Totally Twisted Thursday

Kentucky Politician's Bad Joke About Girls Lands Him in Jail

I frequently tell people I'm taking their kids home with me. I tell people all the time I'll trade one of my kids for their girl. I tell people that I'll trade my car for their kid. Wow, if this is truly all there is to the story, I can't believe they really thought he was soliciting the girls. It's not even off color.

Review Tuesday 8-26-2008

I'm sorry for not posting last Tuesday. I spent the evening in the E.R. and went home with a note saying I had a headache and antibiotics. It was a pleasant evening.

Today's website will be Start Sampling. Today's product will be Sunsilk Defrizz shampoo, conditioner, and creme. The curriculum will be Analytical Grammar.

Start Sampling:

If you like getting samples, this is the place to start. They have multiple samples they send out. You sign up for an account. Then, you peruse the samples they have and pick the ones you want. They send them to you. Here are a few of what I have gotten:

• Country Living Magazine (a year's subscription completely free)
• Sunsilk Defrizz
• Tampons
• Special K cereal

Right now, you can get 2 free issues of Family Circle magazine, 3 free issues to O, and Seattle's Best Coffee. There is also a link to sign up for Vocalpoint. Vocal point has also sent me lots of samples. It is just so much fun to go to the mailbox and find a sample there. Also, usually with a sample comes great coupons.

Sunsilk Defrizz:

Now, me, I'm a die hard John Frieda fan. John Frieda's Frizz-Ease has done amazing things for my hair. I've never felt so beautiful in my life. But, John Frieda's products are usually pretty expensive and rarely go on sale. So, when I got the sample for Sunsilk in the mail, I thought I'd try it.

The problem I have with most products is that they either make my hair frizz or they weigh my hair down. I have fine, oily, curly hair. So, I need something that will work with all that.

Sunsilk was amazing. Not only does my hair feel soft getting out of the shower, the creme does great things for my curl. It feels like a conditioner going on, and you would think it would weigh down the curls. But, it doesn't. They turned out quite nice with one less step than when I'm using John Frieda.

The only problem I have with it is that by the end of the day my hair feels extremely oily, just like it did in high school. That's just gross. But, if your hair is not quite as oily as mine, this would be a great product for you. Right now, Sunsilk has an offer for a free sample and coupon on their website. So, if you'd like to check out this product for yourself, now's the time.

Analytical Grammar:

I honestly thought I would never give up Rod & Staff. I really like Rod & Staff. But, I have been thinking that it was a bit too much repetition (as much as I like repetition) for Gabriel's needs. So, I was going to modify it to fit his needs. Then, I read about this curriculum that only required 10 weeks of instruction at the beginning of the year and then short weekly reviews the rest of the year. Well, I would love to give up the hour of grammar Gabriel is doing each day. I want to replace it with other writing.

So, I decided to check it out. Unfortunately, at least for me, the online sample was a bit confusing. I thought there must be something missing. Then, I remembered that a friend (thanks Erin) used this for her son last year while I was in the midst of Rod & Staff love. So, I called her up asked if I could look at it. She, kindly as homeschoolers are wont to be, brought it to me at the pool yesterday.

I love it. It is so easy to use. There are not 200 problems for one concept. Each lesson builds on the last. It systematically goes through English grammar and introduces concepts and then teaches students to use them.

Here's the rundown for the "Season" 1 units:

1. Noun, Articles, and Adjectives
2. Pronouns
3. Prepositional Phrases
4. Subject & Verb
5. Adverbs
6. Patterns 1 & 2
7. Pattern 3
8. Linking Verbs & Patterns 4 & 5
9. Helping Verbs
10. Conjunctions and Compound Situations

Because the author does not make the table of contents available online, that is all I am going to include for content.

Each Unit includes teaching notes that are to be used as reference after the student is done with the book (the idea is to tear out the worksheets and use the book for reference for the rest of their lives:), 3 exercises, 1 skill support exercise (this includes paraphrasing which is a useful skill), and a test.

If you want to work slowly through this book, you can take two weeks for each unit. If you want to work quickly through the book, she has suggestions for that as well. She also has a lesson "plan" for working at the pace of a unit a week.

