Thomas had a birthday

He's now 12. His request was for a double-layer cake. After I had baked the cake, he decided HE wanted to decorate -- and make two cakes instead of layered. Okay. (Mom felt a little torn because I really like making his birthday cakes every year. Oh well. It did turn out cute! THEY did turn out cute.)

Can you guess what he's into now by the theme of the cakes? Bob gave him permission to watch the show. Ahem. I've been watching with him and honestly, aside from the language and the sexual content, I actually like South Park. OMG, did I just admit that? There have only been a few episodes that I flew into a tirade over. I ranted and raved that is SICK and real people aren't like that. Thomas just looks at me in a funny way and informs me it's all a joke, mooooom, and of course people aren't really like that. Whew.

Cha-Ching

(Thomas' back-to-school picture above calendar! He's growing up too fast.)

See Frankie's Credit Card. See it smoke. Tons of vet bills and a calendar, too.

Awhile ago I was visiting a new-to-me blog, Bonni's. It's one I'll read daily. =) She had a photo of her calendar on her blog. I fell in love with it the second I saw it!

I'm not one to make spur-of-the-moment purchases on anything unless it's vet related or books or crafts for Thomas, but I just simply HAD to have this calendar.

I ordered it. On the spot. Didn't ask Bob. (He would have just said NO and hell no anyway.) It arrived only a couple days later in a great big box which Thomas took off with.

I have never loved a calendar more! I haven't used the stickers yet, but it's big, it's got cute critters on it, and it's perfect! It's so Frankie.

Thank you to Bonni for sharing her photos. May I blame you for smoking my credit card? lol

I just snapped this pix of Thomas and Jerry Lee tonight. Jerry is a trooper and hanging in there.

Back in the Saddle Again

Monday I was so emotionally drained I did nothing. NOTHING. It was wonderful. I turned my brain off and went into a vegetative state. Bliss. I did make Thomas clean his room, which took awhile. Once the bed was changed, Jerry Lee and I snuggled while Thomas worked. He enjoyed the company.

We decided that because Thomas' birthday had turned sour, we would take him to dinner. His request was Subway. To get to Subway, we had to drive by the scene. The owners were out in their driveway, talking to someone. No sign of the dog.

They never called us. We asked them to let us know how the dog was. I asked Bob if we should stop and he said no. And with that, I released myself from it all. I hope the dog is okay, but I just had to let it go.

Today we started school again. Thomas was very crabby and cranky. I assume it's all the stress of life in general right now. At one point I thought it was comical because he was acting like a drama king. He finally settled down and got into his routine.

Thomas is working his way through a geography workbook. We are currently studying Africa. Today he was working on rivers and we got stumped. The description of a river he had to find was that it bordered Zaire and another country. Zaire--yes, I have heard of it. No, I couldn't find it on our map. Thomas couldn't. Grabbed a different atlas and still couldn't find it. Google to the rescue. I don't know much about geography, especially Africa. Wasn't I surprised to find that Zaire is actually The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Then we had to read more about the country formerly known as Zaire.

The daytime hours ended with ceramics class. The teacher pulled me aside and wanted me to know that Thomas was very creative, an out-of-the-box thinker and very polite in class. I smiled, said thanks, and that I was very proud of him. Three things that I try to foster!

Jerry Lee is doing well, all things considered. He's getting skinnier, but he is still not exhibiting any pain. He still has pep in his step, surprisingly. I think it's getting closer, as he's getting bony. Last night I opened his can of Alpo (a treat I rarely gave him before he was sick, now a daily occurrence) and darned it all if Snowball didn't pounce on the food. The two shared the bowl for awhile, then Jerry stood back and gave me a look. If he could have spoken, I know he would have said, "But mom, I thought this was just for me!" I scooped the cat up and Jerry continued to eat, licking the bowl clean. Who knew cats would love Alpo.

That's our life today: the good, the bad and the ugly. The happy and the sad, too, I guess.

Can things get any worse??!!!???

Today is my baby's 12th birthday. We celebrated by doing everything he wanted (within reason, that is.)

We were coming home from the park to check on Jerry and then were going to go to a movie. I'm driving on a busy residential street and this dog comes tearing out of its driveway straight into the road.

I slammed on the breaks, but THUD.

I hit the dog. The car behind us nearly hit us. Bob jumped out of the car, I could hear the yelps of the dog. I started shaking. I had to flap my arms like crazy to get hte car behind me to back up so I could back up. I saw Bob carrying this dog to the owner's house and it was limp. I thought it was dead.

I parked the car, checked on Thomas who was bawling, and jumped out of the car. The dog was lying there twitching as if it was having a seizure. Then it stopped moving. I turned around and started bawling. I knew I had to face it, so I went up to the dog.

All of a sudden he jumped up and started running in circles. Bob grabbed him so he wouldn't dart into the street again.

The owner saw it happen. I apologized profusely. I told her I was so sorry, but it just darted into the street. She went into the house so she could find a vet's office that was open. Her husband came and and we all sat around the dog.

He had blood in his eyes, and a pea-sized patch of hair missing from its head. His leg at first appeared to be injured. He calmed down and was walking around. I told the man that I was so sorry, between my sobs, and that the dog just darted out of the driveway. Actually, it sprinted.

Then their daughter showed up. She was about five. She was bawling. She said their other dog had just died and that they just got this dog. Oh my God. Between the little girl and myself, we had enough tears to fill a lake.

I think this was one of the worst things I have ever experienced in my life.

Bob gave them his business card and wrote our home phone number on the back and asked them to call when they got back from the vet. (They found one open about an hour from here.)

As we were leaving, the woman came up to me and put her arms around me. She hugged me SO tight. I was still shaking and crying and she said, "You are forgiven." She then said, "This is how good friends are made."

Sigh.

We then went to the movie and I cried all the way through. The Seeker wasn't a tear jerker. I'm glad the theater wasn't too crowded.

When we came home, I apologized to Thomas for ruining his birthday. He said something about accidents happen and it wasn't my fault.

He's right, it really wasn't my fault...it just was.

thoughts on our life right now

skip on by if you don't want to read about my dog, my tears, Thomas's tears, etc.


I didn't feel like blogging at all, but my mind is just racing.

Nights are the worst. Jerry and I always enjoyed the last potty of the night. We sit outside, staring at the stars for a long time. He'll do his business, check out what he needs to check out, then sit at my feet. Last night and tonight, he sat by my side and leaned his head on my lap. Of course I bawled.

Today Jerry couldn't get on my bed. We listen to a book on tape every afternoon, the three of us (or four or five, depending on the cats' moods) and poor Jerry Lee couldn't get on the bed. I got a step stool and showed him how to use it, but he wouldn't. So he laid on the floor, Thomas listened to a book on mythology, and I cried, dripping tears onto my dog. I laid on the side of the bed with my arm flopping over the side petting him. He was able to get into Thomas' bed as it's much lower to the ground. I may sneak into bed with T tonight and bring Jerry with me.

I'm stuck with all I'm going to miss about him. He's so gentle and quiet. I laugh every time we go outside and the neighbor's poodle from hell is out there yapping incessantly. Jerry will turn his head to look at her, but then look away and completely ignore her. I always say under my breath, "Good boy, Jerry."

When I come home, Jerry butts the window blinds out his way and his face is the first thing I see as I drive up into the garage.

Jerry always follows me every where I go. Right now he's at my feet. I most love the fact he'll get in my bed and lay long back to back with me. You know, like a husband would do if the big German Shepherd weren't in the way? lol

I love the way he plays with Thomas, and with the neighborhood kids. Very gentle.

I don't love, but will miss the way he humps our male cat every single day. That is always good for a NO NO, Jerry and then a laugh about our cross-gender gay dog.

I won't miss his killer farts--oh man, they're bad, clean a room in 15 seconds flat, that dog can. (Dad and I were discussing the fact that Jerry always had that horrendous gas all his life, no matter what food he was eating. Dad thinks this cancer has been effecting him for a very long time. I don't know if I'll ask the vet about that or not, because our next vet visit will not be a talkative one.

I won't miss the way he always fanned me. When he gets excited about anything, he turns so his tail is facing me and wags it fast and furious. He usually does this in the winter when it's cold. It would drive me nuts! Who will fan me now?

I will miss that he never once had an accident in this house. He did throw up the past few weeks, but always tried to make it outside.

I will miss his warm, deep eyes. I used to think we were looking into each other's souls.

My husband's church teaches that dogs do not go to heaven. We don't go to church now, but we have discussed that in the past with Thomas. Suddenly Thomas is upset about that. We have assured him that heaven is what you want it to be, and by golly, pets ARE in heaven.

I will miss vacuuming my floors all the time. All that hair. Everywhere. I should have knitted a sweater with it.

