Bountiful Baskets 3/24/2012

THIS is my Bountiful Basket from today. It is sitting on top of my deep freezer in my mudroom for lack of a better home for it to take a picture. Real estate (as you can see on the edges) is at a premium. Ignore the trash bag covering the window, that's so the dog will actually SLEEP in the morning rather than waking me up at the crack of dawn.

Contained in my basket this week was:

1 Pineapple
1 Yellow Honeydew
1 bag +3 small Green Apples (TrainBoy ate one on the way home)
9 Bananas
6 d'Anjou Pears
2 overflowing pints of Cherry Tomatoes
5 Scallions (large green onions)
2.5 lbs. Green Beans
1 bundle of Asparagus
1 HUGE head of Romaine Lettuce
1 large head of cauliflower

What did I pay for this basket of GORGEOUS produce, all in it's prime and not a single item I wouldn't have taken as "first pick" at a grocery store? $15.

HOW did I manage this feat? I used Bountiful Baskets. They're in 19 states and growing every week. Place your order on Monday, pick up on Saturday. It's just that simple. Don't need one next week? Don't order one. No obligation to continue buying whatsoever. Just enjoy what you get and order when you need more. To find out if they're available in YOUR area, visit www.bountifulbaskets.org.

Beyond this I am looking at this BEAUTIFUL bounty and my recipes are FLYING around in my brain.  I'm so excited to have this fresh, gorgeous produce to play with over the next week or two.  I think I have some fun ideas.

Cauliflower Gratin (Cauliflower, Scallions)
Banana Topper (Bananas) - at the request of TrainBoy
Green Beans Almondine (Green Beans, Scallions)
Romaine Lettuce Roll Ups (Romaine, maybe some Cherry Tomatoes?)
Asparagus Toss (Asparagus, Scallions, Cherry Tomatoes)
Baked Apples (Apples)

Most of this will, however, be eaten either fresh or steamed and "au natural". 

I will note that as of this posting, 1/3 of the pears are gone, and more of the apples have disappeared. 

Why I Love Boys

I grew up in a family of mostly girls. Girls were normal to me and familiar. I have a half brother, but he didn't live with me and I wasn't around him that much except for certain times when we needed each other and pulled together for a season. Don't get me wrong - I'm BLESSED to have him. He's honestly one of my favorite people...and that's a hard list to make! :)

Beyond him, I had almost all female cousins (only 1 male). I spent TONS of time working with girls and women in Girl Scouts and our church. I was, for all practical purposes, a girly girl who liked to go camping but beyond that really had solace in makeup, hairspray, fashion, and didn't mind being 5'10" with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

When I found out our first child was going to be a boy, I was heartbroken. I didn't KNOW enough about boys!!! I knew about girls!!! I could wrap the vast majority of males on the planet around my finger in seconds flat...but a BOY...a child??? That I had to RAISE??? So that another woman wouldn't do the same to him??? I was absolutely petrified. The responsibility to raise a man who would grow to become a leader in his family and quite possibly his community was immense.

I played it off to friends and family as being disappointed over "girly" things but the truth was, I was scared to death that I had no idea how to raise a boy.

Of course, we loved him from before he was born. I would rock him to sleep and tell him he "was my sun, my moon, my stars, and my sky." As he grew up to do more and more "boy" things I fell further in love with him. His taste for adventure, when he claims it is insatiable, just like mine. His love for people is immense, just like mine. He has a heart that there are still days now that he's 8 years old when I'm running for the bathroom to grab a kleenex and cry quietly because he just blows me away with his compassion and kindness.

We have more in common than I ever imagined possible...and yet he is SO much like his Dad. That's a good thing. :) I always will catch myself saying a variation of "I'm taking care of my boys" and giving them both hugs. They aren't just father and son, they really are the best of friends. No matter what they're up to, they're two peas in a pod.

Then there are the additional benefits - since I'm Mom and the only girl, I get to be the diva of my home. Not in a "tv" type diva way, but all the fluffy stuff is mine. I don't have little people swiping my clothes, borrowing my makeup, or throwing tantrums about fashion. I don't have to worry about necklines of what my son wears - he's content in whatever's available, clean or not. My nail polish is ALL mine. I don't have to teach my daughter to keep her skirt down in public or how to keep her legs crossed in public.

