originally posted 29 OCT 2014
I was organizing a homeschool bowling league at our local bowling
alley. Talked to the nicest gal who was in charge of league bowling. She
was retired but working at the bowling alley. During our conversation,
she'd occasionally throw out a question about homeschooling. I'm used to
that and easily answered all her questions. Near the end of our
conversation, she told me that she taught and had numerous family who
taught in the public schools. She was kind but let me know she didn't
think much of homeschooling. I'm used to that too. Not a big deal for
me.
So, each week, we'd have a fairly good group of homeschooled kids
bowling. Over the weeks, you could see her chit-chatting with more of
the kids and their parents. She'd give me compliments about the kids
about how well behaved they were or how smart or how much fun they had
with their friends. She got to hear all their stories and about all the
things they were doing outside of the bowling alley.
Basically, she got to know a lot of homeschooled kids quickly. Up until that point, she didn't know many if any at all.
One week, we're sitting there chatting and she is going on about
homeschooling and how impressed she is by it all. She told us she wishes
she'd had the opportunity to do so and is telling her son all about it
for his children.
That was a great compliment.
Too many people think of the 'homeschooling' example of Uncle Bill's
next door neighbor's dogs vet's sister who homeschools and her child
sits at home all day drooling and trying to figure out 2 + 3 despite the
fact that little Bertha is in the eighth grade.
Want to know more about homeschooling? Get to know some homeschooling
families. You'll find that many of us back up what the studies are
showing about homeschoolers. We're smart. Studies show we're more likely
to be involved in the community. We're more likely to be involved in
the political process. With the one on on instruction, many homeschooled
kids get higher scores on standardized tests even when Mom only has a
high school diploma. Now some may read this to mean I think the kids in
public schools are more likely to be the ones drooling but, that is not
it at all. Every child is different and learns differently. You know
your child best and know how your child will learn best. If that is
public school, that is wonderful. If that is a small private school,
that's great too. If it is homeschooling, rock on!
Saturday, January 3, 2015
A Flash Mob of One
originally posted 16 OCT 2014
I have always loved watching flash mob videos. You know the ones where all of a sudden, music starts and people that seemed to be just a part of the usual crowd start dancing and then leave immediately after they are done?
Don't be hatin', but I have my own personal flash mob of one. My daughter.
I've shared before in 'She Dances' how she had a love of dance all her life.
I can be sitting at the computer and then, all of a sudden, the sounds of Party Rock fill the air and my daughter comes cartwheeling through the room and doing other acro stunts. Other times, I'll hear Adele and there is my daughter performing some modern/lyrical composition of her own design. In fact, if somebody just turns on music, she's pretty much dancing. She can't help it.
Every day, I have my own personal flash mob of one. I am so going to miss her when she goes off to college one day.
I have always loved watching flash mob videos. You know the ones where all of a sudden, music starts and people that seemed to be just a part of the usual crowd start dancing and then leave immediately after they are done?
Don't be hatin', but I have my own personal flash mob of one. My daughter.
I've shared before in 'She Dances' how she had a love of dance all her life.
I can be sitting at the computer and then, all of a sudden, the sounds of Party Rock fill the air and my daughter comes cartwheeling through the room and doing other acro stunts. Other times, I'll hear Adele and there is my daughter performing some modern/lyrical composition of her own design. In fact, if somebody just turns on music, she's pretty much dancing. She can't help it.
Every day, I have my own personal flash mob of one. I am so going to miss her when she goes off to college one day.
She Dances
originally posted 05 OCT 2014
My little girl came out a fighter. I really do believe she may have screamed the first four months of her life. We now know that was due to allergies but music always seemrf to calm her down even if just temporarily. And, so, I played a lot, and I mean A LOT of music when she was little.
I'd play classical music or just something like Jim Brickman's piano music. Anything beautiful and calm just appealed to her like nothing else. Before she could walk, she would sway to the music. When she could walk, she'd dance all the time.
She is now eleven and still dances all the time. She has been taking dance since she was three and that is her happy place. She dances four to five days a week and still comes home and dances some more.
She had a recital just over a year ago. She had pulled a muscle during rehearsal and she was supposed to rest constantly so she'd be better for the actual event. She rested until music would come on and she'd be up and dancing. I had to bad music in the house that week.
My little girl. She dances.
My little girl came out a fighter. I really do believe she may have screamed the first four months of her life. We now know that was due to allergies but music always seemrf to calm her down even if just temporarily. And, so, I played a lot, and I mean A LOT of music when she was little.
I'd play classical music or just something like Jim Brickman's piano music. Anything beautiful and calm just appealed to her like nothing else. Before she could walk, she would sway to the music. When she could walk, she'd dance all the time.
She is now eleven and still dances all the time. She has been taking dance since she was three and that is her happy place. She dances four to five days a week and still comes home and dances some more.
She had a recital just over a year ago. She had pulled a muscle during rehearsal and she was supposed to rest constantly so she'd be better for the actual event. She rested until music would come on and she'd be up and dancing. I had to bad music in the house that week.
My little girl. She dances.
In Defense of Columbus Day
originally posted 07 OCT 2014
Mention that you support Columbus Day as a holiday and prepare to have your head taken off. Not here, of course, we're too civilized but out in 'real' life.
Part of my degree is in cartography. I love maps. I could stare at maps for hours. A little odd, perhaps, but there is just so much that can be seen on a map.
I've studied the Age of Exploration as much, if not more, as the next guy. America, for better or worse, is what it is today because of Columbus. A lofty claim perhaps but one I believe.
We need to put aside a few notions when we discuss Christopher Columbus
- First, we can't weigh him on today's justice scales. He lived in a much different time. Social mores were vastly different. It would be easy to take apart most, if not all, historical figures when we apply our current values systems to them. Pick a character, if somebody wanted to vilify them, they could.
- Second, we're talking the Age of Exploration here It wasn't just the Europeans motoring (ha!) around the globe. There has been some indication that other cultures, including Muslims, had drifted to North America but there had been no real colonization. Don't think for a moment that if Columbus had not found his way to the West Indies, this would still be a land populated solely by Native Americans (who had in turn migrated from Asia). Given time there is a good chance, we could have become a Muslim nation which is very likely had Europeans not come over. That not be a problem for some but think of how different our country would be today!
- Slavery and racism did NOT originate with Christopher Columbus. If you believe that, you needed a better high school history teacher. Slavery already existed around the world, even here! There is even some indication that free black Africans might have taken part in his voyages. Diseases? Not his fault either. We are a global society. We now have airplanes. Diseases are going to mingle around the globe (Ebola anybody?). Without early Europeans setting in North America, it would only have delayed the inevitable.
- There is no doubt that Columbus did not 'discover' North America and it is true, he never made his way onto the soil that is now the United States. He is, however, the first to keep very detailed records of his voyages and ended up 'expanding' the world like at no other time in history.
I could go on but this is getting a bit long already. Christopher Columbus was an amazing navigator. He knew the earth was round and had extensively studied Ptolomy's Geography which led him to believe the east coast of Asia was actually where Mexico is located. Columbus was also the first noted explorer to make use of the trade winds. Although, Columbus always believed he'd reached Asia, his detailed records aided cartographers and geographers alike in determining the world was actually much larger than previously thought. By some in today's society, he has been given a little too much 'power'. The world was a much different place and, much of the blame, attributed to this one explorer is very much misplaced.
Whether you believe the world is better or worse off as a result of Columbus' journeys is up to you but he does hold an important place in our history.
And a happy early Columbus Day to you.
Mention that you support Columbus Day as a holiday and prepare to have your head taken off. Not here, of course, we're too civilized but out in 'real' life.
Part of my degree is in cartography. I love maps. I could stare at maps for hours. A little odd, perhaps, but there is just so much that can be seen on a map.
I've studied the Age of Exploration as much, if not more, as the next guy. America, for better or worse, is what it is today because of Columbus. A lofty claim perhaps but one I believe.
We need to put aside a few notions when we discuss Christopher Columbus
- First, we can't weigh him on today's justice scales. He lived in a much different time. Social mores were vastly different. It would be easy to take apart most, if not all, historical figures when we apply our current values systems to them. Pick a character, if somebody wanted to vilify them, they could.
- Second, we're talking the Age of Exploration here It wasn't just the Europeans motoring (ha!) around the globe. There has been some indication that other cultures, including Muslims, had drifted to North America but there had been no real colonization. Don't think for a moment that if Columbus had not found his way to the West Indies, this would still be a land populated solely by Native Americans (who had in turn migrated from Asia). Given time there is a good chance, we could have become a Muslim nation which is very likely had Europeans not come over. That not be a problem for some but think of how different our country would be today!
- Slavery and racism did NOT originate with Christopher Columbus. If you believe that, you needed a better high school history teacher. Slavery already existed around the world, even here! There is even some indication that free black Africans might have taken part in his voyages. Diseases? Not his fault either. We are a global society. We now have airplanes. Diseases are going to mingle around the globe (Ebola anybody?). Without early Europeans setting in North America, it would only have delayed the inevitable.
- There is no doubt that Columbus did not 'discover' North America and it is true, he never made his way onto the soil that is now the United States. He is, however, the first to keep very detailed records of his voyages and ended up 'expanding' the world like at no other time in history.
I could go on but this is getting a bit long already. Christopher Columbus was an amazing navigator. He knew the earth was round and had extensively studied Ptolomy's Geography which led him to believe the east coast of Asia was actually where Mexico is located. Columbus was also the first noted explorer to make use of the trade winds. Although, Columbus always believed he'd reached Asia, his detailed records aided cartographers and geographers alike in determining the world was actually much larger than previously thought. By some in today's society, he has been given a little too much 'power'. The world was a much different place and, much of the blame, attributed to this one explorer is very much misplaced.
Whether you believe the world is better or worse off as a result of Columbus' journeys is up to you but he does hold an important place in our history.
And a happy early Columbus Day to you.
"Hey Mom, Would You Open This" Part Two
originally posted 05 OCT 2014
This didn't start out being a two-parter but if you read my last post then
you know that my husband and our teen-aged son are now vying for that 'strongest man in the house' position.
Men/boys are so silly.
By the way, my son finally separated that water bottle <<insert Tim the Toolman grunting noises here>>
Five minutes later, my husband walks in the house laughing with unbelief. He had wandered into the garage where our son is working out with weights. Hubby mentioned to him that he'd like to start working out out there with the same weights when he gets back from his trip. The boy looked at him, shook his head as if that wouldn't be possible and said, "You know, I've doubled the weights."
Oh yes, I think that gauntlet has been thrown. Somehow I suspect I won't be the only one nursing an injured back.
you know that my husband and our teen-aged son are now vying for that 'strongest man in the house' position.
Men/boys are so silly.
By the way, my son finally separated that water bottle <<insert Tim the Toolman grunting noises here>>
Five minutes later, my husband walks in the house laughing with unbelief. He had wandered into the garage where our son is working out with weights. Hubby mentioned to him that he'd like to start working out out there with the same weights when he gets back from his trip. The boy looked at him, shook his head as if that wouldn't be possible and said, "You know, I've doubled the weights."
Oh yes, I think that gauntlet has been thrown. Somehow I suspect I won't be the only one nursing an injured back.
"Hey Mom, Would You Open This?"
originally posted 05 OCT 2014
I'm nursing a back injury this week. I've been moving gingerly and am taking anti-inflammatories to help so I can move again. So when my sixteen-year-old son comes in a bit ago and says, "Hey Mom, would you open this," well, you can imagine the look of disbelief I gave him.
Keep in mind, this is the same son who works out with weights almost daily.
He has a special water bottle that stays in some sort of cooling device and he couldn't separate them.
I told him to ask his father. "No," he said very quickly.
See, for some reason my husband and son are now at that point in their relationship where they are both trying to prove which one is stronger. My son would rather I separate the containers because, if his dad did, he'd be allowing him an extra strength 'point'.
Well, just between you and me, I'm pretty sure our son is stronger now but I'd never tell my husband that. Shhhh...you didn't hear it from me.
And, minutes later, this turned into a two-part series:
I'm nursing a back injury this week. I've been moving gingerly and am taking anti-inflammatories to help so I can move again. So when my sixteen-year-old son comes in a bit ago and says, "Hey Mom, would you open this," well, you can imagine the look of disbelief I gave him.
Keep in mind, this is the same son who works out with weights almost daily.
He has a special water bottle that stays in some sort of cooling device and he couldn't separate them.
I told him to ask his father. "No," he said very quickly.
See, for some reason my husband and son are now at that point in their relationship where they are both trying to prove which one is stronger. My son would rather I separate the containers because, if his dad did, he'd be allowing him an extra strength 'point'.
Well, just between you and me, I'm pretty sure our son is stronger now but I'd never tell my husband that. Shhhh...you didn't hear it from me.
And, minutes later, this turned into a two-part series:
Into Multi-Level Marketing? No, Just No!
originally posted 21 OCT 2014
A couple years ago, I didn't think twice about multi-level marketing companies. Sure, I'd heard about pyramid schemes but figured if people wanted to throw their money up the ladder, their decision.
Then last year I fell for one of these schemes. I got sucked into an MLM's version of hCG drops. I won't go into all the details. I've shared my story on line and it can be found at Hubpages.
Let me just start by saying, normally, I'm much smarter than that but this gal kept posting and posting about all the weight lost with this diet and how it has changed her life. She broke my resolve. I figured it couldn't hurt, right?
It did. Within a month, I was seeing multiple doctors and had problems with my heart and other areas of my body. I've been prone to kidney infections since then as well. The hCG drops aren't real. I know that now. The measurements on the bottle freely admit that, if you know how to read the bottle. Who knows what is in the bottle but the diet itself was dangerous as I found out from the doctors I had to see.
After sharing my story online, so many people have contacted me. Many people were hurt by the same company's product. Others were hurt by other MLM companies' products. I've had former distributors message me to tell me about shady practices to help sell these products.
As a result of months of doctors visits and all the terrible things it did to my body, plus all the people I've heard from, I've learned one thing, I don't trust MLMs, especially any that claims to be health related. Now I know this is going to sound pretty harsh but they prey on family and friends. For those selling these 'health' products, they are willing to put people they know and love at risk for products that have no regulation.
So, no, if you have an 'upline' and want to sell me a product, no, just no! And, if you try to convince me how your company is not like the others, I'll just believe you are brainwashed...really, I will. So, no thank you.
A couple years ago, I didn't think twice about multi-level marketing companies. Sure, I'd heard about pyramid schemes but figured if people wanted to throw their money up the ladder, their decision.
Then last year I fell for one of these schemes. I got sucked into an MLM's version of hCG drops. I won't go into all the details. I've shared my story on line and it can be found at Hubpages.
