Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Entries from July 1, 2008 - August 1, 2008

Entries from July 1, 2008 - August 1, 2008

Monday
Jul142008

4 Things

Karen Zemek of "My Funny Dad Harry" blog and "Karen and Gerard Zemek"tagged me for this query! I thought it sounded like fun. So here goes:

Four jobs I've had:

  1. McDonalds’ counter staff
  2. Oil company Accounting dept
  3. Home day care
  4. Mom


Four movies I can watch over and over

  1. Chariots of Fire
  2. The Philadelphia Story
  3. The Godfather
  4. When Harry Met Sally

Four places I've lived

  1. Buffalo
  2. Peekskill
  3. Raleigh


Four TV shows I love

  1. The Closer
  2. Monk
  3. Psych
  4. NCIS


Four places I've vacationed

  1. Québec
  2. New York City
  3. Turkey
  4. The Outer Banks


Four of my favorite dishes

  1. Pasta
  2. Steak
  3. Chinese food
  4. Corn on the cob


Four sites I visit daily

  1. Entrecard
  2. All Stacy, All the Time
  3. Cnn.com
  4. Purple Pinstripes

People I have tagged:

The Glamorous Mom

Stop Screaming, I'm Driving (love that title!)

Stacey's Freedom at Home

Thursday
Jul102008

Wii, Wii, Wii for Me. Me, ME: Stress Reliever

Life is full of serendipitous moments. The more you play Wii Fit, the systems automatically opens up more activities. The very day I was enduring getting the kids out the door for World Changers, the boxing activity in the aerobic training mode opened up. Perfect timing, instead of pulling any more of my hair out, I could hit at nothing and not look foolish.

I don’t know how aerobic the boxing is but I was a calmer mama after a couple of rounds of play. It is wonderfully mindless. You do what the bossy punching bag tells you to do. Punch right or left, block (which the 17 year old explained meant step back up onto the Wii Fit board.) I’ve tried Tae Bo before so I know how to throw an exercise punch without getting hurt. The virtual trainer always shakes his virtual head in disapproval after the round is finished. Subsequently I expect him to be disappointed, consequently I happy with my effort even if he (it?) is not.

As a mom of teenagers, I suspect I could be playing the boxing game daily for years to come.

Wednesday
Jul092008

Parenting Teenagers: Unexpected Advantages to Homeschooling Middle School

My children were/are homeschooled for middle school. We sent them to public school until 4th or 5th grade and then brought them home through 8th grade. Then off to high school they went!

One of the unanticipated advantages of this decision was it extended our children’s childhoods. It is my observation that homeschooled middle schoolers are not as culturally aware as their public school counterparts are. It is also my firm belief that this is not necessarily bad thing. Do twelve year olds really need sexy music? Really? Is it in their best interest to have to deal with peer pressure to smoke, shoplift or engage in the games of having a boy or girl friend or grade pressures? Some of our family members though we sheltered our kids too much. They were concerned our kids would be ready for the pressures of high school.

That was not what happened. First off, our children got to stay kids awhile longer. Toys and video games and books and movies, playing in as opposed to hanging out in the park, were more important that attracting the opposite sex and not knowing what to do with them. Yeah, we regulated their entertainment options pointing out the basis for our decisions. Not that they always appreciated our efforts and yes they missed some “must see” movies and “had to play” video games. Not playing Grand Thief Auto at 12 or 13 doesn’t seem to have destroyed their childhood.

They did get to hang out with mom, serving where I served at Bible Study and MOPS. They worked with other adults during those years of ministry. While they didn’t always know the street talk of their peers, they did learn how to work and talk with adults. Their ministry work mattered in a real way, to real people. In high school, they each found a place of ministry apart from their dad and me.

The transition to high school was very hard for my oldest. He kindly smoothed the way for his sister and she, for their younger brother. We did find that contrary to other’s fears, our kids were better able to deal with the temptations of public high school. They grew spiritually in middle school through working with adults who took faith seriously. Working with other adults in the children’s programs at Bible Study and later at MOPS was one of those valuable life lessons you just can’t plan for as a parent.

Plus they had or are having ball. Those homeschool years taught them how to have fun without drugs or beer or a lot of money and they carried those skills with them into high school.

Since our homeschool materials were mostly self-teaching, our kids learned they could figure things out for them selves using a test book and the internet. To be honest some our kids have gotten academically lazy in high school. I’d like to blame the school environment but the truth is blame lies in the heart of the lazy kids.

Homeschooling middle school gave me more time with my growing kids than I would have otherwise had. That was special and I am glad I was able to have that opportunity. I have one more child in middle school. At the end of next year I will be done.

The opportunity for an extended childhood, to learn to work with and talk to adults, to have their service matter, these where unexpected and welcome advantages the kids experienced while homeschooled in middle school.

Also, their verbiage was cleaner then their bedrooms. If you have ever heard middle schoolers talking among themselves when they thought there were no adults around, you know how unique that is.

What about you, have you tried homeschool? Can you imagine doing so someday? What unexpected advantages did your kids experience as they went through middle school ?

Wednesday
Jul092008

CSA Adventure: I Need To Score Some More Corn

I never though I would be praising corn. Corn is one of those fill in foods. You open the can or the box, heat it, eat it, that’s it. Corn provides color on your plate and some nutrients for your body but not much else. Corn on the cob is better than canned or frozen corn, still nothing to get excited about.

We received 12 ears of corn in our CSA box this week. 12 ears, I looked that corn and though, “It is like yellow lumpy zucchini, nice once in a while but twice in one week… please. Maybe I could use some to make bio-fuel.”

I made 6 ears for 3 people figuring I would have leftovers to freeze. One bite and the madness set in. This corn is sweet, juicy and highly addictive. I wanted the remaining 3 ears for myself. I began eyeing my family members wondering if they dare take another piece after I declared the rest was for me. They though I was joking or perhaps they were as hooked as I was. This corn from Wild Onions Farms was yellow, white in color, and sublime in flavor. I generously make the remaining ears for dinner the next night and shared them with my family. I am too good to them. I am in mourning that the corn is gone and I live in hope that next weeks box will have even more ears.

I am most definitely hooked. A hit twice a week is not enough. I might have to troll other farmers markets to get another fix.

Tuesday
Jul082008

Parenting Teens: How Phat A Parent Are You?

Do you know what this says? I g2g ttyl lylas c u l8r

Phat ranking:

I like totally know like what it says: Phat Rent, shops at American Eagle with her kids

I get it all but lylas: Your child might allow you to friend her on Facebook.

I haven't a clue what it means but I suspect it is crude: Like chill, check it on NetLingo before you lose your cool.

I got to go talk to you later love you like a sis see you later . Translated for me by my resident tech geek.

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