I know that there were some that had not heard on twitter, DH did indeed get fired from his job just the start of December. Its a really tough blow, seeing how we are just trying to get back on our feet and all. We are hopeful that our case for unemployment will not get denied and we can at least have that to get us through the time being.
I am looking for positions that I might be able to do part time during the night, or perhaps mid-day, and we have been searching for jobs for DH, with no luck.
As far as plans go, if DH does get unemployment and can not find another position quickly, we are going to both get some PELL Grants and get some more schooling in so that we have a more diverse resume.
Most of the work that I see, that would be able to pay the 35 thousand that we require to live off of, require a B of Science, or some technical degree, so I would do the "desk job" type schooling and DH would be more hands on. Thus opening our options a lot more.
Being in a small town, next to a small town, does have its limitations, and we found them. No jobs in a state that is really high for unemployment rate.
Really, there is no place to go but up from here.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
DD1's Homeschooling type classroom
I have had the chance to go to the classrooms and be a fly on the wall for DD and see if I can give them some sensory helper/pointers on how to meet her special needs.
I was quite shocked about the class. Being that I was public schooled my entire life and hated it all, I figured that it would be way structured, boring, and dry. It wasn't.
The morning announcements came on and there were many stragglers getting to their desks. One child chose to sit in the teachers chair at the back of the room. All were asked if they could stand and recite the pledge, and the kids did. When the pledge was done many went back to what they were doing before, sharpening pencils that didn't need it, spinning in teachers chair with puppet monkey, crouching behind chair with dinosaur.... Not the 3rd grade classroom I was expecting, by far.
I silently watched this class move in this sort of organized chaos for two and a half hours. The kids were asked to participate, but not forced to. There were reminders here and there, but the kids chose to do the stuff, or not, at their leisure. I was a little dismayed that some of the kids were doing distracting things, like the one wondering to the front of the class with the puppet, but she wandered to the back to sit again quickly enough. The one child hid behind his chair on the floor silently playing with his toy for 1.5 hours of my visit, but he never did bother another student, never had an outburst, and the teacher did not stop the others from doing their work by addressing loudly that there was a straggler in their midst. The teacher would walk over and silently whisper that his book was ready, whenever he was.
It seemed like a college class to me. The kids knew they could either do the activity, or be quiet and let the others do it. The ebb and flow of the room energy told the teacher when to transition away and have a sensory break from what they were doing, it called for toe touches and long arm twisties followed by jumping jacks after the first reading. This got the one girl in the back interested, and she opened the book and started following. When it was time to switch it up, the kids got to finish reading on their own, and then the table group could play a learning game of their choice silently while the rest finished.
Rather quickly I noticed that some just shut the books and got the board games, some were reminded (like my DD) that they needed to ACTUALLY read, then play. :) Half the class went to "switch" in another classroom, and the rest were doing their thing in the class, set in designated center spots. Teacher was at table with 6 kids doing a hands on center. He would get them going and free himself up to peek at everyone else and make sure they were following rules and such.
Each child was treated as an individual. Not one child was chosen that didnt have their hand up. Not one child was called to read that didnt want to. Not one child was berated in front of the class for playing with a toy, or not following along close enough.
It was something I have never seen in a school setting, well not an elementary school setting.
The class was taught as if they all understand that the teachers can't actually TEACH you anything, you have to LEARN it, it's all a CHOICE. He was guiding them towards that choice, showing them the way with honey lined trail, and more and more while I sat there, I saw them following along.
Even the slow to start ones. ;)
I was quite shocked about the class. Being that I was public schooled my entire life and hated it all, I figured that it would be way structured, boring, and dry. It wasn't.
The morning announcements came on and there were many stragglers getting to their desks. One child chose to sit in the teachers chair at the back of the room. All were asked if they could stand and recite the pledge, and the kids did. When the pledge was done many went back to what they were doing before, sharpening pencils that didn't need it, spinning in teachers chair with puppet monkey, crouching behind chair with dinosaur.... Not the 3rd grade classroom I was expecting, by far.
I silently watched this class move in this sort of organized chaos for two and a half hours. The kids were asked to participate, but not forced to. There were reminders here and there, but the kids chose to do the stuff, or not, at their leisure. I was a little dismayed that some of the kids were doing distracting things, like the one wondering to the front of the class with the puppet, but she wandered to the back to sit again quickly enough. The one child hid behind his chair on the floor silently playing with his toy for 1.5 hours of my visit, but he never did bother another student, never had an outburst, and the teacher did not stop the others from doing their work by addressing loudly that there was a straggler in their midst. The teacher would walk over and silently whisper that his book was ready, whenever he was.
It seemed like a college class to me. The kids knew they could either do the activity, or be quiet and let the others do it. The ebb and flow of the room energy told the teacher when to transition away and have a sensory break from what they were doing, it called for toe touches and long arm twisties followed by jumping jacks after the first reading. This got the one girl in the back interested, and she opened the book and started following. When it was time to switch it up, the kids got to finish reading on their own, and then the table group could play a learning game of their choice silently while the rest finished.
Rather quickly I noticed that some just shut the books and got the board games, some were reminded (like my DD) that they needed to ACTUALLY read, then play. :) Half the class went to "switch" in another classroom, and the rest were doing their thing in the class, set in designated center spots. Teacher was at table with 6 kids doing a hands on center. He would get them going and free himself up to peek at everyone else and make sure they were following rules and such.
Each child was treated as an individual. Not one child was chosen that didnt have their hand up. Not one child was called to read that didnt want to. Not one child was berated in front of the class for playing with a toy, or not following along close enough.
It was something I have never seen in a school setting, well not an elementary school setting.
The class was taught as if they all understand that the teachers can't actually TEACH you anything, you have to LEARN it, it's all a CHOICE. He was guiding them towards that choice, showing them the way with honey lined trail, and more and more while I sat there, I saw them following along.
Even the slow to start ones. ;)
Friday, December 3, 2010
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach
School had just let out and I get a call, the person on the phone identifies as the local police department and said that DS2 (my 13 yr old) gave them our number...
Then she said that she hoped it was ok...
I was thinking that something was wrong, but then she said that she hoped it was ok for my son to give out my number? That didn't make sense.
As I am trying to figure this out, two calls came back to back that I just let ring.
She then, FINALLY, went on to explain that they had several trees for the holiday that were donated and someone had given our name!
After I got over the first thought of something wrong, I was super elated to find that our name had been passed on as a family that might be one to use a tree this season!
I was told that it was a 6 foot tree and I was more than welcome to pick it up tomorrow when DH was home. :)
Then she said that she hoped it was ok...
I was thinking that something was wrong, but then she said that she hoped it was ok for my son to give out my number? That didn't make sense.
As I am trying to figure this out, two calls came back to back that I just let ring.
She then, FINALLY, went on to explain that they had several trees for the holiday that were donated and someone had given our name!
After I got over the first thought of something wrong, I was super elated to find that our name had been passed on as a family that might be one to use a tree this season!
I was told that it was a 6 foot tree and I was more than welcome to pick it up tomorrow when DH was home. :)
They said what?
I had a woman ask me, more than once, if the number of kids I had said were mine, were "all" mine.
I understood, right away, what she was asking. She wanted to know if I had birthed them all and it was not a case of "his, mine, ours" or some variation of birth and adopted. This question happens much more than you think it would!
I used to get really offended because it is kind of a stupid question to ask a stranger. Would it really matter to a stranger who the birth parents of the kids I am in charge of are? To step back and look at the question I can see that it doesn't happen often, so it can be surprising. I can also look to the fact that I am a rather petite person, so some people might not think that I had all the kids myself. (although they all look like little clones, so I don't see how someone would think otherwise)
I understand curiosity, but when you are a stranger, it is more like probing. Don't ask if I am trying to be like that family that "has 19 kids." Just because I have many doesn't mean I am religious, or don't know what birth control is, or have many baby daddies.
Sometimes the conversation should stay a little less personal, like when in the middle of a store, talking to a stranger. ;)
I understood, right away, what she was asking. She wanted to know if I had birthed them all and it was not a case of "his, mine, ours" or some variation of birth and adopted. This question happens much more than you think it would!
I used to get really offended because it is kind of a stupid question to ask a stranger. Would it really matter to a stranger who the birth parents of the kids I am in charge of are? To step back and look at the question I can see that it doesn't happen often, so it can be surprising. I can also look to the fact that I am a rather petite person, so some people might not think that I had all the kids myself. (although they all look like little clones, so I don't see how someone would think otherwise)
I understand curiosity, but when you are a stranger, it is more like probing. Don't ask if I am trying to be like that family that "has 19 kids." Just because I have many doesn't mean I am religious, or don't know what birth control is, or have many baby daddies.
Sometimes the conversation should stay a little less personal, like when in the middle of a store, talking to a stranger. ;)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Just another Bill up on Capital Hill
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/billintroduced/House/pdf/2010-HIB-5895.pdf
Really, I am all for people not using their cash assistance for alcohol and cigarette's, but you can't stop people from getting the cash assistance out as CASH or else they will not be able to pay their bills. I don't see landlords installing a swipe card to get money from renters, nor do I see electric company or gas company to start taking the EBT card.
Why are they wasting their time visiting bills that don't even logically work in THEORY!!!
If you want to get people to be working, GIVE THEM HELP.
As soon as people have a $ to their name they are required to drop help, and so they can never get ahead... They manage to stay right where they are.
Big banks can get bailed out of their bad choices, the state and federal governments can be billions and trillions of $ in debt, but DAMN THE PEOPLE for getting help and not getting off fast enough ...
OMG it just pisses me off!
Create more jobs, create more training opportunities, make class sizes smaller in the larger communities and make sure every one has access to great learning materials that are UP TO DATE. Give kids after school programs where they can gain pride for themselves, their community, and the world as a whole.
THIS is how we make change.
Really, I am all for people not using their cash assistance for alcohol and cigarette's, but you can't stop people from getting the cash assistance out as CASH or else they will not be able to pay their bills. I don't see landlords installing a swipe card to get money from renters, nor do I see electric company or gas company to start taking the EBT card.
Why are they wasting their time visiting bills that don't even logically work in THEORY!!!
If you want to get people to be working, GIVE THEM HELP.
As soon as people have a $ to their name they are required to drop help, and so they can never get ahead... They manage to stay right where they are.
Big banks can get bailed out of their bad choices, the state and federal governments can be billions and trillions of $ in debt, but DAMN THE PEOPLE for getting help and not getting off fast enough ...
OMG it just pisses me off!
Create more jobs, create more training opportunities, make class sizes smaller in the larger communities and make sure every one has access to great learning materials that are UP TO DATE. Give kids after school programs where they can gain pride for themselves, their community, and the world as a whole.
THIS is how we make change.
Hold your lottery tickets, your winner may not be for you
I was, very recently, made aware that Michigan is trying to legislate that the "poor" are not allowed to collect lottery winnings.
Does this make sense to anyone?
The "theory" is that people that receive medicaid for their children, or themselves, or receive food stamps (of any amount,) or receive cash assistance shouldn't have two pennies to rub together and therefor should not be buying lotto tickets. Now they say that they don't "mind" you buying "some" tickets, but you should not buy "alot" and to deter this behaviour they will not allow you to gain anymore than 600$ in winnings.
WTF?!
So if my grandmother buys me a lotto ticket for my birthday or Christmas, I better not win the power ball numbers! 600$ of it would go to me, and the rest would go to "unclaimed cash" and then be put into the school system.
Oh... wait, lets read that again...
It would go to the school system.
So is this the way to find money for the school system, or deter people from spending 1$ on their birthday on something for themselves?
Since there would not be signs posted at each and every lottery kiosk, how are the people of Michigan to know this new rule? I guess they would have to find out the hard way.
I wonder how many people in this state could really qualify for a big payout anyway... We are in the middle of a recession and have a huge economic hardships. With the passing of the new laws, many people are on medicaid. Does that mean they are poor, not really. It might just mean that the insurance from their company might cost too much and not be affordable.
If my DH were to get insurance for us it would be 450$ out of pocket weekly, just for the coverage, and then we would have added copay each doctor visit, no dental, no optical, and of course a yearly out of pocket before insurance would pay out (of over 4000$) Do I have medicaid for my children, hell yes. Am I ashamed to be on it, hell no. We pay a huge portion of our check to services, and the government keeps that money all year and makes money investing it in whatever bonds and what not before we get that money back in our tax return.
Should I be denied a huge lottery winning because of it? uhh HELLO?!!! If I won a few MILLION I would be OFF THE SYSTEM and I would have to PAY A TON IN TAXES!
It is just not logical to me.
Call your legislator and tell them its a stupid idea.
/endrant
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/billintroduced/House/pdf/2010-HIB-6534.pdf
Does this make sense to anyone?
The "theory" is that people that receive medicaid for their children, or themselves, or receive food stamps (of any amount,) or receive cash assistance shouldn't have two pennies to rub together and therefor should not be buying lotto tickets. Now they say that they don't "mind" you buying "some" tickets, but you should not buy "alot" and to deter this behaviour they will not allow you to gain anymore than 600$ in winnings.
WTF?!
So if my grandmother buys me a lotto ticket for my birthday or Christmas, I better not win the power ball numbers! 600$ of it would go to me, and the rest would go to "unclaimed cash" and then be put into the school system.
Oh... wait, lets read that again...
It would go to the school system.
So is this the way to find money for the school system, or deter people from spending 1$ on their birthday on something for themselves?
Since there would not be signs posted at each and every lottery kiosk, how are the people of Michigan to know this new rule? I guess they would have to find out the hard way.
I wonder how many people in this state could really qualify for a big payout anyway... We are in the middle of a recession and have a huge economic hardships. With the passing of the new laws, many people are on medicaid. Does that mean they are poor, not really. It might just mean that the insurance from their company might cost too much and not be affordable.
If my DH were to get insurance for us it would be 450$ out of pocket weekly, just for the coverage, and then we would have added copay each doctor visit, no dental, no optical, and of course a yearly out of pocket before insurance would pay out (of over 4000$) Do I have medicaid for my children, hell yes. Am I ashamed to be on it, hell no. We pay a huge portion of our check to services, and the government keeps that money all year and makes money investing it in whatever bonds and what not before we get that money back in our tax return.
Should I be denied a huge lottery winning because of it? uhh HELLO?!!! If I won a few MILLION I would be OFF THE SYSTEM and I would have to PAY A TON IN TAXES!
It is just not logical to me.
Call your legislator and tell them its a stupid idea.
