I love " When I was a kid" stories..... don't you?
I was talking to my Grandma Bates just the other day, as she was reliving her teen and new-mom years out loud with me. I was thinking how different it all was... but even in one generation, things can really change, especially with such dramatic differences in growing up....
When I was a teen, by my daughter's age(14), I was anything but straight-laced. I tried to put up a sort of front for my parents who may have seen the facade slip a bit here and there. I was boy crazy, a know it all, experimenting with sex, drugs, skipping school.....learning about the occult.....prideful, disobedient and defiant to the core. My parents would ground me or something and I would seethe... stomp to my room and cuss them.....turn up the heavy metal real loud. I was rebellious but more in a passive aggressive way, since I was treated very strictly, often physically. To me, my mother was an embarrassment in those difficult years... she wore BELL BOTTOMS and listened to OLD MUSIC for Pete's sake! I vividly recall shrinking down into my seat as we sat at a stoplight....while she had the windows open.... the dreaded oldies station blaring , tapping her foot on the brake making the station-wagon dance to the hideous rhythm..... praying that my friends would not witness this!
Trinity is so NOT LIKE ME , it is strange. She is like the purer, kinder, funner me that I never became... but she is also very much herself. She is helpful....generally loving, kind, happy to be with me, and not antagonistic. She isn't afraid of what anyone thinks of her.. and likes the music I like... she is the one with the windows down in the car singing along with me. She knows God, values her family and has FUN! She enjoys the company of her friends and even her brothers, like I never did. She is not even really interested in romantic relationships at the moment.
I had heard that when a daughter grows up, she becomes your friend, but I never really believed it could happen to me... after all, my mother and I still have trouble getting along though we live over 100 miles apart! Trinity is a great kid and I am so happy to have her here!
What else will she do differently? I wonder what her future holds. I think that she will be content in being herself... I can't picture her homeschooling, really... I expect that she will have a housefull of furbabies or a zoo...
Homeschooling can change more than just the education of an individual, it can change a whole family dynamic.
Thanks to http://chrisbrogan.com for the inspiration
Since Trinity's hair spray was all gone and it was such a mess, she opted for the blond vampire look- it was still stunning, but not quite as beautiful as the black haired costume.
I don't know about your town, but in ours, most people go to a particular street to trick or treat. Every year, it is done up very nicely with dramatic yards and light shows and all kinds of fun stuff. Even adults dress up in this town! I love my city! So this year, for the first time, we went out before sundown. We brought our little Min-Pin, Fiona with, dressed as Dracula.
It was a great, although, you could tell that even these people in their nicer houses were feeling the economic crunch. They used to hand out bags of chips, full-size candy bars, cans of pop, Lil- Debbies, juice boxes, etc.
We met our Pastor Ron and his wife Mary there and walked with them a ways. It was a nice time to be out, with fair weather. It is usually freezing and rainy here on Halloween, but this time, the air was warmer, without clouds, and we didn't even have to wear coats!
After trick or treating, there was a party for the kids at the Y, provided by our church, but we didn't go, because Rowan, the only one in the proper age group, was being very defiant most of the day.
Well, I DON"T have pictures of Harley being a sushi roll or of Rowan being the Roman...
I realized that by the time I bought all the doo-dads for this elaborate costume that I would have spent more than just buying one. I mentioned this to Harley- ever the generous, practical one, and he said he would rather not spend that much money I was saddened. I dislike buying the same darn costume that every other kid is wearing, and not having the fun of creating something interesting. But I thank God and Harley because I also did not need the stress this time. Once we get to October, it seems like we are always busy right up through New Years day, every year. We have stuff on our calandar this year every day from October 29th till the 4th of November. No time really to work on being creative and stay SANE
So, on the 30th, Trinity dressed as a vampire bride. We sprayed her hair black, gave her blood dripping from her goulishly purple lips and she wore an old white dress, veil, and poncho. Harley got a ninja costume. Rowan had a Darth Vader suit we found at Goodwill, and Harley's Darth Vader head piece. Raymond vollunteered to pass out candy at Wal-mart, so we all took a 2 hour walk around the supercenter.
That black hair spray stuff is MESSY though- i had Trin take a shower thinking it would just wash right down the drain, but soon discovered it was on EVERYTHING in the shower. It came off with Comet though.
I was helping Harley make a sushi costume Here it is at Family Fun
which, by the way, is NOT shown in their picture- it is a different version pictured and we had to adjust the measurements somewhat.
Rowan came to me wearing a red pillowcase, plastic helmet, a cream and brown shirt, carrying a sword made from Geotrax and a shield he made all by himself out of cardboard remnants.
"I want to be a Roman." He told me.
I was just floored that he had the ingenuity to come up with this all on his own! We are, BTW, studying Rome and reading " The Bronze Bow"... I guess he was learning! He had some other ideas too... " Hey, I know, Mom! You can be my SLAVE! you can walk behind me and then you can get candy too when we go trick or treating!" What a great idea! :)
Later, he walked back the bedroom where Raymond was lying down playing his DS. " Hey, Dad, you can go trick or treating with me! You can walk with me in a sheet and when people come to the door, I can say 'Hail Ceasar!' to you! Won't that be FUN, Dad?"
He is so much FUN!
I will have to close this for now and return later with pics:)
When I was a very young child, I can remember only seeing cartoons on Saturdays. I was an early riser every day of the week anyway, so I didn't get up particularly early on those days. My Dad used to call if "Cartoon Day", and he enjoyed classics, like Looney Tunes. I was never very fond of Bugs and his pals myself, but I DID really enjoy the Flintstones. That's probably because one of the first things I read was about dinosaurs, and I just fell in love with prehistoric creatures in general.
