Smurfette?
Gargamel and Azrael?
Smurf berries?
Smurfing here and there?
Well, now boxes are getting pretty smurfy too, since apparently some can smurfit!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Childhood revisited
Anyone remember the smurfs?
Smurfette?
Gargamel and Azrael?
Smurf berries?
Smurfing here and there?
Well, now boxes are getting pretty smurfy too, since apparently some can smurfit!
Smurfette?
Gargamel and Azrael?
Smurf berries?
Smurfing here and there?
Well, now boxes are getting pretty smurfy too, since apparently some can smurfit!
Drug side effects
So what's up with prescription drugs gone bad and legal action afterward? Is no drug safe to trust anymore?
Have you seen the commercials with lawyers saying to call them if you've taken Yaz or Phen Fen or whatever drug that resulted in stroke, death, shrinking manhood, athlete's foot of the tongue, alien babies, hairy toenails, eyelid warts, etc.? (Okay, so maybe some of those aren't real side effects.)
Now I've seen on TV that the newest drug with lawyers after it is Reglan. Apparently it's known to cause neurological problems! I took Reglan for a week (maybe) about a month or so after Paisli was born because a friend recommended it for increased milk production, but it completely wiped me out! I could NOT stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. I even had to take naps at work, so I stopped taking it. It didn't seem to increase my milk production anyway.
So how do I know if a drug is safe? After hearing good things about it, I was thinking of having Hyrum try a prescription for hair loss (he's just getting a little thin in front), but I'm afraid that after he takes it, they'll find out people are being hospitalized for saggy earlobes, moldy armpits, lactating elbows, Billy Bob teeth syndrome, total body hairlessness, or some other equally disturbing/distressing end result LIKE DEATH and that you should contact the law office of Stank, Funk, Nilly and Willy to see if you qualify for compensation.
Okay, so I'm sure hair loss prescriptions are fine, but I still have to freak out in the back of my mind when I find out women are having strokes or dropping dead from birth control pills and patches. I think I'll watch him go bald and be glad his earlobes aren't hanging down to his shoulders.
Here's to the safety of those using prescription drugs!!
Have you seen the commercials with lawyers saying to call them if you've taken Yaz or Phen Fen or whatever drug that resulted in stroke, death, shrinking manhood, athlete's foot of the tongue, alien babies, hairy toenails, eyelid warts, etc.? (Okay, so maybe some of those aren't real side effects.)
Now I've seen on TV that the newest drug with lawyers after it is Reglan. Apparently it's known to cause neurological problems! I took Reglan for a week (maybe) about a month or so after Paisli was born because a friend recommended it for increased milk production, but it completely wiped me out! I could NOT stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. I even had to take naps at work, so I stopped taking it. It didn't seem to increase my milk production anyway.
So how do I know if a drug is safe? After hearing good things about it, I was thinking of having Hyrum try a prescription for hair loss (he's just getting a little thin in front), but I'm afraid that after he takes it, they'll find out people are being hospitalized for saggy earlobes, moldy armpits, lactating elbows, Billy Bob teeth syndrome, total body hairlessness, or some other equally disturbing/distressing end result LIKE DEATH and that you should contact the law office of Stank, Funk, Nilly and Willy to see if you qualify for compensation.
Okay, so I'm sure hair loss prescriptions are fine, but I still have to freak out in the back of my mind when I find out women are having strokes or dropping dead from birth control pills and patches. I think I'll watch him go bald and be glad his earlobes aren't hanging down to his shoulders.
Here's to the safety of those using prescription drugs!!
Kindergarten
There is a right of passage that each kid goes through every year at the start of the school year.
First day of school pictures.
Sadly, I missed out on that with Talea. Since I didn't enroll her in traditional kindgergarten, I completely forgot about it.
In case you're new to my blog, Talea does school from home. She's not technically considered "homeschooled" because she's enrolled in an online public school, but she does do her work from home, or wherever we are. Her school is called Connections Academy. She has a principal, a teacher, field trips, school holidays/vacations, tests, clubs, electives (like learning to play an instrument or foreign language (sign language or Spanish)), and conferences. I am considered her learning coach, not actually her teacher. Her teacher calls us once a month, and does an interactive "live lesson" via computer once a month also. She's there for any questions via phone or email also.
