Freedom!

As I began to think about Veteran's Day and all that our soldiers have sacrificed over the years for the freedoms that we tend to take for granted, I was reminded of the new freedoms we are enjoying in our lives this year. 

Since we began homeschooling in 2007 we have been involved in extra curricular activities, swim, dance, soccer, co-op, etc.  Those things were fun but also kept us rooted to a strict schedule with no room for spontaneity, exploration or relaxation.

So when my Poogie injured  her knee and my kids left the world of dance back in February I was at a loss. I could not grasp the idea of not being involved in an outside activity. What would we do?  We have to do extra curricular activities!  Our world has to be structured!

After 8 months of trying to find something for that extra curricular hole in our schedule we found one.  Nothing.  That's right nothing.  We decided to enjoy life for the first time in 8 years. So we went to concerts, lots of concerts. We took day trips and explored. Took the time to try new activities and sports. But, above all we just took time to chill and enjoy life.

I still worried that our new found freedom was not appropriate. I thought that without those structured activities Poogie would not receive the experiences she needed to grow. Then, something awesome happened on our trip to Arkansas in October.  Poogie told me that these last 8 months were the best ever.  She loved exploring the world.  Learning things first hand, not just out of a book.  Experiencing everyday things like going to concerts, because her dance schedule had never really allowed for time to go or even hang with friends.  Yes, she missed dance at times, but not the lack of freedom. 

During all this time I was worried about loosing something, what we found is Freedom!  It just goes to show that what you think is right for you and your family sometimes can be the exact opposite.  You just need to have the courage to break away and try something new. 

First Six Weeks!

I know I have not completed my series on math curriculum chat.  Time and life has just gotten away from me.  I will add to the series in the near future.  However, today I need to share about our first 6 weeks of the first trimester of 2015-2016 school year. 

That's right we are doing trimesters this year.  A whole new concept for us, but one I think we will like.  I scheduled my trimesters in three, twelve week blocks with a week break every 6 weeks.  I feel that week is much needed to recharge, reflect and prepare for the next six weeks. 

I planned the year out using this calendar from the Donna Young website. If you never visited this site check it out.  Great resources for just about everything. 

Next week is our final week in this 6 week block.  So far we have been happy with all but one of our curriculum choices and have been moving smoothly along. 

As I said we are changing one subject in our curriculum.  Poogie will be completing the last unit in her Chemistry text and we must move on.  While we enjoyed the text the new material was quite and dry and a little overwhelming.  Our new choice has brought us back to an old reliable curriculum that I used for T all the way through high school, Apologia.

We are secular homeschoolers, but I do use a lot of Christian curriculum.  One, because it is cheaper, more widely available and has great supplements.  I have created my own curriculum over the years due to a lack in secular choices.  It tends to burn me out and leads to a very unhappy teacher and student.  So what I do is take great curriculum like Apologia, Bob Jones and others and modify it to suit our needs.  It is so much easier.  

That said Poogie loves biological sciences and would love to study zoology and virology.  Since there is a lack of, or any middle school curricula on virology, we have decided to focus on zoology of land animals.  Apologia has a great curriculum for elementary and middle school.  I will enhance and beef up the curriculum with videos, reading, my college zoology textbook, field trips and even some dissection.  According to Apologia Poogie is suppose to be doing Physical Science this year, but since she will be doing physical science for high school I wanted to do one more year of fun science. 

We will begin the new curriculum on September 28th, the first day of our next six weeks.  Can't wait!

Curriculum Chat, MATH Day 2!

Today I want to share our experience with another math curriculum, Rod & Staff.  I was drawn to this curriculum when we first started homeschooling by its conventional style and well-organized format. 

It is a curriculum written for the Christian classroom, however it is easily adapted to homeschool.  The lessons are well laid out and easy to follow.  Although the chapters and lessons are set up in a mastery format, the authors threw in a great amount of review.

