Muse @ Wembley DVD Ad (Just Awesome!)

This is due to go on sale in the States in the next few weeks.  Lucky ducks in England can actually go buy it and see it in movie theaters! Anyway, my birthday is at the end of April, but this will be an early present.  It's gonna be AWESOME!  Andrew and I can't wait to see it!

Spicy!

You Are Cayenne Pepper

You are very over the top and a bit overwhelming. You have a fiery personality, and you can give anyone a good jolt. You can easily take things up a couple notches, no matter what crowd you're running with.

What Spice Are You?

Such Stunning Arrogance!

Okay, so anyone who reads this blog knows I am not a Democrat and I don't support Clinton or Obama.  I barely support McCain (but he's all I've got).  However, if I were an Obama supported I would be FURIOUS with Clinton.

I am dumbfounded by her arrogance to suggest that she and Obama would be a force to be reckoned with if he were her Vice Presidential running mate.  I mean, holy cats, HE IS IN THE LEAD  and she has the audacity to  suggest that he be her Vice Presidential pick?  What if Obama was saying this about Clinton?  That maybe she should be his running mate?  She'd be freaking out! She'd be insulted!

I have to admit (and this is horribly sinful, I know) that watching the Democratic Party implode is kinda fun. But I really can't see how this is going to go over well for anyone.  It's true that Obama is leading in both popular vote and delegates,  but it is true that Clinton has won in the states that vote 'blue' on Election Day. Most of the states that Obama has won usually vote 'red' on Election Day.  Then all this talk of super delegates and possible re-dos in Michigan and Florida?  COME ON!  A super delegate in Florida told Bill Bennet on the radio that it would cost 17 MILLION DOLLARS to re-do the primary.  That is INSANITY!  Use that money for something worthwhile, or decide to count the darn votes you already cast...to darn early.  I would be outraged if I still lived in Florida, and as a Republican, knew my tax money was going to go to repeat a primary that the Dems screwed up in the first place, and wasn't going to benefit me in any way.

As my friend Mig always said to her daughters when they were little and embroiled in a fight, "This is going to end in tears."  Well, that is what's going to happen with the Democratic Party...only I think it's going to be worse than tears...there may even be blood.  (I just hope it's Hilary's) 

Sorry, I just couldn't help it.

Oops gotta run SNL is about to come on...it's new....and even THEY are making fun of Hilary...

McCain is so darn BORING!

and not the least of which is important...too darn moderate for me.  Ugh! I hear him muttering on and on downstairs on FOX News.  Of course, I watched Mike Huckabee withdraw from the race and LOVED listening to him say his thank yous and talk about his campaign.  Huck's so interesting, such a good speaker, so funny and gracious.  Then McCain comes on and I find myself falling asleep.  What the heck is gonna happen if Obama gets the nomination for the Dems?  Obama is great to listen to.  I don't agree with him...he's a Mega-Liberal and I am a Reagan Conservative, but the truth is he is a great speaker.  McCain is going to put people to sleep.  Even though McCain has a marginally better message than the Dems, no one is going to be listening because his speaking style is so dull that everyone will be lying splayed out on their couches, heads lolling over while drooling on their night shirts.  If Hilary gets the nomination I think it would be easier for McCain to win, just because people hate Hilary. Still, though,  how did this happen?  Of all the Republicans that it falls to McCain just astonishes me.  

I know I said before that I wouldn't vote for McCain, but I'm gonna have to.  I can't vote for Obama or Clinton, they are so far left and such pro-abortion advocates.  I can't vote for people who fight among themselves over who is the better advocate for 'Choice'.  Even Andrew, my pro-life baby, said, "How odd to compete over who is more pro choice ....which is actually arguing over who is more in favor of killing babies.  Like you want to brag about that! How stupid!"  

If I have to grasp at straws where McCain is concerned, at least, there is a better chance of a conservative judge being put on the Supreme court, if and when there is an opening, with McCain as president than either Clinton or Obama.  Either of them would just give us another Ruth B Ginsberg.