There was a waiting list in Oregon, so Talea started 2 weeks late, and when she finally was able to start, none of her materials had arrived yet, so on her "first" day of school, it didn't feel like school had started. Thus, the picture was forgotten.
We chose Connections Academy because I knew several kids, including my niece, who were enrolled in it and they loved it, as did their parents. Also, it's free, so that was a huge factor. They send you most of all the supplies you need (for free), which for kindergarten is everything from pencils, crayons, construction paper and index cards to workbooks and reading books.
My top 10 reasons (in no particular order) for enrolling Talea in an online school versus a traditional school are:
1. I used to be a teacher and when I was behind the scenes, the way schools were run seemed like a joke. Everything was about money, money and more money and the political nonsense was a joke. Budget cuts and overfilling classes seemed to be the new trend.
2. Electives were being cut and classes like Home Ec were becoming a dumping ground for the kids who couldn't cut it in the core classes. The quality of public education just seemed to be going downhill, and fast. Teacher resources were being limited and many even eliminated (most schools even give the teachers a cap on the amount of copies they can make).
3. Teachers are overworked and underpaid, thus giving less incentive to be a better teacher. I had a French teacher in high school who wore a button daily that said "school sucks" and she would show us French movies with porn in them because she could care less about teaching anymore and movies were easier than teaching.
4. A High School teacher was recently telling me that her class sizes are becoming so large that she was going to have to resort to having students just read and recite textbooks because such a large chunk of her class time is spent quieting the students from their socializing that she doesn't have enough time to teach them the way she would like to.
5. The schools in this area are not known for their academic merit. The dissatisfaction level of parents is high. The only redeeming factor the school in town has is an all-day kindergarten.
6. I can't stand how the shallow cliques, ruthless bullying/teasing, and the petty fads would shape and mold so many of my students' character and self-worth, rather than such things as: faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works and integrity. (You know, I think there really was something to that Young Women's motto after all.)
7. We are a very spontaneous family and rarely have set schedules around our house, so sticking to a traditional school's schedule would prove to be extremely difficult for us. I didn't look forward to spending our school breaks/vacations battling the crowds because that's when we are allowed to take them, along with a million other families.
8. I don't believe in the theory that homeschooling my child with make her socially abnormal. Sorry. Since we attend church weekly and have play dates for the kids and let our kids participate in community activities and classes, I know my kids get plenty of socialization and will turn out "normal". All I have to say to the "theory" is that I went to public school with A LOT of socially abnormal kids, and I know A LOT of socially normal kids that are homeschooled.
9. I want the values I spend a lifetime instilling in my kids to be the main influence on the kind of person they become, rather than peer pressure. I've always admired how (on average) homeschooled kids are more obedient, respectful and hard working than traditionally schooled kids.
10. I love how so many homeschooled kids are able to complete school early and are able to have a year or two of college completed before other kids their age even start one.
Now that you have an idea why I chose to teach Talea from home, I want to point out that I do NOT think homeschool/online school is for everyone. If you're someone who needs/wants a breather from your kids for a few hours every day, this wouldn't work for you. If you're not self-motivated, it could get tiresome. If you think your child needs to be around 500 kids a day in order to turn into a normal adult, you have the wrong mindset to keep your child home. I have nothing against parents sending their kids to traditional school. Hyrum and I went to regular school, and I think we did just fine. We just happen to be happy with the alternative.
So what do I love about Talea's school?
-It's free.
-You are loaned a free computer and are given a substantial internet subsidy if you qualify.
-They sent me almost all the supplies I'd need, and what they didn't send me, I already had lying around the house.
-We can take our vacations whenever we want to. We just have to make sure she doesn't exceed the maximum days allowed.
-Talea can progress at her own pace. She can always work ahead if she wants to.
-As she gets older, I will help Talea less and less. She will progressively work more independently and rely on her teacher for help rather than always on me.
-She's taking an Educational Technology class IN KINDERGARTEN that is teaching her to type properly, and without looking at the keyboard! It's fantastic! Do all kindergartens do this? I didn't learn how to do this until my junior year in high school!
