Better Not Mess With Me...

...'cause I have this big strong boy who has MUSCLES and a mean look, and can practically roll his eyes back in his head to show you he means business. What is it about little boys that they are constantly having to prove how strong they are?

Good Morning, Friday!

The sun is rising earlier, and as a result, the son is rising earlier. I am looking forward to "springing forward" for daylight savings time. NOW I know what I'll save: an extra half hour to relax in the morning.

We've had a busy couple of days. Wednesday was a beautiful tease of spring weather. Though my garden called to me, instead we hitched up the horse buggy to Jorgen. Lauren and William rode in the cart, while I walked at his head to insure good horsey behavior. Anna rode Stealth alongside. It was a perfect afternoon, daffodils blooming under a blue sky. These are the moments children will remember when they grow up.

Yesterday was a full day. Anna had a riding lesson in the morning. Afternoon found us at the local nursing home with our homeschool group. Lauren played Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat. William and Anna shared our Japanese Chins, Paris and Whitney with the residents.

By evening, we went to a fascinating demonstration. We saw a real life cowboy! With our local Parelli group, we went to watch

We watched as he worked her on the ground until he was able to get his body across her back bareback. At this point, the filly twirled him in a circle, and the crowd gasped. We all knew that had it been one of us on there, we'd have gone flying off at a tangent to that tight spin. But, he hung on, and soon had his leg over the back and was sitting. By the end of the evening, he had saddled and ridden the horse. He told us that at home, he'd have the horse on a trailride within three days!

My friend, Rona, and I laughed that we weren't going to see any "car wrecks" that night, since this man clearly wasn't going to be bucked off. Some of the competitions remind us of car races, where everone is waiting to see who crashes. Often, after a competiton, the discussion with my girls revolves around "who fell". But the cowboy didn't fall or even get bucked once.

One thing I could not help thinking about is that so many people spend so much time watching television every night. Yet, this was so much more interesting: seeing people we knew, getting together to learn about a common interest, working toward a goal. If only there were more opportunities for people like this.

Anna's Team

Anna's Team at Mounted Games

Anna (arms up!) and Stealth are second from the left.

What's Your Stay-at-Home Work Worth?

While in Lexingon, Kentucky this weekend, I found an interesting article in their local paper that stated that one of today's 5.4 million "stay-at-home parents would earn $131,471 in annual salary, including overtime pay, if they were doing the same work for an employer".

Riding Mounted Games

Why is it that it takes a week to recover from being away on a trip for only three days? I suppose the fact that Wm. dumped an entire bag of potato chips in the back seat of the truck, and that we were engaged in a muddy, cold activity should explain partly.

Anna's team, riding together for the first time, won second place of six teams in the Novice Division of the Bluegrass Open at the Kentucky Horse Park for Mounted Games. Jorgen, Lauren's pony, was loaned for the weekend to a homeschooling friend who's team rode to first place! With a broken ankle, Lauren was consigned to team mascot. Her team rode for the first time in Master's Division.

Sunday evening, after an exhausting weekend, I awoke in the wee hours of the morning and had a panic attack. A movie played in my mind of the English, Canadian and American teams riding horses faster than what you'd see in a horse race (they are sprinting). What am I doing, I thought, letting them ride in such a sport? One girl's horse ran out of control and threw her through the fence. She required stitches. Surprisingly, it was the worst of all the injuries considering how fast they ride. Of course, my girls are not yet up to that speed, but that's where they are hoping to go.

Yet, in the light of the day, I've calmed. My girls won't be going that fast for some time. Truly, these riders are the best riders I've ever seen. It at once scares and thrills you.

Anna and Stealth, her mount, were amazing. I wish I could show you her flying vault onto her horse and her ability to pick up something off the ground while still mounted. Very proud of her, I am. Aside from that, I found the weekend to be enjoyable because I know my girls will organize their own equipment and be disciplined in what they need to do.

As for our family, the only injury this weekend occurred when Anna's horse, grazing beside me as I sat in the grass, stepped on my hand. I nearly passed out and then nearly threw up, so badly did it hurt. The moment passed though, and after, I truly had no pain. Strange.