Do you laugh out loud when you watch cartoons? I don't usually, unless they are particularly funny.
I don't watch a whole lot of animation nowadays... mostly because we don't have cable... I don't want to fund it. The more I'm without it, the more I see that television, in general is just not promoting what I find to be of value. I also feel that the "educational" or "children's" programming on most networks serve to :
1. Indoctrinate them further within the confines of the world of political correctness
2.Captivate our kids long enough to give the advertisers free reign in their hearts
3.Keep them from using their brains to enjoy and explore the world God gave us.
I DO, however, enjoy feature-length Disney cartoons, and Pixar, and some Dreamworks. I also am a fan of Big Idea, which produces Veggie Tales and 321 Penguins.
A newer animated series, which I enjoy is called Angel Wars. While it is given to certain poetic liscence, it is still a great tool for illustrating spiritual warfare.
I didn't take the bunny.
Trinity is hoping for the hedgehog and I don't really want a rabbit. I don't know what our neighbor's did with it, but they haven't come back by. Raymond didn't make any decision- I did since he left it up to me..
It started out with a trip out to the humane society to get papers for Trinity to begin vollunteering... the kitties were all so cute! and I told her that under no circumstances would we be bringing home another cat or dog!
Tinkerbelle is not spayed and the bathroom floor has a hole in it- she climbed right under the floor. She is almost 2 years old and has yet to actually go into heat... at least as far as we can tell.... Raymond found her there yesterday when he was working on it.... only because we are slowly making repairs to our totally ruined bathroom.... I'll have to post about that another day.... it'll be long... it was an adventure:)
Today it was a day late for feeding Esther, Rowan's snake.... So Trin got his tank down and began to dig through the substrate to find him... but he wasn't there! We keep his 10 gallon tank on a bookshelf, boxed in so that our kitties Tinkerbelle and Princess can't get him... We also keep 2 heavy cookbooks sandwiched between the lid and the bookshelf above him because snakes do like to get out and corn snakes are very curious. They love to explore and push the boundaries. I adore our snake- he is cute- no fear.. just a beautiful creature.
Today I watched a documentary on Netflix about Heaven.... It seems that Satan was cast down to earth possibly before it was created. at least in the form we know today? .. hmmm...... and I wonder WHY the Bible refers to him as a serpent in Genesis? I don't really think that the snake is an incarnation of him.... I have thought that perhaps before the fall all animals talked, and so it was not unusual for Eve to hear an animal say something to her....I think maybe he is a shapeshifter- makes sense as he also masquerades as an angel of light...but ANYWAY.. I was talking about somthing else wasn't I?
Ok so we were panicking because we didn't see him, and I just could not believe he was GONE! But- no he was just snuggled up- ok more like wedged- into his little ceramic tree thingy's underside.....which he gladly left when I set him down on the computer table.
As Trin defrosted pinkies.... there was a rap at the door- "Grab the DOG!" I shouted at my boys as Fiona yapped, snarled and jumped at the door. It was a neighbor girl that is new. I don't know her name , but she asked for Trinity, and then J, a neighbor girl we know walked up asking if we would like a rabbit...
We have a ZOO already, and although I wanted this little black and white cuddly ball of fur- I told them that I would have to ask my hubby and if they had it when tomorrow rolled around, I might be able to take her.
I am sure that my husband is not the type that has to be asked for his permission- he is very permissive with me- to a fault I think, but I wanted to show him respect by waiting till he got home. I also know that he wouldn't be looking at the big black eyes of this little bunny.. and taking it without thinking - just like I could have done.....
I don't think we have room or money for a rabbit.... but Trinity who is set on getting a hedgehog said that she would take a rabbit instead.... but then there are the cats and dog to consider- they are predatory.... and at least a hedghog wouldn't be an easy meal or frightened to death!
But where do you send a rabbit who has no home? the Humane society won't take it without money and the girls have no where to take it.....
Hello
or those of you who asked.....
I am doing better, but this thing is just hanging on! I think the virus may have actually mutated and went around here again, or we caught another. Raymond started feeling ill last night. The only one who so far has not been sick is Harley. Got a LOT of housework and schoolwork to catch up on. Seemed like every time the laundry got almost caught up, someone was vomiting on their bed... why do kids always puke in their BEDS?
Even our cats have thrown up recently.....
Trinity and I are still dealing with chest congestion, and I am SO TIRED!!!!
And We have discovered that we have a raccoon or a family of them living right beneath our floor. Not cool.
They have destroyed some of the ductwork..... and they are noisy, and they are scaring our dog.
The park won't help, animal control in our backward town oddly enough does not have a license for dealing with wild animals(?!) and so far, we have not gotten ahold of anyone at the city.
So..... I don't know what we are going to do. If we trap one ourselves, we can't be sure that there are no babies who will have to starve to death and then stink up the house hidden who knows where. And then there is the possibility of getting bitten......
I will be posting some more interesting/fun helpful things in the future....
Thanks for all of your concern and prayers!
Well, I'm a Mom, a Medical Assistant, a knitter, kite flyer, nature lover...Around here we have special needs, ( Asperger's, ADHD, Bi-polar) a few animal pals, some tattoos and a homeschool. It's our 6th year. This is my 16th year of marriage to a Mr. Visionary who happens to be a walking miracle.
I was saddened. I dislike buying the same darn costume that every other kid is wearing, and not having the fun of creating something interesting. But I thank God and Harley because I also did not need the stress this time. Once we get to October, it seems like we are always busy right up through New Years day, every year. We have stuff on our calandar this year every day from October 29th till the 4th of November. No time really to work on being creative and stay SANE