-Everything is mapped out for me, so it's a no-brainer. It's like "Teaching for Dummies" or something. A cinch!
-I can start her school day whenever I choose, be it at 5 am or 8 pm, it doesn't matter as long as she gets her hours in daily. I can also break it up throughout the day.
-Extra things she does, like riding her bike or watching the discovery channel or educational websites all count toward her schooling hours, just as long as it's educational.
-I will always know how well or how poorly my kids are doing is school because I'm held accountable for their work. It frustrates me when parents shrug their shoulders about their kids' slipping grades.
In kindergarten, Talea's subjects are Math, Language Arts, Art, Science, Social Studies, Ed Tech, and Activities (usually physically active things like hopscotch, 4 square, skipping, nature walks, etc), but she only does 5 subjects a day, with her Activities class being an optional one.
There are definitely things I don't love about Talea's school (the fact that I have to follow rules mandated by the state rather than myself for tests, # of vacation days, when the first and last day of school is), but overall, I'm really happy with it, and so is Talea. Talea is VERY social and I kind of expected her to beg me to let her go to a traditional school with other kids her age, but she tells me she loves doing school this way, so if she's happy, I'm happy. Plus, when we go on the road for travel nursing, she'll have to be homeschooled. Might as well get the family used to it from the beginning!
First day of school pictures.
Sadly, I missed out on that with Talea. Since I didn't enroll her in traditional kindgergarten, I completely forgot about it.
In case you're new to my blog, Talea does school from home. She's not technically considered "homeschooled" because she's enrolled in an online public school, but she does do her work from home, or wherever we are. Her school is called Connections Academy. She has a principal, a teacher, field trips, school holidays/vacations, tests, clubs, electives (like learning to play an instrument or foreign language (sign language or Spanish)), and conferences. I am considered her learning coach, not actually her teacher. Her teacher calls us once a month, and does an interactive "live lesson" via computer once a month also. She's there for any questions via phone or email also.
There was a waiting list in Oregon, so Talea started 2 weeks late, and when she finally was able to start, none of her materials had arrived yet, so on her "first" day of school, it didn't feel like school had started. Thus, the picture was forgotten.
We chose Connections Academy because I knew several kids, including my niece, who were enrolled in it and they loved it, as did their parents. Also, it's free, so that was a huge factor. They send you most of all the supplies you need (for free), which for kindergarten is everything from pencils, crayons, construction paper and index cards to workbooks and reading books.
My top 10 reasons (in no particular order) for enrolling Talea in an online school versus a traditional school are:
1. I used to be a teacher and when I was behind the scenes, the way schools were run seemed like a joke. Everything was about money, money and more money and the political nonsense was a joke. Budget cuts and overfilling classes seemed to be the new trend.
2. Electives were being cut and classes like Home Ec were becoming a dumping ground for the kids who couldn't cut it in the core classes. The quality of public education just seemed to be going downhill, and fast. Teacher resources were being limited and many even eliminated (most schools even give the teachers a cap on the amount of copies they can make).
3. Teachers are overworked and underpaid, thus giving less incentive to be a better teacher. I had a French teacher in high school who wore a button daily that said "school sucks" and she would show us French movies with porn in them because she could care less about teaching anymore and movies were easier than teaching.
4. A High School teacher was recently telling me that her class sizes are becoming so large that she was going to have to resort to having students just read and recite textbooks because such a large chunk of her class time is spent quieting the students from their socializing that she doesn't have enough time to teach them the way she would like to.
5. The schools in this area are not known for their academic merit. The dissatisfaction level of parents is high. The only redeeming factor the school in town has is an all-day kindergarten.
6. I can't stand how the shallow cliques, ruthless bullying/teasing, and the petty fads would shape and mold so many of my students' character and self-worth, rather than such things as: faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works and integrity. (You know, I think there really was something to that Young Women's motto after all.)
7. We are a very spontaneous family and rarely have set schedules around our house, so sticking to a traditional school's schedule would prove to be extremely difficult for us. I didn't look forward to spending our school breaks/vacations battling the crowds because that's when we are allowed to take them, along with a million other families.
