Reason 42 For Homeschooling

I usually don't get very political in this blog, even though I get very political in real life, but this is just nuts: School Bans Desserts. I know too much junk food is not good, but is it the government's job to tell us what to put in our kids' lunches (or allow them to buy with money we give them for lunch)? Once they take over every parental decision we make in the government's demesne, they'll be after us in our private lives (like they haven't been doing that for years already).

I am so tempted to go on and on about all the reasons this kind of government dictation is wrong, but I have my own school to run right now.

245 days to go for #8.

Number 8...or more?

Puppet Show

This is a day of several firsts. This is the kids' first production, without any assistance, direction, or even prompting, from anyone but themselves. This is my first attempt at anything close to editing a video, using a program I've never used before. This is also supposed to be the first day back to school since the Christmas break. I can't see the point of starting school on a Thursday, and this whole puppet-show-producing thing has been a great learning activity. I haven't seen those kids work together, for such an extended period of time, for, well--ever. Right now, I hear a lot of commotion (good commotion) upstairs, concerning set design, re-writing the script, re-designing puppets, etc. I've been told they're adding a new twist to the plot, but I won't get to see it until the next filming, later today. This 21 MB file is taking forever to load, so if you want to watch it, I hope you have broadband. It's also my first attempt at using this Blogger video uploader.

A NEW New Year's Day Tradition

One that I hope is discontinued next year.

Kenzie and I spent the afternoon, on January 1, 2008, at the nearest all-hours urgent care facility. She had been experiencing pains in her right side (appendix?!) since Saturday and they had been getting worse, so we decided not to wait until our pediatrician opened up on January 2, and got her checked out on January 1. After almost three hours in the office (it was a madhouse! I think everyone gets sick on holidays), a blood test, a urine test, and xrays, the doctor determined she just needed some mineral oil and water. I guess that's what happens after two weeks of Christmas cookies, Christmas cakes, and Christmas candy. We need to add Christmas vegetables, Christmas fruit, and Christmas balanced meals to the menu next year.

January 1, 2007 was spent in the same place, only that was for an ear infection that developed during a New Year's Eve party. At the stroke of midnight that year, the poor kid was curled in a little ball, holding her ear and crying, until we could get some medicine.

I wonder what it'll be in 2009.

Merry Christmas

Hair's a Story for You

Once upon time there was a little girl. Let's call her Sally. Little Sally had a beautiful head of hair that sometimes could be described as soft and flowing, when it was clean and brushed, which was rare for this young tomboy. One day, Sally's hair was not soft and flowing, but was in need of a good brushing, an operation which she attempted prior to the cleaning operation. This led to the very unsatisfactory result of a tangle of matted hair hopelessly entwined about the brush.

Sally had two choices: tell mom and possibly get yelled at for arriving at such a quandary, or attempt to rescue the entrapped locks with a pair of scissors. Sally chose the second option, resulting in quite a picture of lopsided bangs, unclean, unbrushed, and un-soft and uun-flowing hair. Oh, and she got a good yelling-at by mom.

Sally and a good friend named Suzie who had gotten herself into quite a similar predicament. Suzie had the same two choices. Suzie chose the first option. She did get a good talking-to for getting into the situation (clean hair is easier to brush, etc.), but mom had a few methods Suzie had been unaware of, to get stuck hair, unstuck, without losing too many precious strands.

Each mom expressed her displeasure with each girl. Sally is bald. Suzie is not.

Which little girl do you think my daughter was in this story?

New Egg Record

Okay, you've seen the large egg(s) of the past. Now, for the small egg record. This one was laid yesterday. I put it next to a normal-sized egg (also laid yesterday). Looks like a pidgeon got into our chicken coop, doesn't it?