Let me just start by saying, normally, I'm much smarter than that but this gal kept posting and posting about all the weight lost with this diet and how it has changed her life. She broke my resolve. I figured it couldn't hurt, right?
It did. Within a month, I was seeing multiple doctors and had problems with my heart and other areas of my body. I've been prone to kidney infections since then as well. The hCG drops aren't real. I know that now. The measurements on the bottle freely admit that, if you know how to read the bottle. Who knows what is in the bottle but the diet itself was dangerous as I found out from the doctors I had to see.
After sharing my story online, so many people have contacted me. Many people were hurt by the same company's product. Others were hurt by other MLM companies' products. I've had former distributors message me to tell me about shady practices to help sell these products.
As a result of months of doctors visits and all the terrible things it did to my body, plus all the people I've heard from, I've learned one thing, I don't trust MLMs, especially any that claims to be health related. Now I know this is going to sound pretty harsh but they prey on family and friends. For those selling these 'health' products, they are willing to put people they know and love at risk for products that have no regulation.
So, no, if you have an 'upline' and want to sell me a product, no, just no! And, if you try to convince me how your company is not like the others, I'll just believe you are brainwashed...really, I will. So, no thank you.
Muffled Meows at Midnight
originally posted 21 OCT 2014
With my husband traveling, my daughter likes to sleep with me. Last night, in the interest of getting some much needed sleep, we opted to let our new addition sleep with us rather than listen to her meow LOUDLY from the bathroom all night.
Late last night, as I read in bed, kitty was laying on my stomach. After two children, a comfy spot indeed for a kitty. I kept messing with her though because I wanted her to sleep when I slept. She finally opened both eyes, pretty sure she glared at me. She then marched over to my daughter's side of the bed, crawled under the covers and fell asleep on her stomach.
It was quite peaceful for her until my daughter rolled over in her sleep. Muffled meows. I rescued her. She then chose to sleep between us the rest of the night until about 4am and when she decided it was play time and decided it would be fun to attack my hands.
Yawn...good thing she's so cute.
Are You an Ice Chewer?
originally published 22 OCT 2014
Do you crave ice? Pagophagia is what they call it.
I am a recovered pagophagist (probably not a word but I run with it). For several years, I craved ice. I would buy those ice bags at the store or get large cups of it at Sonic (their ice was amazing!). After a while I even bought an ice machine and kept it going all day. I know, I know about my teeth. Believe you me, my dentist and I have had the conversations.
But, I was an ice addict.
I was also anemic. Severely anemic and it took me awhile to connect the dots. Started realizing over time that my friends who admitted also being ice chewers were anemic as well.
Kept chomping on ice until one night I ended up in the ER. Not from the ice but from incredibly low hemoglobin. They talked about giving me a transfusion. I didn't want one so they sent me to a hematologist. Best thing that ever happened to me. She scheduled me immediately for iron infusions the next morning.
On the way to my iron infusion, I had my my usual morning cup of ice. I'd been chewing ice for years. Had my first infusion. Have never chewed ice since. Haven't wanted it.
Now, when I meet ice chewers, I share my story and gently ask if they might be anemic. At one point, I went in to our local Starbucks and the guy behind the counter started thanking me profusely. I had shared my story on a previous visit and he went to get checked. Indeed, he was anemic.
If you are an ice chewer, get checked for anemia and have your ferritin checked as well. Low ferritin signals a problem with iron and could well explain your habit.
Do you crave ice? Pagophagia is what they call it.
I am a recovered pagophagist (probably not a word but I run with it). For several years, I craved ice. I would buy those ice bags at the store or get large cups of it at Sonic (their ice was amazing!). After a while I even bought an ice machine and kept it going all day. I know, I know about my teeth. Believe you me, my dentist and I have had the conversations.
But, I was an ice addict.
I was also anemic. Severely anemic and it took me awhile to connect the dots. Started realizing over time that my friends who admitted also being ice chewers were anemic as well.
Kept chomping on ice until one night I ended up in the ER. Not from the ice but from incredibly low hemoglobin. They talked about giving me a transfusion. I didn't want one so they sent me to a hematologist. Best thing that ever happened to me. She scheduled me immediately for iron infusions the next morning.
On the way to my iron infusion, I had my my usual morning cup of ice. I'd been chewing ice for years. Had my first infusion. Have never chewed ice since. Haven't wanted it.
Now, when I meet ice chewers, I share my story and gently ask if they might be anemic. At one point, I went in to our local Starbucks and the guy behind the counter started thanking me profusely. I had shared my story on a previous visit and he went to get checked. Indeed, he was anemic.
If you are an ice chewer, get checked for anemia and have your ferritin checked as well. Low ferritin signals a problem with iron and could well explain your habit.
My Daughter Has Special Glasses for Her Dyslexia
originally posted 22 OCT 2014
My daughter was fortunate to take part in a special study on Chromagen lenses. For taking part in the study, the glasses and exams were free (worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000!). I've shared in detail our story on Hubpages but just want to share a little here as well in hopes that it helps somebody else.
The glasses in the photo above are my daughter's. They have a slightly different tint in each lens which allows her to process information a bit more quickly.
How do I know this? We pulled her out of school in second grade because traditional school was just not a good fit for our daughter. We've worked on reading fluency over the years. I know more than anybody what she is capable of doing and, indeed, she has come so far and loves reading but it does present a bit of a challenge for her at times.
When she put on these new glasses for the first time, her reading fluency rate went up 30%. If you know about reading fluency, this is huge! She loves these glasses and wears them everywhere. She says they make of what she does easier.
I don't know if you have a loved one with dyslexia, but these might be worth looking into. They don't work for everybody. I think you really have to have specific symptoms with your dyslexia but google Chromagen lenses to learn more.
image of my daughter's glasses belongs to Carikay . Do not copy without permission.
Drowning Raccoons
originally posted 14 OCT 2014
I was pregnant with my daughter and my husband was deployed. We had property in the Coastal mountains in Oregon. At that time, we had three outdoor cats. They couldn't come in because of all the poison oak. I'm allergic and they'd end up leaving the oils all over the furniture and I'd be a itchy, swollen wreck. It was okay though because these three clearly wanted to be indoor kitties.
Being pregnant and having a husband gone, I was a bit sad during that time. I was the last semester of graduate school and had a four year old son. It wasn't an easy time by any means.
One day, I noticed the cats were acting oddly. There was a scraggly looking raccoon on our porch in broad daylight. This fellow was going after the cat food and the cats were keeping their distance. This happened each day and this raccoon did not look good. I was thinking, uh oh, rabies!
Called a few different places to see if they could trap the raccoon but nobody could. Finally, the country brought me a big crate-like trap. He said to throw some cat food in the back of the trap and the door would shut automatically when the raccoon was inside. I asked what to do with him when I caught him. He said to tip the crate over and get a hose. He wanted me to drown the raccoon!
Can i just say, I LOVE animals. While my husband does hunt on occasion, I couldn't hunt unless my children needed food and there was no other way to get it. It's just me. I don't have a problem with hunting. But, I did suspect rabies and with two dogs, three cats and a little boy, I did want to take care of the problem.
A day or two later, I came home from school, the raccoon was trapped.
------------------------
This is getting long, so I'm turning this into a two-parter. Part Two:
Drowning Raccoons
image courtesy of Pixabay
Thursday, January 1, 2015
A Cure For Warts
originally posted 13 OCT 2014
My poor girl suffers with warts.
I've never had one and when she had her first warts a couple years ago, I had no clue what they were.
Took her to the dermatologist where they quickly diagnosed warts and froze them off. She said it felt like bee stings and she didn't like it.
She's a dancer. She dances four to five days a week and we're pretty sure that is where she contracted this virus and keeps contracting it. She's the only one in the family to get warts.
They appear on her feet and her knees. She usually gets about one to three of them at a time. So when she got the next couple a few months later, she begged me not to take her back in. We tried a few over the counter wart removers and they didn't work so well. So, did a bit of reading and decided to try apple cider vinegar.
We've had good success with ACV in the past. My daughter and I both have perioral dermatitis and it works wonders. Also, when my son was bitten by the brown recluse, ACV helped get him off all the antibiotics.
So, we've been using it on her warts and it works. It doesn't work over night but if we're faithful, it goes away within a couple weeks. We simply apply the ACV to a cottonball, stick it on the wart and put a bandaid over it. She sleeps with it and then takes it off before her shower in the morning.
Have you had to deal with warts? What worked for you?
My poor girl suffers with warts.
I've never had one and when she had her first warts a couple years ago, I had no clue what they were.
Took her to the dermatologist where they quickly diagnosed warts and froze them off. She said it felt like bee stings and she didn't like it.
She's a dancer. She dances four to five days a week and we're pretty sure that is where she contracted this virus and keeps contracting it. She's the only one in the family to get warts.
They appear on her feet and her knees. She usually gets about one to three of them at a time. So when she got the next couple a few months later, she begged me not to take her back in. We tried a few over the counter wart removers and they didn't work so well. So, did a bit of reading and decided to try apple cider vinegar.
We've had good success with ACV in the past. My daughter and I both have perioral dermatitis and it works wonders. Also, when my son was bitten by the brown recluse, ACV helped get him off all the antibiotics.
So, we've been using it on her warts and it works. It doesn't work over night but if we're faithful, it goes away within a couple weeks. We simply apply the ACV to a cottonball, stick it on the wart and put a bandaid over it. She sleeps with it and then takes it off before her shower in the morning.
Have you had to deal with warts? What worked for you?
Kitty Training
She's good. I'll give her that.
We can be busy doing something and we'll see her batting at a toy while eying us. Yep, we throw aside whatever we're doing and start tossing around the toy for her.
She sleeps where she wants which, when I wake up seems to either be on my stomach or pressed against my daughter's sleeping face.
She walks in the room and our hound keeps a wary eye on her. If kitty jumps up the sofa, our pooch will quickly vacate the spot for her.
When we think she's being just a bit too demanding, she gives us those big kitty eyes and we're like melted butter in her paws.
Would type more but she's sitting here blocking my screen.
image belongs to &CariKay. Do not copy without permission.
Remembering the Ponies
originally posted 01 NOV 2014
We rented our last home in California for a year before we moved to Florida. We lived on ten acres in the Gold Country and loved it.
Our neighbor would graze his ponies on our property. I fell in love those ponies. When we'd get home, they'd trot over to say hello. There were five of them. One pony got bigger and bigger. It was clear she was expecting.
Imagine our delight one day when we saw the baby wobbling behind her. The other ponies would trot over but she kept her distance. She started coming over for pets but would block the baby so we couldn't get near. We didn't try. Last thing we wanted to do was stress her.
I took this photo on a very special day. I had wandered over to the fence by myself to say hello. The ponies came trotting over. I gave my usual pets and fed them some of the tall grass they so enjoyed. You could see Mama watching me. Then she did the neatest thing, she nudged her baby over to me. I get tearful just remembering it. She was giving me the okay. She trusted me. That baby was the softest thing I've ever petted. After that, she had no problem with me around her baby.
I was so sad when we moved. I loved those ponies.
image belongs to &CariKay. Do not copy without permission.
Dyslexia? We Scoff In Its Face!
originally posted by 04 NOV 2014
I continue to share the great strides my daughter has made with her dyslexia. If you've read my bubbles, you already know the first part but I'll share it again.
We pulled our daughter out of school in second grade because she was struggling. She was failing. Even with her IEP that pulled her out of class for therapy and to give her more time on tests, she'd still fail and it wreaked havoc on her self esteem. She'd worry so much about completing her test when others completed their tests, she wouldn't read the questions and would just answer. She was coming home telling us how stupid she was and that just was not going to fly in this house. Her standardized testing put her grades behind and there were tears almost daily. It was awful.
Started homeschooling her in second grade. Took her back for more dyslexia-related testing and they were so impressed by how much she had improved. They told me they couldn't ask for anything better and to keep it up!
Last year in fifth grade, her lexile score put her at the level of a junior or senior high school reading level. Her standardized test score had her at a 9th grade level average and with her lowest score being a seventh grade level.
I have people asking me all the time how we did this. I'll tell you the secret and it is one I believe with all my heart.
With dyslexia, you cannot beat one-on-one instruction. You can't. I don't care if you have a Ph.D or just a high school diploma. I've talked to so many parents that have similar success stories and their own educational background is so varied. Now, that's not to say we haven't put in the effort. When I pulled her out of school, I took her back to preschool phonics to teach her everything she hadn't learned in school plus added three language arts curricula. But, she's not competing with other students and time is the biggest reason, I believe, that these kids are struggling in school. Now she has all the time in the world and, over the last few years, we've seen her improve everything from her reading to test times. During her last standardized test, even though she is allowed extra time, we decided not to use it and she had no problem finishing in the time allotted.
Her self esteem improved quickly. Now she'll be the first to tell you how smart kids with dyslexia are and she is correct. You just have to find the best way they learn and run with it. And, of course, like I said, one-on-one instruction cannot be beat.
I continue to share the great strides my daughter has made with her dyslexia. If you've read my bubbles, you already know the first part but I'll share it again.
We pulled our daughter out of school in second grade because she was struggling. She was failing. Even with her IEP that pulled her out of class for therapy and to give her more time on tests, she'd still fail and it wreaked havoc on her self esteem. She'd worry so much about completing her test when others completed their tests, she wouldn't read the questions and would just answer. She was coming home telling us how stupid she was and that just was not going to fly in this house. Her standardized testing put her grades behind and there were tears almost daily. It was awful.
Started homeschooling her in second grade. Took her back for more dyslexia-related testing and they were so impressed by how much she had improved. They told me they couldn't ask for anything better and to keep it up!
Last year in fifth grade, her lexile score put her at the level of a junior or senior high school reading level. Her standardized test score had her at a 9th grade level average and with her lowest score being a seventh grade level.
I have people asking me all the time how we did this. I'll tell you the secret and it is one I believe with all my heart.
With dyslexia, you cannot beat one-on-one instruction. You can't. I don't care if you have a Ph.D or just a high school diploma. I've talked to so many parents that have similar success stories and their own educational background is so varied. Now, that's not to say we haven't put in the effort. When I pulled her out of school, I took her back to preschool phonics to teach her everything she hadn't learned in school plus added three language arts curricula. But, she's not competing with other students and time is the biggest reason, I believe, that these kids are struggling in school. Now she has all the time in the world and, over the last few years, we've seen her improve everything from her reading to test times. During her last standardized test, even though she is allowed extra time, we decided not to use it and she had no problem finishing in the time allotted.
Her self esteem improved quickly. Now she'll be the first to tell you how smart kids with dyslexia are and she is correct. You just have to find the best way they learn and run with it. And, of course, like I said, one-on-one instruction cannot be beat.
