A little quote...

So of course my mother commented on my home school blog. =) As I certainly hoped and knew she would! And gave me a perfect quote that I wanted to put up front so everyone can see it. It's from a book called "Dumbing Us Down" by John Taylor Gatto. It's about the public school system, and how it pretty much destroys a children's ability to enjoy learning...

"Put kids in a class and they will live out their lives in an invisible cage, isolated from their chance at community; interrupt kids with bells and horns all the time and they will learn that nothing is important; force them to plead for the natural right to the toilet and they will become liars and toadies; ridicule them and they will retreat from human association; shame them and they will find a hundred ways to get even."

A-NNOY-ING

One of the things I can't stand, so I know my mom can't stand it either, is how people react whenever I say that my younger siblings are home schooled. Yeah, there is a stereotype of home school children...anti-social weirdos who smell a little, and are three years behind in their educations. So I find myself ALWAYS defending my mom's choice. They are NOT your typical home school kids, and my mom does NOT use the typical methods of teaching. I know few women who could actually pull it off the way my mom does, so I do take it a little personally every time someone scowls, or makes a comment, or asks if they are weird because of it. If people could only understand the million reasons why it's better to home school when it's done right, I think the reactions wouldn't be so blatantly rude. My mom is the smartest woman I know, regardless of "education" level. And she is the teacher I wish I could have had during my time in school...she actually cares, lets you learn at your own pace and in your own way, allows for curiosity, AND actually finds truthful answers to questions. Plus she likes doing it, so she's not the mean old teacher who's been doing the job for 30 years and hates kids. I guess the criticism will never stop, but it's worth putting up with, rather than putting more children through the awful public school system that's not teaching about God anymore, that now teaches homosexuality, that gives detention for EVERYTHING but only to the kids who don't deserve it, that stereotypes kids at age 10 and treats them accordingly for the rest of their school career, and that does not care at all about individual learning as long as the WASL and IOWA test scores are high enough...I'm gonna say that my "weird home schooled" siblings are way better off.

Why I Love...

The Colbert Report...
"If you're like me, you have your Google Alerts set to the words 'Ryan Seacrest' and 'animal attack'."

Conan O'Brian...
"So Clay Aiken finally admitted that he is gay..."
{Everyone in the crowd gasps in shock}
"Yeah, it came out in this month's issue of 'DUH!' magazine."

AMAZON

The greatest website on the internet today. Seriously. You can get anything you want on this thing for SO cheap! No bidding. No outrageous shipping costs. Way more accountability. I love it! I just bought a book for a penny! ONE PENNY. And a couple of years ago I got the Amy Grant-House of Love CD for that same price. Such a valuable find for so little!














Then today I purchased the amazing book East of Eden for 80 cents.



















I usually get everything I buy within a few days as well. You can buy movies, books, CDs, but also clothes, bedding, house stuff, EVERYTHING. I am a firm believer in this website.

What I Miss the Most

I wish I were here....



















With these girls...










































Eating some of these...












And lots of these...














Drinking some of this...














And watching a play here...



















Signing our names here...



















And taking a ride on this...














Listening to Blues music...














Seeing the beginning of time here...














Afternoon napping here...



















Learning Shakespeare from this teacher...














Riding these bikes...














And then getting lost here...




























But most of all...

I just miss being with these girls every day...

The Great Harvest

I just wanted to write an update on our garden. I cannot believe how amazing it has been. After the first few weeks of grueling work, it's pretty much just taken off on its own. It looks more like a jungle than a small patch of garden. Our tomatoes have been the funnest crop so far. We've made homemade salsa, used them on tacos, and last week we had some delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. We have tried to tie them to the cages multiple times, but they just keep breaking free! We get three or four tomatoes a day now.
Here are the giant tomatoes we peeled for spaghetti.























































We were worried that the pumpkins wouldn't grow because we planted them about a month late. But there was no reason for concern....they have totally taken over the back driveway! And just in time for Halloween...we have real actual pumpkins!




























I cannot WAIT to carve these adorable things!! We have six started so far, and lots of buds that will hopefully turn into more.
And last but not least, our precious corn.



















