Muffin Tin Monday: Halfway Mexican Fiesta

Today's theme was Mexican food, but only on the right side of the tin. I'm trying to just use what I have on hand, which is why I couldn't fill all 12 cups with the theme. But I'm content if I can provide a spark of an idea and let you take off from there. Here's what was included starting at the top row left to right: raspberry applesauce, Whales, corn tortilla wedges, salsa, cinnamon graham crackers, sunflower seeds, mini tacos, Fritos, marshmallows, pretzels, shredded cheese, sour cream. I think BFG dipped almost every single thing in the sour cream! Some other ideas for a Mexican theme are black olives, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes, chicken, etc. You could even have all the fillings and provide the kids with tortillas to wrap them up themselves some little burritos. I'm telling ya' this is a party idea for grown ups, too! :)
Don't forget to check out http://www.sycamorestirrings.blogspot.com/ for linky-loos to more great ideas!
Mama Said

Sleep Attempt

Sometimes I wonder why I even try to sleep. I outta just stay up all night and get stuff done. But, alas, every night I try and try again to sleep. Every single night I have to get up to use the restroom at least once. Some nights, it's 2 or 3 times. Crazy, isn't it? I think I need some of that "I gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now" medicine. Last night, I was up and down for hours running to the restroom 'cause of my irritable bowel syndrome. But I try not to complain about that 'cause I feel blessed that is all I have wrong with me after my crazy ordeal last year (which I'll explain in an upcoming post in July).

But the night before last, the reasons I didn't sleep were just ridiculous! I know I can't be the only mama out there that goes through this kind of stuff. Here's a run down of my night:

11:00ish--Went to sleep
1:30--Eyes fly open, wide awake with the realization that I did not pay our storage units this month. (Thanks, Lord, for letting me realize this!) Of course, I just couldn't believe that I had completely forgotten this for 2 weeks. So, I leap out of bed and double check my checkbook. Nope, nada. I had not paid. Resolved to go the next day and apologize profusely and pay. But I lay there thinking about how they had no way to contact us because I procured the units before we moved. All the wrong stuff was on our file. So, I tried to sleep with visions of 2/3 of all our material possessions be pilfered through and sold. Finally drifted off.
3:00--Rhett had to get up and leave for work to teach a training to 2nd shift. I don't know what happened to the boy, but he was SO loud getting dressed. The armoire doors kept slamming. Aaagh! I was not happy. I mumbled "What's your problem?" and drifted back off.
3:10--Rhett is still here?!?! He's pilfering through his little pile on the dresser. He flings open his wallet and is pulling out all the cards and such in there. Clearly even in my daze, I knew he had lost something. I ask and he's lost his ID badge to get in his work building. I suggest looking in his car. He tromps out and finds it. What would he do without me? I think as a drift off once again.
3:23--My eyes fly open as I realize Rhett is gone and it's pitch black outside and the past two mornings, he has left the door unlocked. Being the paranoid person I am, I had to get up and go check the door. It was locked. I guess my paranoid lecture the night before on the virtues of locking the door had gotten through to him. Aaaah! Time to sleep!
5:45--I hear BFG upstairs banging her drawers in search of something to change into. Apparently, today was Get Dressed As Loud As You Can Day and no one had told me. Of course, why she is waking up early every morning and changing into a nightgown is still a mystery. It's kind of become a problem this week. I asked her why on the first day she did it and she said, "Mama, you know I've been thinking and thinking that I didn't want to wear that shirt anymore." All righty then! I have realized "Hey, wouldn't it be a great idea if I just put her to bed in one of her nightgowns?" But, alas, due to my lack of sleep, I haven't had to energy to follow through on this thought.
5:48--BFG joins me in bed and starts talking and asking questions. This has been a problem this week, too. What is the deal? I'm sorry, BFG, but I didn't really need to know that Old Mr. Guinea Hen got up early this morning. In fact, I can still hear him squawking. I tell her it's too early to talk and to go to sleep. We both drift off. Or so I think.
6:15--BFG wakes me up to tell me she left E-yah upstairs and she needs him. (E-yah is her blankie. And, yes, she can say blankie. E-yah is it's name and has been since she could talk. My niece's blankie is named Mo-unt. So, apparently, they both inherited some freak genetic code.) I trudge up stairs and get E-yah for her. Finally, finally, I think gleefully. I can get some sleep!
7:03--I get up for the day.

