The Surge is Working

Monthly U.S. Troop Fatalities Hits All-Time Low in Iraq

Thank God for his protection of our troops and pray that he will continue to protect them.

Review Tuesday 7-29-2008

I'm sorry this is late. Basically, I slopped off all responsibility yesterday when I put all three of my children on a plane to Maine. Ah, the quiet is bliss.

Today, I'm reviewing Ranger Up, The Dark Knight, and Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank.

Ranger Up is my new favorite shirt store. They have many offensive shirts for sale. They also have some not so offensive shirts. I especially like these shirts: The American War Machine, Unapologetically American, The Instant Hangover Cure, Secret Squirrel, and their Band of Mothers shirt (which by the way is a great organization!)

They also have some interesting content that is not for the faint of heart. If you're a liberal, you may not want to visit their Douche of the Week page. And, they have scantily clad women on many of the pages. So, some of you may not want to visit the site, anyway. Just a warning. However, the shirt links don't have scantily clad women.

So, Batman. We went to see it, tonight. It was excellent. I'm glad I saw it on the big screen. That's saying something. I go to maybe one movie a year. I just don't see the point in spending the money on a babysitter and a movie. Fortunately, we didn't have to spend the money on the babysitter, so this was a cheaper trip. But, I digress.

There are those that say they can see Bush in Batman. The whole concept of good versus evil. The idea that he doesn't want to fight this fight, but doesn't have a choice. I can see that. I would not have made the connection myself if I had not already had the idea planted before I went.

There was lots of shoot-'em-up-bang-bang and lots of fighting, a little romance, lots of angst... You know, Batman stuff. If you're into Batman, it's a great movie. If you're not into Batman, go away. I no longer care for you. (I'm just kidding people. Different strokes for different folks and all that.) Heath Ledger did a great job as the Joker and I really liked his portrayal. This Joker is so much more ick than the Joker from the older movies. He is a real bad guy. He's worth getting in a tizzy about-much less comical. I won't ruin the movie by telling you what happens, but there are a lot of great twists that you're just unprepared for. Watch it.

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank:

Well, I finished it. I'm now prepared to start digging my fallout shelter and preparing for the breakdown in society. My first purchase will be ammunition. Then, onto other things.

What I like about this book is that it doesn't go too far in it's illustration. It doesn't say the world is coming to an end, rather the world as we know it. I think that is a fair prediction, even if it was predicted in 1959. This is a true modern classic. Pat Frank takes the unthinkable and makes us think about it. We need to think about the unthinkable more often. Pat Frank sets it right in front of us and forces us to realise we are not invulnerable.

Alas, Bablyon is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

Alas, Babylon -- Not for the Paranoid

When I was in 5th grade, I read an excerpt from Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. At the time, I didn't realize that it was an excerpt, but it fascinated me. A couple months ago, I ran across the book at my local used book store. (I always check out the classical book section to see if there is anything there I want to read.) Since I'd been meaning to read this book for some time, I bought it. I've finally gotten around to reading it and I'm tempted to start stocking up on survival stuff.

I was paranoid before. I've always been the type person who thinks they need to have the ability to grow all their own food in case something catastrophic happens. Now, however, my mind is going over all the ways of doing that. It is becoming more and more fertile with every word I read. Soon, I'll be putting my house on the market and looking for a place I can put a fence around, guard dogs and all that. I tell you, it's sending me over the edge of the cliff I was so close to.

But, man, is it a good book!

Skin Color-Is it a Description or Race?

While writing this post about my children wanting to be black, I started thinking about race. Barack Obama is being hailed as, potentially, the first black president. But, for those people saying this, I have three questions. First, are you referring to skin color or race? If you are referring to skin color, please understand, that man is brown! Get your eyes checked. If you are referring to race, and I'm assuming you are, how did you decide what race to name him? His mother is white and his father was black. Does having a black father cancel out the white mother? Third, why does it matter?

I read in an opinion column recently that race matters. Then, I read that the first thing you notice about someone should not be their skin color. Another time, I read about a mom who was proud of her child because when they come home from school, they talk about the little boy in the blue shirt, not the little black boy. She was proud because her son didn't notice the little boy's skin color (I'd argue that he did, but that it just wasn't important to him, whereas the color of the kid's shirt was).