I will miss Jerry. I called him DAWG quite often. Come on, dawg.

This afternoon I was thinking it would have been easier to have him put to sleep the day we went to the good vet. This is VERY painful watching him die. I mean we're loving him, nurturing him, crying, laughing, crying some more. We're feeding him Alpo, people food. bite-sized peanut butter sandwiches with pills hidden within. Tonight he had an ice cream snack. I even bought the $4 bags of Beggin' Strips -- two of 'em.

My heart just aches. I want to scream it aches so bad.

Thomas's heart aches. I want to scream because my baby is hurting so.

Thomas and I were very touched by Mama B. She blogged something special for Thomas. We both cried. Thank you, Mama B.

Tonight we were talking about her kind words and Thomas asked me something. He reminded me how I said no more dogs when Jerry first got sick and we didn't know anything. I said yes. He told me that he just had to have a dog in his life. He hated that Jerry was going, it isn't fair, mom! he proclaimed. But Jerry wouldn't want us to be sad, and all that love mama b was talking about needed to be given to someone else. So he's wanting a new dog when Jerry passes.

Then he said he felt awful talking about it with Jerry right here at my feet.

I'll have to think about it. I did tell my dad about that on the phone and he laughed and said you'll have a new dog very soon. I said maybe, but it won't be Jerry Lee.

Through all this black cloud, we still did school today. Thomas wanted to do it in the living room. We're not couch schoolers (except when I'm reading a book). We set up in the living room anyway. Jerry laid on the floor next to Thomas as he did his work. In the afternoon, we had geography left. Thomas threw a fit. Now normally he'll whine about something he doesn't want to do, but today I saw a side of Thomas I have never seen. He told me no, he wasn't doing geography, he just wants to sit next to Jerry. I said we ARE doing geography now come over here and we'll get started. NO, mom. I told him he was being disrespectful. He sat by me.

We talked about how when we hurt, we have to maintain a little control. We can't be mean to others, life goes on, we have to get our work done. We still hurt, but that's our job. He apologized and then went to Africa.

Sunday is Thomas's birthday. I only have half of his present purchased and I have no plans on what we're going to do. We originally had planned on going to Sioux Falls for the weekend, but that just cannot happen now. Thomas wants a South Park cake. Don't ask, I'm not ready to explain why he knows about South Park--he dad needs to explain that one. I normally love planning special surprises and happy treats, a nice cake, etc. This year the joy is drained.

I just hope and pray that Jerry doesn't die on Thomas's birthday.

And I hope and pray that Jerry passes here at home rather than at the vet's office. Why? Because he was so traumatized at the vet's office that they had to give him a tranquilizer. He has never liked going to the vet. Ever. They usually muzzle him. And believe me, Jerry is a gentle giant. It is such odd behavior. The second he's off the table, he's happy and wagging his tail again. So if he were to pass at home in his sleep, that wold be much more peaceful--for him.

Ramble, ramble, ramble.

That's how my brain has been the past few days.

I'm kind of going on fumes.

today was not the day to say good-bye

But it will be, soon.

Jerry Lee went to a new vet today. She was wonderful, but had sad news.

Jerry Lee has liver cancer.

The vet gave him tons of shots and sent us home with lots of medications. She said he'll be comfortable and not in pain while on the meds and that we will know when to bring him in.

I cried off and on during the day, but when we went outside to go potty awhile ago, I lost it. I sobbed uncontrollably. Jerry came and sat by my feet. We sat for about a half hour until I was calm again.

This may not be eloquently worded, but...this just sucks.

I love this dog so much.

History

Since we started school this year, we have listened to our Story of the World CDs again. This time, instead of a chapter at a time, we listened to an entire CD on a daily basis. We missed a few days here and there, but Friday we finished volume 2.

Instead of going on to volume 3, I asked Thomas what has favorite thing about SOTW. The Romans! I asked him why and he talked nonstop for five minutes. Wow, he was listening and comprehending. I asked if he'd like to study the Romans further and he said YES.

Yesterday we went to the library and checked out six books on the Romans. I love our library, but honestly, I'd rather buy books and have them on our shelf. Why? Because all the "good" books were checked out. The library is a wonderful resource if some other homeschooler (or parent or kid) isn't studying the same subject we are. So I took what was left that looked meaty and good. I also checked out the movies Spartacus and Gladiator.

Last night we watched Spartacus.



We all really enjoyed the movie. Thomas got a little bored in the end, probably because it was so long. We stopped, took a break, then watched the ending. Bob thought I'd cry, but I didn't.

When it was over, Thomas scurried about, using up some stored energy. Bob and I discussed the bath scene, which we both thought was steamy for its time. We then discussed Roman and Greek sexuality. Finally, we googled. That was interesting, informative, and thought provoking for me.

Later in the evening, Thomas brought up the fact that he didn't like the Romans anymore because they were mean because they owned slaves. Oh, gosh, did that bring up a long family discussion. LONG.

In the end, we got him to agree to continue studying the Romans. He has to realize that there's both good and bad to history. Slavery is a sad part of history. While he knows about slavery in our own country, we have never studied it in great depth. I can only imagine the emotional response he'll have when we study it in a little more depth.

As for Spartacus, I'm ready to see Goran Visnjic's version. He's steamy and dreamy to me!

Banned Book Week

It's the American Library Association's Banned Book Week
September 29–October 6, 2007.

I did not know this when I visited my library this afternoon, sadly. I would have picked up a few to read this week. Our library opens again Monday, and Thomas and I will be making a visit.

I challenge everyone to read a banned book this week!

I think I'll revisit I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings this week--if the library has it. I'll pick for Thomas since he'll read what I put before him but doesn't like to select. Little Black Sambo (if our library has it) or How to Eat Fried Worms.


I will bold the books that I have read on this list. (Clearly not enough!)

The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000

Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling

Forever by Judy Blume
I am forever grateful to this book, because it taught me what I did not know. I read this in a train bound for San Fransisco, in a sleeping car with my parents within two feet from me. I was 16. Talk about leading a sheltered life, eh?

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
I read this and Thomas and I listened to it on tape together.

Blubber by Judy Blume
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
I have flipped through this. My mother asked that I buy it for her, and I did. It still sits on her bookshelf, even though she's been gone 14 years. She died of natural causes, not from anything she learned in the book.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Not yet, but it's on our reading list for this year.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
My favorite book in high school -- loved everything by S.E. Hinton!

The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
Cujo by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
I really wish we still had my childhood copy of this.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

A Name Meme

Because I have no blog fodder, and because I read this meme on two different blogs, I decided to play along! (Thanks to Meg and Gherkin Pickle)

Rock Star Name (first pet & current car):
Tammy Aerostar

Gangsta Name (fave ice cream flavor & fave cookie):
Chocolate Chip Chocolate Chip

Fly guy/girl name (first initial of first name & first three letters of last name):
FStr

(What IS a fly guy/girl name???)

Detective name (favorite color & favorite animal):
Pink Cat

Soap Opera Name (middle name & city where you were born):
Gail Laramie

Star Wars Name (first three letters of last name & first two of first name):
Strfr

Superhero Name (”The” + second favorite color + favorite drink):
The Purple Diet Pepsi

Nascar Name (first names of both grandfathers):
Willie Hugh
(as opposed to Huge Willie --er, Hugh Willie)
(I have a rotten sense of humor)
(Please forgive me, I try to keep it G rated, but I'm not perfect.)

Witness Protection Name (mother’s and father’s middle names):
Ann Eugene

TV Weatherperson/Anchorperson Name (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name & a major city that starts with the same letter):
Johnson Juno

Spy Name/Bond Girl (favorite season/holiday & favorite flower):
Spring Petunia
or
Fall Black Eyed Susan

Cartoon Name (favorite fruit & article of clothing you’re wearing plus “y” or “ie”):
Banana Shortie

Hippy Name (what you ate for breakfast & your favorite tree):
Bran Flakes Weeping Willow

Rockstar Tour Name (”The” + your favorite hobby/craft, favorite weather element + “tour”):
The Genealogy Rain Tour

Well, that was silly! I can't even pronounce Fstr.

Hump Day

Today I got up and was showered and dressed by 8:15. I had my coffee and nasties in the garage and was raring to go. Thomas, on the other hand, had my yesterday today. He couldn't move. He was so tired. So I set the timer and told him he could sleep for a half hour longer if he promised to get up when the timer went off.

That worked.

So we started working Late, if there is such a thing in the homeschooling realm. However, he was spot on and working hard and he was done with everything, including math, by 11:30. I think we started at 9:30. Woo-hoo. In the afternoon we snuggled up to listen to a CD of SOTW. Yes, I fell asleep again. When it was over, we got up and cracked open the Spanish books.