So, you see my friend, why bother?
Off to chug-a-lug my coffee,
Mama Said

Shhhhh! Don't tell . . .

I finally did it! I have made the switch to powdered milk! I have been trying to make this switch for a couple of years. Unfortunately, I would usually try it out of desperation (when we were out of milk) and would mix it right in BFG's sippy cup and try to pawn it off on her right away. Even at 18 months old she would say, "Yuck! This milk is stinky! Me no like it!" Now, two years later inspired by my friend's success, I've tried it again and it works!!!! I think the trick is to mix it up the night before and by the next morning there is absolutely no smell! It's just like real milk!

Now, I don't really know how long it's good for. I've started mixing up two quarts on Monday and keeping it in an opaque pitcher with a lid (it's one of those old school Tupperware pitchers with that little button thingy you push and the lid sucks down and seals). BFG was still drinking it at the end of the week with no complaints. But unless I hear otherwise, I wouldn't keep it for longer than a week. BFG is sucking down and has not noticed any difference. And why would she? It tastes exactly like skim milk, which is what we were already drinking!

Anyway, I am so, so happy! I just could not manage to estimate our milk usage since moving out the country. I would buy too much trying to avoid extra trips to town, but would end up throwing out a bunch of milk due to spoilage. This will really cut down on grocery trips and save us alot of gas! Oh, be sure to price check if you want to try this for your family. Alot of stores are trying to take advantage of the supposed poor economy and have raised their prices on economic foods. For example, Aldi's powdered milk has really gone up and was several dollars higher than Kroger's. Buyer beware!
Mama Said

Muffin Tin Monday: Breakfast Bonanza

Had to go with a theme again! This week, we did breakfast. From top left clockwise: sausage, lemon poppy seed muffin, toast-n-jelly, scrambled eggs with cheese, chocolate chip waffle, syrup.

This was a lot easier than it sounds like. The muffin was left over from yesterday. Then, I fixed one of everything (except the sausage, fixed two) and halved it. One half in the muffin tin for BFG and the other half on my plate for me. It was yummy! Probably the best breakfast we've had in a long time. Isn't that funny?

Remember to pop on over to http://sycamorestirrings.blogspot.com/ and check out her muffin tin and she's got linky-loos to other people's as well. I think mine and hers are opposites today. Hers looks so fresh, healthy, and inviting. Mine looks like a greasy spoon version! LOL! But that's the beauty of seeing so many. You get loads of ideas and inspiration.

Mama Said

Bucket O' Suprises

I tell you what, that BFG is always into something. The other day, she and her cousin Curly Sue were digging in dirt, filling up buckets and what not. After Curly Sue went home, BFG just kept on playing and got really, really into. Squeezing her hands all in it, just an absolute mess. I was having my leisure time reading on the deck while watching her. She comes up holding out her mud-covered hands and says, "Mama, does this smell like poop?"

Me: "Oh, my gosh! It does smell like poop! No, wait! Maybe it just smells like 100 yr. old dirt. Yeah, that's it. It just smells like old dirt. Go ahead and keep playing." (Why I think our dirt is older than anyone else's is beyond me. I guess I think since the house is 100 yrs old than the dirt is too. But isn't all dirt old? This would take too many brain cells to figure out.)



A few minutes later, BFG was done playing and ready to wash up. Now, I scrubbed her grubby little hands just as hard as I could just in case I was wrong about the smell of 100 yr old dirt. The nail brush saw more action than it had since it had been formed in the factory. I got every speck out from under her nails including the speck that flew into my eye. Ew!



Later on, we were lounging on the deck again. (Boy, I sure do love that deck!) The bucket of dirt came up in conversation.

BFG: "Yep, Curly Sue told me it was poop."

