I'm back... again...

I swear, I still want a blog. Time just gets away from me, you know? One day, it's the beginning of June and I have an entire list of things that I just know I'm going to get done over the summer, and the next minute... it's July 14th and I'm leaving in two days.

I realize this blog is kind of turning into a rant spot for my mother, which is fine, because I'd much rather she rant at a computer than at us (love you, mommy!). But I do want to keep going, and I'll try and do a better job at posting.

I'm going to try and use the blog as a journal for the writing camp I'm going on for the next two weeks - most people who read this blog know where I'm going, but just for the sake of ease I'll explain.

I was accepted to The Kenyon Review Young Writers' Workshop. It's a highly selective, intensive two-week writing camp held at Kenyon College for high-school-aged young adults who love to write. I applied last year but got wait-listed, and this year I was accepted (with a full-ride scholarship to boot!). Kenyon's been called "the Harvard of creative writing" so I'm pretty excited to go. The camp consists of 3 classes a day - each an hour and a half long, so five hours of writing per day (it consists of about 50 hours of in-class time over the two weeks, plus there's homework and readings to do. Yes, it's more than most college courses. It's intense. And I'm super excited.) We live on campus, and all the facilities are open to us - gym, track, swimming pool, etc. We live in dorms with roommates, so it's basically like two weeks of college. But just writing.

It's going to be awesome.

So anyway, I leave on Sunday and I'm *hoping* to use the blog as kind of a journal to keep fam and friends updated while I'm away. If I have time, I'll post pictures, but since I can't do lengthy posts on Facebook, I'll be doing it here.

Summer has been intense. I've been working full time (generally 50-60 hours a week) with two (basically three) jobs. I've been outside all the time, since both jobs are lifeguarding, so it's safe to say I'm a little sick of being outside (how often do you hear that?). I cannot wait for these two weeks off to relax, have fun, and actually wear clothing that doesn't involve a swimsuit underneath.





I'll try and post more often. Seriously.

My Country My Choice

Tomorrow marks our nation's birthday and what did they play at church in honor of this holiday weekend? "This is My Song," what a cop out!! The pages surrounding this communist trash included "America the Beautiful" " Star Spangled Banner" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee" one of those beautiful hymns could not have been chosen, please for just one day can we be proud of our great nation? I am sorry that so many feel we need to apologize for what we have but I am too far down on the economic chain to feel anything but grateful for the country in which I live. We have enough, and "Enough is as good as a feast" per Mary Poppins. I don't believe that being proud of my nation is putting other countries down, just expressing a personal opinion which is allowed in this country. I don't believe that patriotism equals arrogance either. Any more than when I was in junior high and high school and supported my school's athletic endeavors. I didn't hate those other schools or the young people that attended them, I wasn't snubbing or bashing, often I was actually scoping out the hot guys, but we had school spirit and let them know it. We shook hands when the battles were over and congratulated winners.

I truly believe I live in the greatest country on earth, especially for women, and all this greatness didn't come free. We need to honor our heritage and those that fought to gain and protect our freedoms not make excuses for what we have. We should offer it to others willing to pay the price. They may choose to join or go their separate ways, but I do not have to be ashamed because I was blessed to be born here and choose to remain.

No, it is not a perfect country, we daily make mistakes and our freedoms are threatened just as often by ignorant do-gooders. Yet, even those times when I am sad for my nation because of poorly made choices, when I wish that life were more fair, I still believe this is the greatest nation on earth.


O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

Katharine Lee Bates

Summer School

Summer has arrived! Well not the temperature but the end of most scheduled activities. Although we continue to "school" during the summer most folks in our circles of friends do not and most classes in which my children participate end until next fall. We would be class-less except I started a sewing class of my own (teaching) that runs through the end of June, and Tae Kwon Do will continue for the first time through the summer. So we should have time for the pool and hopefully some home improvement projects.

As for summer school the twins and I will begin a Confirmation prep book and we will start a history text together. Of course they still have math and language arts, those are the never ending subjects in this house, and the garden is planted, just a bit late, but that will serve as science during the next couple of months. I will also begin more sewing with one of the girls who has shown an interest, and furniture refinishing with another.

My eldest has just really moved beyond homeschooling, she will be a full time student at our local community college this fall and currently holds two summer jobs which won't leave much time for summer home learning but will provide cash and lessons of their own. She will technically be a high school senior next year and this fall we will begin the college application process. I have no doubts of her ability to get into the college of her choice but we are praying for substantial financial aid to make that same college truly possible. Summer for her also brings a two week writing camp at Kenyon College in Ohio the last two weeks of July, maybe she will blog about that!