This book is not cheap. It is $99.95 for the teacher and student book. Since the student book is consumable, if you have multiple children, it could get expensive at $59.95 a pop. And, she does not give permission for families to copy as some other companies have done. On the other hand, this is a three year text that will more than likely be all they need for 6th grade on. You should never have to really use another grammar text after this one. So, it may be cheaper in the long run than buying multiple books each year. This would especially be true if you already use a consumable program.

The only problem I have with this book is that it does not have a writing program included. That is not going to pose a problem for us this year, since Gabriel really wants to do a lot of research papers. That's what we're going to do. Next year, I'll have to look for a good writing program to encompass poetry and other creative writing.

Nancy Palosi on Abortion

Wow, just Wow. I'm not a Catholic, but it's my understanding that the Catholic church has been pretty strong and clear on its stance on abortion for centuries. I can't believe she would say this. Wow.



For more information, visit Hot Air.

Cleaning House is BAD for my Brain

For the last month, my brain has been set to "drain".

At first, it was set to drain because I didn't want to do any thinking. So, I played computer games. Then, it was set to drain because my sinuses weren't. Now, however, it has started working again.

While I was in "drain" mode, Gary asked me why I could "drain" while doing housework. Well, I'll be honest, that's a good question. And, I have an answer. Here's the answer. When I do housework, or shower, or try to go to sleep, my brain won't shut down. I can't control it. It flits from one topic to the next, never stopping to take off its hat, just waving as it drives by. This can be very irritating to a person who occasionally needs to shut off her brain. So, I play computer games or read. Those are about the only two activities that allow me to shut off my brain. My rabbi thinks I have ADD. I don't doubt that in the least.

Today, the boys and I did a lot of house cleaning in preparation for starting school on Tuesday. Wow, did my brain decide to kick in. If only I had a voice recorder. I could create all my posts for the week while I was doing one day's worth of housework. On the other hand, you'd all know how crazy my brain is. Oh, wait, you already do. So, maybe I should get a recorder. Then I, like my son, can talk out loud to myself all day. Of course, if I later typed what I recorded, it would really be like I was talking to you. Right?

It Was Just Part of the Job, Honey!

Cop: Sex With Hooker Wasn't Fun, It Was Work

Didn't women do this as spies? Maybe they still do. I can hear the conversation at home, "But, honey, I didn't enjoy it! Really, I didn't. The cops made me do it." Oh, wait, he was a cop. He could have said no.

Illegal Immigration Numbers Down

Illegal Immigrants Returning to Mexico in Record Numbers

Ah, that's really too bad.

Illegal immigrants are returning home to Mexico in numbers not seen for decades — and the Mexican government may have to deal with a crush on its social services and lower wages once the immigrants arrive.

But, we should keep them here and allow our social services to be "crushed" and lower the wages of everyone else...

Some say illegal immigrants are leaving because a soft economy has led to fewer jobs, causing many laborers to seek work elsewhere.

Others argue that a tough stance on immigration through law enforcement has spread fear throughout the illegal population.

Well, whatever the reason, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, the illegal immigrant population in the United States has dropped by 11% in the last year.

Advocates for immigrants are disturbed by the trend. Albert Ruiz, an organizer for the League of United Latin American Citizens, agrees that more undocumented immigrants are going home — but says families are being torn apart in the process.

If a father is deported, Ruiz says, his family members in America are forced either to fend for themselves or follow him to a country where they've never even lived.

"So the mother is saying we should return home with the breadwinner of the family to Mexico, and the children are saying, I don't want to leave, I'm a U.S. citizen, I don't know that country," said Ruiz.

I'm sorry, or maybe I'm not, but the fact is a child goes where his parents go. When we moved from D.C. to Kentucky, my kids didn't really want to move. All their friends were in D.C. Kentucky is very different from the Northeast, where we'd lived for the previous 4 years. But, this is where their parents went, so they had to go, too. It's part of being a kid. You go where your parents go.

I'm not exactly sure why the thought of keeping a family intact is such a bad thing. Sure, their standard of living is better in America. But, they're here illegally.

The advocates frequently talk about how bad it is for kids to see their parents ripped from their homes by INS. Don't they think it is better for the kids to see their parents following the law? Don't they think it is better for the kids to understand that, while America is the greatest country on Earth, and they are lucky to be citizens here, their parents are not? They can come back when they are adults and advocate for their parents to come live with them. In the meantime, they go with their parents. Their parents are going home. It's the right thing to do. And these advocates are complaining? Ugh!

