Homeschool

L impressed some folks at dance class today with her name writing ability, bird knowledge and general vocabulary. I was asked where she goes to preschool. Well, she doesn't. She's at home with me while I work (telecommute). A huge discussion amongst the parents began about school curriculum and preschool and kindergarten... there seemed to be a consensus that if I sent L to preschool at the public school in the fall we will be in for problems.

I remember the problems well from C's daycare days. Every so often, as C began to approach the upper range of the age group she was in, she would begin to act out. Hitting, biting... general behavior problems. We would go into the director and request that she be moved up a group. They would drag their feet, but would always relent. The problems would vanish. She was bored and expressing it in the only way she knew. I really fear the same with L. She just turned 4 and she's writing her name. She knows all 6 letters, and gets them in the right order! We'll work on our last name next.

So, I guess I'm going to research preschool/kindergarten homeschooling programs. The woman at dance home schools her kids, and has been very successful. I know a man whose wife home schooled their kids and one is doing grad work now at Yale. All of her post-secondary schooling has been on merit scholarship of some sort.

C needs the structure of the classroom, but I'm going to see about supplementing her public school stuff. She's 9, finishing up 3rd grade, and has already read all the Harry Potter books twice (at least) and has also read The Hobbit. I think I'm going to be sneaky and use the Junior Girl Scout badges as a way to try to expand her learning.

Leave me a note if you know of any good programs to look into! Thanks :)

Great Pet Tags

Well, here I go again, 'pimping' my cousin's Pet Tag business. She makes these AWESOME custom pet tags in a lot of great shapes - bones, hearts, circles, hydrants...

This is my moose dog wearing one of the tags. Can't get K to slow down long enough to show hers off. She's officially the "jumpy doggie" according to L. Well, she's a 2 yr old black lab... what's new about that? My yellow baby is 7 - calmed down a lot - but still loves to play. (remember the shot of her in the snow with C?)

So check out Min's tags... (guilt guilt... she's got a new baby and is doing the WAHM thing... she could use a boost in business...)

Four year olds and Fairy wings

I made the serious mistake of thinking I could start this post pre-coffee. Ha. How is it that I forget in the hour and a half between when I get my sorry arse out of bed early to oh-so-June Cleaver-esque make B's latte before he goes to work that I used the rest of the ground beans? Shit. Now I have to grind more. No big deal, but by the time I finish grinding the darned things (and why do I think of the coffee grinder scene in City Slickers EVERY single time I grind beans...) I forget if I've put the water in the reservoir or not. Shit. It's an espresso machine (be suitably impressed) so I can't just look. Then I put the used grounds down the garbage disposal. I forgot to put them aside for the compost pile. Shit. ("...turds... double turds..." "SPALDING!")

But the coffee is made. It is good. It may turn the day around.

L and I had a mini photo shoot in a park last week. I'm in love with the shots I got. Poor C. She was in school and didn't get to participate. I'll have to do another shoot of her. Then I found this wonderful brush for Photoshop online. L has fairy wings! I showed here the picture, telling her that sometimes the camera picks up things we don't see. She looked carefully and said, "Oh yes. I put them on so I could fly." It was as if she expected that they would be there.

Maybe it was the dress. We'd been in town so I could do one thing at the office. (blech. 76 miles each way to pick up some trade show graphics from the sign shop and over night them to my boss) B was working, C was in school, so L came with me. I introduced her to a male co-worker. She curtsied and said "Pleasure to meet you." I don't know where she gets this stuff. Poor Jerry. He asked her if she liked the birdies that come to our house. She looked at him as if to say, "You f-ing idiot..." and proceed to tell him all about the cardinals and goldfinches and mourning doves and chickadees - all by proper name. I'm waiting for her to whip a Latin name at me. It's only a matter of time. She sits by the window with the bird book identifying them as they visit the feeder.

The coffee's gone. Shit.

Trying this

So I saw on another blog a mention of a site called Blogsvertise. I'm going to try this and see if I can't earn some funds to support my photography habit. I think I have to limit my NAS (Nikon Addiction Syndrome) spending to what I earn in my paypal account, so writing posts for Blogsvertise might be a way to accomplish that goal. Heck, I already ramble on and on about stuff, and often mention THINGS by name, why not do it for a site like Blogsvertise that will pay me.

My Husband. My Hero!

How appropriate that I have a great reason to rave about my dear hubby... it's our 15th anniversary! Last night he rode in on a white horse and saved the day.

I had the kiddos with me on my weekly trip into the office (70 miles away) so they could visit their grandmother for the day while I worked. Election day, so C did not have school. Bonus! We were on the way home, and the battery light went on just as we started back. I called him and told him. He cursed and predicted that it was the alternator. I boogied toward home as fast as legally possible, watching that battery level needle slowly drop. (Well, OK, maybe a little faster than legally allowed...) We were about 20 minutes from home when I had to slow down to go through the turnpike gates. That was that. All my gauges quit and I was done. I made it to the side of the road and called him.

About 30 minutes later he came in his mom's Jeep (his pick up won't hold all 4 of us, and the bed was full of mulch). He popped the hood, pulled out the alternator and we all went to the nearest auto supply store (where the girls all gratefully peed... little plug - it was an A&A and their bathroom was amazingly clean!) and got a new one. (It's now 8pm, and the sun is setting.)

We go back to the edge of the turnpike where my poor Blazer is sitting, and while I do the oh-so-important job of holding the flashlight, he puts the new alternator in place, then proceeds to fight with the belt for at least 30 minutes. It finally slips into place. (He must have gotten the curse word combo just right.) It started without needing a jump!

When I met him, we were in college. I never really knew the 'car guy' side of him, and until the Maverick Restoration Project, it didn't come up. I'd had no idea that he could do this sort of thing. Of course, these days, there are so many things on vehicles that you simply can't fix without a diagnostic computer... but on the other hand, there are many out there that can't fix the things that are fixable.

So here's to the guy who has been a wonderful husband for the past 15 years - the guy who makes sure dinner is ready when I drag in the door from my once a week trip - the guy who still does the laundry (a hold over from our apartment days when he didn't want me in the laundry room alone) - the guy who changed diapers - the guy who fixes all that breaks in the house and makes his own molding - the guy who landscapes and builds a wooden swing set for his girls - the guy who was ready to go beat up my co-worker when he was giving me grief - the guy who at 40 is still up to twice in one night - still holds my hand when we are out - still makes my heart skip when I see him...

Goldfinches

The Goldfinches have come! We got this great birdfeeder for Christmas, and all winter have enjoyed the chickadees, tufted titmouses, and the shy cardinals that come pick the seed up off the ground under the feeder.

Free Knife

I finally (days later) got an email from the offending Knife Sharpening Company saying that they were shocked that the knives had been mixed up, and that it had *never* happened before. As an apology, they were sending Dear Bro a free knife from their collection. They did not say if they are working diligently to get his knives returned safely home. If they do, then the free knife is a fine gift for the mix-up. If not... well... there will still be hell to pay. I guess, since they again are very delayed in responding to my question, I'll have to contact Mr. Fussy Pants himself and see what he's getting back.