/endrant
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/billintroduced/House/pdf/2010-HIB-6534.pdf
Something for me
With the changes of homeschool to public, I have been left in this quandry of what it means to be me.
I can clean the house to a sparkling shine when the kids are gone after they destroy it from the morning wake up, but then they do not learn to be responsible for their own stuff. So there is some that I have to leave for them to do.
This leaves me very bored. I know that mothers that have two little ones at home are thinking that I am nuts, but I used to be a mother that was pregnant, homeschooled, worked outside the home, and went to school, all while trying to run a homeschool group for other families.
Two kids, well it seems boring to me.
So today I started a creature on World of Warcraft, sat on the phone with my friend and figured out things so that she would be in the same world as me, and we quested. It's not as active as hiking, or shopping, but it kept me busy for a long time and I got to connect with my friend all the while keeping my littles underfoot.
It was a win.
One day, when I don't have littles underfoot, I will learn to sew, and perhaps do more active things. For now something that I can simply turn off with out cleaning is the way to go for me. I get enough of that, even when we do share the work. :)
I can clean the house to a sparkling shine when the kids are gone after they destroy it from the morning wake up, but then they do not learn to be responsible for their own stuff. So there is some that I have to leave for them to do.
This leaves me very bored. I know that mothers that have two little ones at home are thinking that I am nuts, but I used to be a mother that was pregnant, homeschooled, worked outside the home, and went to school, all while trying to run a homeschool group for other families.
Two kids, well it seems boring to me.
So today I started a creature on World of Warcraft, sat on the phone with my friend and figured out things so that she would be in the same world as me, and we quested. It's not as active as hiking, or shopping, but it kept me busy for a long time and I got to connect with my friend all the while keeping my littles underfoot.
It was a win.
One day, when I don't have littles underfoot, I will learn to sew, and perhaps do more active things. For now something that I can simply turn off with out cleaning is the way to go for me. I get enough of that, even when we do share the work. :)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Its not your "Right" to fly
I am shocked and appalled at the level of "screening" that is required to fly now, just like the rest of you are, but I am reminded of one thing, it is NOT a "Right" to fly, it is a privilege.
They are a company, just like other companies. Do I have a right to go into a restaurant and eat along side black and white and yellow and purple people? With a loud yes. Do I have a right to walk into said restaurant and ask for a salad with only iceberg lettuce? Yes. So, do they have to give me that salad? No. They can choose how they are going to conduct business and I can either agree to those terms, as they are equally applied to all persons, or I can choose to eat elsewhere.
Same thing with flying. When you buy your ticket to fly you are agreeing to their new rules and regulations. You agree to be felt up and cupped. Your assurance that it will be by "someone of the same sex" as you is your "safeguard" to not feeling like you are sexually taken advantage of. (although they don't mention if the person might be gay, or you might be gay, hmmm)
But, as I stated, it is not a right to fly. You give up right when you buy their ticket and agree.
This, my friends, is why getting a few more days of vacation and trek with your loved ones across to your destination is the way to go! There may be screaming toddlers, but you can take them out of the carseat and romp at a rest area, leisurely eat some snacks with out worrying if they had to be radiated, bring as much breast milk, in as big of a container as you want.
I get so angry when I see little kids on you tube being mishandled at a TSA screening point because the agent couldn't manage to calm the child and had to go through with the screen, and then I step back, and also get angry at the parent for placing the child in that situation. :(
We have the choice people. Make it the right one.
They are a company, just like other companies. Do I have a right to go into a restaurant and eat along side black and white and yellow and purple people? With a loud yes. Do I have a right to walk into said restaurant and ask for a salad with only iceberg lettuce? Yes. So, do they have to give me that salad? No. They can choose how they are going to conduct business and I can either agree to those terms, as they are equally applied to all persons, or I can choose to eat elsewhere.
Same thing with flying. When you buy your ticket to fly you are agreeing to their new rules and regulations. You agree to be felt up and cupped. Your assurance that it will be by "someone of the same sex" as you is your "safeguard" to not feeling like you are sexually taken advantage of. (although they don't mention if the person might be gay, or you might be gay, hmmm)
But, as I stated, it is not a right to fly. You give up right when you buy their ticket and agree.
This, my friends, is why getting a few more days of vacation and trek with your loved ones across to your destination is the way to go! There may be screaming toddlers, but you can take them out of the carseat and romp at a rest area, leisurely eat some snacks with out worrying if they had to be radiated, bring as much breast milk, in as big of a container as you want.
I get so angry when I see little kids on you tube being mishandled at a TSA screening point because the agent couldn't manage to calm the child and had to go through with the screen, and then I step back, and also get angry at the parent for placing the child in that situation. :(
We have the choice people. Make it the right one.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thanks for the giving
The oldest two went downstate to visit with their father for the holiday, luckily we did not hear of any issues while they were gone. :) When they came back up, they brought up the gifts that MY grandmother was sending to us. This woman is quite a mystery to me sometimes, and I am thankful to have her in my life, even if it is not as much as I would like.
She bought all 8 kids coats for NEXT year. Because her sister, yeah, my Great-Aunt, worked at Sears, they go and get the coats there. 70$ coats for about 20$ is hard to pass up! (with employee discount and kidvantage saving on top of sales) There were a few coats that were just not going to work out for next year as they fit this year, so we piled into the van and switched them out for bigger.
Not only do my kids have awesome coats for this year, they have next years set as well. Nice.
I like to shop for stuff at the end of the season, but this is such a small town, there isn't always a selection at the end of the season. :(
So that was a very big part of our thanks for giving holiday.
We did some giving of our own this past week as well. The high school was hosting a canned food drive, so we had DS1 bring in about 70 jars of baby foods. I figured that the big canned goods always get donated, but hardly ever baby stuff.
DS2 was doing a sock drive. For his class, DS2 was going to get a holiday party if his class could bring in 50 pairs of socks. (new of course) I went out and bought a pack of 10 toddler socks and he happily took them in. The sad part of the entire thing, no one else brought in any socks. It came down to the last day that people could bring in socks and DS2 was a bit sad he was not going to have a party because no one else was giving (it was not just his class either, the highest number donated in a single class was 30.) I went out to the store and bought enough so that if no one brought in any socks, he could still get his party. It was a give, give, and win, win. DS2 will get his party, and needy people will have warm toes. :)
Did you have any giving or receiving this past holiday?
She bought all 8 kids coats for NEXT year. Because her sister, yeah, my Great-Aunt, worked at Sears, they go and get the coats there. 70$ coats for about 20$ is hard to pass up! (with employee discount and kidvantage saving on top of sales) There were a few coats that were just not going to work out for next year as they fit this year, so we piled into the van and switched them out for bigger.
Not only do my kids have awesome coats for this year, they have next years set as well. Nice.
I like to shop for stuff at the end of the season, but this is such a small town, there isn't always a selection at the end of the season. :(
So that was a very big part of our thanks for giving holiday.
We did some giving of our own this past week as well. The high school was hosting a canned food drive, so we had DS1 bring in about 70 jars of baby foods. I figured that the big canned goods always get donated, but hardly ever baby stuff.
DS2 was doing a sock drive. For his class, DS2 was going to get a holiday party if his class could bring in 50 pairs of socks. (new of course) I went out and bought a pack of 10 toddler socks and he happily took them in. The sad part of the entire thing, no one else brought in any socks. It came down to the last day that people could bring in socks and DS2 was a bit sad he was not going to have a party because no one else was giving (it was not just his class either, the highest number donated in a single class was 30.) I went out to the store and bought enough so that if no one brought in any socks, he could still get his party. It was a give, give, and win, win. DS2 will get his party, and needy people will have warm toes. :)
Did you have any giving or receiving this past holiday?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Words to be heard: Amazon Fail
I was shocked and sickened to learn that Amazon had a "how to" book for sale that it should not have.
I was AMAZED to see the people of social media step up and really come together to get this book removed! As of about 30 minutes ago all links that I have seen have been broken and the dirty manual removed from "shelves."
I love that a peaceful protest can get noticed and heard around the world in just a matter of minutes. I love that we banned together to be heard!
Nice work everyone!
I was AMAZED to see the people of social media step up and really come together to get this book removed! As of about 30 minutes ago all links that I have seen have been broken and the dirty manual removed from "shelves."
I love that a peaceful protest can get noticed and heard around the world in just a matter of minutes. I love that we banned together to be heard!
Nice work everyone!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
its not always puppy dog tails and hair clips...
While my DH was on the road the other day he got a call from a doctor *reminding* him of his appointment this coming Monday, an appointment that we told our doctors office, well over two months ago, that would not work due to his work schedule.
So DH said to the woman that he "wasn't sure that he could make it" and that he "would call her back" and then he promptly called me. I was in the shower and heard his ring tone so I answered it and tried to rinse of with out dropping the iPhone in the tub. (thank you otterbox for your splash protection) He then asked ME to call them and tell them he was not going to make it.
Oh yes, there was a small tirade on my part on how I was not the damn secretary and that he should have just said WHILE HE WAS TALKING TO HER that he could not make it because he would be at work.
You see, he leaves for work at 3 AM on Monday morning and is not back into town until well after dinner on the following Friday. As a trucker he can not just *skip* a day of work for an office visit. If he does not leave, he does not work that week.
Of course I had some choice words, and he sounded like I just butchered his favorite dog or something, so when we got off the phone I dried off and then calmed down. No time to even brush my hair as the kids were already asking for food, but I made sure to call him back.
I let him know, I have no problem calling around for him if he needs something done, that is part of my job as a house wife/mother, I tend to the house needs. If he was on the phone with someone and he KNEW the answer he needed to just answer it though. It was my way of saying I am sorry, and for him to not be so daft.
I really need to learn how to say I am sorry, and possibly not snapping off... but its not always puppy dog tails and hair clips here on the homestead and I am only human.
So DH said to the woman that he "wasn't sure that he could make it" and that he "would call her back" and then he promptly called me. I was in the shower and heard his ring tone so I answered it and tried to rinse of with out dropping the iPhone in the tub. (thank you otterbox for your splash protection) He then asked ME to call them and tell them he was not going to make it.
Oh yes, there was a small tirade on my part on how I was not the damn secretary and that he should have just said WHILE HE WAS TALKING TO HER that he could not make it because he would be at work.
You see, he leaves for work at 3 AM on Monday morning and is not back into town until well after dinner on the following Friday. As a trucker he can not just *skip* a day of work for an office visit. If he does not leave, he does not work that week.
Of course I had some choice words, and he sounded like I just butchered his favorite dog or something, so when we got off the phone I dried off and then calmed down. No time to even brush my hair as the kids were already asking for food, but I made sure to call him back.
I let him know, I have no problem calling around for him if he needs something done, that is part of my job as a house wife/mother, I tend to the house needs. If he was on the phone with someone and he KNEW the answer he needed to just answer it though. It was my way of saying I am sorry, and for him to not be so daft.
I really need to learn how to say I am sorry, and possibly not snapping off... but its not always puppy dog tails and hair clips here on the homestead and I am only human.
winner of the 10$ gift card! Meghan!
Lets see if I can get the picture of the Random draw up here:
.JPG)
yipee! I figured out how to make it look right! thanks for your patience as I go through this learning curve.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Winner of 75$ gift card.
O.K. I don't know how to copy this and make it still look like the grid lol. And I haven't learned how to check the old post for who it was to put it here with this post. Boy, what a learning curve lol. I'm gonna go ask for help and then come back with the winner of the 10$ gift card and see if I can get it laid out to look better. :)
Remember, if winner does not claim gift I will redraw. :)
Friday, October 22, 2010
Unschool to public, my hard time transition
When I started homeschooling I was going to have the smartest kids. They were going to win the National Spelling Bee, the National Geography Bee, and we would even have a Bee named for something we did and we were going to WIN THAT TOO!
And then as we went along, with two kids age 5 and 6, I slowly learned to let go. I let them start to lead because I realized that if they were interested the learning would "stick" better than I could get it to. I tirelessly dragged them to museums, parks, playdates, gymnastics, swimming ponds, zoos, shopping malls, banks, post offices, doctors offices, basically everywhere. Trying to make sure they had a well rounded exposure to everything out there that was offered for them to be interested in. When they had questions, and they did have questions, we would dive into that subject as much, or as little, as they wanted. There were many times when I wondered if they would EVER learn to read, or "Do" math, what every that meant. There were times that I doubted myself (what good would I be as a parent if I DIDN'T worry?) and there were times when I could *totally* see that we were on the right path.
Then my world, and the kids, was turned upside down, you can read about the homelessness in a previous entry.
Which led us to public school. Our move took us to a small town with little to none, of the enrichment things my very busy family loved to do. Just a few little homeschooling opportunities to gather, so we put our kids into school. I didn't put them in for education, because I already stated that kids WILL learn, despite our best efforts. ;) But I put them in so that they could really get into their small town and meet friends. So they could have some fun things to do in the winter months where the only other option is one Mc Donalds playland. (and it is not that big)
So the teachers think I am nuts, I tell them that my children are gone ALL DAY at school, so when they get home they have family time and not "homework" time. I tell them that my kids go to play more than they go to learn. I know that I may sound like I have two heads, being that I went to college for Early Elementary Education and mainly focused on psychology, I KNOW what the majority of teachers think of me. And I don't much care.
The kids have really made themselves a home, and despite my oldest two starting school out in middle school, they have really taken to it, more so than I thought they would.
The girls all love the crafty things, and singing times, and playground games. Although they don't much care for math, they do it for the teachers better than they would for me.
I walk on tip toes to keep my opinions of the "system" away from the kids because THEY really love it. But here I am, and unschool mother that is doing what the heart of unschooling is (letting the child lead the way) and I feel so out of place.
I miss all the times with them. I miss the fun things we all did. The school year is moving forward rapidly, and I can't wait to get back to unschooling when the summer hits. When my house can feel like home again.
And then as we went along, with two kids age 5 and 6, I slowly learned to let go. I let them start to lead because I realized that if they were interested the learning would "stick" better than I could get it to. I tirelessly dragged them to museums, parks, playdates, gymnastics, swimming ponds, zoos, shopping malls, banks, post offices, doctors offices, basically everywhere. Trying to make sure they had a well rounded exposure to everything out there that was offered for them to be interested in. When they had questions, and they did have questions, we would dive into that subject as much, or as little, as they wanted. There were many times when I wondered if they would EVER learn to read, or "Do" math, what every that meant. There were times that I doubted myself (what good would I be as a parent if I DIDN'T worry?) and there were times when I could *totally* see that we were on the right path.
Then my world, and the kids, was turned upside down, you can read about the homelessness in a previous entry.