I get to be the diva. I get to be the woman. I get to be "babied" in a way that I don't know I would be if I was the mother of a girl. I like that. :) lol

My husband and son open doors for me. They worry over me and make sure I have the things I need. They show me, in their little identical peas in a pod way, that I'm Mom and I'm important because I'm Mom. I get to watch my husband correct my son on things like asking a lady her age...which always makes me smile and giggle. Yeah - this "only girl in the house" stuff has it's perks! :)

When I found out I was pregnant - SO many people were in the "it's a boy" or "it's a girl" camps. I told everyone I didn't care.

Truth is I was petrified again. I didn't want a girl. I was scared to DEATH to have a girl. To teach her modesty, to raise her in a world that is showing her entirely too early how to be the exact opposite of a lady, to have to fight that each and every day tooth and nail to teach her to go against the grain. She would have ended up a cloistered nun by 5. I couldn't have done it much longer.

I didn't want the fights over clothes. I didn't want the arguments over makeup and appropriate behavior. I just didn't want to have to do it. My boy has been EASY compared to the females I grew up with...and I've come to cherish that deep within my heart!

And to be honest, I didn't want to give up household diva status to someone under 2 feet tall. :)

Because raising a child of your sex gives you a mirror of yourself...and while I KNOW my husband can live up to the scrutiny, I'm not 100% sure I can.

So yesterday, when at 8 months pregnant we finally found out it was a boy, we were all ecstatic. My son happily exclaimed to the ultrasound tech that it "must be his lucky day!" For the record, we would have been ecstatic for a girl too...but a big part of me heaved a sigh of relief. I get to retain my household diva status. I get to be the woman of my home and keep my throne.

Keep your pretty dresses and your fluffy hair. Someday my daughter-in-law can bring me back into fashion if she cares. I'm glad to have my sons and the amazing joy they bring me. There just aren't words for it.

The Hardest Thing About Being An Only Child

I grew up for most of my childhood years as an only child. I was 12 when my half brother was born and the following year my mother married my step-father and I gained a step-sister who was 9 at the time. My half brother lived with his parents (my father and step-mother). My step-sister moved in with us after the wedding.

The transition to the "new family" didn't go very well. My step-sister was angry and bitter over so many things - and rightfully so. 9 is a difficult age to try and understand why your mother suddenly doesn't want you living with her and your father found a new wife. I certainly don't fault her, or anyone, at what a mess it became.

I am about 2.5 months from throwing my 8.5 year old son into the closest situation he will ever have to what I went through during those years. While his parenting situation has not changed - his father and I are still VERY happily married after nearly 10 years - his life is about to be turned upside down. He's going to become a big brother.

I'm scared for him. I'm scared for me. I'm scared it will end up as BIG a mess as my brother and sister did. I'm scared he will, for the first time in his life, feel unloved or unwanted. I'm scared he will sacrifice so much for those he loves that he will lose himself. I'm scared I can't be a good enough parent to two children - especially after having just one for so many years.

I'm scared to death. I don't have a "good" model to follow of loving two children. In fact, the vast majority of people I have known in person in my life did the very best they could, but I have nightmares of sibling rivalry including a few who actually tried to murder their infant siblings.

Mostly I'm scared my son, who is one of the most loving and kind people I know, will go the opposite way and be so in love with his little sibling that he will stop doing the things he enjoys and wants to participate in so he can help with the baby more. He's already trying to give nearly everything he owns to the baby (we keep telling him no and that it's not necessary and we'll take him to buy NEW things for him to give the baby).

Today or tomorrow I'm taking him to go and purchase a stuffed puppy for the baby. The nursery is being done in 101 Dalmatians. He wanted to give the baby his very first stuffed puppy (a dalmatian) as a gift and I told him we'd go buy one for him to give the baby instead. I don't think I could keep my heart together if he did that - it would burst from love. He carried that puppy from the moment he got it (his first Christmas) through my husband's deployment and injuries. It went everywhere with him until he started preschool. That's something special he needs to keep for himself - he may need it again in the days to come...or I might need it to catch my own tears. :)

Mental note - buy LOTS of kleenex for the nursery. :)

My Homeschooling Makes You Uncomfortable...Interesting...

So here's a new take on the whole "non-homeschooling parents vs. homeschooling parents" debate.

Recently DS has started making some friends in town and we've started to broaden our horizons a bit. It's been fun - we've met some GREAT people. Most of them are public schooled but that doesn't really matter to our family.