8. I don't believe in the theory that homeschooling my child with make her socially abnormal. Sorry. Since we attend church weekly and have play dates for the kids and let our kids participate in community activities and classes, I know my kids get plenty of socialization and will turn out "normal". All I have to say to the "theory" is that I went to public school with A LOT of socially abnormal kids, and I know A LOT of socially normal kids that are homeschooled.
9. I want the values I spend a lifetime instilling in my kids to be the main influence on the kind of person they become, rather than peer pressure. I've always admired how (on average) homeschooled kids are more obedient, respectful and hard working than traditionally schooled kids.
10. I love how so many homeschooled kids are able to complete school early and are able to have a year or two of college completed before other kids their age even start one.
Now that you have an idea why I chose to teach Talea from home, I want to point out that I do NOT think homeschool/online school is for everyone. If you're someone who needs/wants a breather from your kids for a few hours every day, this wouldn't work for you. If you're not self-motivated, it could get tiresome. If you think your child needs to be around 500 kids a day in order to turn into a normal adult, you have the wrong mindset to keep your child home. I have nothing against parents sending their kids to traditional school. Hyrum and I went to regular school, and I think we did just fine. We just happen to be happy with the alternative.
So what do I love about Talea's school?
-It's free.
-You are loaned a free computer and are given a substantial internet subsidy if you qualify.
-They sent me almost all the supplies I'd need, and what they didn't send me, I already had lying around the house.
-We can take our vacations whenever we want to. We just have to make sure she doesn't exceed the maximum days allowed.
-Talea can progress at her own pace. She can always work ahead if she wants to.
-As she gets older, I will help Talea less and less. She will progressively work more independently and rely on her teacher for help rather than always on me.
-She's taking an Educational Technology class IN KINDERGARTEN that is teaching her to type properly, and without looking at the keyboard! It's fantastic! Do all kindergartens do this? I didn't learn how to do this until my junior year in high school!
-Everything is mapped out for me, so it's a no-brainer. It's like "Teaching for Dummies" or something. A cinch!
-I can start her school day whenever I choose, be it at 5 am or 8 pm, it doesn't matter as long as she gets her hours in daily. I can also break it up throughout the day.
-Extra things she does, like riding her bike or watching the discovery channel or educational websites all count toward her schooling hours, just as long as it's educational.
-I will always know how well or how poorly my kids are doing is school because I'm held accountable for their work. It frustrates me when parents shrug their shoulders about their kids' slipping grades.
In kindergarten, Talea's subjects are Math, Language Arts, Art, Science, Social Studies, Ed Tech, and Activities (usually physically active things like hopscotch, 4 square, skipping, nature walks, etc), but she only does 5 subjects a day, with her Activities class being an optional one.
There are definitely things I don't love about Talea's school (the fact that I have to follow rules mandated by the state rather than myself for tests, # of vacation days, when the first and last day of school is), but overall, I'm really happy with it, and so is Talea. Talea is VERY social and I kind of expected her to beg me to let her go to a traditional school with other kids her age, but she tells me she loves doing school this way, so if she's happy, I'm happy. Plus, when we go on the road for travel nursing, she'll have to be homeschooled. Might as well get the family used to it from the beginning!
Blam it!!
I've become the victim of my first blog spam (aka blam, according to wikipedia), and of all the ridiculous and obnoxious things I could be blammed with, it was, of course, the little blue pill: Viagra!!!! So after a year and a half of blissfully blogging away, feeling as though I was immune to the bane of the cyber world, I've been yanked out of my cocoon of assumed safety and slapped in the face with anti-impotency links. This breach has forced my hand and I've decided to no longer allow comments from "anonymous" readers. I know a few family members use anonymous, so I'm sorry to have to block this option, but I'm a little perturbed by the whole incident and am NOT looking forward to a repeat.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Clarification
Here are two funny things that the kids ask me ALL THE TIME. I'm sure they'll stop saying them soon, so I have to write them down before that time comes. I just think it's hilarious that both Tilly and Hyatt say these word for word each time they want either thing.