My eBay purchase arrived. I ordered the lab book/workbook, which also came with a second text. That worked out really well for each of us to have our own text. We worked on our lesson, studied the words, then started talking. Thomas surpassed me in what he remembered. Good for him. As we were chatting, I noticed that the "no pencil marks" lab book that I ordered had pages missing. Tons of pages missing. UGH. I bought it because was described as follows: "THE WORKBOOK SHOWS SOME WEAR BUTR THE SPING IS FINE AND IT TOO HAS NO WRITING OR HIGHLIGHTING." They just neglected to mention there were at least 30 pages missing.

So I'll shoot off an email tomorrow. I've never asked for money back, but I think I'll ask for a small discount this time. It will work, because Bob kept his lab book from college. So I can white out Bob's answers and use that, but what a pain. That's why I wanted a new, clean-no writing workbook to begin with. Oh well.

We still had fun. We ran an errand tonight and were all speaking Spanish in the car. The boys surpassed me, but what great practice.

Who says you can't use a college textbook in 6th grade homeschool, eh? We'll just have to take it a bit slower. It will do.

I apologized to Bob yet again for continuing to move all his college textbooks. We've used a couple already, and I'm sure we'll use more to come.

A typical day OR ATYPICAL day

Our atypical homeschooling day


I awoke a little before 7 only to hear Bob grumbling about something. A few minutes later he was actually talking to me, the incoherent zombie, telling me that Jerry got sick but he took him and out and cleaned it up. He was late for work. Jerry jumped on the bed, snuggled in with me, and I passed out.

Awoke at 9. My heart raced when I saw the time. I was so tired. I rolled over and rubbed my doggie's tummy. All of a sudden it was 9:20. Wow, how did that happen?

Jumped out of bed, woke Thomas, started a pot of coffee and took Jerry potty. Got the dog his medicine, saw Thomas was preparing a bowl of cereal, so I took a cup of coffee to the garage aka smoking lounge and had a morning cigarette. And then another. Thomas called out stating he was still hungry and could he have another bowl of cereal. Sure. Lit a third cigarette.

It was going to be one of those days. At this point I was still exhausted and in zombie mode.

Went to the kitchen and Thomas had finished breakfast. I told him to start on his seatwork. He worked in: Nonfiction reading, Write!Write!Write!, Logic and Wordly Wise while I did the previous night's dishes. (Note to self: Spare myself morning misery and do the dishes when they are used!)

Did a quick spelling test using Sequential Spelling.

Got out Lial's for math. Working on Order of Operations again today. Made Thomas do 15 problems in the book after I worked through five on the white board with him.

Remember that I thawed cinnamon rolls for breakfast and got them out of the fridge to rise again. Hopefully they'd be done in time for lunch, which would be a nice surprise for my hunk of man.

Still haven't showered or dressed.

Thomas needs a break after the difficult seat work, so I go outside for another cigarette and let him run wild. His father had downloaded a Beavis and Butthead game the previous night, so Thomas tries it out. I hear squeals of laughter, uncontrollable giggles. Not wanting to face that, I light another cigarette and get another cup of coffee.

Go back into the house, call Thomas away from the computer. Am met with many whines. Throw the rolls into the oven as they've doubled in size. We discuss the history we listened to yesterday and kinda/sorta pick up our mess. We look at our Spanish books, but don't do a lesson because Bob will be home any minute.

Buzzer rings, rolls are out and frosted just as Bob walks in. Bob and Thomas discuss Beavis and Butthead. I just can't take it. I think it's grounds for divorce. Go out into the garage, again, with another cup of coffee.

The secret must never be revealed that I actually think Beavis and Butthead are funny. There, I said it. I laugh inwardly, but frown outwardly and put it down all the time. I will not share in their B&B joy.

Bob comes out to join me in the garage. Then he's off to work. Thomas and I read a section in our science book. We then snuggle in bed ready for SOTW CD. We've been listening to a CD every day. Fast history! Today we gasped as we heard people's bodies, who had died of plague, were put into catapults and thrown into a city. Was too tired to hear the name of the city. We were horrified, but in high listen mode. So high that all of a sudden I heard Thomas say, "Mom, it's over."

Huh? Did I fall asleep? Thomas: Yes, mom, you fell asleep AGAIN.

Jump up, assign him his reading for the day and I hit the shower. By this time I'm not pleasant to be around. Feeling much better I get dressed and put on a happy face. It's 3:00 in the afternoon by now and I'm finally awake and ready to start my day.

Oh wait, it's 3:00! We scramble fast, jump in the car, drive to the public school to pick up Thomas's friend to take her to ceramics class. Driving to the public school is just SO much fun--NOT. All the soccer moms drive by me in their SUVs with their perfect hair, perfect clothes, just looking down on me. lol So I drive a sedan and not an SUV, so what! So I threw on a t-shirt that has a small hole in it. So what?

Take the kids to ceramics, stay with them because the teacher isn't there yet. I desperately want to sit down and do a project with the kids. It just looks like such fun! I told teh teacher that once and she invited me to come to the adult class which is on Wednesday mornings. Sorry, I have other classes at that time was my answer. I wonder if she'd let me buy a piece to take home and paint and have her fire. Will have to ask. I pay her for Thomas's last two projects, $27-ouch, and am on my merry way.

As I'm driving home I remember there is one computer tower and two monitors in the trunk of my car. They've been there for at least a month. I curse them every time I go to get groceries. I pull my car over, and grab my cell. I do NOT drive and talk on the cell at the same time. I do chew bubblegum and walk and rub my belly at the same time, though. I call Bob.

"Hi, you big hunk of a sexy man, you, my stud muffin, my sweetheart, my manly man."

Bob: "(Sighing) Okay, what do you want now?"

Well, guess a little afternoon delight is out of the question.

I ask him to accompany me to the Waste Management place to unload the beasts. He does, I pick him up, and we pay $37 to get rid of the two monitors and tall base. I think we cheated, though, because when we paid the bill we didn't tell them about the keyboard. We put the keyboard in the pile, too.

Done. I now have a trunk that is almost completely free! Except for the big, huge bag of concrete that Bob put back there. At least I'll be able to get the groceries in now.

Drop bob back off at work, and drive home. My dog was anxious to greet me. I took him outside and played a bit. He's feeling really good today and only got sick once. He's happy and energetic, so we have a fun play. Went back into the house and had to scramble. It was time to go get the rugrat. My keys, where in the Q@#$ did I put my keys? A five-minute search in the house finally ended up with finding my keys in the bottom of my purse, where I always put them. Ahem.

Go get rugrat. Stop at the store for more hamburger for dog and cereal for us. And french bread as we're having spaghetti for supper.

Drive home, start boiling five pounds of hamburger on the stove. (I don't fry burger.) Start supper. Thomas is playing the Beavis and Butthead game, Bob is napping on the couch, Jerry is at my feet begging for hamburger.

Call the crew to "slop". I usually say slop's on. I shouldn't do that, it's not very appealing. But the boys both hate spaghetti, so I wanted to use a word they'd appreciate. This is one of the few ways I can get a vegetable into my child -- the very child who wants to be a vegetarian. And I'm not saying spaghetti sauce is a vegetable -- with all teh sugar and other stuff, it's pretty far from it. But at least it is a good copout in my mind.

We eat supper and then it hits. I'm tired.

Put the food away, leave the dishes, and I lie down on the loveseat for just a minute. An hour later I hear Bob and Thomas laughing about beavis and Butthead. GRRRR A whole hour went by. This is my second nap of the day. Yuck.

Check for emails, take the dog out, search teh TV. Nothing is on. Sweep the kitchen floor, look at the dishes and say...I'll do them tomorrow.

Come down to read blogs and boards and Bob and I have a music war. We take turns playing our favorite songs at youtube. We call Thomas over because this is a music lesson. Good rock versus bad rock. We tell him to memorize the songs and the artists as there will be a test. First up is Frankie with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Thomas is scared watching the video. He doesn't like the way the look. I explain that in the late 70s early 80s all guys had really bad hair. lol Bob plays Juice Newton's Just Call me Angel. I break out in song, singing along, totally ruining their experience. (I can't sing.) I play Kenny Rogers' The Gambler. Boos from both the boys. Bob plays Pat Benitar. A few of them. Once again, I sing along. I play my all-time favorite, Hotel California. I sing along. I sing loudly. I turned around to look for Thomas -- he had left the building. Gone. Couldn't handle my singing. Bob played some Led. I made Bob leave by playing the theme song from Brokeback Mountain. When that was done, Bob came back and played sever of Heart's songs. Then Joan Jett. Once again, I sang along.

I'm scary.

