Veteran's Day 2010

It's a day that is so often forgotten. We wonder why our mail is not delivered, why we can't contact a federal office and why there are parades in our capitals, but do most people know the meaning of Veteran's Day?

I will share with you all what today is:

The U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

Want to know more?

History of Veterans Day

New School Year....

As we start the new school year we sometimes reflect on the year that has past. Okay, reflect might not be the word that you would use. We sit back and think about where the time has gone and OMG christmas is right around the corner. My "reflection" is a bit different. Since I home school using a virtual school online it is a bit different. Questions fill my mind: "Did they learn that last year?", "How much refreshing am I going to have to do?" and "What was I thinking?"
All I can say to you all is that if you really think things are spinning out of control, make a chart. I am a chart, list, and note maker. I think I personally keep Post-It in business. I have so many sticky notes all over my desk, both written on and unused, that it is not funny.
Yes, I waste paper. Should I use an online calendar or to do list? Probably, however, over the course of the kids academic career I have accumulated a large sum of paper and notebooks. So instead of wasting all that paper I make list on them. And lets not even talk about the pens I have. I am not a pen thief, but I had to buy pens all the time. Colored ones, fine point, artistic ones and even cute ones. Now I have them all separated by types. Dry erase markers, highlighters, ball point pens, felt tip pens, gel writers, and pencils all have their own homes. With all this paper and writing instruments I make list.
Okay I am just justifying one habit with another. I am a list maker and for any of you that know me or have read my other blogs you know this about me. I make all kinds of list and to be honest it is very annoying to myself as well as others. I know it is an almost compulsive thing. But we all do have a little OCD about us. Take a look at everything you do in a day that constantly repeats in an order that is probably your OCD. But only if in the event that you don't complete that task it actually causes problems, such as making you feel lost all day, you can't get your mind off it, etc. I guess you could say I have a few OCD's. I have to have all my clothes hanging the same direction that even applies to my husbands. And would prefer to have them in color order, but my closet is small and it is hard to get that done all the time. But it does bother me.
I have to wash my hands prior to washing my body. No point in trying to clean you body if your hands are dirty. I know I would be washing them while washing my body, but what about the back of the hands or in between my fingers? I know. I know.
There are other things that I am compulsive about, but we are getting off subject.

Back to talking about school. You know I have noticed that in the last few years that kids are required to do more work and faster than before. Are the kids smarter now than they were 20 years ago? Or is it just a simple case of they thing they are? With all the technology I actually think they are dumber. Let's be honest about it. They cannot write a report, much less a letter. We could blame texting on that. The shortest form of writing to convey a message. But only if the reader knows the acronyms. We all have come to accept "lol" as laugh out loud. It is a standard form of expression. But do we really need "idk". Well I don't know. Kids have no idea about adjective to express anything. They don't have to really know how to spell there is always spell check and with the right program you can have your grammar checked (the ones inside of document software is not all that great). But it will not tell you that you put "were" in the place of "where". One reason "were" is the correct spelling for that word. And they are in too much of a hurry to actually proof read their papers. But it is up to us as parents to do that part. My oldest son hated the fact that I actually did know how to proof read and knew grammar very well. I even type out most words in Instant Messages (IM) and in text messages. And yes I use punctuation in as well.
Call me old fashion but I still love to put pen to paper and write a letter, although I do send emails. Faster, easier, and you can be a little more sure they are going to get it (unless you return receipt then you would know). It's an art, one which I really do love. Don't get me wrong I like to stay in touch and actually read news online rather than getting a newspaper. One of those reason is by the time the newspaper hits my door the news is already old. I have read about it online. And it saves a tree, which helps from the fact that I have bought so much of it in being prepared.

Needless to say, my days now are broken into two parts: Personal time and being a teacher. And the weekends are shaping up to be the same way. Science is easier to do on the weekend because they have so many projects that have to be completed for each unit. So it just makes it easier to do on the weekends. And in some cases we can incorporate them in to activities that we were doing. The farmers market is a great place to learn about growing plants.