Warning: Diaper Blowout Story
originally posted 04 NOV 2014
&Terriberri12 shared a story of when she had a new little girl in the family and that just brought to mind a story of ours.
Our son was probably a year and a half or so. It was a quiet evening. I remember both my husband and I were relaxing on the couch. I was reading the paper (antiquated notion, I know, but this was about fifteen years ago and I was a big NYT's crossword fan) and he was reading a magazine.
Our son was happily playing on the floor with some toys. Suddenly the silence was broken with a really loud, very audible, kid-is-filling-the-diaper-with-poop-right-now sort of noise.
My husband and I looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Your turn." Long story short, he refused to change it.
Oh boy, and a diaper it was. It was a blowout. In the midst of changing him, I found something a little odd and just a bit different about this diaper. There was a large screw nut in the diaper. It was clear my son had swallowed it at some point and that was the cause for the mess I was cleaning.
Called my husband over. Very sheepishly, he admitted that earlier in the week, while he was working in the garage, he had let him sort some nuts and bolts. Our son was a big sorter from a very young age. He said they were larger and he didn't think he could swallow one.
Sigh...men...when will they learn?
Anyhow, it was clear our son was sorting them this way, "One for you, one for me" <<opening mouth>>
After that, my husband was a lot more careful (and under a lot more supervision when he had our son).
&Terriberri12 shared a story of when she had a new little girl in the family and that just brought to mind a story of ours.
Our son was probably a year and a half or so. It was a quiet evening. I remember both my husband and I were relaxing on the couch. I was reading the paper (antiquated notion, I know, but this was about fifteen years ago and I was a big NYT's crossword fan) and he was reading a magazine.
Our son was happily playing on the floor with some toys. Suddenly the silence was broken with a really loud, very audible, kid-is-filling-the-diaper-with-poop-right-now sort of noise.
My husband and I looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Your turn." Long story short, he refused to change it.
Oh boy, and a diaper it was. It was a blowout. In the midst of changing him, I found something a little odd and just a bit different about this diaper. There was a large screw nut in the diaper. It was clear my son had swallowed it at some point and that was the cause for the mess I was cleaning.
Called my husband over. Very sheepishly, he admitted that earlier in the week, while he was working in the garage, he had let him sort some nuts and bolts. Our son was a big sorter from a very young age. He said they were larger and he didn't think he could swallow one.
Sigh...men...when will they learn?
Anyhow, it was clear our son was sorting them this way, "One for you, one for me" <<opening mouth>>
After that, my husband was a lot more careful (and under a lot more supervision when he had our son).
Should Homework Be Banned
originally posted 09 NOV 2014
The best part of homeschooling, my children say, is that they have no homework. Now, I know, you're saying, "But, it's homeschool. Isn't all their homework at home?" No, not really, my kids have always taken some classes with other kids. They also do a fair amount while being chauffeured to their various classes, clubs and activities. My son, who is in high school, is taking all his classes at the Community College now so he does have homework but, when he was younger, he'd be done by early afternoon each day.
I've been reading how more and more elementary and middle schools are banning homework. We've been in the school system. We were all very frustrated by the amount of work coming home and it was and is a common complaint among my friends whose kids are still in traditional schools.
I really don't think it is needed. I have two children who learn very differently. My daughter has dyslexia. They have all their schoolwork done by the time most kids are breaking out their sandwiches for lunch. Both are doing wonderfully academically.
Studies have also shown that homework really doesn't have much value before high school. A study at Stanford found that the more homework kids have, the more likely they are to be stressed, less socialized (with more socialization problems) and tend to have a lot more health problems.
Really, getting their schoolwork done so early every day allows them to hang out with friends, join groups, get involved in the community and just be kids. Sometimes it makes me sad that while my kids have all their homeschooled pals over to hang out, some kids can't come over because they have too much homework. Socialization is important.
As more elementary and middle schools do away with homework, what do you think? Homework? Yay or Nay?
The best part of homeschooling, my children say, is that they have no homework. Now, I know, you're saying, "But, it's homeschool. Isn't all their homework at home?" No, not really, my kids have always taken some classes with other kids. They also do a fair amount while being chauffeured to their various classes, clubs and activities. My son, who is in high school, is taking all his classes at the Community College now so he does have homework but, when he was younger, he'd be done by early afternoon each day.
I've been reading how more and more elementary and middle schools are banning homework. We've been in the school system. We were all very frustrated by the amount of work coming home and it was and is a common complaint among my friends whose kids are still in traditional schools.
I really don't think it is needed. I have two children who learn very differently. My daughter has dyslexia. They have all their schoolwork done by the time most kids are breaking out their sandwiches for lunch. Both are doing wonderfully academically.
Studies have also shown that homework really doesn't have much value before high school. A study at Stanford found that the more homework kids have, the more likely they are to be stressed, less socialized (with more socialization problems) and tend to have a lot more health problems.
Really, getting their schoolwork done so early every day allows them to hang out with friends, join groups, get involved in the community and just be kids. Sometimes it makes me sad that while my kids have all their homeschooled pals over to hang out, some kids can't come over because they have too much homework. Socialization is important.
As more elementary and middle schools do away with homework, what do you think? Homework? Yay or Nay?
Who Has the Greatest Impact on a Child's Life?
originally posted 09 NOV 2014
Still reading online and was looking at a Rasmussen Poll that asked this question:
Not surprisingly, 85% of poll respondents said the child's parents.
And, we can look around and see the evidence of this. Studies show that in households with involved fathers, there were far fewer behavioral problems and higher test scores. Of course, there are all the studies showing that the majority of incarcerated adults had an absent father. They are also much more likely to live in poverty and get involved with drugs later on.
But, there is good news if you are divorced or separated. There was a study completed at Penn State showing that fathers who were very involved in their children's lives, even if they didn't live with them, had a very positive influence on their lives as well.
Not everybody has two very involved parents though. In those cases, the remaining parent takes on the role of two. Love your child. Don't be a marshmallow. Be authoritative but not authoritarian.
The greatest influence, I believe, is love and we all have that capability.
Still reading online and was looking at a Rasmussen Poll that asked this question:
"Who plays the biggest role in determining the future success and happiness of a child—his or her parents, siblings, friends, or teachers?"
Not surprisingly, 85% of poll respondents said the child's parents.
And, we can look around and see the evidence of this. Studies show that in households with involved fathers, there were far fewer behavioral problems and higher test scores. Of course, there are all the studies showing that the majority of incarcerated adults had an absent father. They are also much more likely to live in poverty and get involved with drugs later on.
But, there is good news if you are divorced or separated. There was a study completed at Penn State showing that fathers who were very involved in their children's lives, even if they didn't live with them, had a very positive influence on their lives as well.
Not everybody has two very involved parents though. In those cases, the remaining parent takes on the role of two. Love your child. Don't be a marshmallow. Be authoritative but not authoritarian.
The greatest influence, I believe, is love and we all have that capability.
What You've Likely Forgotten About Kittens
originally posted 09 NOV 2014
Kitties are a special kind of fuzzy cuteness all wrapped up in an adorable bundle, no doubt. If that is your image of a kitten, you've forgotten something important. Under that layer of cuteness, you forget about the razor-sharp claws and teeth! Yes, they have very, very sharp teeth but, trust me, after bringing your new little energetic ball of fluff home, you don't forget for long.
Let's just be frank, they are nuts, completely nuts. A lot of the nuttiness seems to take place during our slumber hours. Not unusual to have kitty tear across the house, across your bed while using your stomach as a springboard to complete yet another lap.
If you ever need to track down your kitty though, easy enough to do. Throw an empty box in the middle of the room. Quick and easy kitty trap.
Papers scattered across the floor, knick knacks knocked off shelves, curtains sporting claw marks way up high? You betcha. But, on the flip side, lots of giggles and entertainment as everybody finds themselves watching all the kitty's crazy antics.
And, thankfully, when they are napping, they look positively angelic and you forget for a brief while the reign of terror they hold over your house.
image of our little terror belongs to &CariKay. Do not copy without permission.
Homework - A Way to Keep Kids Out of Trouble?
originally posted 10 NOV 2014
I posted yesterday about whether homework should be banned? In the younger grades, is it really necessary?
One of the comments really had me thinking though:
My daughter dances and she tells me that her friends in public school who dance are always complaining about how late they stay up doing homework when they get home (9pm). She says they are always tired. I hate to see that.
There are more and more studies showing that homework in elementary and middle school doesn't do much to increase knowledge or improve grades and instead can lead to stressed out kids who struggle with socialization and have more health issues.
Our local middle schools keep kids until nearly 5pm. I asked about these incredibly late days when we moved here and was told by some parents that it is because so many parents work and this keeps the kids out of trouble.
I thought that was a pretty sad reason to keep kids in school all day and I think the same of assigning homework if this is the reason behind it.
My kids don't have homework and have very minimal time playing video games and watching TV. They're hanging out with friends, swimming, involved in activities as are most of their friends (who don't have homework).
No doubt there are parents who don't really care what their kids do but I do think there are far more who do take parenting seriously. We need to give more responsibility to parents and place less of it on schools and teachers.
I posted yesterday about whether homework should be banned? In the younger grades, is it really necessary?
One of the comments really had me thinking though:
"I would say yay to homework. I work at a school and I see kids using their extra time playing video games and engaging in activities on electronic gadgets, they are not socialising with other children."Is homework a way to keep kids out of trouble? Do we as a society think that parents are failing at their jobs and just leaving electronic gadgets to babysit? Is this a valid reason to give homework? Time spent doing homework is certainly time they'll spend, hopefully not in front of a TV screen or video game but it is also time they won't spend with friends or involved in various groups and activities.
My daughter dances and she tells me that her friends in public school who dance are always complaining about how late they stay up doing homework when they get home (9pm). She says they are always tired. I hate to see that.
There are more and more studies showing that homework in elementary and middle school doesn't do much to increase knowledge or improve grades and instead can lead to stressed out kids who struggle with socialization and have more health issues.
Our local middle schools keep kids until nearly 5pm. I asked about these incredibly late days when we moved here and was told by some parents that it is because so many parents work and this keeps the kids out of trouble.
I thought that was a pretty sad reason to keep kids in school all day and I think the same of assigning homework if this is the reason behind it.
My kids don't have homework and have very minimal time playing video games and watching TV. They're hanging out with friends, swimming, involved in activities as are most of their friends (who don't have homework).
No doubt there are parents who don't really care what their kids do but I do think there are far more who do take parenting seriously. We need to give more responsibility to parents and place less of it on schools and teachers.
Are Anti-Bullying Programs Making Bullying Worse?
originally posted 10 NOV 2014
&Uniqueorn shared today about her experience with bullying and, from there, we've both commiserated over the poor attempts at anti-bullying in our kids' schools despite their anti-bully programs. Not surprisingly, we both homeschool now and have happier kids as a result.Last year, a study by the University of Texas showed that schools with anti-bullying programs tend to have kids who were more likely to be bullied. The thinking is that these programs actually teach bullies better methods of bullying that are less likely to get them into trouble.
My son was in grade school when we enrolled him into the International Baccalaureate program. The school talked about their superior methods at preventing bullying. That school ended up being the worst experience. Not only did we find the academics to be more about ideology and less about, say, academics but the bullying was just awful. My son was being physically bullied and in tears almost every day there.
The Principal's solution, after being bullied by me, was to send the counselor to the classroom to hold class therapy sessions. These sessions ended up being a time when the kids would complain about the other kids which resulted in even more kids going home crying. They started interviewing the kids separately and one mom told me they asked her son if was really just his parents bullying him and not the kids in the school. For months this went on. We finally gave up on the school for a number of reasons but the bullying was a huge part of it.
I Am The Breaker
Originally posted 16 OCT 2014
I love this site because I get to dig out so many memories and share them.
Today, we're jumping in our time machine and going back to the year 2010. This is the year there was a major earthquake in Haiti which devastated Port au Prince (a city in which I once worked), Simon Cowell left American Idol (a show I once watched) and my then eleven-year-old son announced that I am The Breaker (a job title I still hold).
We were in the car. My son was mentioning (again) that his major injuries always seem to happen on his Daddy's watch (i.e. concussion slamming into a tree on a rope swing, broken arm falling off the workbench as a tot and that sort of thing). What he said was true.
I told him that his father's job was to toughen him up and my job is always to make sure that his father doesn't inadvertently kill him.
That's when my son announced that he considers me to be The Breaker.
I asked what that meant.
He said his father is like the 'circuit' and when the circuit surges or gets out of control, I'm the 'breaker' that shuts it down before the light bulb gets broken.
One of my favorite analogies ever. I am, indeed, The Breaker (and I am sure many other mother's can relate to this as well).
Today, we're jumping in our time machine and going back to the year 2010. This is the year there was a major earthquake in Haiti which devastated Port au Prince (a city in which I once worked), Simon Cowell left American Idol (a show I once watched) and my then eleven-year-old son announced that I am The Breaker (a job title I still hold).
We were in the car. My son was mentioning (again) that his major injuries always seem to happen on his Daddy's watch (i.e. concussion slamming into a tree on a rope swing, broken arm falling off the workbench as a tot and that sort of thing). What he said was true.
I told him that his father's job was to toughen him up and my job is always to make sure that his father doesn't inadvertently kill him.
That's when my son announced that he considers me to be The Breaker.
I asked what that meant.
He said his father is like the 'circuit' and when the circuit surges or gets out of control, I'm the 'breaker' that shuts it down before the light bulb gets broken.
One of my favorite analogies ever. I am, indeed, The Breaker (and I am sure many other mother's can relate to this as well).
Standing on the Beach During a Quake
originally posted 29 OCT 2014
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I've been in a number of quakes. I even have a scar under my nose from when a clock fell off during a quake and hit me as a young child.
My favorite quake story (and really, shouldn't everybody have a favorite quake story?) happened when I was probably around ten years of age or so.
We used to go to Coyote Point just south of the City. They had a bit of beach there and it was a nice place to walk. Mostly I went with my grandmother.
That day, we were standing on the beach when a quake hit. I don't know the magnitude but standing on that beach during the quake was an amazing feeling. I felt like my feet were even sinking into the sand but not sure if they were or not. The sand was rolling like waves, at least that is how it felt to me. It seemed to last awhile but quakes often do when you are in them. Quite a bit of the area around there is actually on fill which can account for the rolling wave-like feeling but not sure if Coyote Point is.
Thought of this today because I was thinking of my Grandmother and that led me to thinking about Coyote Point which, in turn, led me to think of that earthquake.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I've been in a number of quakes. I even have a scar under my nose from when a clock fell off during a quake and hit me as a young child.