That was the extent of our night, other than explaining why our picks were better than the others. I was quite surprised that Thomas liked his father's music better than mine because he always takes my side. I was getting ready to play some Willie Nelson--guess I would have lulled him to sleep with that.

Get the boys to bed, take my sleeping pill, take the dog out one last time, get online again, print some math worksheets while waiting for the pill to kick in. It's 12:35.

12:35. Means I'll get to bed before 1 tonight, but it will be a groggy, sleepy incoherent morning tomorrow yet again.



And that is a typical day in our homeschool. Nah, it's not typical. We didn't hit on all our subjects and we didn't do any fun projects. But there was some learning going on. Perhaps tomorrow I'll print out the lyrics for Hotel California and we can figure out what in the heck it means. Bob and I thought it was a drug song, but beings as though I've never been in the drug scene/culture, I wouldn't know. I love the song nonetheless.

And now it's to zombie land.

Monday Evening

Don't feel like blogging, yet I feel the need to get rid of some of the negativity here with something actually homeschool related.

This year is continuing to go well. I have had streses over math, but when I relaxed and realized we were in no race (thanks, Carole) things became much more clear.

We will continue with Lial's. And we'll take our sweet time. Today Thomas worked on exponents and order of operations. He just told me that even though he hates math, he loved order of operations. It's a good thing, because there are two more pages in the book I will have him complete.

Life is much easier when one takes a breath, relaxes, and lets it flow. The answers are there, we just get too worked up to see them. I think this will work.

Thomas continues to have a fantastic attitude. (Mostly, he is human, so I don't expect perfection. lol) He's working hard, learning and getting his tasks done in good time. Still. Knock on wood.

This year we bought Write! Write! Write!. It's a format writing book. The kind of book that gets lots of negative reviews because it's fill in the blank, has story starters and does not tap into one's creativity. Well, it is just the ticket for my reluctant writer.

The book starts of gently. The first few lessons were fill in the blanks, similar to AdLibs. Thomas loved them, and of course wrote the stories with gross, boy-loving, mom-disapproving humor. Okay, so he writes about poop. Whatever. He's writing!

Today he had to write sentences that started with the same letter. We had lots of giggles, evil mother looks, mother shaking her Head, and mother saying NO -- but he laughed and had fun. And he wrote some funny sentences. And that was the point.

As we move on in the book, it will get more into writing that most of us are familiar with. I like the fun approach because he's not hating it already, not complaining that it's boring. He actually asks to start with writing. What more could I want?

We finally added spelling in today. That goofy child started mocking me. Every time I gave him a word and used it in a sentence, he was a half a second behind me repeating everything I said. I said stop it and he said it almost in unison with me. This went on during all 25 words. At the end I laughed and told him that it was fun, ONCE. I explained how spelling is serious business and he needs to have a serious attitude. Right as I said that, Bob walked in the door. I told Bob what Thomas did, had him tell me how his morning went and I did to him what Thomas did to me. Bob won't win the father of the year award today. He laughed. And laughed and laughed. Yeah, Bob, way to encourage your son.

Tomorrow we will start school with a roll of duct tape sitting on the table. When Thomas asks what it's for, I'll tell him it is to zip his lip.

This is a JOKE. I would never do that to my child. But it is my evil revenge.

While on the topic of writing, I had Thomas look at some of the books at History Scribe. He's looked at these before and balked. Today he saw that they might be fun, because he could draw a picture and write about the topic. He asked me to buy one. So I bought three. Colonial Times, Geo-Terms, and....don't gasp, but The Life of Jesus.

Yes, I know this is mostly a secular blog. But I'm not a secular person. I keep my religion close to my chest. We are Christians, but we don't go to Church. Thomas has been begging to go to church. I tried, we picked one out, talked to the pastor, he told us he'd come to our house and meet with us -- and he never showed. I took that as a sign. So instead I bought him a junior bible at our brand-spanking new Walmart. Who knew they sold bibles? And we've been reading that. (Did you know there was polygamy in the beginning of Genesis? I was shocked, because I didn't know that! Me, a fan of HBO's Big Love, didn't know that. I thought it was later in the book.) I thought about getting some curriculum. We do have Rod and Staff bible, but it's rather dull. When I saw the History Scribe, I figured I could handle that because it is basically bible verses--no preaching, no one sharing their version of what those passages mean.

So that will be our religious studies. Nice, easy, reading, sharing, discussing, coloring and writing.

And with that shocking revelation, I think it's time to close this entry and start printing.

p.s. because it's my blog, I get to talk about my poor old doggie ad naseaum. Jerry only threw up once very early this morning, and has kept the rest of his food down. He's perkier, feeling better, and has a bounce in his step. We'll probably take him in Friday (unless he gets worse) for blood work. If those enzymes have lowered, we'll have surgery. We think. It will cost $500. That's a LOT of money. He's a special dog, though. There are no guarantees about surgery, but I love him so much, and as long as he's not in pain now, it may be worth a shot. What would you do???

I needed a laugh today

And I got it. I laughed so hard at this I had tears running down my face. Even my dear, sweet husband Bob thought it was funny!

WHY MEN DON'T WRITE ADVICE COLUMNS

Dear Walter:

I hope you can help me here. The other day I set off for
work leaving my husband in the house watching the TV as
usual. I hadn't gone more than a few hundred yards down the
road when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a
halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help.

When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was parading
in front of the wardrobe mirror dressed in my underwear and
high-heel shoes, and he was wearing my make up.

I am 32, my husband is 34 and we have been married for
twelve years. When I confronted him, he tried to make out
that he had dressed in my lingerie because he couldn't find
his own underwear. But when I asked him about the make up,
he broke down and admitted that he'd been wearing my
clothes for six months. I told him to stop or I would leave
him.

He was let go from his job six months ago and he says he
has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I
love him very much, but ever since I gave him the ultimatum
he has become increasingly distant. I don't feel I can get
through to him anymore. Can you please help?

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sheila Lusk

= = = =

Dear Sheila:

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be
caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by
checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is
clear, check the jubilee clips holding the vacuum pipes
onto the inlet manifold. If none of these approaches solves
the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is
faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor
float chamber. I hope
this helps.

Walter.

Bad News Today

Jerry and Thomas this summer while doing the Mentos/Coke thing

About two weeks ago my doggie quit eating. He just stared and glared at his food. I bought a different brand of food. He ate a little. Then he was fine for a day or two. He quit eating again. This time I bought canned gravy food. He ate.

This week he started vomiting and didn't want to eat unless it was gravy food. So I made an appointment to get him checked out.

Well, we spent the entire morning at the vet's office. Apparently Jerry has an object in his stomach. Looked like a tennis ball. That was strange because Jerry is not a ball dog at all. He plays with a great big ball, but not with small balls. And this object in his stomach isn't small, it's just a tad bit smaller than a tennis ball.

However, that's not his problem.

His liver test was through the roof, off the charts, ten times what it should be. The x-rays reveal that his liver is enlarged.

So, what to do. Vet gave us options: Exploratory surgery, medications and a special diet or nothing. If we opt for nothing, he'll be gone within a few weeks.

Surgery will be at least $500. The good thing is that whatever is in Jerry's tummy will be removed, they'll be able to see his liver and tell if it's tumors or else do a biopsy. We don't know what the liver issue is, so it may be incurable, which means the $500 tummy surgery would be a waste.

After talking this over with me quite a bit, I asked the vet what he would do if it were his dog. He said he'd try the dog on the meds and special diet to see if the liver test goes down. If it does, there's hope for the liver. Which means we could proceed with the surgery. If Jerry's health deteriorates before we get him retested, we'll know the answer.

Oh, he also mentioned that during surgery if he found the liver to be full of tumors, that he'd put him to sleep on the table.

I am distraught, to say the least. Thomas spent the afternoon bawling. We got home and all snuggled up on my bed. I told Jerry to fight because we loved him. I told Thomas we would not make him suffer, to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Watching my son cry was hard. The painful lessons of life.

We bought the meds and special food. Our bill today was $250. We made our decision. If Jerry's liver enzymes go down, which means there's hope, we'll opt for surgery. If not, we'll make him as comfortable as possible, continue to love him, and when it's time, we'll give him a death with dignity.

Give him a death. That just sounds so cold. I do not want him to suffer, though. He deserves more.

My dad adopted Jerry about five years ago. Jerry was too big for him and we adopted him. He is such a good dog, even-tempered, loves kids, gentle. I can't imagine our lives without him. I can't imagine him in pain, either. I called my dad and talked this over with him. I asked him what he would do, how he felt, etc. I finally asked him if we decided to put him down, would he mind. No, he would understand completely. He supports us in whatever decision we make.

