Out of the Mouths of Babes

I like quoting my children because they frequently make sense. And sometimes, they're just plain funny!

Since this is an election year, and a highly emotional one, I thought I'd throw out some good quotes heard from my children.

Gabriel was 3 in 2000 during the run for office between George W. Bush and Al Gore. I was, at the time, a staunch democrat. We moved close to my parents in September right before Gabriel turned 3. My father promptly started trying to teach him to say (to me), "Vote Bush!"

Gabriel resisted all attempts at this until one day when he was getting in trouble. There I was, lying down with him, and he starts crying, "I wanna vote Bush, I wanna vote Bush!" I'm not sure he got the concept!



As you know, I went out of town Thursday overnight for a conference. When I returned (24 hours later), Xavier was distraught with missing me. As I cuddled with him in bed, he told me he didn't want a democrat to be president. Well, I may be a closet conspiracy theorist, but I don't want my kids thinking the sky will fall if we have a democrat president. Otherwise, they'll be crying for days after the election if we do get a democrat in the Oval Office. So, I said, "I know, but it'll be okay if a democrat is president."

He replied, "But, MOM, Hillary and Obama have the same policies. And they're not going to be good for the country."

At this point, I pulled back from my son, looked him in the eye and said, "Did you listen to Rush Limbaugh while I was gone?"

"Yeah, with Dad." Ah.....

Going to Convention

Woohoo! It's convention time! I'm heading out this afternoon to my first homeschool convention.

There are several speakers that I am excited about hearing.

Jessie Wise: If I Could do it Over Again

Carol Topp: Homeschool Co-ops:How to start them, run them, and not burn out.

Jim Weiss:Teaching History with G.A. Henty and Other Great Works.

I am also looking forward to getting some of our curriculum without having to pay shipping.:)

Finally, but certainly not lowest on the totem pole, I am extremely excited to be going with a group of moms. We'll be staying overnight and having an extended 'Mom's Night Out'. I just hope I can function on Saturday.LOL

Review Tuesday 3-25-2008

on Wednesday. I'm really sorry this is late and that I didn't get one out at all last week. Now, on to the good stuff.

In honor of the fact that next Tuesday is April Fool's Day, this week's review is going to be preparation. April Fool's Day is a serious holiday around my house. It is the most highly anticipated event of the year. Gabriel started short-sheeting beds when he was 6. Every year since, he has short sheeted all the beds. He recently branched out into more exciting endeavors. Last year, he taped the sprayer at our kitchen sink closed. We had a friend staying with us and of course she was the one who used the sink first. But, we got him back. Now, it is a race to see what we can come up with each year. The boys scheme all year long. We are not included in their scheming. They keep everything on the 'down low'. They're very good at that. We'll see what Tuesday brings. In the mean time, for help with ideas to play on your own kids, spouses, and friends, check out this stuff.

Instead of reviewing one website, I am going to link to several sites with practical joke ideas, with a brief explanation of what they have available. For the product this week, I'm reviewing Del Sol's 'clear' fingernail polish. I'm sorry, there will be no book review.

Websites for practical jokers:

The Duct Tape Practical Joker: The name says it all! These guys have come up with some fun and simple-to-execute ideas involving duct tape.

The Prank Place:This is a store that sells stuff for practical jokes. They have some raunchy stuff, but I love their tattoo sleeves. Those would be great for a family reunion--as long as your mom has a strong heart!

Family Fun: Family Fun always has some great April Fool's jokes that are good for kids, as well as adults. What I like most is their food section.

Aunt Nette: Head on over to Aunt Nette's website for some fun jokes that require little preparations.


Enjoy this video of Matt Romney playing a joke on his dad.




Del Sol's Peek-a-Boo Fingernail Polish: This has got to be the most fun product Del Sol has. I enjoy all their products, but this is the one I love the best. Here's a primer on Del Sol. All of Del Sol's products change color in the sun. They were established in 1977 (it was a good year) and are going strong. Now, on to my favorite gag ever.

This nail polish is clear indoors. When you walk outside, it turns bright pink/red (depending on UV rays). If you get your male offspring while they're sleeping, you can paint their nails without them knowing. Then, when they're in the sunlight, they'll get quite the surprise. While I have not tried this on my husband yet.... Also, this makes a great, fun product to use on new recruits to your squadron, platoon, etc.:)


As you can see, it is already starting to change color.

My model inside. I will not mention any names here. Just remember, I have no girl children!After a few seconds outside. After a few minutes outside on a semi-cloudy day.

I've had this fingernail polish for at least 3 years now and it is still going strong. I highly recommend it. I enjoy their other shades, as well. The only problem is if you forget you have on color changing nail polish and you're suddenly looking at your nails going, "I don't have nail polish that color!"


Have lots of fun next week!!!!

Letter Writing Challenge Update 3-24

How is everyone doing? I managed to write 4 letters this week. I will admit that my week was a bit busier than anticipated. Gary was sick and I spent several days taking care of him. Now, Xavier and Dominic are sick. Unfortunately, Xavier has asthma and is now on steroids because of it. So, I am spending my days keeping him from making holes in the walls when he bounces off them.

Here is some encouragement for you. The post office is sponsoring 'Power of the Letter.' To celebrate John Adams and letter writing, during the months of February and March, First-Class Mail® letters will be postmarked with our special Power of the Letter cancellation. It's a neat cancellation. Also, you can get a free card sent to someone. Check out the website to find out the information.

Letters leave something for our loved ones to have when we are gone. They are a good way for historians to paste together history jigsaws. Letters are powerful messages of love and caring. Write one today!

Real Life--Heard Here

My children love quoting movies and spend an inordinate amount of time doing so. After a while, it can be wearing on the nerves, especially when they sing "The Morning Report" during the quoting, at the tops of their lungs.

I asked my children to talk about real life for a while. I'm thinking they'll talk about what great sledding they had, the Wii they want to buy, or what they're going to do that afternoon. Who was I trying to kid?

Gabriel said, "Okay. Xavier, who was the 16th president?" (His favorite thing to do is quiz his brothers on information he knows they don't know.)