Which led us to public school. Our move took us to a small town with little to none, of the enrichment things my very busy family loved to do. Just a few little homeschooling opportunities to gather, so we put our kids into school. I didn't put them in for education, because I already stated that kids WILL learn, despite our best efforts. ;) But I put them in so that they could really get into their small town and meet friends. So they could have some fun things to do in the winter months where the only other option is one Mc Donalds playland. (and it is not that big)
So the teachers think I am nuts, I tell them that my children are gone ALL DAY at school, so when they get home they have family time and not "homework" time. I tell them that my kids go to play more than they go to learn. I know that I may sound like I have two heads, being that I went to college for Early Elementary Education and mainly focused on psychology, I KNOW what the majority of teachers think of me. And I don't much care.
The kids have really made themselves a home, and despite my oldest two starting school out in middle school, they have really taken to it, more so than I thought they would.
The girls all love the crafty things, and singing times, and playground games. Although they don't much care for math, they do it for the teachers better than they would for me.
I walk on tip toes to keep my opinions of the "system" away from the kids because THEY really love it. But here I am, and unschool mother that is doing what the heart of unschooling is (letting the child lead the way) and I feel so out of place.
I miss all the times with them. I miss the fun things we all did. The school year is moving forward rapidly, and I can't wait to get back to unschooling when the summer hits. When my house can feel like home again.
Down with Stranger Danger!
I do not teach my kids "Stranger Danger," and with good reason, follow me for a second...
I am a very tiny person, 5'2" and on the thin side all my life, so picture me before my growth spurt. Quite old enough to be out past dark, but easy to be seen as otherwise.
I was walking the two blocks home from my friends house. It was fall, and only about 8, so it was not late, but it WAS very dark. I had seen a vehicle drive past me twice, I noticed it was full of teens the first time and just let it be a fleeting thought. The second time it passed I made sure to take note and perk up my awareness. By the time I turned the corner for MY street I noticed it was slowly turning the corner and I heard, "QUICK, GET.." and I didn't hesitate to cut across the grass towards the front door of a home that I didn't know. I opened the screen door as if I was going to walk in... the kids drove off.
I might have saved myself from being kidnapped that night, or worse. I might have just been a little paranoid, either way I know the end result was that I was able to make an informed choice of action! I knew that if I knocked on a strangers door and asked for help that I might be better off. Knowing that the danger had passed and I was only 3 doors from my own, I let the screen door close and I went home, across all the yards as opposed to on the sidewalk.
I don't advocate "Stranger Danger," what I ask is that my kids are Aware and Prepared! They need to pay attention to their surroundings, if they are lost they need to walk up to a stranger and ask for help so I can not have them lost in a sea of faces that look fearful, but they also need to know that they can NOT go into a back room, or vehicle, or other situation where they are going to be taken from public view. Just because a person has a uniform, does not guarantee that person is a safe face. Just because they have kids, or have animals, or a badge, does not prevent something bad happening. They do not need to walk around fearful for their safety at every turn, but they do need to be aware of their safety options!
Many that would prey on children are actually people they ALREADY know, statistically its been proven that predators go after the easy targets that they already know and are close to. For this reason, we also teach that we have every right over our own bodies and if we need more personal space, no matter who is invading it, we have the right to say NO! If Aunt Betty wants a big kiss and the kids don't want to, they can say NO!
By empowering our children with awareness, instead of fear, we can help them advocate for themselves and learn to speak up.
I am a very tiny person, 5'2" and on the thin side all my life, so picture me before my growth spurt. Quite old enough to be out past dark, but easy to be seen as otherwise.
I was walking the two blocks home from my friends house. It was fall, and only about 8, so it was not late, but it WAS very dark. I had seen a vehicle drive past me twice, I noticed it was full of teens the first time and just let it be a fleeting thought. The second time it passed I made sure to take note and perk up my awareness. By the time I turned the corner for MY street I noticed it was slowly turning the corner and I heard, "QUICK, GET.." and I didn't hesitate to cut across the grass towards the front door of a home that I didn't know. I opened the screen door as if I was going to walk in... the kids drove off.
I might have saved myself from being kidnapped that night, or worse. I might have just been a little paranoid, either way I know the end result was that I was able to make an informed choice of action! I knew that if I knocked on a strangers door and asked for help that I might be better off. Knowing that the danger had passed and I was only 3 doors from my own, I let the screen door close and I went home, across all the yards as opposed to on the sidewalk.
I don't advocate "Stranger Danger," what I ask is that my kids are Aware and Prepared! They need to pay attention to their surroundings, if they are lost they need to walk up to a stranger and ask for help so I can not have them lost in a sea of faces that look fearful, but they also need to know that they can NOT go into a back room, or vehicle, or other situation where they are going to be taken from public view. Just because a person has a uniform, does not guarantee that person is a safe face. Just because they have kids, or have animals, or a badge, does not prevent something bad happening. They do not need to walk around fearful for their safety at every turn, but they do need to be aware of their safety options!
Many that would prey on children are actually people they ALREADY know, statistically its been proven that predators go after the easy targets that they already know and are close to. For this reason, we also teach that we have every right over our own bodies and if we need more personal space, no matter who is invading it, we have the right to say NO! If Aunt Betty wants a big kiss and the kids don't want to, they can say NO!
By empowering our children with awareness, instead of fear, we can help them advocate for themselves and learn to speak up.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
My Review means a Prize for you!!!
One lucky reader will end up with a cool 10$ towards my twitter friends, @taderdoodles, shop, as long as you read on...
I had been to Chaotic Craftiness in search for a little bag for my daughter to carry around, there are several good options and so I chatted with TaderDoodles to create the perfect fit for my pint size sprite. I was very happy, and then I read a tweet saying she would love someone to do a review of a Little Dribbler ! Well, of course, I jumped at the chance to help out since she helped me with my little purse dilemma.
I chatted up fabrics with TaderDoodles and decided that penguins would be very fitting since it is getting so cold here! It's good to be stylish. ;) To my great happiness the next time I went to get the mail it was there waiting for me.
Upon first inspection I noticed that one side had my fabric choice and the other side was a very absorbent fuzzy material in coordinating color. ( I would love to tell you what it was but I am not good with fabric. Perhaps it was terry cloth but when washed it didn't get scratchy like some terry cloth wash cloths I have, so it might be something different.) There is a plastic snap that looks the same on each side, making this a reversible item.
We first tried the patterned side up. It did keep him from drooling onto his clothing and kept his neck dry. 4 top teeth at once is SOOOO not cool, but he is working it like a champ. I noticed with some previous children that they sometimes had weird neck *funk* from drooling and collecting dirt in their neck chub. Neck chub is super cool, funk is not, so keeping this away was a total bonus feature to me. The neck line is very form fitting under his chin, I suggest that you send in measurements on neck for your baby and add a smidge for room for growth if you think your child might need a "roomier" one. :) For my baby, it worked out perfectly.
One awesome feature was that he can crawl with out snagging himself on a long bib tail and when trying to pull to a stand, there was nothing to get tripped up on. It was able to be efficient with out a lot of excess. Love that!
Since I wanted to really test the Dribbler out, we washed it and wore it on the reverse side the following day. I had even better results. Well, perhaps not better results, but I noticed another cool thing! When my little boobie monster unlatched with one of those fling-head-back-circus-trick things he does, the dribbler caught the milk he drooled all over, and the milk I was squirting all over was mostly caught. I say *mostly* because I over shot and got my iPhone. lol!
So here is the part where you can win big!
Go over to Chaotic Craftiness and let me know what item you like best. You may want to check out the difference between the girls and the boys styles! This is a mandatory requirement.
To get more entries you may do the following and report back here with what your choice was. One entry per type, limited to each type of entry once a day. (so each day do all of them for more chances!) You can use your 10$ prize on anything in her shop. ;)
Tweet:
Two tweeps will win from @Justthe10 75$ GC to Sears, or 10$ to @taderdoodles shop! http://tinyurl.com/justthe10
Make up your own inventive tweet mentioning @justthe10 and linking to this give away.
Make up your own inventive tweet mentioning @justthe10 AND @taderdoodles and linking to Chaotic Craftiness page.
Friend me on Google thingie over there --->
Blog about this give away, or another post of mine for TWO entries. Make sure to comment twice so I don't overlook the bonus entry.
Good luck and happy shopping!
THIS JUST IN, I AM ALSO PLACING A 75$ Gift Cert TO SEARS ON THIS GIVE AWAY. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ENTERED BEFORE I PLACED THIS HERE, YOU ARE ALREADY ENTERED FOR THIS AS WELL.
THERE WILL BE TWO SEPARATE DRAWINGS FROM RANDOM OF ALL THE ENTRIES, ONLY ONE WINNING ALLOWED.
This review was based on my opinion of how it worked for my baby, your results may vary. I was only compensated by receiving the Little Dribbler and nothing more. Give away will be open until October 29th 2010, 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a way to contact you, either twitter handle or email address. If winner does not respond within 1 week, another winner will be chosen. Winner chosen at random.
I had been to Chaotic Craftiness in search for a little bag for my daughter to carry around, there are several good options and so I chatted with TaderDoodles to create the perfect fit for my pint size sprite. I was very happy, and then I read a tweet saying she would love someone to do a review of a Little Dribbler ! Well, of course, I jumped at the chance to help out since she helped me with my little purse dilemma.
I chatted up fabrics with TaderDoodles and decided that penguins would be very fitting since it is getting so cold here! It's good to be stylish. ;) To my great happiness the next time I went to get the mail it was there waiting for me.
Upon first inspection I noticed that one side had my fabric choice and the other side was a very absorbent fuzzy material in coordinating color. ( I would love to tell you what it was but I am not good with fabric. Perhaps it was terry cloth but when washed it didn't get scratchy like some terry cloth wash cloths I have, so it might be something different.) There is a plastic snap that looks the same on each side, making this a reversible item.
We first tried the patterned side up. It did keep him from drooling onto his clothing and kept his neck dry. 4 top teeth at once is SOOOO not cool, but he is working it like a champ. I noticed with some previous children that they sometimes had weird neck *funk* from drooling and collecting dirt in their neck chub. Neck chub is super cool, funk is not, so keeping this away was a total bonus feature to me. The neck line is very form fitting under his chin, I suggest that you send in measurements on neck for your baby and add a smidge for room for growth if you think your child might need a "roomier" one. :) For my baby, it worked out perfectly.
One awesome feature was that he can crawl with out snagging himself on a long bib tail and when trying to pull to a stand, there was nothing to get tripped up on. It was able to be efficient with out a lot of excess. Love that!
Since I wanted to really test the Dribbler out, we washed it and wore it on the reverse side the following day. I had even better results. Well, perhaps not better results, but I noticed another cool thing! When my little boobie monster unlatched with one of those fling-head-back-circus-trick things he does, the dribbler caught the milk he drooled all over, and the milk I was squirting all over was mostly caught. I say *mostly* because I over shot and got my iPhone. lol!
So here is the part where you can win big!
Go over to Chaotic Craftiness and let me know what item you like best. You may want to check out the difference between the girls and the boys styles! This is a mandatory requirement.
To get more entries you may do the following and report back here with what your choice was. One entry per type, limited to each type of entry once a day. (so each day do all of them for more chances!) You can use your 10$ prize on anything in her shop. ;)
Tweet:
Two tweeps will win from @Justthe10 75$ GC to Sears, or 10$ to @taderdoodles shop! http://tinyurl.com/justthe10
Make up your own inventive tweet mentioning @justthe10 and linking to this give away.
Make up your own inventive tweet mentioning @justthe10 AND @taderdoodles and linking to Chaotic Craftiness page.
Friend me on Google thingie over there --->
Blog about this give away, or another post of mine for TWO entries. Make sure to comment twice so I don't overlook the bonus entry.
Good luck and happy shopping!
THIS JUST IN, I AM ALSO PLACING A 75$ Gift Cert TO SEARS ON THIS GIVE AWAY. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ENTERED BEFORE I PLACED THIS HERE, YOU ARE ALREADY ENTERED FOR THIS AS WELL.
THERE WILL BE TWO SEPARATE DRAWINGS FROM RANDOM OF ALL THE ENTRIES, ONLY ONE WINNING ALLOWED.
This review was based on my opinion of how it worked for my baby, your results may vary. I was only compensated by receiving the Little Dribbler and nothing more. Give away will be open until October 29th 2010, 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a way to contact you, either twitter handle or email address. If winner does not respond within 1 week, another winner will be chosen. Winner chosen at random.
Friday, October 15, 2010
I have been challenged!
Sears is challenging me to think about what one appliance in my home
that I could not live with out, or rather, what is THE most important
one in a household of my size. This is a very easy peasy blog for me
because I am currently living with out it and I HATE IT! My washing
machine!
I have eight children, times that many kids by a pair of socks, pants,
shirts, underwear, towels, blankets, pillows, and then factor in 7
days! Well, you get the idea, I have a LOT of laundry! There was a
time that I had 4 kids in cloth diapers and I decided to quit renting
a machine in my apartment and have a smaller water bill, so I picked a
Kenmore HE3 washer and a Kenmore HE dryer to match. (It was a several
years ago so you can't find these models anymore, but you can find
newer ones with newer gadgets.) When I purchased these I fell in LOVE
with doing laundry. Not only did I have more room to do more laundry
at one time, which saved me a TON of time, I had tons of water saving
cycles, and ones that would allow for extra rinse cycles! Cloth
diapering was never easier!
When we upgraded our washer we bought the HE4T for the germ killing
sanitary wash, one that came in handy when my husband started hauling
Biosolids for a living. His uniform shirts and denim pants didn't just
look clean, they were actually clean.
Because of the larger drum and the front loading spin, as opposed to a
top loader with pole in middle, I could wash an entire load of bedding
at once, or get all the towels in the house clean at once. We love
those really big fluffy blanket towels and they tumble around nicely
in the wash with out getting all tangled up. The dryer we bought to
match worked like a charm to dry the clothing in just about the same
time as the next load of wash so I was never sitting around waiting
for one to finish before I could switch.
I know you are all wondering, why am I raving about a product but
saying that I currently live without it? Sadly, after running my
washer and dryer for several years, several times a day, the washer
requires maintenance. We need a few parts replaced on it and instead
of replacing the parts we are going to wait until tax time to get a
new model! Currently, I am dealing with a top loader that uses too
much water, takes forever to fill, and has very limited cycles. I
figure that our family size makes us do a lot more laundry than an
"average" family of 4, so we definitely got our monies worth out of
the one we had, and I can't wait to get our next workhorse of a
machine from Sears!