So right now Jerry is at my feet, as he always is. He's my constant companion. He's fine, not in pain. The special food has stayed with him. He took his medication fine. He's just Jerry, just a little less energetic than normal.

I hope (and yes, pray) that he bounces back.

Kid Nation

I know there's been lots of controversy about the show Kid Nation. Thomas and I decided to watch it anyway. I personally love some reality TV (Okay, I love Survivor) and this one really piqued my interest.

Well, we loved it.

My favorite line: "I'm a beauty queen, I don't do dishes."

Didn't like the older kid shoving the council member at all.

I read on the Well Trained Mind boards that one of the moms posts there and her son or daughter was on the show. All I know (or remember reading) is that the mom is from Illinois. Anyone know who the homeschooled kiddo is on the show?

Disturbing

I personally find Andrew Meyer obnoxious, arrogant and abrasive. But: So what?

I am shocked at the events that transpired in this video. He was asking Senator Kerry why he conceded the election and the police did not like it. Senator Kerry stated, "Let me answer his question."

This video contains REAL violence and foul language. I did not let Thomas watch it. So make sure there are no kids watching over your shoulders if you watch it just in case you don't want them to see it. However, it would be a very good learning opportunity--albeit harsh.

It made me ILL. I actually shook as I watched it. He was basically a jerk, but what he got was not appropriate, in my humble opinion. I thought we had free speech in America.

Oh.

Monday Evening

What a day. We both overslept and didn't get school started until 9:30. We finished at 4:30.

Everything went smoothly until we got to Wordly Wise. Last year Thomas loved Wordly Wise. This year he hates it. We're finishing last year's book, so it's not like it's a more difficult level yet. This is an area that I'm struggling. We could easily pass on WW because he learns lots of vocab in other areas. I'm just such a stickler for him learning a good vocab because I don't have one.

So I got a little moaning and whining. Then I brought out our writing book for the year, Write! Write! Write!. I may blog someday why I chose that, but not now. He whined at the size of the book. "I hate writing, mom." Well, it shows. He really needs to learn to write this year.

Luckily, he was happy when we opened the book. The first several pages are fill in the blanks, similar to Mad Libs, and he had a ball. He even finished the story in a spiral notebook. Okay, this wouldn't fly in public school, but there were mentions of Beavis and Butthead in his story. (His dad allows him to watch that, not me. And his dad allows him to watch it because his dad loves Beavis and Butthead.) There were also mentions of poop, vomit, and farts.

I'm okay with that. For now. He's writing. I told him that he will gain class as time goes on because I will expect it. But for now he's writing.

He's still loving logic. And his favorite workbook is Nonfiction Reading Grade 6.


Then we came to math. We're using Lial's this year. I still have reservations, and we're only on day 8 here. He wants it, doesn't want to go back to Rod and Staff. So I'll plug away. The thing is, we kind of hit a brick wall this morning when he had to divide 55,897 by 32 -- or whatever the numbers were. So we practiced several problems together. I taught him to take small bits, break it down and make it easier. It was a struggle and took a long time. At this point he lost all concentration. This has happened with math every single year of our homeschool experience.

Why is it that a kid can score the same as an 11th grader on a standardized test in math concepts, above grade-level on computation, but struggles so with day-to-day math. I don't get it. However, this afternoon I thought back to when we started fractions. We had started Lial's in 4th grade and we got off track. I bought Painless Fractions and we just went at our own pace learning fractions. I made worksheets from the internet. And it worked. He knows fractions amazingly well. So I'm going to go off on a tangent yet again.

I just printed a bunch of worksheets off a generator site. Tomorrow he's going to do 10 really-hard-to-him problems, and 10 double and triple digit multiplication problems. We'll probably do this until it becomes easier for him. I'll know when the whining and frustration stops.

I get caught up in the school mindset: Forge ahead, we have to finish the book, we have to stay on schedule. I really have to scream NO--we have to learn and learn well.

So hopefully tomorrow will be smooth sailing. I'll work one or two problems with him and sit by him as he works the rest. We'll also do this first thing in the morning so he's fresh.

Wish us luck!

In other areas I'm still tweaking--which is my style. We're still enjoying United Streaming VERY, VERY much. Science is going great. World history is fantastic. He's learning, he's remembering, and he's using his new-found knowledge in conversations with his father. What more could we want?

So hoping tomorrow is better without a meltdown.

Happy Anniversary to Us

Bob and Frankie, 1987, where else but Wall Drug. We had just started dating in this photo, although we'd been friends a few months. Tomorrow is our 18th wedding anniversary.

18 years is a very long time and it boggles my mind that we've been together so long. Where does time go?

coach followup

Underwear/football coach follow-up

First off, I apologize to Iowa. I read the story on an Iowa website, and the incident happened in Cincinnati.

It seems the coach was cleared. I'm pasting the article from http://www.wlwt.com/news/14101184/detail.html.

I'm wondering if there's a typo in their article: "The board said it found that Aucherae quit the team, and though he was told to leave his equipment, McKinney walked away and did not realize that Aucherae only had underwear on under his pants." Under his pants? HUH?

This whole thing just seems very strange to me. I tend to believe the boy, but I'm more anti-public educational institution. And no, I'm NOT anti-public education, I'm probably just more so than the average Joe.

Guess we'll never know what happened for sure, but it's fishy.

Years ago an incident happened in a school in the west that made national news. Some elementary school children were subjected to a strip search by their teachers because another student had a missing ten dollar bill. Instead of holding the suspects and calling the parents, the teachers chose to do a strip search. Appalling, eh? What's scarier is that my sister-in-law taught at that school. When we discussed it (and boy was I pissed) she was angry with me. She said that she had just left the school minutes before the search happened; however, had she been in there, she would have done the same thing. We actually got into a very heated discussion. I told her that she, as a teacher, has absolutely NO right to do such a thing. She was ticked that the parents were suing the school district. She claimed it would only prolong the suffering of the children. I told her the parents were absolutely right and the kids needed to know that their parents supported them and that the teachers overstepped their authority.

That was years ago, way before Thomas came along. But that incident has stayed with me. I'm always a little suspicious of "the big institution." And in this particular case, because it involves football, my suspicions are stronger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



CINCINNATI -- Youth league officials decided Wednesday evening whether a football coach should face punishment for allegedly sending a 10-year-old player home in his underwear.

Aucherae Washington told his mother that Coach Curt McKinney berated him during practice, kicked him off the team, made him remove his equipment and sent him home.

McKinney could have been suspended for one or two weeks or expelled from the league, which would terminate the Midwest Marauders team, if he had been found to have broken league rules, said league vice president Donnitta Thomas.


But late Wednesday, the board decided to take no action against McKinney, and his team will return to the field Saturday.

The board said it found that Aucherae quit the team, and though he was told to leave his equipment, McKinney walked away and did not realize that Aucherae only had underwear on under his pants.

"I do not believe that Coach Curt intentionally sent this kid out in only underwear, I don't believe that," vice president Donnitta Thomas told News 5's Eric Flack.

"They say Aucherae quit. Aucherae said he was kicked off the team. Whatever the case is, sending my son home in underwear, T-shirt and cleats wasn't acceptable," Vickie Hatter said.


Previous Stories:

Is it Thursday already?

My how time flies.

We've had six official days of school.

Thomas continues to do very well. His focus and attention is spot on. Mom couldn't be happier. In fact, he actually has requested that I not hang around as he's doing his work. Woo-hoo. I finally can get up and vacuum, dust, do the dishes, etc.

All I can say is maturity is a wonderful thing.

Aside from his focus, I am very happy with science this year. I broke down and bought a used Life Science text off eBay. We've been reading a section every day and then going to the computer. I have the free United Streaming trial and I bought the homeschool subscription through Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. We're still enjoying the free trial, which is the plus version and contains more than we'll get with the homeschool version, but we're loving every minute of it. I can't imagine homeschooling without it.

After we read in our text, and Thomas asks tons of questions and we usually have some very darned good discussions. We then search the topic we are studying and watch a video. Or two. Or three.

We are both very happy with this. I then make Thomas watch an American History video or two, which he's less thrilled with. He likes ancient history much more.

I'm just giddy with the way the year is starting out.

The only concern I have this year is with math. We used Rod and Staff last year and while Thomas liked but hated it (he hates math, but liked the program well enough) we switched back to Lial's. He's much happier with Lial's, but I'm missing all the repetitive practice from Rod and Staff. As time goes on, I may just switch us. I hate being wishy-washy, but practice is a good thing for him.

Now, the house is picked up, the laundry is done and it's time to put my feet up and watch TV. I was really hoping Survivor would start tonight, but it's not on our TV schedule. Darn.

what is it with Iowa educators???