We're Off

The Bluegrass Open is this weekend for the United States Mounted Games at the Kentucky Horse Park. We're headed to Lexington tonight with two ponies. Dh is staying back to mind the fort and animals left behind. I must first swing by Simpsonville to pick up Lauren, who audited a Parelli clinic today, the one she had hoped to complete before her broken leg. Anna's bringing her laptop, but I don't know if we'll have Internet at the hotel or not. I hope so! If not, see you Monday!

Real Lessons

Anna's business selling Homeschooler Wristbands started off well, and she sold several wristbands. She was very excited. That very day, we set up an Excel worksheet on her computer, tracking inventory, expenses and income. She also learned how to take the address, copy it, and use MS Word to print the envelope, as she's never been one to like penmanship.

Now, comes the harder part of learning about business. Each day, she eagerly looks at her email and gets the mail, but the orders have stopped coming. It could be that what we thought was a great idea doesn't have a market. Or does it, and we need to market in another way? We've added Paypal to our website, so that buyers can instantly order. We've talked about ways to advertise. She is re-vamping her blog template, in anticipation of writing there. I'm going to put it up on my website for selling items. Most likely, the best way to sell these will be direct contact at homeschool events, yet there haven't been many lately that we could attend.

WHO Ordered the Snow???

The past two days have been cold and snowy. Yesterday, Anna's team's riding practice was cancelled due to the weather. I have broccoli and lettuce slips in the garage, waiting patiently to find their place in my garden. I suppose they'll have to wait.

Please Pray for...

For my dear friend Eva's husband, Don, who after ten years remission from thyroid cancer, is sick again. Don is father to three wonderful children.

For Logan Ayres, a 17 yr old homeschool boy and son of a friend, who has leukemia, just diagnosed.

My New Website

I am working on developing a website of stuff for sale for and by homeschoolers. It will not be consignment, but rather an advertisement. It is very crude right now, but I thought you might be interested in watching it develop, and maybe interested in some of the stuff I'll have for sale myself. Go to http://home.insightbb.com/~junosmom/
and click on For Sale on the right. So far, I put up some wonderful dresses (think Easter) for sale, and Lauren's saddle. I'll have some curricula stuff soon.

Reminder to Self

....to be the very last person to check the gate in the barn and shut the doors.

At 3:30 a.m. today, Jorgen discovered the gate unlatched and decided to get some of that green candy grass just laying there for the taking. And, look! There's more across the street. No, the grass at home is better. As he went back and forth, the paper carrier saw him and was kind enough to ring our doorbell. Of course, he took off when he saw me, relishing his freedom.

So, in my pj's and barn coat, cutting quite a figure I am sure, I got in the van and followed him to the neighbor's, where he is sometimes pastured, just visiting with the horse that lives there. Food convinced him to come, and we went home. After such an adrenaline rush, it took some time before I could sleep again.

Speaking of sleep, Dh owes me a week of back rubs, having fallen asleep during Pride and Predjudice. Hah. He says it's a setup and not even SuperMan could have stayed awake since I didn't even start the movie until 10 p.m. Fah, he stayed awake for BATWOMAN, which only got 1 1/2 stars. Hallie Berry's movie seemed to keep him awake. Get the picture?

Lauren fell asleep, too, so owes me foot rubs. Anna and I watched it to the end, enjoyed it, and Anna, Age 12, is now reading the book. I liked the movie, but found the dialogue sometimes hard to follow. I should be able to follow it, for the giggly, bubbling way that young girls talk when excited is often within my hearing. Truly, it is a woman's movie. Dh wants to know, since he did see some of the beginning, what was Mr. Darcy's problem?

Crossing Over

Today was a beautiful, sunny day, if a little chilly. To get Wm away from the TV and annoying his sisters, we went down to the creek to collect sticks for the wood-burning stove and to check the creek for damage after the storm. Wm wanted to cross the creek to climb a hill, and found the bridge that he'd built out of bricks with Lauren some months back. Before I stepped on it, he put out his arm, stopping me.