The idea that to be racially equal, we must take skin color out of our purview is ridiculous. In order to do that, we would all need to be either blind or the same color. There are people out there that want this scenario:

"Well, officer, the man was 6'2" tall. He had black hair, brown eyes, a roman nose and thin lips. He was wearing a red polo shirt that was missing the middle button of three. He had on faded blue jeans and flip flops. What color was his skin? Oh my gosh, I don't pay attention to that kind of thing!"

Now, seriously people, the epidermis is the largest visible part of the human body. There is no reason not to notice the color of the skin. The very act of being so conscience of skin color as to block that aspect of someone's makeup from your mind is, in itself, a form of racism. The key is not to block color recognition from your mind, rather it is to make skin color about color and not race.

Race is not about skin color at all. It is more about culture than anything else. That is why there are black people who have been accused of betraying the black people, or of acting white. That is why, when a white person "joins" the rap culture, they are accused of acting black. It is about a culture, not the color of a person's skin. The white youth that grew up in a black neighborhood will more closely identify to the culture in that neighborhood. So, if that neighborhood is a poor one, with gang activity, he will most likely identify with gangs. If that neighborhood (like the one I grew up in) is solidly middle class, he will most likely identify with all other middle class cultures, even if he does show a decided preference for black women in his romance life. If he grew up in a rich neighborhood, he will have all the privilege that he would have had in a white neighborhood and his life will be no different than had he grown up in a rich white neighborhood. The fact is that it has nothing to do with color of skin at all. It is all about the culture of the people. Those people can be black, white, purple or orange. The fact of the matter is that the people you grow up with shape your life. If you were a different race, it wouldn't change that fact.

The people in this country need to stop thinking in terms of "black culture", "white culture" and "Latino culture". The fact is that while these cultures may have started in one or another community, they are permeating through society. The answer is not to force conformity, rather it is to allow people to slowly accept the fact that regardless of skin color, people are all the same and different across the board. It will take years of assimilation for this to happen everywhere. You cannot wave a magic wand and expect people to suddenly accept what you tell them. They must see for themselves that something is true. I'll give you a personal example. There was a person I met some 11 years ago. This person made the comment that, "All black men are studs or drug dealers." The only black men this person had been exposed to were the deadbeat dads of the children this person was seeing every day. This person came from a small town where black men were not even close to a majority. So, what this person saw was a population of people who were deadbeats. This person did not need to be told that not all black people were like that. They needed to see it for themselves. I believe that they have in the ensuing years, but that phrase has stuck with me. A black person who has only been exposed to bigots, needs to see for himself that not all white people are bigots.

As our community slowly becomes more integrated (through the natural flow of society), our people will become less and less aware of race as a culture and more aware of skin color as a description.

How're You Financially?

You all know how I feel about debt. I hate it. We have too much of it. In fact, we've decided that this is going to be the year we get rid of all of it. As a result, we've tightened our belts and our budget has gotten very tight. We know where we are. If you don't know where you are, you can check out Bills IQ. There, you can take a quiz that will give you your "BillsIQ". Mine is 85%. The main reason for that is our Credit card debt. I know that. What will your score be? Would you be surprised by the results? I was not. I know we need to take care of that.

They also have links to Debt consolidation. If you are really in a bind, this can be a help. Otherwise, I don't recommend it. I know absolutely nothing about Debt relief, but it is my personal opinion that you get yourself in that place, you need to get yourself out. They also have Debt help. Sometimes, you need help finding your way out of the place you're in. Don't be a man. Ask for directions!:) (A note: "Men don't ask for directions because they innately know where they are." Papa)

Workout Wednesday 7-16-2008

I really didn't do much this week. I worked out Wednesday and Thursday and walked with the kids Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday and Tuesday I was sick, so I didn't do ANYTHING. Ah, the joys of getting thrown off track. Maybe I can get back on track this week.