Not long ago I linked to an article where they put an autistic child in timeout for the day. Today I read about a boy who was at football practice and his coach made him strip to his underwear because he didn't follow the rules.

You can read about it here.

I feel so sorry for that boy and I hope justice is done. That coach needs to be fired.

Spanish

What to do, what to do.

Last year we started Spanish. We have my husband's college text, workbook and tapes. While it is a college program, it was easy to break it down into bite-sized pieces. We did a few chapters and the stopped so we could work on vocab.

Well, then when I found out the Homeschool Co-op was going to do a buy on the United Streaming, I went ahead and signed up for the 30-day free trial at US. I did buy the HS Co-op version, which won't take effect for a few weeks. We used this a lot today and really enjoyed it. It's too bad they don't give homeschoolers the full version, but even when we get the reduced version after our free trial, it will still be great.

Anyway, Thomas and I have watched about three lessons of the Spanish program on US. Thomas hates it. I don't care for it. Bob and I watched one together tonight. We watched a unit 7 lesson to see what it was like further down the road.

There are pros and cons to doing hte US Spanish lessons. Pro is it's darned easy for me. The big con is that I don't like the instructor. Bob and I made fun of him the whole time we watched. (Thomas was outside playing and didn't get to witness his elderly parents being immature!) And it's not him, actually, it's his presentation. Just a tad bit too happy and geeky or nerdy or I don't know.

So my dilemma for the week is this: Should we go back to the text, or should we do the US Spanish.

I never took Spanish so it is like me taking the class, too. That's why the US is good. However, I'm good at learning on my own, so that's why the text would be good. The tapes are great, although we have to buy a new tape recorder because mine broke and I'm not moving my boom boxes because they're set up and I'm lazy.

I need the homeschool fairy to wave her magic wand and make the right decision for me.

Aside from that, Thomas LOVED his grammar book that I got for him. I'll blog about that after we've gone into it a bit more, but I know from his reaction today, it will be a huge hit. He also told me school is easy this year. Huh?? I told him he couldn't base that on the first day, as it was a light day. But he loved the online Science program. Another purchase through the Homeschool Co-op. A friend in DC mentioned it and I checked it out and signed us up for Life Science and Earth Science. It is the CyberEd class. So far, that's great.

Tomorrow we're going to do another light day, but still get some work done. I bought and washed five Haines t-shirts so they're ready for Thomas to decorate at will. I have a bunch of dyes, fabric markers, paints, etc., for him. I am going to make him a homeschool t-shirt, so he only gets to make four shirts. We've done this over the years and he loves his homemade shirts. So I'll have to dig my camera out tomorrow to bring back some pictures here.

Well,l the sleeping pill has kicked in. Hopefully I'll sleep, and sleep through the night, and not have any more weird dreams. Hopefully I'll be alert and refreshed tomorrow. (I'm betting we take a nap again, but we'll persist until we get a good routine down!)

Day One Sixth Grade

We're probably the last of homeschoolers to officially start up, but we did just that today.

Bob woke me at the ungodly time of 6:30. Oh man, was it tough getting up that early. I showered and did my hair real quick then went to wake Thomas. He was awake! That early! He was getting dressed. Most importantly, he was in a fantastic mood. (Did aliens come into my house last night and steal my child, replacing him with a morning bird???)

After much debate over our breakfast dilema, we decided to go to McDonald's. Half the fun is being out and about instead of waiting for a school bus. Thomas had McDonald's hot cakes and I had an Egg McMuffin. Yum.

We started school at 7:45. In the morning. Thomas and I. Pinch me, I must be dreaming. Thomas worked hard today and he was cheerful to boot! He worked fast, too. I'm hoping that continues through the school year! By 9:30 we had done all of our language arts, which is a lot this year as that's the major focus, logic, reading, science, and US history. By 9:30 this morning we were both yawning and about to fall asleep standing up. So we snuggled up and put a SOTW CD in. We both passed out.

An hour later we both woke up and hit it hard again. We finished up math, I read aloud, and watched a show on United Streaming.

Bob came home, we all had lunch together. We watched another United Streaming show and Thomas is reading a book on Concord and Lexington.

Holy cow. This isn't like us!

I hope this early morning rising and hard working theme continues this year!

Boo

Perhaps this is in very bad taste, but I'm going to post it anyway. The guy ticks me off.

We want a new pet

Perhaps a penguin would be nice!

Pranksters

Now, let it be known I'm not real keen on pranks. But this prank hurt no one and took a lot of time to figure out and put together. I think it's kind of funny. The kids that did it got suspended for three days.

I don't know what I think of that, because it wasn't good spirit, yet no one was hurt. ???

Well, shoot

It's still here, gracing my driveway. The Bronco, that is. The scrap/junkyard man was supposed to tow it out yesterday. Bob called today and his wife said he was out mowing the lawn. He never returned the call.

Why, oh why, after waiting four years for my husband to part with this thing, why does the only junk man in town not come and get it?

I'm banging my head on the wall here.

In other news, I have a bad case of I-don't-wanna-start-school-itis. The books are all here, I have a general plan mapped out in my mind, but I just don't want to do school! I want to be carefree. I want to stay up late, sleep in late and not worry about school. I have the fourth-year itch, I guess. I keep reminding myself of the alternative and that psychs me up for a second, until, that is, I walk in the school room.

Bob and I talked about it tonight while he was grilling. He told me to take the first two days very easy. That I can do -- and will do.

Public school starts next Thursday. It actually "officially" starts Tuesday, but Tuesday and Wednesday are back-to-school conferences. That's one of the really great things our school district does. Kids got to see their classroom and meet the teacher before the first day of school. Moms and dads got to meet the teacher and see the classroom. We got to take in the hundreds of dollars' worth of school supplies in at conference, too. Okay, I'm kidding, but we used to spend $75-$100 including the tennis shoes that are only to be worn in the gym.

Anyway, we'll be starting up Thursday. In lite mode. I still haven't figured out how to replace the annual Hardee's biscuit and gravy run for breakfast. Thomas doesn't like Burger King's b&g. I could actually MAKE biscuits and gravy, but then I'd be starting the day with a mess that needed cleaning. I'd have to start the day cooking, which I hate. It's just so much easier to get in the car and drive through.

Maybe we'll do Subway for lunch instead.

Do we have to start school again? (Said in a BIG, whiny voice!!!)

This is so STUPID

What's stupid? ME.

In the late 80s, when DH and I got together and got married, he bought a used Bronco. We rode in the Bronco from the chapel to the reception. We've had that Bronco forever.

That Bronco has a history with us. The first time ever in my life that I wrote a check for a car payment was that Bronco. My beloved judge that I worked with rode in it. That Bronco broke down when Thomas and I drove to Minnesota to visit Bob. We were stuck at the Minnesota/South Dakota rest area for an hour and a half waiting for Bob to show up. I hated the thing that day.

We put a new engine in the Bronco in the late 90s. We had planned on keeping it forever. (Yeah, it screams red-neck white trash, but we loved the Bronco.)

A few years ago I bought a new car and Bob started driving the old Subaru. The Bronco got parked in the driveway and forgotten. Not long after my new car, we bought my dad's old mini-van. I never in my life thought I'd have a mini-van. Anyway, four years ago we suddenly had four cars.

I told Bob it could not be. There were only two adults and four cars. Sad as it was, we had to say goodbye to the Bronco and the Subaru.

Four years later, they're still sitting in my driveway. We have fought over this. I have cried, begged, screamed, given the silent treatment, asked nicely *several* times to no avail. I have showed Bob how much money we were wasting on insurance and licensing.

A few weeks ago Bob made a snide remark about my love of eating out and how much money that wastes. I looked him in the eye and said, "Don't you DARE talk to me about wasting money, because you throw money away every month with those cars."

I think that stung, and I know it was the catalyst. Today a man is coming to tow the Bronco away. See, it sat so long that it won't even start. Thomas burst into tears when Bob told him that today was the last day. I was thrilled.

Then I got sad. Goodbye memories, goodbye Bronco.

Bob has assured me the Subaru is next. I think it will take a few days to recover from the Bronco, though.

It's just SO STUPID that I feel melancholy about this! I've wanted my driveway free of clutter for four years, and NOW I'm sad?

At least the neighbors will be happy.

And the kicker: I called Bob and told him I was very sad today and could we please go out to dinner. Bob actually laughed at that and as warped as my request was, he agreed that we needed to get out of the house tonight.

Goodbye Bronco.

Beep, Beep, Beep

Beep=Beep=Beep

I sat straight up in bed, horrified. What was that ungodly sound? Oh, the alarm clock, something that I rarely use. It was 4:15 am.

