Things That Make You Go Hmmm....

I was watching television the other day and saw a lead in that made me question some of the things that we do on a daily basis. The lead in was 'Kids and Modern Technology and their Brains'. There were some interesting points raised in the news story. The first is that the phone/text messaging is affecting children's ability to communicate efficiently with each other. They are not learning tone and the many nuisances that are learned while talking with each other. Instead of families talking over dinner, they are checking their emails, facebook or playing games on the various devices. Instead of children going over to their friends' houses and using their imagination, they are playing video games or sending ims and instagrams. The next great point that was raised is that children are losing their ability to entertain themselves. The example that was used was in a restaurant settings. The adults hand a child their smart phone so they can have adult conversations. Kids are losing their ability to wait their turn. They want things instantly. I admit that I am not the patient person in the world. When I get an idea in my head, I want it done yesterday. Back to the topic, kids tend to go to their electronics instead of going outside and inventing a game. They turn to facebook games, instead of board games.

I personally have a love/hate relationship with technology. I think that it is wonderful, but I also see the downfall. We are constantly connected now. We are never out of touch, we can be found at anytime. We no longer have a separation of work and home. Everyone brings their jobs home now. I personally feel naked without my phone. I worry that someone will not be able to reach me. I am learning that this is not the way things should work. I realize that my children are using the electronics way too much. \I want the conversations that happen over the dinner table and not during The Big Bang Theory. Instead of audio books in the car, the kids have headphones in their ears listening to the latest songs. Instead of debates about the books we have read, we are talking about the newest app they have. Instead of taking time to cook our food as a family, we are finding the quickest methods possible.

The news story reminded me that we need to slow down. We need to step away from the electronics and go outside. We need to enjoy the small things in life, because those small things will become the big things. 

Changes are a coming...

Changes will be coming to our homeschool day. All of our outside commitments are coming to an end in the next couple of weeks. We will have the opportunity to devote more time to our studies. We are currently out of the house 3 out of 5 days a week. That does not include the weekends. I am looking forward to getting deeper into subjects. I am looking forward to bringing back some of our favorite subjects...art & nature study.

Just A Thought..

While looking for something for my kitchen wall I found this...

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

The Quote Garden

Thank You

Thank you for all the kind words.


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There is a bug going around...

and I caught it. I am feeling pretty crummy. The Christmas Craft of the Day will return when my head stops spinning and my ears stop ringing.

Happy Birthday Gerky!!!!

If you get the chance stop over at The Homefront Lines and wish Gerkin a very Happy Birthday!!!

Dragon is still sick

I just don't know what to do. Dragon isn't well yet. He is getting better, but not enough to make me happy.(His doctor said that he had a virus that was aggravating his asthma. He was getting really sick having coughing fits to the point that he was having trouble breathing afterwards). He is still waking up 2-3 times a night with coughing fits. He either throws up clear mucus or he just heaves like he has to vomit. His cough scares the living crap out of me. This is with the prescription cough medicine that his asthma dr prescribed. He is having coughing fits throughout the day. Some of them he gets sick and empties his stomach, sometimes it is just mucus or it is just him huggin the trash can while he catches his breath.It doesn't take as long to catch his breathe as it use to. So that is something. I just don't know what to do anymore. He hasn't slept for more than 8hrs since we got home. I think that he might of done it once. I think that most he can go is about 4hrs at a time. I called his doctor last Friday (yes it was last week), his answer was to up his medication. Of course at the time the doctor had him on 7 different medications. I don't think that it is the answer. I have been afraid to call the doctor this week and say something, he seems to be treating the symptoms and NOT trying to figure out what the underlying cause is. On the advice of a friend I am now keeping a journal of everything. I plan on planting my butt at the doctor's office on Monday. I will not leave until I get the answers that I want. I want answers. Now..where can I get my confidence to do this??

Happy Friendship Week!!!

Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to
another, 'What? You too? I thought I was the only one.'

I have been honored to find such wonderful friends. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be able to homeschool the way that I do if it wasn't for you. When I need inspiration, I can find it on your blog. When I need advice, you are quick with help. When I just want act crazy, you are right there with me.

Thank you so much for sharing so much of you and making sure that I don't feel alone.

I Haven't Forgotten...

Dragon is really sick right now and that is where I have been. I am hoping that the medicines will kick in soon. I am hoping that he will sleep through the night tonight (if he does it will be the first time that he has sleep for more than 4 hrs at a time since last Saturday). As soon as he is better I promise that I will post lots of pictures and tell you all about it.

image courtesy of www.cindyvallar.com/drgnslep.gif

Are We a Contradiction?

A little background...
Last night Squirrel & I were in the grocery store. Squirrel had on her soccer uniform for pictures. An older lady stopped and asked her how soccer was. She asked where they play. We said across the street. The lady asked exactly where and I told her. I didn't feel entirely comfortable giving out the information. I am not exactly sure why. Am I over protective? I just worry about my kids' safety.

After that encounter I started to question whether or not I am sending the correct message to my children. I tell them not to talk to strangers, yet I was talking with this woman. I wondered if I was just being over protective of the kids that play soccer. I mean there are hundreds of kids that play soccer there every Saturday. However, you wouldn't know the fields are even there unless you happen to go through there when someone is there. Dh said that maybe she was just a grandmother who thought that her grandkids would like to play. I said that was a possibility. But how could I avoid that question without being rude?
I didn't want to seem rude or snobbish.