I would love to say that both of my children had great experiences with R & S, however I cannot.  I started using this with T after using Math U See to get him caught up on basic math skills.  He came home from public school very behind and lacking most basic skills. T and this curriculum were like oil and water.  He didn't like the lessons, the timed test nor the pace.  We made it through half the year and went back to Math U See.

Poogie thrived with this curriculum.  We began with Math U See, went to Saxon (big mistake) and ended up with R & S.  The only reason we have went back to Math U See is that he completed all the levels of R & S and is now moving into the high school years.  I find it so interesting how one child can thrive with a curriculum and another just sinks. 

Pros-

Through lessons with great review and supplementary materials.

Easy to use for teacher and student.

Low cost for such a high quality curriculum.

Cons-

Christian-based (for those who only want to use secular curriculum)

May be a little overwhelming for students use to a workbook style curriculum.  The student has to copy from a textbook in this curriculum.  

I'm sure there are many more pros and cons for this curriculum but these are the main ones I found to be true for our family.  My next post will be about a few of the other curriculums we have used for supplement and reinforcement of skills over the years.  Till then...

Curriculum Chat, MATH!

We've all been there.  The sometimes dreaded time to choose a new curriculum or your first curriculum.  After homeschooling 8 years I have went through this so many times.  You second guess yourself, wonder if your ruining your child's learning progression. 

Well just take a minute, breathe and re-boot.  There's no perfect child nor perfect curriculum.  One of the reasons to homeschool is to meet the needs of your individual child, not 30 kids in a classroom.

To best meet the needs of your child you must first determine how they learn.  You can read up on all the different learning styles and there are even tests to determine your child's style.  I found I already knew based on how they go about their daily lives.  For example, can your child do a chore by having it explained verbally, by watching someone else do it, or by doing it themselves.  There you have your auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners.  Some children like my own have more than one learning style, however one may be more comfortable for them.  So when looking for curriculum I try to find one that meets more than one style.

That brings me to todays curriculum, Math.  Many new homeschooler's freak out about choosing a math curriculum.  In our case, it hasn't been perfect but I find math to be one of the easiest. 

There are so many new math curricula that address all the learning styles in one way or another.  Plus, most good ones have a placement test to help you place your child at the right level.  Remember, this is individualized instruction so don't get hung up on grade level.  It's better to focus on the skills and whether they have mastered them or not. Math skills build on one another so it's best to make sure they know the basics before moving on.

All that said, I have tried a, cough, cough, few different math curriculums over the years.  I will share my personal pros and cons of those this week, beginning with elementary math.  Please note,  I am not paid, nor do I represent any of these companies. 

Elementary Math:

1.  Math U See - This was our first homeschool math curriculum.  I used it with T when he came home half way through 4th grade and didn't really know his multiplication tables.  Yet, he tested above average in the state skills test, go figure.  This was a perfect fit for him.

 

Pros-

This curriculum is simple, hands on and not overwhelming. We could move at our own pace.  It addressed all learning styles.

The lesson is taught on DVD, by Steve Demme, who is quirky but fun. So if your not comfortable or confident in teaching math is a great solution.

It also offers manipulatives for the kinesthetic or hands on learner.  I hate to admit it but T did not use the blocks much, however he did use the fraction overlays. 

It also offers placement tests to help ease a parent's mind about buying the correct level.

Cons-

It can be boring, and a little dry.  Poogie was bored out of her mind.  She would do a whole lesson in one day. 

It's a mastery curriculum.  You learn each skill and master it before you move on. For example, Delta level focuses on division, where as, Epsilon focuses on fractions. Many students and parents are not comfortable with this type of curriculum and that's ok.  But for your child it may just be what they need.

I have personally used Math U See on and off for both of my children.  Even though, it didn't suit Poogie's learning style in the beginning we are now using it for Pre-Algebra and she is doing well.  

Tomorrow I will talk about Rod & Staff math, Poogie's favorite and T's kryptonite, lol. 