I guess, though, that I will have to take my chances that McCain could be Obama, because I REALLY don't want Hilary to get the Dems nomination.  I don't want her to have the satisfaction!

Time for Bed,

Muse - Feeling Good on Jools Holland

The best remake of a song ever! I am using this song at a retreat. :-) Because I *am* feeling good!

An Experiment

Okay,  so what does one do when one is an Unschooler who wants to encourage their reluctant reader to read but isn't interested in coercing them? Do you reward them when they have read?  No.  Because gold stars mean nothing to my daughter.  I, personally, hate them.  What a kid wants is hard cold cash.  So, you pay them to read.  Yup!  That is what I am doing.  

I was thinking about what it must be like to go to school, while your parent (s) go to work, and then have nothing to show for it at the end of the week, when at least they are getting paid.  I was thinking about how much more interesting it would have been to get paid to go to school.  I might have tolerated it more.  I mean, if I HAD to go, why not get paid.  So, then I figured, what if, instead of shrouding becoming more fluent in reading with rewards and praise, which do little to make someone enjoy reading for it's own intrinsic value, why not treat it like a job.  Some kids get allowances.  Though as parents we suck at giving allowances.  I figure, when you are in a family, part of being in it, is pulling some weight.  That's just part and parcel of belonging to the tribe, so to speak.  However,  if I ask the kids to go above and beyond typical daily duties I will offer to pay them.  For instance, Andrew details our cars and gets a nice sum for it.  He does a better job than Car Spa.  

All this made me think that Autumn,  though interested peripherally in reading,  doesn't care much about it. I don't care much either.  I see that she is learning and progressing and I am cool with it.  However, Robert would really like to see some more fluency.  So, I was thinking about how to set this up so it wouldn't be misunderstood by her.  We have blatantly tried to bribe her before, but it doesn't work.  Alfie Kohn is right about rewards being like a punishment of sorts.  All motivation goes out the window when we dangle a carrot.  So, how could I motivate her without the carrot?  How do I give her control over this?  Something not to be used as a reward, but something I could set up like a job...an extra chore...because that is how she sees it.   So instead of saying, " Autumn, if you read this book I will give you 5 gold stars that will equal $1 and when you get 25 stars ($5) you'll get a treat. "  Rather it's more like, "You don't like reading, but I would really like you to get better at it,  so how about I pay you to do it as a job?  For every book you read you get X amount of money, you don't read you don't get money but no one is going to give you a hard time either, your choice."   

  With the idea in my head, Autumn and I went out to lunch, at a cute cafe, in historic Roswell where we live.  We ate chicken tacos out in the breezy sunny 55 F day .  We watched people and pups walking by and we chatted.  It was there I pitched the 'idea'  to her.  I asked her if she would like to make some money at the job of learning to read.  I told her that like her Dad's job she would get paid after, not up front. I laid down the specifics and the salary.  She liked it alot...thought it was very fair. 

 Now, some people probably think I am nuts.  That is okay.  People have thought I have been nuts for a long time.  Now, however, the coercion is off the table.  Autumn is 8 years old.  She is at an age where she wants certain things and I won't buy stuff just to buy it for her.  I don't want to set up the expectation that she will get everything she asks for.  Talk about 'Primadonna Training'!  And I am trying to find her ways to make money so that she can learn to manage her own.  Up until today, I couldn't think of a thing.  I am hoping this goes well.  Maybe we will both be able to get what we want.  I will be able to see her gain in reading proficiency and she will make some cash.  She wants the cash for things like Webkinz.  There she can read what her little pets say to her.  Also, she likes Beanie Babies 2.0 where she can chat.  I figure her reading proficiency will only come in handy in both venues and will continue to build on itself effortlessly....well, at least, that is the plan.

I will say that she came home from our lunch and did 2 lessons of click and read and then struggled through a book, but did a really great job, and was thrilled to get payment.  I will keep you posted.  Something I else I think this is going to help with is math...a twofer how awesome!