"Wait! We have to look both ways! Daddy says if you're not in a car, you have to look both ways before crossing."

I just smiled, and didn't tell him that the steamboat service had stopped years ago. Then, we took three steps and were on the other side.

On a gross note, Wm and I inspected the site of a previously known deer carcass. The doe had caught her heel on the barbed wire fence, fallen and broken her neck. All that was left of her this time was her leg, which still hung on the fence. Wm, of course, was fascinated, and we had to get sticks and knock it down. Bad mistake - Daisy Dog was nearby. She ran off with the whole dessicated leg, a giant chewing bone she figures, and we'll probably not see her for hours. Remind me not to let her lick me.

Contest: I'm not feeling real original right now, so I will again enter the names of commentors in a drawing for a free HOMESCHOOLER wristband. Winners announced next Friday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Top O' the Mornin' to ya. Now, an adventurous homeschool family would pack up and spend St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, would they not? Homeschool Rights of Passage's family is over there right now.

For those of you wondering, we didn't watch Pride and Predjudice last night, as by the time I got done blogging, they were involved in Playstation 2. Those things are insidious (beguiling but harmful; "insidious pleasures"; intended to entrap) . On the other hand, so is blogging.

And, the winner of the contest is: Shirley
Congratulations, Shirley, please send your address to me by private email and we'll get your free HOMESCHOOLER wristband right out to you.

Check back later today for this week's contest.

Pride and Predjudice

The girls have been wanting to see Pride and Predjudice for sometime, and today, a copy arrived in the mail from my online movie rental account. After dinner, they started in on "can we watch it NOW?" though their homework wasn't done. They want to watch it as a family, and I explained that firstly, our 4 yo is NOT going to sit through a "people movie" (i.e. not animated cartoons) of a bunch of women in long dresses talking about love. Secondly, Daddy (aka "dh") would never make it to the end of the movie.

"Wha'da'ya'mean?" he said incredulously.

"Well, I'll rub your feet everyday for a WEEK if you can make it through this movie without falling asleep. You lose? You rub my back every night for a week. Deal?"

His response: "Why would I make a bet like that when I don't even know if I want to see the movie in the first place?"

Lauren offered to rub my back and his feet during the movie if we let her watch it. Let's see, that book was a classic. Can it count as school? Off to get my back rub.......

Try Again

My dh didn't get it. I sent him the following email that a friend had shared with me:

The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his very life into his own hands!

This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, or significant other!!

DANGEROUS: What's for dinner?
SAFER: Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST: Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: Are you wearing that?
SAFER: Gee, you look good in brown.
SAFEST: WOW! Look at you!
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: What are you so worked up about?
SAFER: What did I do wrong?
SAFEST: Here's fifty dollars.
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: Should you be eating that?
SAFER: You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST: Can I get you a glass of wine with that?
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some chocolate.

DANGEROUS: What did you do all day?
SAFER: I hope you didn't overdo it today.
SAFEST: I've always loved you in that robe!
ULTRASAFE: Here, have some more chocolate.

He responded by email: "I can relate to this one...."

Okay, that's in the DANGEROUS category. I called him on his cell. The answer is either a.) This doesn't sound like you at all, dear or b.) what kind of chocolate would you like for me to bring home?

By evening, he'd caught on and found three truffle chocolates that he'd put in the freezer after they were somewhat melted by the car heater. Hey, I'm not picky - chocolate is chocolate - and the monster was soothed.

Livin' in the Country

Maggie, the mini horse, seems content to mull around and not have her baby. I think she's just dragging this out to irritate me. We are checking on her constantly, yet I know that this baby, like babies are wont to do, will come at 2 o'clock in the morning. The anxiety comes with the knowledge that minis have a more difficult time getting out of the birth sack, and can die if someone doesn't cut it open. I was once asked "but what do they do in the wild?" Well, last I checked, minis aren't in the wild. Of course, there used to be small, horse-like creatures that are now extinct. Ah, maybe there's the answer!