First Week Adventure!

We haven't even completed our first week of homeschooling here and we have already had our first adventure.  The weather has been beautiful all week, so Poogie and I just had to take advantage and head out on the Harley to explore. We rode a familiar route, however we finally took the time to stop and explore some of the awesome sites along the way.

First stop on the Great River Road was the Piasa painting on the side of the cliff.  I always found it to be a little creepy.  After reading the story of the creature, I confirmed its creepiness.  We found that we could link the area and some of the former explorers to Poogie's history lessons, and linked it to science with the mining information. 

We then rode up the River Road to one of our favorite destinations, Grafton, IL.  We took time to look at many of the historical homes, noting the materials used to build with then vs. now.  Explored the river bank and noted the changes from the recent flood and how destructive water can be.  This time we also took a moment to stop by an old barn and home along the road that we have loved but never stopped to explore. 

An added bonus to this trip, which tends to happen a lot in Grafton, was the view of these very cool replicas of Columbus's ships the Nina and the Pinta.  Time and the lack of actual cash on hand did not allow us to explore the replicas, but it was an awesome sight. 

This is what I absolutely love about homeschooling.  Taking knowledge and learning out into the world.  Seeing things with your own eyes, not in a book or on a video. We are having so much fun, can't wait to see what adventures we have next. 

2015 Here We Come!

2015 will be a year of firsts!  And I am so excited about the change.  This will be my first homeschooling year with only one student!  It's a little sad but also very exciting.  My son T has completed high school and moved on to other thing such as  work and hopefully college. 

So that just leaves Poogie and I to carry on with our homeschooling adventure!  And what an adventure this year will be. 

This will be our first year of homeschool without having dance as part of our lives.  What will we do having every afternoon free??  Well, we plan on going on some awesome field trips, taking some music lessons, and longboarding (Poogie's new obsession).  Leaving the dance world was bitter sweet but I must say our lives are better without it.

Of course, I've also made adjustments to our curriculum to suit my girl's learning style.  She moves much faster through material than T did and likes moving along at her own pace.  I will post a whole post later this week on our curriculum choices.  Too much to put in this one post.

I plan on posting more in the upcoming year to share this new chapter in our lives.  Stay tuned :)

Dealing with Non-Homeschoolers

We started homeschooling in 2007.  It would seem by now, 7 years later, that I would not be constantly surprised by the people that do not understand what homeschooling is all about. 

The main problem we have had to deal with over the years is when others compare our education to that of traditional education, aka. brick and mortar schools.  It is almost absurd to compare the two, especially when you are like us and do not do "school at home".  We homeschool.  That is an important distinction between the two.  In our home we do follow lesson plans so that I can make sure we are on track to complete all, yes all our curriculum for the year.  But that is where the comparisons end.  I want my children to love the act of learning, to be life long learners that quest for knowledge.  That said, comparing the life of my homeschool child to one of a child that attends a brick and mortar school is unjust and small-minded. 

My kids do not technically have homework.  The reason being is they complete their lesson when it is given.  They are not limited to a small block of time.  Their lessons are thorough and in depth in each subject.  Glossing over is not really allowed, and the kids don't like it.  However, since we don't technically have homework many assume that we don't have to do school work in the evening, nights and weekends.  This is the farthest thing from the truth.  Since our lessons tend to take much longer than one in a school, we put in double the hours of most institutionalized students.  We also use those nights and weekends to learn through experience. We attend museums, concerts, historical fairs and whatever else we can find that goes along with our curriculum.

Homeschooling does offer freedom, which we love.  We can work around doctor appointments, funerals, family activities when needed.  The school work still has to be completed, it doesn't just disappear.  Sometimes we get behind due to illness, activities, work, family obligations, or just life in general.  When this happens I focus on the kids getting caught back up as soon as possible.  So when a my homeschoolers say they have to do school work instead of doing X, Y, Z, it is a legitimate reason.  Sometimes that is the only free moment they have. 