I got an interesting message yesterday I felt I needed to share with you. For the sake of this conversation making sense, we're going to call her son Bobby. Here is the message:

"Heather, I wanted to contact you and ask you a bit of a favor. Ever since we met you, Bobby has really liked spending time with your son. He's so different and kind compared to the other children he knows. He really values your son as a friend. But I must ask that you ask your son to not talk about homeschooling in front of him anymore. All I hear is 'Why can't I be homeschooled like trainboy?'. It's very upsetting to my husband and I. We're sure you understand. Thank you."

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?

First off, I've witnessed every conversation these two children have had together. The only thing this kid knows about homeschooling is that DS stays home instead of going to public or private school, DS still has to do schoolwork, DS's favorite subject is science, and DS misses having recess.

This is not an exhausting list to overcome.

Unless something isn't going right for Bobby.

Is Bobby being teased? Is he being bullied? Is something not going right? Is he behind/ahead in his work? Struggling?

Is Bobby's Mommy not helping him at home and encouraging him? Or is Bobby having issues with a teacher? Is Bobby having issues with a classmaate or two?

Because "I'm homeschooled." "Yes, I still have to do schoolwork." "My favorite subject is Science, Mom lets me do it every day!" and "I miss recess - you're lucky to have recess." is NOT enough for me to go on that Bobby wants to be homeschooled.

Bobby's Mom is uncomfortable with homeschooling because it's too close to her front door. I can already hear the conversation now "Well, if Trainboy's Mom can do it, why can't you?"

And she has to FIND an answer - one believable enough for Bobby to accept.

And I'm sure that's not a very happy place for her to be...but that has NOTHING to do with MY homeschooling.

I wonder how many other parents resort to whatever techniques they can find as homeschooling starts to knock on their door to convince their children that we're wrong and they're right. I wonder if the assumptions and LIES that surround homeschooling are more because we make people uncomfortable than what they TRULY believe in their hearts.

How interesting...

Today

Today has circled around my role in leadership and what I do. In times of both struggle and triumph, I often turn to the beautiful words of Rudyard Kipling.

"If"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

Beauty from Ashes

On the radio show I host I often refer to beauty from ashes...how an impossible situation can lead to something precious. It never ceases to amaze me as I get the chance to talk with people all across the country who have made Beauty from Ashes. They inspire me.

Today we received our new handwriting book. J3 decided he wanted to tackle cursive this year. I gently handed him the book. He was so excited. It was his CURSIVE book - and it was BLUE!!! (ah, the things that make a difference to our children! lol).

I had him look at the letters and their shapes. I labeled the cursive letters in print so he could have a "comparison chart". I was ready to close the book for the day and move on.

Instead I heard, "Mom, can I start it right NOW!??!?!!?"

"Uh, sure."

Off he went, zealous and excited, planning to do 2-3 pages.

He didn't make it 2-3 pages. He did finish the page he was on.

He made a very good and legible row of E and e.

He made a slightly less spectacular row of B. And a completely illegible row of b.

I drew smiley faces over every good example and gave him a hug. We agreed to tackle b tomorrow again.

He gave me another hug and ran off.

All from the child who 3 years ago would cry at the sight of a pencil because of his public school trauma.

So I tell each and every one of you as I tell my radio show audience nearly every week:

There is hope. There is light. There is beauty from ashes. Embrace it.

Sounding Off

I'm done.

I'm done with the constant assumptions that you simply must have 20 children to homeschool.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying large families can't homeschool either. I think they're wonderful.

But I'm sick and tired of having the fact that I only have one child thrown in my face by people who just aren't thinking.

He's 8. I've been trying to get pregnant for 7 years. Clearly this isn't MY timing we're dealing with now - it's GOD'S.

If I hear one more time "save your curriculum in case you get pregnant" I might scream. Or better yet, "Maybe if you get rid of all of it, you'll get pregnant."

If I hear one more person come to me and say they're expecting and how on earth are they going to manage it and what were they thinking getting pregnant again I'm going to scream. I'd LOVE to have your problem. Please, pass your fertility onto me.

If I hear one more parent agonizing over how difficult it is to have so many or how awful their children are or how impossible it is to deal with the constant bickering I'm going to explode. Try NEVER having a sibling to fight with. Never having the opportunity to play a prank on your sister or have your brother stand up for you.

It's a lonely existence. I'd know. I was an only child until I turned 12 and in many, many ways I still am.

I'm so sick and tired of the garbage.

