Hi all. I'll come down off the soap box for tonight. It's late,and I just want to post something, anything really. Sometimes I just want to write, something, anything. I might not have anything specific to share, or anything important. But sometimes, you just gotta write. I'll bet a lot of you are like that sometimes. All 2 of you who check out my blog. LOL
Lately I've been really into an old Japanese bad that was formed for an anime in the late 1990's/ early 2000's. Called Lucifer. No, they are not devil worshipers. The literal translation of Lucifer is Fallen Angel (which is what the devil is called in the Bible, I know, but this is not from a Christian perspective. There are a lot of differences in the way demons and devils are viewed in Japan). The anime is based on the manga of the same name; "Kaikan Phrase" or "Sensual Phrase" by a mangaka called Shinjo, Mayu. The band in the manga is famous for writing songs with heavy sensual lyrics. It's a bit different in the anime, and the band was created to promote the anime. It's a hard rock style. The only problem is that I can't buy the album on iTunes! So, I have to find it on YouTube, I'm pretty grateful I can find it there, otherwise I'd never know how great they are. It's so frustrating. I've found ONE for sale, but, obviously it's from Japan. And a bit pricey. :( You can find Japanese songs and bands from the 1990's, just not this one yet. I think I'm starting to get some of the words down, it's kinda strange listing to a different language, not even a Latin based one at that. But, I really like the singer's voice, and the band is great. "Midnight Crow" might just be the best song.
When I was in high school I would have been completely in love with this band. They are right up the same alley as Great White (now I like Jack Russel's Great White), Poison, Motley Crue, White Lion, Tesla, ect. 1980's & 1990's hair band, hard rock. I would spend all my money on concert tickets and tour t-shirts. While all but one friend spent their money on name brands clothes, and made fun of me for buying my jeans from Goodwill, mine went to concerts. The one friend, my best friend from 8th grade and on (once I had kids, and she didn't, we didn't see each other as much, she got to keep spending money on concerts and I couldn't, but we still loved each other!), we probably went to 10 concerts a year, and since we lived in Milwaukee at the time, Summerfest! We were probably there 8 or 9 of the 11 days each year! It was a lot of fun. I hope that as my kids get older and flee the nest, I might get to go to some concerts again. Now though, I would attend more than one type of music concert. I'd hit as many as I could (except rap. Just don't like it.) No cheerleader, football game stories from me, it's all concert stories.
The best one I ever went to wasn't even a band I was too familiar with. It was a Summerfest performance by L.A. Guns. Great band, I just din't know too many of their songs. They put on a great show, but what was most memorable was the rain. About 2/3 of the way through the show, the sky opened up in thunder, and it started pouring. So, since it's an outside venue, the band said good night. Now, this place was jammed. Mikki (best friend's nick-name) and I were 2nd row center, and we were packed in like sardines. Literally standing sideways, front to back standing on the (wooden) bench. More people had smooshed their way into the space between the benches as well. Everyone there was just having a great time, and no one was ready for the concert to end, so we all started screaming over the rain. After about five mins, the band came back out and said, "if you guys are f**kin' crazy enough to stand out here, we're f**kin' crazy enough to keep playing for you!!" And they played for more than 30 more mins! During all this, of course everyone was jumping on the bench in rhythm to the music, and we broke the benches! Only the first two rows were still wooden, the rest were metal. The next time we were there (2 days later) they had replaced the benches with metal. It was just a blast. I'm sure no one forgot that one too quickly, including the band.
Well, I think I've got enough writing out of my system for now. See you all next time.
blessings,
mamaAthena
Friday, November 25, 2016
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Where have I been?
Where have I been? Well, I was trying to deal with the blow that this country dealt. We have elected a bully to the highest office our country has. We now have a racist dictator for the President of the United States.
I am a conservative Christian. I believe the Bible in 100% perfect. I believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. I do not believe in hate. Jesus preached love.
I am not a Trump supporter.
"And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the GREATEST of these is LOVE"
--1 Corinthians 13:13
This year, there were two choices. Neither was good. One was not evil. One was. Good job U.S. You chose the wrong one. Yea, I know a lot of you out there disagree. I know most of you who voted for him think he's the better choice. You are entitled to your opinion.
What I don't get, is how anyone can listen to the man and not see. He wants to purify America. ?!?!?! Didn't another man say that nearly 80 years ago? He wants to build a wall? Berlin Wall... anyone??? Registering a sub-group of Americans, making them wear identification? REALLY! How do you not see? Since he has been elected, hate crimes have increased, maybe not too much -- YET.