Me (as my heart and stomach are turning insane somersaults): "WHAT? What do you mean? Did you put poop into your bucket?"

BFG: "Yep! With my shovel! Curly Sue said it was poop. I guess she was right!"

Uh, yeah. Great. Hunky-dory. Lovely. It is confirmed that the dirt that flew into my eye was indeed poop. With my luck, it probably had the eggs of the worms that invade your eyes and blind you.
I now have Curly Sue on high alert for any future situations that may occur. She is to come tattle IMMEDIATELY!
Days later, I still can't even bring myself to clean out the buckets and shovels. Yuck! I may just have to put Rhett on that.
Mentally hurling as I write,
Mama Said

Watch for Snakes!

I just love mowing the grass (with a riding mower, of course!)! It is so relaxing to me. In some ways, mowing occupies your mind 'cause you are operating a heavy piece of machinery and concentrate on the task at hand and you get a pretty quick payoff and sense of accomplishment and a tan. In other ways, you have nothing to do but think while mowing. My mind always wanders on silly things like yesterday. . .

Yesterday, I decided to mow to mow as much of our yard as I could (we have 7.5 acres) to help out ol' Rhett. He's been working alot of overtime and weird shifts and is just worn out. The first little while of mowing, I kept thinking Why, oh why did I put on ooey, gooey lip gloss right before mowing? And it was some pump your lips up kind so my lips were all tingly with a billion pieces of grass and dirt clingy to them. Very attractive. Then, as I went around an old tree stump, I saw it! A little snake poking his head out watching me. I screamed bloody murder like a school girl. And realized I am on this big ol' machine that would chop him up into a million pieces and I'm screaming? But after seeing this snake, it was all I could think about. After all, I only had to drive by him about 40 more times. Wait, I gunned it past him 40 more times. Probably anything you could think about a snake, I thought it. I wondered what kind it was, if he could possibly lunge and latch onto my leg as a mowed past, why was he living in a tree stump, why was he watching me mow so intently. I remembered that I heard somewhere that snakes couldn't hear. Then, I thought maybe the vibrations of the mower had charmed him or something. 'Cause that's how he was watching me, raised up. Now that would be a circus act--Come one, come all to see Mama Said, the Lawn Mowing Snake Charmer! I kept waiting for him to make a move so I could mow him into oblivion. But he never did. Oh, well. I guess Rhett can take it from here.

As I moved on to the rest of the lawn, I realized that from the time I saw the snake the song "Indian Outlaw" had been running through my head. After singing, "Cherokee people, Cherokee pride" a few times at the top of my lungs (gotta love being in the country! so much privacy!), I started thinking about how weird that was that seeing a snake would make a song I haven't heard in years pop into my mind. And why "Indian Outlaw"? What's the connection? Then, I started a psychoanalysis of myself to figure out why seeing a snake spurred me to think about Indians. Then, I started thinking about how crazy I was to be trying to figure that out. Luckily, before I got any crazier, my body was hurting too bad to think. That back field is rough! I called it a day shortly afterward.

Well, so the mowing wasn't as relaxing as usual. But Rhett sure was happy.
Watching for snakes,
Mama Said

I'm A Big Kid (gulp!) Grown-Up Now!