Finally, I have be asked over the years if I give my kids the answers to their tests, or if I don't really grade their papers and just give them an A.  Why would any responsible parent or teacher do that?  How would it benefit the child?  If my children score below 90% on any test, which happens very rarely, we look at what they missed, I re-teach the material and then retest.  But unlike the new rules at many schools, where they go into a test knowing they can retake it, they do not go into the test thinking well if I blow it I can always retake it.  If mine really blow a test it usually only happens once.  The reason is that they must work through all the material again along with all their other lessons and then retake a different test on the material.  My focus is mastery of the material. Mastery in my home means that you know the material, and can apply the material, not just regurgitate it back to me. 

I know the comparisons will not end, but I would be nice if the parents of traditionally schooled children would take the time to understand that not all homeschoolers are the same anymore than all families are the same. 

Wow LONG time since I posted...

Yes it has been a very long time since I posted.  Lots has happened, mainly life.  The kids have been active as ever in dance.  Poogie danced 6 days a week last year and T danced 5.  I lived in the studio and on the road going to and from. 

We had to move during the summer, a real bummer.  We were renting hoping to buy the house we was living in.  However, the landlord decided to put it up for sale for way, way more than the appraisal.  We moved and guess what, it didn't sell.  It's now a rental house again.

We only had a few weeks to move so I had to find something quick.  Finding a 3+ bedroom with a carport or garage for our Harley's was a job.  I ended up getting a townhome.  It is ok, but I miss my house and my garage.  But, its only for a year. So I can manage.

Homeschooling is going great.  A little bumpy at first (will post later about my horrible curriculum blunders with Poogie this year).  We now have found our niche' and are moving along well.

While away from my blog I mostly stuck to posting on Facebook and instagram.  I find that Facebook has become  political and a place for bullies.  Instagram is ok, but not really my thing.  It's funny how I always come back to my blog.  So I hope to post at least 3 times a week and to share my journey in life with those who would care to follow.  Till next time. 

Fall is here!

Ahh, my favorite season has arrived.  Sunday was Mabon or the autumnal equinox.  It's when the days shorten and air gets crisp.  Food is harvested and leaves begin to fall.  I've always favored the quiet of the night vs. the loud, brightness of the day.  Maybe that's why I sit out on my deck during the evening and night time more. Of course I love Halloween/Samhain. It's our favorite holiday in this house.  I look forward to celebrating it with all the color and smells of the season.  I hope to post some pictures of our projects and celebrations. 

Free Homeschool Resources

As I read posts on Facebook and other homeschool forum I am amazed to find how many homeschoolers that do not utilize all the free resources out there.  I thought I might mention a few that we are using in this post and then write about others in the past in a later post.

Having a high schooler we have to of course use some lecture material.  This can be expensive to purchase.  I did purchase US History lectures from The Teaching Company this year for T, on sale of course.  But for chemistry, algebra II and literature I've found some great free lectures and helps.

For chemistry and some literature I use You Tube a lot.  There are tons of free lectures and virtual labs that are well done.  It does take some time to weed out the bad videos but for the most part I have been extremely happy with what we have used, and I am picky.

One of my favorite set of videos on You Tube for lit is 60 Second Recap.  They are fun, informative
and just right to grab the readers attention.

Khan Academy is also a great source for math and science.  I use it to expand or further explain a subject in algebra II and chemistry.  Sometimes the original lesson just doesn't hit home.  So using a different approach or view of the concept is great.

I am planning another post with free resources I use for Poogie. Until next time...

First week hits and misses

First week of school is complete and so far we've only hit a few little bumps.  Those were mostly felt on Monday with all of us trying to adjust to so much new curriculum.  It happens just about every year but it still makes the first few days trying. 

So here is a brief list of our hits and misses...

For T pretty much every thing is a hit except...

DIVE Chemistry. 