As far as the art lessons, to be honest it is a personal choice. My daughter loves to draw but my son doesn't care too much for it. And appreciating are, that will come if they choose too. My oldest son loves to draw but hates looking at art in a museum. Me I actually like both. I have a collection of Patrick Nagel that is growing. And one of these days I will have a real Dali in my house. Not that the framed reprints aren't great. That way I can have more of his art and not break the bank doing it. But my Nagel's are very much real I am picky about the picture and what style it is. I do have a couple that are not signed, but that was more because I loved the subject of the picture. I have my eye on a few of the pencil drawings and a couple that were in Playboy. But I really want the Rio cover that was done for Duran Duran. I have thought about getting an original album cover with the record and having it framed. You know the ones were the record is half out of the sleeve. But first things first, finding the original album in great condition.

I will sign off for today as I really need to get to work on part of that list, you know the one that is on the blue sticky note on my desk.....lol.
Until next time I will leave you with one thought. If your list keeps growing you are either not getting things completed or you need help.

Just things in Life

You know those little things in life that just jump right up on some ordinary Tuesday and knock you for a loop? Well, the past few months have been that way for me. I can't seem to get anything organized, my life, the kid's life, or anything else for the matter. Things just seem to be half done, started and not finished. So I have decided to make a list (one I will finish making) and just take on one task at a time or one job as the case maybe. The laundry seems to be this never ending cycle of things that should be done, needs to be done, and yet not quite ever finished. I wash a few loads a day and when I can almost see an end in sight, there is another load at the bottom. So that is my task for this week. Doing the laundry.

I thought maybe I should let it be out there what I was doing so I could get motivation to complete it. But just as most blogs that are put out there on the internet, the blogger is the only one to see it. In any case I have still decided to put it out there anyway. If for no other reason than to see it get done. And maybe blogging about it will help me mentally get it out there and complain about it each step of the way. And when it is all done, I can go back as look at all the things I have completed.

And just a funny side of this posting. While I sit here typing away, my cat is asleep on my desk. Not disturbed by the pecking of the keys. Oh what a life a cat has.

So I am off to start this task of doing laundry for the day. I figure this will be an every week process in my life until the kids are out of the house. They had been not bring it all home when they visit....lol.

Have a great Tuesday, I will return with another blog and the list of things I need to get done this month.

Wow I missed post....

Well I know that we get busy and forget to do things but WOW, I haven't posted for 2 months. Well I am back....sort of. Not a daily post as I will never get the time for that. But I will try to post more. It's strange how somedays you can just find days to write and others you don't, I often think it is because I don't have anything to say. Which that in itself is truly strange. I am one of those people that can talk about just about any topic. No I am not one of those ones that will be at a party and quote lines from Shakespeare or Keets, that is just boring. I like knowing about things in the world. But when you spend so much time with kids you don't always get a chance to talk about world events. Not that I don't share the information with my kids it is just not as easy to have a discussion with them as they have not learned history well enough to know if it is repeating or to say "you know that sounds just like ....". It's not that they don't try, but as any adult you want to have conversation with other adults and that is something that people with kids don't always get. You spend so much time with them (and not saying that is a bad thing) that you need that outlet from time to time. I get mine with I invite my parents over for dinner. But we have different political views and not always the same like minds. That is not always a bad thing, makes me thing about my position on issues. And so the big topic right now is that health care bill. I hope people have really taken the time to listen and learn about this bill. It would not help anyone in the short or long run. They have reworded and moved things so much that is does not even resemble anything useable. It has totally gotten out of hand. Health care should not be this hard. It really is simple. First you have to start with tort reform. These people suing over things that it partly their fault. Yes, I understand that there is real medical malpractice but lets me honest, it is really gross negligence? Things happen and we are all humans. And did you know that there is a formula for valuing a human life, yes a formula. Is that not the craziest thing? You can not replace a life but if you give them enough money it will make up for it? That is like saying everyone has a price and let's be honest we all do. We may grieve but if you give us a million dollars we can grieve in France. I am not saying that we should give more money to them I am just saying if they died because they did not get treatment because they had to wait for a doctor or treatment for weeks would they have been able to do anything then? I have done some research in Universal Healthcare and I don't think I really care for it. Need a surgery, it could take weeks. The government already has too much say in our medical treatment now. We need a good form of health care that helps those without jobs or those that can not afford to have group insurance. But this new plan is not it. Does the politician is in congress not think that us as individual know what is best for us? Okay, so for the vast majority we are not lawyers, but do we really need to know law to know if a health care plan is right for us or not? Do we have to have an office in Washington DC to understand that health care cost continue to rise and yet patient care has decreased? Anyone that has been in the hospital, had someone they know in the hospital or even been to the hospital knows that. They are suppose to be representing "We the people" but it seem more like "Those special interest groups." We teach kids about the beginning of the constitution and the bill of rights and yet it is amazing that since we teach this we have to turn around and change it. Our founding fathers wrote "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...." read the constitution now you will find "Life, liberty and the reasonable pursuit of happiness..." Does this mean that we can only pursue happiness as long as no one else objects or does not offend people? "

