Spread the Word: Homeschoolers Are Diverse

// 12.31.06 // 2 Comments » // Freedom & Politics, Homeschooling

The longer I homeschool, the more concerned I become about the HSLDA. This organization is politically active and claims to represent the American homeschooling community, but they have an agenda that is not consistent with my, nor many homeschooling families’, beliefs.

I feel it’s important to make my voice heard, so when I read this post at Home Education Magazine’s blog, I agreed this was a good idea to spread. Please read the post and let your representatives know that we are a diverse group.

Conversation with C

// 12.31.06 // 5 Comments » // My Daughter, Parenting

My daughter, who is 2 years and 3 months old, has been going on the potty intermittently for a couple months. I recently bought her some Backyardigans underwear and vowed to buy no more diapers after this current box is finished.

Just now I noticed her “in position” to go poop and I said, “Let’s go to the potty!”

She looked at me, rolled her eyes (seriously, she ROLLED HER EYES at me), and said, “C’mon, are you kidding me?”

And the adventure begins…

Our New Baby

// 12.29.06 // 6 Comments » // Thriving

Not that I ever refer to my car as my baby, but if you have a spouse who researches incessantly and loves the thrill of bargaining for a good deal, you might understand how excited I am to finally bring this baby home:

2007 Toyota 4Runner

Holiday Finest

// 12.26.06 // 4 Comments » // My Daughter, My Son, Parenting, Thriving

Christmas Eve

We had four days of traveling and bacchanalian celebrations, and I am now home, feeling bloated and spent. Here are the cliff notes:

1. We exchanged wonderful gifts. C’s high score went to Sing & Spin Pablo, while L was psyched to get more spy gear and the game Heroscape.
2. We enjoyed an Italian feast on Christmas Eve at my cousin’s house and I discovered a new cocktail: Navan vanilla cognac and Coke. Yum! I discovered this cocktail many times, taking my turn as the drunken fool of the family. There’s one every year.
3. I hadn’t been to my cousin’s Christmas Eve party for several years and I enjoyed seeing many relatives I had not seen in a long while. One had been serving in Iraq. Others had been in college or just living far away. The “kids” were now wearing makeup and accompanied by boyfriends/girlfriends. I felt really old, but in a good way. It was wonderful enjoying their company, joking and laughing.
4. We revived what I hope will become a new tradition with my children: the drive around town to check out the most outrageous displays of Christmas decorations. I remember doing this every year with my parents. C loved seeing all the lights and inflatables - no longer reserved to Santa, Frosty and Rudolph, everyone from Mickey Mouse to Scooby Doo now qualifies as Christmas decor.
5. Christmas Day was a smaller, more relaxed gathering. We watched a re-run of the 2004 National Spelling Bee with Superbowl-like fervor. L played PS2 (oh, finally, something that’s NOT boooorrrring) with PHAT Daddy and my cousins. And we ate some more. My aunts made an awesome ham and all my favorite sides: mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, sweet gravy and rolls.
6. Then it started to snow! Big fluffy flakes that floated down and lingered on your coat and hair. It was just a dusting, but so beautiful on Christmas night.
7. The only low point was the fact that my grandmother went into the hospital with pneumonia. I missed seeing her this year.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Toys With Longevity

// 12.22.06 // 12 Comments » // Parenting

My son pulled out some old-ish toys this evening and got me thinking about how some toys have so much longevity. Kids can use them in different ways as they grow, and they can all be educational. So if you have some last-minute shopping to do, here are my recommendations:

1. Cash register
2. Play kitchen or play food
3. Art supplies
4. Doctor’s kit
5. Classic board games, such as chess, checkers, backgammon, pachesi
6. Yahtzee!
7. Blocks of any kind
8. Action figures, animals, dolls, or anything that can be categorized as “playing with the guys”

How about you? What toys do your kids come back to again and again?

Snot, but Not Stitches

// 12.22.06 // 3 Comments » // My Daughter, Thriving

Amalah over at Mom’s Daily Dose was talking about all the snot that’s going around this time of year. I left a comment on her post and then thought it might be a nice update for my own blog.

My daughter has a cold of the thick yellow snot gooped around her nostrils type, accompanied by coughing until she gags. I woke up yesterday feeling like a truck hit me head-on. THEN my husband smacked his head on the sharp edge of the molding in a doorway and put a gash in his forehead that needed to be surgically glued. Luckily, no stitches. Yeah, Merry Christmas.