Sears did not compensate me in any way for my opinion of this, but they did give me a GC to give away to one of you guys! :)
that I could not live with out, or rather, what is THE most important
one in a household of my size. This is a very easy peasy blog for me
because I am currently living with out it and I HATE IT! My washing
machine!
I have eight children, times that many kids by a pair of socks, pants,
shirts, underwear, towels, blankets, pillows, and then factor in 7
days! Well, you get the idea, I have a LOT of laundry! There was a
time that I had 4 kids in cloth diapers and I decided to quit renting
a machine in my apartment and have a smaller water bill, so I picked a
Kenmore HE3 washer and a Kenmore HE dryer to match. (It was a several
years ago so you can't find these models anymore, but you can find
newer ones with newer gadgets.) When I purchased these I fell in LOVE
with doing laundry. Not only did I have more room to do more laundry
at one time, which saved me a TON of time, I had tons of water saving
cycles, and ones that would allow for extra rinse cycles! Cloth
diapering was never easier!
When we upgraded our washer we bought the HE4T for the germ killing
sanitary wash, one that came in handy when my husband started hauling
Biosolids for a living. His uniform shirts and denim pants didn't just
look clean, they were actually clean.
Because of the larger drum and the front loading spin, as opposed to a
top loader with pole in middle, I could wash an entire load of bedding
at once, or get all the towels in the house clean at once. We love
those really big fluffy blanket towels and they tumble around nicely
in the wash with out getting all tangled up. The dryer we bought to
match worked like a charm to dry the clothing in just about the same
time as the next load of wash so I was never sitting around waiting
for one to finish before I could switch.
I know you are all wondering, why am I raving about a product but
saying that I currently live without it? Sadly, after running my
washer and dryer for several years, several times a day, the washer
requires maintenance. We need a few parts replaced on it and instead
of replacing the parts we are going to wait until tax time to get a
new model! Currently, I am dealing with a top loader that uses too
much water, takes forever to fill, and has very limited cycles. I
figure that our family size makes us do a lot more laundry than an
"average" family of 4, so we definitely got our monies worth out of
the one we had, and I can't wait to get our next workhorse of a
machine from Sears!
Sears did not compensate me in any way for my opinion of this, but they did give me a GC to give away to one of you guys! :)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Shingles
Nope, not the roof kind! And nope, not me!
My 14 yr old has shingles. I would go into some details about how he has had chicken pox 3 times before, or that he is generally healthy kid, but I'm typing on an iphone and the other kids are calling lol. More later
My 14 yr old has shingles. I would go into some details about how he has had chicken pox 3 times before, or that he is generally healthy kid, but I'm typing on an iphone and the other kids are calling lol. More later
I should have known
You talk to your kids, you know their friends, you know what they are doing and you have an open relationship... or so you thought.
I raise my children with the understanding that they can come to me when they make a bad choice, this does not mean there will be no consequence and I wont get mad, but it will lessen their punishment and we will talk about taking responsibility for their actions.
This week I found out that my 13 yr old has done drugs. Mind you, he was not in my care, so I shouldn't feel too bad, but I am a mother, I do blame myself for letting him down somehow.
My two eldest sons went to their fathers side of the family this weekend so they could get all 17 cousins in a family picture. I figured this was a fairly safe activity, and they would get to see their father for a bit when he got out of work on Sunday. They were gone about 48 hours, in care of their family.
Back story on family, the Aunt has adopted 5 children, the Grandma has adopted 8, these people have big hearts. They have been through the ringer from time to time and most of the children are grown now.
Now to my story, some of these cousins have been making bad choices. I would not disallow my boys the chance to be in a picture with said children, but I would not allow them to be unsupervised either. The one child, had he been mine, would be homeschooled a long time ago and only at homeschooled functions and sanctioned activities under direct super vision because he lacks respect for any authority, but that is another blog...
The family that was watching the kids "lost" them for 20 minutes. Assumed they were doing something wrong and questioned my son about it, being that my 13 yr old has never been into trouble they believed his story. No one told me when they dropped him off to me that something "seemed" fishy.
During the middle of the week my 14 yr old said, "You need to test him for drugs" and I was flabbergasted. I have no idea where this is coming from, so I had to question his reasoning. He said that he just didn't feel right about what happened because he always gets pestered to play outside and no one invited him, nor the other cousin... Not really enough evidence there.. But I did agree to talk to 13 yr old.
He bold faced lied. I was not aware of the lie, but my eldest would not let it go, he said he would find evidence. I said if he had evidence, or there were several weird situations I would be more into checking out the story and thinking I was lied to, but my DS2 had never lied to me.
Then DS1 managed to get one cousin to out himself in chat by saying that they were all caught. The "oh crap" said it all.
Slowly my son told me that his older cousin/brother (yes you read that right) gave him "something" and he has no idea what it was. Upon further questioning I found out that same child gave him something on Labor day weekend! That was a 72 hour stint with his fathers side of the family. He openly gave up the first time and seemed honestly distraught. I could almost feel the sigh of relief that he was able to let go of this lie.
I told my son that we are going to have a plan set forth. He is going to sign a contract that is going to give him natural consequence for future actions and hold him accountable for his past discretion.
1. Should he ever choose to do drugs, or alcohol, while in care of his fathers side of the family, he will not be allowed any overnight visits. His father lives over 4 hours away, he understands that he will only see his dad for a few hours the 4 or 5 times a year his father comes to get his brother. I will not go downstate to take him on visits to rest of family, so he will be giving up visits with them all together.
2. Should he ever choose to do drugs, or alcohol while in my care, he will IMMEDIATELY return to homeschooling where I can better scrutinize his friends, and their parenting situation and home life. This does not equate to sheltering and not doing anything, just that he has me there for better back up before he makes a bad choice. (the dude, my mom would soooo know because I see her in 20 minutes excuse)
I don't know that it will be the end of this for him, because when asked why he would never do drugs again he said "I don't want to disappoint you, and I don't want to do this again, (the contract) I asked him what would stop him in the future (he had admitted liking the feeling of being on the drug) and he said that he wouldn't want to have to explain it to his kids, or try and stop his kids from doing drugs. I also asked what would he have done if one of his little siblings had done it and he suspected, he replied that he would do the same as his big brother did for him.
I told them that all those sound great, but an even better answer was "because he is WORTH NOT DOING THEM!" I tried to impart to him that he is important, he is an individual, and I like him the way he is. He doesn't do his hair like anyone else in the family, he prefers chinos to jeans, and likes goofy hats, there is no reason why he needs to try and "fit in."
I can only hope that he takes it to heart, and follows through.
I raise my children with the understanding that they can come to me when they make a bad choice, this does not mean there will be no consequence and I wont get mad, but it will lessen their punishment and we will talk about taking responsibility for their actions.
This week I found out that my 13 yr old has done drugs. Mind you, he was not in my care, so I shouldn't feel too bad, but I am a mother, I do blame myself for letting him down somehow.
My two eldest sons went to their fathers side of the family this weekend so they could get all 17 cousins in a family picture. I figured this was a fairly safe activity, and they would get to see their father for a bit when he got out of work on Sunday. They were gone about 48 hours, in care of their family.
Back story on family, the Aunt has adopted 5 children, the Grandma has adopted 8, these people have big hearts. They have been through the ringer from time to time and most of the children are grown now.
Now to my story, some of these cousins have been making bad choices. I would not disallow my boys the chance to be in a picture with said children, but I would not allow them to be unsupervised either. The one child, had he been mine, would be homeschooled a long time ago and only at homeschooled functions and sanctioned activities under direct super vision because he lacks respect for any authority, but that is another blog...
The family that was watching the kids "lost" them for 20 minutes. Assumed they were doing something wrong and questioned my son about it, being that my 13 yr old has never been into trouble they believed his story. No one told me when they dropped him off to me that something "seemed" fishy.
During the middle of the week my 14 yr old said, "You need to test him for drugs" and I was flabbergasted. I have no idea where this is coming from, so I had to question his reasoning. He said that he just didn't feel right about what happened because he always gets pestered to play outside and no one invited him, nor the other cousin... Not really enough evidence there.. But I did agree to talk to 13 yr old.
He bold faced lied. I was not aware of the lie, but my eldest would not let it go, he said he would find evidence. I said if he had evidence, or there were several weird situations I would be more into checking out the story and thinking I was lied to, but my DS2 had never lied to me.
Then DS1 managed to get one cousin to out himself in chat by saying that they were all caught. The "oh crap" said it all.
Slowly my son told me that his older cousin/brother (yes you read that right) gave him "something" and he has no idea what it was. Upon further questioning I found out that same child gave him something on Labor day weekend! That was a 72 hour stint with his fathers side of the family. He openly gave up the first time and seemed honestly distraught. I could almost feel the sigh of relief that he was able to let go of this lie.
I told my son that we are going to have a plan set forth. He is going to sign a contract that is going to give him natural consequence for future actions and hold him accountable for his past discretion.
1. Should he ever choose to do drugs, or alcohol, while in care of his fathers side of the family, he will not be allowed any overnight visits. His father lives over 4 hours away, he understands that he will only see his dad for a few hours the 4 or 5 times a year his father comes to get his brother. I will not go downstate to take him on visits to rest of family, so he will be giving up visits with them all together.
2. Should he ever choose to do drugs, or alcohol while in my care, he will IMMEDIATELY return to homeschooling where I can better scrutinize his friends, and their parenting situation and home life. This does not equate to sheltering and not doing anything, just that he has me there for better back up before he makes a bad choice. (the dude, my mom would soooo know because I see her in 20 minutes excuse)
I don't know that it will be the end of this for him, because when asked why he would never do drugs again he said "I don't want to disappoint you, and I don't want to do this again, (the contract) I asked him what would stop him in the future (he had admitted liking the feeling of being on the drug) and he said that he wouldn't want to have to explain it to his kids, or try and stop his kids from doing drugs. I also asked what would he have done if one of his little siblings had done it and he suspected, he replied that he would do the same as his big brother did for him.
I told them that all those sound great, but an even better answer was "because he is WORTH NOT DOING THEM!" I tried to impart to him that he is important, he is an individual, and I like him the way he is. He doesn't do his hair like anyone else in the family, he prefers chinos to jeans, and likes goofy hats, there is no reason why he needs to try and "fit in."
I can only hope that he takes it to heart, and follows through.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
pumpkin rice crispy treats
This isn't going to be a pretty entry into the blog, but it will be one none the less lol!
I decided that I wanted to use some pumpkin in SOMETHING! While looking around the kitchen I realized that I needed to make that batch of rice crispy treats I promised the kids, and a new idea was born! lol
I started with 1.5 tablespoons of butter, and 5 cups of mini marshmallows. Melt in big non stick pot, stirring often! I really like to make sure that all the mallows are coated with the butter as they melt over a medium to low heat. I don't want to scorch the butter or burn the mallows.
I added about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg while stirring. When combined and melty I tossed in 1/4 cup of plain pumpkin. Stir constantly to mix well and keep anything from sticking or burning. Once the pumpkin seemed like it was going to start to cook I turned off the heat and quickly stirred in 6 cups of rice crispy cereal.
Take a buttered glass baking dish and pack tightly with crispy treats. Fridge over night.
This did not turn out with an overwhelming "pumpkin" taste, instead it was a mild pumpkin and the major flavor was the cinnamon. I only made this first batch on a whim, so we will see if I can play around with it to get different results. I do not believe that I can add more pumpkin, then the crispy treats might not hold properly.
6 out of 7 that are allowed to eat solids liked them. The one said she prefers the one with the mini chocolate chips and regular much better.
Play around in the kitchen! See what you can come up with. :)
I decided that I wanted to use some pumpkin in SOMETHING! While looking around the kitchen I realized that I needed to make that batch of rice crispy treats I promised the kids, and a new idea was born! lol
I started with 1.5 tablespoons of butter, and 5 cups of mini marshmallows. Melt in big non stick pot, stirring often! I really like to make sure that all the mallows are coated with the butter as they melt over a medium to low heat. I don't want to scorch the butter or burn the mallows.
I added about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg while stirring. When combined and melty I tossed in 1/4 cup of plain pumpkin. Stir constantly to mix well and keep anything from sticking or burning. Once the pumpkin seemed like it was going to start to cook I turned off the heat and quickly stirred in 6 cups of rice crispy cereal.
Take a buttered glass baking dish and pack tightly with crispy treats. Fridge over night.
This did not turn out with an overwhelming "pumpkin" taste, instead it was a mild pumpkin and the major flavor was the cinnamon. I only made this first batch on a whim, so we will see if I can play around with it to get different results. I do not believe that I can add more pumpkin, then the crispy treats might not hold properly.
6 out of 7 that are allowed to eat solids liked them. The one said she prefers the one with the mini chocolate chips and regular much better.
Play around in the kitchen! See what you can come up with. :)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Are you KIDDING ME? What is a life worth?
I get that if we let one person slide, then we have to let everyone slide. I have eight children that remind me of what is fair each and every day.
They also remind me that I have to be held accountable for my actions/reactions.
So when I read an article of how fire fighters didn't respond to a fire over 75$, well, I just don't know how to react. Sure, the guy should have paid his fee. According to the video he has paid the fee in the past, according to the article he said he didn't really think it mattered. If they allowed him to not pay the fee and then the outskirts would ALL want services with out paying and the loss to the fire department would be big. I "get it," I really do.
But what if his wife was in there? His child? They didn't come AT ALL. They knew that there was a building that people eat, sleep, LIVE in, that was a blaze and they didn't come. It wasn't until a neighbor, who had payed the fee that year, called and said come protect my house. Then the fire fighters sat there and what this mans entire life go up into flames.
If it were me, I would not be able to sit there and watch this mans history/legacy get erased by flames when I had gallons upon gallons of water at the ready. I can only assume that the fire department will be held accountable for their inaction.
For the story, as opposed to my reaction, look here.
What do you think? Are you on one side, the other? Can you see both sides to the story?
They also remind me that I have to be held accountable for my actions/reactions.
So when I read an article of how fire fighters didn't respond to a fire over 75$, well, I just don't know how to react. Sure, the guy should have paid his fee. According to the video he has paid the fee in the past, according to the article he said he didn't really think it mattered. If they allowed him to not pay the fee and then the outskirts would ALL want services with out paying and the loss to the fire department would be big. I "get it," I really do.
But what if his wife was in there? His child? They didn't come AT ALL. They knew that there was a building that people eat, sleep, LIVE in, that was a blaze and they didn't come. It wasn't until a neighbor, who had payed the fee that year, called and said come protect my house. Then the fire fighters sat there and what this mans entire life go up into flames.