So ONCE AND FOR ALL:

Yes, you can successfully homeschool an only child.
Yes, you can have a classroom of 1 and still manage to learn everything that needs to be taught.
Yes, you can create an environment of love and beauty without 1, 2, or 10 siblings to share it with.

Enough already. Back off of me and my son.

Happy Purple Heart Day!!!

In 1782, the Continental Congress took a cost cutting measure preventing the awarding of rank for valorous service. Up until this time, individual achievements in battle were generally awarded with a promotion. In response, 2 military awards were created for servicemen. The first award authorized a chevron to be worn on the left sleeve for every 3 years of service given to the Continental Army. These chevrons are still in use today in all branches of the military on dress uniforms.

On August 7, 1782 in Newburgh, NY General George Washington commissioned the first badge of honor for valorous action in battle. I was designed by M. Pierre Charles L'Enfant who later designed the Nation's Capital City, Washington, DC. It was a piece of heart shaped purple cloth most often made of silk or cotton. It was edged in very narrow lace and contained white embroidery. The center featured a single word, "Merit". It was awarded for "any singularly meritorious action" and was named the Badge of Military Merit. This was the first time enlisted and non-commissioned officers could earn a badge of distinction.

Awards for service to any person serving in the military for valor disappeared after the American Revolution until the Civil War when the Medal of Honor was created.

On January 7, 1931 a new award was to be created in honor of the bicentennial of President George Washington's birth. Ms. Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quarter designed a sketch based on Washington's Badge of Military Merit. It consisted of an enameled heart of purple edged in gold. George Washington's profile is in the center of the medal and it hangs from a purple ribbon edged in white. The back of the medal says "For Military Merit" and is usually engraved with the soldier's rank, name, and service branch.

Officially authorized on February 22, 1932 by President Herbert Hoover, the following General Order was issued:

"By order of the President of the United States, The Purple Heart established by General George Washington at Newburgh, August 7, 1782, during the war of the Revolution, is hereby revived out of respect to his memory and military achievements.

The decoration is authorized to be awarded to persons who, while serving in the army of the United States, perform any singularly Meritorious act of extraordinary fidelity or essential service. A wound received in action may be construed as resulting from such an act."

It is one of the most recognized military medals in the world and is frequently considered to be one of the most beautiful.

For more information on the Purple Heart and the Badge of Military Merit, visit:

http://www.connecticutsar.org/articles/badge_of_military_merit.htm

What on EARTH is going on in Georgia?!?!?!?

I turn on my computer this morning to have two very questionable articles cross my face within hours of each other.

The first, a tale of 3 girls who started a lemonade stand in Midland, GA to raise money to go to a water park this summer. Unfortunately those girls were shut down by the police for failure to have the correct permits costing $50 a day or $180 a year.

Not 2 hours later after a short swim in the backyard I return to learn that schools in Atlanta are cheating on tests and creating very poor learning environments for students including using intimidation and fear against students.

What the HECK is going on in GEORGIA!?!?!?!?!?!

Just Like Me

This weekend, the NEA reaffirmed it's position on homeschooling:

"Home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience."

Of course, those of us within the homeschooling community know what a pile of bunk that is but the bottom line is that educators across the country and buying this tripe hook, line, and sinker. They are being pivoted against homeschoolers and putting us in the position of enemy.

I encounter a TON of educators. I'm friends and relatives with people who teach from the cradle at day care centers and preschools to VERY expensive high end colleges. There is nothing wrong with education administered by these people. They're wonderful and the vast majority of them are fantastic at their jobs with true hearts for their students.

However, I can't tell you how much these educators have been poisoned by the NEA against homeschoolers. Over and over they questioned me when I made the move to homeschool. They warned me of poor curriculum, substandard education, and how much this could hurt my son in the long run.

As time went on, they saw how I educate. They saw how much I love educating my son and how he has blossomed in home education. Time and again, they have told me, "If all homeschoolers educated like you, I wouldn't have a problem with them."

My response "Most homeschoolers DO educate just like me" because we DO! We're not creating a generation of substandard educated kids who are clueless about the world through homeschooling...

...but we are creating one through our public education system.

"Standards"

I so often hear homeschooling parents who are deeply concerned about "standards", especially from those who are new. While I realize that in some states, parents are required to submit to standardized testing and regulation of curriculum, the vast majority of states do not require these kinds of restrictions. So why do so many of us who don't have to be concerned with standardized testing and regulated curriculum care so much about "meeting the standards"?