I put everyone's names in a bowl and Xavier drew Andrea, of Sgt. and Mrs. Hub. So, Andrea, if you'll send me your email (gmpklp @ bellsouth . net), I'll send you an email gift certificate. If you prefer, I'll make it to Target.:) By the way, everyone should visit Andrea's blog. It's a wonderful blog. It makes me smile every time I visit it.

Review Tuesday 7-15-2008

Today's site is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The product is Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce. The book is the Rainbow Resource Center's Catalog.

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO:

This is a great place to stop for a stretch midway between Kentucky and Oklahoma. That means, I can see us visiting this park many times over the next several years. If you've never been to flyover country, St. Louis is a great place to visit (even if you have been to flyover country). The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial or Gateway Arch "park" is a wonderful place. It has a pond and beautiful grounds for playing Frisbee on. It is awe inspiring to stand under the arch and realize how large it really is. According to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial website:

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse. During a nation-wide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963, and was completed on October 28, 1965, for a total cost of less than $15 million. The Arch has foundations sunk 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds; it sways up to 1 inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches. A Grand Staircase leads from the St. Louis levee up to the base of the Gateway Arch.

It is more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty (305' 6") and 75' taller than the Washington Monument. (It is my goal to take my height fearing self up in all of these over the next few years.) A word of warning, the elevator to the top of the arch creaks. This can be a bit nerve racking for those with height hang-ups. Each tram seats 5 people, so if your family is larger than 5, you'll have to take more than one tram. So, if you're there with only one adult, you'll want to take that into consideration. Have fun!


Jack Daniel's Original No. 7 Recipe Barbecue Sauce:

Oh my gosh, I could eat this all by itself. It is the most wonderful barbecue sauce ever. The only problem is that now my kids want to eat ribs. How do you keep them away from the good stuff?

Rainbow Resource Center Catalog:

This could be a review of both their website and their catalog, but it's for their catalog this time. This catalog is like crack to a curricula addict. Wow! This catalog is the size of a phone book.

While they do not have all curricula available (for instance, they don't carry Math U See), they do have a massive amount of stuff. They also have excellent prices. Even if you're not a homeschooler, it is worth getting. They have stuff for all ages. They have books for building your library at a good price. They have manipulatives and games. Each product description is thorough and if you need more information, you can call them directly and they will answer questions for you. They ship quickly and have excellent customer service.

We Don't Need Any Stinkin' Assimilation

I frequently hear that we should emulate Europe. In fact, Senator Obama was just talking about the fact that many Europeans speak multiple languages and that we ought to as well. (Please understand that I agree that we should speak multiple language. I just don't agree that has anything to do with immigration or that we should do it just because someone else is doing it.) France is often held up as the ultimate society. I'm not sure why. They've fallen many times. Now, however, they've taken a step that may offend many on the left. But, I've changed my mind. I think it's time for some emulating.
Muslim Woman's Black Veil 'Incompatible' With French Immigration

I'm a Good Wife

I'm a good wife. I know I am. I will go to extraordinary lengths to take care of my man!

Last Thursday, Gary had surgery on his foot. Friday, he was bored. He thought it would be a good idea to cook supper. Friday night, he was miserable. He had done too much, and we both knew it. So, when he started acting like he was going to spend time in the kitchen on Saturday, I knew I had to take drastic lengths to keep him out of there......

I dropped something on his foot. That's right, I sacrificed the plastic tea jug for his health. I managed to knock that baby right off the counter at just the right angle to hit his foot directly on the surgery site. You know what? I take it back. I'm not a good wife; I'm a wonderful wife!

Leave the Babies Alone, We've Got What We Need Right Here--"Womanly" Topic

You all probably know by now that I am a pro-lifer. I am a quiet pro-lifer. I don't march in parades or bomb abortion clinics, but I hurt for every baby that is killed. I am also a mother. I want to protect my children, my husband and myself. I need to protect my children. However, I am not willing to kill other children to possible cure my children.

Embryonic stem cell research has become the clarion call of the pro-choice crowd. Even though there has been nothing viable come out of the research, it is being pushed constantly. Something you rarely hear about is the research being done on adult stem cells. There are already products available from this research.

