Homeschool Family Day at the Capitol

 Sponsored by State Representative Jack Hoogendyk and Senator Alan Cropsey

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Ÿ 9 a.m.—3:30 p.m.

(Optional “Early-Bird” activities at 8 a.m. and tours following)

Your homeschool family will have a unique opportunity to observe the legislative process and spend time with elected officials at the State Capitol at Homeschool Family Day at the Capitol sponsored by two homeschool dads, Representative Jack Hoogendyk (61^st District) and Senator Alan Cropsey (33^rd District).

            The day will begin at 9:00 a.m. with optional “early-bird” activities, including the opportunity to attend a Conservative Coalition meeting for the first 50 that register and a Prayer Walk around the State Capitol.  You will learn firsthand how laws are made, attend a Committee Meeting, visit your Representative and Senator, and observe a Legislative Session in progress.  Workshops will include How a Bill Becomes Law, interesting Michigan History and Trivia, and a guided Tour of the Capitol.  At a Legislative Luncheon you will hear state legislators and leaders.  Governor Granholm, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, and state legislators will be invited.  Activities end at 3:30 p.m. with optional tours following.

 

Suggested donation, $2 per person Ÿ Optional catered lunch, add $5 per person Ÿ Advance Registrations Only

Registration ends—March 31 Ÿ Call today for your reservation Ÿ Space is limited!

 HOW TO REGISTER

1.   MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

Please call or e-mail with the number of adults and children in your party to reserve space, which will be held temporarily until you receive and mail back your registration.
Please include:  Name, Address, Phone, & E-mail.  Each family must register separately.  We will mail an Information and Registration Packet to you which includes a tentative schedule, maps, directions, parking information, and other vital information that you will need.  Please read the information carefully and thoroughly.

 

2.   REGISTER BY MAIL

To complete your registration, return the completed registration form with your check.  Because space is limited, your reservation will be held for two weeks from the day we mail your registration packet.  If you do not register within two weeks, your reservation will be released so others can register.  Registrations will be accepted when received, on a first-come first-served basis.  You may register until the March 31 deadline; however, those who register last may be turned away if we fill to capacity again this year.  Registrations are non-refundable.

 

3.   SAVE YOUR INFORMATION: 

You may be sent an e-mail update with important details the week before, so please monitor your e-mail.  Please keep your Information and Registration packet handy and bring it, as well as any e-mail instructions, to Lansing so you may refer to it as needed.  These are the only maps and instructions you will receive until you "Check-In" in Lansing .

 

The day is geared toward middle and high school students but many families bring younger children who enjoy the day as well.  There will be a lot of walking within a one to four-block area.  Be prepared for a long, tiring day with many interesting activities.  Each family may decide if their children are old enough to enjoy it.  Please evaluate the tentative schedule in your registration packet to help with this decision.  Our meeting room across the street from the capitol will be available throughout the day.

   Information and Registration:  Paulette Brack  Ÿ 269-353-9515 Ÿ paulettebrack@aol.com

 

WANTED:  Christian history related to the capitol or Michigan government.  If you or your students would like to help with research or have related information, please contact us.

Mark Mutter—Violin

Sunday, January 28th, 2007 4:00 PM

First United Methodist Church of Royal Oak

320 West Seventh Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067

Admission: Free, donations gladly accepted 

Featuring works by:

Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Rameau and Ravel

Guest Artists:

Amanda Sabelhaus and Suzuki Royal Oak Camerata

Please join us after the Recital for Dinner at

bd’s Mongolian Grill 430 S. Main St. Royal Oak

Adults: $25.00 -  $7.00 goes directly to SRO’s Reach For The Stars Campaign.

(incl. all you can eat soup, salad, create your own stir-fry, drink and gratuity)

Children: 3-6 yrs. $4.99 and 7-11 yrs. $5.99 (incl. food and drink).

Please make dinner RSVPs to Laurie at LKohler8@sbcglobal. net by 1/26/07.

For info visit us on the web at www.suzukiroyaloak. org or call (248) 561-7227.

For Immediate Release

October 17, 2006

Media Contact:          Marilyn Maasch or Diane Szostak

                                    email: diandi@klondyke.net

                                    Phone # 810-688-7018 or 810-395-8877

FULL  COMPLIANCE  DEMANDED .  .  .

MICHIGAN  FIGHTS  FOR  FREEDOM

Lapeer – A large watchdog group of Michigan citizens have organized an opportunity for education about the N.A.I.S. (National Animal Identification System).  The event will take place October 27^th 6:30 pm. at the North Branch High School Auditorium.  Guest speakers will include; Bruno Schmidt, the author of the “Farmers Field Guide to N.A.I.S.”, Dr. Ted Beals, M.D., retired pathologist and faculty member of U of M Medical School.  He will be discussing Bovine T.B. in relation to N.A.I.S., and Barbara Gallegly will speak on the N.A.I.S. and the effect it will have on the organic food industry.

   One person in the group said, “This program affects everyone, small farmers, 4H participants, horse owners, gardeners, pet owners, consumers and anyone who likes to eat.”

    N.A.I.S. is an aggressive U.S.D.A. Program bent on micro-chipping animals at an extremely high cost to taxpayers.  “Not only will it cost us an unbelievable amount of money, it will also cost us many constitutional freedoms we have been guaranteed by law.”

    Full compliance is expected.  “I didn't even know about N.A.I.S.  Now I find out I will soon  have to be in full compliance.  You would think this kind of thing would be all over the news but, it's not.”  one local farmer lamented.

    “Your not exempt if you live in the city.   For owning even a pair of love birds you will receive a number, be forced to chip the birds and information about you and where you live will be entered into a government database.  This issue affects every person in Michigan.”

      Invest a few short hours in the world our children will inherit, join the citizens of Michigan to find out how you can help keep Michigan free.  Please call Marilyn at 810-688-7018 or Diane at 810-395-8877 for more information.

This is long, but so funny....I cry every time I read it!!!  Please take the time to tickle your funny bone.

Jen

Hotel Soap Mixup

The following letters were taken from an actual incident during a homeschooling conference.  This is an excerpt by Shelley Berman taken from a chapter in his book A Hotel Is A Funny Place, copyright ©1985.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Maid,

Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.

Thank you,

S. Berman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Room 635,

I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.

Kathy, Relief Maid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Maid - I hope you are my regular maid.

Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them.

S. Berman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Berman,

My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further assistance.

Your regular maid,

Dotty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Berman,

The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8 AM and 5 PM.Thank you.

Elaine Carmen

Housekeeper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Miss Carmen,

It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6 PM. That's the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?

S. Berman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Berman,

Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8 AM and 5 PM.Thank you,

Elaine Carmen,

Housekeeper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Kensedder,

My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.

S. Berman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Berman,

I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.

Martin L. Kensedder

Assistant Manager

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mrs. Carmen,

Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one **** bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here. All I want is my bath size Dial. Please give me back my bath-size Dial.

S. Berman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr. Berman,

You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily. I don't know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some bath-size Ivory which I left in your room.

Elaine Carmen

Housekeeper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Mrs. Carmen,

Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory. As of today I possess:

    * On the shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.

    * On the Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.

    * On the bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet,

    * 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.

    * Inside the medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.

    * In the shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist.

    * On the northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.

    * On the northwest corner of tub - 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.

Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings.

S. Berman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 1972 and 1985 Shelley Berman

“All I am saying in this book can be summed up in two words: Trust Children. Nothing could be more simple, or more difficult. Difficult because to trust children we must first learn to trust ourselves, and most of us were taught as children that we could not be trusted.”

-John Holt, in "How Children Learn