Wake Up and Smell the Gunpowder

On the news recently I watched a story about how one of this year's "must have" school accessories is a BULLET-PROOF backpack! Are you kidding me? Not only could I not believe what I was seeing, but I was absolutely taken aback by the number of people buying these things for their kids! Hello!!! If you have to send your child to a place where you feel they need a bullet-proof ANYTHING is it not time to rethink just where you are sending your child?

I know that many people, unfortunately, do not have a choice as to where they send their kids to school due to economic or other life circumstances. And, I believe that any education is better then no education. For those people I guess I'm glad they can purchase a product that may possibly save their kid's life as he is crouching in a corner fending off shooters with his pack. Terrific. Urban warfare 101. To the people who do have a choice, it's time to actually take five minutes to think about the implications of what is happening here. Either place your child somewhere else or get really involved with your local school and/or legislature and try and bring about the changes necessary so that you don't feel you have to send your kid to school with her own uzi in order to defend herself! Wake up!

...alright...I'll get down now.

Annual Homeschool Renewal

Practically the second your baby is born you are required to make major, life-altering decisions for your child starting with their name and continuing with almost every aspect of their lives -- where they'll live, what religion they'll participate in, etc... At age five you have to think about school. Private? Public? Charter? Homeschool? All these options have pros and cons and you have to make a decision based upon your values, the needs of your child, and the future you hope to bring about by making the decision you do. It's exhausting!

Each summer as I start receiving the "back to school" ads in the paper I begin questioning the decision to homeschool. I wonder if it's truly working? Do the kids like it? Am I doing this out of a need to control every aspect of my kids' lives or is it for more altruistic reasons? These questions play over and over as the new school year approaches and I have to fill out my affidavit for the state declaring my intentions.

July 24 those questions, and more, were shouting loudly in my head and I needed some answers before I could proceed. That night we went to my in-laws for our annual July 24th celebration and I struck up a conversation with one of my sisters-in-law about, what else, school. Her son is five and I asked her if she had decided which school option (they were considering private or charter) she had chosen? She gave me a funny look and proceeded to tell me she had decided to HOMESCHOOL! My jaw dropped. This was a girl who, while listening politely as I would talk about homeschool, said she would "never do it" and that "it wasn't for her." I was stunned but I tried to maintain a look of calm on my face so I wouldn't frighten her away. When I asked why, again very nonchalantly, she said she had attended her son's kindergarten orientation and, after listening to the presentation, knew she could not send her son to school. She then listed off all the reasons I usually give for why I homeschool reminding me why I made my decision in the first place and, once again, confirming my reasons.

Obviously nobody knows what the future holds, but I am, once more, certain of my path which, at least until next summer, is homeschooling. Thank you universe.

Just Potter the Crowd

Let's see I homeschool, have my babies in my bedroom, don't scrapbook, and generally go contrary to what the popular culture seems to be doing. However, the boy wizard is calling once more and I will enthusiastically answer. Yes, I will be at Barnes and Noble this evening, with Avery and Addison, reveling in the pre-release activities. Then, tomorrow, I will stand expectantly at my mailbox (to the embarrassment of my husband) waiting for my pre-ordered copy -- which I ordered in February -- of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after which I, and the other 3 million people who also ordered theirs, will spend the day finding out if Harry lives or dies.
If you have only judged the Harry Potter stories by the movies, I can see why you would stay away. The movies are terrible. J.K. Rowling, while incorporating facets from many great science fiction and fantasy writers really has created a rich and fun world filled with all sorts of interesting creatures. In a time where the bad guys aren't always as easy to spot as say a dark lord and his "death eaters" it's nice to enter a world where good is good, bad is bad and a wand-wielding boy and his friends are out to fight the fight to the bitter end. Go Harry! I'm with you all the way!

Halfway to 70

June 29 was my 35th birthday! In some ways I feel older and in other ways I feel much younger. For me, at least right now, age is relative and I'm glad to be where I am and doing what I'm doing. I keep a journal specifically dedicated to my birthdays -- meaning I only write in it once a year. It's fun to turn the page and see what was happening in my life exactly one year ago or five years ago. I'm able to get a quick read on my life. For example, birthday 32 took place in Queens, New York. Sydney was just 10 months old and I thought she was my last baby! It was incredible to turn two more pages and find two more babies!!

