Although I have bunches to chat about, I don't really have the time to make an in depth blog. Hopefully, by the time I get time to sit down and "chat" and I will not have forgotten everything that I wanted to say - which happens more times than I can say.
I did want to take just a moment to post hubby's new flash line. You can check it out here.
See ya soon!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Education
Lately, we...meaning Summer and I, and been having a few issues with "school". It seems that I am not an interesting enough teacher to keep my child intrigued enough to pay attention. It also does not help that she is not mature or motivated enough to do it without my guidance.
Schooling at home is one of the issues that has been weighing heavy on my mind for the past year. I can't even tell you how many times that I have (a.) wished I had put her in formal school from day 1 and let her be someone else's problem or (b.) have thought many times about putting her in formal school therefore freeing myself and her from the torture of homeschooling (c.) wondered what in the hell ever possessed me to ever entertain the thought of homeschooling. After all, there is a very nice red elementary school just a couple of blocks up the road...
Yes, quite honestly homeschooling as of late has been a sore spot for us. I know it should not be. All the books say it's a wonderful experience for all family members involved and we will reap the benefits of a "home school" environment. If I look at the big picture we have so far...
Maybe I am too wrapped up in schooling my daughter in the traditional way....a school desk and a teacher chock full of curriculum ultimatums and expectations. My little checklist of things that need to complete before the day is over.
I don't know why I just can't let go. I have always found that she seems to excel in her learning when we are on breaks or vacations....when she is not being "taught".
I have thrown my hands up. It's not learning when both of us are miserable. I'm stressed and she isn't learning a thing because she is mad at me for "teaching" her.
I press on because of fear....fear that if I don't keep on top of "teaching" her she will end up like the the thousands of homeless folk at the Arch Center downtown or not be able to conduct herself as a contribution to society. Or maybe, that she will end up having to live with me the rest of her life because she didn't acquire enough education to get out and make a living for herself. Or even worst of all, that I will look like a bad mom because my kid can't even pass a college entrance exam.....after all, I won't be able to blame the public school system for my child's lack of education.
These are some of the issues that have been heavy on my mind lately. Then something happened. On one of my homeschool forums I saw a documentary on public schooled kids in America called Stupid In America. You can watch it here.
Now I know how the media can hype up issues. But having a grown son that was a victim of the public school system...in Alabama I might add, I know from experience that the things that were being documented were in fact true.
I can't tell you how many times my son would come home telling me about movies he had watched during Science or Math class. Or how the football coach was teaching them English because there wasn't a proper English teacher for their class. I might add that my son went to one of the best public schools in our city.
Anyway, after I watched the documentary I didn't feel so much like a homeschool failure. Matter of fact I felt proud and honored to be a part of my child's education. After all, she can read above her grade level and she has a very creative mind.
I guess we are always most critical of the ones we love and expect more than the norm. Maybe in a way, they are a reflection of who we think we are. Maybe our expectation is more for ourselves than for them.
Just maybe, I should just sit back and enjoy watching her learn at her own pace and in her own way....hopefully it will not backfire on me. :-)
Schooling at home is one of the issues that has been weighing heavy on my mind for the past year. I can't even tell you how many times that I have (a.) wished I had put her in formal school from day 1 and let her be someone else's problem or (b.) have thought many times about putting her in formal school therefore freeing myself and her from the torture of homeschooling (c.) wondered what in the hell ever possessed me to ever entertain the thought of homeschooling. After all, there is a very nice red elementary school just a couple of blocks up the road...
Yes, quite honestly homeschooling as of late has been a sore spot for us. I know it should not be. All the books say it's a wonderful experience for all family members involved and we will reap the benefits of a "home school" environment. If I look at the big picture we have so far...
Maybe I am too wrapped up in schooling my daughter in the traditional way....a school desk and a teacher chock full of curriculum ultimatums and expectations. My little checklist of things that need to complete before the day is over.
I don't know why I just can't let go. I have always found that she seems to excel in her learning when we are on breaks or vacations....when she is not being "taught".
I have thrown my hands up. It's not learning when both of us are miserable. I'm stressed and she isn't learning a thing because she is mad at me for "teaching" her.