I have stated that I am a conservative, dresses only, Bible believing Christian. I believe that Christianity is the only correct religion. But, and this is a BIG but; God gave us the gift of free will. And this country is suppose to support that. If you are Muslim, you are not a bad person. You are not a second class citizen. I am not afraid of someone because of their religion. Jesus said we are to love everyone. Not just those who are like us.
Because I believe the Bible is completely correct, I do not believe that God condones same sex relationships. That He created men to be men and women to be women. I do NOT believe that the government should decided who should and should not get married. I believe it is a sin to have sex outside of marriage, and since God does not recognize same sex marriages, it is a sin to have sex with someone who is your same gender. That doesn't stop God or Jesus from loving you. It's not my business who you have a relationship with. Frankly, I'd rather see someone in a committed, same sex relationship than someone who has sex with many different opposite gender people on a regular basis. Yes, it's a sin. Guess what? I'm a sinner too. I do all kinds of things that disappoints God. He still love me, He still loves you. NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, GOD LOVES YOU! That's the message. And as far as this ridiculous bathroom thing; if someone believes themselves to be the opposite gender than what they were born, they have so many things going on in their lives, they are not someone you need to worry about. They just want to pee and get out of there. Get over yourselves, you wouldn't even know if someone IS opposite gender anyway. Just move on.
This world is so full of hate. Why can't we just stop? Because we are afraid of what we don't understand. This is the human condition. The thing is, you don't always have to be afraid of something/ someone who is different. Yes, there are times to be cautious. There are bad people out there. People who want to hurt you. Some are different than you, and some are just like you. How many serial killers have just been the guy next door? Almost all sexual assaults are by someone you know, and even, often, love.
This has been quite the ranting post. I know. And I know many people out there will not be happy with what I've said. People on both sides will be angry at me. But, go back and read it again. I might think that with what we call "alternate lifestyles" is sinning, but I have no problem with you. You are just different than me. If you treat me with respect and kindness, I will treat you the same. And if you don't, I'll still try to treat you with respect and kindness. That's what the Bible teaches us. LOVE EVERYONE! I will stand with those who just want their freedom to choose, as long as your choice is not based in hate.
And, if any transgender women want to use the woman's bathroom when I'm in there, feel free. I'll support your right to be who you want to be.
For the record, I am upset about who has been elected. But, I do not hate those who chose him. Most of the time I don't hate trump either. I am trying to practice what Jesus preached.In fact, I feel sorry for him, and everyone around him. I only hope that somehow love wins out over hate.
blessings,
mamaAthena
Monday, November 7, 2016
My Homeschooling Story
So, Monday again. How about a little more of my story. But what part? Last time was about my journey to Salvation. Oh, I know, how about why I started homeschooling? ok? Here we go....
Now, when I had my first baby, and I was sitting in the hospital bed, holding her, I thought to myself, "I wish I would never have to send you away from me, to daycare or school." At that time, (1993) homeschooling was legal, but I had no idea it existed. I think that's true for a lot of us.
Fast forward five years, I sent her to kindergarten. A full day one, because that was what was there. Yes, I cried. Sometime during that year, I heard of homeschooling. I was sold. She finished kindergarten, and I started to homeschool her and her 3 year old brother. At the start of the new year(2000), she was back in school. I was terrified of messing up. I was loosing my temper and yelling at her. I even spanked her once for not working. (Yes, I'm very ashamed of myself.) It's not an excuse, but I was so worried she wouldn't learn what she needed to. In 1999, there still wasn't much out there in support of homeschoolers, and, I foolishly didn't try to find a support group. I did have a name & number, but I didn't call. So, I gave up. If I couldn't spend the day without yelling, or loosing my temper, I had no right to have her at home all day.