This year I spent my birthday in Eden, Utah (never been there before) watching Avery play soccer. It was hot! Addison and Sydney and Jack ran around making new friends, getting sticky and being indulged by everyone around us. Paige was Paige and she spent the day doing what she does -- whatever that is. When a few people discovered it was my birthday they asked me what I was going to do to celebrate? I responded by telling them that I was sure a cake would show up at some point, and that my family would make it a party. Maybe I've turned some sort of corner, but at the ripe ole' age of 35 I was quite content to be sitting at the field spending time with people I love. I realize that when I'm older I'm going to have plenty of birthdays where I can spend the day at the spa or take a trip or whatever, but, how many birthdays will I have where I can just watch my little kids be little? I know when I am 70 I will read back through my birthday journal and cherish the birthdays I am having now. Why rush things?! I'll be 70 soon enough. Heck, I'm halfway there!

Information Vacuum

Galileo invented the telescope and was heretical...how are we going to solve the immigration problem...organizationally speaking, what is working in my kitchen and what's not...Sydney's brain needs a challenge, what should I do...men need to be in the wilderness in order to connect with their souls...archimedes died working out a math problem...I love to get swept away with Gabriel and Rachel (archangel fans will recognize the reference)...we really need to consider Pakistan more of a problem than Iran...fathers play a much bigger role in the development of their children than I ever realized...slavery was terrible...having a schedule is more difficult in the summer...coconut oil has amazing health benefits...wheat needs to be soaked before it can be used properly...I think I could make a cute picnic blanket...

I'm usually a constant reader, but lately my appetite has been voracious. The problem is I am reading, reading, reading, but not having a lot of time to process and ponder. All the above are swimming around in my head trying to find where they fit and wondering if they fit with each other. In the meantime, I can't seem to just pick one and focus because I can't seem to get enough of anything! For this reason I haven't blogged lately because everytime I sit down to write, it comes out like the above. This is my brain in suction mode.

The Path to Whirled Peas

Have you seen cuter girls? Last Sunday one of Bret's co-workers came to dinner. He brought his 4 year-old daughter, Daniela, who hardly spoke a word of English. Naturally, all the girls were curious about her and tried out their limited Spanish. Mostly, they just looked at each other and shared warm smiles. After dinner I explained to Daniela where to find some toys and encouraged Sydney to invite her to play. Then I left the scene to see what would take place. Approximately 10 minutes later little girls' giggles could be heard and Daniela came running excitedly upstairs to tell her Dad what kinds of toys she had discovered! The girls had found their way. A few minutes later they were sitting on the couch "shopping" with their food -- smiling and laughing. I don't know how much literal communication was going on, but it didn't even matter. Communication of the heart had taken place.

Children have so much natural wisdom when it comes to relationships. They love openly and generously without fear of rejection or differences. When do we forget these lessons? Should we send children to the UN instead of adults? What kind of results would we see? God sends us children to remind us of what could be. I know it's naive to break our complex and complicated world into such simple terms, but is it really? It was such a beautiful thing to watch these two little girls find ways to connect and to see their joy. As Daniela was leaving (by then she didn't want to go) Sydney yelled, "Bye Daniela! I'm going to invite you to my birthday party!" Daniela smiled back and, in that afternoon, we had achieved world peace.

Why I'll Vote for Romney Despite Chadder's Restaurant

We Mormons are such funny people. We like to use "peculiar" but sometimes we're just plain funny. There exists an incredible herd mentality among us. We like to think of it as "one heart and one mind" but in most instances, in our state of imperfection, it's nothing more than herd mentality. Take the excitement over a new restaurant in town called Chadder's. It's basically In-n-Out Burger with a different name. That's right, it's a burger joint. Now, I really like In-n-Out Burger and will probably go to Chadder's -- someday. Apparently every other Utahn feels like they just have to go to Chadder's RIGHT NOW and are willing to wait in a 20-car line at the drive-thru just to have a burger. It's a compulsion and I can't blame them. It takes everything I have not to get in my car, drive 40 minutes and wait another 60 minutes-- at least-- to get that juicy burger. Moo.
It's for the above reason I'm somewhat frustrated to be living in Utah during the upcoming Presidential election. I would love nothing more than to wear Romney t-shirts and go door-to-door campaigning for this guy. He has my vote and it's NOT just because he is Mormon! I have a brain and have been doing my research and I believe, out of the candidates so far, he is the one for the job. He has the experience, the drive and the qualities I want in a President. Being in Utah and saying I'm voting for Romney is like saying, "See you at Chadder's!" I get a knowing nod of the head and I swear I hear mooing in the background. Oh well, in Romney's case I'm willing to be one of the herd.