Giftedness or In Which My thoughts Drive Me Nuts

I recently took up knitting.  A friend was amazed at how quickly I picked it up.  She was also wondering why I do it all the time.  I do it while I'm teaching my children.  I take it anywhere I will have to stand in line.  I mostly use it at Taekwondo, during the boys' classes.  Yes, I talk to other parents, but I have to keep my hands busy.

My response to her was, "I find that if I keep my hands busy, it slows my mind down."

She just looked at me.

My brain is like a giant orchestra that mostly plays in harmony.  But, when it is warming up and tuning, look out.  That is neither pretty, nor restful.  Instead, it is like nails on a chalkboard, vomiting, microphone feedback, and babies crying, all echoing around in my head.

Sometimes, my brain just needs to rest.  Enter knitting, sewing, tapping, jiggling, dancing, kicking, or anything else that enables my brain to feed off some of the extra energy it harbors into a harmless conduit, allowing me to concentrate more fully.  My oldest son listens to his iPod if he is having trouble focusing.  (He once told me he was having trouble concentrating because of the window in the room he was in.  I asked if he was looking out of it.  He responded, "No, I'm looking into it.  It's the window to my imagination."  Sorry, son, it's kind of hard to get away from that one!)  Dominic sings.  He sings all the time.  He has finally managed to stop singing during Taekwondo, but it was touch and go for a while.  Xavier hyper focuses.  The house could burn down around the kid when he's focused on something.  When he's done, he bounces off the walls - literally.

Every gifted person needs an out from their brain.  We all need the ability to shut it down periodically.  This post talks more about it.  It is a wonderful post that actually says something, rather than rambling aimlessly about.  Sadly, it does not mention any new ideas for me.  So, I'll just keep dancing on chairs at Taekwondo tournaments to get adrenaline out.  Hopefully, I won't break anything.

Food Storage and Preparedness

I am passionate about self-sufficiency and preparedness.  Unfortunately, my passion has not translated well into being self-sufficient and prepared.  Over the past 12 years, I have gone from learning about being self-sufficient, to being completely non self-sufficient, and am now back on the bandwagon.  We need to be prepared when the aliens come, people!  

At any rate, over the past year, I've been doing a lot of research on being self-sufficient and prepared for emergencies.  One of the easiest things to do for preparedness is food storage.  I follow several blogs that discuss food storage, and have recently started my own food storage efforts.  

Well, today, I saw that the Preparedness Pantry was giving away a $10 gift card for trying out and blogging about their Food Storage Analyzer.  I thought that was worth checking out.  So, I went to their Food Storage Analyzer and tried it out.  Wow!  I am woefully unprepared.  Fortunately, I have already started the process of getting prepared, but I've got a long way to go!

One of the nice things about the Analyzer is the ability to purchase things directly from the Analyzer.  If you are so inclined, you could make some of your initial purchases right then and there.

I have enough wheat to last my family for 20 days.  Other than that, we're pretty much done in.  So, we could live off flour tortillas for a while, if all else failed.  But, I definitely want to get off my duff and get going on the food storage.  I would like to have some canned meat, beans, fruits, and vegetables.  I would also like to have some dry milk and rice.  Gary is going to pick up the rice next time he makes it to Ft Knox, but in the meantime, I'll have to see what I can do about some of the other stuff.

If you would like to try out the Analyzer, head on over.  If you would like to get a free $10 gift card, you have that opportunity, as well.  This promotion ends October 28th, but the Analyzer will be available after that.

ACU Stockings

If you're looking for a Christmas gift for the camouflage lover or soldier (my 6 year old would love these), Michelle has some ACU stockings for sale.  Take a look.  They would be great to ship to your deployed sweetheart.

He's Obviously Not a Baptist

I've got nothing against Baptists, but this bear is obviously not one.  Otherwise, he would not have made such a blatant attempt on the alcohol.

Chores I Hate

There are a lot of chores I enjoy.  I enjoy hanging clothes out on the line.  I enjoy washing dishes.  I really enjoy baking.  But, I absolutely hate vacuuming.  Now, I must admit that the main reason I dislike it so much is because it is noisy and there is nothing for my brain to do while I vacuum.  So, I could listen to my iPod.  However, a friend has a robotic vacuum.  I've always been curious about them, so I asked her how well it works.  She said that it works great, and they now want a robotic lawn mower.  First, I need a robotic vacuum.

On the one hand, I have servants children who can vacuum.  On the other hand, if I had a robotic vacuum, I could be sure that the vacuuming would get done regularly.

This is a definite Christmas gift idea.  If anyone wants to get me a robotic vacuum, I would be deeply appreciative!

This post sponsored by Shop.com, who also has a Wine of the month club which, in the absence of a robotic vacuum, would at least keep me 'happy' while I vacuum!

She CAN'T Take Your Man

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of wandering around our local flea market. I've lived 5 miles from it for 2 1/2 years and never stepped through the doors. I can definitely say that I'll be spending many hours there in the future.

While I was there, I had the mixed pleasure of listening to old country music. On the one hand, I definitely understand how country music got a bad name. On the other hand, it gave me blogging material.

