Last night I was getting things ready for church today. We make it a Saturday night process so Sunday morning isn't so rushed. (We drive 45 minutes to church, so we like to get as much ready the night before as we can.) So there I was last night, getting things ready to sub in the high school Sunday school class, putting together my books and papers, figuring out if there is anything clean to wear...you know, important things like that.
I turn on the light to try on what I found that was clean and realize the light is burnt out. So I'm dressing by the light of the stairway. Not a big deal though, all I needed to know was were the pants (which I'd never worn) going to zip, and was the shirt (also new to me from a garage sale) going to fall to an appropriate place on the pants. (Shirts that reveal your belly are only cute on two year olds.) I quick glance in the not well lit mirror and decide the outfit is a go, take it off, get into bed. Done deal.
We go to church today, all is well. The boys and I meet Grandma and Grandpa after church for coffee and ice cream (their treat) and I quick run into the bathroom. Inside, there is a lovely large mirror that is well lit. Which reveals to me that if you turn just so, the lovely black shirt I had been wearing all through church is, in fact see-through. Well, not obnoxiously so. But really. If you turned just so, I'm pretty sure it was obvious I had stretch marks.
Hmmm. So now I'm wondering why no one said anything. Am I being paranoid? Was my shirt clung in just the right places so as NOT to be see-through and no one noticed? Or was it obvious and everyone is just thinking I'm some completely inappropriate freak mother?
I'm all for learning from life, but hopefully there was no education going on from my wardrobe malfunction :(
Its a good thing God is so forgiving. I can only hope all the mothers of the young bucks at church will be as well. :)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Today, boys and girls, we learn about space conservation
I love garage sales. I have a hard time paying more than a buck for much of anything, so even thrift stores are tough for me. I'm tickled that garage sale season has started up again in this part of the world. My boys are delighted, too. However their delight has led us to a bit of dilemma.
People in my bloodline (children included) have a nose for sniffing out deals. And while saving money is great, saving money can sometimes just lead you to acquire more crap. When you can't pass up that great find at the garage sale because its sooooo frugally lovely, you still have to take it home and find a place for it.
In our household, space comes at a premium. Two families, one house, no "garage". I'm guessing the total house square footage at 1500-1800. From which two businesses are run. Where four adults and two rambunctious darlings run freely. Somedays, its more squished than others. In any event, seeing as how "space" isn't readily available, you can't just bring in a Hot Wheels race track and assume its going to fade into the corner somewhere. See where I'm going with this?
Iggy and Ooky are getting good with money, have their own wallets, do odd jobs to earn money every so often. Garage sale season means they're going to get serious bang for their buck. Problem is, where do you put what they buy? (By the way, you can't ask them this at a garage sale when they're looking at the coolest toy ever. It doesn't matter if its taller than they are and longer than their bed. They are so sure they can make room for it.)
Mama had to get creative. First, she told Iggster and Ooky that their room is considered clean when stuff fits in the closet. I don't care how its stacked or shoved in there, but if I sustain major injury when I open the closet door, that means there's too much in there. I also said that their room is considered clean when there isn't anything on the floor. Meaning,, lining up boxes or bags or stacks of books along the outer edge of the room doesn't fly. It needs to be on a shelf or in the closet. So Igg and Ook got to work on that. They decided on an amazing pile of CRAP they suddenly didn't need anymore. I smiled big. The closet door closed nicely. And I could see their floor.
Today was library day, and of course there were garage sales on the way. We stopped, and they were given their wallets. I said to them, you are free to buy what you want, its your money, you earned it. But for every toy you bring into the house, ANOTHER (similarly sized) TOY HAS TO LEAVE. And by leave, I mean LEAVE. Not find somewhere in the dog kennel to store it until a later date. Gone. Never to return.
Something interesting happened. Instead of picking up every toy their little hands could carry (and afford) they started thinking about what they were choosing. They knew that by purchasing something, they would have to move something else out of the house. So that specially garage sale priced giant hot wheels track that takes up a bazillion square feet to store? Wasn't an issue, since the amount of toys they'd have to get rid of to keep it would be insane. Didn't matter if it was in the free box. They weren't the least bit interested in taking it home. And the fifteen million matchbox cars? Even at a penny a piece, do we really want to take home all fifteen million? You could see, they were actually thinking about it...making real decisions.
The boys did end up spending a couple bucks today and came home with a few things each. I made them keep the items in the living room until they went into their room and brought out what they were planning to get rid of in order to bring the new toys in. All in all, it went pretty well. I'm always pretty stoked about life lessons like these. I mean, academics are grand, but really. Being able to add up three dimes and a quarter is great. But looking at the toy and being big enough to decide you don't really need it or want it enough to get rid of something else...to me, that's a way bigger deal.