School did not go over too well. I enrolled my next child, and we found out he has Asperger's. Back then, no one had even heard of it. There was ONE book out that wasn't a medical journal of some sort. I went down the checklist, he go 9 out of 10 for everything. I already knew something was off. I had heard of Autistic kids before, even met one, but I knew that wasn't it. I was glad to have an answer. So the public school (& privet doctors) did help out there. But still, things just weren't right. I had trouble with my children's teachers & principals - I wanted to be involved a lot more, they didn't like it. My daughter's second grade teacher actually told the kids a story about a black man who had recently been tied to two cars, and pulled apart. She told them the cars literally tore the man's arms & legs off!! This was a terrible hate crime, no argument there, but SEVEN years old is WAY, WAY to young to tell that kind of story to. I went in to talk to the principal, because I was so mad, I felt he should take care of this situation. I asked him to keep my name out of it, so Ky wouldn't have to deal with any repercussions. He didn't. I think I was home for 10 minutes, when the phone rang, and the teacher went off on me! Telling me I should have talked to her first, that I was a terrible person for talking to her boss, and that if I didn't want my daughter to hear that kind of story, I must be raciest! I ended up apologizing to her, she was so aggressive. I didn't back down that the story was inappropriate, but still accepted the blame. (but that's something else) The principal refused to move her to another class. She was treated a bit different after that, not too horrible, but it was still an issue. We ended up deciding to move and were able to switch her to a new school after a few months. yea.
New school, new school system. It was rated like #2 in our area. Good. Maybe now things will change. Her first teacher wasn't too bad. She liked me involved. I was pregnant w/ baby #3, and sick. Super sick. We also were down to one car, which my husband took to work. So, this teacher would call me after school so we could talk. I actually liked her. Jy's teacher had a notebook that went back and forth everyday. She didn't call as often, but we communicated every day. It was really hard for me to not be able to show my face regularly.
1st & 3rd grade: Jy ended up at a different school building because of his special needs. And Ky ended up with a completely burned out teacher. Jy was ok, but did have some trouble with the other students. Over all though, he was unaware of the picking on. His bigger thing was they were holding him back in work, he was bored with it, and because he couldn't sit still (ADHD too), they thought he couldn't do it. But this is where Ky's story gets sad.
Her 3rd grade teacher had 28 kids in her class, and NO HELPER! 3rd grade was when grades were started to be given out. Ky came home with all As. But all her papers were Fs. I tried over and over again to contact this teacher. I tried to set times to call, she would agree, but leave as soon as school was out. I tried to send notes, she wouldn't reply. I know Ky gave the notes to her, because when I managed to get my mom's car and drove in, her teacher told me she got them. She just didn't have time to reply! She told me she left early because she wasn't feeling good. I like to think she was just super burned out, and not just a horrible teacher. Then there were the kids in my daughter's class. There was one girl that had some of the same issues as my son, but the parents were in complete denial, and wouldn't do anything about it, and refused to let her be moved to special classroom. As a result, no one would play with her. Except my daughter. She was always like that. Wanted everyone included. I was proud of that. But, this girl had no control over her actions. She would get excited and pull on Ky, or push her down. Once she pushed Ky down the slide, backwards. Ky was terrified. She got a few bruises, and the school never let me know about it. Ky said she told her teacher, but the teacher did nothing. My husband and I went to school the next day. The solution was the little girl was not allowed to play with Ky for a month. And if Ky had any trouble, she was to go to the recess teachers and they were suppose to send her into her class room. It was fine for about 3 weeks. No trouble. Then when there was trouble, the recess teachers ignored her. Actually didn't even respond to her!
I was done. My 8 year old daughter had bags to half way down her cheeks (I'm not exaggerating!), she had tummy aches every morning, and she cried every night. She needed to come home. We couldn't afford privet school, so homeschooling was the only choice we had. I was really scared to mess up again. And my husband was outright against it this time. He finally agreed saying, "the sooner you pull her out, the sooner you'll put her back. And this is the last time." So, filled out our required forms, sent a note to the teach that after Easter break (it was March that year) she would not be coming back to school. With one week left, she finally told me about the little boy who sat across form her all year. Every day he would whisper awful things to her "you're worthless, you suck, you're stupid, you're dumb.." and such. When I questioned her, she told me she had tried to tell the teacher, but each time she raised her hand, the teacher would tell her to put it down. Wouldn't even ask what she needed. When she tried other times, the teacher just dismissed her each time. And when she tried to tell him to stop, she got scolded for talking. I offered to her to not finish that last week, she wanted to go to say bye to her friends. So, she finished out that week. I was watching kids for the Easter break, five of them, plus my 3! In a small apartment. There was a lot of activity that week. But, once everyone went back to school (my younger son included), she slept until noon for two straight weeks (still going to bed at 8). Now, this little girl decided at 2 that 6:00 am was a good time to get up, even though she wasn't going to bed until 11:00 (I had her on a second shift schedule on purpose - but once that started, it was first! LOL). That tells you how bad she had felt in that school. She went from being a sad, unhappy and crabby little girl, to out sweet and kind girl again. I was so happy.