Xavier replied, "I don't know. What do you think's going on in the war, right now?"

My children's concept of real life is very interesting.

Frugal Friday-Saving Money With Carpooling

Today's lesson in frugality is a hypothetical one. Since my hubby is gone so much, it is hard for him to establish a consistent carpooling habit. However, when he gets back in June, I'm going to step in and organize this for him.:)

First some expenses to consider:

Let's say you have a car payment that is $200/mo.

Your insurance is $50/mo.

Your gas bill is about $280/mo.

Your budget for taxes and fees is $6/mo.

And your repair/tires/oil budget is $25/mo.

That's a grand total of $561/mo.

The first thing we're going to cut out is that car payment because we're going to pay it off. Wow, that's a savings of $200/mo!

We're down to $361/mo.

Now, we're going to half that gas bill by half by finding one other person to carpool with. That's a savings of $140/mo.

We're down to $221/mo.

Now, we're going to do something drastic. We're going to see if we can actually get rid of that second vehicle. So, let's consider, if you pay your carpooling buddy both gas and wear and tear, you'll be saving yourself a lot of money. Here's what you'll get out of it:

First, we'll get rid of all your present auto budget because you're not going to be doing that stuff anymore. So, we're starting out at $0. But, then, you'll pay your carpool buddy $450/mo because that is half the cost of gas, insurance, maintenance, and wear and tear. Well, that's not much savings, is it?

But, suppose you add another person to your carpool. So, you're dividing the cost by 3 now. The original cost is $900/mo. You divide that by 3 and end up with $300/mo.

Then, let's add another person. Now, we're dividing by 4 and we're paying $225/mo.

But, let's suppose the person driving has a van. Let's just go ahead and add 2 people now. At this point we have 6 people carpooling together. Your total cost per person is $128.

Now, if you can convince 3 people to sit next to each other, you can lower your cost to $112 each.

So, we've come from $561/mo to $112/mo.

That's an individual savings of $449/mo.

That's $5,388 a year!!!

For 7 people, that is a total savings of $3, 143/mo. That is $37,716 a year!!!

You could keep your car and split the cost of gas by 7 and still only pay $121/mo each. The problem with that is each of you would need to own a 7 passenger van. Otherwise, you'd still run into the problem of not having a car big enough for everyone. Of course, anyone that didn't have a van could just pay up for their part of the wear/tear. So, it could be done.

Wow, that's inspiring. I think I'm going to have to get on the horn to some people tomorrow. Maybe I can arrange this so that Gary can start taking part immediately after his return in June.

Can you think of what you might spend an extra $449 a month on? Could you pay off your credit cards or mortgage? Maybe you could go on a nice vacation. Maybe it would mean the difference between having medical insurance and not having it. Can you imagine if your commute also includes tolls? What about parking fees? You could really save a lot of money.

What are some ideas you have to save money?

For some more ideas on saving money, go check out Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

BKA=Butt Kissers Annonymous

We have formed a new self-help group at our house. Recently, I have heard many things from my children. It all started 4 years ago when Gabriel, at 6, said, "Mom, this meal is beautiful, just like you." Well, Xavier caught that one and ever since has come up with more and more outlandish things to say. Mostly, he just tells me I'm pretty 50 times a day. Usually, he even does it when I'm not mad at him. Recently, though, the other two have gotten in on the game. This is the result:


Xavier said, "Mom, you're looking like you were born on a Monday.", after learning that Monday's child is fair of face.

Gabriel said, "Mom, your parents should have named you Venus." after learning that Venus was named for the goddess because it is bright and beautiful.

Xavier said, "Mom, I'm glad you don't have any sleeves, because your skin is softer than any shirt." after I took off his favorite shirt in favor of a tank top. (Xavier is a tactile kid and rubs my sleeves all the time.)

Today is Purim, so we read the story of Esther in preparation for the celebration tonight. As I was walking back into the house, Gabriel said, "Mom, do you think Esther was your ancestor?" Ahem, thank you Gabriel. The savior of my people? No, he was talking about the fact that she was beautiful.

Ahh, life with brown nosers. It's great to be a mom!

Individual Freedom

This is the quote that I used for Gabriel's dictation exercise today. He begged for a quote from Fahrenheit 451, which he just finished reading today.

I think it is apropos to our political situation. Many people in this country want the government to run their lives for them. Perhaps they don't understand that that is what they are asking for. However, when we give up individual freedoms, that is what we are going to get. And, we are giving them up. We have not had a military coup or had a hostile take over by a dictator. Instead, we are slowly, silently, allowing our individual freedoms to be stripped from us.

...The whole culture's shot through. The skeleton needs melting and reshaping. Good Go, it isn't as simple as just picking up a book you laid down half a century ago. Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord. You firemen provide a circus now and then at which buildings are set off and crowds gather for the pretty blaze, but it's a small sideshow indeed, and hardly necessary to keep things in line. So few want to be rebels any more. And out of those few, most, like myself, scare easily. Can you dance faster than the White Clown, shout louder than 'Mr. Gimmick' and the parlor 'families'? If you can, you'll win your way, Montag. In any event, you're a fool. People are having fun."

-Faber--Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Letter Challenge: How're you doing?

I managed to write 3 letters last week. That means that I did less than half what I wanted to. Still, that is 3 more letters than I have written in the last year. I am pleased.

Who did I write to? Well, I'll try to keep it mysterious so those people won't know. I did, however, write to Gary's grandfather. He is, basically, a shut in that we love very much and don't communicate with nearly enough. I also wrote to a cousin and another relative.

While I communicate with the "relative" on a semi-regular basis, I only see and speak to the cousin when there's a funeral and I'd like to change that. So, I'm taking this opportunity to try to accomplish that.

How'd you do? You can either leave us a link or a comment. Next week, I'm going to try for 7 again.

Sue for lower gas prices

Weather Channel Founder: Sue Al Gore for Fraud



Oh, yes, and while we're at it, can we sue the government for high gas prices? After all, they have not allowed us to build new refineries or drill new wells. I think they are the reason for our high gas prices. Can anyone say "Class Action"?

