Nov. 26, 2009 - thanksgiving
me and my family are staying at our grandparents house for thanksgiving. our grandpa cooked the most amazing thanksgiving dinner. we watched gi joe last night. that`s it. ~allyson
Nov. 24, 2009 - Ive been Tagged!!!
By Domingo
1. What's on your mind right now: Youth tonight!!!! WOOO!
2.Who's your best guy friend: I have three, Josiah, Auston, and Josh
3. Where is your biological mother right now: Drinking coffee in the living room
5. Do you have any piercings: Nada
6. Do you have any tattoos: Nope, nothin
7. Is your driveway steep: Sorta
8. Name 3 things you did today: Got up, Walked downstairs, posted on homeschoolblogger
9. Last person you texted: I have never texted anyone in my whole, entire life!
10. What have you eaten today: I had a toasted cheese sandwhich and fake coffee (No caffeine!)
11. What shoe do you put on first: My right foot usually
12. What do you get complimented on most: My clothes (They say im fashionable, Aww shucks, lol)
13.What'd the last text you received say: I have never received a text before!
14. What is the last thing you do before you go to bed: Usually read a book
15. Have you ever kissed somebody named Sean: Nope... that would be plain wrong for me!!! IM A GUY!!!
16. If you had to choose to not wash either your sheets or hand towels which would you choose: Sheets, its such a pain, lol
17. What would you change about your life right now: Nothing, i like my life the way it is
18. How do you feel about public displays of affection: I dont mind it really, I dont like it, but i dont mind it
19. Have you ever bitten your nails: YES, ITS A DUMB HABIT OF MINE!!! (sorry for yelling at you :-()
20. Do you live alone: No, not yet... hehehe
21. Do you like someone right now: Nope, and im proud of it!!!!
22. Can you keep a secret: Sometimes, it depends....
23. What has been the best year of your life:I think they were all about the same in good times and bad
24. Do you have any strange phobias: SPIDERS!!!!
25. What is your favorite Romantic movie: I guess a Walk to Remember
26. Are you happy with your living arrangement: Yup, but our house makes strange noises when its quiet, but its like that for everyone... isnt it?
27. Have you ever played twister: Yup, we own it!!!
28. Have you ever been drunk at school: No, I've never been drunk before!
29. Last thing you received in the mail: A post card, when my friend thats a girl was on vacation (I WOULD NEVER SAY GIRL FRIEND. EEEW!!!)
30. Have you ever kissed someone whose name begins with D: Ummm.... nope.... Well, a long time ago, i kissed my dad on the cheek (that sounds creepy (barfs))
31: Ever had a sleepover with the opposite sex: When i was like 5 or 4
32. Do you have trust issues: Nope
33. Do you tend to rip the label off of water bottles: Sometimes....
34. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone: My Youth Leader for Youth...
35: Are you a cuddler: Nope, eeew, thats the most wrong question... im a hugger, lol
36: When was the last time you gave advice to somebody: I can't remember!!! wow, im not nice, lol
37. What was going through your mind during your last kiss:Okay lets just get this straight! I have never been kissed by a girl who wasn't a family member!
38. Have you ever hurt somebody when you were mad: Yup, but i regret it :-(
39. Is it easier to forgive or forget: I forgive, but i forget, ummm, I DONT KNOW!!! Both i guess
40. Do you give second chances to easily: It depends on the person!!! lol
41. Kiss with your eyes open or closed: Ummm???? i dont know????
42. Do you have a best friend: Yeah! I have three!!!
43. Are you friends with your last ex: Never had a girlfriend, im not dating until im about 18, its a life desicion!!! lol, i dont want to date.
44. Would you live with someone without marrying them: No way! that would be just plain wrong!!!!
45. Ever had plans but broke them: Tons, and tons of times!
46. Do you think your ex is a player: ...... I NEVER DATED IN MY LIFE...... and im proud of it :-)
47. Do you have a friend of the opposite/same sex that you talk to 24/7: Nope, not really
48. Do you remember what you were like a year ago: I was umm... shorter.... and..... I have better clothes now..... and, uuuuh.... yeah
49. Have you ever had a dream about a person you love dying:Yes, I actually woke up crying :-( it was quite sad :-(
50. Who is the last person you cried in front of: probably...... uuuuuuhh...... SHOCKINLY I HAVENT CRIED IN A LONG TIME!!!!
51. Have you ever shaved in the kitchen sink: No, i dont shave, thats my only reason :-)
52. Is it awkward when you run into you ex: no, because i dont have a ex... I NEVER DATED!!!
53: Who is the last person you've had a sleepover with: My friend Josh, he came over to my house, we played video games alot!!! :-)
Nov. 24, 2009 - NEA Puts Power Ahead of Kids
It's really no surprise to anyone ever that the NEA was more interested in protecting its power than educating children. What is surprising is that they actually feel confident enough in their power to admit it. Here's the NEA's General Counsel admitting as much in his retirement speech this past summer.