The original plan was to leave Jy in school for 2nd grade, since he was doing ok. But, by the end of 1st, he was having more trouble than I thought he should. So, he finished 1st, but we brought him home after that.
The rest is history. We've happily homeschooled all these 15 years. And my husband became supportive after the end of that first summer. A couple of years into homeschooling, he told me "you're a much better homeschooling mother than you ever were school mother!" I did reach out this time and find a group. I think it made all the difference. It's not the same group I'm a member of now. That first one sort of ended, not with bad feelings though. But, I had a place to go, where other mom's who had been doing this longer and those who were new too, they could give me advice and support to keep it up. It's the biggest advice I give anyone who is wanting or new to homeschool; find a support group that works for you!
As for that little boy, I only feel sorry for him. And that's what I taught Ky to think about him too. They only way an eight year old boy says things like that, is because someone is saying them to him. I can only pray that things got better for him.
So, there's my homeschooling story. I tried to keep it short, but it's not really a short story, is it?
blessings,
mamaAthena
Now, when I had my first baby, and I was sitting in the hospital bed, holding her, I thought to myself, "I wish I would never have to send you away from me, to daycare or school." At that time, (1993) homeschooling was legal, but I had no idea it existed. I think that's true for a lot of us.
Fast forward five years, I sent her to kindergarten. A full day one, because that was what was there. Yes, I cried. Sometime during that year, I heard of homeschooling. I was sold. She finished kindergarten, and I started to homeschool her and her 3 year old brother. At the start of the new year(2000), she was back in school. I was terrified of messing up. I was loosing my temper and yelling at her. I even spanked her once for not working. (Yes, I'm very ashamed of myself.) It's not an excuse, but I was so worried she wouldn't learn what she needed to. In 1999, there still wasn't much out there in support of homeschoolers, and, I foolishly didn't try to find a support group. I did have a name & number, but I didn't call. So, I gave up. If I couldn't spend the day without yelling, or loosing my temper, I had no right to have her at home all day.
School did not go over too well. I enrolled my next child, and we found out he has Asperger's. Back then, no one had even heard of it. There was ONE book out that wasn't a medical journal of some sort. I went down the checklist, he go 9 out of 10 for everything. I already knew something was off. I had heard of Autistic kids before, even met one, but I knew that wasn't it. I was glad to have an answer. So the public school (& privet doctors) did help out there. But still, things just weren't right. I had trouble with my children's teachers & principals - I wanted to be involved a lot more, they didn't like it. My daughter's second grade teacher actually told the kids a story about a black man who had recently been tied to two cars, and pulled apart. She told them the cars literally tore the man's arms & legs off!! This was a terrible hate crime, no argument there, but SEVEN years old is WAY, WAY to young to tell that kind of story to. I went in to talk to the principal, because I was so mad, I felt he should take care of this situation. I asked him to keep my name out of it, so Ky wouldn't have to deal with any repercussions. He didn't. I think I was home for 10 minutes, when the phone rang, and the teacher went off on me! Telling me I should have talked to her first, that I was a terrible person for talking to her boss, and that if I didn't want my daughter to hear that kind of story, I must be raciest! I ended up apologizing to her, she was so aggressive. I didn't back down that the story was inappropriate, but still accepted the blame. (but that's something else) The principal refused to move her to another class. She was treated a bit different after that, not too horrible, but it was still an issue. We ended up deciding to move and were able to switch her to a new school after a few months. yea.
New school, new school system. It was rated like #2 in our area. Good. Maybe now things will change. Her first teacher wasn't too bad. She liked me involved. I was pregnant w/ baby #3, and sick. Super sick. We also were down to one car, which my husband took to work. So, this teacher would call me after school so we could talk. I actually liked her. Jy's teacher had a notebook that went back and forth everyday. She didn't call as often, but we communicated every day. It was really hard for me to not be able to show my face regularly.
1st & 3rd grade: Jy ended up at a different school building because of his special needs. And Ky ended up with a completely burned out teacher. Jy was ok, but did have some trouble with the other students. Over all though, he was unaware of the picking on. His bigger thing was they were holding him back in work, he was bored with it, and because he couldn't sit still (ADHD too), they thought he couldn't do it. But this is where Ky's story gets sad.