1. When the kids want to watch a cartoon that's on satellite, instead of on DVD, they ask,
"Can you turn on a cartoon that we never seen and that we don't have and that's not a grown up movie?"
2. When the kids want me to tell them a story that I make up instead of read, they ask,
"Can you tell me a story that we don't have and that we never read with no pages and no pictures and no words?"
Boy, it would sure help me know what they wanted if they would just get a little more specific! This vagueness is so confusing!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Fuzzy Wuzzy
All my kids have fuzzy head issues once their hair is long enough to get messy. Kiersa is my first child to have curly hair, and boy is it fuzzy in the mornings before I wet it down!
Book Worm
Kiersa LOVES books so much that I think I've read more books to her in the last 6 months than I've read to Talea in all her life. Okay, maybe not, but it feels like we're reading to her ALL THE TIME!
She has 2 favorite books: "The Gruffalo" and "It's Spring", and though she has several others she enjoys, these two are the most frequent books that fall in our laps with a command of "Read It!" accompanying them.
"It's Spring" is really simple so she's had every word memorized for a while. She'll finish any word I leave out, so I got it on video where I left off the last word of each sentence, just to make it quicker.
She has "America the Beautiful" memorized since Talea sings it all the time. She can also sing "You Are My Sunshine" and several other songs.
This morning "America the Beautiful" was apparently stuck in her head because while she was helping me get breakfast together, she suddenly sang out, "And crown thy good with brotherhood...".
I was really surprised at how easy it is to understand her now, and how she can say such big words!
One major part of Kiersa's personality is her temper. She's obstinate and determined and defiant. Boy, are we in trouble when she's a teenager! Kiersa is very independent and if she doesn't get her way, she strikes back. She finds the closest thing and tries to destroy it or throw it while throwing a major fit. She is definitely a tough one and I can only imagine what she'll be like in her teen years.
There are only 2 things that will pull Miss Milly out of one of her fits and make her stop crying: Paisli and hugs/snuggles. If you tell her that Paisli needs her and wants her, she'll stop instantly and be happy again in Paisli's arms. You can also tell her that you need a hug and want to hold her and she'll stop crying immediately and come to be held.
She's still wary of men, but is usually pretty comfortable with women. There are 2 women in particular that she is very drawn to: Tina Hallmark and Debbie Tovey. Debbie is Moe's mom (Moe is Kiersa's best friend) and Tina is in our ward at church, and has helped me tremendously in my times of need. It's funny how she picks those women out and runs to them. Very adorable.
She has 2 favorite books: "The Gruffalo" and "It's Spring", and though she has several others she enjoys, these two are the most frequent books that fall in our laps with a command of "Read It!" accompanying them.
"It's Spring" is really simple so she's had every word memorized for a while. She'll finish any word I leave out, so I got it on video where I left off the last word of each sentence, just to make it quicker.
She has "America the Beautiful" memorized since Talea sings it all the time. She can also sing "You Are My Sunshine" and several other songs.
This morning "America the Beautiful" was apparently stuck in her head because while she was helping me get breakfast together, she suddenly sang out, "And crown thy good with brotherhood...".
I was really surprised at how easy it is to understand her now, and how she can say such big words!
One major part of Kiersa's personality is her temper. She's obstinate and determined and defiant. Boy, are we in trouble when she's a teenager! Kiersa is very independent and if she doesn't get her way, she strikes back. She finds the closest thing and tries to destroy it or throw it while throwing a major fit. She is definitely a tough one and I can only imagine what she'll be like in her teen years.
There are only 2 things that will pull Miss Milly out of one of her fits and make her stop crying: Paisli and hugs/snuggles. If you tell her that Paisli needs her and wants her, she'll stop instantly and be happy again in Paisli's arms. You can also tell her that you need a hug and want to hold her and she'll stop crying immediately and come to be held.
She's still wary of men, but is usually pretty comfortable with women. There are 2 women in particular that she is very drawn to: Tina Hallmark and Debbie Tovey. Debbie is Moe's mom (Moe is Kiersa's best friend) and Tina is in our ward at church, and has helped me tremendously in my times of need. It's funny how she picks those women out and runs to them. Very adorable.
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