How long 'til it's leaked?

House to Hold Rare Secret Session on Terror Surveillance Bill

Apparently, Minority Whip Roy Blunt has some information that can't be shared with the public, but should be considered in the decisions for this bill. I think that's great. I know I want all information to be considered in the formation of a bill.

Too bad there are so many leaky faucets in Congress. I wonder how long it'll take before the secret information is provided, on condition of anonymity, to the press.

A Soldier's Wife

Over the past 11 years of marriage, I have encountered many reactions to the fact that my husband is a soldier.

There's the "Oh, we're so thankful. Please pass along our thanks and our prayers."

There's the turn around and walk the other way.

There's the "That must be so hard, call me if you ever need anything."

But, more importantly, I've encountered many emotions within myself. I, too, am extremely thankful for my husband's service. Sometimes, I wish he didn't have to go. Sometimes, I wish I could go, too. I am extremely proud of him and his commitment. I feel a painful wrenching in my heart every time I see a picture of a soldier hugging his child after a deployment. I know what these soldiers are giving up-even though I haven't experienced it and cannot, therefore, actually understand it. Sometimes, I am mad that my husband has to put his country first. However, that is a commitment that I made. I understand that commitment. It is just hard to deal with sometimes.

I have a large repertoire of songs that encompass my emotions. I'm going to list them here for you and the meaning that I take from them in regards to my soldier husband.


First, because it has been on my mind recently, is "Stay" by Sugarland.

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This song encompasses how I feel when my husband gets calls from the military. Sometimes, I feel like the other woman.


Then, there's "My Hero" by Foo Fighters.

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This pretty much encompasses how I feel all the time. There is always (no matter what other emotions are there at the time) that sense of wonder that he could be so committed to our country's freedom and future.


Little Big Town's "Bring it on Home"

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This will tell you how I feel when he's had a bad day at work. This is what I feel when we find out that a soldier has died. I want him to ALWAYS bring it on home to me and let me love him.

"Amazed" by Lonestar

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I am always amazed by my husband. When he walks out that door to go take care of other people, when he gets angry about terrorism, when he comes home and loves us--no matter how crappy his day has been--I am totally amazed by him.

"These arms of Mine" by Otis Redding

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Whenever my hubby is gone, this is the song. This has been the "separation" song since we had to separate for the first time 1 month after our marriage.

Finally, "Real Good Man" by Tim McGraw

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This is my song for Gary. He's such a "bad boy", but a damn good man. His job includes a lot of playing hard work. He has to go climb mountains, jump out of airplanes, use x-ray vision, and carry the world on his shoulders.

So, how do I feel about my husband being a soldier? I'm proud of him. And if you say anything derogatory about the military in my hearing, you'll probably get a facer.

Birthday Wishes

My birthday is coming up soon, and I thought I would help you all out in your desire to get me something I really want!:) I made a list.

1. 3 hours of complete, uninterrupted silence.

2. 2 Granny Smith Apple trees

3. an indoor swimming pool

4. 8 tomato plants- 2 cherry, 3 roma, and 3 brandywine

5. This necklace

6. This shirt, or this one, or this one, this one, or this one.

7. 5 weeks of sunshine in Ft Walton Beach, FL, starting April 16th. (Can you get that one, weather man?)

8. 16 lavender plants

9. This 1967 roadster.

10. 4 used 4 drawer filing cabinets for my fabric stash.

11. For all of my pictures to be scrapbooked.:)

12. 6 beet plants

13. This house.

14. A new razor (I'm joking, Gary, I'm joking!!!!)

15:

16. If I don't get the above, a gift card to Amazon would do nicely.

17. Wranglers

18. This apron. It is just too cute. H/T Dear Home Front

19. A girl child.

20. I know there's more, I just can't remember what.:)

Review Tuesday

This week we're going to take a peek at Darla Shine's Happy Housewives Club. The Stackable Cooling Rack from Pampered Chef will be our product! We're going to explore government control and censorship in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury for our book of the week. And....we're going to have a giveaway! Surprise!!!!

Darla Shine's Happy Housewives Club: This is a rockin' website that has many useful features. I'm just going to go across the top of the homepage and talk about the various features available.

First up: Military Wives
There's lots of great information on this page. They've got a product of the week, a book of the month, a project of the month, plus links to things like meaning of rank, stores that offer military discounts, military history, PCS info and much more.

Next, there's: Housework

This page has a question of the week (This week it's about getting perspiration stains out of clothes), a weekly challenge, and other various housekeeping tips. There is also information on decorating your home on this page, plus links to all kinds of products.

The third button is for Work at Home Moms.

This page has tips on working at home and also features products and businesses of moms.

Next, we have the Budgeting page. Aaak!

Basically, this page has all kinds of information for living on a budget. It has links to coupon sites, as well as having a "Budget Bootcamp".

After that, comes Beauty.

As we all know, it is easy to "cruise" after you become a wife. After all, the only people who see you are your husband and kids. This page helps us combat that attitude. It's got style tips, product reviews, style must haves.... Everything the style matron in you wants, but doesn't want to buy some hussy magazine to look at.:)

Then, there're Health and Cooking. There's the Help a Military Wife Swap. And last, but not least, there're the forums.

If you're looking for a website that is generally encouraging to housewives, this is it. If you're looking for a website that has specific information about being a housewife, this is it. It's a great site for both veteran and new housewives and I give it a high recommendation.



Stackable Cooling Rack:

What I like about this rack: The grid is small. There is less seepage through the holes with soft cookies.:)

You can fit 7 (maybe an exaggeration) in the space you could only fit one before.

It folds up neatly to fit in the dishwasher.
That's it. I love it and it makes my Christmas cooking so MUCH easier.

Surprise!!! I'm giving one away today! I have 3 in my kitchen. Plus, I have 2 in my gift box. Plus, I have given them to all the members of my family, so I have to find other people to give them to--namely you! So, leave a comment if you'd like to win this. Tell me what you're favorite kind of cookie is. Next Monday night (3-17-2008), I'll do a random drawing of the commenters. Next Tuesday, I'll announce the winner.


Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury:

I know that many of you have probably read this. If you haven't, I insist that you immediately get on Paperback Swap or Amazon RIGHT NOW and order it (or go to your shelf and see if you stole borrowed this book from your sister and still have it. Really I thought it was Gary's from high school until I was just flipping through it and saw Sally's seal. Oops! Sorry Sally. I'll send it to you as soon as Gabriel's done with it!:).

Many people say this book is about censorship. In a way, it is. To me, though, the book is more about giving up freedom. You see, for the government in this book to have been able to censor to the extent they did, the people had to slowly give up their freedoms. I see this happening in the US today and this book can be a big wakeup call for America.

Letter Writing Challenge

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. ~Phyllis Theroux

A letter can make a person's day or break a person's heart.

Consider a sincerely felt thank you letter. You are letting the person know that you appreciate the thought and effort they put into giving you a gift. You are telling them you know and appreciate the time it took to show you how much they care. You are showing them that you care that they care.:)

Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. ~Lord Byron

Consider the "Dear John..." letter. No, wait, that's not the kind of letter we're going to be writing here.

What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human hand-clasp. ~Author Unknown

Consider the "How was your day? This is what's going on in my life..." letter. This is the best kind of letter. It tells the recipient that you, the writer, think enough of them and care enough about them to sit down and write about the mundane aspects of your life. You may not think you have anything to write about, but just consider that the person on the receiving end will probably think differently.

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call. ~Liz Carpenter


My grandmother wrote a letter every day of her life (I think). I know that she wrote a letter to my brother every week he was in prison. She lived far from her sisters and long distance phone calls were precious. She wrote letters to them. She didn't write about exciting things. She wrote about going to the nursing home to visit and that her granddaughter helped her bake bread that week. These are the little things that let the recipient know you care. Why does this let them know that? Because you want them to be a part of you life, even the mundane parts.

There must be millions of people all over the world who never get any love letters... I could be their leader. ~Charlie Brown

Everyone needs a little love in the mailbox. So, I'm starting a letter writing campaign. I propose that we write a letter every day for 30 days. I am going to start today. On Sunday, March 16th, I will put up a post and a Mr. Linky. I invite everyone to participate and come back here on Sunday and tell us how your letter writing went. At the end of the 30 days, on April 9th (my birthday in case you want to send me a little love:), I'll give away a gift to come to one of the participants. That way, at least one of you:) will get a little love back. If you plan to participate-even if it is only one letter-please let us know by leaving a comment. Thank you.

Thanks to The Quote Garden for some wonderful quotes.

Toilet Paper Wars

It all started when I moved back in with my parents when I was 20. I was pregnant and had to get up to go to the bathroom frequently during the night. In the middle of the night, you need to know what direction the toilet paper if facing to make it a quick trip.

I was a "down the back" toilet paper hanger and my mom was an "over the top" toilet paper hanger. We had a silent war going on. Contrary to what usually happens in a household, we each longed to be the one to change the toilet paper. It was quite a coup to be able to have the toilet paper hanging your way for a change. Not once during that 5 month war did anyone say anything about it aloud. The only casualty was sleep.

When Gary returned to the US, and we moved to Florida, I was thankful to once again have control over the toilet paper, only to find out that, *gasp*, Gary was an "over-the-topper". Once again we had a silent war going. I won most of the battles because Gary was not home as often as I was. Then, one day, we got toilet paper that had a design on it. And, the design was printed to be right side up when coming over the top of the roll. *GASP* Well, my organizing mind had to deal with the fact that I was wrong. I became an "over-the-topper". We have had peace in our house for 7 years. You might say that the toilet paper company negotiated a peace deal successfully.

Now, hostilities have broken out again. "How?", you might ask. And, you would be right to ask that. The answer is, because the idiot man has become a "down-the-backer". There is no rhyme or reason to why he has done this. I know it is the influence of his new squadron. They are evil and I'm going to have to nip this in the bud. I think I'm going to have to take the war to them. Maybe I'll TP their desks on Monday.

Hmmmm..... That might not be such a good idea. No telling how they'd pay me back. I guess I'll just have to keep silent vigil over the toilet paper rolls. Maybe I can change them out when they start to get low.....

My Husband Completes Me

Me now:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 8 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I always knew I was unique. Obviously, since my marriage, I am not quite as unique as I was before....

Me then:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Apparently, I really was nothing before I met him.

Scrolling Saturdays: Chauvinists and Nagging Women

Originally posted November 5th, 2007.

So, I've always known that my oldest son was a chauvinist. When he was 3, he told me that I had to, "Get off my pirate ship because girls can't be sailors." (Have I mentioned that I was in the Navy prior to his birth?)

I know that he believes that women can do anything that men can do, now, because he has told me to, "Just stop waiting for Dad to come home and do it, Mom!"

However, recently, he told me, in reply to being invited to learn how to sew, that "Sewing is for women." When I came back with examples of men who sew, he replied, "They have to throw away their dignity to do that."

I was rolling on the floor laughing. At the same time, I was wondering where he comes up with these things. While his father is a "man's man", he helps around the house, cooks, sews (his own patches), takes care of the kids regularly, and is basically an all around good guy, while at the same time being completely full of testosterone.

Today, while I was trying to catch up on Gabriel's reading (I like to read the books he is reading so that we can discuss them), I was reading the Iliad. He is about 300 pages ahead of me, so I've got some catching up to do. However, this passage sent me back onto the floor laughing as I realized what my son has been reading.

Filled with anger Zeus who marshals the storm clouds answered her at last:
"Disaster. You will drive me into war with Hera. She will provoke
me, she with her shrill abuse. Even now in the face of all the immortal
gods she harries me perpetually.........

......And suddenly Hera taunted the Father, son of Cronus: "So, who of the gods this time, my treacherous one, was hatching plans with you? Always your pleasure, whenever my back is turned, to settle things in your grand clandestine way. You never deign, do you, freely and frankly, to share your plots with me--never, not a word!"

