Sharing some humor

OK, after reading this on my friend's blog, I just had to share. While, I'm not bitter about homeschooling or the curiosity it raises, I do get a giggle at some of the responses. There are times when I'd like to give a smarty pants response too, but find myself holding my tongue. Never hurts to giggle bit though right??

The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List
By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling Magazine, Issue #1, Fall 2007
1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.

6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.

7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.

8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.

9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.

10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.

11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.

12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.

14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.

15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.

16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.

17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.

19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.

20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.

21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.

22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.

23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.

24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.

25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

Thankful for Innocence

In a world where kids are forced to grow up too fast and learn about the shame this life brings us, it was so sweet to catch this photo of Princess K and her friend on a recent field trip. It made my heart sing to know that my child was still innocent enough to enjoy her friendship with this little girl without fear of what others might think. In fact, it never crossed either child's mind that someone would think they were engaged in anything but true friendship. Friends are such a blessing from God and I'm thankful these two have found that friendship in each other.

Thankful Thursday

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” ~ Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

Where do I have to go but to you? Who else hears me when I cry? David probably captures the despair of the human heart better than any other person out there. I find it so interesting that a man who sinned against God so many times is also referred to by God as the apple of His eye. Could it be that my heavenly Father feels the same way about me? That He would love me past my sins and failures and be my strength and my shield? That I can put the trust of my heart in Him and be helped? YES YES YES! He promised to love me just as much as David and He proves it to me daily.

Today I am thankful that no matter how far my pride takes me from His will, He's always right there waiting for me to cry out so He can come save me.

Sunday Seven 10/07/07

1. No more fevers in my home this week! Although I will admit it was nice to have Prince E silent for two days, its much more "fun" for everyone when he's not sick. Now where are my ear plugs? :)

2. God's abundant grace in my shortcomings...I find that no matter how far I think I've "come", I may never actually be "there". But is OK, because He's always right here with me. This week we worked on seeing people through His eyes. Have you ever noticed that the thing that annoys you most about someone, is the thing God is trying to fix in you?? Why is that? Surely He can't possibly be saying "I" am annoying?? Yeah, I get the point God.. :)

3. Family. Not just the casual thank you for my family, but really truly thank you for the blessings and the pain they bring me. I look at how rich and wonderful my life is and I can only say WOW. Without the family God put into my life i would be a mess. Well, MORE of a mess than I am now.. :)

4. Church. I belong to a new congregation of believers now. It's a new and exciting feeling to look forward to going to the church building and seeing the other people there. Not just looking forward to the music or he teaching (those are great and I still enjoy them) but, I actually look forward to seeing the people. That's a new thing for me and I have to admit, I like it. :)

5. Clearance sales. Probably not your average thing to be thankful for on a Sunday afternoon, but I can't help it. It puts a smile on my face to walk in and see sand box toys marked 75% off and be able to tell my kids, grab whatever you want. its the little things that make me happy...little price tags included. :)

6. Kids who want to learn things. Princess K is heading to the first competition rounds this coming weekend with the Robot team. (Link to right and story below) Its a busy time and keeps us beyond busy, but i love seeing her so excited about learning. :)

7. My Kitty. Princess Boots is not your normal kitty. She follows me and demands attention. She also puts up with my need to hug and baby talk her. It not every cat who shows up after your hysterectomy and hangs around to be your perpetual "baby". I think I need to sit in the rocker for a bit...here kitty, kitty.... :)

Lets See, what am I thankful for today?

* My Savior- Who loves me and picks me back up every time I fall.

* The King- who constantly works so hard to make me smile.

* The Royal Offspring- for reminding me that sometimes we have to stop what we're doing and snuggle.

Engineering Princess....

My girl loves power tools! Princess K joined a robot building team just to get her hands on some. The whole thing is very neat and teaches kids lots of things about science and technology. We even have a website with links to the main competitions site if any other homeschooling groups are interested. www.wfmars.com

isn't she so cute in those safety glasses?? She seems to have misplaced her tiara though....

Tuesday Challenge Check in 09/25/07

OK I found a walking buddy and we walked 1.3 miles this morning. I intentionally ate half what I normally would, and have drank all my targeted amounts of water. I guess it will take longer to feel better than one day?? :)

Cookies and donuts and ice cream...oh my!

Since taking myself off HRT a few months ago, all I do is gain weight. I'm too the point that very little I have fits. And I'm not willing to go buy more. So its time to start making some healthier changes to see if I can rev up my energy levels and get to exercising more. I joined a challenge (see the button to the right)and I'm hoping it will really encourage me to stick to healthy food and exercising. We shall see..

Pink tools??

http://multi-taskingmoms.blogspot.com/2007/09/repairing-your-body-inside-and-out.html

This one is for a tool set. I like the pink of course..lol

Did someone say Pink??

Want to win a pink Dyson vaccum?? check out this give away!

http://www.5minutesformom.com/2334/dyson-pink/

So we have these Guenias...

We purchased some Guenias because they are suppose to be awesome at eating bugs. Right now they are in a dog crate in my kitchen because they are so small. They've proved to be quite entertaining as well as educational. For instance, the Royal Offspring are learning about survival of the fittest...

The keets are big enough to eat small grasshoppers so it has become a great game to catch little defenseless bugs and drop them into the cage. It quickly became apparent that speed was a factor in survival as the fast bird almost always ended up with the grasshopper. So yes! There is truth to the old saying the early bird gets the worm. We also determined that strength was a factor as we watched the biggest bird step on the fastest bird and take the prize.

It didn't take long before the justice loving Royal Offspring were crying foul (pun intended) and trying to come up with a plan to ensure that all the birds got a grasshopper. So, brainstorming ensued.

They came up with a theory that if they could teach the birds to eat from their hands, then they could decide who gets what grasshopper. The dilemma being that every time someone approaches the cage, the birds all run for the far corner. So they caught another bug, stuck it head through the wire and sure enough, the fastest bird came over and plucked the grasshopper from the King's hand. After a few tries, all the larger birds were coming to the side of the cage to take a grasshopper. Plan was good...or was it?

You see, the Queen, after many years experience in cleaning up more poop than she cares to remember, is the designated crate cleaner. So, now every time the Queen wishes to open the door to clean the crate or refresh their water, she is mobbed by grasshopper craving keets, who are not very happy to see her empty-handed. Apparently these birds are smart enough to learn to come to the side when a person approaches, but not smart enough to tell the difference between Royal Offspring and the Queen who does not touch grasshoppers. The Queen is working on a plan to teach the birds to recognize she is there only to shovel waste, not hand out bug treats...all suggestions welcome. :)

the "fear" collage...

The assignment was to create a collage representing the emotion of fear. Princess A made a picture of a robber about to go into someone's house. I liked her use of mixed media. She has paint, construction paper, googly eyes, sticks, leaves and cardboard. Nice job Princess A!

What I learned today...

My children never cease to amaze me, and oddly enough, I learn from them more often than from a book. Today, I learned its OK to see the world diffrently. So what if the assignment doesn't match the work turned in? Isn't art suppose to be an individual thing? Is it really art if you do it exactly like the book tells you to?

When I think about it, homeschooling is quite an "out of the box" way of thinking to begin with. Should I be surprised when my lovely Princess A takes an assignment and tailors it to fit how she sees the world? No, I think I shouldn't. Independant thought is one of my ultimate goals here.