The Senator from I d a h o

I watched the senator from i d a h o last night on dateline.

I don't believe him. I do not care for him.

This video may not be appropriate for children, but I got a kick out of it. Thomas watched it and we discussed it. He didn't know who the Village People were.

Don't care to get into the entrampment issue, but I do think he's a liar.

Well, Well, Well

Another dog post. Skip on by if you're bored to tears.

All week, with Jerry at our feet, we've been researching dogs, breeders, shelters, etc. Do we get another dog? Do we wait? Maybe we could wait and get one in spring, giving us one winter free of freezing our tails off walking a dog and taking it outside. Do we get a shelter dog? Do we get a purebred? What do we do?

Jerry's still doing fairly well. Right now he's begging me for some food. We go to the vet again on Monday to get his prescriptions refilled because he's not hurting, he's happy, he has a healthy appetite, everything is working right. Looking for or even thinking about a new dog with Jerry still here is horrible. We are guilt ridden! I'll look online a bit, look down at old faithful, then apologize to him. He doesn't know what we're doing, but it just seems so wrong.

Then again, maybe not. We've never not had a dog. We've spent the week scouring our dog books for breed, looking online at petfinder and rescue organizations, and breeders.

Today we called breeders. Bob talked to one for over an hour and handed the phone to me and I talked to her for a long time. It just felt right. We are going to sleep on it, but I think tomorrow we are going to call her and put down a deposit. She's about three hours from us, so we will try to go to visit soon.

We debated back on forth on breeds. For some reason we like herding dogs. We like big dogs! We're NOT a small dog family. ***So to someone in particular who may read this blog that I know (and love) in real life who has a poodle who was just bred, PLEASE do NOT send us a puppy. We love your dog, we know her pups would be precious, but we don't want a poodle.***

We narrowed our choice down to a Border Collie, an Old English Sheepdog or a German Shepherd. I really wanted an OES. Really bad. But Bob and Thomas did not. That's okay. Someday I'll have one. We are going to get a purebred German Shepherd. Big surprise? That was my second choice and Bob and Thomas' first choice.

If this works out, we'll be getting a bitch. (ha ha, I got to say that word on my blog and it's not swearing, and still G-rated.) Grow up, Frankie. She will arrive in December. Bad month for a new puppy. Everything you read says don't get a dog near Christmas. However, it's just the three of us and we will puppy proof. I think it will be good timing in our case.

That gives me time to puppy proof the house. I look around and think how spoiled I am. I don't have a toddler and I don't have a baby puppy. Jerry doesn't get into anything except Kleenex. Nothing is baby proof here anymore, so I will have my work cut out for me. (Why did I sell that baby gate at the garage sale?)

Then we'll have to research. I've never had an 8-week-old puppy. I've had older puppies. Oy! (Minnesota slang thrown in for emphasis, I don't really say that.) My blogging friend Elisheva from Ragamuffin Studdies just recommended Cesar Millan's book Cesar's Way. I think I will buy it. We love to watch his TV show. I have a whole host of dog books that I got out tonight, stacked on the table and told Thomas to start reading. He decided to go to youtube instead and watch videos on clicker training. lol (By the way, there are some excellent clicker training videos there. Thomas was amazed at what he watched.)

We will make this into a homeschooling project, just as Elisheva has.

The past couple of weeks I have cried myself to sleep almost every night. Bob has dozed off on the couch every night (I'm sure for my benefit) and Jerry and I have snuggled in bed. I'm coming to terms with it, but I don't like it. My mom once told me that death was a part of life. And she died shortly after she said that, too. She was right, though. We have loved Jerry and given him a good life. We will be picking up a tranquilizer from the vet on Monday so that he will have a peaceful death.

But now we have something to look forward to. Hope. ? Is getting a new puppy hope? I guess not, but it is something to lift our spirits. It's something to look forward to. It is something that we can share our love with.

One final comment. It was a tough decision to choose a purebred over a rescue dog. Please don't give us grief over that. We have adopted three cats from shelters. Two have already passed, and one is 13 and still with us. We have adopted dogs from the shelter. We have adopted one stray dog and one stray cat. We have gone above and beyond with rescuing dogs and cats. We donate to our shelter when we can. I'll be donating several cans of the expensive special liver food that Jerry won't touch to our local shelter. I have been a foster mom for cats before. To be honest, that didn't work out because I ended up adopting those that I fostered. I don't feel guilty over choosing one purebred dog.

And one other thing. The puppy we get will already be named. The breeder we have chosen does that; however, she said we could choose a nickname. he he So we need to come up with a girl name. Any ideas?

That Great T-Shirt

I bought the t-shirt from Great Homeschool T-shirts. They're fairly cheap, and if memory serves me, they go on sale for five bucks at the beginning of the traditional school year every year.

I also bought a tote bag from them which we have used and used.

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.