The father of men and gods replied sharply,
"Hera--stop hoping to fathom all my thoughts. You will find them a trial,
though you are my wife. Whatever is right for you to hear, no one, trust
me, will know of it before you, neither god nor man. Whatever I choose to
plan apart from all the gods--no more of your everlasting questions, probe and
pry no more."......

...."Maddening one...you and your eternal suspicions--I can never escape you. Ah but tell me, Hera, just what can you do about all
this? Nothing. Only estrange yourself from me a little more--and all the worse for you. If what you say is true, that must be my pleasure. Now go sit down. Be quiet now. Obey my orders, for fear the gods, however many Olympus holds, are powerless to protect you when I come to throttle you with my irresistible hands." The Iliad: Homer

So, you see? Since the beginning of time, women have nagged. And, since the beginning of time, men have wanted to throttle their wives. Gabriel comes by it naturally!

California Judge Sets Presidence with Homeschool Ruling

I wasn't going to blog about this. There have been many bloggers do so already. However, there have not been (that I've seen) the take on this that I have. There have been many people hit on various areas of my thoughts, but no one has encompassed them. As a result, I changed my mind.

Here's a run down of the situation. A family in California was being investigated on charges of abuse. On February 28, 2008, the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Second Appellate District, made some claims about homeschooling in general.

There are some people saying that we should be happy that these children are being taken care of. I agree. If there is abuse in the home, the children should be removed. If this was a case of educational neglect, then they needed to say it was a case of educational neglect. Then, they needed to prosecute the law as it was written.

Unfortunately, the judges decided to reinterpret the law. The laws on the California books state that there are (as interpreted by the public education system and homeschooling community) 4 options for homeschooling in California.

1. Qualify as a Private School
Qualifications-Must be "Capable of
Teaching"

2. Use a private tutor
-Teacher certification

3.Enroll in a private school satellite program, taking "independent
study" (It is my understanding that this is the option the family in this case
was using)
-Must be "Capable of Teaching"

4. Enroll in an
independent study program through the public school
-None

The judges in this case interpreted the laws a wee bit differently.

It is clear to us that enrollment and attendance in a public full-time day school is required by California law for minor children unless (1) the child is enrolled in a private full-time day school and actually attends that private school, (2) the child is tutored by a person holding a valid state teaching credential for the grade being taught, or (3) one of the other few statutory exemptions to compulsory public school attendance (Ed. Code, § 48220 et seq.) applies to the child. (pg 3)

The judges furthermore quoted a ruling that basically says it does not matter how good the education is...

The court stated California’s legislative scheme makes no such exemption to attendance in a public school. (Turner,
supra, 121 Cal.App.2d Supp. at p. 868-869; accord Shinn, supra, 195 Cal.App.2d, at
p. 694, where the court stated that “[h]ome education, regardless of its worth, is not the legal equivalent of attendance in school in the absence of instruction by qualified private tutors.”)(pg 9)

The judges then go on to make what I consider threats to homeschooling parents in California.

Because parents have a legal duty to see to their children’s schooling within the provisions of these laws, parents who fail to do so may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program. (§§ 48291 & 48293.) Additionally, the parents are subject to being ordered to enroll their children in an appropriate school or education program and provide proof of enrollment to the court, and willful failure to comply with such an order may be punished by a fine for civil contempt. (§ 48293.)(pg 11)

The judges seem to take a jab at the independent study program (like those offered in many states-including California-through online programs etc.) Usually these are not "taught" by the mother. There are many online programs that overseen by the public school system.

Section 51745 et seq. provides for independent study for students, through a school district or a county office of education; however, its purpose is to provide students with certain educational opportunities, such as education during travel, or individualized Charter schools are part of, and are under the jurisdiction of, California’s public school system. (§ 47615; Wilson v. State Bd. of Education (1999) 75 Cal.App.4th 1125, 1137 et seq.) They must be nonsectarian in their programs and all other operations, they cannot charge tuition, and they cannot be conversions from private schools. (§§ 47605, ubd. (d)(1) & 47602, subd. (b); Wilson, at p. 1131.) Their teachers must be credentialed as teachers in other public schools would be required to be credentialed. (§ 47605, subd. (l); Wilson, at p. 1137.)14 study in an area of interest or subject not currently available in the regular school curriculum. Clearly, section 51745 does not apply to mother’s home schooling of the children.

Then, the judge interprets the statute to mean that the children must physically be in a school.

Moreover, the very language of section 48222 is an
implicit rejection of the parents’ position that having someone from Sunland Christian School monitor mother’s instruction of the children is sufficient. Section 48222 provides an exemption from compulsory public school education for “[c]hildren who are being instructed in a private full-time day school.” (Italics added.) It is the language of the statutes that constitutes California’s plan for education of its children. Thus, under California’s compulsory public school education law, Mr. Neven’s occasional observation of mother’s instruction of the children and their occasional taking of tests at the private school is without legal significance.

Now, I am not a legal anything. In fact, I am just an uneducated stay-at-home-mom. However, I can read and I can analyze and that is what I am doing here.

Basically, this judge is saying that unless you have a teaching credential, you are not authorized to teach your children at home.

Why does this bother me when I live in Kentucky and this was a California ruling?

The main reason is that Kentucky has the same type law. We homeschool under the law that says we are a private school.

As we know, once something becomes case law, people start to use it. It could be a matter of months before the National Education Association starts using this to try to get homeschooling banned everywhere. I mention them because they are very anti-homeschooling. Their resolutions (available in their handbook) make for a very interesting read.

B-75. Home Schooling
The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/ guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.

Or, it could be a matter of years before someone decides that the state of Kentucky needs to follow the state of California down this road.

It is not clear to me where this quote in the ruling comes from, but it is a bit disturbing to me.

A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.

Ah, and here, I thought the educational system was in place to teach our children how to read, write, and do arithmetic. Instead, it is in place to brainwash our children and churn out little robots.

Hey, I'm all for good citizenship, patriotism, and loyalty. However, I don't agree with what California thinks those things mean.