If it were me, I would not be able to sit there and watch this mans history/legacy get erased by flames when I had gallons upon gallons of water at the ready. I can only assume that the fire department will be held accountable for their inaction.
For the story, as opposed to my reaction, look here.
What do you think? Are you on one side, the other? Can you see both sides to the story?
Friday, October 1, 2010
homelessness can hit when you least expect it
I know there are some people that have heard me say that I was homeless, with 8 kids. Let me start by saying it is very true. Was I completely to blame? No. Was the government to blame for lack of jobs or not enough help? No. It was a series of events that led to something much bigger than I could ever imagine. No one thing can be blamed.
For me to really go in depth I would have to write a book. For the short, which will still be really long, of it then stick around. Perhaps grab a cup of coffee and a sweet treat to keep you company at the desk.
We were living in an apartment in a very busy town, which means the cost of living was high. Being that my first two children are from a previous relationship and the father was paying some child support to me, I was living with my current DH and we both had good jobs and only 2 kids together, the cost of living was not that bad. But then things started to take a downturn.
The apartment complex was not keeping up with the building and my children were getting sick, this and the rising cost of the apartment (and the city health inspector) caused us to look for another apartment. I found one but it was income sensitive. We qualified and it was going to be a major break so I said lets go!
We moved to a new city that I knew nothing about. We only qualified because my family was "larger" The apartment was home for several years, but we had to move, again, when we "outgrew" it by state standards. State says *two heartbeats* per bedroom, and they only had 4 bedrooms so when I gave birth to my 5th child during our lease, we had to go upon renewal.
Which is when we found a very small 3 bedroom privately owned. No one cares how many kids you have when the house is privately owned. So thankfully this was our mainstay for a while. One day a homeschooling friend in our group said that they were trying to sell their big 5 bedroom house, but they couldn't because it didn't really have a yard. There was no side yard, or back yard, no garage, and barely any side yard on the street side. There was yard in the front for the kids to play and the house was huge. We could do land contract! Perfect!
So we moved again. Here I am, after birthing my 7th child, and come to find they have financial troubles. They have to "turn in" the keys of the property that I am living in, but they can move us to this other property. So I move and we bring a renter to help us cover utilities, this place used to be 4 apartments and was turned into one house, so we just left one apartment and had the other 3 for us.
Until we found that they did not have occupancy permit! So we moved, again.
While living in the new house we quickly realized that my ex was no longer going to help out with his two sons, I no longer had a job, and DH was never going to get a raise. Food stamps were common place in our city for just a family of 3. let alone a family of 9, with a new one on the way. We asked our landlord to help us get help.
The only way that we could get help for our rent was if he tried to evict us. I explained it to him so he applied through the court and we went and saw the judge and got the proper eviction papers. Then I promptly turned them into the state asking for help. DH had signed up for schooling so that he could get skilled in a new job that would be able to fully support us with out help from ex and with out help from foodstamps. We just needed to bide about 2 months or so. Just enough to get through the program and we figured our savings would be depleted just about time for things to turn around.
Then we got the notice that DHS (department of human services) declined us. They said that the 800$ of rent was not affordable. A 4 bedroom house, housing 9 people. We would have to move or figure something out they said. So we applied for FEMA through our local community action agency. They helped, but it was only a one month help per year. So we would be back in the situation the following month. We also found out that the program that DH was waiting to get in had been delayed. He would be still stuck at his minimum wage job, and we would be homeless.
I researched camping, it was about 25$ a night, much better than a hotel, but not doable for an entire month when we were going to be living off of minimum wage and there was no way for me to get work with his work schedule. We figured with our big van we could camp some, and sleep in the van some. It would work until he got out of school and we did have ONE month more before the eviction went through because we got help we got that bonus month.
Our dear friends said come, move across the entire state and live with us. We just bought a small home and you can stay with us till things turn around, at the max lets say a year. * I was totally set on two months but they assured me it would probably be longer* So we moved. Packed what we could and drove across the entire state with what could fit in a truck and van.
We live off of 30 to 32 thousand a year ( that's including the food assistance we receive!) and we live a good life. We can only thank our good friends that took us in. Their family of 7 and my family of 10 all living in a 900 sq foot, 3 bedroom, house for a year. Not only did they help when my family didn't, they went above and beyond and didn't judge. They never once condemned any of our choices. Thanks to them we are safely in a "fixer upper" and DH has finished his program, and found a good job. We can only go up from here!
This is a true account of my story. It is not a complete account as there is not time for it all in this blog. Remember that homelessness doesn't have a face.
For me to really go in depth I would have to write a book. For the short, which will still be really long, of it then stick around. Perhaps grab a cup of coffee and a sweet treat to keep you company at the desk.
We were living in an apartment in a very busy town, which means the cost of living was high. Being that my first two children are from a previous relationship and the father was paying some child support to me, I was living with my current DH and we both had good jobs and only 2 kids together, the cost of living was not that bad. But then things started to take a downturn.
The apartment complex was not keeping up with the building and my children were getting sick, this and the rising cost of the apartment (and the city health inspector) caused us to look for another apartment. I found one but it was income sensitive. We qualified and it was going to be a major break so I said lets go!
We moved to a new city that I knew nothing about. We only qualified because my family was "larger" The apartment was home for several years, but we had to move, again, when we "outgrew" it by state standards. State says *two heartbeats* per bedroom, and they only had 4 bedrooms so when I gave birth to my 5th child during our lease, we had to go upon renewal.
Which is when we found a very small 3 bedroom privately owned. No one cares how many kids you have when the house is privately owned. So thankfully this was our mainstay for a while. One day a homeschooling friend in our group said that they were trying to sell their big 5 bedroom house, but they couldn't because it didn't really have a yard. There was no side yard, or back yard, no garage, and barely any side yard on the street side. There was yard in the front for the kids to play and the house was huge. We could do land contract! Perfect!
So we moved again. Here I am, after birthing my 7th child, and come to find they have financial troubles. They have to "turn in" the keys of the property that I am living in, but they can move us to this other property. So I move and we bring a renter to help us cover utilities, this place used to be 4 apartments and was turned into one house, so we just left one apartment and had the other 3 for us.
Until we found that they did not have occupancy permit! So we moved, again.
While living in the new house we quickly realized that my ex was no longer going to help out with his two sons, I no longer had a job, and DH was never going to get a raise. Food stamps were common place in our city for just a family of 3. let alone a family of 9, with a new one on the way. We asked our landlord to help us get help.
The only way that we could get help for our rent was if he tried to evict us. I explained it to him so he applied through the court and we went and saw the judge and got the proper eviction papers. Then I promptly turned them into the state asking for help. DH had signed up for schooling so that he could get skilled in a new job that would be able to fully support us with out help from ex and with out help from foodstamps. We just needed to bide about 2 months or so. Just enough to get through the program and we figured our savings would be depleted just about time for things to turn around.
Then we got the notice that DHS (department of human services) declined us. They said that the 800$ of rent was not affordable. A 4 bedroom house, housing 9 people. We would have to move or figure something out they said. So we applied for FEMA through our local community action agency. They helped, but it was only a one month help per year. So we would be back in the situation the following month. We also found out that the program that DH was waiting to get in had been delayed. He would be still stuck at his minimum wage job, and we would be homeless.
I researched camping, it was about 25$ a night, much better than a hotel, but not doable for an entire month when we were going to be living off of minimum wage and there was no way for me to get work with his work schedule. We figured with our big van we could camp some, and sleep in the van some. It would work until he got out of school and we did have ONE month more before the eviction went through because we got help we got that bonus month.
Our dear friends said come, move across the entire state and live with us. We just bought a small home and you can stay with us till things turn around, at the max lets say a year. * I was totally set on two months but they assured me it would probably be longer* So we moved. Packed what we could and drove across the entire state with what could fit in a truck and van.
We live off of 30 to 32 thousand a year ( that's including the food assistance we receive!) and we live a good life. We can only thank our good friends that took us in. Their family of 7 and my family of 10 all living in a 900 sq foot, 3 bedroom, house for a year. Not only did they help when my family didn't, they went above and beyond and didn't judge. They never once condemned any of our choices. Thanks to them we are safely in a "fixer upper" and DH has finished his program, and found a good job. We can only go up from here!
This is a true account of my story. It is not a complete account as there is not time for it all in this blog. Remember that homelessness doesn't have a face.
Monday, September 27, 2010
It was all going so well...
This morning I allowed everyone to sleep in because I know we have illness in the house. I have an ear infection, and the two youngest have ear infections in both ears.
Everyone got up and was ready really fast. With exception of the missing shoe that we have not been able to find since Friday... We have no idea what happened to it. For all we know it's one of those weird highway shoes that you wonder about as you speed by at 65 miles an hour.
I dropped everyone off and pulled a big no no. I allowed my 4 yr old in the school with just her 3 siblings to keep her in line. OMG! For some reason they think that the kids in the young 4 program can not be in the building unless an adult has them, but the 4 yr olds that just started Kindy can? This child would be ready for K but they wont allow it because of her birthday... so I said I was not going to sit there this morning with two sick kids.
They will get over it.
I came home to dose up the boys with their morning antibiotics. One laying on the table trying to complain that it is too cold and not boob juice and that I suck. The other at the kids table eating the sausage out of the muffin and leaving shrapnel all over.
Then the 2 yr old is next to me asking for 7up. I tell him I need to finish this and then I will allow a bit of it. He is sick, and treats are nice, and I need to keep him hydrated, and I just don't care to say no because this baby is ever so S L O W L Y taking his meds...
Then the 2 yr old grabs his brothers antibiotics from the table next to me and tries to pour his into the medicine cup...
with end results being?
A floor full of medicine and an overflowing cup.
We just got these on Saturday so I had to call the doctors office and ask if MY doctor would give me a script.
I call with this info...
"I was in on SATURDAY with my SON in the URGENT CARE and got AMOX for his EAR INFECTION, my other son just DUMPED THE BOTTLE on the floor. I was wondering if MY DOCTOR could WRITE A NEW SCRIPT.
Seems fairly forward. Very clear.
Apparently I speak asshole.
She said who is the doctor that wrote it, I said hold on that should be on the bottle. Says... dr bla blala
We dont HAVE a dr BLA BLALA here.
I said I was at URGENT CARE.
oh. whats the name of the patient.
abcd efgh....
is that LMOD BBHUWW
NO. ABCD EFB uh GH.
EFBGH?
no. Sorry I was reading the bottle and CORRECTED myself. No B.
oh. so who is your doctor?
SO now it goes a bit smoother until she said, so you were here on FRIDAY?
NO! I was at urgent care on SATURDAY!
oh ok. Ill leave the doctor with the message.
Now I have two sick kids, and a floor full of pink sticky goo.
Then the 2 yr old sneezes. Now if there is anything that I can NOT handle, other than spiders, it's SNOTS. He sneezes so hard he pops his ear, complains about it and goes to wipe his nose with his shirt. I scream no, freak everyone out, start flailing around in the kitchen because we do not own paper towels and there are no regular towels anywhere to be found. He has already wiped his sleeve in it and I am grossed out to the point I could puke.
Finally I get a bit of intelligence and look in the McDonald's bag, a napkin. WOO! Love those freaking people! They may be killing me slowly with their grease filled goodies, but damn it all if they did not just save my floor from the puke that I was going to have to vomit if this kid wiped his shirt and sticky snots on something. I wipe him up, and go and place the baby in his pen. I need a moment to recoup and write it down. I just did my public service for the day.
I did not blow up my twitter feed with that crazy start of my day.
Everyone got up and was ready really fast. With exception of the missing shoe that we have not been able to find since Friday... We have no idea what happened to it. For all we know it's one of those weird highway shoes that you wonder about as you speed by at 65 miles an hour.
I dropped everyone off and pulled a big no no. I allowed my 4 yr old in the school with just her 3 siblings to keep her in line. OMG! For some reason they think that the kids in the young 4 program can not be in the building unless an adult has them, but the 4 yr olds that just started Kindy can? This child would be ready for K but they wont allow it because of her birthday... so I said I was not going to sit there this morning with two sick kids.
They will get over it.
I came home to dose up the boys with their morning antibiotics. One laying on the table trying to complain that it is too cold and not boob juice and that I suck. The other at the kids table eating the sausage out of the muffin and leaving shrapnel all over.
Then the 2 yr old is next to me asking for 7up. I tell him I need to finish this and then I will allow a bit of it. He is sick, and treats are nice, and I need to keep him hydrated, and I just don't care to say no because this baby is ever so S L O W L Y taking his meds...
Then the 2 yr old grabs his brothers antibiotics from the table next to me and tries to pour his into the medicine cup...
with end results being?
A floor full of medicine and an overflowing cup.
We just got these on Saturday so I had to call the doctors office and ask if MY doctor would give me a script.
I call with this info...
"I was in on SATURDAY with my SON in the URGENT CARE and got AMOX for his EAR INFECTION, my other son just DUMPED THE BOTTLE on the floor. I was wondering if MY DOCTOR could WRITE A NEW SCRIPT.
Seems fairly forward. Very clear.
Apparently I speak asshole.
She said who is the doctor that wrote it, I said hold on that should be on the bottle. Says... dr bla blala
We dont HAVE a dr BLA BLALA here.
I said I was at URGENT CARE.
oh. whats the name of the patient.
abcd efgh....
is that LMOD BBHUWW
NO. ABCD EFB uh GH.
EFBGH?
no. Sorry I was reading the bottle and CORRECTED myself. No B.
oh. so who is your doctor?
SO now it goes a bit smoother until she said, so you were here on FRIDAY?
NO! I was at urgent care on SATURDAY!
oh ok. Ill leave the doctor with the message.
Now I have two sick kids, and a floor full of pink sticky goo.
Then the 2 yr old sneezes. Now if there is anything that I can NOT handle, other than spiders, it's SNOTS. He sneezes so hard he pops his ear, complains about it and goes to wipe his nose with his shirt. I scream no, freak everyone out, start flailing around in the kitchen because we do not own paper towels and there are no regular towels anywhere to be found. He has already wiped his sleeve in it and I am grossed out to the point I could puke.
Finally I get a bit of intelligence and look in the McDonald's bag, a napkin. WOO! Love those freaking people! They may be killing me slowly with their grease filled goodies, but damn it all if they did not just save my floor from the puke that I was going to have to vomit if this kid wiped his shirt and sticky snots on something. I wipe him up, and go and place the baby in his pen. I need a moment to recoup and write it down. I just did my public service for the day.