I worry about my kids wearing their jerseys when not at soccer. I worry about someone trying to look up their number and stuff. I know that this has happened. It just worries me. When I mentioned this to another parent they looked at me like I was insane. I really truly worry that someone will use their jersey as a conversation starter and the kids think that it is OK to talk with them. I guess it goes along the lines of why my mother never let us where our names on shirts or hats.


So my question is this..what would you of done? Am I too over protective my of kids?

Monster Trucks!!

We got to see the Grave Digger today. We even got to meet the driver :). Here are some pictures of the MONSTER truck. I never really understood how big these trucks were.

I was looking up at the truck here. I am 5'5, just imagine what this was like to one of my rugrats.

This is looking up towards the driver's seat. It is amazing how little room they have to get up in there. The seat actually sits in the middle of the cab.

No School

School has been sporadic here. I have been to seem too many doctor's appointments lately. School has been put on hold. I am not the best person when it comes to the doctor. I am fine if it is for anyone but myself. I just have this phobia when it comes to seeing the doctor for myself. Back in the spring I hurt my knee and I just finally went to the doctor for it last month. So far I have had 6 X-rays, 1 MRI & a cat scan. They still haven't figured out exactly what I did. The doctor does know that it is something to do with my kneecap. He just isn't exactly sure what it causing my knee to act the way that it is. Basically it is dislocating itself at will. My doctor believes that my patellar tendon is stretched out and that is allowing my patella(knee cap) to move at will. Yep lots and lots of fun. The doctor has put me on light duty..ie if someone else can do it, then let them. I am also on crutches again. This is only for a week until I get my new knee brace. Which has been a fight in itself. My insurance company has been dropped by everyone in the Orthotic business. So I am going to have to order it offline first thing tomorrow morning. Once I get my brace, I will be able to do more. I am really looking forward to cooking again. I just love to cook and I cannot stand for very long to cook. I go back to the doc in 2 weeks. We will then discuss what to do about my knee. There are3 possibilities: 1) exploratory arthroscopic surgery 2.) full knee surgery where they will have to basically dislocate my kneecap and fix it and finally 3.) physical therapy. I am honestly not sure that I even want to do the first surgery. I mean if they find anything that cannot be done then..they will have to do the 2nd anyway. But I like the idea of no surgery at all.

There is a positive side to all of this. While bookwork isn't getting done, my kids are getting some real home ec. skills. My kids have also learned what an MRI is. They have learned about X-Rays, and the parts of the knee.
They are also getting a crash course in life skills. They are doing more around the house than ever before. Now I just need to figure out how to keep it going.

No words

Unfortunately I cannot put this video here,but please go check this out.

Hero by Michael Isreal

It's that Time of Year again...

Christmas is just around the corner.It is time to start thinking about Christmas gifts. Kate over are I Think Therefore I Blog did a great post on Christmas and I realized that I needed to get my ducks in a row and start figuring out what we are doing.

I am taking pictures of the kids today for gifts. I have bought the kids color coordinated shirts and we have a great spot picked out for the shots. Walgreens has a photo printing package that is only $10. We are going to frame a 5x7 for each of our parents and send along some of the wallets. We are going to have the kids create pictures and then get them matted & framed(as long as it isn't too expensive).

I am not sure what else I am doing. I will have to figure that out soon since there is only 2 months, 1 week and 1 day until Christmas.

What to do...

Yesterday was just the day from you know where! Nothing I could was right. Of course it didn't start out on a positive note. I went to bed Monday night at 8:30pm. I am normally a night owl so going to bed that early said something. Well, dh wakes me up at 7:30am to tell me that my daughter wants pancakes and I have to make them. Don't worry about the fact that he had been up for 2hrs. Yep 2hrs! I get up to the house just being destroyed. I decided that we would spend the morning cleaning. We needed some life skills. LOL. After finally getting the kids' rooms clean and tackling part of Mt.NeedtoBeWashed, I decided to get some school done. WRONG. Dragon decided that it would be a good time to whine & complain. He couldn't go outside. He had to clean, he couldn't read because Mom wanted to do school. So he did 2 pages of grammar and pronounced his day done. I was stressed and just didn't want to deal with it. He knows just which buttons to push. He just wants his way.

I know that it is my fault that I let him push my buttons. I am really truly trying to get better. I informed all the kids that we are going to be doing all school that has to be done today. They will have to work through it all. Dh told them that if it isn't done that they will do it on the weekend. That they will catch up. We are already going to have to play a little catch up because I have a doctor's appointment in the morning.

Of course there are a few moms on the soccer team that I have talked to about this stage that he is going through. The moms that I have talked with have teenage sons. I have gotten different opinions from all of them. It is just hard to hear someone tell you that you son has _____ because her son has it and yours is showing all the signs. Or you hear that if he was in school your life would be easier. Please tell me how in the world my life would be easier. Yes I might get more time to myself during the day. I might get to do some crafts. But that is nothing in comparison to being with my kids. To helping my kids through this.