Now I won't say that we will quit using it, but it won't be our main source.  I will use the labs to supplement our keeper curriculum which is Apologia.  T is just an Apologia kid.

For Poogie so far NO misses, but a few hits with new curriculum.
Hit #1, for language arts we needed something new.  Something other than Easy Grammar.  Poogie just didn't retain anything from it.  So I found these from JacKris Publishing.  It's called Growing with Grammar.  I, not only purchased GWG, but Soaring with Spelling and Vocabulary, Winning with Writing and Digging up Diagramming.   We love it.  It's simple and easy to use.  I can supplement with lots of things and still not feel overwhelmed.

 

 

 

Hit #2 is science. We went with a new science with a base in classical education.  So far we love it.  It is challenging, but fun.  It's called Elemental Science.  We love it.  The lesson plans are so easy to use and flexible.

 

 

 

Finally, Hit #3 is great because it is secular and it covers history and literature.  I've been wanting to try it for two years but was afraid we wouldn't like it.  Well, so far it has been fun and not stressful at all.   We are using History Odyssey Middle Ages Level 2.  I love the check lists and flexibility of this curriculum so much. 

 

 

If you have any questions about any of these, click the links or ask me.  Lesson plans are already complete for next week, so we will see how it goes.  Here's hoping. 





New School Year!

Well, another school year has begun.  We got off to a rusty start on day one but now it seems we are finding our stride.  The curriculum choices this year are random.   Some things we have stayed with the old faithful, such as math.  Others we have branched out to totally different choices, such as language arts with Poogie.  I hope to post the more often and share the pro's and con's of each as we go.

I would also like to share more of my cooking adventures.  I've enjoyed exploring all types of recipes in the last year and look forward to sharing my accomplishments and failures.

As far as extra curricular activities go we have made a big change.  We moved dance schools to one much closer and smaller.  This gives the kids a chance to actually learn and improve in a less congested environment.  Plus, we get to eat at home more due to the fact this studio is only 5 minutes away.  That, in turn, leads to saving money eating out and being healthier.  YAY!

Off to teach this kiddo's something...

What are we teaching our kids??

As a former public school parent turned home school parent I have seen the world from both sides of the fence.  I must say my family and I are much happier on this side.  Not only do we get to choose what and how our children learn their school subjects, but we get to teach them about life.  

I could go on and on for days about the benefits of homeschooling.  But today I would like to address the benefit of a child being able to explore who they are outside the confines of a school setting.  Both of my children know who they are and have good self-esteem. They like what they like and don't really care if others don't share their views.  They explore and change without ridicule for the most part and have become well rounded individuals.

In the past I worried that my children would get caught up in the label obsessed world we live in.  Yes, my kids and I like name brand clothing and products, but we like them for our own reasons not because we must have them to be somebody.  For the most part we all choose items that are what we want, no matter the brand.   I've never understood those parents who will spend their last dime so their kid can have latest whatever so that they won't be the only child without it.  And that thing will be tossed aside the next week for the new must have thing.

I tell my kids all the time, things don't define who you are.  They have taken that to heart.  I am so proud of the young adults they are becoming.  Yes, we are looked down upon because we aren't trying to keep up with this world.  But the way I see it that is just another part of this  low-self esteem, label obsessed existence that our society has created.

Okay that's my soapbox for today.

Update on what's going on...

Well, hello all!  As usual my crazy life has not allowed me to blog as I would like.  But I thought I might drop a few lines to keep you posted on what is going on around here since January 1.

We made some changes in several school subjects which I will tell about in a later post.  Most changes have been in the area of everyday life and dance.

As most people we struggle to keep to a budget, especially with the rising cost of everything.  I began this year using a free program for budgeting call Mvelopes.  It is really easy to use and I even have an app on my phone to track spending.  However, tracking is the only thing we have to do to trim the budget.  I have been experimenting with making more food items from scratch and I have to say it has worked wonderfully. 