Perhaps it is because we obsess with "grade level" questions. There are many places this happens. Some curriculum is based on "grade level" therefore making us constantly question what "grade" our child is in. Yet, even in those sources, what is "on grade level" isn't universal so it's a rather useless measure.

Then there are the questions that keep a homeschooling parent up at night.

"Is Timmy able to go back into school with the same class of kids he left?" It's a legitimate enough concern if you're only planning to homeschool for the short run, but long term, it's really not a sufficient concern. "Is he learning enough?" Most likely, yes. Children who are homeschooled repeatedly outperform their public school peers. And so on they rattle in the brain on sleepless nights.

I could go on about this for hours but the bottom line is that nationally developed standards don't even work. Each state is in charge of it's own education so the standards already vary from state to state. The new "national standards" are attempting to remedy that problem, however schools are consistently struggling with implementation and getting their already behind students to get caught up.

Children in public schools often appear to be running a race with an award at the end - a high school diploma. We continue to hold it slightly out of reach while forcing them to run faster and harder. It's almost like watching a cartoon of dogs racing with the "bait" dangling from the stick - ever elusive, ever just out of reach.

When are children are nearing that goal during their high school years, we begin to dangle another bait - college. Students who choose not to attend college are immediately looked down upon by their peers as the entire school is abuzz with who was accepted where and what they will be doing with their bright futures. Yet studies show far less students will ever reach this second bit of dangling bait with a diploma and those who do haven't always found it to be worth the cost of having a piece of paper.

I challenge you to try letting go of standards.

At first, the process is frustrating. Leaving public school established grade levels behind can be infuriating. Instead of constantly looking for "his grade" you'll have to start doing some homework. What, exactly is in the curriculum? What is covered? Dig into that table of contents and question ANY publisher who does not make their scope and sequence available to you as a consumer. "It's meant for __ grade" is not an answer, it's an excuse.

Consider stepping further outside of the box. You know what your children know. Allow them to become secure in their newfound knowledge. Perhaps it's time to let them pursue some interests that don't appear to be on the learning spectrum. In our home we're currently rebuilding a 1950's Willy's Wagon in school. You'd be amazed how much science and math it's taken...and it sure beats a textbook in the schoolroom. Practical experience beats textbooks every single time.

I'm often asked for a glimpse into our curriculum. I respond with the typical answer of publishers, books, and such that we are currently using in our home education program. To be frank, I believe I need to expand that. Our NEW curriculum is:

Math U See - Beta
Investigate the Possibilities - Elementary Physics
All About Spelling - 2
Catholic Heritage Handwriting - Level A
Homemade unit studies of the American Revolution

Building a 1951 Willy's Wagon Jeep
Putting in a new Garden
Building planter boxes for veggies, herbs and flowers
Planting apple trees
Researching and placing a windbreaker of shrubbery
Finding and researching insects we find
Watching Mythbusters
Watching Only In American w. Larry the Cable Guy
Scouts
Church
Church school
Friends
Taking care of our pets
Cooking classes


This could go on for pages - but I'll stop here...

Handmade Kindle Cover

Supplies needed:

2 Fat Quarters in complimenting fabrics - 3 if you want to get fancy...make sure 2 match
Cardboard (to create your pattern and your "fake Kindle" for checking fit, etc.)
1 piece of template material (for making quilt templates)
Low pile batting (if you want it soft and squishy - this will require the 3rd fat quarter)
2 pieces of thin (1/8") elastic
1 button


1. Trace your Kindle on the cardboard. Cut out 1 pattern of your Kindle. Label it A.

2. Take cardboard Kindle and place on cardboard. Measure out 1 1/2 full inches in every direction. Cut the "larger Kindle". Label it B.

3. Trace the "larger Kindle" side by side with itself, like an open book. Draw a straight line across the "dips" in the middle (or leave them for a more stylized look - but it's more difficult to sew). Cut out the 3rd pattern. Label it C.

4. Place A on top of B. Measure diagonally across the corners for a triangular piece of fabric which will hold the Kindle in place. When you measure it, meaasure 1/2 inch beyond where you want it to sit on the Kindle. This will be a seam allowance for later. Cut the triangular piece out of cardboard. Label it D.

5. Out of the material that you want to make the outer cover, cut 1 C pattern. Out of the material you want to be the primary inner pattern, cut 1 C pattern. Out of a contrasting material to the inner material, cut 4 D patterns.