Her 3rd grade teacher had 28 kids in her class, and NO HELPER! 3rd grade was when grades were started to be given out. Ky came home with all As. But all her papers were Fs. I tried over and over again to contact this teacher. I tried to set times to call, she would agree, but leave as soon as school was out. I tried to send notes, she wouldn't reply. I know Ky gave the notes to her, because when I managed to get my mom's car and drove in, her teacher told me she got them. She just didn't have time to reply! She told me she left early because she wasn't feeling good. I like to think she was just super burned out, and not just a horrible teacher. Then there were the kids in my daughter's class. There was one girl that had some of the same issues as my son, but the parents were in complete denial, and wouldn't do anything about it, and refused to let her be moved to special classroom. As a result, no one would play with her. Except my daughter. She was always like that. Wanted everyone included. I was proud of that. But, this girl had no control over her actions. She would get excited and pull on Ky, or push her down. Once she pushed Ky down the slide, backwards. Ky was terrified. She got a few bruises, and the school never let me know about it. Ky said she told her teacher, but the teacher did nothing. My husband and I went to school the next day. The solution was the little girl was not allowed to play with Ky for a month. And if Ky had any trouble, she was to go to the recess teachers and they were suppose to send her into her class room. It was fine for about 3 weeks. No trouble. Then when there was trouble, the recess teachers ignored her. Actually didn't even respond to her!
I was done. My 8 year old daughter had bags to half way down her cheeks (I'm not exaggerating!), she had tummy aches every morning, and she cried every night. She needed to come home. We couldn't afford privet school, so homeschooling was the only choice we had. I was really scared to mess up again. And my husband was outright against it this time. He finally agreed saying, "the sooner you pull her out, the sooner you'll put her back. And this is the last time." So, filled out our required forms, sent a note to the teach that after Easter break (it was March that year) she would not be coming back to school. With one week left, she finally told me about the little boy who sat across form her all year. Every day he would whisper awful things to her "you're worthless, you suck, you're stupid, you're dumb.." and such. When I questioned her, she told me she had tried to tell the teacher, but each time she raised her hand, the teacher would tell her to put it down. Wouldn't even ask what she needed. When she tried other times, the teacher just dismissed her each time. And when she tried to tell him to stop, she got scolded for talking. I offered to her to not finish that last week, she wanted to go to say bye to her friends. So, she finished out that week. I was watching kids for the Easter break, five of them, plus my 3! In a small apartment. There was a lot of activity that week. But, once everyone went back to school (my younger son included), she slept until noon for two straight weeks (still going to bed at 8). Now, this little girl decided at 2 that 6:00 am was a good time to get up, even though she wasn't going to bed until 11:00 (I had her on a second shift schedule on purpose - but once that started, it was first! LOL). That tells you how bad she had felt in that school. She went from being a sad, unhappy and crabby little girl, to out sweet and kind girl again. I was so happy.
The original plan was to leave Jy in school for 2nd grade, since he was doing ok. But, by the end of 1st, he was having more trouble than I thought he should. So, he finished 1st, but we brought him home after that.
The rest is history. We've happily homeschooled all these 15 years. And my husband became supportive after the end of that first summer. A couple of years into homeschooling, he told me "you're a much better homeschooling mother than you ever were school mother!" I did reach out this time and find a group. I think it made all the difference. It's not the same group I'm a member of now. That first one sort of ended, not with bad feelings though. But, I had a place to go, where other mom's who had been doing this longer and those who were new too, they could give me advice and support to keep it up. It's the biggest advice I give anyone who is wanting or new to homeschool; find a support group that works for you!
As for that little boy, I only feel sorry for him. And that's what I taught Ky to think about him too. They only way an eight year old boy says things like that, is because someone is saying them to him. I can only pray that things got better for him.
So, there's my homeschooling story. I tried to keep it short, but it's not really a short story, is it?
blessings,
mamaAthena
Saturday, November 5, 2016
gift of boredom.
I actually have some spare time on a Saturday afternoon! I'm shocked. Ok, so maybe I don't really have any spare time, I'm just choosing to take some spare time and play on my computer, looking up old favorite songs on YouTube (a few new favorites too). Man, late '80s & early '90s hairbands had a lot of... hair! Still good music. Some favorites; Poison, Motley Crue (they just finished up their last tour, ever:( wish I could have went to see them one more time), Skid Row, Great White, could keep going on, but I won't.