Here's the deal, ladies.  Another woman does not have the ability to take your man.  There are only two options that lead to losing your man.  One: Your man is a jerk and leaves you or cheats on you.  Two: You are a witch and drive your good man away.

Those are the two options for losing a man.  Quite frankly, if your man is a jerk (as I would assume is the case in this song), you don't want to keep him.  And, if your man is a good man, and you're a good wife, there's no way some hussy is going to steal him from you.  I don't care how good she looks.

I've Got Bigger Fish to Fry

And so do my children.

Last week, there was a problem with some children I know.  Child A had thrown Child B's necklace and broken it.  This was, obviously, not a good thing to do.  But, Child B's mother made the comment, "What do I tell my child?  How do I explain to my child why this happened?"

Recently, I've also heard this question in regard to nursing your child in public.  "How do I explain what you're doing to my child?  I don't want to have to answer that question."

These questions make me want to scream.  I just didn't know why.  I was telling Gary about it, and my reaction to it, when he said, "And I want to know how to tell a soldier's kid that his dad isn't coming home from the war."

Yup, he hit it on the head.  I've got more important things to worry about.  I've got friends who are deployed.  I have friends who's spouses are deployed.  My children have been to more funerals (for non-soldiers) in their short lifetimes than I had been to before I was 21.  My children have more important things to worry about than a necklace breaking.

I have often wondered whether my children have too many things.  After all, they do not seem to get near as upset if something breaks as I think they should.  But, they do get extremely upset if they hear about someone suffering, someone dying, someone being abused, someone hungry...  You get the picture.  I have come to the conclusion that it is not lack of concern, rather it is concern about the right things.

My children have bigger fish to fry.  And for all they want more and more toys, more and more stuff, they are happy with playing with boxes and yarn.  They are more than willing to go through their toys to donate to those less fortunate.  They gladly spend time culling and giving.  They are lovers.  They make me proud.

Today, if your child gets a toy broken by another child, explain to them that these things happen.  Sometimes the other child just didn't understand that the toy was fragile.  Sometimes the other child was mean.  Sometimes the other child was just too young to be handling the necklace.  Explain that life will go on.  Then, introduce your child to someone who doesn't have as much as he does.  Because, chances are, if you live in America, there is always someone somewhere who does not have as much as you do, no matter how poor you are.  We are a rich country, where even our poor thrive.  Teach your child to stop thinking about himself all the time.

While you're at it, get over the small stuff.  Look around you.  Understand that there is a lot more going on.  Get on with your life and be thankful for what you don't have to tell your children.

Scouts not so smart or schools idiotic?

I have to say that I've heard a lot of news over the past few years about Boy Scouts being suspended from school for carrying knives to school.  Now, first of all, every person in the United States knows that it is illegal to have knives on school grounds.  I mean, there was a girl suspended from school for having fingernail clippers with the attached fingernail file, over 10 years ago!

Having said that, I think what these schools are doing is idiotic.
Rough Road Ahead for New York Eagle Scout as School District Won't Budge on Pocketknife Suspension

This kid is being punished for being prepared.  Go figure.  The government spends millions of dollars producing public service announcements on being prepared for emergencies.  They warn us to have water, blankets, food, etc prepared for emergencies.  Most adults ignore these suggestions.  Then, when a young man takes these concepts to heart, he gets suspended from school.  It could, in fact, have a permanent effect on his future.  West Point, where he wants to attend college, has said it may well have an effect on his application, if left on his record.

And what can a school do?  You don't want students bring weapons to school, but you don't want to let idiocy reign, either.

Then, we had a 6 year old Cub Scout get suspended, and face 45 days in a reform school, for bringing a camp utensil to school to show off.  I mean, reform school?  For accidentally breaking the rules?????  How does that even begin to make sense?

Student Who Brought Camping Utensil to School Has Suspension Lifted

School board member John Mackenzie told The Associated Press before the meeting that he was surprised school officials did not use common sense and disregard the policy in Zachary's case. The need for common sense to prevail over the letter of the law was a recurring theme among the boy's supporters and school safety experts.

"When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe environment," said Kenneth S. Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm. "People have to understand that assessing on a case-by-case basis doesn't automatically equate to being soft or unsafe."

I couldn't have said it better myself.  Common sense has gone a wandering, and apparently, we're not even trying to call it home.

Many Varied Topics

I have not been blogging consistently, because my life seems to have taken off without me.  I spend more time than any sane person would driving back and forth to Tae Kwon Do, sitting, watching, and kicking (that last one makes it all worth while!).  I've been organizing an art appreciation unit for our co-op.  We've been going to Lego League for Dominic and Xavier.  And, yesterday, we started school.  Can I just say that I was very happy as a STAY AT HOME MOM?  All this running around wears me out.

At any rate, I have all these blog topics bouncing around in my head.  They're also saved to my bookmarks bar, which makes for a messy bar.  My brain can't handle all that.  So, I'm going to start the clearance right now.  There are a few topics that require longer posts, but this one will cover at least a few of them, and get them off my bar.  Then, maybe, I can have a drink, without running into some blog post idea.