6. Cut 2 B patterns out of the template plastic. You may make these about 1/2 inch down total OR trim as needed toward the end. I recommend trimming at the end if you don't mind losing a small bit of template fabric.

7. (if desired) Cut 1 C pattern out of the batting reducing the pattern by 1/2 inch in each direction to allow for seam allowances. You will need an additional C pattern as well in any coordinating fabric.

8. Measure elastic across B pattern and cut two taught pieces across the cover (stretched to help hold Kindle in place).

9. Cut 1 small piece of contrasting fabric to make the closure. This can be made as a strap to button or as a loop. Designer's choice! :)

10. Cut the inner C pattern in half so it "matches" the B pattern.

11. Hem the 4 D patterns across the long portion of the triangle with a minimum of a 1/4" seam allowance.

12. To the right half of the halved inner C pattern, sew the two piece of elastic on - one for the bottom and one for the top. Sew them to the front side of the fabric. Sew only on the left side. Measure to your A pattern to check for distance.

13. Sew the two left triangles onto the inner C pattern right side sewing the outer corners and leaving the inner corner "free" with the elastic coming out from the inside.

14. Hem, sew, or otherwise create the strap or loop for the closure of the cover.

15. Attach the strap or loop to close the Kindle to the right side of the inner C pattern on the right side.

16. Hem the left side of the right half of the C pattern using a 1/4" seam allowance.



IF STUFFING WITH BATTING:

17. Take the extra C pattern and lay the "inside" of the Kindle using the halves of the C pattern you just sewed. Check the positioning as this will be the "inside" of your Kindle cover.

18. Pin these pieces in place. Cover with the outer C pattern facing downward so the part you will see is sandwiched in the middle. Pin in place.

19. Sew outer edge around project leaving one of the short sides open for turning, stuffing, and hand stitching.



IF NOT STUFFING:

17. Lay your outer C pattern right side UP.

18. Place your two inner C patterns you cut in half on top and pin in place leaving a small gap in the center. Make sure they are facing down so you are seeing the "wrong" side of the fabric.

19. Sew outer edge around project leaving one of the short sides open for turning and hand stitching.



EVERYONE CONTINUES HERE:

20. Turn right side out. Stuff with batting if desired. Sew remaining area with blind stitches.

21. Opening the cover, slide the two B template pieces inside. These may require trimming as previously mentioned.

22. Place the Kindle inside and a notebook on the opposite side if desired. Stretch your loop/strap closure around to the front and pin where you will need to place the button.

23. Remove inner items and attach button.

24. Restuff and enjoy!!!

A Sociable Sue trying to be a Perfect Paula teaching a Competent Carl

For those of you who have NO clue what I'm saying, allow me to elaborate. :)

My mother is the most wonderful person on earth. Really. She's fantastic. She was so organized as a child my grandmother used to take her friends into my mother's room and show them how perfect it was. She even earned the nickname "Peggy Perfect" from friends and family as a school-aged child.

So you can understand that her perfectly organized, extremely type A, beautifully wonderful person is, in Cathy Duffy's terms, a Perfect Paula.

I spent my whole childhood knowing I wasn't like the other kids. I didn't learn like them. I didn't look at the world the way they did. Music was background noise to them. It was what moved my soul. My entire being focused around my music because it was a way I could please the people around me using my gifts. I am a Sociable Sue.

People often think chatty people are Sociable Sues. That's not really what it's about. Sociable Sue's are the textbook people pleaser. We don't come second, or third. We put ourselves at the bottom of the list and devote 100% of our energy to pleasing other people. We're often artists and musicians. Our entire and total language is making other people happy. It's truly where we find our bliss. It's our every happiness.

Being the daughter of a Perfect Paula, I tried to be like my mother. Always having it together. Always being perfect. Always trying to do it all, have it all, be it all. Because, in my heart, I wanted to BE like my mother. It would make her happy. It would make the people around me happy. People LIKE Perfect Paula's.

It's kind of the ultimate irony.

So, up until a few weeks ago, I was a Sociable Sue trying to be a Perfect Paula teaching a Competent Carl.

Perfect Paula's make great homeschool moms. They're the ones who have it all together and have the perfect curriculum and perfect little smiles on their 6 perfect children's faces.

Reading Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschooling Curriculum opened my eyes. To me this book was SO very much more than about homeschool curriculum. It showed me, in simple black and white terms, why I couldn't possibly be happy with what I've been doing.

