I Finally Did It......

I took down the small Christmas tree in the bedroom..........and the Christmas decoration and lights in the living room windows. Now for the big tree.............

the BIG BANG theory.......

Check this out: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090808/ap_on_sc/eu_sci_big_bang_machine now, here's where to find the answer..........the Bible. Genesis 1 "In the beginning...." wow. And that didn't cost you a cent. They could have saved a lot of money. I don't care who you are. If God don't want you to smash an atom, by golly, you won't.Dig the deepest hole, get 10,000 physicists together and say their mantras and send good karma and light 10,000 candles. the answer is simple. So simple, a lot of folks miss it. God spoke. The universe was there. Batta bing, bim bam shazam. that's it.

The Choice to Home School...

Well. I have been doing a lot of reading, watching, researching....and here are some thoughts (in no particular order...) that have helped me to finally make the decision to try it:

This is from a home school mom's blog that I found on a home school site link:

"This was written by a high school teacher struggling with a severely disabled child in her classroom who is very disruptive. His aide is apparently not on the ball, he gets into fights, screams through classes so other students cannot hear the teacher.
This teacher is quite rightly questioning the whole rationale behind this child being in her class in the first place, as well as the things she is still supposed to do — and not do. For instance, she asks, “Why do I need to give a final exam to a child who is severely disabled and is simply here for “socialization?”"
Ah, the S-word. Immediately, my homeschool-issues radar perks up. A teacher is complaining about a child who is not suited to this particular class and is there for ’socialization’. Interesting.
And it continues: “Why do I have a young person in my room, a room already filled with twenty-five other people, who is here strictly for socialization?”
Well, now. From the criticisms and questions usually aimed at homeschoolers, I had just assumed, you know, that school was indeed where kids are supposed to get socialization.
The reader comments shed some light on this: “… the primary purpose of a core academic classroom is learning, not socialization.”
Ohhhhhhhhhhh…. really? Is that so? Funny, that’s not what they tell the homeschoolers, is it?
“There are plenty of opportunities for socialization in other, non-academic settings that will not disrupt instruction and handicap the general education learners.”
Ya know, I think the homeschoolers have been saying this all along…"



Another friend of mine is a teacher of elementary students. She was telling me about a child that is in her class that should not be. And due to red tape and bureaucracy, she was basically forced to deal with it. He was extremely disruptive, screaming at her and the other kids, horrible stuff and the fact that she had to endure this and had no say about him being in the class.......plus the fact that every time he had a lengthy episode, all the other kids had to sit thru this and watch, to me is not right.


A little girl I know that spent almost 2 years in a Christian daycare only to enter public kindergarten and upon asking a question about Jesus, or maybe it was about praying...I was not in the room when the actual conversation took place, was told by a teacher "we don't talk about Jesus here." what kind of signal does THAT send?


Driving past the school where Annalynn would have had to go time and time again to see 2 or 3 little kids waaaaaaaaaaaayyyy out on the edge of the property while the 2 teachers or playground monitors, whatever they were, gabbed up by the school. several times........


People have used the socialization argument. I agree with the first mom. School is for learning. Socializing can happen in many many other places: when Annalynn goes with me to the store and talks to the cashier, when we go to the post office to see "Mr. Dave," when she goes to play with her cousins who have also been home schooled and are wonderful well adjusted socialized moral kids. GREAT kids. I just don't buy it. I have been reading two very good books: Home Grown Kids and The Educated Child. very very good. have put into words what I've had a hard time verbalizing.

One friend told me "I feel like school got me ready for life." yes, 50 years ago when you were in elementary, it was much different than it was today. We did not have security back then. Cops at the door checking back packs were not the norm........We prayed for our meals. We had moms that were home when we got home. We had to do chores and homework. Things were much different. Now that we've taken God out of the classroom, along with about every moral teaching, look at where school has gone. down hill. I am not ready for that. I know some do not agree with my stance on not making a 5 year old have to learn to stand alone and work it out on her own AT FIVE YEARS OLD..........but that is where I am. I am doing what I feel is best for my child. We will work on building morals, character, a deep love and respect for and understanding of Jesus, and then we will see where we are at in another year or two.

I am excited about it. I have a lot of fun things and field trips planned, a great challenging curriculum picked out.....we will see how it goes and let the outcome speak for itself.

Okay Okay...........

So nobody's going to touch THAT one with a 10 foot pole. I get it. So a new blog is coming soon. We are home schooling Annalynn for kindergarten and I am excited about it. So don't even try to talk me out of it. Haha. Check back soon.

"A Time of Change"

SOOOO..............how's that CHANGE workin' out for everyone???????????????