"Despite what some among us would like to believe it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power....
This is not to say that the concern of NEA and its affiliates with closing achievement gaps, reducing dropout rates, improving teacher quality and the like are unimportant or inappropriate. To the contrary. These are the goals that guide the work we do. But they need not and must not be achieved at the expense of due process, employee rights and collective bargaining. That simply is too high a price to pay.
(View YouTube video on this subject here.)
If you're a parent with children in the public schools you can voice your objections here. But the best way to object is by removing your children from their schools. Without your children they have no real power.
In a related story, future teachers in Minnesota are being "reducated" and become "culturally competent"
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin in order to obtain a teacher certificate.
-Spunky
Cross-posted, with permission, from SpunkyHomeSchool
Nov. 23, 2009 - Almost done
I'm almost done with my room. It is so cool. The walls are lime green, the trim is black, around the doors and the window sill are hot pink, and the door and the closet doors are going to be chalkboard black. I will post pictures of it when it is done. Oh one more thing I got a new bed it's a trundle bed I sleep at the bottom and my sister sleeps on the top.
That is it for now bye
Kathryn
Nov. 22, 2009 - Calvary Scene
For the thanksgiving theme, here is a little scene I built representing the thing we are most thankful for.
Now, I've always been a fan of 3D pictures and have tried to make some of my own in the past, but I was not really satisfied with my results. The other day, I saw "A Christmas Carol" in 3D and that inspired a need to try again. So, if you have your red/cyan 3D glasses at hand, take a look at this.
Or, if you have yellow/blue 3D glasses...
(click any picture for a full size image)
BTW: If these pictures are too dark to see clearly, then tell me and I'll see if I can't lighten them up a bit.
Nov. 18, 2009 - Homeschoolers and Health Care
For all my homeschooling friends who think ObamaCare will solve their financial and health insurance woes, think again. It may give you temporary relief for your financial headache, but it may also invite government nannies into your home to improve your child's well-being and health.
HR 3200 that passed the House of Representatives, currently has a provision for funding states that implement a "voluntary" home visitation program for parents with young children or who are expecting. (See Sec. 1904 sec. 440)
The intended purpose is to " improve the well-being, health, and development of children by enabling the establishment and expansion of high quality programs providing voluntary home visitation for families with young children and families expecting children."In America we used to believe that was the role of the parent, but now it's the role of our benevolent and compassionate Uncle Sam. A gaze over the Atlantic will show us exactly where we're headed,
"Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought to be at “greatest risk of unintentional injury”.
Council staff will then be tasked with overseeing the installation of safety devices in homes, including smoke alarms, stair gates, hot water temperature restrictors, oven guards and window and door locks.
The draft guidance by a committee at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been criticised as intrusive and further evidence of the “creeping nanny state”.
Where are the safety devices for the "creeping nanny" who keeps sticking her nose into our personal lives?
Why homeschoolers support this bill or President Obama is beyond my understanding.
-Spunky
Cross-posted, with permission, from SpunkyHomeSchool
Nov. 16, 2009 - State Mandated Parental Interference
Mike Huckabee, Chuck Norris, and Michael Farris talk about how the new health care bill that will allow the government to enter our homes and tell us how to parent our own children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqmDC28jPk
You can read Chuck Norris' article about the bill on World Net Daily.
Huckabee, Norris, and Farris also discuss how international law may be used to judge a case on juvenile heinous crimes instead of American law. This is important for homeschoolers to know because because the international law that may be used is from Europe and Europe has made the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. So Europe is telling us how we have to judge our juvenile criminals and that can lead to telling us how we have to raise our children as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrtiEAC1wlk&NR=1
Hat tip to Lisa Barthuly
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Nov. 13, 2009 - Artifically Induced Dyslexia?
Recently I was introduced to an article that piqued my interest. I read the article carefully to make sure I was understanding it, and to make sure I wasn't skipping any clues that the author might be a crack-pot. Plenty of people think I'm one, so I suppose I should be able to recognize one when I see it.
The article is called, "Can Dyslexia Be Artificially Induced in School? Yes, Says Researcher Edward Miller" and it's written by Samuel L. Blumenfeld, a name many homeschoolers should recognize because he's the author of Alpha Phonics.
Now, I admit that I know next to nothing about dyslexia. So I thought I'd do a little research on what dyslexia is. Interestingly, it isn't just about seeing and writing letters backwards or upside down, that is only one symptom, and someone with dyslexia may not have that symptom at all. Basically, it's anyone who struggles with reading. Not necessarily a dislike of reading, but someone who truly struggles with decoding and comprehension. That is not a medical description, but the sum of what I read from several dyslexia help websites. All of them agreed, however, that dyslexia is always either inherited or neurological in nature.
Mr. Blumenfeld and Mr. Miller disagree with the above theory. They believe that the cause of this artificially induced dyslexia is caused by the sight word reading method and they offer evidence that backs their theory. Read the article, it's very fascinating! (Note: There was one "bad" word in the article but not so bad that I didn't want to write this post and link you to the article. Just be aware that's it's there and I know that it's there.)