Shut the &*(^ thing off, got up and made a pot of coffee. Went outside to check on our best view. Awoke Thomas. Three different times.

We were groggy. Our vision was blurred due to the early-morning hours. We made it, though. Each with a patio chair in our hands, we settled in on the front lawn to watch the lunar eclipse.

I really don't make it a habit to parade around in my front yard at 4:30 in the morning in my bathrobe, but that was the only place we could see the moon. We sat there for just a little more than a half hour and watched the sky.

Thomas thought it was beautiful. I was thinking that sleep is beautiful. I kept losing focus, staring at my house. It's not often I'm in the front staring at my house. If I were rich, I'd get a new light fixture and a new front door and screen door. The south window needs a new coat of paint. We desperately need new plantings in the front. Oh, yeah, we're watching the eclipse. Look how much it's moved! It's finally becoming orange.

We need a new lawn. Ours is patchy and weedy. The tree Bob planted is growing nicely and now looks like a miniature tree as opposed to a stick in the ground. I find it amazing that the lights are on in the house but I can't tell. I love my Gila window clings. Love, love, love, love, love. Guaranteed to keep Gladys Kravitz scratching her head, the blaring and glaring sun out of the house, yet still providing a nice light in the home.

Thomas grabs my attention back to the task at hand. We now have a full eclipse. We talk about the eclipse, reminisce about the time we watched the meteor shower at 3:30 am in the back yard and then Thomas finally decides he has had enough and wants to go to bed.

THANK YOU, Thomas.

He is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. Me? I'm up, might as well check the internet and have another cup of coffee. I figure I'm good for at least another 15 minutes.

I don't enjoy getting up in the middle of the night. When I fall asleep, I prefer to wake naturally. Oh, the things a mother does for her child. I could have been an actress, because I projected a happy and cheerful attitude this morning even though I was groggy, tired and crabby. It does make me happy making my son happy, though.

Well, it's 5:15 and time fore bed.

Sunday Morning

I was reading blogs this morning and learned it was cold all over yesterday. Audrey at A Small Corner of Nowhere was digging for blankets and going through her son's clothes.

Thomas and I did that last night. We brought all of his drawers into the living room because there's more room in there. Poor kid was trying everything on for me--a task no child likes. Maybe girls like that, but I've never known a boy to like that. I made my piles for keep and donation.

In the mean time, I needed to do laundry. I made two loads of just T's clothes. He wears more clothes than I do! When he gets dirty, and he really gets dirty in the summer and I view that as a good thing, he changes. I put the first load in the wash and went off to do something. When I came back, there was water all over my laundry room floor! This happened last weekend when I did laundry, too. We thought that it was the drain hose from the air conditioner because it got moved away from the drain and was extremely humid last weekend. Not so. It was the floor drain backing up.

Yuck!

So it's about 9:30 at night when I discover this. Wal-Mart to the rescue! I have been meaning to blog about the joys of Wal-mart but never got around to it. My teeny, tiny town finally stepped into the 21st century and a new Wal-mart opened a few weeks ago. A Super-Wal-mart.

Thomas and I went on opening day. It was packed. It was lovely. I don't like their floors, they're stamped concrete stained an ugly brown. They're supposed to be environmentally friendly. Concrete floors are not Frankie's-back friendly. Oh well. The brown will serve a good purpose as they won't look dirty, I see why they chose that color.

Aside from the ugly floors, and the fact that they have an arcade -- bluch!!! -- it's a wonderful store. Thomas is not happy with his mom because I rant on about how arcades are a complete waste of money. Thomas went to Wal-mart opening week once with me and twice with his friend. This friend is a claw-machine addict. And Thomas wanted to spend all his money with his buddy on the claw machines. I ended up letting him take two dollars each time for the arcade, but with the warning that we will not be spending money there on a regular basis.

I'm so mean. Bob and I got to talking and I had completely forgot that we used to play at arcades -- a lot -- when we were a young couple. Then I remembered that I used to play as a teenager. I think I'll stick to my two-dollar-once-in-a-blue-moon rule, though. He can have fun with two bucks every once in awhile.

Back to last night, at 9:30 I bought two bottles of Drano. And a gallon of milk. And a package of Hebrew National hot dogs. (Always wanted to try those.) We got home a little before 10. The minute I put our bag down and the milk in the fridge, I started ranting, "I hate Wal-mart, I hate Wal-mart."

I don't hate Wal-mart, but I hate their circular bagging things that the clerks use. I realize that those things save time for the clerk. But this was the SECOND time since our Wal-mart opened that one of my bags got left behind.

I wonder how much Wal-mart makes because of those circular bagging things. (What are those called, anyway?) So off to Wal-mart I go again. The clerk has my bag of Drano. She said, "Don't fret, you're not the first person this has happened to." I snorted back, "This shouldn't happen to anyone."

When I visited Wally-World after the first time I left one of my bags at Wal-mart, I joked with the clerk that I didn't want to leave anything behind again. She told me that it is the clerk's job to make sure we get all our stuff. Well, she's the only clerk that has ever told me that or has loaded my cart with bags.

So I will have to be very vigilant from now on. Things is, after I'm done shopping, I'm usually tired and ready to get home. That means I'm not in "think" mode. Guess I'll have to snap out of it.

We were happy to find a nice selection of clothes for Thomas last night at very good prices. Thomas liked the shirts that came with a tie. That's what he wants, and he wants to wear a tie to school. Alex P. Keaton. We didn't buy anything, but I'm sure we will in the near future.

I started laundry up again this morning and the Drano did not work. I still had water all over my floor. Yuck. Guess I'll be calling a roto rooter man first thing tomorrow.

Nice Matters

I had a lovely surprise today. Heather at My Supernatural World awarded me with the Nice Matters Award. Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me as I *try* to be nice and kind. I'm not always good, but I do try very hard.



I must pass this on. "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

This is painful to me. I read a lot of blogs, have a lot of blogging friends, and frankly, they're ALL nice. How on earth do I choose? Luckily I know some have already received the award, so that makes it just a little easier.

Believe it or not, I tore up a bunch of paper, wrote blogggers' names, and drew seven. That's how hard it was for me, I just couldn't choose on my own.

So with the caveat that ALL my blogging friends deserve the Nice Matters Award, the names I pulled from the bowl (didn't have a hat nearby) are:

Mull-berry at One Jelly Donut, Please
Becky at Farm School
Audrey at A Small Corner of Nowhere
Meg at Get In, Hang On (Nice online AND in person!)
Carole at Mt. Pleasant Academy
Kate at Homeschooling in the Garden State
Hillary at No Harm Done

Frankie, Simponized

Thomas, Simpsonized

Simpsonize Yourself Here

For Crying Out Loud

I'm trying to get our school schedule finalized, lesson plans done, etc.

Someone tell me WHY I always bite off more than I can chew?

There's so much on my school list and just NOT enough time to do it all.

This happens to me every stinking year.

World History World History Made Easy
CD: Gombrich's A Little History of the World
American History American History Made Easy
Geography Geography textbook
Science Physics with dad at night (Power Basics Physics)
Earth Science- text book/Cyber-Ed Plato
Life Science- text book/Cyber-Ed Plato
Spanish Spanish curriculum we own OR United Streaming
Math Lial's
Spelling Sequential Spelling
Logic Orbiting With Logic
Latin English from the Roots Up
English:
Grammar Rules!
Write! Write! Write!
A short outling workbook, will only take a couple weeks
Vocabulary Wordly Wise
Computer Excel Book, Finish Typing Made Easy
Art Ceramics class, Usborne Book of Art, my own plans
Music Piano Lessons, Themes To Remember
PE/Health Building Better Bodies II
Swim twice a month
Reading Nonfiction Reading 6th Grade
Communication Communication and Interpersonal Relationships
Literature Book list, oral reports and discussion

This is impossible to schedule. It's too much. Thomas likes to study both American and World History. He thrives on that much science. We'll do earth first, then move on to life science. He has to have spelling. He loves logic and vocab. It takes only five minutes to review EFTRU flashcards. He loves the nonfiction reading book.

He hates the English stuff, but that's where he needs the most work this year.

I typically schedule core stuff Monday through Thursday. Friday we do art, computer, music, health, communication, and projects.

I guess in reality it's all falling together except for the history and geography. There's just not time to do it all. I'm going to have to figure that out.

Late-Night Surfing Can Be Dangerous to One's Health

I was somewhere on the net tonight and clicked a link to the 50th anniversary of The Osmond Brothers. Having been a child of the 70s, I had a crush on Donny and Jimmy, both.

Well, I had just taken a sip of pop when I clicked. Big mistake. There, before my eyes, was a completely white-haired Merrill Osmond. At this time I started choking on the pop in my mouth. And that's never good because it fizzed up. Good grief, The Osmond Brothers almost killed me.