Found a new band, well, I don't think they are actually new, but new to me, called Glay. It's a bad from Japan, so I can only sing the lyrics they have in English. But they're great to listen to anyway. I do take the time to look up the translations, and the songs are really good. If you like hard rock, check them out.
I should be outside working on getting our yard "winter ready." But, sometimes you just have to sit back and do nothing. I think we forget that in our society today. The importance of doing nothing important.
I think as a homeschooling mom, I know how important it is for my kids to do nothing. Kids need time to just be. Allowing them time, when they are younger, to have nothing to do, let's them develop their imaginations. "Bionicals & Barbies" (this was a favorite game of my older 2 where the Barbies were taken prisoner in the toy castle by the Bionicals, then Ken and Buzz Lightyear would have to rescue them, it was quite funny to watch, I think they started that at 7 & 9) would have never come about if my kids hadn't gotten bored. "Three-girl & Six-boy" was the younger 2's favorite. In fact, right after I started homeschooling, when Ky or Jy would come tell me they were bored, I'd say "good." and walk away. It really confused them at first, but after awhile, they figured out they had to find something to do on their own. Flash forward to when they were a little older, if they came to complain they were bored, I'd give them a gross chore, like cat litter box cleaning or scrubbing toilets. I never really had too many complaints about being bored. Jk & Kt figured out that being bored was a good thing, since it meant you could go do what you wanted.
When kids are older, preteens & teens, they are still developing their imaginations, but more than that, they are forming who they are. Time to think about what is important to them, what they want to be, what they want from life, are all really important things to think about. And they need time to do that. If kids are always on the go, they don't have time to do that. Then they start becoming what others tell them to be, not who God wants them to be, who they are comfortable being. I've noticed that when kids start becoming what others want, that's when they rebel -- hard. All kids rebel, they need to. But watching different t.v. shows, liking different music, that kind of rebelling is good. Drugs and sex, that's hard rebelling, and none of us wants that for our kids. That's a long hard road to travel.
So be sure to take the time to give your kids bored times. Even if it means not signing up for that class. Give them the gift of boredom.
So, for me personally, even though there is a bunch of stuff I should be doing right now, none of is actually pressing, so I'm taking some time to walk down memory lane and enjoy some good tunes, even if hair was a bit too big. :) I can always work tomorrow. And if tomorrow never comes, I won't be sad about how I spent my last afternoon.
blessings,
mamaAthena
Found a new band, well, I don't think they are actually new, but new to me, called Glay. It's a bad from Japan, so I can only sing the lyrics they have in English. But they're great to listen to anyway. I do take the time to look up the translations, and the songs are really good. If you like hard rock, check them out.
I should be outside working on getting our yard "winter ready." But, sometimes you just have to sit back and do nothing. I think we forget that in our society today. The importance of doing nothing important.
I think as a homeschooling mom, I know how important it is for my kids to do nothing. Kids need time to just be. Allowing them time, when they are younger, to have nothing to do, let's them develop their imaginations. "Bionicals & Barbies" (this was a favorite game of my older 2 where the Barbies were taken prisoner in the toy castle by the Bionicals, then Ken and Buzz Lightyear would have to rescue them, it was quite funny to watch, I think they started that at 7 & 9) would have never come about if my kids hadn't gotten bored. "Three-girl & Six-boy" was the younger 2's favorite. In fact, right after I started homeschooling, when Ky or Jy would come tell me they were bored, I'd say "good." and walk away. It really confused them at first, but after awhile, they figured out they had to find something to do on their own. Flash forward to when they were a little older, if they came to complain they were bored, I'd give them a gross chore, like cat litter box cleaning or scrubbing toilets. I never really had too many complaints about being bored. Jk & Kt figured out that being bored was a good thing, since it meant you could go do what you wanted.
When kids are older, preteens & teens, they are still developing their imaginations, but more than that, they are forming who they are. Time to think about what is important to them, what they want to be, what they want from life, are all really important things to think about. And they need time to do that. If kids are always on the go, they don't have time to do that. Then they start becoming what others tell them to be, not who God wants them to be, who they are comfortable being. I've noticed that when kids start becoming what others want, that's when they rebel -- hard. All kids rebel, they need to. But watching different t.v. shows, liking different music, that kind of rebelling is good. Drugs and sex, that's hard rebelling, and none of us wants that for our kids. That's a long hard road to travel.