My favorite quake story (and really, shouldn't everybody have a favorite quake story?) happened when I was probably around ten years of age or so.
We used to go to Coyote Point just south of the City. They had a bit of beach there and it was a nice place to walk. Mostly I went with my grandmother.
That day, we were standing on the beach when a quake hit. I don't know the magnitude but standing on that beach during the quake was an amazing feeling. I felt like my feet were even sinking into the sand but not sure if they were or not. The sand was rolling like waves, at least that is how it felt to me. It seemed to last awhile but quakes often do when you are in them. Quite a bit of the area around there is actually on fill which can account for the rolling wave-like feeling but not sure if Coyote Point is.
Thought of this today because I was thinking of my Grandmother and that led me to thinking about Coyote Point which, in turn, led me to think of that earthquake.
When You Give a Cook Your Thyme
originally posted 04 NOV 2014
Fixing scrambled eggs this morning. I added some swiss cheese and a couple seasonings. Well, from there, any Simon & Garfunkel fan knows what happened next.
Once I grab the thyme (or parsley or sage or rosemary), it is a given in this house that I am going to start belting out Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair".
Once I start belting out Scarborough Fair, you know at some point soon I'm going to be humming "The Boxer", singing "Cecilia" and pondering "I Am a Rock".
That just launches me into a Simon & Garfunkel medley and sometimes I'll even pull up a few tunes on my cell phone.
My kids just roll their eyes but then I launch into my personal favorite "A Hazy Shade of Winter".
Of course, once I sing that first line of "A Hazy Shade of Winter", I think to myself, "I should add a bit more thyme,"
and the medleys start over once again.
Fixing scrambled eggs this morning. I added some swiss cheese and a couple seasonings. Well, from there, any Simon & Garfunkel fan knows what happened next.
Once I grab the thyme (or parsley or sage or rosemary), it is a given in this house that I am going to start belting out Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair".
Once I start belting out Scarborough Fair, you know at some point soon I'm going to be humming "The Boxer", singing "Cecilia" and pondering "I Am a Rock".
That just launches me into a Simon & Garfunkel medley and sometimes I'll even pull up a few tunes on my cell phone.
My kids just roll their eyes but then I launch into my personal favorite "A Hazy Shade of Winter".
Of course, once I sing that first line of "A Hazy Shade of Winter", I think to myself, "I should add a bit more thyme,"
and the medleys start over once again.
How I Discovered I Have an Extra Bone in My Foot
originally posted 29 OCT 2014
Several years ago, I was racing for the phone, when my bare foot slammed into a wooden chair. Specifically, my small toe hit it at full force.
I saw stars. I really did. The pain was awful. It was Sunday morning and we were also getting ready to go to church. I waited the pain out and continued getting dressed. I wore short pumps. By the end of service, I could barely walk. Just figured I broke my little toe. Not much can be done. Didn't even think I'd need to see the doctor.
The pain persisted and I has hobbling everywhere. Finally, like a week later, I made an appointment with a Podiatrist.
Took as x-ray. No broken bone but he could see I was in distress and just moving my small toe even a fraction sent me practically through the roof. He also said that I had an extra bone (an accessory bone) in my foot. It happens and he sees that every so often. Rest the foot he said. He also said something about the tendons, gave me some meds, a cast shoe and he'd see me back in a few weeks.
Continued pain. He gave me a prescription for crutches which I used and disliked. Went back for my next appointment. No improvement. Sent me for an MRI. Nothing remarkable. Sent me to physical therapy where I remained for months. They'd do some sort of shock treatment on my foot and I'd be able to walk with almost no pain for about a day and then it would be back.
I went through almost a half year of this. I switched from the crutches to a cane because it was more comfortable for me but the pain remained.
It didn't heal.
One night, I was sitting at the kitchen table playing a board game. I was barefoot and doing some foot stretches my physical therapist recommended. POP! I heard a pop so loudly (whether in my head, I'm not sure) but the pain was instantaneous and excruciating. My family wasn't sure what had happened to me but a couple minutes later, I got up and I was walking with no pain.
Turns out the extra bone had been dislocated or out of place. The stretching had somehow maneuvered it back. Since they had no clue where it belonged, nobody realized that it was this extra bone.
I've had no problems with it since. Crazy, huh?
Several years ago, I was racing for the phone, when my bare foot slammed into a wooden chair. Specifically, my small toe hit it at full force.
I saw stars. I really did. The pain was awful. It was Sunday morning and we were also getting ready to go to church. I waited the pain out and continued getting dressed. I wore short pumps. By the end of service, I could barely walk. Just figured I broke my little toe. Not much can be done. Didn't even think I'd need to see the doctor.
The pain persisted and I has hobbling everywhere. Finally, like a week later, I made an appointment with a Podiatrist.
Took as x-ray. No broken bone but he could see I was in distress and just moving my small toe even a fraction sent me practically through the roof. He also said that I had an extra bone (an accessory bone) in my foot. It happens and he sees that every so often. Rest the foot he said. He also said something about the tendons, gave me some meds, a cast shoe and he'd see me back in a few weeks.
Continued pain. He gave me a prescription for crutches which I used and disliked. Went back for my next appointment. No improvement. Sent me for an MRI. Nothing remarkable. Sent me to physical therapy where I remained for months. They'd do some sort of shock treatment on my foot and I'd be able to walk with almost no pain for about a day and then it would be back.
I went through almost a half year of this. I switched from the crutches to a cane because it was more comfortable for me but the pain remained.
It didn't heal.
One night, I was sitting at the kitchen table playing a board game. I was barefoot and doing some foot stretches my physical therapist recommended. POP! I heard a pop so loudly (whether in my head, I'm not sure) but the pain was instantaneous and excruciating. My family wasn't sure what had happened to me but a couple minutes later, I got up and I was walking with no pain.
Turns out the extra bone had been dislocated or out of place. The stretching had somehow maneuvered it back. Since they had no clue where it belonged, nobody realized that it was this extra bone.
I've had no problems with it since. Crazy, huh?
My Daughter's Dream Dog is a What?
originally posted 26 OCT 2014
&Lorayo has a post on dogs she would like and that just reminded me of my daughter's dream dog.
My daughter keeps us in stitches. She can be so serious with some of her ideas but they crack us up.
We were driving in the car some time ago and I was talking about growing up with German Shepherds. I just love that breed. They are super smart and just great dogs.
So my daughter announces that when she gets her own place one day, she plans on getting a Great Dane / Basset Hound mix. Of course, I'm thinking is that even physically possible but a quick search of Google Images tells me that, yes, yes it is. She loves just the sheer size of Great Danes and her friend has an old Basset Hound that she adores so that is how she came up with her combination.
Wonder what you would call one? A Great Hound? A Bassetdane?
&Lorayo has a post on dogs she would like and that just reminded me of my daughter's dream dog.
My daughter keeps us in stitches. She can be so serious with some of her ideas but they crack us up.
We were driving in the car some time ago and I was talking about growing up with German Shepherds. I just love that breed. They are super smart and just great dogs.
So my daughter announces that when she gets her own place one day, she plans on getting a Great Dane / Basset Hound mix. Of course, I'm thinking is that even physically possible but a quick search of Google Images tells me that, yes, yes it is. She loves just the sheer size of Great Danes and her friend has an old Basset Hound that she adores so that is how she came up with her combination.
Wonder what you would call one? A Great Hound? A Bassetdane?
Time to Break that Mirror
originally posted 06 NOV 2014
Recently, a friend shared a photo on Facebook. She had walked by a full-length mirror that made her look super skinny. She posted, "I need this mirror!" Very quickly, many other women were liking the post and commenting, "Me too!"
Let me tell you about this woman. She is gorgeous. She works out. She's in shape. She has a body most women would love to have. I posted, "You're gorgeous. You wouldn't really want to look anorexic." Even more quickly, other women liked my post.
How many teenage girls saw her post that day? Probably quite a few. Here is a very attractive lady who is in great shape telling them that you can always be thinner and equating thinness to happiness.
And that is the lie our culture has for us. We are bombarded with images of women who are photoshopped to look unrealistically skinny. Women and girls are frequently ANA (pro-anorexia boards) in greater and greater numbers. We are given unhealthy and dangerous diets like the hCG diet (500 calories a day).
Our culture is promoting the idea that we need to look like boys to be happy. We need to lose our curves and lose our femininity to look good and that is a lie. I've shared that I have a mother with an eating disorder. She's bought into the lie that she has to be super skinny to be appreciated.
We moved to the Caribbean when I was in my late 30s. To give you an idea, I was in really good shape and exercising frequently but my BMI was in the 26 to 27 range. I have never gotten more catcalls in my life than when I lived there. Curviness was celebrated in that culture and I like that. I'd like to see that appreciated in our culture as well.
I'd like to see us break those mirrors that prevent us from seeing our true worth. I'd like to see us appreciate and see our true beauty. Don't let society dictate your value. It'll never be enough. And, most of all, pass this along to the next generation. These girls need to know they are already beautiful.
Recently, a friend shared a photo on Facebook. She had walked by a full-length mirror that made her look super skinny. She posted, "I need this mirror!" Very quickly, many other women were liking the post and commenting, "Me too!"
Let me tell you about this woman. She is gorgeous. She works out. She's in shape. She has a body most women would love to have. I posted, "You're gorgeous. You wouldn't really want to look anorexic." Even more quickly, other women liked my post.
How many teenage girls saw her post that day? Probably quite a few. Here is a very attractive lady who is in great shape telling them that you can always be thinner and equating thinness to happiness.
And that is the lie our culture has for us. We are bombarded with images of women who are photoshopped to look unrealistically skinny. Women and girls are frequently ANA (pro-anorexia boards) in greater and greater numbers. We are given unhealthy and dangerous diets like the hCG diet (500 calories a day).
Our culture is promoting the idea that we need to look like boys to be happy. We need to lose our curves and lose our femininity to look good and that is a lie. I've shared that I have a mother with an eating disorder. She's bought into the lie that she has to be super skinny to be appreciated.
We moved to the Caribbean when I was in my late 30s. To give you an idea, I was in really good shape and exercising frequently but my BMI was in the 26 to 27 range. I have never gotten more catcalls in my life than when I lived there. Curviness was celebrated in that culture and I like that. I'd like to see that appreciated in our culture as well.
I'd like to see us break those mirrors that prevent us from seeing our true worth. I'd like to see us appreciate and see our true beauty. Don't let society dictate your value. It'll never be enough. And, most of all, pass this along to the next generation. These girls need to know they are already beautiful.
Locked Up in Alcatraz
originally posted 06 NOV 2014
Grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and, you know, when you grow up there, a field trip to Alcatraz was almost a certainty.
I was probably in sixth or seventh grade during this particular trip.
And, I'll just stop here and say that this was probably one of my all-time favorite field trips. You can always see Alcatraz off in the distance and, shrouded in fog, it just looks so mysterious.
So, anyhow, we're taking a tour of The Rock and hearing the stories about different prisoners. They demonstrated the doors. They were automatic. I'll be honest, I don't remember all the particulars but I do remember the power going out while we were there and, yes, we were in a cell. The doors were either already locked or locked with the power outage. We couldn't get out!
I was a prisoner on Alcatraz! I thought that was cool.
The generators did kick in quickly or maybe it was just that the power came back on. I was only imprisoned for a matter of seconds. And, sadly, my brief stint didn't afford me the time to take up the study of ornithology.
But, there's my story on doing 'hard time' in Alcatraz.
Grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and, you know, when you grow up there, a field trip to Alcatraz was almost a certainty.
I was probably in sixth or seventh grade during this particular trip.
And, I'll just stop here and say that this was probably one of my all-time favorite field trips. You can always see Alcatraz off in the distance and, shrouded in fog, it just looks so mysterious.
So, anyhow, we're taking a tour of The Rock and hearing the stories about different prisoners. They demonstrated the doors. They were automatic. I'll be honest, I don't remember all the particulars but I do remember the power going out while we were there and, yes, we were in a cell. The doors were either already locked or locked with the power outage. We couldn't get out!
I was a prisoner on Alcatraz! I thought that was cool.
The generators did kick in quickly or maybe it was just that the power came back on. I was only imprisoned for a matter of seconds. And, sadly, my brief stint didn't afford me the time to take up the study of ornithology.
But, there's my story on doing 'hard time' in Alcatraz.
The Day the Brown Recluse Bit My Son
originally posted 26 OCT 2014
I recently shared about my black widow bite.Now, let me share the story of my son's brown recluse bite last year.
My son, fourteen then, had just returned from backpacking almost a week on the Appalachian Trail. They had driven all day and arrived home in the later evening.
He had had a great time but said, "Mom, I got some sort of bug bite." I didn't think too much of it but went to take a look. Oh my goodness, it was a huge knot looking thing and weeping. It was on his leg and it has been apparent, that some bug snuck into his sock and gotten him.
Now, let me also tell you this about my son, his threshold for pain is incredibly high. He really doesn't feel pain. He once had two broken bones for four days before we realized there was something serious going on.
He seemed more bothered about the weepy sore than anything else so, poor kid, had been in the car all day but got right back in because we were going to Urgent Care. The doctor said it looked like a spider bite but it was too early to know how serious. She gave us antibiotics and told us how to keep it clean.
Within a couple days, it appeared to be spreading and even turning black. Took him to our Ped. She said it really looked like a recluse bite because of the ulceration and she would have to cut out the skin that was dying. As she went to numb his leg, the bite opened and it was foul. She said she couldn't numb his leg now (still fuzzy on why) and cut out the dead tissue with no anesthesia. Even my son looked incredibly pale during it but he didn't utter a word. It was awful to see.
I could turn this into a really long post but I'll try and condense it. He ended up back and forth in the doctor's office with this bite for months. It would start to get better and then become an ulcerated mess again. They were worried about MRSA. They were worried about staph infections. He was on and off antibiotics. He was missing school (yes, we homeschool, but he was taking classes with other homeschoolers).
Finally, I was desperate and searching and searching online. I did not like all the antibiotics and everything he was going through. We started treating the bite with apple cider vinegar. Took a few weeks but we never had to see the doctor again. It cleared up.
Now, he has some small scars. We're really pretty impressed with how small they are. He is just going to tell his kids that he took shrapnel in the war :)
What Have I Done?
originally posted 18 OCT 2014
Orphaned kittens!
They were orphaned at two weeks. Mom was killed by a predator. They were orphaned and have I mentioned, they're kittens?
My son's friend brought orphaned kittens over last night. Oh, they are just the cutest things ever. A few of them are calicos and, I'd have to say, the cutest things ever. I said that already, didn't I?
