The Cons of Home School

#3 Write a post that begins and ends with the same sentence.

Home school: Where you get to be a student for another 13 years!

 I know our family chose to home school so there is no one to blame, but ourselves! Read: I get to do school all over again. I did my time. I did my job as a kid/weirdo middle schooler/hormonal teenager. Maybe I am a perpetual academic type or maybe I am secretly torturing myself. Either way...

There are cons to home schooling and I am not too cowardly to share them:

1. Sometimes explaining how to and why we diagram sentences is about as much fun as an ingrown toenail. Hmmm, is that a adjective or an adverb? Yes, I taught English as a second language and literacy for six years, but the plethora of rules/exceptions in our language just blows.  

2. Being asked, "How do you socialize your kids?" I don't. We only let them out of their cage for food, bathing and school. You didn't take that last line seriously, right?

3. There are no tax dollars provided to educate or feed my sons.

4. I love my children, but sometimes being around them makes this Christian woman consider checking in with a psychiatrist on the condition of my mental health.

5. The myth that home school children are always wide-eyed, eager and enthusiastic about learning whatever and that they sit super still, listen attentively and never-ever tap their pencil...Um, not just no, but...

6. I am the teacher of all subjects (even the ones I struggled with while in school), the counselor, lunch lady, nurse, truancy officer, referee, principal, and sometimes curriculum writer for my sons. I am only qualified by law to be a teacher. Oh, and lest not forget I am the mom (this creates all sorts of conflicts of interests). By the way, I am a decent lunch lady!

No, I am not asking you to feel sorry for me. I really do love this home school journey. There are many, plenty of beautiful benefits, blessings, memories and no regrets to teaching my sons at home. One of my favorite memories is I taught them how to read and it was an incredible experience I am glad I now possess. Yet, there are cons to everything. Insert the cliche: bittersweet.

So for those frustrating moments or weeks, I am reminded of another con of home school: 

Where you get to be a student for another 13 years!

Writer's Workshop...defining emotions in pictures...

Thank goodness for Kat Bouska's Writing Workshop...let's just say my motivation for blog writing lately has been practically zilch.
Want to join the movement? Follow it all @ Mama's Losin It

Prompt #2...Define goodness...joy...sorrow...and anger in pictures I have taken.

Goodness.

Strawberry ice cream popsicle? Goodness.

JOY

Maybe you're thinking how in the world is the below picture joy?

Well...because my house is filled with Star Wars!
Okay, yes that is joyful, but really what brings me joy is the gift of my two sons who just happen to like Star Wars as much as me!

Sorrow

The grass is crying.

All by itself.

A lonely place indeed.

That's how sorrow has been for me, a lonely place.

Anger

"He had it coming."

This really only covers a few of my emotions ya know, but that is another post for another day.

What is more precious than gold?

He tells me to close my eyes. I had just returned from having a woman squeeze my tatas with a vice grip as if she was expecting juice from them. You would think that with today's technology, someone could suggest a kinder way of checking for cancer in my bumps. Next time, I think I will negotiate an ultrasound and cat-scan.  Back to hubby-he hands me a special treat to celebrate my first mammogram. I gasp, then laugh. On a purple plate, two scoops of vanilla ice cream are sandwiched between two graham crackers with slices of strawberries and red hots facing out like headlights. 

Chew on that mental picture...

My youngest son gives me at least thirty pecks on my cheek with a doubly hard hug. Then, he proudly exclaims, "That was the hardest hug-EVER!"

My first born son and I giggle as he gets me with a pillow because he has figured out that this is what you do when you love someone...you can playfully tease. And I adore the banter between us.  

When I was in college, I used my engagement ring as a model for creating a sculpture. My art piece is a thin, three dimensional metal circle with metal prongs holding a white rock so elegantly on a red, crushed-velvet pillow. The ring art symbolized getting married, the commitment and the promise to come.  Yet, it wasn't the diamond or the shiny gold that was valuable. It was what it meant for my future. Now, the ring is a permanent fixture in my life, my garden-like the beauty of vowing to love my husband forever...