There are several great posts about this subject. A couple include:

Bending the Twigs

Principled Discovery


There is no need to panic. Even the homeschoolers in California do not need to panic. I seriously doubt truancy officers are going to start showing up at people's doors tomorrow. However, it is time to take action. It is not time to bury your head in the sand and say, "This only happened because of abuse. If I'm not abusing my children, I have nothing to worry about." This is the time to make sure your rights are protected.



What can we do about it? Right now, not much. The main thing that needs to be done is get this ruling depublished. That means it would only be relevant to the family in question. There seems to be a difference of opinions about how to go about doing that. Considering the fact that I'm not a California homeschooler, I'll not post an opinion on what needs to be done at this time. The California homeschool groups are working hard to decide what to do. If you want to stay informed, I would suggest going to Homeschool Association of California's website. They are specifically asking that you NOT contact legislature. That could get all kinds of legislation started that homeschoolers DO NOT want.

In the meantime, stay informed about your rights and what the courts of the United States are doing about and to them. We don't want them all taken away from us one at a time.

Product Review 3-4-2008

Today we're going to explore Paperback Swap. I'll tell you my thoughts on the famous Bare Minerals. Then, I'll give you my final product review for Life of Fred.



I was referred to this website by April through an email on a Yahoo group. Amazing, huh? Anyway, when I say this, I thought, "Hey, I should check that out." Wow, it was amazing to me. Here was a website dedicated to trading books. Yay! A new romance was formed. We started a love affair. There was only one problem. I keep most of the books I buy. I am a book-a-holic. Sending them off to some far corner of the world in exchange for someone else's book is hard for me to do. Fortunately, Gary usually only reads his books once, so I have books to swap.:)



Here's how it works. You sign up. They give you an account. Then, you pick 10 books to list on your bookshelf. They immediately give you 2 free credits. After that, when someone wants one of your books, you wrap it up and mail it to them. When they receive it, you get a credit for it. You use your credits to order books. The only cost involved is mailing the book to the other person. You pay to ship it. Then, they pay to ship their books to you. Right now, the service is free. It is my understanding that this may change at some point (after we're all hooked on it:). They are expecting to eventually cost between $10-$20 annually.



It is working out pretty well for me. The most I have paid is 3-something to ship a book. I always ship media mail. I was having a hard time finding wrapping and spending a lot of money on shipping supplies until I got a great tip from April (after I met her in real life:). Now, I've been using a large envelope. I stick the book in a 10x13 envelope, fold it over and seal it. I tape the two edges so that they are sealed. Then, if I'm going to the post office, I take it with me. If not, I print out postage directly from Paperback Swap and drop it in a mailbox.



There is a huge selection of books available. The selection crosses most genres. You can even put things on a wish list. I put a new book on my wish list and got an email saying that it was available. Unfortunately, I am impatient and the instant I had more blow money, I went out and bought it before I got that email. It was a good book, too! I will not be trading it. Oh, well. Anyway, if you're interested, I'd appreciate you mentioning me when you sign up. You can either click directly through the link above, or use my email address. If you'd like my email, leave me a comment and I'll shoot it to you. Thanks!

i.d. BareMinerals

After much watching of TV infomercials, I decided to give this makeup a try. I have very sensitive skin and this stuff looked wonderful. So, one day, last winter, I decided to take the plunge. I took myself off to Sephora at Pentagon City in Arlington, VA. Ah, yes, we were living in DC at the time.

I tried it and I love it. Here's the deal. This makeup is light enough that I can't tell I'm wearing it. It is not a liquid and I can't feel it going on. It looks completely natural, yet helps to hide blemishes and even out skin tone.

My main reason for wearing makeup is to even out skin tone. About one a month (like now), I have blemishes. However, I ALWAYS have very red cheeks and a red nose that earned me the nickname of Rudolph in high school. You would think that I was drunk all the time. Seriously, I frequently look like I've been taking a pull on the bottle all day long. So, this is a blessing.

I don't want my makeup to jump out and introduce itself to you. I just want my skin to be mostly one color. Here are some before and after pictures. Also, a little plug for Jane cosmetics. I use their tinted chapstick. It is nice, smooth and doesn't make my face break out. Did I mention I have very sensitive skin? Anyway, I have always had really good luck with their makeup. Jane is the only mascara I can wear without crying all day.

Before...

The goods...

Chapstick by Jane...

A beautiful face...

They have a "TV offer" that is a really good deal. It has everything you need to get started and if you're going to do it, I'd suggest ordering it from their website.

Life of Fred

I reviewed this book on 12/20/2007. Gabriel finished this book today. My final analysis is that he needed more practice. We are going to go ahead and finish MUS Epsilon. The plan is to use Life of Fred as a supplement to Math-U-See. We love both. Math-U-See is great, but Gabriel gets reliant on the consistent nature of it. Yes, I know that they need consistency in math. That is why I love Math-U-See so much. However, it does not challenge him to think outside the box and utilise the skills he learns quite as much as I would like.

Life of Fred is like one huge word problem. The thing is that Gabriel didn't mind doing the word problems, although he hates them in MUS. So, we've agreed that when we move on to MUS Zeta, we'll do MUS 4 days a week and Life of Fred 1 day a week. (Besides which, we're both anxious to find out what happens to Fred. We've been hooked, and well.)

Life of Fred has a Home Companion for Algebra and Trigonometry that I think would be handy for the earlier books, too. I have not actually seen the Home Companions, so I cannot, at this time, give an educated opinion on them. However, I do know that they give teaching sequencing and extra practice. So, they could provide what Gabriel is missing in the regular book. We'll just have to wait til we get to Algebra and see.

So, my verdict is this: everyone should do Life of Fred.:) It is an excellent supplement. It makes math fun (he's a very funny author). It makes you expand your thinking about math. It helps you understand how you can use math in "real" life and uses applications not typically found in math curriculum word problems.

The Question is....

Am I crazy?

My friends, including my husband, seem to be making a case to get me committed. What, being organized makes me crazy? Here I am, trying to entertain educate people, and these people are being so amusing rude as to call me crazy. Hmmmm, perhaps I should go on vacation commit myself. I could get relaxation counseling and come back refreshed brainwashed.