Do You Have a Bridge to Sell Me?

// 12.20.06 // 12 Comments » // My Daughter, My Son, Thriving

I was recently at the mall doing some holiday shopping. As I passed a kiosk in the center of the mall, a handsome young man approached and asked about my nails.

I typically rebuff these approaches, using my children and my harried attitude to protect myself against their persuasive ways. Because, truthfully, I am an easy target. And that day, the handsome young man with the very sexy accent had me at “hello.”

He massaged my hand with a sweet-smelling cream. He buffed my thumb nail to a glossy shine, and he guaranteed that glossy shine would last two weeks. Two weeks! With no nail polish! And even through the dishes, baths and diaper changes! He even complimented my eyes. When PHAT Daddy caught up with me, he said I was “giggling like a schoolgirl.”

So, yeah, I bought the Onsen Mineral Treatment package for my hands and nails. But not until I haggled with him a little. He first offered me the very special two-for-one deal. I was hesitant because it was really a lot of money for some cream and a nail buffer. So then - shhhh! - he put his finger to his lips and offered me the deal that he surely would offer to no other giggling schoolgirl: The coveted “three-for-the-price-of-one” deal! I handed over my credit card.

So, do you have a bridge to sell me?

~~~~~~~

On another note, we were at the bookstore and my daughter picked up a bunch of Backyardigans stuffed toys. When it was time to go, she had a hard time putting them down. I told her I’d buy her ONE. Seeing her dismay, her brother offered to buy her another one with his own money, as a gift. Is that sweet or what? Here she is, enjoying her new “guys.”

Hanukkah in Pictures

// 12.17.06 // 9 Comments » // My Daughter, My Son, Thriving

Potato latkes and the menorah.

Dreidel game.

Oh my!

Happy Hanukkah!

Six Weird Things About Me

// 12.15.06 // 8 Comments » // Thriving

I’ve been tagged by Mother Crone’s Homeschool to divulge six weird things about myself and tag six more people. (And - oh! - did you see Mother Crone’s new blog? Graphic design by moi! Update your links because she’s moved to Wordpress.)

1. I talk to myself. A lot. Not so much in public, but around the house I voice a running commentary of my every move. PHAT Daddy says I’m like a comic strip with the little bubble above my head. Ha!

2. When I am angry, I scrub the sink or organize the kids’ toys. Cleaning makes me feel better. There’s nothing like scrubbing, sweeping and mopping to help me blow off some steam.

3. I am a Barry Manilow fan. Most people find this odd for someone my age. But my Mom is a fan and I spent my little girl years dancing and singing around the living room to Barry’s albums. (An album? Oh, it’s like a CD, but bigger and played on a turntable with a tiny needle that reads the grooves.)

4. I used to eat banana and mayonnaise sandwiches regularly. And sliced bananas covered in mayo and rice krispies. I probably still would but no one in my family likes bananas, so they’re not around much.

5. I have an exaggerated fear of hitting a deer with my car. My Dad hit a deer once on the highway in a convertible. The deer got kinda “sliced” in half over the windshield. Ewww. I wasn’t even there, but that vision has pretty much scarred me for life. I hate driving at night and I’m constantly gripping the steering wheel and braking when I see reflector lights on the side of the road. It’s a deer! No, it’s a mailbox. No, it’s a deer! Wait, it’s a street sign. Arrrggghhh!!!

6. Outside of a professional massage, I don’t like to be “rubbed.” Backrubs, leg rubs, foot rubs - ick. Just keep your hands to yourself.

Spread Some Holiday Cheer

// 12.12.06 // 2 Comments » // Link Love, Thriving

Looking for a unique and personal way to donate some cheer this holiday season? Check out Her Bad Auction.

Tanner, nephew of Her Bad Mother, is battling Muscular Dystrophy and our fellow bloggers have created a way to help. Just go to Her Bad Auction and buy some raffle tickets. You can win one of over 30 wonderful prizes and raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Research. You can donate as much as you want, or as little as $1. Raffling of prizes starts tomorrow, so head on over now.

To donate, or for more details and other ways to contribute, visit Her Bad Auction.