Reasonable" by definition not extreme or excessive. Now to me, that says that it is unconstitutional to have too much money or even too little money. See to me "not extreme" means that if you have too much money that is one end of the extreme, to have too little money would be the other end of the extreme. Those very successful would be another extreme and those not so successful would be other. So if we dissect this whole change what does "reasonable" mean to those in congress? Because as it seems they are the only ones that matter with our thoughts. They have our best interest in mind each time they vote (and if you check your congressmen to see how they vote and if they even do) for one of the new bills, changes to the constitution, some change in something. We have the right to question what they are doing. We have the right to remove them from office. We even have the right to not vote for them at all.

But let's not put all the blame on the congressmen, we are the ones that put them there. But it is our job to make sure that they are doing their job. If each of us that seen something they were doing wrong and took the time to tell them things might change. But it takes everyone to make them accountable for their decisions.

So my challenge to anyone is to learn about the congressmen in your area, know how they are voting and don't be afraid to speak out against them.

Skip Wednesday, Now Thursday.....

Okay so I skipped posting yesterday. I had a good reason. I got a call about 11:30 my time that my husband was on his way home. Well actually not until 6:20 my time. It was actually a huge ordeal. We were suppose to get sleet/freezing rain/snow last night. The way to the airport is nothing but a big huge bridge. His plane was not due here until almost midnight. What fun driving there at the time and with the weather. The good news was the highway department was already out and waiting for it. But it did start to sleet but the temp was just high enough that it did not start freezing on the roads. It could have came a blizzard after I got back for all I cared. I was just happy that it was not that bad. Not that I can't drive on ice, I just don't like to.

I got to the airport hoping that at the time of night Starbucks would still be open. No luck. So I sat in the chair and waited. I checked email, sent a couple of text and looked at a new free magazine until the plane landed. I just kept waiting for the phone to ring and him tell me that it was on the ground.

The first thing he said when I seen him was "My butt hurts".....lol. No glad to see you or I missed you (although we talked several times a day). But his butt hurt. That is just the way we are. We don't always say what we are feeling when it comes to emotions.

It was good to have him home. We still had to get up to take the oldest to school. But he at least had the day off. And he got thrown right back into the routine here. I know that it is hard to be away and start your own routine and then come back and be thrown into someone elses. We didn't have to change what we were doing just because he left. We got up did out things and went to bed. He had to deal with the changes in the weather and the time change. Now to be back here with the weather about the same (okay it actually snowed there) and time change again and to have to be here with the kids and all the other house things. It is hard to just adjust in one day. So I gave him a bit of slack today. That and I didn't feel well. I got up easy, but after we got back I just wanted to sleep. And now Michael is asleep. To him it is an hour later and I know that really does take some adjusting to. But I am really glad to have him back.

It's getting late and I should be getting in bed....took that nap this afternoon. But I have a couple of things that I need to get finished. So I will post again tomorrow unless it is just one of those boring days.

It's Tuesday...

Another day is coming to an end and it is another day closer to my husband coming home. He has at least 3 more weeks to go and it getting tired of the cold temps up there in the north. Well if he was home he would hate the temps in the next few days.

Well I finally got the dinning room cleaned out and the table is bigger for us all to sit in there and have a bit of room. It's amazing how when you change from season to season that not everything gets taken out. I know, I really should make sure that it does. It's just easier to put it out because I don't usually do it all at one time. Unlike when I take it out. But it is just one of those things.

I don't make New Year's resolutions, that way I am not in the % that never does them past the average 3 weeks. And what makes people think that the habits they have had all year long can be undo in the first few week (or days) of the new year? I know that it is just a starting point and a good one for things that people want to change about themselves. But wouldn't a Tuesday the second week of June be just as good? Maybe that is just me.

