Eggs (A Guest Post)

Hi, my name is Ruby and I am five years old.  I like eggs because dinosaurs hatch out of them.  There are food eggs and they are good, especially with salt and cheese.  That's why I like eggs.  I like to play with eggs like this giant wooden one.  This one is named EggMom.  I have a smaller egg that is white and made of wood but I can't find him right now.  His name used to be Eggie but now it's EggBaby.  I like to crack eggs, too.  That's why I like eggs.  The end.  From Ruby.

Ghost Feet

I saw this craft in a magazine once and we've been doing it every year since.  We just trace each child's foot, give it arms or wings or whatever they would be, and decorate it a bit.  I love to see how much each of them has grown over the years. 

As the kids get older, they want the Halloween decorations to be scarier and creepier.  This is one cute tradition at our house that I am going to hang on to as long as I can.  Some day, I may have to sneak into their rooms at night and trace their feet while they sleep, but I will.

I've seen a similar idea done at Christmas but the foot is turned into a reindeer head with hands traced for antlers.

Edit:  Here's a photo of some of them flying up the stairs.  If you look closely, you'll see that the kids are trying their best to 'evil' them up nowadays.

Hoarders

Hoarders is a documentary series on A&E about people and their inability to give or throw things away.  Many times they are also compulsive shoppers.  New episodes air on Monday nights at 10 EST.  

Do not call me on Monday night.  

I absolutely love this show.  I love crazy people and the people on this show are CRAZY.  Why would anyone keep trash from six years ago?  How many horse figurines does a "collector" really need?  I understand that they get to a point where they don't smell the odor, but shouldn't the sight of cat feces on the kitchen counter bother them?  Crazy.  The show is really very sad.  Many times the people are facing bankruptcy, city fines, jail time, or eviction.  If they have children or pets living in the house, they often live in fear of CPS and animal control.

The show does two things for me.  First, it assures me that my house is 'normal' messy.  Second, it prompts me to clean.  I will often scoop cat litter or scrub a toilet during the commercial breaks.

The kids usually watch the show with me and I've noticed a change in their attitudes when it comes to cleaning their rooms.  They like to see the carpet.  They are more willing to donate things.  Thank you Hoarders.

Do not call me on Monday night. 

Gourds

I took the kids to the most awesome farm Tuesday.  There were so many fun activities for children and the pumpkin selection was great.  We spent a lot of time looking through them but the kids finally decided to get gourds.  We've seen the little decorative gourds in the grocery every October but these were so much cooler.

Apparently, the kids really like them.  Each one was given a name.  Get ready for this.  The creativity will knock your socks off.  Gordon, Jordon, and Gourd.  Yep.  They play with them at the kitchen table.  Seriously weird.

I know I will still have to buy pumpkins for carving this month but I'm glad we got gourds.  I like them.

Businesses that Recognize Homeschools

I had previously written about "free days" at the museums in the city but I've since learned that some of these museums have free days all year long for homeschooling families.  The Science and Industry Museum tells you right on their website that homeschooled kids and their parents are admitted free of charge Monday through Friday.  Another mom told me that the Field Museum is also free to us, but I have not yet verified these things personally. 

I think more businesses are starting to recognize the legitimacy of homeschool now.  By law, a homeschool is considered a private school.  Most companies that offer a discount to public/private school teachers will also offer it to those of us that homeschool.  The store policies vary.  Some take you at your word.  Others want some kind of proof.  In Indiana, I kept a printout of an email I received from the state showing that we were indeed homeschoolers. 

There are websites we can use to order or print out our own ID cards.  I haven't done this but maybe I will.  If I do, I think I will use the goofiest pictures of my kids I can find.

My MacBook

I love my MacBook.  It's now several years old which means it may as well be 10 years old in the world of technology but I still love it.  I had another Mac before this one that lasted 8 or 9 years.  I think the final two years of that computer's life were spent listening to my husband nag me that it was time for a new one.  One thing that helped convince me in the end was the discount Apple gives to teachers (including homeschoolers) when purchasing one of their computers.  It wasn't a huge savings but it helped.

When I bought this one, I remember walking out of the mall with a bit of the obnoxious pride Mac users seem to have.  "Yeah, I'm cool.  I use a Mac."  At home, I was thrilled to find stickers in the box.  I couldn't wait to slap that Apple sticker on my car so every loser at the intersection could see how hip I was.  "Okay, I drive a minivan but I'm still better than you."

It wasn't long after that when I was approached in a grocery parking lot by a nasty looking guy driving a nastier looking van from 1978.  "You have a Mac?"  Uncomfortable conversation followed and it  turned out, I was just as cool as this guy who has always used Mac, has several at home (probably in his mom's basement), and would never use anything else.  Mac users unite.  Gross.

Lately, I think the sticker has lost its meaning anyway.  The sticker used to mean you had an Apple computer.  Now, it just means you have a cell phone.

Hugs