~Peace

Father 'Hen' (I made my hunny take this test)

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

In all honesty, I never saw this coming. I don't see him as remotely artistic. He is complaining over my shoulder as I type this. "Of course I am!" he insists. So I probed, "In what possible way are you artistic." This is the answer I just got, "I am always encouraging the kids' artistic endeavors...I am having a ceramic TARDIS being made for me by Tumnal at her pottery class!" He is also reminding me that he has written a book (artistic) and that he planted a tree (that is a stretch) and that he is Ron 'Frickin' Popeil as his patent goes pending next Friday for Elastic Ricochet (sounds like a Band to me). So yeah, I guess when you add his writing, arboring and inventing he is kinda artistic. So, okay, I'll give him Artistic Mother-ahem- Father Hen. I am still the Groovy Mother Hen...so let's not forget about that!

College here he comes!

Andrew got his acceptance letter to Georgia State University.  He will be majoring in Film and is very excited. He's been up to a lot lately.  Last weekend, at the Fencing tournament, he won all his 'pools' and then Medaled in 6th place over all (1-8 are given medals).  Tonite,  3/1,  he has his first gig with his new band,  Iconoclasts.  They are very excited.  They are doing a couple of original songs and one cover, Blur's Song 2.  Andrew is lead singer...shock of all shocks!  Drumming and singing...I 've gotta hand it to him for coordination.

Now all he has to do is maintain his B in Math and he is set for the Hope Scholarship (which pays state college tuition).  He has a 3.8 GPA,  (this from a child who was unschooled through 8th grade, barely formally taught, very much self directed, so I'm sticking my tongue out at all you naysayers of unschooling!!)  but the stupid Hope Scholarship people just made it more difficult for students, so only what they deem as 'Core' courses apply for Hope.  One needs a B average in all core courses.  Andrew is okay in Math, but he's been in Film/Video for 4 years and consistently makes A's, as well as in subjects like Lit, Econ, History.  And even though Film is his declared Major all the fabulous work he has done in school regarding that field of study doesn't apply.  What crap!  I am sure he will do fine in Math and everything will be okay. Schools, UGH, they really make me want to scream!

Better late than never! (and scroll down to 2/18/08 entry for more pics of her Birthday!)

Here is a picture of my handsome young King (Robert) and our beautiful little Princess, Autumn, at the annual Father/Daughter Dance hosted by our local TORCH homeschool group.   Last year it was cowboys and cowgirls, but this year it was the King and his Princess and that was right up my  hubby and my girly's alley.  Autumn borrowed the dress, wrap and tiara from her best bud Morgan and Robert rented his outfit from a costume shop that had made it special for a Lord of The Rings wedding.  He looked pretty cool.  The beginning picture is  Autumn showing off her dress and then Robert walked out and surprised her with his very cool outfit.  As you can see she was thrilled.  Apparently, he was the only dad who took the 'attire' seriously.  They had a great time.  The dance, oh excuse me, the Royal Ball was Feb. 16th.  Aren't they both just beautiful!?!

~Peace

It's a boy! (needs prayers)

No, not mine, really, but we were just asked to be his Godparents.  I have a Godson, I'm going to be a Godmama...how cool!  My little Godson's name is Terry Andrew S.... (not mentioning last names).  I have never had this honor before.  My kids have honorary Godparents, because we weren't Catholic when they were born.  Robert was recently asked to be the Godfather to his best bud's ( from college) little girl.  Though they are Methodist, and having been one once, I know they don't actually acknowledge Godparents.  It's really just a nice way of honoring a close friend...like what I did with my kids.  There was no ceremony.

Anyway, enough blabbering.  Terry is the 3rd child (and 3rd son) to friends from church.  He looks like his mom, Rebecca, which is nice, since his Dad, Steve, already has the first two, Stevie and Brad, who look like him.