I received a new Ninja Cooking Systems for a holiday present and I have been putting it to use regularly.  Between the Ninja and my bread maker I have been able to make decently healthy and cheap meals for my always hungry family.  

I hope to share more of my cooking from scratch adventure in the months to come.

In other news, my sweet Poogie had an exciting January.  She was put on pre-pointe at our dance studio.  It was so much fun and exciting.  It just reminds me of how fast she is growing up.

 

T also has news in dance.  He auditioned for and received an invitation to go to the Kansas City Ballet Summer Intensive.  We initially just let him audition for the experience but low and behold he got in.  His dance ability has improved so much since moving here I am amazed.  This experience will only help him improve to become quite the dancer.  I am so proud of him.

More to come. 

 

It's Nutcracker Time!

I can't believe it's time for Nutcracker again.  This will be our 4th season being involved in a production of this wonderful holiday story.  We are in a different city, but we found our way back to the world of Sugar Plum Fairies, Clara and dolls.  T will be in this production but my little Poogie will not.  The new dance company has older dancers in it, so Poogie will have to wait a year or two.  But she is totally fine with that.  After doing this for 3 years and dealing with the stress and craziness of it she was ready for a break. 

T will be dancing in Act I as a boy child and a mouse.  He has had a blast, stress free.  This studio has been a blessing.  The schedules are up by Wednesday.  They start and end on time.  Everything runs like a well oiled machine.  It has been wonderful.  I will post pictures of the production. Sadly, we are not allowed to post video like I have in the past due to copyright concerns. But I understand this as our director has worked hard to make this production her own. 

Since we had more free time this season we were able to go to see a professional performance of the Nutcracker by the Moscow Ballet.  Such a wonderful treat for my kids and me. It has been 3 long years since I got to set in the seats and watch a production with them. It was a magical night at the beautiful Peabody Opera House. 

Now we are off to the Land of Sweets.

Trash and Keep Pile

As I have done every school year since I began this journey I find myself making changes.  By now I have discovered what works for us as far as homeschool curriculum goes and what doesn't.  I am disappointed to find that some of the things we loved last year did not make the cut this year.  It may be we are just burned out with the daily repetition of some of these books.  It pains me to say that two of these are classical education curriculum's, Writing with Ease and Writing with Skill.  Both of these are great writing curricula, and we haven't ditched them for good.  It's just the day to day repetition of the curriculum has become tedious.  I do not feel that either one of my kids age getting any thing new out of these right now so on the shelf they go. 

Another casualty from the first quarter is the Novel Units literature guides.  Ug,  I have to say I did not like them.  There are so many reasons I won't take up time writing about it.  Let's just say that they were not user friendly.  I still had to do alot of prep on my own and some of the questions in the books did not line up with the novels.  I won't use them again. 

For Poogie history was a big flat failure.  I tried using The Story of the US and The Complete Book of US History.  They just didn't offer enough comprehsion and geography work.  So we are using something I already had, Abeka US history and geography.  I will be adding historical reading to go along with the time peroids. 

So things we are keeping but using as a supplement, such as First Language Lessons.  Great curriculum, but not our daily cup of tea.  We are returning to Easy Grammar for Poogie with FLL added for diagramming and extra practice.   Poogie will be using EG 6 since I had the teacher's edition. 

Poogie is also keeping Rod & Staff Arithmetic 5 but we are supplementing with Math Mammoth on subjects that she doesn't master in the text.  Right now we are doing a MM unit on fractions because she just didn't get it in R&S. 

For Poogie's writing we are going to give Writing Strands a whirl.  I have it already so why not.  For T I have ordered Jensen Format Writing to replace WWS.  We will use WWS but not on a weekly basis. 

I have decided to let T read the novels we have chosen and give him writing assignments and projects to complete for them from free sources on the internet.  The Novel Units just killed his love for the book, and mine. 