Do ya'll feel grown up? I know I sure don't. There are lots of times I feel like I'm still just bumbling through like I did when I was a teenager. And I really don't feel any different than I did then. Although I know I must be. And I'm talkin' like mentally and emotionally. I definitely feel different physically. My poor ol' body just ain't holding up. But there are moments when it just hits me like a ton of bricks that Oh my goodness! I am a grown-up! Like when BFG was a tot and had projectile vomiting and I realized Hey, this is my job to clean this up and take care of her. Or when the septic tank backed up once and I had to clean the sewage up in the bathtubs. Well, I recently had a couple of "I'm a Grown-Up" moments.
The first one was on Saturday when I ran into one of my close friends from high school at a yard sale. Yes, she was having the yard sale and I was shopping, which is a whole 'nother issue. Kind of uncomfortable. I was face to face with my dear friend whom I hadn't spoken with in 12 years and she was exactly the same! It was so comforting and felt so right to chat with her. But as we discussed jobs, husbands, kids, and our homes, I just had the weirdest sensation that I was a genuine, bonified grown-up! How did that happen? When did that happen? Later, I wondered how I looked to her. Do I look the same? Do I look 12 yrs older? I know I looked rough. I was yardsaling, for Pete's sake. Then, I realized I was wearing a T-shirt that I wore in high school! Is that bad? A 12+ yr old T-shirt? Oh, well. I'm just gonna take the blessing that I can still fit into it and run with that.
The other grown-up moment is kind of embarrassing. Ya'll are going to think I am so weird. I broke a light bulb in the floor. Now, surely I have broken and cleaned up a light bulb in the 12 yrs since I've left my parents' home. But I sure can't remember it. I just stood there staring at the fragments thinking, "I'm not supposed to have to clean this up. I should be hearing 'Don't step in it. Get out of the way!' and get to scamper off to my bedroom." And there was this white powder. What was the white powder? Where did it come from? After several minutes of staring, feeling out-of-joint, and wondering what the white powder was, I gathered every ounce of grown-up in me and cleaned it up. I don't know why it was such an odd moment for me. I guess it just hits me every once in awhile that I am now living out my mom's role.
Have you had any "grown-up" moments? Or if your older, when am I supposed to feel like a grown-up for good?
Mama Said

Muffin Tin Monday & Not-So-Beautiful Imperfect Cookie Baking

(***Note: My original Imperfectly Beautiful post is below this one.)

Muffin Tin Monday: Peanut Butter Theme
I tried to do a peanut butter theme today (food that is yummy dipped in peanut butter). It only accounts for half the food, but it was fun. I'm one of those people who gets more creative with specified parameters. But be careful if you have really young kids 'cause peanut butter is a choking hazard.
Don't forget to check out http://sycamorestirrings.blogspot.com/ who created this Muffin Tin Monday idea!
Here's what's in mine from the top, left to right:
guacamole Pringles, salami, Ritz crackers, peanut butter, cheese cubes, chow mien noodles, pretzels, apples, mandarin oranges, pecans, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.
It is seriously amazing the new stuff BFG is willing to try and how much she eats just by putting it in the muffin tin. And I promise that she actually eats more healthy foods by having the sweets there are an option too. Weird.

So, after our Muffin Tin lunch, I had promised we would make cookies. I had this Crayola kit for Cinnabear Cookies or something I'd gotten on clearance at Target after Christmas. She'd only been waiting for 6 months to do this, so I thought Why not today? Big mistake! We went from oh-I'm-so-ahead-on-my-SHE-cards-this-will-be-so-much-fun to a flour covered Twilight Zone in less than five minutes. I kid you not. So much stuff went wrong making these cookies I thought it was 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve.
First of all, if you have this kit, throw it away. It was absolutely awful! I had to add a little bit more water to the dough because it wasn't mixing at all. So, then I'm supposed to knead the dough for 2 minutes. Well, it was a sticky, drippy, globby mess. If you know me, you know how much I hate sticky messes. My hands are covered in this mess so I manage to use my elbows or something to get out my canister of flour. I get it open and instruct BFG to put flour in my hands. But, ya'll, it did not work. It was still sticky, goopy, drippy. Well, while I am running around the kitchen screaming, "This is so GROSS!" trying to get to the sink and dripping gobs of it on the floor in the process, BFG makes it "snow" in our kitchen with the flour. Isn't that fun? I am so absorbed with the blob I don't even notice until a few minutes later as I'm finally washing the rest of the dough down the drain. So, she managed to spread her snowfall all over the kitchen and dining room floor. Well, now I'm panicking a little 'cause I promised her cookies, naptime is getting closer and closer, and the floor is covered in flour. Luckily, I had a sugar cookie Betty Crocker mix and I decided to make it by the roll-out cookie recipe because BFG had already gotten down every jar of sprinkles she could find. I wasn't gonna get out of this without doing real frosted sugar cookies. I also decided that this was a perfect time to set a good example for BFG on how to react positively when things go wrong. I paste a smile on my face and fix a sing-song tune in my voice.
Well, I just want someone to tell me how many tablespoons of butter is 1/3 cup? It wasn't on my wrapper and 3 doesn't go into 8 well and then I realized 8 Tbsp is just 1/2 half cup and by that point I was so distracted trying to figure it out that I cut myself on the box for the butter. By the time I cleaned and bandaged up my bleeding finger, I decided surely it couldn't make that much difference and just lobbed off some butter. I think it did though 'cause our dough was a little sticky and the cut-out shapes had a really hard time coming up off the mat. I was about to snap. After 12 bears, I was done and just slammed some balls of dough down as I slid across the flour-filled floor. Teddy bears play with balls, right?
The cookies finally finished baking. I had hurriedly scoured the kitchen while they baked. I had patiently answered "No, dear, they aren't ready yet and I still have to make the icing" oh about 473 times. I pull out the last baking sheet of our sweet teddy bear cookies and unbelievably, I grab on end of the cookie sheet with my finger and thumb. I scream at the top of my lungs, "I am the BIGGEST IDIOT EVER!" So much for the good example. But I did have several moments of hysterical laughing as I ran my fingers under water. It was just all a little too much. So, maybe I taught her the old "you can either laugh or cry" adage. The good news is only my finger has the imprint of the edge of the cookie sheet on it. My thumb was spared so I can fix dinner tonight with just two band-aids on one hand instead of three.