I have been told that his first name is in honor of St. Therese the Little Flower. And, I don't know why his middle name is Andrew,  though because I have an Andrew,  I told Steve I couldn't say no to being Terry's Godmother, because I am partial to the name Andrew.  :-) 

 Please pray for Terry and Rebecca.  He was taken by C-sec early, his due date was 3/14,  but he was born 2/25,  because Rebecca was becoming Toxemic.  He was just 2 -1/2 weeks early, and a good size: about 7-1/2 lbs and almost 20inches long.  However, he was having a hard time breathing due to fluid in his lungs.  The NICU team expects he'll be fine, but now he has a line to his tummy to tube feed him due to a weak suck and his is getting jaundiced.  He has not roomed in with Rebecca and is still in the nursery. Rebecca has only seen him a couple of times, and the first time was TWO DAYS after he was born!!!  The hosptial staff has not been that understanding for reasons I discuss later in this post.  So, suffice it to say, Rebecca has been quite stressed out!

Rebecca wasn't able to nurse Stevie, but with my help (the Nipple Nazi) she nursed Brad for a year.  She wants to do the same with Terry and all this stuff going on is really  taking it's toll on her.  As a result,  her blood pressure has shot back up and the docs are having a hard time stabilizing it.  We need prayers that Rebecca's blood pressure stablizes, and that Terry gets his strength up and his bilirubin out and will be able to nurse and come home.  Both of them are still in the hospital and this is really tough on husband Steve, Stevie, 6, and Brad, 30 months.

Both Steve and Rebecca are faithful Catholics.  Both also suffer from disabilities...Steve has a seizure disorder and paralysis on one side.  Rebecca has a visual impairment of both irises.  As a result, the staff at the hospital is sometimes less than understanding.  One gets the feeling that many of them resent that Steve and Rebecca dared to even have one child let alone THREE!    It is a shame how much judgement and lack of love there is in the world.  Well, I applaud them and everyone at our Parish,  who are just great about helping them.

Please pray for all of them, but especially mom and baby: Rebecca and Terry.

And, hey, I have been asking God for another baby,  maybe my answer is this Godbaby...how cool!

Thank You!

William F. Buckley

I was stunned and saddened to just see on the news that my first political mentor, William F. Buckley, passed away this morning.  While some of my generation (born in the 60's) may have been parked in front of TV watching After School Specials, I was watching Firing Line.  Long before the Rush Limbaughs and Laura Ingrahams of the world, there was Bill and the National Review...which I think I had a subscription to from the ages of 19 to 22.  Bill Buckley rescued me from a fate worse than death...Liberalism.  Through common moral sense and an astounding intellect, he convinced me of the 'Right' way to go.  Finding out that he was a devout Roman Catholic (after my conversion) just made me love him more.

May he rest in peace.

Bad Mommy

I have finally come to the conclusion, and there is no running from it anymore, that I am not being a good mom. I don't spend enough time with my kids. I spend plenty of time around them, but not enough with them. This is something I have felt so guilty about for so long. I think I just have to put it out there. I was reading a bunch of reviews for various parenting books on Amazon and came across one called Playful Parenting and the arrows of guilt went flying right through my chest. It's not that I am a super serious mom, I am fun and funny. I just tend to get self-absorbed and distracted by cleaning the house or running errands...B A D...M O M!!! I feel like I pawn the kids off on playing with their friends, which of course they love to do, but I feel like *I* really need to 'do stuff' with them more.

I think I am a great mom to Andrew. I relate so much better to him. Maybe because he is a teenager. I love music, he loves music. We love to listen to alot of the same stuff and talk about it and find cool new stuff to listen to. I don't want to play alot of girlie stuff with Autumn or video games with Ben because they make me really sleepy. I know this is terrible. I am NOT looking for comfort. I get really mad when Ben tries everything in his power to coerce me to play video games. Except for Guitar Hero which is fun, I don't want to shoot people in Halo 3 or kick the crap out of them in Mortal Kombat. I like reading stories to my two youngest kids, but they won't always let me.

Here I am this AP (attachment parenting) mom and I feel like I am majorly dropping the ball..total fraudville! I mean, when the weather is nice I will take the kids to play tennis or play baseball outside. But inwardly I am wanting my husband to do those things...you know...be the dad that throws the ball. It's not something he does much.