Gotta Love Those Brits

Gifted in Crime

My children are gifted. I know this. Gabriel is gifted at reading. Xavier is "gifted" at math. And Dominic, well, Dominic is just a well rounded kid.

But, Saturday, we found out depths in Dominic we didn't know existed. He is gifted in crime. When he decides he is going to throw rocks at cars, he doesn't pick just any old car. He picks the local police cruiser. Ah, what a wonderful thing.

After the policeman (who was very nice about the whole thing) left, Gary got Dominic out there doing hard time. He had him working on a chain gang. You see, the septic guys had just left and they left a bunch of rocks in our yard. Gary had Dominic moving all the rocks from the yard to the ditch. It was a beautiful thing. Dominic was duly remorseful and, hopefully, his crime spree is at an end.

A Dream of Mine

When I was growing up, I wanted 12 or 13 kids. All of my family knew this. I wanted to have 6 sets of twins (like I could control that) and perhaps one single, just for something different. But, no matter how they came, I wanted a bunch.

Many members of my family and family friends told me I would change my mind. They told me, well, so-and-so wanted that too, but they changed their mind after they started having children. Well, guess what. I haven't changed my mind. I still want 12 or 13 kids.

On the other hand, I tell people we're done having children. We are. I'm not, but we are. You see, Gary doesn't want any more children. When we were dating, he said that he wanted two. We'd talk about 4. Perhaps, we could try for a girl until we had a hockey team. But, really, he just wanted two. I obviously didn't believe him.

The idea that someone really wouldn't want a bus full of kids was just unimaginable to me. How could you possible not want to have as many kids as you could? I'm not talking about giving birth to that many kids. I'd loved to adopt half of them. Although, since I've experienced pregnancy and the joy of childbirth, it is tempting to give birth to all of them.

However, by the time Xavier was born, I started believing Gary. During the time between Xavier's and Dominic's births, someone told me that the person who didn't want any more kids took precedence. I agreed with this. After all, that person would have to take part in the raising of whatever children we had. So, I reluctantly agreed to not have any more children.

I will admit that part of me has regretted it ever since. It is something I am s-l-o-w-l-y coming to terms with. After all, it's been 5 years. You would think I wouldn't still be hoping for a miracle. But, of course, I am. Why am I sharing all this extremely personal stuff with you?

Well, I got to thinking about all those people who "changed" their minds after they had children. I was wondering, how many of them "changed" their minds because their spouses didn't want that many children?

Today's website is once again Homeschool Buyers Co-op because they've added more stuff and because they have a group buy going on for the curriculum I'm reviewing today. Today's product review will be wire shelving. Today's curriculum review is going to be CyberEd Science.


Homeschool Buyers Co-op:
To see my previous review that includes more information, visit this post.

They've added an e-store that has loads of curriculum available in ebook form. I've already found several things I can use. Some of the publishers include Scholastic, Teacher Created Materials, Weekly Reader Publishing, Good Year Books, Giggly Games, Creative Teaching Press and Capstone Press.

They also have a group buy for Dave Ramsey stuff, right now. This only lasts until August 20th and is already at the deepest discount, so if you want to get in on it, now's the time. They have several different products available. But, the best deal is on The Starter Special Family Edition which includes:

Financial Peace Junior Kit (See above!)
The Total Money Makeover (See below)
Dexluxe Envelope System
Cash Flow Planning Video - DVD
Dumping Debt Video - DVD

This retails for $105 and the price at Homeschool Buyers Co-op is $45.49!

They have the Kaplan SAT/ACT online test preparation, also. This is a great deal at $49.95. The retail price for this is $399/299 respectfully! However, they need a few more orders to be able to do this deal. So... Get over there and order. I want that ACT test prep!

On to the shelves...
These wire shelves have been wonderful! They have morphed into many different things for us. They have held tools and garden tools. They've held toys and school books. They've held a t.v. and movies. They've held clothes and... Gosh, they've held everything!