Today, I found out, from an article in CNNMoney about a way to collect stem cells from menstrual blood. That blood given us to sustain life can possibly help sustain life, even when you're not pregnant! Just think, being able to turn something most women hate into a miracle to help your family in the future.

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST


OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body -- in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.



The cool thing is that you can take advantage of their limited time introductory price. This is so cool and I hope that it becomes something great. How wonderful would it be, to turn this monthly "hassle" into something great?

Workout Wednesday 7-9-2008

Today's the day! If you want to participate in Workout Wednesday, leave a comment and I'll put you in the drawing for a $15 Sports Authority Gift Card.

Cross Fit's Schedule is 3 days of exercise and one day of rest. I'm not getting that. It seems like on that 3rd day, I'm exhausted. Gary seems to think I'm anemic. I wouldn't be surprised. I would start taking vitamins, but I haven't found one that doesn't make me throw up. For now, I'm trying to up the foods I eat that contain iron. And, I'm only working out 2 days, then resting for 2. That's okay. I'm still seeing results, so I'm happy.

The workouts:
Wednesday-Annie, This workout consists of doing decreasing reps of jumproaping and situps. First you jumproap, then situp, then jumproap, etc. This week, I did 35, 30, 25, 20, 10. I'm very happy about this. When I did this workout 4 weeks ago, I was only able to do reps of 20, 15, 10, 8, 5. That means, I've seen an improvement of 62 reps. Wow! That means I did 120 situps. I couldn't do that many when I was in the Navy, before I had kids!

Thursday-Rest Day (This was an unplanned rest day. Gary had surgery and it was a rough day, so there was no working out.)

Friday-I'm not sure of the name of this, but it's 15 reps of each: situps, jumproaps, situps, walking lunges, situps, burpees, situps. The first time I did this workout, I didn't think I'd make it into my bed afterwards. This time, it was not so bad. I guess that means I need to up my reps. (It's actually supposed to be 50 of each.)

Saturday-Cindy-Apparently, I've been doing Cindy wrong. It's supposed to be 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats. I've been doing 5 pullups, 10 situps, 15 squats. I decided to continue with the way I've been doing it, for now. I did 6 reps for 9 minutes.

Sunday & Monday-rest days

Tuesday-Angie makes me sick. I'm sure there are some perfectly nice people out there named Angie. But, really Angie makes me sick. From what I understand, Angie makes a lot of people throw up. I did NOT throw up. I'm stronger than that. Okay, fine, I'm not willing to torture myself by excercising so hard I throw up. I stop before that. I just felt a bit queasy. Actually, I didn't notice feeling sick while I was working out. It was only afterward that I felt sick. Here's what I did 25 reps of each: pullups, situps, pushups, squats. The first time, I did 15 of each. I've improved by 10 reps each. I'm happy!

Now, the measurements: They're all the same from last week.:)

arm:10 1/2"
bust:36 1/2"
waist: 29"
abs:32 1/2"
butt:37"
thigh:20 1/2"

So, for the last month, hopefully, you've been taking walks with your family. This month, please continue to do that. But, add an afternoon out in the yard or driveway playing games.



Enjoy your week!

By the way, considering all the memes that happen on Wednesday, I'm considering changing Workout Wednesday to Get Fit Thursday. What do you think?

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Kenneth J. Schall
22 years old from Peoria, Arizona
2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division
May 22, 2005


"It was very tough not to be touched by him in some way," said Terri Schall, Sgt. Kenneth Schall's mother.

Kenneth Schall was enrolled at Glendale Community College and was studying to become a history teacher when the country was attacked on September 11, 2001. The event spurred him to join the Army. He served a four and a half month tour in Iraq in 2004 and returned in February of 2005.

Terri Schall last spoke to her son on Mother's Day in 2005. "He sounded great — tired — but he said he was doing OK", she said. Sgt. Kenneth Schall died when the Humvee he was riding in was involved in an accident in Yusafiyah, Iraq.

Along with his mother, Sgt. Schall is survived by his father and two younger siblings.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Review Tuesday 7-8-2008

Today I'm rolling out a new feature of Review Tuesday. No longer will Review Tuesday focus solely on website. I will also feature physical sites. Imagine that reviewing something in the real world. I don't know if my heart can take it. I'll also be reviewing services instead of products occasionally.