Check out the escapee-a metal mouse (top right).

And what is more precious than gold..?  These moments of bliss with my family.

 Prompt#3-a blog inspired by the word gold. 
Linking up today at Mama's Losin It...for a bit of inspirational writing  Go here.

My Valentines through the decades.

Tomorrow, my kids will be attending their first Valentine's Party ever, but not at a public school. It is at the church we attend. They are schooled at home. I always attended either a public or private school, but my family didn't go to church.
    This year, the boys and I made our Valentines for everyone. Good ol' card stock, wax paper and markers! No fancy Pinterest items here, but this idea is not mine...stole it off, you guessed it, the internet. Around 22 kids who are also home schooled will be getting what you see below.

When I was in school (I attended public school), we never made our own Valentine's cards. I remember buying our cards from the nearest grocery store. We were pretty poor, but my mom always managed to find the money to pay for those super impersonal cards and some off brand juice or cookies that we were asked to bring. But, hey, any  excuse to take an hour during school to ridiculously consume too much sugar as a kid was divine.


Gathering inspiration today from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. Go here to join!

Something Papaw said.

Today, I am using Mama Kat's famous writing prompts to inspire me today. The prompt I chose...

#4 Something your grandfather told you.

 Okay, really Papaw sang this...

And the farmer hauled another load of hay.

When I read the prompt, this little diddy came to my mind. I don't know why. I am not even sure what wisdom, if any lies within these sung words. 

Perhaps, Papaw was warning me that sometimes working involves lots of mundane, do-the-same-thing, Groundhog Day tasks?

Maybe it was an attempt to instill work ethic? Sending subliminal messages that hard work pays off?

That if one grows hay, there will be hay to load?

It is possible that Papaw was promoting support for farmers. Farmers work hard, farmers feed us and farmers should be treated with respect.

Okay, am I stretching it a bit? It is just a song, right? He sang it a lot. The song has stuck in my mind for 35 years...somehow it has impacted me.  Papaw passed away on November 17, 1993. I think this song is just one of many wonderful quirks that keep his memory alive. 

Some other funny sayings from Papaw..."You mother-ape." -(used instead of the curse word), "Come on toots, be there." -(when he wanted a good card hand or roll of the dice), and "Master-burger." -(he meant to order the Whopper, but said this and totally confused the drive-thru cashier).

Last picture taken the summer before my Papaw passed away.

 I miss you Papaw!

 

The Last of the Tea kettles...

Linking up at Mama Kats. Go here to participate.

  (Can you guess the movie reference in my title)?

 

Prompt #4: The last thing you lost:The top off of the tea kettle. 

I know, how in the...do you lose that? 

It all started with a move two years ago. Pack, pack and pack more of our junk stuff. Sometimes in an orderly fashion with department style wrapping of newspaper. Mostly, if the kitchen items made it into the boxes labeled "kitchen," some organization was happening and you'd think unpacking would be a breeze. Nope.

   While ripping open and removing items from newspaper, my inked fingertips happily held my beloved tea kettle...only to be confused by a missing top. A top that fits tight so no steam escapes while a most unpleasant, high-pitched steel pot screams at you that the water is hot enough to cause it to whistle. Pure bliss on a cold day when hot chocolate awaits. I know I could use a microwave, but it just doesn't have the same appeal.

Back to the top. I unpacked every box. Even boxes that said, "toys or tools." Nothing. 

I'll admit to you that I decided to white-trash it (please forgive my unkind label, but it truly captures what I did here)...I put aluminum foil over the gaping whole so that my tea kettle would work. I didn't have the heart to throw it away. I thought of ways to up-cycle it. Okay, I broke down a bought a cheap one at that "W" store. 

Then seriously, a year later, the dumb thing shows up. Out of nowhere, somehow I find it stuck in an old ceramic, disaster of a piece I made in my second attempt at becoming a ceramist! Now, I have two tea kettles to torture my ear drums or to put humidity in the air since I live in a very dry climate.