Also, with Ben's relentless demands and moodiness I tend to run away from him and find something else I really need to do...like laundry etc. I know I am the mom who is forever saying, "Hold on a minute." or "I'll be right there." or "Maybe later." And I try and avoid them. Oh, I am so BAD! Why am I like this? (No one needs to answer that...it's more a question I am posing to myself.) You know, it's that I am selfish. I get bored doing things that aren't mentally stimulating and literally start to fall asleep. How do I get my kids to do stuff that won't put me to sleep and that we will all love?

I love snuggling them, I love chatting with them, I will take them places. I nursed them all for years not months, we co-slept with all of them. I just have such a hard time playing. Am I alone in this?
For those of you moms out there that are great at playing with your kids...how do you do it?

Sleeping Kitties

From front to back: Baby Kitten, Toonces, Milo.  I love my kitties.

4 Real Learning Forums FRUSTRATION!

I have been trying to get on the 4 Real Learning Forum for MONTHS.  It says I am registered but my membership has not been approved.  I wish someone would just email me and say, "Rachel, we don't like you or your blog and you are not good enough for us."  Then I would quit trying to get into some interesting conversations.  I can read stuff but can't post. A bunch of the moms over there are moms from my Near Circles.  My friend, Sara, is a member and she doesn't even know how she got on.  WHAT GIVES!?!  The worst thing is there is no way to contact whoever moderates the list and accepts members...so I am forever in the purgatory of waiting to be admitted.  I know I can be a little rough around the edges, but I'm a devout Catholic homeschooling mama....I promise.  I mean, c'mon, does it take 3 months to approve of someone? 

I just wanna know?  Am I in or out?

UGH!

Autumn's Birthday cakes (and my pathetic Lenten failure)

Okay, I am WEAK!  Not that I never thought I was.  But I am admitting it to the world.  The whole giving up sugar for Lent went KABOOM! It started with Autumn's birthday party, which was grown up friends for us, and their kids (who are her best buds) for her...and Ben and Andrew too.  I had birthday cake and it all snowballed to Hell from there. I thought I had gotten back in the saddle by the weekend's end.  However, Autumn's actual birthday was Feb. 18th.  And she wanted a cake decorated to look like one of the  TY Girlz.   The 1st pic is from the party with friends, that is not the cake I made. The 2nd pic is Autumn with a Ty Girl, and the 3rd/4th pics are of the Ty Girl cake I made for Autumn.  I used a Cinderella cake pan from Wilton and then looked at a TY Girl and copied it onto the mold.  It turned out great!








however, I could not resist tasting it and the frosting I made all the way through. 

 So, I was at Mass today (Saturday vigil) and asked God what he wanted me to DO FOR HIM.  I am starting to feel that maybe the giving up part isn't a good idea for me.  Lent is about sacrifice, but sacrifice isn't always about giving something up, sometimes it's about adding something in.  During my prayer a vision of Rosary beads flashed in my head with the words, "Be still and know that I am God."  Now that scripture verse hasa specific significance in my life, but due to the fact that friends read this blog, I can't say (right now) exactly what that significance is.  Suffice it to say that me praying the Rosary daily is a sacrifice for me...because I am sooooooo busy.  I can be quite the 'Martha'.  I don't want to be the 'Mary' and sit still at Jesus' feet...at least not that long. (a Rosary is 20 minutes so yeah I am pathetic)...but, I'm ADHD, man!  I have things to do, places to go, rooms to clean, books to read to myself and my kids etc... and HE WANTS ME TO BE STILL !?! ...UGH!!! This may actually be WORSE than giving up the sugar. 

I can't believe I went so long without posting.  I have missed my blogging.  Cool things to be written are on the horizon...so stay tuned!