I did not blow up my twitter feed with that crazy start of my day.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
want to... or do I
I want to sit down and write things here..
I have ideas and opinions that come out all day about what I saw, heard, felt, and lived but they don't get to HERE, on this page.
I am unsure if it is partly due to me being self doubting. I wonder if it is because I think that someone else has already written about it, what good is one more post about the same ol, same ol. I don't know if it is because I am just too *busy* during the day doing the same things I do *every* day, or perhaps it is because it IS the same things every day so who wants to hear about it?
Or maybe the biggest reason is that I don't want to judge and be judged by others.
I read the terms "birth rape" and "formula recall" and then all the negative back and forth about it... "there is no such thing," or "they knew the risks." Where is our humanity in it all? I tweeted today that I didn't see any of those breast feeding mothers out there feeding their husbands breast milk when eggs were recalled, or beef, or salad, so why are they being so snide that formula is being recalled?! Why does anyone have to say ANY choice is BEST!
When a mother uses the word rape to mean that she has been violated does it matter that it happened during her birth or during her night out with friends? Can't she still feel ashamed, alone, angry, stressed, vulnerable? Doesn't she have the right to use her OWN choice of words to explain her feelings and illicit an emotional response from others so that they can try and understand how she feels?
I do judge, and I catch myself...and then I challenge myself to be BETTER (not best because there is no such thing) and instead of JUDGE I try and UNDERSTAND! Ask questions, stupid questions and *intelligent* questions. Put myself in their shoes and see their point, see their ideas, really get a feel for WHY they might see a different way than I do. By understanding others, only then, can I really understand myself.
In our search for ourselves have we not learned that no choice is perfect? Didn't we all learn back in the younger years that we have to share the sandbox? Now that we are all "big and grown" lets just share the bigger sand box and either agree to disagree or walk away quietly with out trying to bring someone else down.
I have ideas and opinions that come out all day about what I saw, heard, felt, and lived but they don't get to HERE, on this page.
I am unsure if it is partly due to me being self doubting. I wonder if it is because I think that someone else has already written about it, what good is one more post about the same ol, same ol. I don't know if it is because I am just too *busy* during the day doing the same things I do *every* day, or perhaps it is because it IS the same things every day so who wants to hear about it?
Or maybe the biggest reason is that I don't want to judge and be judged by others.
I read the terms "birth rape" and "formula recall" and then all the negative back and forth about it... "there is no such thing," or "they knew the risks." Where is our humanity in it all? I tweeted today that I didn't see any of those breast feeding mothers out there feeding their husbands breast milk when eggs were recalled, or beef, or salad, so why are they being so snide that formula is being recalled?! Why does anyone have to say ANY choice is BEST!
When a mother uses the word rape to mean that she has been violated does it matter that it happened during her birth or during her night out with friends? Can't she still feel ashamed, alone, angry, stressed, vulnerable? Doesn't she have the right to use her OWN choice of words to explain her feelings and illicit an emotional response from others so that they can try and understand how she feels?
I do judge, and I catch myself...and then I challenge myself to be BETTER (not best because there is no such thing) and instead of JUDGE I try and UNDERSTAND! Ask questions, stupid questions and *intelligent* questions. Put myself in their shoes and see their point, see their ideas, really get a feel for WHY they might see a different way than I do. By understanding others, only then, can I really understand myself.
In our search for ourselves have we not learned that no choice is perfect? Didn't we all learn back in the younger years that we have to share the sandbox? Now that we are all "big and grown" lets just share the bigger sand box and either agree to disagree or walk away quietly with out trying to bring someone else down.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Homeschool discounts
I was tweetin today, of course, and one of my tweeter friends did not know of a few homeschool discounts so I said I would jot up a few on the blog so that she can glean what she can...
Jo Ann Fabrics ~
Staples ~
B. Dalton Booksellers Borders book sellers, waldenbooks~ this one is not a linky one... you have to go into the store and ask for an application. If they require proof and you are a state that you do not have to register as a homeschooler, you can make a "business card" for your homeschool. I will write about that in a minute.
Apple ~
Dell ~ You may have to call to set up an account.
O.K. for the homeschool card, if you are not required to register with the state proving your a homeschooler can be a bit tricky. Make a name for your homeschool. Do you want to be an Academy? Homeschool? Use your last name... Jones Homeschool? Jones Academy? Do you want to be 100 Acre Wood Trade School? Have fun with it...
Now that you have the perfect name, you need a place to put it... Get some business cards from your local supply store. Find your favorite program and make a little card up with the info you want. Current year, Grade, Address, Phone, Homeschool name, Teacher name... Whatever you think you want on there that you will need to prove your homeschool. Even put a fancy picture. ;) This card usually works for places if they have any doubt that the lady standing with a half a dozen kids in line during the middle of the school day is actually a homeschooler. ;)
Make sure to check around for discounts! If you know a homeschool group around you, see if anyone is interested in starting up homeschool classes for gymnastics, or tap, or jazz, or cheer, or art, or choir! Many places will give you a discount if you say that you are going to get a class together and want them to host a homeschool class during the day (when they are not making money cause all the other kids are in school!)
Check out the local YMCA, art stores, music supply stores... call around and see what you can find.
Happy hunting!!!
Jo Ann Fabrics ~
Staples ~
B. Dalton Booksellers Borders book sellers, waldenbooks~ this one is not a linky one... you have to go into the store and ask for an application. If they require proof and you are a state that you do not have to register as a homeschooler, you can make a "business card" for your homeschool. I will write about that in a minute.
Apple ~
Dell ~ You may have to call to set up an account.
O.K. for the homeschool card, if you are not required to register with the state proving your a homeschooler can be a bit tricky. Make a name for your homeschool. Do you want to be an Academy? Homeschool? Use your last name... Jones Homeschool? Jones Academy? Do you want to be 100 Acre Wood Trade School? Have fun with it...
Now that you have the perfect name, you need a place to put it... Get some business cards from your local supply store. Find your favorite program and make a little card up with the info you want. Current year, Grade, Address, Phone, Homeschool name, Teacher name... Whatever you think you want on there that you will need to prove your homeschool. Even put a fancy picture. ;) This card usually works for places if they have any doubt that the lady standing with a half a dozen kids in line during the middle of the school day is actually a homeschooler. ;)
Make sure to check around for discounts! If you know a homeschool group around you, see if anyone is interested in starting up homeschool classes for gymnastics, or tap, or jazz, or cheer, or art, or choir! Many places will give you a discount if you say that you are going to get a class together and want them to host a homeschool class during the day (when they are not making money cause all the other kids are in school!)
Check out the local YMCA, art stores, music supply stores... call around and see what you can find.
Happy hunting!!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Who are the vehicles in your neighborhood?
So my two eldest sons have these cool boards that ride on just two wheels and they move by motioning their hips back and forth. The center of the two platforms are held together by a slightly rotational bar...
They ride the sidewalks where we have them in town, as per my request to stay out of the road. So onward...
The DS2 was riding this contraption a few weeks ago and the neighbor on the opposing corner almost ran him over. He was on the sidewalk and riding to the corner, his brother was across the street riding, a race but not really kinda thing. As DS2 was getting to the corner he had to slow down, which was a very good thing!
The neighbor was paying attention to the boy that was across the street, but not his OWN road... SO he started to pull out INTO my son. He didn't get hurt, only because DS2 was paying attention and lept out of the way!!!
So fast forward to today and the boys wanted to go to the corner to get batteries for the controller. I send them off with a ten and don't think anything of it. These are 14 and 13 yr old boys that are going TWO BLOCKS AWAY on a SIDEWALK!
DS2 says that his brother was stopped at the corner and he was about 2 or 3 feet away and the car that DS1 was waiting for had waved DS1 on, so DS2 is right on his heels... Well the chick was watching DS1 and not paying any attention to the road in front of her and DS2 has to JUMP AWAY or get hit! Like center of the CAR right in the middle of the grill, you can't miss him, hit him. She apologizes and feels bad, rightly so. The child that she has in the car is freaking out that she hit the boy from her school. DS2 assures them that she did not hit him, because he GOT OUT OF THE WAY.
Why do people feel the need to look at something going down the road and not pay attention to where they are going when they are crossing an intersection or backing out! Come on people! This is a small town, one where there are not many sidewalks and most of the children are in the road, how can my son almost get hit TWICE?
Once on the sidewalk and once after being waved on with his brother?!
They ride the sidewalks where we have them in town, as per my request to stay out of the road. So onward...
The DS2 was riding this contraption a few weeks ago and the neighbor on the opposing corner almost ran him over. He was on the sidewalk and riding to the corner, his brother was across the street riding, a race but not really kinda thing. As DS2 was getting to the corner he had to slow down, which was a very good thing!
The neighbor was paying attention to the boy that was across the street, but not his OWN road... SO he started to pull out INTO my son. He didn't get hurt, only because DS2 was paying attention and lept out of the way!!!
So fast forward to today and the boys wanted to go to the corner to get batteries for the controller. I send them off with a ten and don't think anything of it. These are 14 and 13 yr old boys that are going TWO BLOCKS AWAY on a SIDEWALK!
DS2 says that his brother was stopped at the corner and he was about 2 or 3 feet away and the car that DS1 was waiting for had waved DS1 on, so DS2 is right on his heels... Well the chick was watching DS1 and not paying any attention to the road in front of her and DS2 has to JUMP AWAY or get hit! Like center of the CAR right in the middle of the grill, you can't miss him, hit him. She apologizes and feels bad, rightly so. The child that she has in the car is freaking out that she hit the boy from her school. DS2 assures them that she did not hit him, because he GOT OUT OF THE WAY.
Why do people feel the need to look at something going down the road and not pay attention to where they are going when they are crossing an intersection or backing out! Come on people! This is a small town, one where there are not many sidewalks and most of the children are in the road, how can my son almost get hit TWICE?
Once on the sidewalk and once after being waved on with his brother?!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
I got the day off!
It wasn't the most exciting day off... I was ill last night trying to drive out to get DH and awoke to find I was still not well. I handed off the baby and stayed in bed...
all day...
There were several times when the girls popped in and asked me questions, or just popped in to jump on the bed.
There was the cluster nursing of the baby that managed to get stuck back in bed with me.'
But today I got to remain right under my snugglie blankets. My body said enough and I got to listen.
Of course, the house paid for it lol.
Tomorrow I will get to motivate the kids into making a clean sweep and tidy up the days fun.. and hopefully I will get to do it from the chair. Im going to catch some shut eye, because even when I get the day off, there are still questions to be asked, and beds to be jumped on.
all day...
There were several times when the girls popped in and asked me questions, or just popped in to jump on the bed.
There was the cluster nursing of the baby that managed to get stuck back in bed with me.'
But today I got to remain right under my snugglie blankets. My body said enough and I got to listen.
Of course, the house paid for it lol.
Tomorrow I will get to motivate the kids into making a clean sweep and tidy up the days fun.. and hopefully I will get to do it from the chair. Im going to catch some shut eye, because even when I get the day off, there are still questions to be asked, and beds to be jumped on.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Kidvantage
I have been reminded I owe some in's and outs on the Kidvantage program and why you want to be a part of the club!
Sears sells a little bit of everything. Many people know them for their Craftsman tools and there return policy. (if you don't, its like a break and return it thing, I'm not a tool person and you didn't come for this so we move on)
I have a billion kids to dress, ok so it's only 8 but by the looks of everyone as we walk through the stores you would think it was a gazillion. SO, I need to have some clothing that stands the test of time. I'd love to shop at Target and get some inexpensive clothing for the kids but I have found that the big wardrobe seems very little because my kids are TOUGH on clothing. Once it has holes it goes!
So when I go to Sears I look for the sales! 40% off is a BIG deal and they rotate that sale around the store a lot! When you use your kidvantage at the register it will recognize how much you have spent in the kids department *kids shoes count too!* and will give you a coupon for 15% off your next kids purchase after you spend 100$. I like to keep track and try to not buy more than 100$ in a transaction because the coupon is only after 100 is spent, not like 2 coupons because you spent 200$ in one order. Does that make sense?
That coupon is good on the next purchase of kids stuff. I like to make sure that next purchase is going to be a BIG one and get most of what I need for Christmas or back to school clothing with that one. The only downside of the coupon is that all clothing purchased with it does NOT count towards your next 100$ addition and the discount can not be applied to clearance items. So save clearance items for adding up to your next 100$ ;)
Now why do I go through all this pain of watching sales and collecting coupons? As if I don't have enough on my plate with 8 kids right?
The exchange! If the kids are playing and the clothing gives out, a seam rips, or the knee blows out, or the pocket falls off, or the zipper pull breaks, or the shoe does that weird talking flappy thing with the rubber on the bottom of the sole... EXCHANGE IT. FOR FREE! They don't ask you a billion questions, they don't need your receipt. You go in and find the same item (has to be the same size) and the people at the register will allow you to walk out with that brand new one! My kids don't grow very much, we make 'em small here, so this works out for me. I can start DD1 out in a favorite sweater in fall, and then put it away in the winter, revisit it in the spring to find that she has worn off two of the buttons and there is a hole in the elbow from rubbing it... get a new one!
Chances are, you won't need the program, but it is super nice to know it's there!
And they have cute clothing too!
~I was not paid by Sears, nor asked to do a review. I just wanted to let other families out there know they can have quality and budget. :)
Sears sells a little bit of everything. Many people know them for their Craftsman tools and there return policy. (if you don't, its like a break and return it thing, I'm not a tool person and you didn't come for this so we move on)
I have a billion kids to dress, ok so it's only 8 but by the looks of everyone as we walk through the stores you would think it was a gazillion. SO, I need to have some clothing that stands the test of time. I'd love to shop at Target and get some inexpensive clothing for the kids but I have found that the big wardrobe seems very little because my kids are TOUGH on clothing. Once it has holes it goes!
So when I go to Sears I look for the sales! 40% off is a BIG deal and they rotate that sale around the store a lot! When you use your kidvantage at the register it will recognize how much you have spent in the kids department *kids shoes count too!* and will give you a coupon for 15% off your next kids purchase after you spend 100$. I like to keep track and try to not buy more than 100$ in a transaction because the coupon is only after 100 is spent, not like 2 coupons because you spent 200$ in one order. Does that make sense?