So, in pursuit of that end, I wanted to let you know a great reason for home schooling. Gary is going to school in Florida for 3 months starting in April. So, we have rented a condo on the beach for 5 weeks and are joining him for the middle part of that school. We will still be doing school. It will just be a reduced schedule. The rest of the time we will spend on the beach. This is a great benefit because we get to join Gary when he is going somewhere we want to be.:) It means we get to go to Florida, and we get to be with Gary at a time when we usually wouldn't get to be.

So, it is my goal to be mostly done with school for the "year" before we leave so we can relax a bit.

We are not selling our house. Going through this made me realize how much I like my house and don't want to move right now. We'd like to move in about 5 years or so. Before then, I'd like to just stay put for a while.
And, for the record, I AM NOT crazy.:)

A Laundry Primer for the "Organizing Woman"

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "She just needs to come to grips with the fact that she has OCD and move on." But, really, I don't. I'm just a wee bit, ummm, organizing.

I'm very excited to be bringing this lesson to you today. I've been thinking about doing it for about a week now, but didn't think the weather would be nice enough any time soon. That's why my hubby is the weather-man and not me.

The first thing you have to do is accept the fact that you're changing your ways. From here on out, you're going to be organized. You're going for broke. No more of this mamby-pamby, kinda-sorta organization for you, babe. You're going all out. Now, we can get started.

First, I have a confession to make. I love hanging my clothes out on the clothesline. During the summer, it is a way of making sure I get out in the sunshine and get fresh air. Otherwise, I would be spending that time in my basement. Also, it makes me feel connected to all the women who have gone before me who hung their clothes out. It's just nice, okay?

Now, let's get started organizing. The first step is to take the clothes out of the washing machine. Even this is an organized step. If this step is not organized, it makes the rest of the steps much harder. So, as you'll see in the picture, I have 5 piles. I have one for each person in my family. When I have washcloths, towels, etc. I have another pile.

After I make the piles, I put the piles in the laundry basket. I further organize these as I put them in so that they are separated into categories:socks, underwear, pajamas, pants, shirts, etc. Then, I head outside.

If you are doing more than one load of laundry, it is essential that you have two laundry baskets. This way, you can take down the dry laundry as you hang up the wet laundry.

Once you are outside, you have to stop and shake your head at your husband's laundry hanging skills. Everything is wrong. An important step in becoming organizing is realizing that others will not be as organized as you are. It is important that this not bother you, otherwise, you'll end up doing all the work yourself. However, since I'm doing this tutorial, I thought I'd use his work as an illustration of what not to do.:) The clothing labeled 1 and 2 is all supposed to be on the other clothes line. Ditto for the clothing labeled 4, 5, and 6. The dishcloth that is labeled 3 is not only supposed to go on the other side (away from the clothing), but it is also hanging all weird and will dry with wrinkles.

See all this disorganization in my laundry basket? There are socks when they should have already been on the line. However, since I had to reorganize hubby's work, I had to throw them into my basket to move them down the line as I worked.

You see? As I was making room for things, it just became all jumbled. I had to move Sooo much stuff. sigh

When you have completed your laundry hanging, it should look something like the two pictures above. You will notice that each person's shirts are hung together, pants together, socks together, etc. The reason for this is quite simple. As you are taking things off the line, you fold them and put them in your basket. Then, you can walk in the house and put everything away without having to add a sorting step.

When you have finished, you will once again have an empty basket (from the wet clothes) and a full basket of folded clothing ready to put away.

One final thought: You must find a system that works for you. After much trial and error, I discovered that I like to hang my clothing in a specific order. I start with Gary's clothing, then mine, then Gabriel's, any sheets/bathroom towels, then Xavier's, then Dominic's, then any kitchen towels/tablecloths. That is because I come in through the living room door and start putting things away in the kitchen, then proceed down the hallway. I end up in my room where I put the small round basket in the top of my laundry hamper. It fits perfectly.

If you have a system, it really makes laundry easier and you are much more likely to stay caught up on it.

In Defense of Being a Stay-at-Home Mom-Scrolling Saturdays

I originally posted this in October.

So, in my last post, I innumerate some of the reasons it was bad to be in daycare and ways to remedy this. Someone preferred that I defend my position instead of attacking theirs. While I maintain that I believe that there is only one choice (if a mother HAS to work that is not a choice), and I don't believe that stay-at-home moms need defending....


In this post, I will list some of the reasons it is good to be a stay-at-home mom and why it is good to be a stay-at-home kid.



Benefits for the Stay-at-home moms:

1. You don't have to take time off when your kids are sick.

2. You get to see all your kids' developmental firsts (unless you're off for some alone time while dad watches the kids:)

3. You get to choose who your kids are friends with.

4. You get to decide what morals to teach your children.

5. You know that your kids are safe.

6. You don't have to search for a day care.

7. You can easily nurse your child.

8. You save money by not paying for day care, professional clothes, dry cleaning, etc.

9. You might have time to catch up on some reading.

10. You get to know your kids really, really well.

11. You get to have as many kids as you want without worrying about the cost of day care and missing work for maternity leave.

12. You know that if there's any sexual discrimination in your chosen profession, it's in your favor (stay-at-home dads are in the minority here!).

13. You get to cuddle with your kids on their schedule.

14. If your kids happen to sleep in, so can you.

15. When your husband gets home, you can focus on him, instead of the kids.

16. You get to cook dinner for your family.

17. You get to decide when your children are exposed to racism.

18. you get to decide when your children are exposed to sex.

19. You get to decide what your children watch.

20. You get the satisfaction of watching your children grow up and knowing that you're the reason they're such great kids.

Benefits for a Stay-at-home Kid:

1. You know where your mom is when you want her.

2. You know you're the most important thing in your mom's life (perhaps second to your dad).

3. You know where you're going to eat dinner.

4. You get more time to play.

5. You get to know your brothers and sisters, if you have any, not just the kids in your age group at day care.

6. You get to play with your toys.

7. Mom can read to you.

8. Mom's focused on you, instead of work.

9. You know your place in the world is secure.

10. You feel safe.

11. You know that if someone or something is bothering you, you can talk to your mom about it any time of the day or night.