I know, lucky me.

Your turn, what have you lost?

 

Something "different" I ate-then and now

It's been awhile since I've linked up here.

I chose writing prompt #5-Something you ate

I grew up in the south. Our family table was greeted often with items smothered in bacon grease. We often had meat at every meal...usually pork or beef.  I look back now and call it clogged arteries on a plate. 

When I moved out, went to college and eventually got married, I decided what to eat and cook. Bacon grease was rarely on the menu. My grandfather and a few other family members had passed away or had heart problems. I didn't want to be a part of that fact on our family tree. So, I began to make changes...SLOWLY.

Southern food=addicting. 

 More recently, I am mostly vegetarian and vegan-NOT because I am all about how animals are not for eating, but for two reasons:  

1. hubby is plagued by food that triggers headaches and sometimes nausea.  And he has problems with eating beef.

2. I have seen how they cut up a cow and it has grossed me out ever since, I don't like how most meat smells, and bonus-I don't really have to worry about E-coli unless I eat items grown in animal manure (can you say gross?).

 

So we have been eating some "different" things that I seriously would have said in my twenties that I would never eat!  

     Recently, the weirdest food I have tried is nutritional yeast or nooch as vegans affectionately call it. 

Nooch is often used as a cheese substitute...interesting, but it just ain't cheese folks! One thing that keeps me non-vegan is my love of cheese-especially on pizza. No, I don't have to have cheese on everything and most meals I make don't have it, but when I think about never having pizza with Mozzarella, I feel a panic attack coming on. 

The best things I have consumed recently? Coconut milk coffee creamer-hello coffee! And Vanilla Almond milk. Talk about heaven in my spinach/banana smoothie or my rice or oatmeal breakfast.  

So there ya have it, something I ate then and now. Bon appetite! 

Little Superheroes & homemade costumes

Prompt #5: Show us what your kids are wearing for Halloween.

My boys (4 and 2) are really into the super heroes and rescue heroes right now. Anyone who can leap tall buildings, has a powerful green ring or a catchy name like Billy Blazes has won their approval. If they save people or fight off bad guys...these sweet boys of mine want to emulate them.

This year, I chose to do a half homemade/half store bought Superman costume that my boys will be wearing for Halloween this year. I am still working on the boots and capes.

When I was little, we were pretty poor so one year my mom made our costumes on a whim. This was the late 70's and I decided to be a scary ghost. So my mom literally threw a white sheet over me with holes for my eyes and used her red lipstick to create streaks of blood. Awesome.

I think there is something nostalgic and fun about having your own costume made with loving hands. What about you? 

Linking up today with Mama's Losin it
for a little writer's workshop fun...come join! 

Writer's Workshop: These things in nature make me smile

These things in nature make me smile...

Okay, they make me laugh too! Like this lazy lizard we took a picture of...I just want to be that Collard Lizard. Ya know, basking in the sun, looking all pretty and not having to worry about sun damage or if I shaved. Ahem.

We took a backpacking trip (before kids) in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is one of my favorite scenes. Glorious!

Crossing bridges over beautiful rivers!

Sweet baby birds sitting on my fence. Don't you just want to hug them?
 

I have always been lucky enough to have nature constantly knock on my back door...okay, some have traipsed into my home without an invitation, but that is a different story for another post. However, my loyalty to letting nature be itself has rewarded me with amusing tales and experiences. So before I share one of my favorites stories, I have to tell you that Hummingbirds make me smile the most.


Don't be fooled by their size (some are only about 3 inches big)! These birds can be ruthless. Little jets ripping thru the air and sword fighting one another. I seriously could watch and chuckle for hours. On occasion, I have been scrutinized by these tiny wonders. Don't worry, I was never injured.

So my story? I saved a Hummingbird.