So be sure to take the time to give your kids bored times. Even if it means not signing up for that class. Give them the gift of boredom.
So, for me personally, even though there is a bunch of stuff I should be doing right now, none of is actually pressing, so I'm taking some time to walk down memory lane and enjoy some good tunes, even if hair was a bit too big. :) I can always work tomorrow. And if tomorrow never comes, I won't be sad about how I spent my last afternoon.
blessings,
mamaAthena
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Thoughtful Thursday
Today is confession day. Lately, I have been feeling lost, apathetic, stressed, the list could go on and on. Yes, it's pretty normal for a homeschooling mom, I KNOW you've all had that feeling. But just today, I think I've figured out at least one of the reasons I've been "off." I really haven't been reading my Bible much.
We all go through times where we read it everyday, for 30-60 minutes, and times where days go by and we don't read at all. Life is always getting in the way (not just for this, but for everything else we "should" be doing). But I don't thing I've actually picked up my Bible for 3 or more weeks. :( That's just too long, especially considering we do not have a church right now. We've been looking for about a year and a half, after leaving our previous one. Thought we found one this summer, but the head pastor believes that "the message" version of the Bible is a good version. That just doesn't sit with me, so, it was a no go for us. But, I digress.
So, this morning I was reading my homeschool support group's monthly newsletter, and the editor quoted Philippians 4:4-9 and I was blown away. It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear today! She had posted the newsletter on 10/24, but I didn't get to reading it until today. Why? Why did I sit down and read the newsletter today? Why did she choose that verse to put in? The answer is simple, God knew what I needed, and when I needed it. Even in such a small matter as this, He has a hand.
The message I get from this, is it's time to grab that Bible again, and start reading. The answers I seek are to be found within the pages of that Holy book. So, when I post this, I'm picking it up and reading it. Even if I only have 10 minutes. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but He never ceases to amaze me. I am always surprised at how much he love me, a seemingly unimportant person in the world right now. However, I am reminded of something I heard on a Doctor Who episode, that I think is 110% true: "There is nothing as important in this world as an average person." It's the little things we do that matter, and God makes sure of that.
Have you hit a time of not reading your Bible? Pick it up again. Go ahead, you won't be disappointed.
blessings,
mamaAthena
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Tuesday Tips & Tricks
Tuesday Tips
My tip for this week is for school organization. Now, I'm down to only two kids and their approximate grades are 7th & 10th. So, it's not too big a challenge to keep their school stuff organized anymore. But back in the day, when all four were homeschooled (and prehomeschooled) I used a lot of different methods to keep things going as smoothly as it could in a household like ours. (with such a large range of -- stuff is the best word really-- things changed a lot around here)One of the best things I tried and was successful at for a few years was having each child have a "school box." I don't mean those little pencil cases, but a box that was 4x the size of those standard ones you can get for $1. Each school aged kid got one, I wrote their name on it with permanent marker, and then they got to decorate it with stickers (I've always been big on the kids "making it their own," Helps the pre (and not so good) readers know who's is who's, and it's just fun to decorate things - especially with stickers.
Next, we filled the boxes with all their supplies they needed for the year. Pencils, pens, crayons, rulers, ect. And extras of each as well. I kept them in shelf in our dining room/ school area (at that time ;), and when it was time to work, they just grabbed their boxes and sat down. When they needed to work on their own at different times/ places, they could again just grab the box. Everything they needed was right there. they also grabbed them when they just wanted to color or do crafts.
The toughest thing was to make sure they put everything back inside when done. But, even if they forgot something, it wasn't too hard to put it away later. The boxes were easy access.
The kids were 14, 12, 6 and 3 at the time. So, each box had something different in it. The high-schooler had a calculator, and the 6 year old had extra glue sticks. The 3 year old didn't have a big box, she had a whole different set up -- Ill talk about that later. We didn't keep work in them, just the supplies.
We used those boxes for about 2 &1/2 years. I stopped because we reorganized things (I do that a lot) and I just decided that there wasn't a good way to make them easy to access, so there wasn't much point to them anymore. So, I re-purposed them to hold extra crayons, markers ect for the craft classes I like to teach at our homeschool co-op. Then the kids don't have to worry about their personal stuff getting lost or broke. Still in use that way today.
Wish I had more time today, but since we were all so sick the last week and a half, I've got a ton to do. Hope this idea can help you organize your space. Got any suggestions? Comment away.
blessings,
mamaAthena
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