12. You can sleep in.

13. You can run around in your pj's all day (if your mom lets you LOL).

14. You can relax.

15. Your mom gets to be the room mom in school (or the teacher:).

16. If you're only a little bit sick, not even contagious, just feeling icky, you know your mom will be able to take care of you.

17. You get to go grocery shopping (one of my kids' favorite activities-go figure).

18. You get to play what you want, when you want; not based on someone else's schedule.

19. If you're cold, you can have some hot chocolate, even in the middle of summer.

20. You can help cook dinner.

From a child's eye view:When asked why they like having a stay-at-home mom.

10yo: I don't have to worry about bullies.

6yo: I get to be with you, Mom.

4yo: I get to be with my brothers.

H/T to Miss Sniz for leading me to Scrolling Saturdays.

The Babies, Themselves, Making a Case Against Abortion

My 6th grade science teacher held a debate on abortion. We debated it in class without any prior notification. He stood up one day and said, "Everyone who believes that a woman should have a choice to abortion, stand on this side of the room. Everyone who believes that abortion should be illegal, stand on this side of the room."

There were 12 students in the classroom. 2 of us were girls. There were 3 students who chose to stand on the pro-life side of the classroom. The 2 girls and one boy.

The pro-choice side made the same arguments you hear today. "It's the woman's body. It should be her right to choose." "It's not a baby, yet." "You can't tell a woman what to do with her body." (The last argument being patently untrue, as I'll discuss later in the post.)

The girls on the pro-life side made one argument. "It's a baby. You can't kill it."

However, the boy on the pro-life side made the clincher argument and took the wind right out of the pro-choice side's sails. Here was his argument.

Robert had an older brother. I don't remember his brother's name, but we all knew and loved him. I don't know what was wrong with him. He was in a wheel chair and was a very bright, fun loving, friendly kid. He knew that he probably wouldn't live to see adulthood and he was going to have the best life he could. Apparently, the doctors told Robert's mother to abort his brother because it would be so difficult to care for him. She refused. From what I understand, it was very difficult to care for him. He had multiple health problems. I remember when Robert's brother died. They announced on the loud speaker at school that he had died. Everyone in the school knew him. We all loved him. It was a very hard time for the whole school. That was the year before the debate. Robert's closing argument was this, "If my mom had aborted him, I wouldn't have had a brother."

Today, more than 15 years later, we still hear the same tired arguments about a woman's choice. People ask about putting women's lives at risk. Women want to use abortion as birth control. People say that women should be able to do with their bodies as they please. People say that we should abort fetuses that will have a poor quality of life. People say that a fetus is not a baby.

Recently there has been a rash of news stories about abortion. I thought I would share some of them with you in response to some of the arguments above.

First:People want women who's lives are at risk to abort their babies.

Twins Save Mom's Life
In this story, the mother has a cancerous tumor on her cervix. Her babies kicked the tumor free and she passed it. Miraculous is what I'd call it. Imagine if she'd aborted her babies. Not only would she have to deal with the pain of killing her children, she'd have to be trying to get rid of that cancer at a time when she, emotionally due to killing her children, was not at her best.





Artist Kills Herself After Aborting Twins

I feel strongly for this woman. This not only didn't help her health, which was not at risk--she was exercising her "choice"--it actually killed her.

Woman Gives Birth to Baby Nearly Her Own Size

One cannot always go by what the doctors say our bodies can handle. You would be amazed at the abuse your body can take and keep on ticking (and producing:).

Second:Women want to use abortion as birth control.

Seriously people? There is so much birth control readily available that this is unconscionable. Forget the moral and emotional implications of extramarital intercourse. This is just wrong on too many levels. You would kill a child because you were messing around and messed up? That is what adoption is for. There are plenty of people out there who desperately want that child. Let them love it and raise it.

Third:Women should be able to do with their bodies as they please.

Ex-Cop Spared Death in Pregnant Killing
First, a child is not your body. I don't understand how we can convict someone of murder for killing a fetus when the mother of that fetus could kill it at any time before it is born--Without the consent of the father.

Secondly, you can't do with your body as you want. If you could, you could commit suicide without the police interfering. You could do drugs. You could do just about anything you wanted to your own body. But, that's not the way it is in our country. So, please, don't use that argument.


Fourth:People say that we should abort fetuses that will have a poor quality of life.

Who are you to say what a good quality of life is? As Robert so wonderfully illustrated above, we have no idea. His brother was happy! He was much happier than many teens today. So, by those measurements, he had a great quality of life.


In perfect health, the baby doctors said would be born deaf and blind ...and live only a few hours

Then, we have the stories of babies whose parents were advised to abort for some health reason detected in the womb. Too often, these doctors are wrong. It makes you wonder how many children have been aborted who would have been perfectly healthy.

Finally, the idea that a fetus is not alive and not a baby. This can only be refuted in time. I have noticed though, that we still have late term abortions. All I can say is that if they would just perform a c-section instead, they could keep that baby in intensive care and more than likely it would be perfectly healthy. Then, you see the cases of babies born at 24 weeks that survive and do just fine. Yet, 24 weeks is only 6 months along. There are many, many babies still being aborted after this time. Keep Kids Healthy has this to say:

In general, babies born after 24 to 25 weeks of gestation are mature enough to survive, although they will need a prolonged period of intensive care. Babies born at less than 23 weeks of gestation are usually not mature enough to survive. However, in addition to age, other factors play a role (usually because babies with these characteristics are more mature) and increase the chances that a premature baby will do well, including being female and African American. A premature babies size also can influence how well he will do, with larger babies doing better than smaller babies.

How is it that babies that are aborted are called fetuses and babies that are born are called premature babies? How is possible to have two totally different names for the same thing? There is no difference in their status except that one is still in the womb and the other is outside the womb. And, probably, those mommies of premature babies wish their babies were still in the womb busy with the business of being a fetus.

To use a word to absolve yourself of guilt is low.

Go hug a baby. Somewhere, someone is killing one.