For the fourth time in as many months, I can't get into my blog here at Blogger, and/or when I look for updates on my favorite bloggers' pages, it seems as if they haven't posted in weeks, and I get worried about them...
SO... I am taking Rootie's advice and moving to Wordpress. You can find me at:
http://jerseechik.wordpress.com/
See ya there!
Apr 17, 2008
Apr 16, 2008
Looking Over Mom's Night Out
Went to Mom's Night Out last night, had a lot of laughs, but amidst stories of our childhood, one friend mentioned her bro-in-law teases her sister in stores by pretending to be autistic. My friend mimicked his pantomimes and voice, and it cut pretty close to home- like #3's behaviors. It was very hard to see someone mocking that.
However deeply my emotions were cut, my head realizes she isn't aware of #3's (relatively) recent diagnosis. She didn't mean to hurt me, she meant to make us all laugh. Sure, it hurt- but it's not worth losing a friendship over.
Frankly, I made a harsh comment about public schools, but backpedalled and admitted there are very, very good public (and private, and home) schools and very, very bad home (and public, and private) schools out there.
Homeschoolers can be like the gay/lesbian community, seeing persecution where there isn't any, swearing their lifestyle is the "best" and that everybody should either support their choice or leave them alone.
Truth is, though, homeschooling isn't the best choice for every family. It's not salvation, any more than wearing dresses in public, not swearing, being baptized, or being quiet in public is salvation.
Here's another example: A friend in Home Group made me laugh inside when she recounted her visit to a local pizza buffet 6 months ago. Seems some "older" (in his 60s, maybe) "well-dressed" (in a suit) man approached a guy (in his 20s, maybe) with tatoos and jeans and biker T-shirt, offering a pamphlet. Biker guy starts shouting, "Why can't you just leave me alone!", stands up, snarls, etc.
My friend's comment: "Anyone that agressive probably should be in an institution anyway." I'm 98% sure she meant the biker, but I feel that way about the older guy. I laughed inside at my friend's comfortable world, where tatoos mean "Bad Guy"- not my experience, to say the least.
Last night one of the moms described another "shocking" moment: at her pediatrician's office, the staff display photos of their own kids. One child is dressed in grey sweatpants, red polka-dot shirt, and red nail polish, but has short black hair. My friend (has 1 child, who is about to turn 1 year old) was confused as to the gender of the child, and aghast that a parent would publicly display a photo where their child was wearing a "mismatched" outfit.
Um, at my house red and grey work together. If the younger sibling has colic, that year there are only 3 photos of the older sibling- your hands are full of comfort, not cameras. And short hair just means you either look cute (most of the time) in short hair, or you got gum stuck in it last week (again) at Play Date. So I can easily imagine a good, loving parent displaying exactly that photo.
I guess my views changed when I realized (in my 20s) that my divorced parents weren't wearing Black Hats and White Hats. They divorced when I was in college, and I didn't speak to my dad for the next 7 years. After all, if he had had an affair, he must be a Bad Guy, right?
No, I'm not condoning affairs. I just accept that people make mistakes now-sometimes even big mistakes. I've made big mistakes, so now I give the grace I hope will be given me, whether it's overlooking my kids' mismatched outfits, overlooking a stranger's loud scene in public, or overlooking a friend's inadvertant wounding through her autism mimickry.
Maybe it's "getting older". Last night, the other moms were all under the age of 40. One friend is about to turn 30, and she's excited, because she says she'll finally feel "grown up" (respected).
I liked my 20s- for the first time, I was free to make life-changing choices. I liked my 30s- developing my lifestyle of choice, tweaking habits, seeing accomplishments in work that was important to me.
I am loving my 40s. For one thing, there are multiple other decades to compare it to, and I like the depth of view. Plus, there's no one I feel obligated to impress, while the kids I'm around every week are very impressed by little things that I find easy (i.e., poking open the juice box without breaking the straw).
Call it "getting soft", but I just don't feel the urge to change the world anymore since the 40s hit. The weight is off my shoulders (OK, most of it has moved to my hips), and "Monday" isn't a curse. Life in the 40s is just fine with me. I sure hope my younger friends see that, too.
However deeply my emotions were cut, my head realizes she isn't aware of #3's (relatively) recent diagnosis. She didn't mean to hurt me, she meant to make us all laugh. Sure, it hurt- but it's not worth losing a friendship over.
Frankly, I made a harsh comment about public schools, but backpedalled and admitted there are very, very good public (and private, and home) schools and very, very bad home (and public, and private) schools out there.
Homeschoolers can be like the gay/lesbian community, seeing persecution where there isn't any, swearing their lifestyle is the "best" and that everybody should either support their choice or leave them alone.
Truth is, though, homeschooling isn't the best choice for every family. It's not salvation, any more than wearing dresses in public, not swearing, being baptized, or being quiet in public is salvation.
Here's another example: A friend in Home Group made me laugh inside when she recounted her visit to a local pizza buffet 6 months ago. Seems some "older" (in his 60s, maybe) "well-dressed" (in a suit) man approached a guy (in his 20s, maybe) with tatoos and jeans and biker T-shirt, offering a pamphlet. Biker guy starts shouting, "Why can't you just leave me alone!", stands up, snarls, etc.
My friend's comment: "Anyone that agressive probably should be in an institution anyway." I'm 98% sure she meant the biker, but I feel that way about the older guy. I laughed inside at my friend's comfortable world, where tatoos mean "Bad Guy"- not my experience, to say the least.
