, they've been predicting a crisis since 1982. They've consistently made adjustments to avoid it, but you should have noticed that and planned for yourself. If the first baby boomer retired this year, that would have given him 25 years to plan. Don't blame the young people for not wanting to fund your retirement. I even had one boomer say that I couldn't understand because we'd have our military retirement. Like I'm really planning to live off my military retirement. While I have no problem with being able to do that, my kids will only be 14, 11, and 8 when Gary is eligible for retirement. It is hard to raise kids on that amount without any supplement if you want a good life that includes travel. So, we're taking a proactive stance and adding to our retirement--Just like you could have!

Not only is it welfare, but thanks to the fact that so many people have cut back on having babies (thanks environmentalists!), we will not have enough workers to replace the baby boomers retiring. That means that our Social Security taxes are either going to have to go up, or their benefits are going to have to go down. They've kind of made it both, since they are "encouraging" people to work longer to get their full benefits. Since they are working longer, they are "contributing" longer, which means that their taxes last longer and they are paying more in taxes. Also, you have to pay taxes on your Social Security if you have more than $32,000/year coming in for a couple. Ummmmm didn't they already tax that money? Isn't your Social Security payments just a return of the money you loaned the government? Nope! It's welfare! And now, they're taxing it.

What will they think of next????? Maybe, they'll tax my toenail clippings....

Ok, I guess I'm going to have to do installments. Stay tuned for further news....

Review Tuesday

I am going to start writing a review every Tuesday. I will review the following things--one of each--a website/blog, a "product" (that is in quotes because obviously the other 2 things I'm going to review could also be considered products!), and a book or curriculum. If you have any suggestions for things for me to review, please leave a comment. If you have a different opinion, please feel free to comment. Finally, if you post a review of a product on you blog, feel free to leave that address in my comments!



This weeks reviews are for: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/, Apples to Apples Jr. edition, and How to Raise an American: 1776 fun and easy tools, tips, and activities to help your child love this country by Myrna Blyth and Chriss Winston.

Website: Money Saving Mom

This is an excellent website. It is run by Crystal Paine, a 25 year old wife and mother of two. Crystal puts all kinds of tips for living frugally, but well, on her website. Included on this website are features such as how to shop at CVS, Walgreens, the Supermarket and more. She also lists some of the best deals each week along with places to find printable coupons for many of the deals to make them even better deals.

I tried out some of her tips for CVS this week and got about $50 in dry goods for $20. Plus, I got $3 in Extra Care Bucks to use on my next shopping trip. Best of all, everything I bought is stuff I use, anyway! You know how all the coupons seem to be for things you don't use? Take a look at Crystal's site for inspiration on how to get around that. I highly recommend taking a minute to read through it.
Thank you Shelly for pointing me to this site.

Product: Apples to Apples, Jr Edition

This is a card game that the whole family can enjoy. It is officially for kids 9+, but our family is using it with great success and much fun for all ages. Over Christmas, we played with 5 adults, a 10 year old, two 7 year olds, and a 4 year old. The 4 year old was on an adult's "team", although if you didn't have enough adults, you could pair up younger children with older children.

The way this game works is this: each player gets 5 red cards with a word on each card. So, you might get: Boy Scout, parachute, getting lice, beef stew, and princesses. Then, the judge (changes with each turn) gets a green card and reads out the word. That word might be chewy, crunchy, simple, talented--you get the idea, they're all adjectives. The other players have to pick which of their cards best matches the green card. You do not always have an obvious answer and you really have to play to the judge.

This can be a hard game for people who don't "get" other people. However, it can really help them step outside of themselves and really think about the judge's likes and dislikes. This game can get really funny as someone puts in Boy Scout as being chewy, or stuffed animals as being old. We have found that it is better to keep the identity of the people handing in the red cards secret so that there is no favoritism and less complaining and fighting among adults children. We had a blast with this game and I highly recommend it.

Book:How to Raise an American: 1776 fun and easy tools, tips, and activities to help your child love this country by Myrna Blyth and Chriss Winston

The first half of this book is basically a condemnation of the way our children are not growing up to be patriots. There are a few recommendations on starting to change that in your own home. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but there is not a lot of practical application. However, the second half of the book is WONDERFUL. Not only does it give you every US holiday, it gives suggestions on ways to celebrate and teach your children about them. The authors give suggestions for dinner discussions as well as places to visit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have begun implementing some of the suggestions. It is worth a read. As with all books, I recommend you checking it out from the library if you can, first. This just helps to cut down on the amount of money you spend.

Good luck! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them.

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year, People!!!!!!

So, since I put in my "real" resolutions, now I'm going to tell you about the other resolutions, you know, the ones that should never see the light of day.

1. I will only listen to Rush Limbaugh for 3 hours a day. Gary bought me a 24/7 membership and my family probably thinks it is 24/7 sometimes.

2. I will provide myself with self therapy by not closing all the doors in the house and standing at the end of the hallway and looking at them.

3. I will further provide myself with self therapy by eating with the "icky" handled utensils at least once a week. I have 2 sets of eating utensils. The first was the set I picked out at my wedding. The second, I inherited. While the second is beautiful, it is also textured and I hate textured eating utensils. So, I'm forcing myself to have therapy at least once a week.

Notice the nice smooth texture? Plus, the shape fits nicely in the hand.

This one is lovely, plus it has a lot of memories attached to it. However, it drives me crazy with the shape and texture.

4. I resolve to overcome my phone phobia and call someone (other than my mom and sister) at least once a week.

5. I will only check my email 50 times a day.

6. I will not bow to peer pressure and call my husband all the great names people are coming up with for him. I won't even bow to the great personal pressure of posting them!

7. I will stop singing to the kids. They don't like it and it hurts my ears.

8. I will not read a book all in one sitting.

9. If I read a book all in one sitting, I will not run out and buy the sequel the next day.

10. If I run out and buy the sequel the next day, I absolutely, positively will NOT read it all in one sitting.

11. If Gary asks me nicely, I will stop painting my toenails in the American flag unless it is the 4th of July, Memorial Day, or Veterans Day.

12. I will definitely put a red streak in my hair. I went with blue in April of 2007 and I really, really liked it. BUT, this is an election year, and I don't want to do anything to make people think I might possibly be supporting the other side! So, instead, I think I'll take a page out of Shelly's book and go with pink/red. It won't be near as much fun. It's a lot more "normal" and people just don't look at you with quite the startled expression. Oh, well. I didn't do it to shock people, anyway.

And, that's it! Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve and will have a wonderful, prosperous, loving New Year in 2008.