Speaking of Maggie, the chicken-killing neighbor's dog came over the other day, and his companion dog, which rarely comes over, did, too. This dog is a black lab that tries to bite you if you stick your hand through the fence though the neighbor swears he's nice once you get to know him. He's so big that when I saw him in the yard, I thought Maggie was out, for they are much the same size. The chicken-killer was eyeing Maggie through the fence, and I'm worried about whether the killing instinct will transfer over to newly born miniature foals.

So, I reluctantly called the neighbor again, and after he apologized for his dogs' foray into our territory, he asked if we were considering re-roofing our barn. Seems those 60 mph winds we had last week dumped a wheelbarrow full of shingles in his yard. His yard that is 10 feet from my barn. Whyever anyone would want to build their nice new home right behind my dilapidated, yet functional barn and my tidy, yet still, manure pile, is beyond me.

Not too long ago, dh and I discussed said barn, and concluded that while we don't want to be red-necked about it, it was better not to put much more money in that barn. It would be cheaper to tear it down and rebuild a better one. However, zoning laws are changing in our lovely (formerly agricultural, now bedroom community) county. My barn cannot be rebuilt in the same location because it is too close to the fence line and right under the electric line. I never dreamed I'd ever have a barn at all, and except for the leaky roof, it's quite nice inside and the horses are comfortable. I offered to neighbor that whenever it stormed, we'd come pick up the shingles, if he locked up his big dog.

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Commenting on Blogs
Several people new to blogging have asked me how to comment on a blog.

On homeschoolblogger.com, you have to first register a username (you do not have to have a blog, but you do have to have a name) to comment. Go to http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/signup.php
After you have a user name, you will then see a link that says Post A Comment. Unbeknownst to me (since I am always logged in, if you don't have a user name, you cannot see this link. So after you get this username, you can go to www.homeschoolblogger.com/junosmom , look at the bottom of the post, and you should see this link.

If you want to post anonymously, you could go to my other blog at http://lifetimelearning.blogspot.com/ (same content, different layout) without registering, but of course, I can't enter you in any contests I might have because I won't know who you are. Blogspot requires only that you type in a word verification to make sure you aren't just a spammer. (I've had trouble with that before.)

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Updates

Contest: Any commentors on my blog or anyone that buys one of Anna's homeschool wristbands will be entered into a contest for a free wristband. Contest ends Friday. These wristbands are a great way for others to see your commitment to homeschooling and are fun for kids, too! (Will fit kids about ages 7 to adult.)

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My blog about Patio Dresses got so many readers, that I figure that all of you are just waiting for your opportunity to buy one. So I think it is my duty to tell you that they are on sale at Dillards this week.

Interestingly, my dad said that my Grandma Matthai wore these because they were inexpensive. Now, they cost $50 each! Seems kind of expensive attire to lay around in watching soap operas.

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Lauren had a check up on her broken ankle. The doctor reports that it looks great - no change! What? I would think that after two weeks, you'd see some bone growth or something. No, she has another two week of "non-weight bearing" before he'll evaluate if she can walk on it with the cast still on.

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Maggie, the miniature horse, is due to foal any day now. Her udder fills in the morning, but goes down at night. You can see her belly "boil". We are hopeful for a positive outcome.

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In The News

I found two rather alarming articles in the newspaper this morning:

Teacher accused of biting is fired
She's charged with assaulting student
A former Stuart Middle School teacher was fired yesterday and is facing an aggravated assault charge after one of her students said she bit him.
More....

(Lauren wonders if the teacher has rabies. Sounds like it, doesn't it?)

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Classroom brainwashing
by Thomas Sowell
Governor Bill Owens of Colorado has cut through the cant about "free speech" and come to the defense of a 16-year-old high school student who tape-recorded his geography teacher using class time to rant against President Bush and compare him to Hitler.

The teacher's lawyer talks about First Amendment rights to free speech but free speech has never meant speech free of consequences. Even aside from laws against libel or extortion, you can insult your boss or your spouse only at your own risk.

Unfortunately, there is much confusion about both free speech and academic freedom. At too many schools and colleges across the country, teachers feel free to use a captive audience to vent their politics when they are supposed to be teaching geography or math or other subjects.
More.....