Because I can't be a Perfect Paula any more than I could be those kids on the school ground. I can't learn the way they learn. I can't do things the way they do them. Because I'm not a Perfect Paula. I'm just not.

I'm a Sociable Sue.

I'm vibrant with piles of energy. I love people and I love to be surrounded by them. I'm a free wheeling, fun loving, crazy to the point of almost being insane person.

And somewhere in the middle of trying to be the perfect mom, the perfect wife, the perfect person, I forgot I needed to be me too.

I forgot to embrace that side of me. To be happy and free. To be that person with a crazy love for life. I forgot what it was like to dance in the rain..yes, literally dance in the rain. I dragged a bunch of my college classmates out of the building one day in the middle of a class and we went out and danced in the rain.

That's who I was.

That's who I AM.

And now that I've found it again, I'm not letting it go. I'm not going to try and be something I'm not anymore to try and make the people around me happier. I'm going to be me. Crazy, fun loving, emotional, borderline psychotic but so much fun to be with you just can't put me down. I'm that wild book you always wanted to read, that crazy woman in the movie that, secretly, you wonder what it would be to be like. I'm a lounge singer, a church cantor, and I sing lullabies to the most beautiful, wonderful little boy on this earth.

I AM ME.

And I'm not hiding anymore.

The Homeschool Handbook Review

I'll freely admit I'm not a big blogger, but it was easier to write down my thoughts here and organize them.

I just received a free copy of the current issue of The Homeschool Handbook. First off, I'm blown away and amazed at both the content and variety. I'm always on the lookout for new "Mommy" resources that are helpful, uplifting, and cover a wide variety of issues.

Some homeschool magazines are very narrowly dedicated to primarily one thing. They seem to pick one area to focus on in homeschooling such as curriculum reviews, teaching methods, working with younger children, etc. The thing that surprised me most is there really was something for EVERYONE in this magazine...and that's quite a feat when you consider how vastly different homeschooling families can be.

I found articles on everything from teaching primary colors to educating ADD kids. There was a plethora of information presented in a fun, engaging format that was both easy to read and simple to use.

My FAVORITE feature of this particular magazine is in the back. There's a HUGE list of all the advertisements and discussed curriculum indexed by page number with website listings. No more digging through trying to figure out what on earth this or that was. It's a HUGE asset to this magazine and a wonderful addition for moms like me who are always searching and forgetting where they found a certain resource. Simply Fantastic!!!

I can definitely say I would recommend this magazine to any homeschooling mom. There is valuable information there for every parent to find.

Congrats to our Illinois Friends

Friends and Families in Illinois, thank you for standing up for your freedoms!!! I couldn't be prouder of each and every one of you.

Here is a link to a video of the 4000 homeschoolers who gathered to have their voices heard. JOB WELL DONE!!!!

Seuss-Schooling

I'm often quoted as saying I "Seuss-School". On a boat, on a train, in a car, on a plane.

:)

Many Moms ask how we keep going "on the go" so often and don't miss a beat when it comes to DS's outstanding education. I'm often asked when I pack for a trip "Where are you going NOW!?!?!?!" lol It cracks me up but truth is we both like being on the go and relish our chances to explore the world.

Here's how we make it happen.

When we're on the road, we use an expandable file folder with 13 pockets. Those pockets include EVERYTHING that needs to be accomplished for the day. He can do them in any order he wants, I don't care. I just want it accomplished before bed, the end of the car trip, whatever. In those pockets are everything from a worksheet or two, to a science experiment that can be performed at a stopping location, to a history lesson involving another stopping location for the day, to directions to complete a computerized lesson, to a deck of cards for a game of Rummy.

These "activities" serve two purposes.

1. I survive the trip without needing to use duct tape. :)

2. He schools on the go with VERY little help from me. He can keep himself busy and occupied. He also has the added ability to physically SHOW others that homeschooling WORKS.


About a year ago, we were taking Amtrak to visit family. We like to hang out in the lounge car. Lots to see and do and we usually get into conversations with all KINDS of entertaining humans. DS curled up in a seat and since there weren't any kids around settled down playing his Leapster while a talked with an elderly lady and a college student.

The older woman looked over and said, "What's that game thing he's playing with?" DS hopped over and showed her his Leapster, explaining the features and letting her see what it did. After he went back to playing on his own she turned to me and said, "I had NO idea things like that existed! Why, kids don't even need school anymore! They can teach themselves!!!"

