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I'm a work in progress (aren't we all?). Once was an actress, but never took the risk to 'make it'. Now, I'm a mom, wife, teacher, sister, daughter, friend . . . so many roles, so little time!
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Closing Down
Well, I'm barely able to keep up with one blog, much less two. I just never got into the swing of things over here, so I'm going to close this blog. I moved my other blog from blogger to Andrea and Ron's new blogging endeavor, HomeschoolJournal.net. You can find me at My So-Called Homeschool, sporadically.
CLARIFICATION: Although the timing of my leaving HSB somewhat coincides with a larger effort to boycott HSB, please know that is not the reason I switched sites. While I disagree with the Pearls' parenting methods, I would not do something so childish as to take my ball and go home when I disagree. I simply had too many blogs and consolidated it all to another site. I never really developed this blog much and frankly, I find Wordpress a little easier to use. That's all.
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Posted: 4:38 PM, Mar. 25, 2006 |
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Haircut Day!
Well, she finally bit the bullet and did it. Little Miss T got her hair cut for Locks of Love!!! It is so adorable -- yeah, I know I'm biased, but I think you will agree. I also got Little Dude's buzzed, it was getting a little shaggy looking. Miss M decided she needed a new look also -- one almost just like T's, but with bangs. Here they all are, befores and afters:
 
Miss T's before pictures. Not brushed, but you can see how long it had gotten.
  
Here's the snip . . . And here's the final look!
 
Little Dude's isn't as much as a transformation as last time, but still stinkin' cute!
 
Miss M hadn't planned on a haircut, but she is so happy with this one!
This is just gratuitous cuteness!!!
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Posted: 1:41 PM, Feb. 10, 2006 |
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Hello Strangers!
It has been WAY too long since I've had a decent post. This job is KICKING MY BUTT! I don't know if it's just because I haven't had an outside job in a few years or that three and four year olds have more energy than anyone ought to have, but I'm just bushed at the end of the day. And I'm only working 4 hours a day! I've been waiting to put together a coherent (read NOT just blurting out whatever's in my head) post on my experiences of the last week, but I just haven't had the time or energy. Last week, I was ready to throw in the towel by Friday. I was in a small center, 4 kids (plus my 3), all in the same large room. It was a REALLY large room -- a former church sanctuary -- but it was just too chaotic with all ages in the same space. Plus, my girls did not want to listen to me and my son wanted to cling to me. In retrospect, I can't really put a finger on exactly why I was so frustrated, but it was some combination of those factors. So I told C over the weekend that I was just coming unglued. She told me I was doing just fine, that we'd all get used to it, and that she'd see if she could re-arrange some people so I could be over at the main center. There, the kids are all in separate rooms by age groups and I just have a few at a time until the end of the day. I start in the toddler room, which is nice -- Little D gets all acclimated and having fun -- then I move to the Blue Room, the 4s and 5s. When enough of them go home we combine the Blue and Green Rooms and I stay until the count goes down to 8 (not counting my kids). Then we all go home. I'm usually there from 3 to around 5:30. That will change as their attendance changes, I'll probably be going in around 1:00. C is on a mission trip to Brazil for two weeks, so I told her I'd stay until she got back and we'd see if I liked it by then or not. I didn't want to leave her in a lurch, since she accepted more kids based on the ration that my being there created. If I quit it would really leave her in the lurch.
I really prayed all weekend, as did my husband and best friend and you know, it really made a difference. I don't feel as frazzled and confused as I did last week. The kids really are sweet. There are a few rough ones in the bunch, but even they can give you a smile that makes it all worth it! They are so starved for love and affection -- and not because their parents don't give it too them, but because their parents are working so hard and long to just make it. The love and affection that goes on when they pick the kids up gives lie to everything I might have thought before I saw it. You know, I've been dirt-poor growing up, but if I'm honest I think I felt like country dirt-poor was somehow different than inner-city dirt poor. We may say that we aren't prejudiced against those who are different, but I think in my case I still held myself aloof or distant. These kids don't let you do that -- and it's WONDERFUL! As we were driving in, the girls said "These houses look creepy!" and they do. Some look like they should be condemned. But what we're learning together, the girls and I, is that people are people. I am ashamed to say that I knew that intellectually but not in my heart. And God, through these kids, is putting it in my heart.