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Righteous

Righteous! One of my newest favorite words combined with one of my newest favorite products. Can't ask for more than that! As a homeschooler, I am sometimes asked if it doesn't cost a lot of money for curricula and materials. Personally, I consider the investment well worth the money. Still, I want to protect the investment.

Computer discs, PS2 discs, DVDs and CDs are wonderful inventions, easier to store than the mountains of VHS tapes I used to have. They tend to not work, however, when smeared with butter, left on the floor, or with major scratches across the surface. OUCH! Some of the computer programs are quite expensive, and each scratch is personally felt.

The answer, until technology changes again, is d_skin Righteous Disc Protectors. These plastic "skins" snap onto the shiny side of the disc. The disc can then be used as it, being read through the plastic skin. If the skin is scratched, you can remove it and put on another one. At $17.99 for 20 at our local superstore, you can protect your DVD or CD for less than a $1 each.
Righteous!

Isn't She Lovely?

It's very embarrassing to get older and "weepy", but it is hard to contain emotions when your daughter can bring tears to the eyes of strangers with her gift at the piano, not to mention her beauty.








Despite breaking her right ankle (with which she pedals the piano) two weeks ago, and having but a short time to adjust to her left, Lauren played Paderewski's Minuet this past Saturday at University of Louisville's School of Music.

What Not to Wear

Don't you just love these shows that tell you what NOT to wear? Oprah is a good one for that. Take the frumpy mom in her jeans and tshirt. 'Honey', they say sweetly, 'you don't need to go around like that.' The subject then emerges with a $500 cut, color and makeup job that will never be duplicated at Fantastic Sams in her town, clothed in the perfect skirt with a little flair at the hem, a perfectly matched blouse and the cutest little sandals. I'm at home thinking I'd sure like to see her scrub the kitchen floor and toilet in that. How about mucking out the horse stalls in those little gold flats?

On the show What Not to Wear, they recently showed a woman in a "gorgeous" pair of high-heeled sandals that cost $248. What??? My whole wardrobe doesn't amount to that much. It's my fault for even watching these shows. Our culture's expectations are formed on glossy magazines. A friend recently called, relaying that she'd tried on bathing suits. It was depressing, she said. We lamented that we'd never be fourteen again, yet we compare ourselves with movie stars having twins at age 48 and then fitting into their evening gowns for the Oscars. Oh, for a little air-brushing on my photos.

Speaking of photos, it is true, is it not, that you have dozens of photos of your family and few, if any, feature the mom of the family? Recently, I shared some photos via email with my aunt. She wrote back that it appeared that everyone had had a good time, except me, since I wasn't in any of the photos. Well, it's true, I am charged with, out of guilt that someday I will be accused of not properly photographing the family history, taking all the photographs. So, I am rarely in them. Aunt suggested that I reliquish the camera to one of my offspring, as she was sure they'd do a good job.

It might be though, that I do not reliquish the camera as they'd photograph me in my element, revealing the true nature of my existence and showing me in a less than glamorous light. As an example, I leave you with the following photo taken by my four year old of me scrubbing the floor in my uniform of jeans and a tshirt:

Contest

The folks at homeschoolblogger.com like contests, so we are offering one as well to promote Anna's HSWristbands business, and generate readership on my blog. Everyone one who leaves a comment on my blog will be entered into a drawing for one free HOMESCHOOLER wristband, courtesy of moi. We will also give one free entry for each wristband purchased. The first drawing will be March 17th.

I've received lots of wonderful feedback and excitement about homeschool promotion products, interest in the kids' sizes, and other mottos, such as Proud Parent of a Homeschooler and UNSCHOOLER. For now, Anna's bank (moi again) has only forwarded the capital for this first order. When she gets enough in sales to pay for the next order, we'll be ordering the kids' size.
While she doesn't stand to get rich from this scheme, she will be rich in learning experiences

I once heard a great suggestion for a bumper sticker, but I'm not sure the general public would "get" the self-deprecation.

Homeschooling: It's Funner than School