Today's site is the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory--a must for all baseball lovers! Today's product will be a general approval for all Apple products. Today's curriculum is The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading.



Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory:

You see that giant bat? It's really there and it is totally awesome. The museum has a giant glove inside, as well. They have a batting cage where you can go to experience what it's like to have a fast ball flying at you. There is a ball field inside. It is fun to swing the bat and run the bases. There is a gallery with bats owned by Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, and more. They have a cool gift shop that has things like a Yankees/Red Sox chess set, personalized bats, chocolate baseballs and much more.

Best of all, though, is the factory tour. You get to see them making the bats that the famous sluggers use. You get to see every step of the process from the trees being cut down (on film:), to the bats getting their finishing lacquer. At the end, you get a free miniature Louisville Slugger! (Be sure you do not pack these in your carry-on luggage at the airport. The airport has a large bin of the bats they have confiscated!) FYI-If you are a military family, this makes a great stop. All military and their dependents are free!

Apple:

I'll just tell you a little story. We bought a Mac laptop in 2000. Last year, the screen died. It went 7 years with no greater problem than the cord being lose. The computer still works. Unfortunately, the screen does not. In 2004, we added a Microsoft laptop to the computer mix at our house. This computer lasted us precisely 2 years. While the Microsoft cost about 1/2 the amount, it lasted not even 1/3 of the time. Plus, the computer itself died. If we had a new screen for the Mac, we could still use it. The End.

So, if you want a reliable computer, I recommend spending the extra money to get a Mac and have it last longer. Plus, you're less likely to get viruses.

The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington:

This is a comprehensive phonics book. It has 231 lessons. The lessons are split into 25 sections. The sections cover:

1. Short-Vowel Sounds


2. Consonant Sounds


3. Short-Vowel Words


4. Two-Consonant Blends


5. Consonant Digraphs


6. Three-Consonant Beginning Blends


7. Long-Vowel, Silent-E Words

For the complete listing of sections, please visit Peace Hill Press. On their website, they have a Frequently Asked Questions section. In this, not only do they list the sections, they also list book series to read and at what point in the book the child will be ready to read those books. This in itself is a great resource.

The reason I like this book so much is why a lot of parents will not want to use it. It has no pictures and many people will think it is boring. However, the fact that there are no pictures allows the child to focus on the printed word. This means that he is learning to read print, not pictures. This book takes the child from short vowel sounds all the way through hyphenated words, endings, suffixes, and prefixes. While your child may need a spelling program after using this book, he should never need another phonics program.

This book helped my non-reader become a reader. We finished the book in May. Xavier was a very reluctant reader. He hated phonics. He did, however, do phonics. A couple weeks after he finished this "program", he picked up the first Harry Potter book and started reading it on his own. He had never, willingly, read anything. Now, I am finding him all over the house reading. The fact is, by the time he had finished this program, he was a fluent reader and it only took him taking the time to realize that to cause him to love reading.

Finally, this book can help parents who want to teach their young children to read. However, it can also help parents who have children who need remedial reading instruction.

Happy reading!

Claims of Racism are Starting to Drive me Nuts

I am sick and tired of people putting everything down to racism. It has been opined that if Senator Obama does not get elected, it will be because of racism. I would argue that it will be because he is a)inexperienced, and b)extremely liberal.

But, considering that people actually believe that toddlers saying 'yuck' to a new food could be racism, I imagine people will believe that all those who vote against Senator Obama are racist.

Makes Me Wish I Could Wear Glasses Again....

I Love funky glasses. I have always wanted to wear glasses. I know, I'm weird. I did wear glasses for a very short period of time (about 2 years?) starting when I was in 3rd grade. I imagine that my parents got very tired of me wearing glasses because I kept losing them.

