Life's Hard, Wear a Helmet

When you're a kid, grown-ups are always saying life is hard. So we do have a warning. What we're not told is just how hard it is. I was suppose to be buying a house today. Do to a mistake on my behalf (that my husband is not letting me forget) and stupidity on the behalf of Rural Development, it is not happening today. Both Matt and I took this afternoon off to go do it. The electric got placed in my name starting today. We will be closing this week just not today. This makes life very difficult. I had plans. And because Rural Idiots there didn't tell us last week when they wanted some new paperwork that they also needed some other stuff, we can't close. I find out at 1pm (suppose to close at 3pm) that they need copies of Matt's college transcripts. I have no idea why. But it took them this long to tell us this. So now I'm home, stewing on the couch. I know I don't normally post about hardships on here until I learned the lesson I was suppose to learn from the situation. Not today. Today I am just angry. And frustrated. So now I have a random afternoon off of work and don't want to do anything but be angry on the couch.

Our First Home

It has been quite the month. The big news surrounding this month is that we are buying are first home. We close in a week. Exactly a week actually. So there are been a lot of packing and Goodwill-ing and cleaning going on around here. And I've had a cold on top of that. I had also been looking for a job. We are moving an hour and fifteen minutes away from my current job. But I've applied at about thirty different places and had no call backs. So I've decided to travel for a little while. Plus, I have to keep this job to get the mortgage. I'll probably be here through the holidays unless something miraculously appears for a job.

Tall...Decaf...Cappuccino!!

I love the country. I want to live out in the middle of nowhere. That is my dream in life. I have found one problem with that. I like big city coffee. That's right. I like Starbucks. I admit it. I'll drink Dunkin' Donuts but really don't like it that much. Not a huge fan of Tim Horton's either. Give me a Caramel Macchiato any day. Today, I did find a compromise. The new McDonald's McCafe mochas are very good. But not the same. :( Now, I don't drink coffee very much anyway. But the irony is still there.

Homeschooling...An Overview

I was homeschooled. I was in public for kindergarten through second grade. Then I was homeschooled until 11th grade when I went back to public school. I have issues with people who think homeschooling is horrible or just not likely to be done well. Or creates these socially inept people. False, false, false, false, false.



Myth 1: One person can't possibly teach everything because they can't know everything.

And you think teachers know everything? No. They have manuals. They read the textbook. That is what my mother did when she taught me. She didn't have to know everything about everything. Do you think they used to have a different teacher for every topic? No. That is more about the need for more teachers due to bigger schools. Since high school is now required, they have to have more teachers. Much easier if each teacher has a specialization instead of having to teach everything. A little more consistent.



Myth 2: Children don't get socialization when home taught.

For some kids, this may be true. I have met some myself. But school isn't for socialization anyway. It is for learning. I got socialization when homeschooled. I had dance class, gymnastics, youth group, even a traveling youth choir. I was also a part of a few different homeschool groups that got together anywhere from once a week to once a month. I had friends. I had friends of many different ages.



Myth 3: Parents don't make good teachers. They don't know how to teach.

This is one of the ones that bugs me the most. Who do you think teaches children to tie their shoes? Who do you think teaches children to brush their teeth, comb their hair, use a toilet, etc? In most cases, it is (or at least should be) the parents. My mom taught me how to read before I was even in kindergarten. Of course she knows how to teach me. She knows my learning style better than anyone else. A school teacher wouldn't have had the time to figure out what I needed and provide it.

Parents should be able to choose what their children learn. Yes, they need to meet basic state requirements but beyond that, it should be up to the parents. And it should be up to the parents how that learning takes place.




Myth 4: Free learning is a bad idea. There is no learning.

False. If this was true, why are Montessori schools so popular? Children learn in different ways. Different things appeal to different children. Homeschooling is perfect to help encourage this. When we were studying history and different cultures, I became interested in the Amish. We spend an entire summer learning about them. I know not only know a lot about the Amish but have a great appreciation for most cultures. I can understand that just because they are different, they are not wrong ( take that you people who think homeschooling creates intolerant people).




The flexibility of homeschooling is also much better than public schooling. When my grandmother was going through some medical issues, I packed up a couple of backpacks and took my school with me. I did most my 7th grade year in hospital waiting rooms. And I still did very well.


Do not try to tell me that homeschooling is bad for the child. Homeschooling is as much a viable option as public or private schools. And it really gets to me when people (usually teachers honestly. sorry, teachers aren't God so get off that high horse. mighty lonely up there) think that homeschooling is horrible for children.

Crazy Busy Life

What a crazy weekend and it isn't even over yet! Friday, we got to go to a Dierks Bentley concert up in Orono where we used to go to college. (Concert was awesome!) The problem being, it is a 2-ish hour drive so I had to to get out of work early and such. Then we went to a "woodsmen" party after the show. We were the oldest people there and only new like 3 people that are on the team now. What a way to feel old. We finally got to our friends' house 45 minutes away at 2 in the morning. Which means we woke up late. Which meant the plans for the day got messed up. I was suppose to be at my parents for lunchtime. We got there in time for evening barn chores (5pm). By the time we left there, it was after 6. We were suppose to go to a pig roast here in town but never made it. We got home at 8:30 and I didn't want to do anything.

Today I am going shopping and that is it. Tomorrow I will be doing some baking and cleaning and possibly some grocery shopping but no more traveling. I'm tired. :)

Random good news: This past Monday was the Windsor Woodsmen Day. Matt won local chainsaw and took 3rd in fire build.

Canning and Freezing and Chopping, Oh My!

I spend all of today freezing potatoes and making marinara sauce. And I have more to do next weekend. Which has got me to thinking about last fall when I canned all those apples and apple products. I've missed canning. I love the fall. I love the feel and the smells and the coziness of the house instead of the stuffiness of the house in summer. I know it will be here soon enough but I hate waiting.

Avon Calling...

I'm not going to be talking about this today as I've had to live it and talk about it a lot in the past couple of days. My grandmother passed away last Sunday. Yesterday was the funeral. I'm taking today off of work just to rest and go to the doc (horrible sunburn). I'm completely not me. It has been a very long week-ish. But I will talk about that on a different day.

Today, I want to give myself a plug. I just started selling Avon. And with Avon, you don't have to live anywhere near your representative to order from them. Avon does direct shipping. Right now, I am running a promo where if you order online then enter the code "REPFLYER" you can get free shipping.

One of the cool things I have learned about Avon since I started with them, is that Avon does not test their product on animals. At all. The other awesome thing is that it is high quality at a pretty reasonable price. A lot of things are no more expensive than drugstore brands.

Plus, there are some nice clothing and fragrances. And there are even some kitchen items. Avon has pretty much everything.


Here's my website. Take a look around and order if you would like or pass it on to a friend who would like to buy.

http://www.youravon.com/jtaylor6553