Well, you can clearly see where this is going. We now have another pet. We have a large 100-lbs lab. We have a 60-lb catahoula hound mix. We have a Siamese cat and, now we have a kitten.
My husband is going to kill me when he finds out. He's gone right now but he gets back tonight. If I'm not posting tomorrow, please, call the authorities.
Watching our Resident Gator Kill
originally posted 01 NOV 2014
I have to admit, this California girl is fascinated with the gators here in Florida. I was told when we moved her that if it is a body of natural water, assume there is a gator in it and I have.
I can see why some people grow complacent. When we see a gator, he is usually basking along the side of the pond mid afternoon. Sometimes they have turtles crawling over their bodies or birds walking right by them. I've gotten good at spotting their eyes above the water as well. They do come across as docile.
However, awhile back, I had a good reminder why I tell my kids to stay away from the ponds and the creek behind our house.
We were driving by one of the ponds down the street from our home and we played our usual 'Spot the Gator' game. As we were driving and looking, we saw a HUGE splash and then thrashing on the bank of the pond. The gator was killing something and it was a large something. He was flipping it around and thrashing all over the place. We were on the other side of the pond so we stopped to watch. He dragged the critter into the pond and kept holding it under water. Whatever it was was trying to escape but that gator kept at it. Eventually, the critter stopped struggling. The gator swam around the pond with it and then brought it over to our side of the pond. We clearly saw it had long yellow teeth but could not longer tell what it was.
Came home and googled it. It was a nutria (see photo above), a beaver-like rodent that is semi aquatic. This one looked like it could easily have weight 15 to 20 lbs.
Watching the gator that day gave me a new found respect for gators that day. We respect them from a safe distance.
I have to admit, this California girl is fascinated with the gators here in Florida. I was told when we moved her that if it is a body of natural water, assume there is a gator in it and I have.
I can see why some people grow complacent. When we see a gator, he is usually basking along the side of the pond mid afternoon. Sometimes they have turtles crawling over their bodies or birds walking right by them. I've gotten good at spotting their eyes above the water as well. They do come across as docile.
However, awhile back, I had a good reminder why I tell my kids to stay away from the ponds and the creek behind our house.
We were driving by one of the ponds down the street from our home and we played our usual 'Spot the Gator' game. As we were driving and looking, we saw a HUGE splash and then thrashing on the bank of the pond. The gator was killing something and it was a large something. He was flipping it around and thrashing all over the place. We were on the other side of the pond so we stopped to watch. He dragged the critter into the pond and kept holding it under water. Whatever it was was trying to escape but that gator kept at it. Eventually, the critter stopped struggling. The gator swam around the pond with it and then brought it over to our side of the pond. We clearly saw it had long yellow teeth but could not longer tell what it was.
Came home and googled it. It was a nutria (see photo above), a beaver-like rodent that is semi aquatic. This one looked like it could easily have weight 15 to 20 lbs.
Watching the gator that day gave me a new found respect for gators that day. We respect them from a safe distance.
My First Real Job in Seventh Grade
originally posted 06 NOV 2014
I remember being called out of class early on in seventh grade. I thought I was in trouble because I had to go to the Principal's office. The only other time I had been called in there (that I remember) was when they called me in to ask if I was abused. I wrote about that in my "I'm a Christian Who Doesn't Believe in Spanking Kids" post.
I attended a Catholic school. We were a semi-catholic family. My mother attended the Catholic church once a month so we could get a deduction on tuition and the rest of the time, we were at one of those prosperity churches that was more about church growth than Christianity.
So, I remember being called in and they asked if I wanted a job. I was skeptical but said I'd give it a try. They needed a receptionist in the rectory where the priests live on weekends. Looking back, I suspect they gave me the job because they knew something was amiss in my life and, looking back, I think they were right.
I remember applying for my social security card and that was exciting. I really enjoyed the job too. I worked four-hour shifts and it was quiet. The phone didn't ring often. I got my homework done and spent the rest of the time with my nose in a book. I loved (and still love) to read.
The best part was that I was making $3.75 an hour when minimum wage was about a dollar less! I worked there until I was sixteen years old. I'm no longer Catholic but I am very thankful for the opportunity I was given.
I remember being called out of class early on in seventh grade. I thought I was in trouble because I had to go to the Principal's office. The only other time I had been called in there (that I remember) was when they called me in to ask if I was abused. I wrote about that in my "I'm a Christian Who Doesn't Believe in Spanking Kids" post.
I attended a Catholic school. We were a semi-catholic family. My mother attended the Catholic church once a month so we could get a deduction on tuition and the rest of the time, we were at one of those prosperity churches that was more about church growth than Christianity.
So, I remember being called in and they asked if I wanted a job. I was skeptical but said I'd give it a try. They needed a receptionist in the rectory where the priests live on weekends. Looking back, I suspect they gave me the job because they knew something was amiss in my life and, looking back, I think they were right.
I remember applying for my social security card and that was exciting. I really enjoyed the job too. I worked four-hour shifts and it was quiet. The phone didn't ring often. I got my homework done and spent the rest of the time with my nose in a book. I loved (and still love) to read.
The best part was that I was making $3.75 an hour when minimum wage was about a dollar less! I worked there until I was sixteen years old. I'm no longer Catholic but I am very thankful for the opportunity I was given.
Growing Up With Your Mother's Eating Disorder
originally posted 28 OCT 2014
My mother has an eating disorder but I never realized it until I was an adult. She's had it since I was a young girl. Looking at her photos during this tiny time in which she saw herself as fat, her BMI was likely in the 24 to 25 range, not even considered overweight but she always talked about hating parts of her body and always talks of that time as her fat years.
She started following fad diets. The Beverly Hills Diet was a big one. She'd have days where she only ate pineapple or strawberries. Over time this has changed but she generally lives on rice, broccoli, pineapple and bananas. Her BMI, when I was a teen, was 17 which is underweight and she worked to keep it there. She exercised more and ate less.
She had always commented on my weight. When I was fourteen, I weighed a whopping 109 lbs and I was pretty much to my full height of 5'5". She told me over and again that I was overweight and even though I was an inch taller than her, I had smaller bones and needed to weight less than her. She kept her weight really close to 100. And she really thought I needed to weigh under 100 lbs. She would pay me or bribe me to lose weight. I believed her so I'd do those stupid fad diets as well. I had a terrible self body image, believed I was totally undesirable and I really believe it was a huge influence in making some very unwise choices as a teenager.
Long story short, it's been a long time since I weighed 109. At my best weight, I was quite a bit above that. I was in the military. I was in really good shape and I remember telling a military doctor how overweight I was and he quickly corrected me. He said contrary to what I'd been told, I was not small boned and I was where I needed to be. That totally changed the way I thought. My BMI was smack dab in the middle of healthy.
What has happened to my mother? She still eats the same way. Because she avoided dairy for decades, she has a very severe case of osteoporosis. I wonder if she even weighs less now because she looks even more gaunt and definitely older. She's had plastic surgeries to get rid of her fat and change her trouble spots (yes, even with a BMI of 17) and I've watched her encourage people in her church to have surgeries as well. Whenever she talks about somebody, one of the first things to come out of her mouth is how they look and whether they've gained or lost weight.
One thing I've learned from all of this is to really work to ensure my kids see themselves as beautiful. It took me years to see the beauty in myself and I don't ever want my children having a childhood like mine.
My mother has an eating disorder but I never realized it until I was an adult. She's had it since I was a young girl. Looking at her photos during this tiny time in which she saw herself as fat, her BMI was likely in the 24 to 25 range, not even considered overweight but she always talked about hating parts of her body and always talks of that time as her fat years.
She started following fad diets. The Beverly Hills Diet was a big one. She'd have days where she only ate pineapple or strawberries. Over time this has changed but she generally lives on rice, broccoli, pineapple and bananas. Her BMI, when I was a teen, was 17 which is underweight and she worked to keep it there. She exercised more and ate less.
She had always commented on my weight. When I was fourteen, I weighed a whopping 109 lbs and I was pretty much to my full height of 5'5". She told me over and again that I was overweight and even though I was an inch taller than her, I had smaller bones and needed to weight less than her. She kept her weight really close to 100. And she really thought I needed to weigh under 100 lbs. She would pay me or bribe me to lose weight. I believed her so I'd do those stupid fad diets as well. I had a terrible self body image, believed I was totally undesirable and I really believe it was a huge influence in making some very unwise choices as a teenager.
Long story short, it's been a long time since I weighed 109. At my best weight, I was quite a bit above that. I was in the military. I was in really good shape and I remember telling a military doctor how overweight I was and he quickly corrected me. He said contrary to what I'd been told, I was not small boned and I was where I needed to be. That totally changed the way I thought. My BMI was smack dab in the middle of healthy.
What has happened to my mother? She still eats the same way. Because she avoided dairy for decades, she has a very severe case of osteoporosis. I wonder if she even weighs less now because she looks even more gaunt and definitely older. She's had plastic surgeries to get rid of her fat and change her trouble spots (yes, even with a BMI of 17) and I've watched her encourage people in her church to have surgeries as well. Whenever she talks about somebody, one of the first things to come out of her mouth is how they look and whether they've gained or lost weight.
One thing I've learned from all of this is to really work to ensure my kids see themselves as beautiful. It took me years to see the beauty in myself and I don't ever want my children having a childhood like mine.
Flying on Blackhawks
originally posted 06 NOV 2014
One of the best parts of my job in the military was having the opportunity to fly numerous times on Blackhawk helicopters. Perhaps my shared memories are one of the reasons my son hopes to fly Blackhawks one day. Not sure how I feel about that but that is likely another bubble for another time.
A couple specific memories come to mind.
One of the first times I was flying on one, the pilots knew it. We had our headphones on so we could hear everything they were saying up front. At one point, I heard, "Do you have the key?" along with the response, "No, I thought you had it!" Of course, a few of us were listening attentively by that point. Then, I heard something like "Uh oh!" and we dropped suddenly. Of course, that was them just having fun with the newbies. Later on, when I'd flown quite a bit more, I learned to ignore the hi-jinks.
Another time, we were flying in a massive storm. We couldn't see anything, it was pouring rain and dark out. I wasn't overly concerned but I looked over to a chaplain who was with us and you could see him praying with tears on his cheeks. I remember thinking, "Oh no, this is it. We're going down!" We were fine though. Never did find out why he was was crying.
I also have memories of flying nap-of-the-earth where, with the back doors wide open and us strapped in, we flew very close to the ground for quite a while. What a ride that is.
I have even more Blackhawk memories, perhaps another day.
One of the best parts of my job in the military was having the opportunity to fly numerous times on Blackhawk helicopters. Perhaps my shared memories are one of the reasons my son hopes to fly Blackhawks one day. Not sure how I feel about that but that is likely another bubble for another time.
A couple specific memories come to mind.
One of the first times I was flying on one, the pilots knew it. We had our headphones on so we could hear everything they were saying up front. At one point, I heard, "Do you have the key?" along with the response, "No, I thought you had it!" Of course, a few of us were listening attentively by that point. Then, I heard something like "Uh oh!" and we dropped suddenly. Of course, that was them just having fun with the newbies. Later on, when I'd flown quite a bit more, I learned to ignore the hi-jinks.
Another time, we were flying in a massive storm. We couldn't see anything, it was pouring rain and dark out. I wasn't overly concerned but I looked over to a chaplain who was with us and you could see him praying with tears on his cheeks. I remember thinking, "Oh no, this is it. We're going down!" We were fine though. Never did find out why he was was crying.
I also have memories of flying nap-of-the-earth where, with the back doors wide open and us strapped in, we flew very close to the ground for quite a while. What a ride that is.
I have even more Blackhawk memories, perhaps another day.
Pro-Choice Schooling
originally posted 28 OCT 2014
Our children have experienced various types of schooling. They've been in public school, private school and homeschool. Why so many schools? With my husband's job, we move every so often.
Before each school year, we ask each child what they would like to do that year. Would they like to attend traditional school?
For the last few years, both kids have chosen homeschooling.
My son chooses homeschooling because he doesn't like to be held back. When he went back to school in fourth and fifth grade after homeschooling for a couple years, he complained about all the time wasted. With homeschooling, he does move through curriculum more quickly and now as a Junior in high school, he attends the local community college for his classes (still considered a homeschooler though).
My daughter has dyslexia. School was painful for her. She takes a bit longer to process information and with her IEP, she was pulled out of classes for tests and certain assignments. She struggled to keep up and, not only was she in the lowest reading group, she was the lowest in her group. Her grades were low and her self esteem was lower. She has homeschooled since second grade and on her fifth grade standardized testing last year, her overall score was ninth grade and every score was above a sixth grade level. More importantly, she is such a happy child now.
She is also my social butterfly. She loves her friends and she loves having a lot of friends. Her biggest reason for not wanting to go back to traditional school is that she wouldn't have as many friends and get to do as much with her friends. She has a point. In school, kids may have a close friend or two but they are stuck with the same small group day after day. I've shared before that, if anything, the over socialization in homeschooling is killing me.
Both kids are happiest homeschooling. My son will be off to a four-year school all too soon and will finish out his high school years in community college but, if my daughter ever wants to try traditional school again, she'll have our full support.
Our children have experienced various types of schooling. They've been in public school, private school and homeschool. Why so many schools? With my husband's job, we move every so often.
Before each school year, we ask each child what they would like to do that year. Would they like to attend traditional school?
For the last few years, both kids have chosen homeschooling.
My son chooses homeschooling because he doesn't like to be held back. When he went back to school in fourth and fifth grade after homeschooling for a couple years, he complained about all the time wasted. With homeschooling, he does move through curriculum more quickly and now as a Junior in high school, he attends the local community college for his classes (still considered a homeschooler though).
My daughter has dyslexia. School was painful for her. She takes a bit longer to process information and with her IEP, she was pulled out of classes for tests and certain assignments. She struggled to keep up and, not only was she in the lowest reading group, she was the lowest in her group. Her grades were low and her self esteem was lower. She has homeschooled since second grade and on her fifth grade standardized testing last year, her overall score was ninth grade and every score was above a sixth grade level. More importantly, she is such a happy child now.
She is also my social butterfly. She loves her friends and she loves having a lot of friends. Her biggest reason for not wanting to go back to traditional school is that she wouldn't have as many friends and get to do as much with her friends. She has a point. In school, kids may have a close friend or two but they are stuck with the same small group day after day. I've shared before that, if anything, the over socialization in homeschooling is killing me.
Both kids are happiest homeschooling. My son will be off to a four-year school all too soon and will finish out his high school years in community college but, if my daughter ever wants to try traditional school again, she'll have our full support.
