Greeting and Salutations!
This spring is going to be quite the crazy one. My older son, Jy is attending the local technical collage, one county over, the downtown branch. And he is not a larger city downtown driver yet! So, Monday through Friday we find ourselves downtown for anywhere from one to three hours. Thankfully, the public library is only two/three blocks away. So, we park in the school garage ($1.50 no matter how long) and walk over. It has been fine so far, but currently we are having nice winter weather, about 35/40*, so it's fine to walk over. Hope it stays that way....
The younger two kids, who are still homeschooling, Jk & Kt, are getting a bit of an education outside of "normal" homeschooling. They have to pack backpacks & lunches each day now. I'm not going to just leave them at home, sure they can work pretty good by themselves, but this is the perfect time to get totally devoted to school (and blogging). Plus, I don't think it's a bad thing for them to learn just how nice it is to NOT have to do this everyday for 13 years. My older two attended school for a few years, and although they were young, they do have some recollection of doing it, and both liked NOT have to anymore, once they were homeschooled. So, here's another unexpected lesson the our true teacher, life, has tossed our way.
When I first started homeschooling, I got asked the "what, no school?" question, A LOT! I don't get it so much now. But, as you know, it can get really annoying when people ask you that all the time. I started to answer "the world is our classroom & life our teacher" or "sure there is, this is ___ : recess, economics, field trip, ect." But, I have to admit, I often just was so annoyed with people, I would be rather snarky and say things like: "Wait! What are you guys doing here!? I thought I told you to stay at school!" Or "how on earth would I know" or "I suppose so" And, then there's the BIG question everyone wants an answer to, "What about socializing ?" I really began to hate that one. My answer to that became "exactally." That was it. Nothing else. Because, the number one reason I do homeschool is for socializing my family properly. I mean come on, where in the real world do you spend 9 hours EVERY day with people who are within one year of you? Only in school. Nowhere else. Not out shopping, not at work, not at the doctor's offices, not at church. Nowhere. One of the things most people really like about homeschoolers is the fact that they can get along with pretty much anyone of any age. My kids are all great with people of different ages, as long as someone is not a jerk, they have a great time hanging out.
Now, when people were honestly curious about homeschooling, I would take whatever time I could to answer their questions. But most people only want to question you're whole idea of teaching your kids. I think a lot of brick and mortar school parents feel guilty when them come across a homeschooling parent. After all, I'm giving up everything to stay home and teach my kids, and they aren't. The thing is, I am a super firm believer that not everyone should homeschool. I think anyone who wants to to CAN do it, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone. It is a huge commitment, and not all parents can do it, and not all kids should either. It's just something that everyone has to decide for themselves. This is America (at least for now, but let's not get political) and we have the freedom to choose. As long as you are trying your hardest to do everything you can for your kids, you are a good parent. At least in my book. None of us are perfect, we will all make many, many, many mistakes parenting our kids, but all we can do is try our best.
To be very honest here, the only parents I don't like are the ones who say things like "I could never spend so much time with my kids. I couldn't stand to be with them all the time. I can hardly wait to get away from them each day." Ect. Why on Earth did you have them in the first place? Yes, we all need a break from time to time, and not everyone has the patience to spend the amount of time it takes to homeschool, but you should still like to be around your kids. And want to spend time with them.
So, for us, homeschooling is the way. When the kids reach highschool they get a choice, so far, they all wanted to continue homeschooling (although my oldest might have been happy going to a brick and mortar school. At least that's what she says now, but I think she was happier at home, issues and all). I'm pretty sure my last one, who is middle school age right now, will want to stay home as well. And it's what makes us all happy.
After all:
"This is school Mr. Potter. Not the real world." (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - by J.K Rowling)
Blessings'
MamaAthena
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Back again
Well, I'm back again. If anyone missed me, I'm sorry. :( But, for some reason, I don't think anyone missed me. Maybe you will someday.
Can't use any excuse about where I've been this time. I was mostly lazy and sick. Had a flu run through the house. Not fun. Ended up starting school a week later than we wanted to, so now I feel like I'm super behind. Even though I know I'm not. I'll chillax in a day or two. But I hate that feeling, don't you? We all have it. Some more than others. It took me about 12 years to really relax (for the most part) about whether or not the kids were behind. I already had a highschool graduate at that time! So, if you're worried about being behind; don't. You're not alone, and remember, your kids will figure it out as long as you teach them HOW to learn.