I could have burst with pride.

YES, he can teach himself. I'm THRILLED he can do it. I'm ECSTATIC he WANTS to do it.

And I'm very happy that he's keen on doing it on the go.

Now I'm off to create another Seuss-School plan for this week when we take another 2 day train ride. Not sure we'll be doing much off board with the weather but I think a unit study on the Mississippi River might be fun.... :)

Children Will Learn When They're Ready To Learn

How many times have you heard that thrown around a Homeschooling board???

Quite by accident, we have proven that right.

Our little student struggles with math. He's 7, ahead in everything but math and writing.

In November when my family was visiting, they were well meaning, but very concerned about his math. He was struggling with basic addition....greatly.

In Dec, I threw my hands up at schooling and took that month off because J2 was home from work. J3 spent his "schooltime" playing JumpStart and Leapster Explorer.

We just ran through a set of addition flash cards - 0+0 thorough 12+12 - 55 random problems. Guess who got 54 out of 55?

Yup

MY SON

Say it with me:

CHILDREN WILL LEARN WHEN THEY'RE READY TO LEARN

Father/Son Bonding Over Baking

My husband loves making Christmas Cookies. The past few years he hasn't had time but thanks to a recent surprise of knee surgery he's home for a few weeks during this precious Advent season.

Right now, as I write, father and son have kicked me out of the kitchen and are making Peanut Butter Blossoms.

There is nothing more precious in this entire world than a father spending time with his child creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Cinderella's Gettin' Ready to Try on a New Shoe

Okie dokie.

MFW is finally on it's way and the extra books I needed to complete the set are mostly here. Still waiting for the box from MFW and the box from THL Curriculum Shop to arrive.

Meanwhile we're "getting ready". Clearing out the schoolroom so we have more workspace and less play space. I'm considering picking up a folding table for art projects and the like in there or possibly moving my sewing table from the kitchen to the schoolroom so we could use that. Not sure yet which way it's going to go.

In the meantime, we're trying to get the house in better shape in general. I have a goal that by the end of October meals are eaten AT the table, schoolwork is done primarily IN the schoolroom, toys remain where they belong and we conquer the clutter monster before Christmas arrives. Oh yes and the piano needs to be unearthed since DS wants to start learning how to play.

So much to do...so little time to do it in! :)

Accidental Lessons

So DS has been struggling greatly with finding good friends and understanding why it's important. On the way home he was asking me why we were trying a new church and couldn't go back to the old one. The short answer of that without pointing fingers is, churches with unsupervised, undirected Sunday School are a problem.

So when we got home, I took a big bowl of water we tinted blue with food coloring.
Then I took a little clear cup (the top of another bottle) and put 1 drop of red food coloring inside. I told him the blue water was "friends" who didn't have good behavior and weren't nice.

I floated the cup on top and said, "Okay - so if you just see them around and bump into them once in awhile, they don't really affect you, right?" and he said yes.

I said, "Okay, but the more you know them, the deeper in the water you go" and I kept pushing it down until the water spilled into the cup and turned the cup's liquid purple but not far enough for it to leak the red out and I said, "So, what happened to you?"

He said, "They turned me purple."

I said, "Right, they affected who YOU are by their actions."

Then I poured out the purple and said, "Do you see any red in the water? Did you change them or did they just change you?" and he said it hadn't changed.

So I rinsed out the cup and put in a few drops of yellow food coloring and a bit of water so it looked yellow instead of orange and I floated it again and said, "Okay - now let's pretend that the blue water is your good Christian friends with good manners and who are kind to you."

I started to push it down talking about him being friends with them and kept pushing until the cup was at the bottom and had overflowed with first them turning him green and then him turning them green. I explained how they helped him and he helped them to become better because they enhanced each other instead of turning each other murky. He got all excited and got the point that by surrounding himself with good friends he's helping them and they're helping him.

but that wasn't the best part...


The BEST was the accidental lesson afterward!!!

So I poured the green water into the tub because J3 was going to take a shower.
and turned on the shower and he looked in and said, "The water is turning the green clear."

I said, "Okay - so think of the water like Jesus washing the sins away" and went back to what I was doing totally oblivous and shut the shower curtain while I got him ready to get cleaned up.

I'm heading out of the bathroom and he pulls the curtain aside to get in the tub and says, "Mom!!!! LOOK!!!! JESUS WINS!!!!"