I exaggerate. But I did choke. Then I swallowed that air-filled pop. I burped -- loud. Perhaps I should have sung an Osmond tune while I was burping, but I didn't think fast enough to do that.

When did this happen? When did The Osmond Brothers get OLD???

I only spent a few minutes at their website. The spinning pictures annoyed me. Frankly, I've outgrown their music. It just doesn't really appeal to me anymore. (Okay, I'm lying, some of it is okay, but I won't be buying an album.) Donny Osmond singing the Bee Gee's How Deep is Your Love just didn't cut it for me. Nobody can do that song but the Brothers Gibb. (Yes, I love the Bee Gees -- I admit it!) I clicked on several of their links and scanned.

I was shocked as Alan Osmond walked on stage with a cane. My initial reaction was to find out what had happened. And I found out. Sadly, he has MS.

Well, after nearly choking, I ended up having a nice ten minutes or so going down memory lane, catching up with the old heart-throbs, teeth and all. It is unsettling, though, to see that white hair. If they're old, that means I'm getting older, too.

I think tomorrow I'll introduce Thomas to The Osmond Brothers. In fact, I think I'll greet him in the morning by singing I'm a little bit country -- NO, I am definitely Rock 'n Roll. (My twist on words. I always change the words in songs to suit me.)

I think Thomas needs to learn that little bit of trivia: Osmonds, teeth, LDS, millions of kids, good, clean entertainment. I'll tell him about the story I read years ago that their father made them clean their auditorium restrooms before or after performances. I'll tell him about my crush on Donny and Jimmy. I'm sure he'll roll his eyes and ask if he can go outside and play -- so that he can be very far from me.

Sheesh, white hair. Sigh.

Homemade Gift Exchange

Oh my gosh, I signed up to do this at Becky's Farm School and forgot to blog here about it!

Homemade gift exchange

Here are the slightly-abbreviated rules from Kim's blog:

If you are one of the first three commenters on this post, then you are in. I send you a homemade gift sometime soon. (With me, that could be a month or two!) In return, you go to your blog and make the same offer. So, you’ll be making 3 things and receiving one.

FAQs here at Kim's post.

What if you don’t have a blog?

Well, if not, I’ll host your request here. But only if you are a really awesome knitter. Haha. Okay, I’ll do it no matter what. If you join the exchange on your blog let us know here!

What if I don’t like my gift?

Too bad. Mom taught us all how to be gracious.

What if I’m not crafty or artistic?

So? Do it anyway.

What about shipping?
Like I said, an artist trading card? That might cost one stamp or less. But if you want to make a bust of the recipient out of pine, go ahead.

What? I have to give someone in cyberspace my address?

Well, yeah. So you should probably only sign up here if you have read or known me for a few months, that way you know I am a fine upstanding citizen who will only plague you with annual Christmas cards after the exchange.

Okay, I'm not overly-crafty, but I'll come up with something!

Reading List

I have a very short reading list prepared. I haven't spent much time searching the net for good books. I am open to sixth-grade reading recommendations. Here's the list so far:

Bud, Not Buddy
Julie of the Wolves
Shiloh
Tom's Midnight Garden
The Castle in the Attic
Holes
The Hobbit
The Giver
The Phantom Tollbooth
Bunnicula
Cheaper by the Dozen
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Because of Winn Dixie
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Secret Garden

Thomas has been reading the Myth series by Robert Asprin (I think it's Robert Asprin's series, without getting off my chair to check.) Thomas has not yet read any of the Harry Potter books! So those might go on the list, too.

I like to have a big, long list at the beginning of each year. This list is way too short. I like for Thomas to read half the books on the list.

We have a bug

The bug we have is called lazy-summeritis. It's nasty in that we just don't feel like doing a darned thing. I think this is the worst case we've ever had.

Well, maybe it's my worst case. Thomas always feels like playing.

The past several days I have not felt like doing a darned thing. I dream of having pajama days that are guilt free. Oh, yes, I have my share of pajama days, but they're always full of guilt. What if the doorbell rings, what if Thomas gets hurt while playing outside, what if my husband gets upset. (He's been known to get upset over my love of pajama days in the past.)

It's funny that I actually do accomplish things -- much more than I think or feel like. I wanna be a kid again. I want carefree days where I can run and play and dream. I don't want to have to cook. I don't want to have to prepare for school. I don't want to clean the school room.

That's it, the school room. That is where I picked up the summeritis virus. I don't want to clean that room. I have too much stuff for the small space. There are books on the shelves that are way below Thomas's level. I don't want to get rid of them to make room for stuff that is on his level. I don't want to let go of the past. I don't want to admit that my baby is growing up and is not a baby anymore and hasn't been for quite some time.

That or I just don't want to do the work. Or both.

I've just been a lazy bum. I think I'll go with that for awhile. All that hard work is fast approaching and I think I'll take a breather while I can.


Maybe summeritis is a good thing.

Lucky Us!!!

We are so lucky! Meg from Get In, Hang On was on her way home tonight and stopped in our teeny, tiny town. We got to meet!

We met at a local restaurant. Meg is extremely warm and friendly -- I liked her immediately. Her kids -- wow, I was so impressed. Warm, friendly, personable and fun. They're cute, too.

I had such a nice evening. It was so nice to meet an online friend. It was even nicer that she was so great. Sigh -- I wish we lived closer.

Thomas had a good time, too. He liked Boy and Girl and thought Meg was very nice. My little guy slightly embarrassed me, but I'll forgive him. He was playing with jelly -- and pretty soon I looked over and it was in his shake glass. Good grief, Thomas! lol

Thank you, Meg, for stopping to visit us. What a treat!

Disgusting...

Go here to read how a school district forced an eight-year-old autistic girl to spend three hours in time out.

What gets me is after a hearing in which the parents won, the school district was of this opinion:

The Waukee district and the Heartland Area Education Agency, which helped prepare the learning plan for Isabel, are adamant that they did nothing wrong and are appealing the decision.

When will they get it? They cannot treat children like this.

and baby makes 17

Yes, the Duggars had baby number 17 today, a girl named Jennifer Danielle.

You can see pictures here.

I didn't know they were expecting, although I should have expected that they were expecting.

Thomas was delighted as he enjoyed watching their documentary on TV.

Me? Um, no comment.

UPDATE: I guess I do have a comment. I believe in freedom. If someone chooses to have 17 babies, so be it. Live and let live. I do worry about the health of the mother. I worry about the message this sends: don't use birth control. I believe they have the message on their website along the lines that states that it's God's will that they have so many babies. Well, I believe that God gives all women and men a brain. I think God expects people to use their brain. I just don't think it's healthy to have 17 babies. I believe God invented birth control for a reason.

I don't know. Who am I to judge?

I think that's why I find the Duggars so intriguing...I just don't know what to think!

what day is it? Or, I'm an idiot!

This is the second time since I've been home from vacation that I have totally messed up what day of the week it was. I thought it was Monday. It felt like Monday all day long. Bob and I were paying bills tonight and I was complaining that we had to wait three days until payday and couldn't pay everything today. He looked at me as if I were crazy. Because I WAS crazy.

I've been crazy twice now.

crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy

Today is Wednesday, August 1st, 2007.

Perhaps I'll have Thomas make a big kindergarten-like calendar for me tomorrow. We can put it on the fridge. I can have him drill me.

As Homer would say, "D'oh!!!"

Monday Afternoon

This is the third time I've tried to blog today. My computer keeps closing blogger down on me.

Have cramps. Sick of cramps. Am ready for menopause. Right now.

Hot out. Thomas came in because it was too hot to play. All the neighborhood kids wanted air conditioning.

Ordered all our school stuff. Less than $200. Woo-hoo to that! Thomas looked at the language arts stuff I blogged about and Painless Grammar and some other stuff I found. He chose Grammar Rules! and Mechanics. Go figure. I guess I'm learning to read him pretty well.

Have discovered that our school room actually has a floor complete with carpeting. Of course there isn't a clean, flat surface in there yet, just stacks of books, but will get it all cleaned before school starts in September.

Thomas is working on a quilling project for the county fair. I have my mom's old quilling supplies and dug them out. Neat entry for the paper craft category. All the stuff we found was pretty "girly" and then we found some neat books with bugs and fish, so Thomas has been making fish, sea horses, etc. Didn't buy the books, but studied the pictures online. Call me cheap. Will share pictures when it's all done.

Can't believe it's almost August. Where did the summer go?

I think the couch is calling me. I still feel like crap. I wish I could have a motrin IV drip -- well, actually I'd prefer something a little stronger and something that would make me "happy" if you know what I mean. I'm sure Bob would agree with that!