Finally, on The Well Trained Mind Forum I found a link to a free PDF of a curriuclum I have been wanting to try for reading for Poogie.  The Reading Detective from The Thinking Co. offers this.  I am going to try a few lesson with Poogie and then I may order the software version.  T has liked the Editor in Chief software so it would be fun for Poogie to have her time at the computer too.

I guess we just need to see how the next 9 weeks go...

ps please forgive the typo's spell check wasn't working and I've run out of time.

Apologia Zoology Resources

Poogie is doing Apologia Zoology 2 Swimming Creatures this year.  We are enjoying the curriculum even though it does include more religion than we would like.  When I purchased the curriculum I bought the text, notebook journal and lapbook cd-rom.  I like the Charlotte Mason approach to the curriculum however I still need to test and quiz Poogie on the material.  So during my search for free materials I found two great sites.  The first one is a Yahoo Group for the Apologia Elementary Science curriculum.  Just search for it on Yahoo Groups.  Great resources.  The second one I love, love, love it is a blog Homeschooling is Fun.  Excellent resource!!  These great finds make my school years so much easier. 

Fresh Start in our new City...

Wouldn't you want to know??

I find it shocking how many parents I talk to that don't want to hear unpleasant things about their kid's friends or kids they know.  Yes it is hard sometimes to realize that people are not always as they appear, but come on by the time your 21 you should be jaded enough to know most people are not.  I want to know about my kid's friends, everything, even the unpleasant stuff.  That's the only way I feel I can protect my children from being in situations that are not safe or may not be in their best interest.

If you only want to know the good stuff about the world how do you function.  How do you make decisions on what is good or bad?  I admit all that you hear about someone is probably not true.  However, if you hear the same information or stories over and over that disturb you it should throw up a red flag.  The problem is that many fall into the idea that if a kid or person lives in the right neighborhood, attends the correct schools, dresses  the way lemmings I'm sorry, the way that is deeded acceptable and has good parents they are automatically a great influence for your child to be around. BONG!  WRONG!  I just don't understand how such intelligent adults are so blind. Based on our experience with my son as a teen many times just those "perfect" children are the ones you have to be a little more attentive.  They put on the best act in front of the adults but watch out when they are not under parental supervision, BAM!

The kids with the best backgrounds usually have more drugs, faster cars to crash, and have the money to get into more trouble.  I found this out as a teen and not much has changed, except my parents told me to watch out for those kids not to put them on a pedestal.  I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly about my kids and their friends. Yes it is exhausting,  Yes, it would be easier if I just blocked out all the bad and went through life thinking every thing is clover.  But, to me that wouldn't be living.  It would be a lie.  And I detest liars.

Finally, I find it upsetting and frankly I'm just plain sick of  how kids like my son and others who do not follow the "norm", or can think for themselves are always thrown under the bus.  Some kid that is thought to be all perfect and socially acceptable (according to certain people) can do something horrible.  Say you find they've been driving drunk, doing drugs or beat another kid up just because they can.  It is kept quiet, swept under the rug.  But low and behold a socially unacceptable kid that happens to be from the wrong part of town, or just doesn't follow the other lemmings does the same thing they are then labeled a bad kid, a troublemaker.  Parent's whisper to keep you child away from that kid.  You don't even need to hear the whole story about their situation, just look at them that should tell you everything.

Grr.  I could go on and on, but I will get down off my soap box and fight another day.  Sorry if I stepped on a few toes but I just had to have my say.

Took a small vaca...

I decided to take a small vacation from it all and enjoy what I could of my 40th birthday.  I have to say it was very uneventful.  In fact we did nothing.  I had always thought I would finally have a big celebration for the big four O.  But, due to a major lack in funds it was not meant to be.  I thought 40 would be a bit better than this.  I wouldn't have ever thought I would be practically starting over at 40.  Struggling to make ends meet.  It's been a long, hard year and I hope that it will soon be turning around.  But enough of my brooding and depression.  I will post again another day hopefully in a much better mood.