~Peace

Pictorial of Autumn's 8th Birthday

Autumn outside 'Dreamland' BBQ...the girl loves RIBS!!! She calls it "DreamLAMB Bar B Cube!"
Going crazy for ribs...her choice for her birthday dinner.  She' no vegetarian!
            With Mom (me) who really needs to put on some make-up...YIKES!
         With her fabulous homemade by mom, "Ty Girlz" cake!
                    With my brother, her Uncle Jonny!  She LOVES him!!!

Book Meme

THE BOOK MEME

My new blog pal, Ukok, tagged me.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

From The Underground History of American Education 

by (one of my heros) John Taylor Gatto.

Page 123

1st three sentences after 5th sentence:

Many schools were burned to the ground and teachers run out of town by angry mobs. When students were kept after school,  parents often broke into school to free them. At Saltfleet Township in 1859 a teacher was locked in the schoolhouse by students who "threw mud and mire into his face and over his clothes,"  according to the school records---while parents egged them on.  

Like Ukok I have to finish the author's thought or you won't get it.

At Brantford, Ontario,  in 1863 the teacher William Young was assaulted (according to his replacement) to the point that "Mr. Young's head, face, and body was,  if I understand rightly, pounded literally to jelly."  Curtis (from the book Building The Education State 1836-1871) argues that parent resistance was motivated by a radical transformation in the intentions of schools---a change from teaching basic literacy to molding social identity. 

*(Rachel's notes) The above passage has to do with initial reaction parents had to the idea of compulsory schooling. Too bad relatively few parents feel that way about compulsory government schooling now.

I tag:

Wendy

Kathleen

Laurie

Leonie

Sara

~Peace

-Now I MUST go an pick up my house because Autumn's party for her 8th birthday, which isn't until the 18th, is tonite.  It's grown-up friends for us and their kids (Autumn's friends) for her.-

Vote in '08...nope

Well, unless my candidate Mike Huckabee experiences a miracle, it looks like John McCain (a Democrat in Republican clothing) will get the Republican nomination.  At that rate, it's not going to matter who becomes president.  And you know what,  I am not going to give the Republicans the satisfaction of voting for McCain, because that would be tantamount to my approval of the Republican party moving away from the conservative (social, economic, political) values it was built on.  They can count me out!

I really don't see a lesser of the 3 evils.  So, I may have to bow of the coming presidential election...the first time I will have done that since 1984, when I turned 18 and voted for the first time, for Ronald Reagan (man, how I miss the 80's).  

Go Huck Go!!! Stay in it until the end. Mike, you got my vote in Georgia (and that may be the only vote I cast this year).   Thank you for continuing to give Republicans a choice in these Primaries no matter what the pundits say.  Show the country there are conservatives out there who will not settle for McCain....EVER!

My husband says that if I don't vote for McCain , and Hilary is the nominee, then I'm essentially voting for Hilary.  You know what, I'll write in Huck's name on the ballot.  If Obama is the nominee, I will not vote.  Let history be made and finally the liberals can all shut the heck up about race, coz I am SICK OF IT!

(BTW, When Ann Coulter says she'll support Hilary, if McCain wins the nomination, you know things are bad in the Republican party!) :-)

Now it's time for me to fire up the TiVo and get lost in LOST (my fave show).

~Peace

Happy Valentines Day

Apparently, according to the website below, Autumn's learning talent is Music.  I can definitely see that as true.  She is globally artistically inclined, in that she sings, learns songs easily, takes ballet, pottery and drawing, designs her own fashions in a notebook, and has recently started writing her own songs (which I transcribe for her).  She has plans on being in a band (Andrew is mostly to blame for this) and really wants to take guitar lessons. I can totally see Autumn on stage in NYC in musicals.  It would completely fit the personality I see in her now.  However, she is only 8 (on Feb 18) and things can change.  Though, I am sure, she will always love music.

What is your Child's Learning Talent?

by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

If you love music...

You can get the widget I have at the top of my blog, in the right side bar.  All you have to do is click Deezer.  Register for free and then set up a playlist.  Once you do that, at the top you can click 'blog' and the widget code pops up to copy on your site.  WAY COOL!

~Peace