The Bread Thief
originally posted 02 NOV 2014
I've been looking up natural remedies for my pink eye. We had some drops for conjunctivitis so been using those but wanted to know about natural remedies.
Turns out urine isn't only for jellyfish stings. It can be used to treat pink eye. Just read a full article on urine as a miracle cure for so many maladies.
Reading that, my first question of course is who in their right mind came up with the idea to use urine in their eye? That just doesn't sounds, well, wrong. But, people online are swearing by it. I'm adventurous but not that adventurous.
I'm trying the warm saltwater and the apple cider vinegar remedies (because ACV has been a miracle in this house already). I've been using the warm, wet compress recommended by so many bubblers...feels wonderful. Also, I've found that the low, warm setting on my blow dryer also feels great.
What do you think, would you try urine to treat your pink eye?
I've been looking up natural remedies for my pink eye. We had some drops for conjunctivitis so been using those but wanted to know about natural remedies.
Turns out urine isn't only for jellyfish stings. It can be used to treat pink eye. Just read a full article on urine as a miracle cure for so many maladies.
Reading that, my first question of course is who in their right mind came up with the idea to use urine in their eye? That just doesn't sounds, well, wrong. But, people online are swearing by it. I'm adventurous but not that adventurous.
I'm trying the warm saltwater and the apple cider vinegar remedies (because ACV has been a miracle in this house already). I've been using the warm, wet compress recommended by so many bubblers...feels wonderful. Also, I've found that the low, warm setting on my blow dryer also feels great.
What do you think, would you try urine to treat your pink eye?
You Want Me To Put What In My Eye?
originally posted 09 NOV 2014
I've been looking up natural remedies for my pink eye. We had some drops for conjunctivitis so been using those but wanted to know about natural remedies.
Turns out urine isn't only for jellyfish stings. It can be used to treat pink eye. Just read a full article on urine as a miracle cure for so many maladies.
Reading that, my first question of course is who in their right mind came up with the idea to use urine in their eye? That just doesn't sounds, well, wrong. But, people online are swearing by it. I'm adventurous but not that adventurous.
I'm trying the warm saltwater and the apple cider vinegar remedies (because ACV has been a miracle in this house already). I've been using the warm, wet compress recommended by so many bubblers...feels wonderful. Also, I've found that the low, warm setting on my blow dryer also feels great.
What do you think, would you try urine to treat your pink eye?
I've been looking up natural remedies for my pink eye. We had some drops for conjunctivitis so been using those but wanted to know about natural remedies.
Turns out urine isn't only for jellyfish stings. It can be used to treat pink eye. Just read a full article on urine as a miracle cure for so many maladies.
Reading that, my first question of course is who in their right mind came up with the idea to use urine in their eye? That just doesn't sounds, well, wrong. But, people online are swearing by it. I'm adventurous but not that adventurous.
I'm trying the warm saltwater and the apple cider vinegar remedies (because ACV has been a miracle in this house already). I've been using the warm, wet compress recommended by so many bubblers...feels wonderful. Also, I've found that the low, warm setting on my blow dryer also feels great.
What do you think, would you try urine to treat your pink eye?
Why You and Your Siblings May Be a Bit Different Ethnically
originally posted by 23 OCT 2014
I posted this morning on having my DNA tested through Ancestry.com and the results. I pointed out that even siblings will show different mixtures of ethnicities. &chumbler asked how this might be so I thought, "Well, there's a post waiting to happen."I'm going to keep this very basic. First of all, I'm not geneticist and secondly, I've never even played one on TV.
Unless you are an identical twin, the DNA combination you have will be different from your siblings. This means that when you take a DNA test like the one on Ancestry.com, you are very likely to show different percentiles in ethnicity.
Think of it this way, Your mother has 100% of her own DNA. She passed 50% of it along to you. But, there remains 50% you did not get. Same with your father, you got 50% of your DNA from him. The mix of DNA you received will be different than your brothers and sisters. If it was the same, you'd look identical.
Let's look at this another way (and I'm hoping this makes sense). Mom got half her genes from her mom and the other half from her dad. We'll call her mother's genes A and her dad's genes B. You get half of your genes from your mother (a combo of A and B). There is randomness involved in what you get from her though (it's not a 50/50 split of Grandma's and Grandpa's genes) so you might end up getting more of the B genes than the A. If so, you are going to show more similarities to her father's family than her mothers. For example, let's say you got 31% of the genes she inherited from her father. That would leave only 19% of grandma's genes for a total of 50% of your DNA...remember, the other 50% is from your father's DNA and the same applies there. Now your sister is tested. She won't have the exact same DNA. She might have 28% in common with Grandma and 22% with Grandpa. If Grandma ancestry is traced back to Sweden and Grandpa's is traced back to Italy, you would likely show more traces of an Italian ethnicity on a DNA test and she could show more Swedish.
I know this is really basic but I hope it explains why you and your siblings could definitely show different ethnicity mixes on a DNA test.
Growing Up with a Mom Who Has an Eating Disorder - a few more thoughts
originally posted 28 NOV 2014
Earlier today, I shared something I don't talk about often. My mother has an eating disorder.
During the day, some other random thoughts struck me and thought I'd share them.
Our family enables her. For her birthday, my sister was putting together a slide show of her life. She went through all the photos and photoshopped them. She slimmed the thighs and made her even skinnier in the pictures. When you consider that my mother is already underweight and looking gaunt, it just seemed ridiculous. When confronted, my sister said that if she didn't our mother would just complain. Well, she's right but it was definitely enabling her.
My mother has spent so many decades avoiding most foods that now, if we go out for a holiday or she eats at a restaurant, she breaks out in a rash and gets really puffy. Her body can no longer handle foods. She sits there at her stove steaming her face because she says it gets rid of the puffiness and toxins or whatever.
She is also in a word of faith church. Health and wealth stuff. If you're not healthy and wealthy, you're not a true Christian sort of rot. As a result, she won't share with people about her ailments. Very few people know about her Osteoporosis and her episodes where she has been bedridden. I knew but I'm in another state and she later told me I'm not allowed to tell anybody.
But, I'm not an enabler. She has a problem and she needs help. I only wish our family would band together to get her that help but it seems to be easier to photoshop her photos and sweep the problem under the rug.
Earlier today, I shared something I don't talk about often. My mother has an eating disorder.
During the day, some other random thoughts struck me and thought I'd share them.
Our family enables her. For her birthday, my sister was putting together a slide show of her life. She went through all the photos and photoshopped them. She slimmed the thighs and made her even skinnier in the pictures. When you consider that my mother is already underweight and looking gaunt, it just seemed ridiculous. When confronted, my sister said that if she didn't our mother would just complain. Well, she's right but it was definitely enabling her.
My mother has spent so many decades avoiding most foods that now, if we go out for a holiday or she eats at a restaurant, she breaks out in a rash and gets really puffy. Her body can no longer handle foods. She sits there at her stove steaming her face because she says it gets rid of the puffiness and toxins or whatever.
She is also in a word of faith church. Health and wealth stuff. If you're not healthy and wealthy, you're not a true Christian sort of rot. As a result, she won't share with people about her ailments. Very few people know about her Osteoporosis and her episodes where she has been bedridden. I knew but I'm in another state and she later told me I'm not allowed to tell anybody.
But, I'm not an enabler. She has a problem and she needs help. I only wish our family would band together to get her that help but it seems to be easier to photoshop her photos and sweep the problem under the rug.
The Day I Kicked My Son Out of the Car in a Steak & Shake Parking Lot
originally posted 29 OCT 2014
&exoticspets shared her story of the time her parents 'left' her sister at the zoo and that brought back two memories. This is the first.
My husband was away at the time. My son was a seventh grader and my daughter was in second grade. After church, we decided to head to Downtown Disney for lunch.
My son was just aggravating his sister in the car. I don't remember what he was doing but it bordered on just being plain mean. I won't stand for that ever. No bullying! Really, he had been picking on her a bit lately and it was just getting under my skin. She adores her big brother something fierce so I hated seeing him act that way toward her.
I warned him as he were zipping down the freeway. It happened again. I took the next off-ramp and pulled into a Steak & Shake parking lot. I was thinking I was just going to give him a piece of my mind when he said something that really got under my skin (don't remember it now) but I looked at him and said, "Get out!" I meant business.
He looked at me stunned. I don't usually snap like that and I definitely don't leave my kiddos alone in parking lots. He just stared at me. "Get out!" I repeated again. He did. I drove around the building where he couldn't see me but circled back. No, I wasn't really going to leave him and he probably stood there a total of 60 seconds but, I know for at least 30 seconds of it, he really thought I had left. I stopped in front of him where he stood like a deer in the headlights. "Get in," I told him.
We got on the freeway and headed home. Not much needed to be said. I told him I never wanted to see that type of behavior out of him again. He told his sister sorry. We never made it to Disney but he's been much nicer to her since that day.
Perhaps tough but as a miltary wife whose husband was gone quite a bit, I liked to nip these things in the bud.
&exoticspets shared her story of the time her parents 'left' her sister at the zoo and that brought back two memories. This is the first.
My husband was away at the time. My son was a seventh grader and my daughter was in second grade. After church, we decided to head to Downtown Disney for lunch.
My son was just aggravating his sister in the car. I don't remember what he was doing but it bordered on just being plain mean. I won't stand for that ever. No bullying! Really, he had been picking on her a bit lately and it was just getting under my skin. She adores her big brother something fierce so I hated seeing him act that way toward her.
I warned him as he were zipping down the freeway. It happened again. I took the next off-ramp and pulled into a Steak & Shake parking lot. I was thinking I was just going to give him a piece of my mind when he said something that really got under my skin (don't remember it now) but I looked at him and said, "Get out!" I meant business.
He looked at me stunned. I don't usually snap like that and I definitely don't leave my kiddos alone in parking lots. He just stared at me. "Get out!" I repeated again. He did. I drove around the building where he couldn't see me but circled back. No, I wasn't really going to leave him and he probably stood there a total of 60 seconds but, I know for at least 30 seconds of it, he really thought I had left. I stopped in front of him where he stood like a deer in the headlights. "Get in," I told him.
We got on the freeway and headed home. Not much needed to be said. I told him I never wanted to see that type of behavior out of him again. He told his sister sorry. We never made it to Disney but he's been much nicer to her since that day.
Perhaps tough but as a miltary wife whose husband was gone quite a bit, I liked to nip these things in the bud.
The Importance of Penmanship
originally posted 04 NOV 2014
My sixth grade daughter still has daily handwriting drills. She is homeschooled. She has friends in middle school who have no idea how to read, let alone write in cursive.
This makes me a bit sad. A number of schools are doing away with writing and, instead, teaching keyboarding at younger ages. Don't get me wrong, keyboarding is important too but studies have shown keyboarding and penmanship use different parts of the brain when implemented. Studies have also shown that children who use cursive tend to have the advantage when it comes to creative ideas.
My daughter is dyslexic and I've read many times how important penmanship can be for these
children. Don't get me wrong, initially handwriting was a huge struggle and would have been easy to give up on it but I'm so glad we didn't. I think penmanship has been important in 'retraining' her brain. With up to 1 in 5 children who are dyslexic, we need to be doing everything we can to help them succeed.
My daughter has beautiful penmanship. Now, my son, well, eight years of instruction and his writing looks like chicken scratch. Perhaps he should become a doctor.
My sixth grade daughter still has daily handwriting drills. She is homeschooled. She has friends in middle school who have no idea how to read, let alone write in cursive.
This makes me a bit sad. A number of schools are doing away with writing and, instead, teaching keyboarding at younger ages. Don't get me wrong, keyboarding is important too but studies have shown keyboarding and penmanship use different parts of the brain when implemented. Studies have also shown that children who use cursive tend to have the advantage when it comes to creative ideas.
My daughter is dyslexic and I've read many times how important penmanship can be for these
children. Don't get me wrong, initially handwriting was a huge struggle and would have been easy to give up on it but I'm so glad we didn't. I think penmanship has been important in 'retraining' her brain. With up to 1 in 5 children who are dyslexic, we need to be doing everything we can to help them succeed.
My daughter has beautiful penmanship. Now, my son, well, eight years of instruction and his writing looks like chicken scratch. Perhaps he should become a doctor.
I'm a Christian Who Doesn't Believe in Spanking Kids
Originally posted 04 NOV 2014
I'll just get this out of the way up front. I don't have a big problem with spanking. If somebody is using their hand and it is a swat on the rear, no biggie.
We don't spank our kids. The reason I don't spank was that I was 'over-spanked' as a child. My mother would grab whatever object was closest and just start whacking me. Often the object was a brush, wooden spoon, paddle or whatever. Often the object would miss my rear and I'd end up with bruises on my arms and legs or whichever part of my body the object hit.
I was probably in fifth or sixth grade when I was called out of class by the Principal. She asked if I was abused. I laughed and said of course I wasn't. I knew about abuse. Abuse was broken arms, cigarette burns, and the like. My mother had told me all about 'true' abuse.
I mentioned what happened with the Principal that day to my mother. She stopped hitting me so often after that day but found other ways to discipline (pouring tabasco in my mouth, thousands and thousands of really long sentences to write before I could leave my room). To my mother, I must have been one of the worst children ever because I was always in trouble. I just remember being a reader and hiding away in my books.
For this reason, I don't spank. Yes, I know a swat is far different than what I endured but I don't like hitting. I don't like it all. My husband was also hit with belts and switches and had no problem not spanking either.
I've heard Christians talk about the all important spanking in raising children. I just don't buy that. I think there are wonderful parents who spank responsibly and, on the flip side, equally wonderful parents who do not spank.
We've found other, non-physical, non-abusive ways to discipline and, thankfully, we have good kids who rarely need to be disciplined. They aren't perfect by any means but I can't imagine spanking would have made them any better than they already are.
I'll just get this out of the way up front. I don't have a big problem with spanking. If somebody is using their hand and it is a swat on the rear, no biggie.
We don't spank our kids. The reason I don't spank was that I was 'over-spanked' as a child. My mother would grab whatever object was closest and just start whacking me. Often the object was a brush, wooden spoon, paddle or whatever. Often the object would miss my rear and I'd end up with bruises on my arms and legs or whichever part of my body the object hit.
I was probably in fifth or sixth grade when I was called out of class by the Principal. She asked if I was abused. I laughed and said of course I wasn't. I knew about abuse. Abuse was broken arms, cigarette burns, and the like. My mother had told me all about 'true' abuse.
I mentioned what happened with the Principal that day to my mother. She stopped hitting me so often after that day but found other ways to discipline (pouring tabasco in my mouth, thousands and thousands of really long sentences to write before I could leave my room). To my mother, I must have been one of the worst children ever because I was always in trouble. I just remember being a reader and hiding away in my books.