We decided, recently, to put organizers in the boys' closets and get rid of their bureaus. However, when we went to the store and looked at the organization stuff, we were a bit put off by price. We are in the process of massive debt payoff and didn't want to spend the extra money. So, we went home with plans to use scrap wood and build shelves. Then, while the boys were in Maine, we cleaned out the playroom (read threw away a lot of stuff and put other stuff away). This meant that we could downsize the wire shelving in the playroom from something like 30 units to 13. As we were working, Gary got the idea that we could use the left over shelving in the boys closets. They work perfectly. We were able to configure them to their closets (note that Xavier and Dominic's shelving only goes partway up on one side) and what they had to store. These were a great buy. We got them when they were on sale at Target for about $15 for 6 cubes. Over the years, we've gotten more until we have all that you see here. We haven't bought any in a couple years, but they are still being used in various ways. These frequently go on sale at Target, so keep an eye on the ads.

CyberEd Science: $20-65

This is a wonderful program. There are two levels. Earth & Space (we'll be using this one this year), Life Science, and Physical Science are middle school level. Biology and Chemistry are high school level.

After hearing wonderful things about CyberEd, last year, I bit the bullet and added it to our curriculum. I have never been happier. This can be a stand alone curriculum if you want. If you prefer a more hands on approach, this will make a great supplement to any curriculum. The programs vary in terms of cost. Cost will also vary based on how many people purchase the curriculum. Right now, the most expensive curriculum is the Biology node and it is $65.

These courses are thorough and 'on level'. Gabriel did great with Life Science last year and loved it. He breezed right through it. He did learn a ton, though. Xavier (7) begged me to let him use it, so I did. I'd say he retained about half what he learned. But, he enjoyed doing it. It was a good supplement to his science curriculum. Mainly, it kept this highly energetic child busy, happy and learning while I worked with Gabriel on other things.

I highly recommend these courses and believe they are a good value.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

So, back in July, I wrote a post on menstrual cell research. I also mentioned the fact that "there has been nothing viable come out of the [ebryonic stem cell] research". This was contested by one of my readers. I promised to do some research and I have finally done so.

Three links were provided to show that embryonic stem cell research was showing progress and important developments. The first link, as mentioned, was about research done on stem cells collected from cord blood. The second link does deal with embryonic stem cell research that does seem to show promise. The third was research involving embryonic and adult rats.

First, my responses to the specific links, although they were provided soley as examples. I have no problem with cord blood research. I have no problem with research done on rats (although I think this link was perhaps provided by mistake?). I am wondering if the work done on embryonic stem cells could have been done on adult stem cells. In the small blurb available to me, it did not say whether or not it had been tried.

Now, in my previous post, I mentioned that the pro-choice crowd has made embryonic stem cell research a clarion call. The commenter expressed dismay at the thought that embryonic stem cell research is an abortion issue. She maintains that it's not. When it comes right down to it, it's not and it is. The issue is really whether or not abortion is right. The second issue is when you believe life begins. Embryonic stem cell research is a side issue that gets thrown into the abortion issue because it is connected.

The commenter also made mention of the fact that science is not magic. You cannot throw two things together and expect to always get the right answer on the first try. I understand this. Perhaps it would have been better for me to say that there has been no viable research done on the treatments that supporters usually tout, namely "Parkinson's disease, diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, Purkinje cell degeneration, Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, heart disease, and vision and hearing loss." While I understand that science and research does not happen overnight, to me, embryonic stem cell research is not about how fast the research is coming to fruition, it's about human life.

According to the National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Information page stem cells are derived "from eggs that have been fertilized in an in vitro fertilization clinic and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors." They make the distinction that they are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman's body. Quite frankly, I don't see the difference. If there is a difference, then the children that come from in vitro must be different from the rest of the human population and the first to go in an emergency. Will all in vitro children please stand and raise your hand? We will now put a large letter I on you so that hostage takers will know that you are the ones to take. You are disposable.

I think this all comes down to one question. Do you believe that human life begins at conception? If so, then embryonic stem cell research kills a human being. If you believe that human life does not begin until that child is born, then embryonic stem cell research just takes a mass of cells and uses them to further the health and well being of those already living. If you believe that life begins at conception, ethics start to come into question about the storage and "disposal" of fertilized eggs. That, however, is another side issue that we are not discussing today.

It comes down to this, for me, any new embryonic stem cells harvested kill an embryo. An embryo is a human life. Human life is sacred. So, harvesting new embryonic stem cells is wrong.

I welcome discussion and will try to carry on an intelligent conversation about this. But, I warn you, I've been on brain drain for about a month now, so I can't make any promises.

A Protected Nation

It was brought home to me today, by my Rabbi, that we are a protected nation. The realization of deprivation is almost nonexistent. We do not feel the immediacy of war. Our children do not feel the pain and fear of vulnerability. We stand immortal in our own eyes.