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Posted: 11:29 AM, Feb. 8, 2006 |
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I owe, I owe, so off to work I go . . .
Well, maybe. I'm so not sure about this.
You know, I've blogged a little about having some financial trouble. We
are 100% committed to my staying home with the kids and continuing our
homeschooling, but something's got to give! However, a possibility has
arisen that just might help. Our preacher's wife runs a Christian
daycare in Detroit, one that serves primarily single women who can't
get jobs without getting daycare for their children, but can't get aid
to help them pay for the daycare so they can keep their job. Children's
Outreach receives corporate donations, church donations, grants, etc.
so that they can help these families out. She has an opening for a
closer, 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm. She has an afterschool program, so the
girls can come with me. Little D may present a problem, bringing him
would throw off the teacher/child ratio in his age group, but she's
hoping to work something out there. I would be in the baby room -- no
training necessary, I know how to hold babies and change diapers! I
have a bachelor's degree for pete's sake. Sounds awesome, huh? But my
basic feeling is -- I don't want to. I'm not sure why. I just don't.
You know how some people say about things they've been praying about "I
just didn't have a peace about it so I knew God didn't want me to do
it." I'm not so sure. It is a ministry of sorts. It would bring in some
extra dollars without costing us for childcare. Maybe it's just my
stubbornness. On the other hand, one of the reasons I homeschool is
that I'm concerned about the influences from kids at school. What are
they going to pick up from inner city kids??? One of my friends from
church works there and used to bring her daughter, I'll have to ask her
if she saw any difference in her behavior.
Please pray for
this situation. The preacher's wife is really pushing for a decision. I
know she wants to help us out, but she does need to fill the position
so I need to let her know. Thanks for your prayers! |
Posted: 3:45 PM, Jan. 21, 2006 |
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Holy Unschooling, Batman!
***UPDATED AT THE BOTTOM***
Well, let's see, what did we do today? The girls were playing princess
in their room when they decided to listen to Miss M's Disney Princess
song player. Lo and behold, it won't play so "Mommy, this needs
batteries!" Luckily, we were still stocked up from Christmas and I
actually knew where the tiny screwdriver was. Actually I thought I
knew, so we killed another twenty minutes looking for that and getting
Daddy's big screwdriver out. It worked and we put in new batteries, hit
play, and . . . nothing. We discovered that when you let your Disney
Princess song player sit for six months without using it your
mom should give it away the batteries leak icky stuff out and
it corrodes the little connector thingies so that the new battery
doesn't make the connection. Science lesson #1: Batteries have acid on
them -- DON'T TOUCH -- that can hurt your hands and even eat metal.
I tried to scrape the gunk off to no avail. I got some vinegar out to
see if that helped, it didn't. I suddenly remembered a childhood
experiment with pennies, vinegar, and baking soda. We got out the
baking soda and some q-tips. It made an awesome fizz in the cup but
took off very little of the gunk, leaving baking soda crystals in the
player. Meanwhile, they asked why I was using baking soda. When I told
them about the pennies, we had to go rob penny banks (my pennies were
no good) to try it. After slopping around pennies, baking soda,
vinegar, trying different amounts and combinations, and wiping up what
Little Dude dumped out on the chair and floor, we discovered that it
didn't work that well. I told the girls that maybe it has to sit a
while (although I was sure our pennies started gleaming right away as a
kid), then I managed to get that out and scrape off enough of the gunk
so that it played again. I think they listened to it all of 5 minutes
and were on to something else.
Then, while tidying up the
kitchen, I moved the salt shaker and BAM it hit me! Not baking soda,
SALT! I called them back in and we sprinkled salt into two of the cups.