That coupon is good on the next purchase of kids stuff. I like to make sure that next purchase is going to be a BIG one and get most of what I need for Christmas or back to school clothing with that one. The only downside of the coupon is that all clothing purchased with it does NOT count towards your next 100$ addition and the discount can not be applied to clearance items. So save clearance items for adding up to your next 100$ ;)
Now why do I go through all this pain of watching sales and collecting coupons? As if I don't have enough on my plate with 8 kids right?
The exchange! If the kids are playing and the clothing gives out, a seam rips, or the knee blows out, or the pocket falls off, or the zipper pull breaks, or the shoe does that weird talking flappy thing with the rubber on the bottom of the sole... EXCHANGE IT. FOR FREE! They don't ask you a billion questions, they don't need your receipt. You go in and find the same item (has to be the same size) and the people at the register will allow you to walk out with that brand new one! My kids don't grow very much, we make 'em small here, so this works out for me. I can start DD1 out in a favorite sweater in fall, and then put it away in the winter, revisit it in the spring to find that she has worn off two of the buttons and there is a hole in the elbow from rubbing it... get a new one!
Chances are, you won't need the program, but it is super nice to know it's there!
And they have cute clothing too!
~I was not paid by Sears, nor asked to do a review. I just wanted to let other families out there know they can have quality and budget. :)
Friday, September 10, 2010
ok so I was tagged and need to catch up now that I have a keyboard...
I've Been Tagged
I've been tagged to participate in a fun little game to help get to know your fellow bloggers. She answered questions about herself and then tagged 3 more people to answer them...... add your question and pass it on!
1. What song reminds you of a childhood memory? Thunder Struck.. my dad went to an AC/DC concert and brought back money that fell from the sky. It was fake, but still mega cool to my little brain lol.
2.Are you a night owl or and early bird? I am a night owl by nature. But I can function as an early bird as needed.
3.Give us a snapshot of the high school you. HA! I don't think I have any on this computer. Perhaps I could find something later and post it somewhere.
4.This or That: Rain or Snow? RAIN! The rain goes away faster and does not make me cold down to my bones.
5.Favorite Movie Quote? Gee, just pick about any awesome quote from Silence of the Lambs.
6.What Color are your Underwear? I am fairly certain they are some kind of pink stripy deal.
7. What was your 'dream job'? When I was little I wanted to be an Oceanographer so that I could play with dolphins, then I realized they didn't do that. Then I wanted to be a vet so that I could hang out with animals all day, then I realized they would have to cut them open or put them to sleep sometimes. Then I changed my mind, changed my mind, changed my mind.
With few exceptions of when I had the labor crazies, the only job I haven't ever changed my mind about was being a mom.
I've been tagged to participate in a fun little game to help get to know your fellow bloggers. She answered questions about herself and then tagged 3 more people to answer them...... add your question and pass it on!
1. What song reminds you of a childhood memory? Thunder Struck.. my dad went to an AC/DC concert and brought back money that fell from the sky. It was fake, but still mega cool to my little brain lol.
2.Are you a night owl or and early bird? I am a night owl by nature. But I can function as an early bird as needed.
3.Give us a snapshot of the high school you. HA! I don't think I have any on this computer. Perhaps I could find something later and post it somewhere.
4.This or That: Rain or Snow? RAIN! The rain goes away faster and does not make me cold down to my bones.
5.Favorite Movie Quote? Gee, just pick about any awesome quote from Silence of the Lambs.
6.What Color are your Underwear? I am fairly certain they are some kind of pink stripy deal.
7. What was your 'dream job'? When I was little I wanted to be an Oceanographer so that I could play with dolphins, then I realized they didn't do that. Then I wanted to be a vet so that I could hang out with animals all day, then I realized they would have to cut them open or put them to sleep sometimes. Then I changed my mind, changed my mind, changed my mind.
With few exceptions of when I had the labor crazies, the only job I haven't ever changed my mind about was being a mom.
Craptastic turned into faith of humanity
Last week I woke and was having a very craptastic day... the details aren't really important on the level of craptastic, because what could be totally crappy to me could be like "really she is bitching about that?" to you, then you quit reading and walk away to do something else...
I decided I was going to walk out the door on my own, so I boobed the baby and went to get lunch at fast food. I am in line at fast food and order. It's a huge line and I am thinking that the baby is going to be unhappy he was left at home with the crazies (see previous posts) and my craptastic day is going to get worse.
DH texts me and says that he doesn't want food from the place I am at, and the place he wants is across town. I decide I will be nice and get his favorite thing from next door, instead of going wayyyyy out of my way. I got hungry kids at home!
28$ worth of fast food for my kids *see why it's a treat?* and I pull up to find that the woman in front of me paid my order? I can't believe it~! A fun pay it forward situation and here I am in the MIDDLE OF IT!
Life somehow knew that I needed a pick me up, something that was going to take me off the wall before I got to that teetering edge of the top.
I paid for the order behind me, a whopping 3$ and the lady at the window was very confused but did it anyway.
I am not sure if the persons behind me chose to pay it forward, but I would like to believe that the rest of that day people just kept paying for the person behind them, no matter what the cost was.
I decided I was going to walk out the door on my own, so I boobed the baby and went to get lunch at fast food. I am in line at fast food and order. It's a huge line and I am thinking that the baby is going to be unhappy he was left at home with the crazies (see previous posts) and my craptastic day is going to get worse.
DH texts me and says that he doesn't want food from the place I am at, and the place he wants is across town. I decide I will be nice and get his favorite thing from next door, instead of going wayyyyy out of my way. I got hungry kids at home!
28$ worth of fast food for my kids *see why it's a treat?* and I pull up to find that the woman in front of me paid my order? I can't believe it~! A fun pay it forward situation and here I am in the MIDDLE OF IT!
Life somehow knew that I needed a pick me up, something that was going to take me off the wall before I got to that teetering edge of the top.
I paid for the order behind me, a whopping 3$ and the lady at the window was very confused but did it anyway.
I am not sure if the persons behind me chose to pay it forward, but I would like to believe that the rest of that day people just kept paying for the person behind them, no matter what the cost was.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Blog a day eh?
O.k so I'm not Canadian, nor am I from the U.P, but I grew up watching the Canadian version of Sesame Street, I'll say 'eh now and again...
I was hoping to do the blog a day for September, really get the creative fires burning ya know? Then my children came into play...
Not that I can't find the time, everyone that knows I tweet knows that my iphone is glued to my hand. Its more the fact that the kids killed the two computers. Yes, two, in one week. So I am typing this on my tiny iphone screen, painfully slow compared to a keyboard that is.
I am going to ship off 5 of the kids and then take the other three to run some errands. Since DD#4 has already ripped one of her pairs of pants (love Sears kidvantage program and will blog it one day) we will be replacing those for free, then we will work on something for my sanity, finding a mouse and a mouse driver.
I plan on fixing my computers so that I can get back to doing something for me. :)
I was hoping to do the blog a day for September, really get the creative fires burning ya know? Then my children came into play...
Not that I can't find the time, everyone that knows I tweet knows that my iphone is glued to my hand. Its more the fact that the kids killed the two computers. Yes, two, in one week. So I am typing this on my tiny iphone screen, painfully slow compared to a keyboard that is.
I am going to ship off 5 of the kids and then take the other three to run some errands. Since DD#4 has already ripped one of her pairs of pants (love Sears kidvantage program and will blog it one day) we will be replacing those for free, then we will work on something for my sanity, finding a mouse and a mouse driver.
I plan on fixing my computers so that I can get back to doing something for me. :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
But I just knew my feet were the dirtiest!
I woke, did my mom things with 6 kids in tow. Had the doctor tell me I was an awesome mom and that the kids were doing wonderful. Took everyone up to the post office and tossed some fenugreek in the mail for a lady I do not know, other than on my new twitter that is. The kids even said it needed to be in a pretty package and have a fancy label, so we did that. We visited the park and then made dinner and cleaned up house. I managed to get everyone (except 8 yr old) sleeping before 8 and took a shower.
But yet there is something missing. As I stepped into the shower I could see the water hit my feet and the blackened bottoms started to muddy the water and I watched it. Clearly I had the dirtiest feet of the day. I swear I only wore shoes into the doctor's office for a short time. I did not put them on for the post office nor the walk, nor the park, yet I don't FEEL like they were dirty, even as I watch the evidence wash down the drain.
I don't FEEL like I had any fun at all.
I missed her at that moment.
We have best friends that we make along the way in life, through childhood and beyond. I met my best mommy friend many years ago. We clicked and stuck. She would make me laugh at how she would look at her kids feet at the end of the day and declare who must have had the best day because they had the dirtiest feet of all.
I miss hanging out with her and her crazy ass kids. I miss being able to tell my BFF that she's fucking nuts and not have her judge it later on thinking that I might have meant that she needs drugs, because we both already know shes on them! HA! I miss when I have a day from hell that I can go to her and just let it OUT and she will not question my sanity, but talk me off the wall. I love that when she had a hard day she could just chat me up and I would make her laugh because I would win the "it could be worse, you could have my life game."
I love that she would just pop over whenever and I could then manage to get her to stay for dinner. Or that she would let me steal her 3 kids and take them to the park so that mine had someone else to play with.
But now she lives in Texas. She has for some time now. But it still sucks.
And when I want to share with her, she's far.
And its not fair, because I swear I had the dirty feet.
But yet there is something missing. As I stepped into the shower I could see the water hit my feet and the blackened bottoms started to muddy the water and I watched it. Clearly I had the dirtiest feet of the day. I swear I only wore shoes into the doctor's office for a short time. I did not put them on for the post office nor the walk, nor the park, yet I don't FEEL like they were dirty, even as I watch the evidence wash down the drain.
I don't FEEL like I had any fun at all.
I missed her at that moment.
We have best friends that we make along the way in life, through childhood and beyond. I met my best mommy friend many years ago. We clicked and stuck. She would make me laugh at how she would look at her kids feet at the end of the day and declare who must have had the best day because they had the dirtiest feet of all.
I miss hanging out with her and her crazy ass kids. I miss being able to tell my BFF that she's fucking nuts and not have her judge it later on thinking that I might have meant that she needs drugs, because we both already know shes on them! HA! I miss when I have a day from hell that I can go to her and just let it OUT and she will not question my sanity, but talk me off the wall. I love that when she had a hard day she could just chat me up and I would make her laugh because I would win the "it could be worse, you could have my life game."
I love that she would just pop over whenever and I could then manage to get her to stay for dinner. Or that she would let me steal her 3 kids and take them to the park so that mine had someone else to play with.
But now she lives in Texas. She has for some time now. But it still sucks.
And when I want to share with her, she's far.
And its not fair, because I swear I had the dirty feet.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
And then there were 7...
My eldest two went off for a 2 week vacation and tonight I will tuck the 6 kids, age 8 and under, into bed... do last minute safety checks for my ones that like to wonder, then take a nap.
Yep. Nap.
At 3 am I will get up, place said 6 kids into the van. DH will pack his stuff he requires for the week into the van and we will make way to his work. Somewhere along the 1.5 hour drive the kids will be in and out of sleep, some recharged from their 8pm to 3 am nap, some not giving in to the wakeful state and instead choosing to be lulled back to sleep by the sounds of the empty road rushing under the tires.
Once we get there I will say goodbye and then make the trek back past all the McDonalds and Burger Kings that are not even open for breakfast yet, past the small town stores that are still dark and sleeping. Around the time we hit town again there will be a small bustle of people starting off their daily drives to work. I will be unloading the 6 kids and hoping that bedtime will come quietly, and quickly. (it doesn't trust me)
The kids will be ready to move and get all their squirrly behaviour out. I will have one at the tap eating while the rest are saying they don't like their breakfast, it's too early, they would rather have fruit, and why can't we have cookies at 630 am.
Sometime during the day there will be a point when I just cant take it anymore and we will leave this house. If I don't stay in motion I will nap, and I know this... so we will venture out to a park, or two. I will end up at a grocery store while in town, which will make me crazy because I know better than to push it on a Monday, but I never learn... I must keep them busy and myself moving...
By the time dinner rolls around I will have witnessed a few meltdowns by the 4 yr old, and the horror of a 2 yr old that refuses a nap.
Showers for the crew and off to bed. No one wants to go, but for my sanity and their ability to function the next day, they must. 8 pm did not come soon enough, and I need to nurse the baby and clean before I go to bed, then nurse him one more time.
By about 11 pm I am able to lay down and nurse the baby until we both pass out in some sort of milky dream land.
As much of a pain it all sounds, right now I can't wait because my DH is sitting on the couch behind me watching television as the toddler is destroying the kitchen, has the projector and speakers WAY to loud (even the 8 yr old is asking him to turn it down) and I'm fairly certain its only that loud because I was being too loud when yelling at the kids to get out of the kitchen and put the almond milk back.
The sanity of being a family of 7 can't come soon enough.
Yep. Nap.
At 3 am I will get up, place said 6 kids into the van. DH will pack his stuff he requires for the week into the van and we will make way to his work. Somewhere along the 1.5 hour drive the kids will be in and out of sleep, some recharged from their 8pm to 3 am nap, some not giving in to the wakeful state and instead choosing to be lulled back to sleep by the sounds of the empty road rushing under the tires.
Once we get there I will say goodbye and then make the trek back past all the McDonalds and Burger Kings that are not even open for breakfast yet, past the small town stores that are still dark and sleeping. Around the time we hit town again there will be a small bustle of people starting off their daily drives to work. I will be unloading the 6 kids and hoping that bedtime will come quietly, and quickly. (it doesn't trust me)
The kids will be ready to move and get all their squirrly behaviour out. I will have one at the tap eating while the rest are saying they don't like their breakfast, it's too early, they would rather have fruit, and why can't we have cookies at 630 am.
Sometime during the day there will be a point when I just cant take it anymore and we will leave this house. If I don't stay in motion I will nap, and I know this... so we will venture out to a park, or two. I will end up at a grocery store while in town, which will make me crazy because I know better than to push it on a Monday, but I never learn... I must keep them busy and myself moving...
By the time dinner rolls around I will have witnessed a few meltdowns by the 4 yr old, and the horror of a 2 yr old that refuses a nap.
Showers for the crew and off to bed. No one wants to go, but for my sanity and their ability to function the next day, they must. 8 pm did not come soon enough, and I need to nurse the baby and clean before I go to bed, then nurse him one more time.
By about 11 pm I am able to lay down and nurse the baby until we both pass out in some sort of milky dream land.
As much of a pain it all sounds, right now I can't wait because my DH is sitting on the couch behind me watching television as the toddler is destroying the kitchen, has the projector and speakers WAY to loud (even the 8 yr old is asking him to turn it down) and I'm fairly certain its only that loud because I was being too loud when yelling at the kids to get out of the kitchen and put the almond milk back.