What was brought most to bear in my realization is the extent to which our children are protected. I, for one, protect my children in a deep and extensive way. My children do not watch the news. Other than the news they hear on the radio, they are not exposed to news. They do not hear of murders and rapes. They do not hear of soldiers dying. I have a reason for this. I do not want them worrying about it. Yet, today I began to wonder if I am doing the right thing. Perhaps, the children of our nation have become so decedent because they have no worries. They have no real concerns for safety or even other people. While many children and young people say prayers, raise money, and volunteer their time to some cause, they do not feel the immediacy of the need for that prayer.

It is a popular cause to go to other countries and help the poor. This is a wonderful thing and it opens the eyes of those who go. Unfortunately, time dulls that appreciation for what we have and eventually, we go back to taking things for granted. Deprivation becomes something we hear about on the news. It becomes a 3 minute sound bite about people who do not seem real to us.

The same goes for war and terrorism. For a short period after 9/11, terrorism was real to America. We felt vulnerable. In our vulnerability, we rallied around safety. We sought the road to safety and fought for that safety, even if only in our minds. Shortly, though, life returned to normal. 9/11 faded to a memory. Even those people who pass by the Twin Towers daily became inured to the sight. It became part of the landscape.

We do not teach our children about bomb shelters. We do not teach them how to protect themselves in time of war. We do not feel the need. We do not look and listen to know if people are plotting against us. We do not feel the need. In our invulnerability, we are most vulnerable.

So, I wonder, am I doing the right thing to wrap my children in cotton? They are young. At least, they seem that way to me. I wonder, though, if they are truly young, or if I am making them that way.

Review Tuesday 8-5-2008 It's All About the Cars

Today's review is all about the cars. This weekend we went to the 39th Annual Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY. This, of course, got Gary all hot and bothered to start building his classic car (which he's been wanting to do for some time, but hasn't been quite as eager before now), but he'll have to wait a bit longer. However, I thought I'd share some of our pictures and encourage you to take the man (men/boys/etc...) in your life to it or a similar event in your area.

First, pictures of the cars:

The original family car.

This is a classic truck from 1947 (I think).





My favorite classics!

How did Mater get there?

It was so awesome to see all these old cars on the road. The definition of a street rod is a classic car that has been adapted to make it street ready. They can drive on the highway, etc. Oh my gosh, is it worth going out and standing on the side of the road when they all start leaving the show!
















This gentleman was looking for a mate/wife. If you're interested, you could send an inquiry to his email address--listed on the sign.









This is my product for the day. If you can find a place to buy it, please let me know. This was a stroller that had a storage area in the bed of the truck. The guys pushing it were using the bed of the truck as a cooler. They had filled it with ice and beer. This is the ultimate guy stroller. If your guy is going to be pushing a stroller, you owe it to him to get him one of these. Now, if I could just figure out where....






Finally, a comment about men and shopping. If you want to see men enjoying shopping, this is the place to go! You will never again convince me that men don't like shopping. You just have to find the right venue.

If you would like to attend one of these events, there are several smaller events around the country: Richmond, VA August 22-24, Kalamazoo, MI Sep 12-14, Burlington, VT Sep 19-21, Sacramento, CA Oct 3-5, Tampa, FL Oct 10-12. They also have them in CO, PA, MO, TN, OK, and another one in CA earlier in the year. If you would like to attend next year's in Louisville, it is August 6-9. For more information on locations and the events, please visit the National Street Rod Association's website.

The Military as a Higher Calling

I've read a lot of comments referring to the U.S. military as murdering, stupid, lazy... You get the drift. Each person who comments about this has some reference for their thoughts. Today, in my readings, I came across a quote (that was written to exemplify something else) that I thought was apropos.

...The armed forces of the United States have the mission of preserving the existence of our land, the highest purpose we know. Drunken sailors, embezzling colonels, stuffed-shirt generals, do not alter the high nature of the mission; they are instances of the gap between human nature and human ideals.--This is my GodHerman Wouk

I appreciated this quote because it gets right to the point. The military is a huge organization. In an organization as large as this, especially with people in stressful situations, there will be instances of disgrace and evil. That does not make the military disgraceful or evil, rather it means that the military is made up of individuals, not zombies.