So, today I want to talk about my New Year's present. I had a great Christmas, got nice gifts, even got my c.d. I wanted, even if it hasn't come yet. But, on New Year's eve, eve, I got a new member of the family. A hamster! Wasn't really planned, but it just worked out. That is usually how we get pets. You see, this past year I had to put down my two pets. A wonderful cat named Griffin, and a sneezy little English Spanial (not a Cavalier Spanial) named Haggrid. Griffin was over 15 years old and just reached the end. No one knows how old Haggrid was, as we found him, and thought at the time he had a year, or two TOPS!, left, so when we couldn't find his owner, we decided to keep him. He and I fell in love with each other. Five years later it was time for him to go. He really couldn't walk anymore.
I have a philosophy that everyone should have their own pet (if financially doable, if not, one pet for the family). Not only do animals teach things like responsibility, they teach love. They become part of the family. A true friend who will always love you and always listen to you, even when no one else will. Animals don't judge you, just love. Everyone needs that. As parents, we have to judge what our children are doing so we can teach them right and wrong. But pets simply don't. They just offer comfort and companionship. We parents need that too. You know you are judged by someone somewhere, especially if you homeschool. Your pet dosen't . So, if you don't have a pet and have been thinking about it, get one. Take your time and research what you would like to get. Talk to friends who have different kinds, take in foster pets, and find your next family member . (Avoid large pet stores if possible, for dogs, cats rabbits and large birds, like parrots. They usually come from puppy mills. The smaller pets, like mice, hamsters and gerbil , usually come from people around the community or the back of the pet store. Humane society usually have all types of pets to adopt. But, look around. You never know where YOUR pet will come from. I personally think getting the right pet for the right person is more important than where they come from. But, adopt if possible.)
So, back to my hamster... He is a pet store hamster and as such, he was sold a little too early. Hamsters should be sold at 6 weeks at the YOUNGEST! My best guess was he was actually only four weeks old. We like to go to the pet store and 'pet the fuzzys and fluffies' from time to time. It's just fun for us, and this time I ended up bringing one home. We have had lots of hamsters over the years, and already had most of what we needed. All I had to buy was the hamster and some food. But it was my husband who said I should get him. The right pet will come your way, expshally if you are not looking for him. There were actully two that I really liked, but Syrian hamsters don't do well in groups as adults, so I chose one. The one that kept crawling into my hand and staying there.
So, now I am the proud mom of a teddy bear (I think he's part teddy bear and part fancy -- which are both syrian hamster types) male hamster. His name is Tomoe (toe-moe-a). It's Japanese. Because he was so young, and small (I think I picked the runt), I have been giving him kitten formula, yes, you can give a hamster kitten formula, it's what you should give them, and we even had it in the house (when we 15yo son's rabbit, she needed some formula too! LOL) For the first week, he would drink it from the dropper and then curl up and sleep on me. For more than an hour. I never had a hamster do that, and I would say I've had about 12 or so in my life! Got some great photos! Now he doesn't really sleep on me, he wants to explore too much. Since he's about 6 weeks, that's prime get into trouble time!
I have been reading up on hamsters and learning a lot of new information on them that i never knew. Like just how much room they really need. Once it was thought that a small 10 gallon tank would be enough, that's about the size of all the comershal cages you can get (w/o the add ons). But that's not enough. You need at least twice that size for one hamster! No wonder they were always chewing up cages and trying to escape. They were board! Makes sense. So, I will be bildin g a bigger cage for Tomoe. Out of plastic storage bins. Looks pretty easy, takes about a day to do it. And I am looking forward to designing and filling it with lots of toys.
Having him has really helped my sorrow over loosing my two pets. The rest of the pets we have, are sweet and loving, but they are not mine alone. As I said before, have one that is all yours really makes a difference in people's lives. And Tomoe is making one in mine.
Well, that's long enough. I will have more later this week.
Blessings,
MamaAthena
Can't use any excuse about where I've been this time. I was mostly lazy and sick. Had a flu run through the house. Not fun. Ended up starting school a week later than we wanted to, so now I feel like I'm super behind. Even though I know I'm not. I'll chillax in a day or two. But I hate that feeling, don't you? We all have it. Some more than others. It took me about 12 years to really relax (for the most part) about whether or not the kids were behind. I already had a highschool graduate at that time! So, if you're worried about being behind; don't. You're not alone, and remember, your kids will figure it out as long as you teach them HOW to learn.