I press on because of fear....fear that if I don't keep on top of "teaching" her she will end up like the the thousands of homeless folk at the Arch Center downtown or not be able to conduct herself as a contribution to society. Or maybe, that she will end up having to live with me the rest of her life because she didn't acquire enough education to get out and make a living for herself. Or even worst of all, that I will look like a bad mom because my kid can't even pass a college entrance exam.....after all, I won't be able to blame the public school system for my child's lack of education.
These are some of the issues that have been heavy on my mind lately. Then something happened. On one of my homeschool forums I saw a documentary on public schooled kids in America called Stupid In America. You can watch it here.
Now I know how the media can hype up issues. But having a grown son that was a victim of the public school system...in Alabama I might add, I know from experience that the things that were being documented were in fact true.
I can't tell you how many times my son would come home telling me about movies he had watched during Science or Math class. Or how the football coach was teaching them English because there wasn't a proper English teacher for their class. I might add that my son went to one of the best public schools in our city.
Anyway, after I watched the documentary I didn't feel so much like a homeschool failure. Matter of fact I felt proud and honored to be a part of my child's education. After all, she can read above her grade level and she has a very creative mind.
I guess we are always most critical of the ones we love and expect more than the norm. Maybe in a way, they are a reflection of who we think we are. Maybe our expectation is more for ourselves than for them.
Just maybe, I should just sit back and enjoy watching her learn at her own pace and in her own way....hopefully it will not backfire on me. :-)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
October 6, 2009
Yesterday was a very busy day. I like busy days but I prefer them to end by 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I like my evenings peaceful and restful.
We had our weekly playdate at the Children's Museum. The girls always have a blast at the museum....and Toby has been tagging along making it even more entertaining for the kids.
After playdate we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed home to rest a couple of hours before we had to go back into Manor for National Night Out and our 4-H meeting.
National Night Out was interesting. It' designed to heighten crime and drug awareness in your community. After living in our neighborhood for two years we have yet to see any crimes or drugs so I was curious to get some info on where this sort of thing happens in Manor.
After chatting it up with one of the police officers I found out that although there is petty crime in our area we certainly don't have to be worried about being gunned down. :-)
We enjoyed a free supper of hot dogs, chips, drinks and played on the adult exercise equipment at the park before we headed across the street to our 4-H meeting.
Summer really enjoys 4-H. She is not shy or insecure about standing up and speaking or answering questions....which is very surprising to me considering her personality.
Summer got nominated for 4-H princess. I knew with this being our first year in 4-H and the commitment that being a 4-H princess would take was not something Toby and I are ready for. Volunteering with 4-H events takes up enough of our free time.
Anyway, I didn't allow Summer to vote for herself (which was allowed) in hopes that she would not win....maybe next year when we are all a little more familiar with protocol.
The meeting was unusually long, and after our already long day we were all ready to get home. We grabbed a Sonic blast on the way home as a treat for a very long day.
We had our weekly playdate at the Children's Museum. The girls always have a blast at the museum....and Toby has been tagging along making it even more entertaining for the kids.
After playdate we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed home to rest a couple of hours before we had to go back into Manor for National Night Out and our 4-H meeting.
National Night Out was interesting. It' designed to heighten crime and drug awareness in your community. After living in our neighborhood for two years we have yet to see any crimes or drugs so I was curious to get some info on where this sort of thing happens in Manor.
After chatting it up with one of the police officers I found out that although there is petty crime in our area we certainly don't have to be worried about being gunned down. :-)
We enjoyed a free supper of hot dogs, chips, drinks and played on the adult exercise equipment at the park before we headed across the street to our 4-H meeting.
Summer really enjoys 4-H. She is not shy or insecure about standing up and speaking or answering questions....which is very surprising to me considering her personality.
Summer got nominated for 4-H princess. I knew with this being our first year in 4-H and the commitment that being a 4-H princess would take was not something Toby and I are ready for. Volunteering with 4-H events takes up enough of our free time.
Anyway, I didn't allow Summer to vote for herself (which was allowed) in hopes that she would not win....maybe next year when we are all a little more familiar with protocol.
The meeting was unusually long, and after our already long day we were all ready to get home. We grabbed a Sonic blast on the way home as a treat for a very long day.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Character
Recently I saw where Obama is proposing public schooled kids have longer days and school years. It seems that U.S. public schooled kids are lagging behind educationally compared to other countries. As many things as I may agree or disagree with as far as Obama is concerned, this is one I question.