So my oldest didn't have to go to school today. Seems they don't start back until tomorrow....lol. Guess I should have paid attention to the website better. But that's okay. I did get things done. He took the lights down today which was a huge help in itself.

So here I sit again tonight. Talking with the hubby online. He had a long day at work and it is 11:00 his time and probably should be getting to sleep. I don't mind talking to him. I really don't have anything better to do tonight. I am not really in the mood to read so all I would do is sit and watch TV. All those channels and not a damn thing on. I know, it's just that there is nothing that I want to watch. Some would say I was crazy, others would say it is because I am restless. And I figure they are both a little correct. I have never even considered myself totally sane. I think we all have to be a little insane to get through the day. It's not just our action that we have to be wary of, but those of others. We can't compliment someone, can't tell someone that they suck at their job, and pretty much can't speak our minds. One for the fear of being killed and the other the fear of being sued.

I don't just blame the attorney's that take the cases or the judges that will allow them to be heard, I blame society as a whole for allowing them. If these juries would just say enough is enough instead of saying it was okay to sue and collect money that they didn't earn.

But I am trying not to blog about that. I want to try to stay positive....at least for the three weeks.

It's time for me to sign off for the night. But I will be back.

It's Monday....

So it is the beginning of a new year and I keep asking myself where did last year go. It seemed that we just started and there was spring and wow I am putting up a Christmas Tree. Now the tree is down (still have the lights outside) and I am making plans for the year. I wonder if making plans and keeping track of things to do in the future is part of the problem. We use calendars on our desk, pda's, cell phones, computers and other electronic devices that tell us about upcoming events. We have all these things keep track of our lives that we are always looking forward to what is next week that we forget about this week. I know, if this week is boring or stressful why not forget about. But I think if we do we will be here next year wondering the same things.

I started off this year without my husband. He left on Dec. 28, 2009 to go to Connecticut for work for a month. Believe me we talk all the time. Both on the phone and online, but it's all those little things that you miss about them. The comfort of just having them there is the big one. You know where you could just turn and talk to them. Or if you are watching something you both laugh together. Yeah those little things.

But now he has been gone for a week. He goes back to the hotel and comes online and just pretty much sits there the entire time. Well it's not as if he has never been in this house but he seems to think that is the same that I do. How soon they forget the kids and all the things that were always there. It just drives you crazy sometimes. He did that tonight, like the kids decided to cook dinner and clean the house and be perfect for one day....lol. That's not about to happen anytime soon and if it did I would be afraid.

And it snowed last night and part of the day today so the vacation was extended into today. Yeah I am ready for the oldest to go back to school, but I still have the youngest two here because I home school. I am actually looking forward to getting back to that because of the structure of the days with them working. But I have got to get them organized with work. I keep list of everything. And I hope they get a little of that. But I don't think you just get it, I think you have to teach it.

So tomorrow I get to try a new plan. The other one didn't seem to work so this year we start off new. The chores are also going to be added into the work day for them. I mean we are suppose to be preparing them for the real world, and believe me those socks to walk themselves to the dirty clothes and they don't wash, dry and fold themselves either. Don't I wish they would.

I will blog and post when I have something to say. I have so many of these blog, but the hubby has my laptop so I can't blog from there where I usually do so I am unleashing another blog on all you. I figured you all needed one more of these out there to either ignore, read and laugh at, read and yell at, or just read and know that we are not all perfect and someone is willing to blog about it that is not in a movie.

With all the facebook keeping track of what we are doing, I think taking the time to just write something that is on our mind and share a piece of ourselves with others. Better than..... I am writing on Facebook, I updated myspace, I am in the bathroom, I just got home. Come on please take the time to think about it before you post it. We don't want to know that you just got home, that you are in the bathroom or that you are picking your nose. We might want to know what is on your mind, but then again......maybe not. I just thought about it, if you are posting that maybe you don't have anything on your mind. Okay that was mean. But let's be honest, we really don't want to hear it.

Well I will leave you all with that to think on. If you are one of those that post that stuff, please, please, please, stop. And if you are the ones that hate..... hope this makes you smile. Have a great one.