For this reason, I don't spank. Yes, I know a swat is far different than what I endured but I don't like hitting. I don't like it all. My husband was also hit with belts and switches and had no problem not spanking either.
I've heard Christians talk about the all important spanking in raising children. I just don't buy that. I think there are wonderful parents who spank responsibly and, on the flip side, equally wonderful parents who do not spank.
We've found other, non-physical, non-abusive ways to discipline and, thankfully, we have good kids who rarely need to be disciplined. They aren't perfect by any means but I can't imagine spanking would have made them any better than they already are.
Sometimes Less IS More
originally posted 25 OCT 2014
We had just moved to the Caribbean. My son was in fourth grade and my daughter in pre-K. Other that what we had in our luggage we didn't have much that was ours. Our rental was furnished and our luggage had been stuffed with clothing and other necessities. The kids were able to bring a few small favorite toys but that was all. We were told it would take about three or four weeks before our 'stuff' would arrive.
Getting creative, I went to a nearby mall. I bought a large color assortment of construction paper, some crayons, colored pens and kids' scissors. I left them on the table upstairs.
For the next month, those kids had a blast. They were creative. They were making all sorts of toys and gadgets with their paper. They were coloring. Not once did I hear, "There's nothing to do."
Finally our 'stuff' arrived along with all...their...toys... After the initial excitement at seeing their 'stuff' again, I noticed I was hearing, "There's nothing to do." once again. Let me just say, that doesn't last long because I'll give them something to do that generally involved housework of some sort so it's not often uttered here but it really made a point.
I really believe that our kids just have too much stuff. I saw them content and happy with plenty to do for a month and then they were overwhelmed with stuff. There, suddenly, were too many choices.
I added this photo of our new kitty because while she has fun kitty toys, she has been so content with a piece of yarn my husband tied to one of our bar stools. That is where her attention keeps returning.
I'm reminded that often when you get a tot a flashy gizmo for Christmas, they are often more intrigued by the box.
Sometimes less is indeed more.
On Being a Christian and the Inevitable Topic of Halloween
originally posted Halloween 2014
Each year it is the same, some Christians point out the origins of Halloween trying to convince everybody how bad it is. Some non-Christians point out the origins of Halloween hoping to goad a few Christians.
Me? I know that Halloween is largely a secular holiday here in America where really the scariest thing about it is all the sugar that will be consumed over the next several days. Our kids dress up in fun costumes. The scariest we've had is the evil queen from Snow White. This year we've got an Elsa and a Robin Hood. Yes, my 16-year-old is having some friends over and they will be trick or treating too.
I don't worry about trick or treating influencing my children's faith. They are out in our neighborhood, hanging out with friends, talking to neighbors who we don't see often due to all the busy schedules. We hand out chocolate because, you remember, that's the best treat. It's just a fun evening. And, as a result of getting to know our neighbors more this night, we get the opportunity over the coming days to share our faith.
I have a far greater worry when it comes to my children's faith. Prosperity teachers on television. These are the folks who have turned religion into a pyramid scheme. The flaunt their wealth. Their outfits costs thousands of dollars. They live in mansions and often have multiple ones at that. Private jet? Of course. Luxury sedans? You betcha. Where are they getting that money? Folks are watching them on TV and greed (or desperation) sets in. Often these folks are struggling to make ends meet and can't wait to take part in this 'spiritual' lottery. They want that blessing too and so they send them money just knowing God will return the blessing. Why does this bother me so? I grew up with this and this breed of preachers on our own TV. I've seen first hand the damage these teachings can do.
No, when it comes to Halloween, trick or treating is far less scary to me as a Christian than some of the 'christians' on the television. You can't scare me. I've survived a childhood of televangelists.
Each year it is the same, some Christians point out the origins of Halloween trying to convince everybody how bad it is. Some non-Christians point out the origins of Halloween hoping to goad a few Christians.
Me? I know that Halloween is largely a secular holiday here in America where really the scariest thing about it is all the sugar that will be consumed over the next several days. Our kids dress up in fun costumes. The scariest we've had is the evil queen from Snow White. This year we've got an Elsa and a Robin Hood. Yes, my 16-year-old is having some friends over and they will be trick or treating too.
I don't worry about trick or treating influencing my children's faith. They are out in our neighborhood, hanging out with friends, talking to neighbors who we don't see often due to all the busy schedules. We hand out chocolate because, you remember, that's the best treat. It's just a fun evening. And, as a result of getting to know our neighbors more this night, we get the opportunity over the coming days to share our faith.
I have a far greater worry when it comes to my children's faith. Prosperity teachers on television. These are the folks who have turned religion into a pyramid scheme. The flaunt their wealth. Their outfits costs thousands of dollars. They live in mansions and often have multiple ones at that. Private jet? Of course. Luxury sedans? You betcha. Where are they getting that money? Folks are watching them on TV and greed (or desperation) sets in. Often these folks are struggling to make ends meet and can't wait to take part in this 'spiritual' lottery. They want that blessing too and so they send them money just knowing God will return the blessing. Why does this bother me so? I grew up with this and this breed of preachers on our own TV. I've seen first hand the damage these teachings can do.
No, when it comes to Halloween, trick or treating is far less scary to me as a Christian than some of the 'christians' on the television. You can't scare me. I've survived a childhood of televangelists.
Two Truths and A Lie - Carikay Edition
originally posted 12 NOV 2014
I am taking part in the "2 Truths and 1 Lie Challenge" by &julieanne and was nominated by &singingcanuck.
So the challenge is to share two truths about me and one lie. I will share them and you let me know which one is the lie. I will post later today with the answer.
And, just to spread the love, I challenge &LoriAMoore &Uniqueorn &cajosa to complete this challenge as well. If anybody else wants to take the challenge, let me know in comments and I will officially throw down the gauntlet. I'm also adding &wahmonline and &thelme because they seem interested.
1. I once scaled Half Dome in Yosemite.
2. I was interviewed for an article for Cosmopolitan today.
3. I once looked on in horror as my young son was surrounded by sharks while swimming in the ocean.
So two really are truths and one really is a lie. What do you think? I'm hoping this is a tough one.
First edited to add: here is our shark story - http://www.bubblews.com/news/9388119-nothing-spoils-a-good-birthday-like-a-shark
Second edited to add: And the lie is <<drum roll>> Number One! Congratulations &MommyandTeacher &Ruby3881 &MollyAnna418 You got it right. I hate heights. Although I've spent a lot of time over the years in Yosemite and hiked the trail to half dome, no scaling for me. And, yes, I really was interviewed today for Cosmo about an article I wrote a couple years ago.
I am taking part in the "2 Truths and 1 Lie Challenge" by &julieanne and was nominated by &singingcanuck.
So the challenge is to share two truths about me and one lie. I will share them and you let me know which one is the lie. I will post later today with the answer.
And, just to spread the love, I challenge &LoriAMoore &Uniqueorn &cajosa to complete this challenge as well. If anybody else wants to take the challenge, let me know in comments and I will officially throw down the gauntlet. I'm also adding &wahmonline and &thelme because they seem interested.
1. I once scaled Half Dome in Yosemite.
2. I was interviewed for an article for Cosmopolitan today.
3. I once looked on in horror as my young son was surrounded by sharks while swimming in the ocean.
So two really are truths and one really is a lie. What do you think? I'm hoping this is a tough one.
First edited to add: here is our shark story - http://www.bubblews.com/news/9388119-nothing-spoils-a-good-birthday-like-a-shark
Second edited to add: And the lie is <<drum roll>> Number One! Congratulations &MommyandTeacher &Ruby3881 &MollyAnna418 You got it right. I hate heights. Although I've spent a lot of time over the years in Yosemite and hiked the trail to half dome, no scaling for me. And, yes, I really was interviewed today for Cosmo about an article I wrote a couple years ago.
Proud To Be a Veteran
originally posted Veteran's Day 2014
Just read a post that made me so sad. Clearly the author was so bitter about his time in service. Didn't shock me though. I've known others who became very embittered during their service and like to make sure the world knows how unfair it all was.
I want to say, though, for each individual with a chip on his shoulder, there are so many more servicemen and women who are proud of their service. They are proud of their country and quietly serving. They believe in their country so much they would lay down their lives for you and me. Sadly, I've been some heroes' funerals. It never gets easier. For a time, it took a deep toll on my husband as well. We've been through much.
I've read that only half a percent of Americans ever join the military. We're a select few. You never quite forget the others who have served alongside of you. Admittedly, there are some you wish you could forget some of the most incredible people I've ever known, I met while in the military.
They say in every job, there will be 10% who just won't like the job. Those are the ones you hear about because they are complaining. Often you forget about the 90% who are sacrificing much for a country they believe in.
I'm one of the many who is extraordinarily proud to be a veteran. I'd like to see our country do more to embrace veterans and treat them as the heroes they truly are.
And, that is all.
Just read a post that made me so sad. Clearly the author was so bitter about his time in service. Didn't shock me though. I've known others who became very embittered during their service and like to make sure the world knows how unfair it all was.
I want to say, though, for each individual with a chip on his shoulder, there are so many more servicemen and women who are proud of their service. They are proud of their country and quietly serving. They believe in their country so much they would lay down their lives for you and me. Sadly, I've been some heroes' funerals. It never gets easier. For a time, it took a deep toll on my husband as well. We've been through much.
I've read that only half a percent of Americans ever join the military. We're a select few. You never quite forget the others who have served alongside of you. Admittedly, there are some you wish you could forget some of the most incredible people I've ever known, I met while in the military.
They say in every job, there will be 10% who just won't like the job. Those are the ones you hear about because they are complaining. Often you forget about the 90% who are sacrificing much for a country they believe in.
I'm one of the many who is extraordinarily proud to be a veteran. I'd like to see our country do more to embrace veterans and treat them as the heroes they truly are.
And, that is all.
When Essential Oils Stink
originally posted 12 NOV 2014
I was hurt by a Multi-Level Marketing company's "health" product last year. I learned so much about their products and the ills, overall, of these MLMs, that I now distrust any MLM that makes any health claims and I am uber distrustful of anybody who is a distributor for these products. I put them all cleanly in the 'snake oil salesman' category.
In the last year or so, essential oils sold by two MLM companies have become very popular here. Have a sniffle? There's an oil for that. Have an injured toe? There's an oil for that. Have Ebola? There's an oil for that. Need to put some serious hurt on people you know? There are many oils for that.
I have some acquaintances who are selling these oils. I've blocked them on Facebook because the posts just get under my skin (you're targeting friends and family with these over priced oils so you can make a buck, yeah, I'm blocking you).
And, frankly, a couple of them stink. I have been struggling with headaches recently...yeah, I know, there's an oil for that. It doesn't take much for me to get a migraine right now and smells are a surefire way to give me a migraine.
Ran into a friend recently. As I gave her a hug, she said gleefully, "I just worked out but don't worry, I covered the smell in essential oils." Y'know, I had already clued into that. She reeked. Another friend has told me she has to sit elsewhere in church now because a gal who is a good friend, smells so strong with her oils. Thankfully, my daughter is getting better, now that she is eleven, at not announcing when people stink but, you can see her nose wrinkle around the essential oil crowd.
The problem is, though, that nobody wants to hurt their feelings. So, more friends (with apparently sub-par sniffers) begin to drench themselves and nobody says a thing.
I was hurt by a Multi-Level Marketing company's "health" product last year. I learned so much about their products and the ills, overall, of these MLMs, that I now distrust any MLM that makes any health claims and I am uber distrustful of anybody who is a distributor for these products. I put them all cleanly in the 'snake oil salesman' category.
In the last year or so, essential oils sold by two MLM companies have become very popular here. Have a sniffle? There's an oil for that. Have an injured toe? There's an oil for that. Have Ebola? There's an oil for that. Need to put some serious hurt on people you know? There are many oils for that.
I have some acquaintances who are selling these oils. I've blocked them on Facebook because the posts just get under my skin (you're targeting friends and family with these over priced oils so you can make a buck, yeah, I'm blocking you).
And, frankly, a couple of them stink. I have been struggling with headaches recently...yeah, I know, there's an oil for that. It doesn't take much for me to get a migraine right now and smells are a surefire way to give me a migraine.
Ran into a friend recently. As I gave her a hug, she said gleefully, "I just worked out but don't worry, I covered the smell in essential oils." Y'know, I had already clued into that. She reeked. Another friend has told me she has to sit elsewhere in church now because a gal who is a good friend, smells so strong with her oils. Thankfully, my daughter is getting better, now that she is eleven, at not announcing when people stink but, you can see her nose wrinkle around the essential oil crowd.
The problem is, though, that nobody wants to hurt their feelings. So, more friends (with apparently sub-par sniffers) begin to drench themselves and nobody says a thing.
On Murphy's Law and Spiderman
originally posted 13 NOV 2014
Never should have shared my 16-year-old son's theory on how the brown recluse bite boosted his immunity so much he didn't get sick anymore.
Murphy's law and all that.
He woke up this morning and while getting ready to go to school, he told me he was freezing. The house was about 73 degrees so I wasn't too worried. Here in Florida, it's usually around 76 when we wake up thanks to our air conditioning.
On the way to school, he told me he was feeling off. I asked if he wanted to stay home. He said no. He's taking college classes and knows it's not always easy to catch up when you've missed a day. I told him he really should call me if he started to feel sick. He said okay.
I went to go drop off all his dual enrollment paperwork for school and while there, he texted me. He was sick. This was only about 45 minutes after I dropped him off. Took me about twenty minutes to get there. He got in the car and immediately starting throwing up. All I had was an empty Starbucks cup...good thing it was venti sized! He filled that and we had a box in the car. He used that after (note to self, keep plastic bags in car).
Called the doctor, they said bring him right in. I did. His fever was 104! They gave him a shot to stop the vomiting and then gave him Tylenol. He tested positive for the flu.
Too late for us to get the flu shots. We're all on Tamiflu as a preventative. If you or somebody shows signs of flu, go in immediately. If you get on Tamiflu right away, it can really lessen the duration. If you wait a couple days, it won't work.
Spiderman's reign of immunity has ended. If you could pray for him. He's a mighty sick boy right now.
Never should have shared my 16-year-old son's theory on how the brown recluse bite boosted his immunity so much he didn't get sick anymore.
Murphy's law and all that.
He woke up this morning and while getting ready to go to school, he told me he was freezing. The house was about 73 degrees so I wasn't too worried. Here in Florida, it's usually around 76 when we wake up thanks to our air conditioning.
On the way to school, he told me he was feeling off. I asked if he wanted to stay home. He said no. He's taking college classes and knows it's not always easy to catch up when you've missed a day. I told him he really should call me if he started to feel sick. He said okay.