If they had access to all the great websites available for cheaper eye ware, it might have been easier on them. I was recently contemplating the cost of providing my child with glasses. The optometrist informed me that he does have an astigmatism, but it is extremely slight and we don't need to do anything about it. I was thankful. We're paying for contacts for Gary and, since he has an astigmatism that is rather more than slight, they are pretty expensive. I had no desire to pay for glasses to the one kid in my family that would probably lose a pair of glasses every day of his life and never find a single pair again.

Today, I found this website: zennioptical.com

They have some awesome glasses. I particularly love these:


Their prices are good because they manufacture and sell their glasses directly to the customer. So, no middle man. Plus, they have a tiny advertising budget.
If only I still needed reading glasses. Sigh.

Confession: I'm Becoming a Woman

When I was a teenager, my father was complaining about me to some of the guys at work. He said, "My brilliant daughter getting dumber and dumber every day." (I was being a wee bit rebellious at the time.) One of the firemen replied, "Don't worry about it, Frank. She's just becoming a woman."

Today, I was exhibiting those qualities that Charles was talking about.

I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from taking Gary to the doctor. I remembered to take my coupon book and list with me to the doctor's office. I had a lot of fun grocery shopping and got some great deals. Of course, the people bagging my groceries (also having womanly moments) put my groceries in two different carts. Never mind that there weren't enough groceries to need two carts, they did anyway. I digress. I grabbed the cart in front of me and left the store. Put the 5 bags of groceries in the back of the truck and headed home. (Now, remember that I bought toilet paper, 2 gallons of milk, a ham and other sundry paper products that would not possibly fit into 5 grocery bags.) The boys ran out to the truck, grabbed the bags, and put away the groceries. Now, here's the important part: It wasn't until I was cooking supper and needed the tortilla chips I'd bought that I realised I was missing 2/3 of my groceries! Off to the store I went to find a cart of groceries (thankfully, when they saw it contained milk, they put the entire cart in the cooler) waiting for me to return home with it. Did I mention that there were 10 more bags of groceries plus 2 gallons of milk and toilet paper? Ahem....

Later, I was replying to a comment and after I posted it, I reread it. I like, totally, wrote the word "totally" in my comment. I mean, like, you know, I'm having a very ditsy day. That's all there is to it. I'm not "becoming a woman". No sirree, I've got all my brains still attached. Thank you very much.

Seperation of Church and State in the Public Schools?

When Gabriel was in Kindergarten, his class studied and celebrated Ramadan, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the Diwali. In fact, the only winter holiday not celebrated was Christmas. No mention was made of Christmas. The idea behind celebrating all these different holidays was to learn about other people's cultures. There were two major problems with this. First, not all the children in the class were Christians. In fact, 5 out of the 19 were Muslim immigrants new to the country. So, the idea that all the children had already been exposed to Christmas and Christian beliefs was a fallacy. Second, excluding any religion is neither equality, nor diversity. What it is, is politically correct. What it teaches is that Christianity is neither as important as, or as valid as, other religions.

Over the past year, there have been many news stories about schools that are teaching "diversity" and "cultural awareness" by teaching students religion. They have focused in on three types of religion as acceptable. The 3 types include Native American religions (think dream catchers, rituals and festivals), Naturalist (think earth worship and pagan rituals), and most recently (in response to the idea that all Muslims are terrorists) Islam.

While the teachings on Native American and Naturalist religions are mostly anecdotal, the teachings on Islam are something else entirely. They are actually teaching student the Islamic religion. Well, a watered down version of the Islamic religion. Most textbooks have taken the Jihad out of Jihad. They refer to it as spreading the faith and introducing it to the world. Saying that Jihad is a peaceful initiative is like saying the Crusades and Inquisition were blood free and that the Holocaust was really just a repositioning of the world's Jewry.

In one school, they reorganized the school day to allow for group prayer in class. (They have since stopped that after many complaints and much publicity.) Many schools are having "cultural diversity" training that is really just instruction about the Islamic faith.

Seriously, if we want to leave religious instruction out of the schools, let's leave it out of the schools, people! You don't get to pick and choose which religions to leave out. In our politically correct society, though, not only are we tiptoeing around religions that some people don't want to offend, but we're kicking Christianity out and stomping all over Judaism (don't you know Israel is an evil, evil country?). Let's get back to what public schools are for--"to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare."