Now one of the things mentioned in the article are the Dr. Seuss books. Dr. Seuss himself apparently thought sight word reading was a lot of twaddle. Still, he wrote the books and made tons of money. Why this interested me is because two of my children went to bed one night with Green Eggs and Ham and the next day they could read nearly anything I put before them. Wallah! The mystery of decoding words was revealed! So if sight reading can cause dyslexia why could my daughters read anything and with a voracious appetite? The simple reason is that I had been teaching them phonics, not how to sight read. They didn't memorize the words in the book, they sounded them out.
My youngest daughter didn't learn to read until the end of her third grade year. She struggled with reading until that point. All of her symptoms pointed to dyslexia. After reading the linked to article, I began to think more about the change. If what the article says is true, then my youngest daughter should still be dyslexic, and yet three months after she started learning to read she was reading The Hobbit. It struck me that what I had been using to teach my daughter to read prior to the few months before her night with Green Eggs and Ham had been sight word books like Dick and Jane, and Rod and Staff Pathway readers. The books themselves don't teach using phonics, but I was still trying to use them to do just that and supplementing with phonics because I knew phonics was the best way to teach reading. My daughter was caught in that limbo state mentioned in the article.
Because my daughter struggled with reading, I kept reading her schoolwork to her knowing that when she was ready to read, she would. We never made a big deal out of it. Then in the middle of her third grade year I switched to just a phonics reading program. The night my daughter went to bed with Green Eggs and Ham she read the words by sound, not sight. She then took off with her reading, the method of reading set. Praise the Lord it was phonics and not sight reading! By fourth grade many of the students reading method is set, and for many of those it was set before then. I think my daughter wasn't set before that because we weren't forcing her to learn to read like they would have in the public school.
All I can say is that the article totally fit the pattern that my family experienced. I know that it was teaching reading by sight that caused my niece in public school no end of struggle and tears for many years. The public school system still believes that sight word reading is a valuable tool and it refuses to look at the evidence that shows the dangers of it. I won't say that sight reading is bad for all students, it is used to teach the deaf, but we are talking about a handful of students who need to learn to read this way. If the schools would quit pushing students to learn to read before they are even ready, and use phonics to teach reading in the mean time, they would have a much better success rate at making children literate.
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
Nov. 11, 2009 - Courtship in the 24/7 Era
My friend, Kim, has a saying on her Facebook, "A woman's heart should be so lost in God, that a man has to seek Him in order to find her." But this generation seems to be lost to Facebook and their cellphone making it way too easy not only to find her but everything about her too. The combination has made any rules of engagement (pun intended) obsolete.
David Brooks examines how cell phones have changed the dating game.
Once upon a time — in what we might think of as the “Happy Days” era — courtship was governed by a set of guardrails. Potential partners generally met within the context of larger social institutions: neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and families. There were certain accepted social scripts. The purpose of these scripts — dating, going steady, delaying sex — was to guide young people on the path from short-term desire to long-term commitment.As a parent, we've encouraged our young adults to establish appropriate guardrails which will help them navigate the temptations that are ever before their eyes. But it isn't easy for them or us. We understand the traps that lay before them that could derail their hopes and dreams, but frequently our young people only see another "friend" to add to their growing list.
Over the past few decades, these social scripts became obsolete. They didn’t fit the post-feminist era. So the search was on for more enlightened courtship rules. You would expect a dynamic society to come up with appropriate scripts. But technology has made this extremely difficult. Etiquette is all about obstacles and restraint. But technology, especially cellphone and texting technology, dissolves obstacles. Suitors now contact each other in an instantaneous, frictionless sphere separated from larger social institutions and commitments.
In the "Happy Day's era as Brooks identifies it, a young man thought longer before he reached for a phone and called a girl. More importantly, the ring of the phone and one-side of the conversation were heard throughout the household. Now, the instantaneous access to a new friend through cell phones makes it easy, very private, and speeds up the courtship process. Add in social networking sites like Facebook and young adults quickly learn what their new friend's favorite food, music, song, and a whole lot more before the first date. They become emotionally bonded and "in a relationship" before parents and others in their social sphere know they even exist.
Even parents like us, who have encouraged our children not to commit to a long-term relationship until they are ready for marriage are struggling how to navigate these waters. The only "script" seems to be written by the next generation as they go along, eliminating many safeguards that prevented heart break or at least softened the blow.
God said it was not good for man to be alone, so He created woman and said it was very good. We created technology that has become our constant companion and what is happening to our generation because of it isn't so good.
-Spunky
Cross-posted, with permission, from SpunkyHomeSchool
Nov. 10, 2009 - H1N1 shot AGAIN!
Last week i missed getting one because we came on time and the ladie said their not giving any out so that sucked! anyways now i have to go tonight at 6:00Pm... something like that. Anyways like i said i have to get it AGAIN!!! anyways i g2g, bye 
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