So, today I want to talk about my New Year's present. I had a great Christmas, got nice gifts, even got my c.d. I wanted, even if it hasn't come yet. But, on New Year's eve, eve, I got a new member of the family. A hamster! Wasn't really planned, but it just worked out. That is usually how we get pets. You see, this past year I had to put down my two pets. A wonderful cat named Griffin, and a sneezy little English Spanial (not a Cavalier Spanial) named Haggrid. Griffin was over 15 years old and just reached the end. No one knows how old Haggrid was, as we found him, and thought at the time he had a year, or two TOPS!, left, so when we couldn't find his owner, we decided to keep him. He and I fell in love with each other. Five years later it was time for him to go. He really couldn't walk anymore.
I have a philosophy that everyone should have their own pet (if financially doable, if not, one pet for the family). Not only do animals teach things like responsibility, they teach love. They become part of the family. A true friend who will always love you and always listen to you, even when no one else will. Animals don't judge you, just love. Everyone needs that. As parents, we have to judge what our children are doing so we can teach them right and wrong. But pets simply don't. They just offer comfort and companionship. We parents need that too. You know you are judged by someone somewhere, especially if you homeschool. Your pet dosen't . So, if you don't have a pet and have been thinking about it, get one. Take your time and research what you would like to get. Talk to friends who have different kinds, take in foster pets, and find your next family member . (Avoid large pet stores if possible, for dogs, cats rabbits and large birds, like parrots. They usually come from puppy mills. The smaller pets, like mice, hamsters and gerbil , usually come from people around the community or the back of the pet store. Humane society usually have all types of pets to adopt. But, look around. You never know where YOUR pet will come from. I personally think getting the right pet for the right person is more important than where they come from. But, adopt if possible.)
So, back to my hamster... He is a pet store hamster and as such, he was sold a little too early. Hamsters should be sold at 6 weeks at the YOUNGEST! My best guess was he was actually only four weeks old. We like to go to the pet store and 'pet the fuzzys and fluffies' from time to time. It's just fun for us, and this time I ended up bringing one home. We have had lots of hamsters over the years, and already had most of what we needed. All I had to buy was the hamster and some food. But it was my husband who said I should get him. The right pet will come your way, expshally if you are not looking for him. There were actully two that I really liked, but Syrian hamsters don't do well in groups as adults, so I chose one. The one that kept crawling into my hand and staying there.
So, now I am the proud mom of a teddy bear (I think he's part teddy bear and part fancy -- which are both syrian hamster types) male hamster. His name is Tomoe (toe-moe-a). It's Japanese. Because he was so young, and small (I think I picked the runt), I have been giving him kitten formula, yes, you can give a hamster kitten formula, it's what you should give them, and we even had it in the house (when we 15yo son's rabbit, she needed some formula too! LOL) For the first week, he would drink it from the dropper and then curl up and sleep on me. For more than an hour. I never had a hamster do that, and I would say I've had about 12 or so in my life! Got some great photos! Now he doesn't really sleep on me, he wants to explore too much. Since he's about 6 weeks, that's prime get into trouble time!
I have been reading up on hamsters and learning a lot of new information on them that i never knew. Like just how much room they really need. Once it was thought that a small 10 gallon tank would be enough, that's about the size of all the comershal cages you can get (w/o the add ons). But that's not enough. You need at least twice that size for one hamster! No wonder they were always chewing up cages and trying to escape. They were board! Makes sense. So, I will be bildin g a bigger cage for Tomoe. Out of plastic storage bins. Looks pretty easy, takes about a day to do it. And I am looking forward to designing and filling it with lots of toys.
Having him has really helped my sorrow over loosing my two pets. The rest of the pets we have, are sweet and loving, but they are not mine alone. As I said before, have one that is all yours really makes a difference in people's lives. And Tomoe is making one in mine.
Well, that's long enough. I will have more later this week.
Blessings,
MamaAthena
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Where have I been...again...
So, where have i been, I know you all want to know. I've been working on a Christmas present for my hubby. I knitted him a scarf. I'm not a very fast knitter and I have had arthritis in my hands for 20 odd years, so, slow going is putting it lightly. Nearly every spare min I had, I was knitting. And when I wasn't, my hands were too sore to type. I also had to start over four times. First it was too long, then I decided that plain black, although it looks good on him, was too boring. Then it was too tight to really work with. I guess 4th times a charm. :)
He's never really been a scarf kinda guy. But I thought that he might finally be cold enough to start wearing one. I think he does like it, but it remains to be seen if he'll wear it.