Too bad stuff like THAT isn't on the standardized tests...
Sun and Dirt = Happy Girl
I hate winter. That's been mentioned before.
This time of year, however, is perfect. You can smell the dirt. You can walk barefoot in the grass. You put the new-to-you (but previously used) clothesline into the ground and watch all the clothes whip around in the million-mile-an-hour wind...which is exactly what we did yesterday. It was fantastic. Nothing will lift your spirits like a sunny day and the smell of dirt.
Call me weird.
Life has heavily revolved around Earthy things lately (with Earth Day, weather, and Arbor Day...which is today) and its been fun to see how the boys learn and apply. And question. Yesterday when we were hanging clothes, Iggy mentioned that by not using the dryer, we were saving electricity. I agreed. He then wanted to know how we could wash the clothes without going inside. Without skipping a beat, he answers his own question by pointing to the creek that runs through the backyard. So apparently he thinks we are doing a load of wash in the creek sometime soon. "You know, like in the old days, Mom." He did suggest that if the creek wasn't an option (seeing as how there's a ton of algae), that we could warm a big pot of water over the fire and wash them that way.
Aw, my little pioneer. He's got it all planned out!
This time of year, however, is perfect. You can smell the dirt. You can walk barefoot in the grass. You put the new-to-you (but previously used) clothesline into the ground and watch all the clothes whip around in the million-mile-an-hour wind...which is exactly what we did yesterday. It was fantastic. Nothing will lift your spirits like a sunny day and the smell of dirt.
Call me weird.
Life has heavily revolved around Earthy things lately (with Earth Day, weather, and Arbor Day...which is today) and its been fun to see how the boys learn and apply. And question. Yesterday when we were hanging clothes, Iggy mentioned that by not using the dryer, we were saving electricity. I agreed. He then wanted to know how we could wash the clothes without going inside. Without skipping a beat, he answers his own question by pointing to the creek that runs through the backyard. So apparently he thinks we are doing a load of wash in the creek sometime soon. "You know, like in the old days, Mom." He did suggest that if the creek wasn't an option (seeing as how there's a ton of algae), that we could warm a big pot of water over the fire and wash them that way.
Aw, my little pioneer. He's got it all planned out!
Monday, February 9, 2009
A bit of perspective
I've been away from home for a few days, enjoying an annual "ladies weekend" with my mom, grandma, aunts and cousins. We always look forward to this adventure, knowing we'll be in for a lot of snacking, window shopping, board game playin' and chatting. We have a great time and literally laugh until our sides hurt. I maintain this is good for the soul, and probably the cheapest therapy you can get.
Its good to have time away from "life" every so often. I especially enjoy it, as a homeschooling mom, because being detached from the little lovlies that I'm generally with 24 hours a day most the year, gives me a nice break. You wouldn't believe how cute Iggy and Ooky are when you haven't seen or dealt with them for 80 hours. In fact, I'm pretty sure they might have grown an inch or two since I last saw them.
The most important part about getting away from life, however, is the simple fact that one can get perspective. Now I know people joke tease me about living in "the cave"...but seriously. Sometimes I think I have no grasp on reality. For me, on this particular ladies weekend of being out and about, perspective meant opening my eyes to the fact that there are a LOT of people in the world who don't live like my family does. (Shhh. In the back of my mind I knew that. But its one thing to know it, and an entirely different thing to experience it.)
I guess its all relative. The world you create and live in will in turn dictate what "normal" is for you. And you tend to assume the way you live is pretty close to what everyone else's "normal" is. I mean, obviously there will be differences, but on the whole...aren't we pretty close?
After this weekend of perspective, I would have to answer with a hearty no.
I remember when we were in the hospital after just having our Iggster. Hubster told me some time after that, that someone had come in and gave him information on WIC and foodstamps and things like that. I screwed up my face and said "How in the world could we even get that?" Then I realized that we totally qualified for it. In my little cave-ish mind, I figured everyone lived in a house where money was tight, (which we did) and that WIC and foodstamps were reserved for people who really needed it. I didn't know we were one of those families who could have technically taken it.
This weekend was a bit like that smack-in-the-face realization, but in a reverse way. We window shopped in stores that held customers whom I'm pretty sure aren't aware we're in "a recession". Or, probably more accurately, customers whose idea of "cutting back" is still living a life that I will never afford as long as I live. It was really strange to be out of the cave and seeing how people are living outside my circle of reality. But then it explains a lot, like how people can be inspired by articles that tell you to save money by getting your haircut every 8 weeks instead of every 6 or learning to change the oil yourself. Things people on my end of the spectrum have been doing all along. And not that those of us on this end of the spectrum should get all high and mighty. There is nothing worse than learning to do something (save money) and then being excited to have figured it out (cut corners where you didn't think you could) and have someone else (like me) steal your fire by saying something like "Yeah, so? I've been doing that since I was 10."