The third we left with just baking soda to see if it would eventually
clean the penny (it didn't). Science Lesson #2: Salt and vinegar clean
copper. If I were a reeeeeeally good unschooling mom, I would have
looked up online to see WHY the vinegar and salt clean the pennies.
Maybe I'll go do that now.
Curriculum, shmiculum!
I did a little Googling and found this neat
experiment. Not only does it explain why the salt and vinegar
clean the pennies, it adds a second cause/effect. I think we'll try
that today if the girls are still curious.
Cross-posted to my other blog
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Posted: 10:47 PM, Jan. 10, 2006 |
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An Eye Scare
(Cross-posted)
We had a little scare today. Actually, it started yesterday at church.
Little T's Sunday school teacher asked me after church "What's wrong
with Little T's eyes?". I gave her a look like "What you talkin bout
Willis" and told her that I didn't know she was having any problems. So
much for homeschooling parents having a better idea of what's going on
with their kids, right? She told me she had noticed her every few
seconds peering out of the corner of her eye, sometimes one eye and
sometimes another, almost like a tic. I hadn't noticed this, although
she has an annoying habit of not looking at me when I'm talking to her
and rolling her eyes at me when I'm trying to chastise her for
something (yeah, call me dense). So I watched her the rest of the day
and sure enough sometimes she would turn her whole head to do it and
sometimes she would just roll her eye outward. We called the
pediatrician today, I thought he'd probably just recommend a pediatric
opthamologist or optometrist, but he had her come in so he could take a
look. Actually, I was glad. With articles like this
out there, you can't be too careful -- and I'm glad he is
very careful. But he checked her vision and tracking, said it was fine
and talked to her a little. Turns out she's probably allergic to our
new wool rug. Her eyes are itching and she's rolling them around to wet
them and stop the itching. But her rolling has come to be a habit and
now she does it all the time. So he gave us an antihistimine to stop
the itching and she'll have to consciously stop the eye rolling -- not
easy! But at least it's not a too-mah.
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Posted: 2:30 PM, Jan. 9, 2006 |
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Let's get this party started!
OK, I think I'm just going to get
started. I'm still trying to get a cool template going, but I'll
get it eventually. I'm going to keep both blogs going, but this
one will be more homeschool-oriented. Because, you know, I need
to be spending more time on the computer!
Speaking of
time on the computer. My dear, sweet, hubby really lost his
temper the other day when the house was all chaotic and I was sitting
here tap, tap, tapping away. He said some not-very-nice things
and stomped off. I turned the computer off and started doing what
I should have been doing to start with. He apologized later,
something to the effect of "You didn't deserve that." I replied
with a flat, honest "Yes, I did." I've been giving my family the
leftovers -- leftover energy, leftover effort, leftover
attention. I spend WAY too much time on this box. It is my
connection to the world, my reinforcement in my homeschooling, my 'me'
time. But I need to turn it off more often. If I had a New
Year's Resolution, that would be it. I don't make those, because
I generally flop around the 3rd. But I will commit myself to
trying harder. Because they deserve better. I deserve to BE
better.
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Posted: 11:10 PM, Jan. 4, 2006 |
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Template Experiments
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I have NO idea what I'm doing, so please
bear with me. I'm trying to get the gem graphic in a header
instead of a repeating background, by using an existing template and
tweaking it. So far, I'm not having a lot of luck. I just
wanted to warn you in case you come by and it's all wonky! |
Posted: 10:02 AM, Dec. 28, 2005 |
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Just Getting Started
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I'm just getting things set up here,
not moving in yet. I'll probably wait til after the Homeschool
Blog Awards to make the move. Andrea did
my last template, so I'm going to mess around with this one and see how
much I can screw it up before I have to have her help me out,
lol! Meanwhile, check out my current blog, and watch for the switchover.
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Posted: 1:28 PM, Dec. 14, 2005 |
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