Does he really think that keeping kids in school for longer periods of time is going to make them any smarter....hmphhh..I think not. And does he really think that education is the most important issue our kids have these days?
I believe the problem with kids today is they don't get enough time to play or use their imagination.....even more so, they don't get enough time with their families.
What's even more odd to me is how the leader of our country thinks our kids problems lay solely on educational issues and they way to fix them is to cram the Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic down their throats. Whatever happened to emotional intelligence??
I remember one time I found one of my dad's very old school books. It was tattered and torn and was barely held together by the binding. I opened it up and flipped through it. I made note to him that I saw nothing that resembled Math or English in the book.
That's when he told me that "back in his day" they focused on teaching things like morality, respect, hard work, manners, responsibility, and integrity. As I flipped through the thick, old book their were large chapters on these qualities mentioned.
Just recently I read an article in the Elgin Courier. In certain schools in our area they are implementing the subject of Character. Here is a little of what the article suggested we could do individually...
We strongly encourage all communities to join in this message to our young people: Character does matter! We are asking you to:
1. Read a book to a child about the importance of honesty.
2. Talk to a class about why we must all be responsible.
3. Be a speaker for a class explaining why compassion is critical to society.
4. Place a flyer in your place of business showing that perseverance matters.
5. Donate a biography to a school library about a person who modeled loyalty.
6. Design a puzzle/game/skit related to justice and its place in our society.
7. Write a letter to the editor illustrating why self-reliance is a valued trait.
8. Ask your church members to visit with young people about self-discipline.
9. Start a discussion with co-workers, neighbors, family to emphasize integrity.
Maybe as a society if we start instilling some of these traits into our children our World would be just a little better place to live.
Sure, education is important...but I believe some things are more important.
Does he really think that keeping kids in school for longer periods of time is going to make them any smarter....hmphhh..I think not. And does he really think that education is the most important issue our kids have these days?
I believe the problem with kids today is they don't get enough time to play or use their imagination.....even more so, they don't get enough time with their families.
What's even more odd to me is how the leader of our country thinks our kids problems lay solely on educational issues and they way to fix them is to cram the Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic down their throats. Whatever happened to emotional intelligence??
I remember one time I found one of my dad's very old school books. It was tattered and torn and was barely held together by the binding. I opened it up and flipped through it. I made note to him that I saw nothing that resembled Math or English in the book.
That's when he told me that "back in his day" they focused on teaching things like morality, respect, hard work, manners, responsibility, and integrity. As I flipped through the thick, old book their were large chapters on these qualities mentioned.
Just recently I read an article in the Elgin Courier. In certain schools in our area they are implementing the subject of Character. Here is a little of what the article suggested we could do individually...
We strongly encourage all communities to join in this message to our young people: Character does matter! We are asking you to:
1. Read a book to a child about the importance of honesty.
2. Talk to a class about why we must all be responsible.
3. Be a speaker for a class explaining why compassion is critical to society.
4. Place a flyer in your place of business showing that perseverance matters.
5. Donate a biography to a school library about a person who modeled loyalty.
6. Design a puzzle/game/skit related to justice and its place in our society.
7. Write a letter to the editor illustrating why self-reliance is a valued trait.
8. Ask your church members to visit with young people about self-discipline.
9. Start a discussion with co-workers, neighbors, family to emphasize integrity.
Maybe as a society if we start instilling some of these traits into our children our World would be just a little better place to live.
Sure, education is important...but I believe some things are more important.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Fear Itself
We have all heard the saying.."There is nothing to fear but fear itself." Whether it be the Bible or some other resource I don't recall where that quote comes from. All I know is that it seems to have a core of truth to it.
Recently, thanks to my crazy neighbor, I have noticed how much fear drives our daily life. I can see how fear keeps us from reaching our maximum potential in our human experience.
On a daily basis a typical human has many fears. Everything we do is entailed with fear. Just take notice for one day on how many times you let fear control your decisions. It will amaze you that you even go out of the house with all the fears that can consume a person in one day. There is a big difference between fear and caution. I think most people are fearful and call it caution.
Some examples I see daily are:
People are afraid to quit that job they hate because they are scared they won't be able to find another one. Or maybe even the fear of change scares them. They end up miserable and unhappy because of fear.