Shopping/Menu Monday

I am moving shopping deals and Menu Monday (along with recipes) to my family blog, Freedom Lovers' Academy. I think it's a better place for it. I really want to keep the original spirit of this blog and I think I was drifting away from that. I will, however, keep Review Tuesday and Workout Wednesday here.
Thanks!

What Makes America the Greatest Country on Earth

Independence Day was a quiet affair for us, this year. We didn't go anywhere. It rained almost all day. We didn't see any fireworks or play with any sparklers. Gary was laid up (he had surgery on his foot, Thursday). For the most part, the boys played with their toys and played chess with Gary (their new favorite activity). But, we did talk about the 4th and why it was important.

At dinner, we asked the boys if they thought America was worth the fight with the British for our independence. Unequivocally, they said, "Yes."

Then, we asked if they thought America was worth the deaths of all the soldiers that have died fighting for her. This one got a bit more sticky. Both Gabriel and Xavier said no. So, we had a discussion. Here is what we talked about. At the end, I'll tell you what they decided. But, you'll have to make your own decision.

The freedom we have in America is unique in its greatness. We have the freedom to think, believe, and do what we want. We have the freedom to achieve greatness. We have a government that is run by the people, for the people. We have true independence. We have real freedom.

The boys thought this was all nice, but they still weren't sure if it was worth dying for. I imagine their thoughts are somewhat skewed because their father is a soldier who will be deploying pretty soon. Xavier talks about dying in war pretty regularly. It has only recently dawned on them that their father is, in fact, a soldier and that soldiers do, in fact, go to war.

What, then, is real freedom? Do you have freedom if you are depending on another person for your livelihood? In some cases you can have freedom while depending on the financial support of another. It also depends on the circumstances. For instance, a housewife can have true freedom if she is married to a good man. Yes, she depends on him to support her financially, but theirs is a partnership that depends on her staying at home.

But, what about the adult that relies, however obliquely, on their parents for financial support. Most financial and relationship advisers will tell you that depending on your parents for financial support is not the best plan. You will forever feel in debt to them. Even if they never try to make you feel that you owe them, you always will. Not only that, but are you truly free and independent when your parents are contributing to your finances?

Now, turn that into the "bigger" parent. Can you ever be truly free if you allow the government to support you? At what point can you look at your life and say, "I did that"? Because, the harsh truth is, if the government was supporting you while you did it, you didn't do it. You were the government's instrument in getting it done.

In many of the democratic societies today, there are socialist governments. We are not one of those societies and I hope we never will be. I hope we will always be a truly free country, because it is in our freedom that our greatness lies.

For what it's worth, both the boys decided that America is worth dying for. You see, they both agreed they would die for each other. They agreed that they would want each other and their children to grow up in freedom. They agreed that they would rather die than not have that freedom.

In the words of Patrick Henry, "Give me Liberty, or give me death."

Are You a Talent, Lifer, or a Mandarin?

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You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 56%
Lifer: 33%
Mandarin: 44%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Thanks, Quaffs and Quibbles!

What Kind of Sports Car are you?

I'm a Dodge Viper!

You're all about raw power. You're tough, you're loud, and you don't take crap from anyone. Leave finesse to the other cars, the ones eating your dust.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Workout Wednesday 7-2-2008

Today is the day I tell you all about all the wonderful things I did working out this week. Ahem....

Well, here goes.
Wednesday:Rest Day
Thursday:Sat by the pool and watched other people swim.
Friday: 15 situps
15 jumproaps
15 situps
15 walking lunges
15 situps
15 burpees
15 situps

I was very pleased because I was able to do all of this without collapsing at the end. Last week, it killed me. This week, it just wore me out. That made me happy. However, I think I'm not getting enough iron, because I have been very tired recently.

Saturday:Met a bloggy buddy (Hi, Stina!-that was fun!), went to a "baby shower" and on the way home (at 2 in the morning) I was thinking-gosh, I haven't done my workout today. I need to do that when I get home. About halfway home, I came to my senses and just fell into bed when I got home.