Mama Said
P.S. The cookies were delicious and BFG had so much fun decorating. In fact, throughout the entire project she was singing a made-up song about zippa-de-do-dah she loves Jesus. Maybe I should be learning from her example.

Imperfectly Beautiful

The Nesting Place is hosting an Imperfectly Beautiful Extravaganza. Check it out! Here's my contribution: BFG and Rhett are taking a break from the thing they do that drives me absolutely crazy--Wrestling Moves! It is so dangerous and yes, she's been slightly hurt before. But she absolutely loves it! She's always ushering me out of the room because she knows she gets to do wilder moves if I'm not in there. Last night as I sat out on the deck and could hear BFG's screams of pure fun, I knew that this was a beautiful moment. I'm so thankful to the Lord that I have a healthy beautiful daughter and a wonderful, loving husband who is a great father. Think about all the children in the world who would give anything to have time like this with their fathers. Then, I noticed other imperfectly beautiful things in the picture like our church clothes strewn over the bed (Isn't it great we are free to worship? and I'm so grateful I have a husband who believes in getting his family to church every Sunday.), the stack of homeschool books on the dresser that I haven't had time to peruse yet (I'm so grateful that I have the option of staying home and homeschooling.), and a laid-back hubby who doesn't care that he is wearing swim trunks because he couldn't find any other shorts (Trust me, his shorts are right where they should be in his drawers. I don't really know what happened to him. But the point is he's not one to care or even mention it to me.) So, there you have it, a little snippet into my fabulously beautiful, yet crazily imperfect life.

Note: For those of you popping over to check out my Muffin Tin Monday, I'll do my best to post it after lunch during BFG's naptime. I can't wait!

Have an imperfectly beautiful day!

Mama Said

Muffin Tin Madness and My Weekly Plan

How cute is this idea from http://sycamorestirrings.blogspot.com/2008/06/muffin-tin-monday.html! I love it and BFG loved it, too. I was doing it on the fly and didn't have much healthy stuff, but here's what is in in: Frito spirals, pretzels, Ritz cracker, white cheddar crackers, jelly beans (dessert), Ritz bits, Cheerios, ranch dressing, shredded cheese, pepperoni, ketchup, and carrot sticks. I can just see loads of possibilities for this. I am thinking it would be so cool for a theme for like snacks for a Bible study or something. Let everyone get creative. You could have one with different types of olives or even an Italian themed one or a Mexican themed one. Fun, fun, fun!

Here's my weekly plan:

Monday-Paper Work Day (bills, clip coupons, make menu and grocery lists, etc.)