I see mothers so fearful their child will get hurt, killed, stolen, or even converted to a heathen by a non-Christian that they stifle them from many normal childhood experiences and hinder them from living, learning and experiencing....Poor kids.
There are some people that get stuck in their own little world and in a comfort zone that keeps them from growing to their potential. After all, is easier to be comfortable and lazy than take a chance isn't it???
People also fear change. Change or a different view of any kind will make people very uncomfortable. Fear becomes very evident where politics and religion are present. Matter of fact, religion and politcs both control the masses with fear and manipulation.
There are many fears from lightening to bugs. Fears are everywhere. I often think if we didn't have fear how far one could go....
"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” Yes, most of our fears are learned in some sort of way by our loved ones or society.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Beautiful quote is it not??? Maybe from this day on we can all all try not to let fear take grip of our lives and let our light shine.
Recently, thanks to my crazy neighbor, I have noticed how much fear drives our daily life. I can see how fear keeps us from reaching our maximum potential in our human experience.
On a daily basis a typical human has many fears. Everything we do is entailed with fear. Just take notice for one day on how many times you let fear control your decisions. It will amaze you that you even go out of the house with all the fears that can consume a person in one day. There is a big difference between fear and caution. I think most people are fearful and call it caution.
Some examples I see daily are:
People are afraid to quit that job they hate because they are scared they won't be able to find another one. Or maybe even the fear of change scares them. They end up miserable and unhappy because of fear.
I see mothers so fearful their child will get hurt, killed, stolen, or even converted to a heathen by a non-Christian that they stifle them from many normal childhood experiences and hinder them from living, learning and experiencing....Poor kids.
There are some people that get stuck in their own little world and in a comfort zone that keeps them from growing to their potential. After all, is easier to be comfortable and lazy than take a chance isn't it???
People also fear change. Change or a different view of any kind will make people very uncomfortable. Fear becomes very evident where politics and religion are present. Matter of fact, religion and politcs both control the masses with fear and manipulation.
There are many fears from lightening to bugs. Fears are everywhere. I often think if we didn't have fear how far one could go....
"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” Yes, most of our fears are learned in some sort of way by our loved ones or society.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Beautiful quote is it not??? Maybe from this day on we can all all try not to let fear take grip of our lives and let our light shine.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
These are the Best of Times...
Today was one of those busy days. Busy doing things that need to be done instead of wanted to be done. I had library books due back and also was in search of some I needed for Summer. There are just certain things I would much rather do by myself....going to the library is one of them.
I love the library, but my family does not share that same love. Toby and Summer spent their time distracting me by following me around arguing over who was going to get to play with Toby's Ipod Touch. I finally decided to take control and encourage Summer to find her a book to look at it while I was searching for what I needed. She found a book...a joke book. So, I still was finding it really hard to concentrate because then she was following me around asking me jokes....which I wouldn't ordinarily mind in any other circumstance.
I spent half my morning on the computer trying to find a solution to our scorpion issues. They seem to love to snuggle up under our covers with us at night and hang out in our bedroom. Toby got his first taste of a sting the other night while coming back from a midnight bathroom trip. When I saw the size of the one that stung him I hate to say I was glad it was him and not me this time. This year they seem to be worse than they were last year.
I really like to try and avoid using chemicals if at all possible. So after we left the library we headed to Home Depot in search of something to deter scorpions. Seems there is not much on the market for scorpions. Basically you have to kill their food source to get rid of them......I guess I better get use to our new "room mates" until I can come up with a solution.
Although Toby and I both still had tons of stuff to do when we got home, we had promised Summer a trip to the local park. I'm sure if there had been some neighborhood kids home for her to play with she would have forgotten about the promise.
Although Toby and I were dreading the park trip because of our awaiting to do list, we ended up having a good time. We even took Brandi with us.
Here are the girls sliding...
We walked the train tracks. Summer was having a blast collecting railroad spikes...my little worry wort was also a little worried about getting stuck on the tracks while a train was coming...
I think Brandi was even enjoying her little excursion...
Sometimes when you expect to find the least amount of fun, you find the most.
I love the library, but my family does not share that same love. Toby and Summer spent their time distracting me by following me around arguing over who was going to get to play with Toby's Ipod Touch. I finally decided to take control and encourage Summer to find her a book to look at it while I was searching for what I needed. She found a book...a joke book. So, I still was finding it really hard to concentrate because then she was following me around asking me jokes....which I wouldn't ordinarily mind in any other circumstance.