Sunday: We went camping. My workout routine consisted of carrying tons of stuff from the car to the campsite and commenting on the fact that we really needed to scale down on the amount of stuff we take camping.

Monday: Rest Day. Okay, fine, I just sat and watched the kids play in the lake.

Tuesday: We went on a tour of Mammoth Caves. I consider that my workout. There were lots of steps and all that. I'm sharing the pictures from that for our walk of the week.

Now, on to my measurements:

arms-10 1/2" (same)
bust-36 1/2" (down 1/2")
waist-29" (up 1/2")
abs-32 1/2" (same)
butt-37" (down 1/2")
thighs-20 1/4" (same)

It looks pretty much the same. I'm good with that. I can tell a definite difference in my overall physical health and that is what it is mostly about. I would like to lose a couple inches around my abs, but I know that will take time. On to the pictures.







Well, did you do anything this week? Share pictures from your family walk with us!

Review Tuesday 7-1-2008

We spent the weekend camping, so the reviews today are going to all be camping related. After all, everyone should go camping at least once in their lives. Personally, I think families should go camping at least once a year, no matter what else they do for vacations. It brings them together like nothing else can.

Our website this week will be Reserve America. The product will be the Camping Closet. While camping, I found a great book for kids. So, the book of the week will be the RandMcNally Kids' Road Atlas.


http://www.reserveamerica.com/:

This is a cool site that all the national parks tell you about when you stay at one. At Reserve America, they have several resources for both the novice camper and the die hard camper. They have information for RVers and tenters (is that a word?).

Directly on Reserve America's home page, they have a search engine that allows you to search by type of camping spot (RV's, cabins, tents, group, day, horse, boat, etc.), state, where it's near (good if you're looking for a camping site near or on the way to your vacation spot, or if you are new to your area and don't know it well like us), and park name.

They also have a Campground Directory that has links to both public and privately-owned campgrounds.

They also have a Camping Club that I don't believe I joined, but I get their newsletter. On their camping club's website, there is a resource that lists their 100 best campgrounds for families. We utilized this resource for this weekend's getaway and had a blast.

Reserve America has information about each campground that includes services and amenities. They have maps of both parks and campgrounds and you can reserve sites directly from their website.

Camping Closet: $49.95
We go camping every summer. Every time we go camping, I complained about having to dig through the duffel bag for child specific clothing. I, being an organized lady, would put the clothing in the duffel bag before we left all nice and neat. By the end of the first day, everyone's clothing would be all jumbled together because, inevitably, one of the kids would get into the bag and paw through it looking for that one shirt that we didn't bring anyway.

For several years, I've said they should make something to go in tents that would allow you to have something that was like a bureau. Yes, I know this is ridiculous and it means you're bringing more stuff camping. However, it makes my life much easier while camping, so I'm happy with it.

Last year, I saw this camping closet. Gary's mom bought it for us for Christmas and we got to use it for the first time this weekend.

Things I like about it:

It's shape fits nicely in the tent.

The roll up front Velcros nicely out of the way for easy access.

It has a hard top for placing things on.

Also, it has pockets on the sides for storing various things in. It kept our things dry when we had a downpour our first night camping. It is sturdy and provided entertainment for Dominic. (He said to us, "Come on, guys. Let's put this stuff away. You know it's gonna be fun!")

The only thing I didn't like about it is that if you have more than 4 children, or want to pack more than 2 days worth of clothing, you'll need more than one of these. But, it really would not be practical for them to make one that was larger than this.

I looked around the Internet and L.L.Bean has the best price by 4 cents. However, they also have a lifetime guarantee that they stand behind firmly, so that may outweigh all the competition. Plus, I'm an L.L.Bean snob.

RandMcNally Kids' Road Atlas (Backseat Books) : $3.95

This book gives a brief overview of how to use a map and then is actually a road atlas, just like Mom & Dad's except that it has games on all the pages, too.

For example, on Hawaii's page, it has a dot-to-dot of Kilauea which, according to the book, is in the National Park at coordinate D-6.

If you would like a peak inside the book, you can view it at Amazon. At $3.95 for a soft cover, this is a good buy. You could use it for both entertainment and a starting curriculum for learning map reading and geography.