Life in the Wilderness

I have been reading thru the book of Judges recently. Not incredibly fun reading and at times very depressing. But I had a thought today. Recently, Day and I had a conversation about why God would send entire armies into cities to posses them and instruct the men to "...kill everyone, including the women and children." I have read this before but it bothered me this time. And as we talked, he reminded me of the countries in the middle east (hope I have the region right...never took geography...) that are at war to this day due to the fact that Abraham did not believe God when He told him He would give him a child with his barren wife. Instead she sent her maid to be his wife for the night to have a child, then got mad at her when she became pregnant. go figure. And Abraham listened. Do you think he was just honoring his wife or was there a little something more in it for him??? That's a whole other blog...anyway...so we have countries at war because of a single act of disobedience a couple thousand years ago. And when the children of Israel were given lands to posses, God specifically told them to go in and wipe the folks out and posses the lands. Today I was reading the account of them dividing up the lands and some went in and wiped them out and some went in and lived peacefully with them. That sounds all fine and peachy except when it came to the part that said "Their gods will be a snare to you and your downfall..." because again, they did not listen. So why do we think we have all these "gods" that are a hindrance to the Christian world? How often have we, or shall I speak in first person so as not to offend anyone, known what we need to do and we do not do it? Then when we reap what we have sown, we cry out to God to SAVE US. How many times will it take? When will I finally learn the lesson? As I read thru the old testament when I was first saved, I was just dumbstruck by how many times God performed miracles and yet the Israelites turned their backs on God OVER and OVER and OVER. It is almost tiring reading it. But how many times have I done the same thing? I have seen miracles. I mean flesh closing over a wound on a dog, Day's nephew scheduled for surgery and leg gets healed, no money in the bank and a check comes that day unexpectedly kind of miracles. Yet how many times do I turn my back on an opportunity to witness? I have let the scrutinizing, critical, poking fun at me fingers of so many others, sometimes unsaved family and friends, just drain my "first love" for Jesus. I have been in a tough spot for a few years now, battling inside myself. It has taken a toll on my marriage and life in general. I tend to absorb too much of the people I'm sometimes around and the negative stuff I see depresses me. Not too long ago I sent out an email to several family and friends asking specific questions about my personality. I received several replies (thank you to all that helped with that "project..") and I collected them all and read thru them a few times and did some soul searching. I started weekly counseling several months ago. I had to take a step back and look at myself very objectively and ask one question that I feel every so often each of us should ask ourselves: "Is it 'everybody else' or could it be ME???" I asked that. And you know what I realized? There was a very slight chance that I WAS THE ONE that needed to change. When I sit and watch those around me sometimes, it is very obvious to see where the problem lies. And it's so many times NOT 'everyone else.' The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for FORTY YEARS!!!! 40!!! I do not want to wander any longer. So I am getting down to business. I am in a better place mentally, spiritually and emotionally than I have been in years. I do not want to live and die in the wilderness. I have spent too many days fretting about things that don't work, money that is not there, people that piss me off, and time that I've wasted. Does anyone want to join me in getting out of the wilderness and starting to live each day as the gift from God that it is? Think about it. Tomorrow is promised to no man. or woman. or mother. or friend, etc.....So stop complaining, stop blaming everyone else and find something to be happy about today. You are married to the person you are married to. Start talking nice. Start helping people instead of bitching about things that don't work out for you. Sit down and write a letter or send a card to someone that you know can use a smile. Hug your kid and forget the laundry for today. Be happy for what you have and the people in your life. They might not be there tomorrow. Get yer ass out of the wilderness and LIVE!!!

My heart is heavy.....

I had Raymond put down Friday and my heart really hurts. He was a special little guy. He was a foster for a little over a year before we got to adopt him as our own. Every holiday would roll by and Day would ask me what I wanted. I'd tell him "Raymond" or I'd say "It's in the kitchen, you don't even gotta wrap it..." well, he finally was mine. In July, he started losing fur. Went to the vet. Got some meds. It got worse, and this went on for some time. Although he was looking pretty ragged, his spunky sweet little disposition was still alive. So I had to try and help him. Bloodwork, a bone marrow test for cancer, Cushings test, skin scrape, everything we did came back negative or inconclusive. Several meds, special shampoo, ointment, lotion, supplements, special food and even water. I miss my little guy so much. I sit here tonight at my computer and still cry. There are those that think I'm crazy or wasting my time with these dogs. oh well. They are a joy in my life and they fulfill something in me. There is a special bond I share with my dogs. Tonight, I really miss this one. See you at the bridge Raymond. I love you old boy. I miss you something fierce.