Last night one of the moms described another "shocking" moment: at her pediatrician's office, the staff display photos of their own kids. One child is dressed in grey sweatpants, red polka-dot shirt, and red nail polish, but has short black hair. My friend (has 1 child, who is about to turn 1 year old) was confused as to the gender of the child, and aghast that a parent would publicly display a photo where their child was wearing a "mismatched" outfit.
Um, at my house red and grey work together. If the younger sibling has colic, that year there are only 3 photos of the older sibling- your hands are full of comfort, not cameras. And short hair just means you either look cute (most of the time) in short hair, or you got gum stuck in it last week (again) at Play Date. So I can easily imagine a good, loving parent displaying exactly that photo.
I guess my views changed when I realized (in my 20s) that my divorced parents weren't wearing Black Hats and White Hats. They divorced when I was in college, and I didn't speak to my dad for the next 7 years. After all, if he had had an affair, he must be a Bad Guy, right?
No, I'm not condoning affairs. I just accept that people make mistakes now-sometimes even big mistakes. I've made big mistakes, so now I give the grace I hope will be given me, whether it's overlooking my kids' mismatched outfits, overlooking a stranger's loud scene in public, or overlooking a friend's inadvertant wounding through her autism mimickry.
Maybe it's "getting older". Last night, the other moms were all under the age of 40. One friend is about to turn 30, and she's excited, because she says she'll finally feel "grown up" (respected).
I liked my 20s- for the first time, I was free to make life-changing choices. I liked my 30s- developing my lifestyle of choice, tweaking habits, seeing accomplishments in work that was important to me.
I am loving my 40s. For one thing, there are multiple other decades to compare it to, and I like the depth of view. Plus, there's no one I feel obligated to impress, while the kids I'm around every week are very impressed by little things that I find easy (i.e., poking open the juice box without breaking the straw).
Call it "getting soft", but I just don't feel the urge to change the world anymore since the 40s hit. The weight is off my shoulders (OK, most of it has moved to my hips), and "Monday" isn't a curse. Life in the 40s is just fine with me. I sure hope my younger friends see that, too.
Apr 15, 2008
The Plate Fills
Oooh, Mr W and I were just talking this morning about next year's classes- both in our home school and professionally. An hour later, I am offered "9th/10th grade English" at the local co-op. Yum!
So, this summer we will be active, as usual. Mr Wonderful will be running the academic part of his school's Summer Camp from 7 am- noon weekdays, tutoring at the commercial Learning Center afternoons, and doing clown gigs evenings and weekends.
I am so, so thankful he WON'T be job hunting, though, as he has the past 2 years.
I will be prepping for VBS (held the first week of June), running our household, teaching Sunday School, prepping the English class (begins the first week of August), researching and implementing #3's AS therapy and putting the finishing touches on home school for all 3 kiddos (begins the second week of June).
I will swallow large amounts of pride and mooch pool time for the 3 kiddos at various friends' houses, too, be sure!
I'm pumped!
So, this summer we will be active, as usual. Mr Wonderful will be running the academic part of his school's Summer Camp from 7 am- noon weekdays, tutoring at the commercial Learning Center afternoons, and doing clown gigs evenings and weekends.
I am so, so thankful he WON'T be job hunting, though, as he has the past 2 years.
I will be prepping for VBS (held the first week of June), running our household, teaching Sunday School, prepping the English class (begins the first week of August), researching and implementing #3's AS therapy and putting the finishing touches on home school for all 3 kiddos (begins the second week of June).
I will swallow large amounts of pride and mooch pool time for the 3 kiddos at various friends' houses, too, be sure!
I'm pumped!
Apr 14, 2008
Small Good News
#2 has fallen in love with the "Black Stallion" books. Oh, how I loved reading them myself when I was her age! It is so cool to have a daughter I can relate to!
Apr 13, 2008
The Last Dance?
Mr Wonderful is home. All the students who traveled with him will give the trip a "thumbs up", he assures me. The chaperones, too.
No one got sick this trip, which cannot be said re: France trip and Italy trip. Notwithstanding, no future trips are planned. (We'll see if that still holds next January, which is when the annual call from the local Missions Agency Rep happens.)
My kiddos delighted Mr Wonderful tonight (who has been up since 3 am our time, flying home) with detailed explanations of every crystal amongst their souvenirs from our B'kham trip. This gave me plenty of time to curl up and finish Margaret Truman's "Murder in the Smithsonian" with a reheated cup of American coffee.
Tomorrow I am assured Italian coffee (thank you, EU) and Polish chocolate to wake me up early enough to get Mr W to work. (He'd left his car at the school; our picking him up at the airport tonight precluded him bringing the W-mobile home.)
Polish chocolate? Seems he coincidentally met up with some relatives of mine (3rd cousins from Poland) after mentioning my maiden name at a morning meeting in Ireland.
The weirdness in our life just goes on and on...
No one got sick this trip, which cannot be said re: France trip and Italy trip. Notwithstanding, no future trips are planned. (We'll see if that still holds next January, which is when the annual call from the local Missions Agency Rep happens.)
My kiddos delighted Mr Wonderful tonight (who has been up since 3 am our time, flying home) with detailed explanations of every crystal amongst their souvenirs from our B'kham trip. This gave me plenty of time to curl up and finish Margaret Truman's "Murder in the Smithsonian" with a reheated cup of American coffee.
Tomorrow I am assured Italian coffee (thank you, EU) and Polish chocolate to wake me up early enough to get Mr W to work. (He'd left his car at the school; our picking him up at the airport tonight precluded him bringing the W-mobile home.)
Polish chocolate? Seems he coincidentally met up with some relatives of mine (3rd cousins from Poland) after mentioning my maiden name at a morning meeting in Ireland.
The weirdness in our life just goes on and on...
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