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We did. We had a very small budget this year, but still managed to get everyone some nice things. I even got my c.d. By Lucifer! Well, I don't have it yet, but it is on the way (as long as they send the right product, it's coming from China, not Japan and we've has issues with that before.) Still, can't wait. Might have a long wait anyway. But once it is mine, i can listen whenever, where ever. I will no longer be a slave to the internet and youtube!
So, as it's a "whatever Wednesday" I think I'm already sticking to that topic.. LOL
Oh, I've got great news! Well, for us anyway! We have our badges and hotel room, so Anime Milwaukee (or AMKE), here we come! We always have so much fun there. It's not really too far that we have to have a hotel room, but it's part of the fun to stay right on sight. There is literally something going on 24 hours a day the whole weekend. If you've never been, and you like anime and Manga, voice actors, or Doctor Who, Firefly, Disney, Renaissance fairs, or Japanese culture, swords, cosplay, video games, umm, well, really anything that is nerdy or geeky, it's there. It does focus mostly on anime and manga, but, you can really find it all there. So, if you can be in the Milwaukee area the weekend of February 17 to the 19th, go, go, GO! It is totally worth it.
Some of the kids know what they want to cosplay as. My 12 year old daughter wants to be Sen from "Spirited Away." We've already got a good costume for that. Last year she was Kiki from "Kiki's Delivery Service," had to make that dress. Tough, but fun. She might use that one again. I'll probably just go as my normal "genaric anime mom" - basicly I wear a skirt or jumper with a white apron and a low pony tail or loose braid. If you've even seen an anime mom, you'll know the look. 15 year old son probably won't dress up. 21 year old son, wants to be like, five different things. My rule is, as of 2 weeks before the convention, all costumes must be 90% or more done, or I'm not helping anymore. Too crazy to get it all done that close to convention time. I know! Hubby won't dress up either. He did it the second year he went, but it's not really his thing. I'm just glad he's going. I've been trying to get everyone to dress up as the wondering nomads from "Avatar" but so far, no agreements. I think we'd be great at that.
Guess that's all I've got tonight.
Blessings,
MamaAthena
He's never really been a scarf kinda guy. But I thought that he might finally be cold enough to start wearing one. I think he does like it, but it remains to be seen if he'll wear it.
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We did. We had a very small budget this year, but still managed to get everyone some nice things. I even got my c.d. By Lucifer! Well, I don't have it yet, but it is on the way (as long as they send the right product, it's coming from China, not Japan and we've has issues with that before.) Still, can't wait. Might have a long wait anyway. But once it is mine, i can listen whenever, where ever. I will no longer be a slave to the internet and youtube!
So, as it's a "whatever Wednesday" I think I'm already sticking to that topic.. LOL
Oh, I've got great news! Well, for us anyway! We have our badges and hotel room, so Anime Milwaukee (or AMKE), here we come! We always have so much fun there. It's not really too far that we have to have a hotel room, but it's part of the fun to stay right on sight. There is literally something going on 24 hours a day the whole weekend. If you've never been, and you like anime and Manga, voice actors, or Doctor Who, Firefly, Disney, Renaissance fairs, or Japanese culture, swords, cosplay, video games, umm, well, really anything that is nerdy or geeky, it's there. It does focus mostly on anime and manga, but, you can really find it all there. So, if you can be in the Milwaukee area the weekend of February 17 to the 19th, go, go, GO! It is totally worth it.
Some of the kids know what they want to cosplay as. My 12 year old daughter wants to be Sen from "Spirited Away." We've already got a good costume for that. Last year she was Kiki from "Kiki's Delivery Service," had to make that dress. Tough, but fun. She might use that one again. I'll probably just go as my normal "genaric anime mom" - basicly I wear a skirt or jumper with a white apron and a low pony tail or loose braid. If you've even seen an anime mom, you'll know the look. 15 year old son probably won't dress up. 21 year old son, wants to be like, five different things. My rule is, as of 2 weeks before the convention, all costumes must be 90% or more done, or I'm not helping anymore. Too crazy to get it all done that close to convention time. I know! Hubby won't dress up either. He did it the second year he went, but it's not really his thing. I'm just glad he's going. I've been trying to get everyone to dress up as the wondering nomads from "Avatar" but so far, no agreements. I think we'd be great at that.
Guess that's all I've got tonight.
Blessings,
MamaAthena
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thanksgiving weekend
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
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
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
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