Tuesday-Grocery & Errand day

Wednesday-Moderate Cleaning (If I had my monthly cards in, I would work on these. But right now, I try to get the house in order and ready for Heavy Cleaning day.)

Thursday-Heavy Cleaning Day (like my Weekly Home Blessing-vacuuming, mopping, scrub bathroom, etc.)

Friday-Free Day (Ha! I don't think I 've had one of these in a while.)

Saturday-Work on Home Projects, Family Time

Sunday-Church, Family, NO Cleaning!

My Laundry Schedule:

Mondays-Darks, Lights

Tuesday-Whites, Jeans

Wednesday-Delicates, Ironing, Sheets

Thursday-Monthly/Seasonal Items like rugs & curtains, Towels, Alternating Weeks: dishtowels and cloth napkins

Friday-Nada!

S.H.E.: How's It Workin' For Me

As ya'll know, I started the Sidetracked Home Executive method of managing my household a while back. The system basically is using 3.5X5 index cards and dividers in a file box to keep you on track for daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal tasks. I've been meaning to post an update on how it's going. Today, my friend e-mailed me with questions about it and I told her I would address it here.

So, how is it working for you? In some ways, I think it's working great! I really like having what needs to be done organized. But I am working so hard that it seems I never get to rest. And that's with just the daily and weekly cards. I haven't even added in the monthly and seasonally yet. But, keep in mind, that I am also in the middle of home renovation while I am trying to start this. So, I'm trying to do major home projects while completing the cards. I have decided that there is no point in adding the monthly and seasonally until we are further along on the house. It would be ridiculous for me to be running around cleaning baseboards and light switches when I should be painting or unpacking boxes.

Do you think you accomplish more than you did before? I definitely am accomplishing more than before. I am actually able to pay our bills and pay them on time with this system! Rhett had to take over bill paying about a year ago because I was so overwhelmed that I could not get them paid on time and was in a wild panic on their due dates trying to run all over town or getting the computer to act right. Father's Day gifts were ordered and delivered on time. Library books are back on time. Laundry is done like clockwork. My purse is staying cleaned out. It's good stuff.
Are you more focused on what needs to be done are have you become a "slave" to your cards? On any given week day, I have like 30 cards to complete. That just seems insane to me and there are lots of time I feel like just a slave to my cards. Sometimes I find myself ill with BFG 'cause she won't leave me alone and I feel that I must get my cards done. In the book they tell you to put the frequency of the task that you want it to get done, not what you are doing now. I think I did that and now it's just impractical. Like I want to sweep the kitchen and dining area every day and have a daily card for it. But I have not done it one time. I am so exhausted by the time dinner is over that there is no way I'm sweeping. I refile it every day until I hit my vacuum day. Then, it doesn't matter. Or if someone is coming to visit, I run the electric sweeper real quick. I just think it's stupid to look at that sweep card all day every day and feel bad about something I am NOT going to get done. At least not yet.
I do think that it is a long process to get this system in place. It seems to get a little smoother and smoother each week. Hopefully, as time passes, I will be able to get the cards completed more efficiently. I have noticed changes, such as I'm starting to memorize the daily tasks and am developing routines that knock out several in 5-10 minutes. Also, I'm picking up more as I go 'cause I know if I don't, I'll be doing it with a card later anyway. One big thing I am realizing is that it is not good to let the house go during the weekend. I spend so much time on Mondays getting things back in order after a messy weekend.
Do you like the card format or do you prefer working from a list? I love the cards over a list!!! I think it is so much better. I really like the whole idea of the file box. I love completing a weekly task and chucking it to the next week and knowing that my brain is free from thinking of that task and I won't forget it the next go around either. I don't know if that really makes sense. I can't really describe it. I guess it just works for me.
Overall here's the thing: I do not like to clean house and this system has you doing 6-10 hours of moderate to hard cleaning per week. It just makes me mad to think about that and my poor feet really can't take that much. But, the thing is the authors are being very realistic. It really takes that long to keep your house clean. I guess I just wish there was some little super-duper formula where my house could be sparkling clean and organized with very little time and effort. Oh, well. At least I'm blessed that this does get to be my full-time job. I can't imagine working, having children, and taking care of the home.