In Valley Falls, NY, they have decided to reinstate the idea of public shaming, although you'll notice that the state police have "no record of the event."  hee hee  This happened in Virginia recently, when a man stood outside a busy mall with the sign, "I'm a cheater."  Now, personally, I believe that this kid was given, perhaps, the very best punishment he could have been given.  We do not allow for pillory in most laws as a punishment, but I bet it would deter a lot of people from repeat crimes, if they knew that everyone was going to know exactly what they did.  Bring on the pillories and rotten tomatoes.

EPA Moves to Regulate Smokestack Greenhouse Gases:

The EPA's announcement came hours after Senate Democrats unveiled legislation that would set limits on the amount of greenhouse gases from large industrial sources. The Senate bill, unlike the House-passed version, preserves the EPA's authority to regulate under the Clean Air Act.

Environmentalists said Wednesday the two efforts go hand-in-hand.

"You can't have one without the other if we're going to be successful in moving America to clean energy," said Emily Figdor, director of the global warming program at Environment America, an advocacy group.

I guess that Foxnews didn't get the memo. It's no longer 'global warming', it's 'climate change'.  How can they suddenly change it from global warming is killing the planet, to global cooling is killing the planet?  Well, they've done the opposite.  Remember that in the '70s it was all about global cooling.  Now, they seem to have gotten smart.  If they just talk about climate change, we can't throw back at them that 30 years ago, they were claiming the same cataclysmic events due to cooling.  Now, we'll never actually know what they're talking about.  Oh wait, I never knew in the first place.

Why didn't anyone else do something about this?  It seems that there were lots of people who witnessed this, but only one man took action?  What is wrong in America?  And, GOOD JOB to Cameron Aulner!

Organic Baby Farm has the best idea I've seen in a long time on how to get legislators to read legislation before signing it.  Too bad there's no way we'd get anyone to sign onto said idea.

Finally, we've got another hopeful book banning.  Now, you know how I feel about books.  And, I have read some pretty mean sh*t over the years.  And, these books would not have been available when I was in highschool.  AND, there is no way I would allow my 12 year old to read something like this (but that's who these books are really marketed to, no matter the section says 'teen').  On the other hand, I probably wouldn't stop my 16 year old from reading it.  Quite frankly, by the age of 16, they are men, whether they have left home, or not.  However, it was not the content of this book that made me go off the deep end.  It was the comment made by the librarian.

Carrie Gardner, assistant professor of library science at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, defended the coming-of-age novel, saying it may be helpful in providing "coping strategies" to teenagers.

"Our young people are living in a world full of both fiction and nonfiction situations that deal with drug use and sexuality," Gardner told FOXNews.com. "Fiction books that contain that type of information can provide young people with coping strategies."

She also said that reading disturbing material does not necessarily lead to unsocial behavior.

"People often overestimate the power of a fiction book," she continued. "People can read fiction stories and not have those stories impact us, just like many of us watch horrific stories on television news and not have a reaction."

First of all, the very fact that you are so inured to horrific stories on television shows that you are being effected by them.  If you do not watch the news on a regular basis, as we do not, you will suddenly start having a reaction again.  Try it sometime.

Secondly, how can she actually say that stories don't impact us?  Stories impact us daily.  Things we've read years ago, will sometimes come back to us at opportune times.  That is why it is important to read good literature.  And, if she actually thinks that it won't impact teens, why does she say that it can provide coping strategies?  If it's not going to impact them, why read it?  Even if the impact is only to provide comic relief, that is still an impact.

Well, that's all for tonight.  Thanks for sticking around.  I can clear a few things out of my brain, and off my bar.  It's time for a drink and bed.  Maybe I'll get around to posting tomorrow night, too.  Don't get your hopes up.

Government Proves Their Idiocy Again

A Michigan family may have to pay a $1000 fine for watching a neighbor's children for a few minutes before and after school... without a daycare license.

In addition to the monetary fine, Snyder was informed by the DHS that the family must take CPR training; undergo mental evaluations and have a structural inspection done on the home, before they could be approved as babysitters.

Calley said under current Michigan law, if someone watches a non-dependent child more than once consistently, no matter the duration, they must be licensed.

According to this law, if my mother lived in Michigan, my brother would no longer be able to leave his son at her house while my brother goes to school. In order to be able to do so, my mother would have to get licensed by the state. Wow. There can be no grandparents babysitting while the parents go out, unless it is done inconsistently...

My in-laws would have been in contempt of this law while Gary was deployed 6 years ago. After all, they watched the boys at least one night a week, and every other weekend for the entire deployment. That's pretty consistent.

If my next door neighbor had to go to work before the bus came, and I volunteered to watch her kids so that she didn't have to pay a day care, I would be in contempt of this law.

If my son were to babysit his brothers on a regular basis, he would be in contempt of the law.

I am always amazed at how out of whack government can get. But, it is no surprise to me, with things like this, that Michigan's economy is so bad.