I spent half my morning on the computer trying to find a solution to our scorpion issues. They seem to love to snuggle up under our covers with us at night and hang out in our bedroom. Toby got his first taste of a sting the other night while coming back from a midnight bathroom trip. When I saw the size of the one that stung him I hate to say I was glad it was him and not me this time. This year they seem to be worse than they were last year.
I really like to try and avoid using chemicals if at all possible. So after we left the library we headed to Home Depot in search of something to deter scorpions. Seems there is not much on the market for scorpions. Basically you have to kill their food source to get rid of them......I guess I better get use to our new "room mates" until I can come up with a solution.
Although Toby and I both still had tons of stuff to do when we got home, we had promised Summer a trip to the local park. I'm sure if there had been some neighborhood kids home for her to play with she would have forgotten about the promise.
Although Toby and I were dreading the park trip because of our awaiting to do list, we ended up having a good time. We even took Brandi with us.
Here are the girls sliding...
We walked the train tracks. Summer was having a blast collecting railroad spikes...my little worry wort was also a little worried about getting stuck on the tracks while a train was coming...
I think Brandi was even enjoying her little excursion...
Sometimes when you expect to find the least amount of fun, you find the most.
Cameron Park Zoo in Waco Sept. 30, 2009
We decided to head north of Austin this week. Our destination was the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas. Instead of taking interstate 35 (I always find interstate driving boring)I opted to take the FM (Farm to Market) roads.
One of my favorite things about living in this area is the roads. You can drive miles and miles at high rates of speed on these FM roads without seeing anything but farms, crops, and cows and horses. It is the most serene driving. No traffic, no cities - except small towns you drive through in a blink, just scenery.
I have to say of all the cities I have visited in Central Texas, Waco would have to be at the bottom of my list of good first impressions. Their downtown was small but it had enormous buildings that lacked charm or architectural intrigue. There was nothing about downtown Waco that was alluring at all....in my opinion. On a more positive note, as with most cities, I'm sure there are some hidden gems somewhere in their downtown area.
It's still a little warm here, but the zoo was mostly shaded so it wasn't so bad as long as you kept out of the sun. Here are some pics of our day at the zoo....
Although I had tons more pics, these are some of my favorites. I give the zoo a thumbs up. Summer must have really enjoyed it. More than once she spoke of moving to Waco to be near the zoo.
On the way to the zoo we had passed by the Dr. Pepper Museum. After our zoo trip we decided to stop in and check it out. Once we got inside we found out they would be closing soon. It wasn't worth forking out the price they wanted for the tour just to be able to stay 30 minutes. We decided to make the Dr. Pepper Museum another day. I did get a pic of Toby and Summer in front of the Museum....
We had a great day. As much as I love our "field trips" it's always just as nice to get home and relax after a long day.
One of my favorite things about living in this area is the roads. You can drive miles and miles at high rates of speed on these FM roads without seeing anything but farms, crops, and cows and horses. It is the most serene driving. No traffic, no cities - except small towns you drive through in a blink, just scenery.
I have to say of all the cities I have visited in Central Texas, Waco would have to be at the bottom of my list of good first impressions. Their downtown was small but it had enormous buildings that lacked charm or architectural intrigue. There was nothing about downtown Waco that was alluring at all....in my opinion. On a more positive note, as with most cities, I'm sure there are some hidden gems somewhere in their downtown area.
It's still a little warm here, but the zoo was mostly shaded so it wasn't so bad as long as you kept out of the sun. Here are some pics of our day at the zoo....
Although I had tons more pics, these are some of my favorites. I give the zoo a thumbs up. Summer must have really enjoyed it. More than once she spoke of moving to Waco to be near the zoo.
On the way to the zoo we had passed by the Dr. Pepper Museum. After our zoo trip we decided to stop in and check it out. Once we got inside we found out they would be closing soon. It wasn't worth forking out the price they wanted for the tour just to be able to stay 30 minutes. We decided to make the Dr. Pepper Museum another day. I did get a pic of Toby and Summer in front of the Museum....
We had a great day. As much as I love our "field trips" it's always just as nice to get home and relax after a long day.
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