However, I do think its interesting (and possibly necessary) to keep things in perspective. Saving money and cutting back mean different things to different people. The perimeters of simplicity and frugality will vary within each group. I mean, when you get out in the world and realize how simple or complicated or different or whackjobby you really are...it might shed some light on how you view the world.
Ah. Perspective is great.
Its good to have time away from "life" every so often. I especially enjoy it, as a homeschooling mom, because being detached from the little lovlies that I'm generally with 24 hours a day most the year, gives me a nice break. You wouldn't believe how cute Iggy and Ooky are when you haven't seen or dealt with them for 80 hours. In fact, I'm pretty sure they might have grown an inch or two since I last saw them.
The most important part about getting away from life, however, is the simple fact that one can get perspective. Now I know people joke tease me about living in "the cave"...but seriously. Sometimes I think I have no grasp on reality. For me, on this particular ladies weekend of being out and about, perspective meant opening my eyes to the fact that there are a LOT of people in the world who don't live like my family does. (Shhh. In the back of my mind I knew that. But its one thing to know it, and an entirely different thing to experience it.)
I guess its all relative. The world you create and live in will in turn dictate what "normal" is for you. And you tend to assume the way you live is pretty close to what everyone else's "normal" is. I mean, obviously there will be differences, but on the whole...aren't we pretty close?
After this weekend of perspective, I would have to answer with a hearty no.
I remember when we were in the hospital after just having our Iggster. Hubster told me some time after that, that someone had come in and gave him information on WIC and foodstamps and things like that. I screwed up my face and said "How in the world could we even get that?" Then I realized that we totally qualified for it. In my little cave-ish mind, I figured everyone lived in a house where money was tight, (which we did) and that WIC and foodstamps were reserved for people who really needed it. I didn't know we were one of those families who could have technically taken it.
This weekend was a bit like that smack-in-the-face realization, but in a reverse way. We window shopped in stores that held customers whom I'm pretty sure aren't aware we're in "a recession". Or, probably more accurately, customers whose idea of "cutting back" is still living a life that I will never afford as long as I live. It was really strange to be out of the cave and seeing how people are living outside my circle of reality. But then it explains a lot, like how people can be inspired by articles that tell you to save money by getting your haircut every 8 weeks instead of every 6 or learning to change the oil yourself. Things people on my end of the spectrum have been doing all along. And not that those of us on this end of the spectrum should get all high and mighty. There is nothing worse than learning to do something (save money) and then being excited to have figured it out (cut corners where you didn't think you could) and have someone else (like me) steal your fire by saying something like "Yeah, so? I've been doing that since I was 10."
However, I do think its interesting (and possibly necessary) to keep things in perspective. Saving money and cutting back mean different things to different people. The perimeters of simplicity and frugality will vary within each group. I mean, when you get out in the world and realize how simple or complicated or different or whackjobby you really are...it might shed some light on how you view the world.
Ah. Perspective is great.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A field trip...to the doctor?
Today was a big step out of The Comfortable Cave and into Everyone Else's World as we took Iggy to his doctor's appointment. It was kind of comical, actually. Iggy thought it was a wicked cool field trip, totally stoked that he got to go alone without his brother. "Mom, I LOVE the doctor's office." Um...ok.
I should explain that we found out today that Iggy has not been to the doctor since July of 2006. No wonder he thinks the doctor is cool.
It was relatively painless, for me and the Iggster. There was the obligatory jab about not vaccinating (from a nurse, not the doctor) and the innocent comments where Iggy got a bit of the deer in the headlights look, such as "Wow! You must be the tallest boy in your class!" to which the darling replied "Um...me and my brother are homeschooled" to which the gracious doctor replied..."Well, see? You ARE the tallest boy in your class." All in all we survived. The doctor decided Iggy has bronchitis and assumes it must be bacterial since we are on day 12 of fighting it. She also said his lungs were pretty "wheezy", which I hadn't heard, but I guess I'm not wicked talented with a stethescope, so she put him on a low dose steroid. I will bypass the part here where I rant about mainstream medicine, mostly because somewhere in the back of my mind I realize I should probably shutup since I have a child who has not had a doctor's appointment prior to today for 2 1/2 years. That's pretty lucky. So if we can get by on our crazy whackjob lifestyle of alternative this and that, its probably no crime in the bylaws of the family if an occasional antibiotic finds its way in.