The sanity of being a family of 7 can't come soon enough.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
TYPICAL?! What does that mean?
People ask me what a typical day is and I have to ask what typical even means?
It might be described as organized chaos. How about loosely structured with some sprinkled OMGWTF thrown in each day? Wait, I got it...
Busy.
At 3 am I missed a call from my BFF that now lives across the country from me. I do not get calls from people at 3 am, so this was alarming to me at 5 am when I noticed that my stupid iphone did not alert me to her call. I was up feeding the baby at 3 am so I would have welcomed some company.
I texted her at 8 am, since I didnt want to wake her at 5 am, my time, I waited till 8. I asked what was up.
An hour later I am situating my day and my kids are telling me the pending storm is causing the power to flick on and off in the entire house. So off they run to unplug the precious flashing entertainment boxes so that they dont break. I miss a call. I am expecting it to say that it was my BFF and kinda excited to catch up with her.
nope.
It's my DH. DH is a trucker that leaves me here with this crazy bunch at 3 am Monday morning and we don't see him till Friday about 10, or 11, or 12, or sometimes 3 am... So I call him back right away and hear him crying.
Oh dear Zeus what the hell is wrong?! He blurts out that he may have just lost his job. Not knowing what the heck is going on I am trying to get him to calm down and be rational. We just got a house, are just getting back on or feet after his year long stint of being unemployed. He can NOT loose his job!
I find out that he rolled his truck.
A SEMI!
He is freaking out that he rolled his semi and is more worried about loosing his job. So hysterical he cant barely talk to me. So I ask to talk with who is there with him. Thankfully its his boss. I explain that DH will be VERY concerned with his job and not really rational and to please make sure to take him to a doctor to get examined. Not ER material, but just checked out ya know. He agrees and says to please explain to DH to not worry about job and just talk to him and let him make sure he is ok. (apparently DH was not communicating with boss at all. He was that messed up)
I try and start my day again, I have two well child visits today... I need to keep moving and have no time to sit and dwell. I manage to shower and get ready and the biggers are watching some of the littles while I take the two littlest in for their exam.
Quickly I fix the internet issues so that my oldest doesnt have a heart attack. This means removing hardware and removing programs in order to point somethingoranother to another area so that my router will work properly.
I am worried that their circ were done wrong because my first two did not look like these, but it has been years, so what do I know right? Not like I see them all the time or anything.
So the doc says that the 2 yr old looks just fine. I was worried that it may have been done *too much* but the doc says it is fine.
The 7 month old is not. His was not done properly and so it has healed to the top of his penis. When I brought him home I had said that it looked like they did not circ him at all. I just treated it like a intact, keeping it clean with out pulling, and just moving enough to keep skin away from healing area as per the doc follow up. So now i have to take this poor baby to have it redone. The entire thing makes me mad. The doctor explained to me a little more indepth, it is just a guessing game. The size of the bell, the amount to cut. The fact that it is a little more clean is something he says benefits the boys in the "stinky boys phase" but it can be problematic in the start more than people realize.
So I get to leave there.
Im one of those nuts that dont introduce a food other than breast milk or formula for the entire first year, but I have never been able to breast feed past one year. The doc suggests introduction of iron fortified cereal, although the baby shows no sign of issues with iron and is the fastest growth rate of any of my kids. So now I have to figure this out... introduce and possibly have him quit BF because he wants the food more?
And I finally get to talk to my BFF and she is just missing home, here home. So we text each other down and I pull the "you could have this life" card and she feels much better.
I allow the two girls to go to their friends down the way with directions that they are NOT allowed inside as I do not know their parents, and they are being watched by a cousin.
When I go down to check they are inside this house. I tell the boychild that I need my children and ask if he could please retrieve them. Oldest DD, age 8, goes to the back of the house and comes back with a bla bla bla story. I check her pockets. They come up with nothing so she goes skipping off. DD2 that had been there with her says the water balloons are in her shoe. Nice. She is made to turn around and put them away.
Making dinner and trying to get rid of the left overs so I make stew. Everyone hates it, but I do not care at this point.
One DD on stairs for going in where she shouldnt have, one DD in her room for trying to steal and going where she shouldnt have. One DS freaking out because the doctor pulled on his penis to see if it had healed, it had. One DS yelling at me about a physical he has to take tomorrow (the only doctor visit he has to go to for an entire damn year) One DS asking me to take the upset DS because he justwantstheboobandhatestheworld. One DS horrified because he did not get enough outside time, and no nap. One DD pulling everything out and then saying it is not hers to clean?! and One DD that is cleaning up with out being asked and just going about her own thing.
I managed to get most of them to choke down 1/2 cup of stew with bribery. Two cookies after they finish it ALL.
One child got 2 cookies. The rest filled up on bread and complained they hate vegetables... they hate meat... they hate soup liquid...
Is this typical?
What does that mean?
We always have some sort of thing going on, a little drama, a little tears, a little rudeness, a lot of correction.
Who would have thought that these same children were the ones that ate at the restaraunt with out being loud, without making a mess with their food, with out running around, with out needing many reminders... the same children that walked through the mall all together, hanging out happily. The ones that buckled right into the 6 car seats with out a fuss.
We don't really have a typical here. I don't really know how to define that word.
It might be described as organized chaos. How about loosely structured with some sprinkled OMGWTF thrown in each day? Wait, I got it...
Busy.
At 3 am I missed a call from my BFF that now lives across the country from me. I do not get calls from people at 3 am, so this was alarming to me at 5 am when I noticed that my stupid iphone did not alert me to her call. I was up feeding the baby at 3 am so I would have welcomed some company.
I texted her at 8 am, since I didnt want to wake her at 5 am, my time, I waited till 8. I asked what was up.
An hour later I am situating my day and my kids are telling me the pending storm is causing the power to flick on and off in the entire house. So off they run to unplug the precious flashing entertainment boxes so that they dont break. I miss a call. I am expecting it to say that it was my BFF and kinda excited to catch up with her.
nope.
It's my DH. DH is a trucker that leaves me here with this crazy bunch at 3 am Monday morning and we don't see him till Friday about 10, or 11, or 12, or sometimes 3 am... So I call him back right away and hear him crying.
Oh dear Zeus what the hell is wrong?! He blurts out that he may have just lost his job. Not knowing what the heck is going on I am trying to get him to calm down and be rational. We just got a house, are just getting back on or feet after his year long stint of being unemployed. He can NOT loose his job!
I find out that he rolled his truck.
A SEMI!
He is freaking out that he rolled his semi and is more worried about loosing his job. So hysterical he cant barely talk to me. So I ask to talk with who is there with him. Thankfully its his boss. I explain that DH will be VERY concerned with his job and not really rational and to please make sure to take him to a doctor to get examined. Not ER material, but just checked out ya know. He agrees and says to please explain to DH to not worry about job and just talk to him and let him make sure he is ok. (apparently DH was not communicating with boss at all. He was that messed up)
I try and start my day again, I have two well child visits today... I need to keep moving and have no time to sit and dwell. I manage to shower and get ready and the biggers are watching some of the littles while I take the two littlest in for their exam.
Quickly I fix the internet issues so that my oldest doesnt have a heart attack. This means removing hardware and removing programs in order to point somethingoranother to another area so that my router will work properly.
I am worried that their circ were done wrong because my first two did not look like these, but it has been years, so what do I know right? Not like I see them all the time or anything.
So the doc says that the 2 yr old looks just fine. I was worried that it may have been done *too much* but the doc says it is fine.
The 7 month old is not. His was not done properly and so it has healed to the top of his penis. When I brought him home I had said that it looked like they did not circ him at all. I just treated it like a intact, keeping it clean with out pulling, and just moving enough to keep skin away from healing area as per the doc follow up. So now i have to take this poor baby to have it redone. The entire thing makes me mad. The doctor explained to me a little more indepth, it is just a guessing game. The size of the bell, the amount to cut. The fact that it is a little more clean is something he says benefits the boys in the "stinky boys phase" but it can be problematic in the start more than people realize.
So I get to leave there.
Im one of those nuts that dont introduce a food other than breast milk or formula for the entire first year, but I have never been able to breast feed past one year. The doc suggests introduction of iron fortified cereal, although the baby shows no sign of issues with iron and is the fastest growth rate of any of my kids. So now I have to figure this out... introduce and possibly have him quit BF because he wants the food more?
And I finally get to talk to my BFF and she is just missing home, here home. So we text each other down and I pull the "you could have this life" card and she feels much better.
I allow the two girls to go to their friends down the way with directions that they are NOT allowed inside as I do not know their parents, and they are being watched by a cousin.
When I go down to check they are inside this house. I tell the boychild that I need my children and ask if he could please retrieve them. Oldest DD, age 8, goes to the back of the house and comes back with a bla bla bla story. I check her pockets. They come up with nothing so she goes skipping off. DD2 that had been there with her says the water balloons are in her shoe. Nice. She is made to turn around and put them away.
Making dinner and trying to get rid of the left overs so I make stew. Everyone hates it, but I do not care at this point.
One DD on stairs for going in where she shouldnt have, one DD in her room for trying to steal and going where she shouldnt have. One DS freaking out because the doctor pulled on his penis to see if it had healed, it had. One DS yelling at me about a physical he has to take tomorrow (the only doctor visit he has to go to for an entire damn year) One DS asking me to take the upset DS because he justwantstheboobandhatestheworld. One DS horrified because he did not get enough outside time, and no nap. One DD pulling everything out and then saying it is not hers to clean?! and One DD that is cleaning up with out being asked and just going about her own thing.
I managed to get most of them to choke down 1/2 cup of stew with bribery. Two cookies after they finish it ALL.
One child got 2 cookies. The rest filled up on bread and complained they hate vegetables... they hate meat... they hate soup liquid...
Is this typical?
What does that mean?
We always have some sort of thing going on, a little drama, a little tears, a little rudeness, a lot of correction.
Who would have thought that these same children were the ones that ate at the restaraunt with out being loud, without making a mess with their food, with out running around, with out needing many reminders... the same children that walked through the mall all together, hanging out happily. The ones that buckled right into the 6 car seats with out a fuss.
We don't really have a typical here. I don't really know how to define that word.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
shirts, pants, socks OH MY!
We are trying to scale down here. I have MANY garbage bags of clothing for these kids and they wear but a handful.
So instead of actually doing a post, I am doing a question...
How many outfits per person do you have? One for each day of the week? Enough for one outfit each day for a month?
More?!
I'll come back with pictures of our give away pile, we just gave away stuff last May, although from the looks of things you would never know it.
So instead of actually doing a post, I am doing a question...
How many outfits per person do you have? One for each day of the week? Enough for one outfit each day for a month?
More?!
I'll come back with pictures of our give away pile, we just gave away stuff last May, although from the looks of things you would never know it.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Eggplant parm, baked
Real quick directions...
not professional looking at all but I wanted to get it jotted down lol.
Items needed.
Your favorite tomato sauce. (spag sauce)
Japanese bread crumbs
Eggs
Flour
Pepper
You can forgo the flour pepper stage if you want...
Just like regular chicken parm...
One plate of flour seasoned with pepper. You want the seasoning in this stage because it will season the Eggplant and not burn in the oil.
One plate of egg beaten.
One plate of breadcrumbs.
Now you have your plates started heat a pan of oil. then start this next step. Oil should NEVER SMOKE! If it is then you have it too hot and it will burn the food. A drop of water should instantly dance in the oil if it is hot enough.
Take sliced eggplant and dip in the flour/pepper and get it coated well.
Lightly dip coated plant into the egg mixture.
Dredge it around in the bread crumbs. Try and make sure there are a lot because they will fall off.
Set aside and make several more.
Once you have a few you should have a heated pan. Lay them into the oil just long enough to brown each side. (you will have to flip them to brown each side if you are using a pan.)
When you have them all done you can layer them in a baking dish, small amt of sauce on the bottom of pan, then cover them in the sauce. You can layer some skim Mozz on the top once you have the pan full. (either layer it like lasagna or just do one layer, your choice)
Bake at 350, should be no longer than an hour. You can make a double batch and have some for dinner tonight, and then lunch 5 days later. :)
I'll give better directions when I can. For now that is the basic.
not professional looking at all but I wanted to get it jotted down lol.
Items needed.
Your favorite tomato sauce. (spag sauce)
Japanese bread crumbs
Eggs
Flour
Pepper
You can forgo the flour pepper stage if you want...
Just like regular chicken parm...
One plate of flour seasoned with pepper. You want the seasoning in this stage because it will season the Eggplant and not burn in the oil.
One plate of egg beaten.
One plate of breadcrumbs.
Now you have your plates started heat a pan of oil. then start this next step. Oil should NEVER SMOKE! If it is then you have it too hot and it will burn the food. A drop of water should instantly dance in the oil if it is hot enough.
Take sliced eggplant and dip in the flour/pepper and get it coated well.
Lightly dip coated plant into the egg mixture.
Dredge it around in the bread crumbs. Try and make sure there are a lot because they will fall off.
Set aside and make several more.
Once you have a few you should have a heated pan. Lay them into the oil just long enough to brown each side. (you will have to flip them to brown each side if you are using a pan.)
When you have them all done you can layer them in a baking dish, small amt of sauce on the bottom of pan, then cover them in the sauce. You can layer some skim Mozz on the top once you have the pan full. (either layer it like lasagna or just do one layer, your choice)
Bake at 350, should be no longer than an hour. You can make a double batch and have some for dinner tonight, and then lunch 5 days later. :)
I'll give better directions when I can. For now that is the basic.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
A new start?
I'm not really sure what is going to come of all this, but I am going to give it a start. This journal is going to be the start of a new era of friends for me. It will probably be the start of new dissidence as well. I welcome the new road that has unfolded before me, and can't wait to see where it goes.
I welcome you on the journey with me.
I am a mother to 8 children, 6 of them came within 7 years of each other. They take up most of my time and thoughts. We were homeless for the past year and just recently, with the help of our friends, moved into our own home. The downturn of the job state here took us on a very humbling road that took my kids into the public school system for the first time. They enjoyed it and so I am trying to figure out how to transition from being a leader of a homeschool group to a public school mom.
This year will be very challenging for me as I will only have 2 children at home, and 6 in 3 different schools. My DH is now an OTR (over the road) trucker so it is all me, all the time, from Monday through Friday. I am very used to being busy and on the go, but the small town, coupled with the kids tethered to a school schedule, will keep me close to home.
I hope to find some hobby that I can call my own. Who knows, it might even be writing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)