We've loved the corn and tomatoes, but we can hardly use all of the stuff we're getting from them! So I'm thinking that next year we might plant the whole plot at pumpkins! One giant pumpkin patch. I guess praying for our plants to grow every night has worked out well. We have had so much fun!

Just a little disclaimer....

from my last post. I was not in any way trying to make anyone think that my braces experience was the absolute WORST of anybody's. I know people wore them for much longer, and had more equipment they had to use, and were in more pain than I was. All I was trying to do was relay my experience. Maybe I'm a baby, or a whiner, or whatever. But seriously, that was how I felt. So I'm sorry if I personally offended anyone who had to wear braces longer than I did, or who doesn't believe in wearing retainers, or who is satisfied with their teeth the way they are. It wasn't the intent of the blog, and shouldn't be commented on as such.

Metal Mouth

One of the most traumatizing days of my life was December 9, 1999. This was the day I got my braces put on. It was purely for "cosmetic" reasons, and I swore I'd never speak to my mother again when she told me I would have to get them. Her reasoning was, "I don't want to have all of us sitting around talking in 10 years, and you get mad because you're the only one who didn't get braces". So I sat cooperatively through the spacers, impressions, gluing, bracketing, and wiring as the orthodontist filled my mouth with shrapnel.

For one year and 9 days I suffered. Lunch time was a daily humiliation--it's impossible to keep them clean. Flossing and brushing were ten times the work, trying to weave in and out of all that metal. This part I did religiously, because of the fear that was struck into my heart that I would have my braces taken off, only to reveal little white squares surrounded by the yellow evidence of uncared for teeth. I was pitiful during these times. Every visit to the orthodontist was filled with ridiculous hope that THIS would be the day I got them taken off.

Finally that blessed appointment came. December 18, 2000. I still remember when he said, "Okay, we're ready for removal". I could have cried, done a dance, and hugged everyone in sight all at the same time. Even the horrible cracking, twisting, and scraping couldn't dampen my mood. That first glimpse in the mirror of my perfect, straight teeth was unprecedented. No calcium spots. No little white squares. No yellow tinge. Returning to school was like winning a beauty pageant. I couldn't stop smiling. Even when Clay Myers told me that my teeth looked like "Chiclets gum". I knew I would never regret having those braces, because this was all worth it. Of course my mother had been right.

Fast forward 8 years.

Even though I was instructed to wear my retainers every night until the age of 25, I took my straight teeth for granted. Last night I tried to put on my bottom retainer for the first time in months. And for the first time ever, it just popped right back off. My horrendous teeth had gone crooked again. Not ready to admit defeat, I CRAMMED that thing on, took 800mg of Ibuprofen, and went to bed.

I woke up this morning feeling like I had all of my teeth wrenched loose during the night. My entire jaw hurts, and all of my teeth ache from the inside out. But....they are straight! Overnight repair. So I'm wearing my retainer all day to make sure that they don't have the opportunity to fall back to their more comfortable, crooked arrangement. And I will wear both retainers FOREVER!! I didn't go through 8th grade with a metal mouth for no reason.

So to my little sister Shayla, who just got her braces off and is feeling the ecstasy of smooth, straight teeth, WEAR YOUR RETAINERS!!!!!!

It is so worth it.

Wish You Were Here

I've known for a while now that where I truly belong is in London, and I was just sadly born in the wrong country. Right family, wrong place. Ideally, my American parents would have given birth to me in England, giving me dual citizenship, and definitely the best of both worlds. I'm totally in favor of the Revolutionary War, but it is a shame that we don't have those accents anymore, and that we had to cut ALL ties with such an amazing place. And even though I'm not there anymore, I still read about all the events taking place, just to dream that I can go!
Here's what was going on there this weekend...The Thames River Festival! Rachel and I seriously considered ditching work Friday, convincing Jess to do the same, spending $2,100 on a last minute plane ticket, and flying out for this two day party celebrating the end of summer. I mean seriously, you can't tell me this doesn't look like the funnest party in the most incredible city in the world!









But since maxing out our credit cards wasn't really a responsible option, Rache and I decided that the Thames River Festival 2010....we will be there! We're hoping for financial stability by then, so hopefully that works out for us. =) I just hate to miss out on such fun!