I went to go drop off all his dual enrollment paperwork for school and while there, he texted me. He was sick. This was only about 45 minutes after I dropped him off. Took me about twenty minutes to get there. He got in the car and immediately starting throwing up. All I had was an empty Starbucks cup...good thing it was venti sized! He filled that and we had a box in the car. He used that after (note to self, keep plastic bags in car).
Called the doctor, they said bring him right in. I did. His fever was 104! They gave him a shot to stop the vomiting and then gave him Tylenol. He tested positive for the flu.
Too late for us to get the flu shots. We're all on Tamiflu as a preventative. If you or somebody shows signs of flu, go in immediately. If you get on Tamiflu right away, it can really lessen the duration. If you wait a couple days, it won't work.
Spiderman's reign of immunity has ended. If you could pray for him. He's a mighty sick boy right now.
Nothing Spoils a Good Birthday Like a Shark
originally posted 12 NOV 2014
I have been enjoying the responses on my 'Two Truths and a Lie" post.
I picked some tough ones. A few people have said they really hope my lie is the
"I once looked on in horror as my young son was surrounded by sharks while swimming in the ocean."
But, no, completely true.
It was my son's ninth birthday. We were living in Trinidad and spending the week in Mayaro (a town on the east coast). The night before his birthday, I remember watching Survivorman. He mentioned that evening is also known as the 'sharking hour'. We joked about that.
The next day, our son got a new body board. The house was right on the beach so we were out there playing in the waves several times that day. He wanted one last time with the body board, so, in the early evening, we all headed out again.
You already know where this is going, right?
So the kids are paddling around in the water. My son is a ways out there as is his way when he is in the ocean. My daughter, in her little inner tube, was in a very shallow spot with daddy fishing beside her. I decided to walk down the beach a ways. All of a sudden, I hear a commotion. There is a crowd around my husband. Everybody is yelling and pointing at my son. Had no clue what they were yelling but I jogged back pretty quick. Sharks! There were so many (at the very least 15 to 20 if not more) and they were writhing and swarming around my son!
Scariest moment of my life, I can tell you that. Everybody is yelling at him and he's just looking at us like, "What's wrong?" But, smart kid, paddles back in. My husband meets him half way and drags him our of the water really quickly. We all just stood watching these sharks right where my son had been. My husband grabbed a heavier pole and tried to catch one. That's my husband for you. My son and I were just in shock, I think.
It was so hard to tell by the view we had but, from all the dorsal fins, we believe they were either some form of nurse shark or sand shark which are pretty harmless. The locals said they have been out there each night in the evening feeding on schools of fish.
Harmless or not, seeing my son surrounded by sharks is something I hope never to experience ever again!
I have been enjoying the responses on my 'Two Truths and a Lie" post.
I picked some tough ones. A few people have said they really hope my lie is the
"I once looked on in horror as my young son was surrounded by sharks while swimming in the ocean."
But, no, completely true.
It was my son's ninth birthday. We were living in Trinidad and spending the week in Mayaro (a town on the east coast). The night before his birthday, I remember watching Survivorman. He mentioned that evening is also known as the 'sharking hour'. We joked about that.
The next day, our son got a new body board. The house was right on the beach so we were out there playing in the waves several times that day. He wanted one last time with the body board, so, in the early evening, we all headed out again.
You already know where this is going, right?
So the kids are paddling around in the water. My son is a ways out there as is his way when he is in the ocean. My daughter, in her little inner tube, was in a very shallow spot with daddy fishing beside her. I decided to walk down the beach a ways. All of a sudden, I hear a commotion. There is a crowd around my husband. Everybody is yelling and pointing at my son. Had no clue what they were yelling but I jogged back pretty quick. Sharks! There were so many (at the very least 15 to 20 if not more) and they were writhing and swarming around my son!
Scariest moment of my life, I can tell you that. Everybody is yelling at him and he's just looking at us like, "What's wrong?" But, smart kid, paddles back in. My husband meets him half way and drags him our of the water really quickly. We all just stood watching these sharks right where my son had been. My husband grabbed a heavier pole and tried to catch one. That's my husband for you. My son and I were just in shock, I think.
It was so hard to tell by the view we had but, from all the dorsal fins, we believe they were either some form of nurse shark or sand shark which are pretty harmless. The locals said they have been out there each night in the evening feeding on schools of fish.
Harmless or not, seeing my son surrounded by sharks is something I hope never to experience ever again!
If Diagnosed with Ebola, Would You Let a Homeopath Treat You?
originally posted 14 NOV 2014
I had a terrible run in with homeopathy last year. I knew nothing about homepathic medicine until that point. Now I know. I went through months of medical treatments as a result. I'm not a fan.
So, when I read this headline on Google news today" Homeopaths sent to deadly Ebola hotspot to treat victims with ARSENIC and SNAKE VENOM"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2834259/Homeopaths-sent-deadly-Ebola-hotspot-treat-victims-ARSENIC-SNAKE-VENOM.html
I just thought, "Oh my goodness, no!"
I lump homeopathy with voodoo practices which I saw extensively during my time in Haiti. Wait, what do you mean I lump homeopathy with voodoo? That is sure to shock a few.
To begin, you take your ingredient. Let's run with the snake venom mentioned in this article. Not sure what the 'measurements' are on the bottle but might be similar to this - 3x, 6x, 12x, 30x, 60x. The 'x' is the Roman numeral 10. They start by taking the snake venom (your call if you believe the venom is actually there in that first drop) and diluting it with 3000 equal parts water. Then they shake vigorously. When you really look into what homeopathy is, it is a "spirit-like healing force" that is released when the water is shaken so that is why they shake it. It imparts a sort of memory into the surrounding water. Then they dilute with the 6x, 6000 equal parts water and so on and so forth with the shaking and diluting until they get to the 60x (a lot of zeroes there and a lot of water, eh).
Side note: if this were true, imagine all the millions of bottles of wine you could create off of just one grape!
But then reality sets in. According to an article on Wikipedia on homeopathy:
Not too worried about these people really being given snake venom and aphrodisiacs since the chances are good that those were never even there to begin.
Lots of thoughts on this and glad to see that in a country that does have a large populace who believe in voodoo and witchcraft, they still won't allow it.
Will leave you with some of the thoughts mentioned in the comments which I think are the best part.
and, this last comment had me thinking, if one of these 'medical professionals' caught the disease, would they indeed treat it with homeopathy or fly back for the real treatment?
I had a terrible run in with homeopathy last year. I knew nothing about homepathic medicine until that point. Now I know. I went through months of medical treatments as a result. I'm not a fan.
So, when I read this headline on Google news today" Homeopaths sent to deadly Ebola hotspot to treat victims with ARSENIC and SNAKE VENOM"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2834259/Homeopaths-sent-deadly-Ebola-hotspot-treat-victims-ARSENIC-SNAKE-VENOM.html
I just thought, "Oh my goodness, no!"
I lump homeopathy with voodoo practices which I saw extensively during my time in Haiti. Wait, what do you mean I lump homeopathy with voodoo? That is sure to shock a few.
To begin, you take your ingredient. Let's run with the snake venom mentioned in this article. Not sure what the 'measurements' are on the bottle but might be similar to this - 3x, 6x, 12x, 30x, 60x. The 'x' is the Roman numeral 10. They start by taking the snake venom (your call if you believe the venom is actually there in that first drop) and diluting it with 3000 equal parts water. Then they shake vigorously. When you really look into what homeopathy is, it is a "spirit-like healing force" that is released when the water is shaken so that is why they shake it. It imparts a sort of memory into the surrounding water. Then they dilute with the 6x, 6000 equal parts water and so on and so forth with the shaking and diluting until they get to the 60x (a lot of zeroes there and a lot of water, eh).
Side note: if this were true, imagine all the millions of bottles of wine you could create off of just one grape!
But then reality sets in. According to an article on Wikipedia on homeopathy:
"60x - on average, this would require giving two billion doses per second to six billion people for 4 billion years to deliver a single molecule of the original material to any patient."
Not too worried about these people really being given snake venom and aphrodisiacs since the chances are good that those were never even there to begin.
Lots of thoughts on this and glad to see that in a country that does have a large populace who believe in voodoo and witchcraft, they still won't allow it.
Will leave you with some of the thoughts mentioned in the comments which I think are the best part.
"I do hope they'll be wearing one millionth of a hazmat suit!"
"It would be interesting to see which method of treatment they chose should one of them contract it!"
"I hope water doesn't have a memory, when you think of all the things that have been in it in the past."
and, this last comment had me thinking, if one of these 'medical professionals' caught the disease, would they indeed treat it with homeopathy or fly back for the real treatment?
Semper Gumby
originally posted 14 NOV 2014
With my son's flu and doctor recommending a quarantine so as to not spread it, I envisioned spending today cleaning the house. We've just been so busy with life, it needs a thorough going over or, at the least, some clean floors.
Rough night with the flu though. Almost took my son to the ER. He was making no sense at all and was seeing things. That worried me but we got his fever down to 102 so I just kept a close eye on him. Not a lot of sleep here.
Ended up really sleeping from about 7am to 10am and just felt groggy. Not much got accomplished other than to take care of the boy and go online for a bit.
Finally, about an hour or so ago, got a bit of motivation. Getting a little bit of cleaning done. Might need a nap though.
Thankfully, the boy is doing a lot better. His throat is really raw and he doesn't so look too good but fever is down to 100 and got some broth in him. He's set up his laptop to watch movies in his room. Yesterday, he was too ill to even watch anything. So thankful for Tamiflu. Learned a few years ago to get right in. I developed the flu but didn't go in until my daughter got it a few days later. Took her right in. They put her on Tamiiflu. She was so much better in just a couple days whereas they said it was too late for me to start and I went through a miserable week.
So, haven't gotten as much done as I'd hoped today but do enjoy 'momming' my boy and taking care of him. He's sixteen now so not much time left to take care of him. That's more important than a clean house so Semper Gumby, right?
With my son's flu and doctor recommending a quarantine so as to not spread it, I envisioned spending today cleaning the house. We've just been so busy with life, it needs a thorough going over or, at the least, some clean floors.
Rough night with the flu though. Almost took my son to the ER. He was making no sense at all and was seeing things. That worried me but we got his fever down to 102 so I just kept a close eye on him. Not a lot of sleep here.
Ended up really sleeping from about 7am to 10am and just felt groggy. Not much got accomplished other than to take care of the boy and go online for a bit.
Finally, about an hour or so ago, got a bit of motivation. Getting a little bit of cleaning done. Might need a nap though.
Thankfully, the boy is doing a lot better. His throat is really raw and he doesn't so look too good but fever is down to 100 and got some broth in him. He's set up his laptop to watch movies in his room. Yesterday, he was too ill to even watch anything. So thankful for Tamiflu. Learned a few years ago to get right in. I developed the flu but didn't go in until my daughter got it a few days later. Took her right in. They put her on Tamiiflu. She was so much better in just a couple days whereas they said it was too late for me to start and I went through a miserable week.
So, haven't gotten as much done as I'd hoped today but do enjoy 'momming' my boy and taking care of him. He's sixteen now so not much time left to take care of him. That's more important than a clean house so Semper Gumby, right?
Forensic Chemist OD's on Homeopathic Sleeping Pills
originally posted 14 NOV 2014
I guess homeopathy is on my mind today as this is my third homeopathic post.
I love this story. So, this last month, a forensic chemist wanted to show the effects of homeopathy. She took 50 homeopathic sleeping pills while the camera was rolling.
Now think for a moment. What would happen if you took 50 Benadryl tablets or 50 Ambien pills? You'd be in the hospital really quickly.
So, what happened when this scientist took 50 homeopathic tablets? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even the urge for a little itty, bitty, tiny cat nap. If you go to the article, there is a link to have homeopathic sleeping pills pulled from pharmacies since they are clearly a scam. Yes, they are a placebo and placebos can have some benefit but it is irksome to know these companies are raking in the dough off of placebos.
I guess homeopathy is on my mind today as this is my third homeopathic post.
I love this story. So, this last month, a forensic chemist wanted to show the effects of homeopathy. She took 50 homeopathic sleeping pills while the camera was rolling.
Now think for a moment. What would happen if you took 50 Benadryl tablets or 50 Ambien pills? You'd be in the hospital really quickly.
So, what happened when this scientist took 50 homeopathic tablets? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even the urge for a little itty, bitty, tiny cat nap. If you go to the article, there is a link to have homeopathic sleeping pills pulled from pharmacies since they are clearly a scam. Yes, they are a placebo and placebos can have some benefit but it is irksome to know these companies are raking in the dough off of placebos.
Vet Visit and a Kitten that Survived Her Mom's Spaying!
originally posted 15 NOV 2014
Took our Siamese and our kitty to the vet for their shots.
They took kitty first to the back room to weigh her and check her temperature. The moment they closed the door, we hear so many awww-she's-so-adorable type comments and sounds. You could tell, she was being passed around. Later, everybody wanted to hear the story about how she had been orphaned at two weeks. No doubt, kitty enjoyed all the love. She didn't care much for her shot and she gave the most pitiful meow. The tech grabbed her afterward and just loved on her.
Our Siamese is a beautiful boy but didn't get the same treatment when they took him to the back room. Didn't hear everybody clamoring over him. Must be a kitty thing.
The tech showed me a kitten that had been born just a couple days ago. They were spaying a cat and turns out she was pregnant with just one kitten. The kitten survived and apparently there is a growing list of people who want the kitty. Eyes still aren't open but oh so precious! i have never seen a tinier kitten. Still too early to tell if it is a he or she kitty.
Vet visit went well. We're home and both cats are now snuggled up to our boy who is still a bit pitiful with the flu.
Took our Siamese and our kitty to the vet for their shots.
They took kitty first to the back room to weigh her and check her temperature. The moment they closed the door, we hear so many awww-she's-so-adorable type comments and sounds. You could tell, she was being passed around. Later, everybody wanted to hear the story about how she had been orphaned at two weeks. No doubt, kitty enjoyed all the love. She didn't care much for her shot and she gave the most pitiful meow. The tech grabbed her afterward and just loved on her.
Our Siamese is a beautiful boy but didn't get the same treatment when they took him to the back room. Didn't hear everybody clamoring over him. Must be a kitty thing.
The tech showed me a kitten that had been born just a couple days ago. They were spaying a cat and turns out she was pregnant with just one kitten. The kitten survived and apparently there is a growing list of people who want the kitty. Eyes still aren't open but oh so precious! i have never seen a tinier kitten. Still too early to tell if it is a he or she kitty.
Vet visit went well. We're home and both cats are now snuggled up to our boy who is still a bit pitiful with the flu.
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