I should explain that we found out today that Iggy has not been to the doctor since July of 2006. No wonder he thinks the doctor is cool.
It was relatively painless, for me and the Iggster. There was the obligatory jab about not vaccinating (from a nurse, not the doctor) and the innocent comments where Iggy got a bit of the deer in the headlights look, such as "Wow! You must be the tallest boy in your class!" to which the darling replied "Um...me and my brother are homeschooled" to which the gracious doctor replied..."Well, see? You ARE the tallest boy in your class." All in all we survived. The doctor decided Iggy has bronchitis and assumes it must be bacterial since we are on day 12 of fighting it. She also said his lungs were pretty "wheezy", which I hadn't heard, but I guess I'm not wicked talented with a stethescope, so she put him on a low dose steroid. I will bypass the part here where I rant about mainstream medicine, mostly because somewhere in the back of my mind I realize I should probably shutup since I have a child who has not had a doctor's appointment prior to today for 2 1/2 years. That's pretty lucky. So if we can get by on our crazy whackjob lifestyle of alternative this and that, its probably no crime in the bylaws of the family if an occasional antibiotic finds its way in.
Blogging: Its not just for homeschooling anymore...
This blog has routinely been where I post my ramblings about our homeschooling journey. I have another blog where I rant about everything else. Chickens, the economy, roofing, coffee, and just about everything in between.
It occurs to me that very often I can't complete homeschooling without coffee, the occasional roof job helps to pay for homeschooling, the economy interrupts my thoughts about homeschooling, and chickens...well, when they arrive, they'll just fit right into homeschooling.
My point is that in real life, Life and Homeschooling aren't seperated. In fact, they are very much one in the same. I have thought all too often about something to write in one blog and then said "Wait. That really should be in the other blog...but wait..." Which means that I overthink things way too much and pretend I have way more time on my hands than I really do. Therefore, for the sake of the sanity of everyone involved, I'm hacking my computer life down to one blog. Wakeupstartlearning, dear friends, is the one I chose to keep. Keep in mind that not all posts will directly relate to homeschooling...but they will all relate to Life...which is the greatest way to learn. So all in all, we're good. Right?
It occurs to me that very often I can't complete homeschooling without coffee, the occasional roof job helps to pay for homeschooling, the economy interrupts my thoughts about homeschooling, and chickens...well, when they arrive, they'll just fit right into homeschooling.
My point is that in real life, Life and Homeschooling aren't seperated. In fact, they are very much one in the same. I have thought all too often about something to write in one blog and then said "Wait. That really should be in the other blog...but wait..." Which means that I overthink things way too much and pretend I have way more time on my hands than I really do. Therefore, for the sake of the sanity of everyone involved, I'm hacking my computer life down to one blog. Wakeupstartlearning, dear friends, is the one I chose to keep. Keep in mind that not all posts will directly relate to homeschooling...but they will all relate to Life...which is the greatest way to learn. So all in all, we're good. Right?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Doctor, doctor, I feel sick!
We've been dealing with a wicked round of I-don't-know-what-the-heck-you-have with the Iggster. Something like a cold that won't die. Day ten of wicked coughing jags -sometimes until you gag, 100-101 temp that just won't let go, meals consist of "I'll have a glass of something to drink, maybe" - and then only drinking half...we're kind of at "do we take him in to the doctor?" A look on the bright side says that we have health insurance (a big deal these days!), so a co-pay to find out if he's nearing the deathbed isn't too terribly destructive. But I just can't get past the running-to-the-doctor-for-every-little-thing mentality that so many people have and I don't want to be a part of. Then again, I know that since we have taken up residence in the Basement By The Creek (code: renting a portion of parents house) the kids have not made any treks to the doctor. And 17 months without a doctor call is pretty slick, I guess. I just fear that diagnosis of "um...well its probably viral. Thanks for the $25." Boo. Hiss. Grrr.
What amuses me is that all of this comes on the heels of our human body unit. Its lovely to know that in between coughs, Iggy can tell me the Clone Troopers (white blood cells) are working hard to defend his body against the Evil Sith/Dark Side. In any event, I guess if you have to be sick, a great time to do it is just after you learned about why it happens! Perfect example of learning through real life.
Alas, tomorrow we have a doctor's appt. (Grr.) I'll try to look chipper and soccer mommish when the nice doctor asks Iggy how school is going ("Um, I'm homeschooled. It rocks!") and if he's current on vaccinations ("My mom says if someone else wants to get shots, that's cool, but its just not for us.") After all, if Iggy does all the talking during the appointment, it will be far more entertaining. For everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