It was a typical muggy, hot Texas day. He ran into the Dairy Queen window where I was going to get an awesome Oreo Blizzard. He was stunned. I picked him up and for the first time in my life, I was holding a Hummingbird on my hand. Seriously, it felt like NOTHING was on my hand. So light and fragile. So we cooled off inside the Dairy Queen where I was greeted with the wide, curious filled eyes of strangers. You would have thought I was a street performer..."Girl trains her pet Hummer to stay on her thumb." One of the kind DQ workers gave me some Coke. So I nudged the little Hummer gently until it took a teeny sip with its' clear tongue.  He perked up, realized he was on a human hand and freaked out. I did manage to get him outside.

So there ya have it, I am a hero in the Hummingbird world. And I was rewarded with that sweet memory. I am grinning widely as I type this...

Linking up with: http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/blog/

Today is my birthday, It's almost summer and what I liked least about school.

Yep, today is my 38th birthday. Not an exciting number, huh? Since it is I guess, my day I should probably get to write whatever I want, right?


Well, it just so happens that today is Mama Kat's writing workshop where ya link up and share. So my birthday actually ties into two of the prompts!! Woo-hoo for me!!! Okay, I was probably the only person expressing that sentiment.

Prompt #4: Technically, May is still spring in my neck of the woods, and so here is a picture that I think captures spring for our family. We should be in an Eddie Bauer catalog right?

 I had to share the above as one of many outtakes from our sweet boys we are so grateful for. They can be such turkeys.


Prompt #5
   I don't miss school much at all, but the one thing I miss the least about school is not getting to celebrate my birthday like everyone else. Back when I was in school, the last day was always the 21st or 22nd or about a week before Memorial Day. My day is today, the 24th. So I never got to have cake or treats or hear others sing the special song on my special day. Sure, the teacher was nice enough to include all of us misfit "summer" birthdays the last day of school, but it just didn't feel the same. 

Am I over it now? Of course. And turns out, once I hit middle school I loved that my birthday was after the last day of school because it meant it was summer and what a way to kick off the best time in a young person's life.


Before I go, I have to share this last picture of my one of my most memorable birthdays...a cake made with so much painstaking love that it makes me tear up. I have a wonderful hubby.

 I have been known to occasionally and naturally laugh like Scooby-Doo. I was turning 29 I believe in this photo.

A Mother's Day dream...

It's Thursday and Mama Kat has inspired my writing addiction once again...

          Here's Prompt #5: The perfect Mother's Day consists of...

 Well, this is a two part day. One is dripping in lack of reality while the other one could actually happen, no, really. 

The perfect Mother's Day consist of...

  

Sleeping in with no alarm, a full fat breakfast consisting of crepes from Dream Cafe and afterwards, a Hazelnut Latte from the oh so infamous coffee place. Only I tell them not to make it too sweet and add an extra shot of Espresso...I want to taste the warm bean and all of it's caffeine glory!

 
I sip this coffee, relaxing and reading a good book. 
Then, off to a get a manicure and pedicure since I prefer someone else to make my nails sparkle. Because I leave such an impression, the day spa would throw in a hour massage for free. Did I mention that I would have unlimited access throughout the day to any kind of chocolate I want?

I would get to see my best friend and we would go sketch and do art and then after lunch, throw some eggs (long story for another time).

My family (two sons under 5 and sweet hubby) misses me so much that when I get home their is a banner on the front lawn saying, "You are the best wife/mom in the whole wide world." 
They have loving provided Gerbera Daisies in a glass vase, Pizza from Pulcinella and Blue Bell ice cream (Texas' best) for dessert.

(Now that was the reality part, really)

The perfect Mother's Day consist of...

          My mom being here. Alive and well, and able to meet her grandchildren. To hear her tell me how I am a good mom. How I am raising two sweet, precious boys who are so funny and spirited.

How my youngest looks just like me and she adores his dimples the way she adored mine. She always bragged about my tiny wrists and hands to even strangers.

   If I could tell her I've missed her and say, "Happy Mother's Day, mom." I know that would bring me joy. She was far from perfect and known to hurt my feelings more than I wanted. At times, I didn't understand her, but she was my mommy and always will be.

If you wrangle and add this entire post from my blog...Now, that WOULD be the perfect Mother's Day.