I am reading Kathy Peel's Desperate Households and it's pretty interesting and a different approach based on what I've read so far. I'm gonna post my findings from that soon.
I'll also try to post my weekly schedule from SHE soon, too.

Thanks for asking,
Mama Said

Tammy Faye Ain't Got Nothin' on BFG!

Check out Baby Farm Girl! Isn't that a riot? She's really been into fixin' up her Barbie. Every time I turned around I found her in the bathroom with my stuff out all over the place. I had decluttered all my make-up when we moved. So, I found some super cheap make-up at Big Lots for her. I knew it was going to be a dark color, but this was one of the funniest things I've seen. It looked like she had just caked dirt all over her and Barbie's face. And look how proud she is in the first picture! The best part was the whole time she's putting powder on Barbie, BFG was saying, "Is this how Aunt Jacquelyn does it?" And when she finished, she said, "There. Does this look like Aunt Jacquelyn?" So, ya'll that know us, what'cha think: Does it look like Aunt Jac.?

ROFL,

Mama Said

Smile and Nod, Smile and Nod

Sometimes I just wonder when I will ever learn to just smile and nod and go on about my business. Saturday I went to a yard sale that advertised teaching materials PreK-5th. I recognized the seller as a teacher that worked maybe the first year or two at the school where I taught. Mistake #1: I reminded her of who I was. Mistake #2: I told her I planned on homeschooling BFG. I am such an idiot. I always totally forget that most public school teachers are brain-washed like I once was into believing that real schools are better and that teachers can help your child better than you can. It was kind of annoying too because when I said that I quit working to stay home with BFG, she applauded me and went on and on how wonderful that was and I'd never regret doing that and it's so important to stay home with them. But when I mentioned homeschooling, she sang a different tune (in a nice way though). I know I have to remember people have a different frame of mind than me and everyone has not been called to homeschool. (Although, I don't know if I've really been called or just really want to do it! LOL!) But someone tell me why it is so great to stay home with them when they are babies, but suddenly evil when they hit school age?
Anyway, she said, "You are certainly qualified, but I have to ask, why do you want to homeschool?" Yet another thing I get alot that irritates me. Yes, I am qualified, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it if I weren't. If anything, I have had to struggle to overcome years of training that goes against the homeschooling way of educating your child. In fact, I still struggle and find myself falling into a humanistic mindset easily when dealing with BFG. It's through the grace of God that I'm able to have some discernment and see the err of my past thinking. I guess I shouldn't complain because my degree does earn me a little bit of "well, it's not as bad since you are a teacher" from people. I probably have to defend myself alot less than other HS parents.
I keep going on a rant and getting of the story. I knew she was a Christian and replied that we were choosing to HS so that God and Jesus could be our primary focus in her education. She liked that answer and said she completely understood. Let me tell you, any Christian in the public school system should understand that. They know how bad it is when it comes to schools being anti-Christian. She said one of her friends tells her that she does it cause it saves all that wasted transition time of a typical "real" school day and she can have everything done by lunch. And she says she can see that too, but her face didn't look like she agreed. She shared with me that as a reading specialist she works with alot of HS families as they come into the school system. It's her job to test them for placement. Now, heads up HS moms, she says that typically HS children are deficient in oral expressive skills and non-fiction reading. I'm just not sure I believe that. From everything I've researched, most homeschool curriculum have in depth studies of history and use non-fiction books to teach it. And all the homeschoolers I know will talk your ear off and at a more mature level. I'm just thinking maybe some of the ones she's testing are coming into the system for a reason, like it's not working out at home. And you cannot tell me that every homeschooler she tests is lacking in the same areas. And she didn't tell if those are the same areas public school kids lack in as well. I bet they are and even more so. You have much less time in a classroom setting to practice oral language. Give me a break.
Lesson of the Day: Do not speak until spoken to or at least Volunteer no info unless asked point-blank.
Mama Said