Resolutions are moving slowly, I am not yet ready to add a new one as I know I would be setting myself up for failure but reading did bring some closure to novels. One is particular "Guitar Boy" by M. J. Auch was a charming read. There are not enough boy stories out there, and I am growing tired of fantasy in the youth market, but this is about a boy and a contemporary story.

The young protagonist Travis, is thrown out of his house by his father, just fourteen with less than $10 in his pocket and some anger issues he's instructed to find his way in the world. His mother has been hospitalized with a major head injury after a tragic accident, which leaves the family leaderless as his father grieves. Travis has guardian angels that keep him safe but not without some unfortunate twists and turns along the way that keep the story believable. You get to learn about guitar making, Appalachian folk music, head trauma recovery, and small town generosity. Worth adding to your library queue.

Scattered Stories

Well obviously if my latest resolution was to be more diligent in my blogging, I failed. Fortunately that wasn't my first resolution, but has to be a later one at some point. I find blogging a struggle as I can't imagine that anyone really wants to read about the daily happenings in my life. Events are either too mundane and I feel the need to embellish which seems just stupid, or they are all together too personal to spread all over the internet and endanger the relationships in my house. What remains after the removal of boring and traumatic just won't fill a daily post, so until I figure out how to babble more regularly, I will just continue to write as the spirit moves me.

I am in the midst of 7 different books but have reached the end of none, and of the seven one holds the promise of endorsement. Seven books!!!! you say. Is it any wonder one of my daughters has a touch of the ADHA stuff. I find when a book begins to slow down or my interest wanes a touch (wandering) my solution is to pick up another book and start reading. I also keep and read books by location, one in the car on audio, sometimes two, one at the bookstore, sometimes two or three, a couple on the Nook, and another hard copy of something at home. Therefore I never get bored with reading but do sometimes get stuck with seven titles and not an end in sight. I also sometimes forget a book for quite some time and a conversation will come up about the book, usually someone extolling the virtues of the book I failed to finish, and they inspire me to pick it up again, or merely remind me to get it back in the rotation.

Reading also interferes with blogging. You have to make a choice about where you spend your daily minutes and reading is way easier and more relaxing than writing so guess what I choose. I convince myself that I am setting an example for my dyslexic daughters by modeling good reading habits. This rationalization is necessary to remove the guilt of neglected household chores, and create excuses for doing that which I enjoy too much.
There are worse habits!

Resolutions?

Once again it is time for new years resolutions. "It is May," you say "isn't that a little too late for resolutions. Well after lent and an Easter filled weekend, I am feeling forgiven and feeling the urge to try again to get things right. What this will look like is still beyond my ken, but I can see bits and pieces (boulders and mountains is more accurate) that need improving so we are going to try the old one step at a time theory.

One at a time I think too, if I commit only to one new discipline, I am only accountable for that one. If I happen to do a couple of other improvements along the way those won't be official ones so if I flub, no need for guilt and if they succeed well I will be that much farther along when they become official. This is a good ploy for the perfectionist, as guilt and self destructive tendencies are almost impossible to avoid. Even after years of setting aside those bad tapes, when you least expect it one will start running in your brain. This is a battle I was pretty sure I had won, so to be occasionally blindsided unnerves me a bit.

I was once hoping for a nice quiet week to begin the life makeover, but have decided this will never happen and the only way to move forward is to jump in amid the chaos. I have come to realize that it isn't going to slow down, and waiting is really just a delay tactic. Come on in the water's fine.

The Perks

The problem with homeschooling is the children aren't the only ones on the learning track. My children's theatre group regularly puts together shows for which I contribute costume expertise. The shows often require historically accurate pieces and guess who is responsible for knowing what works and what doesn't. So I spend research time and for the most part my children only benefit by looking good, and it is my brain that is filled with historical fashion trivia.

I guess the math is just relearning, except for matrices, which turned out to be just totally unnecessary and I don't understand why they were included and totally understand why I never had to learn them in the first place, why would anyone do anything that way? Science just messes up the kitchen, and creates opportunity for more mommy work. But once again as the messes are exploding I have to be the one to explain concepts I haven't thought about in years and end up taking a child to the omniscient Google and tracking down the needed information, that old concept is new again in my brain. Of course went you do this with 5 year olds, a mere two years later you will mention said concept and they will deny any knowlege on the subject. How come I remember?

Communication, it's a Fragile Thing

You may certainly be whatever you want to be and I fully expect you to pursue a passion in your career choice, even if it is journalism and photography. I would like you to be happy. Daddies on the other hand have a different agenda and they think differently, they do not mean to dash hopes and dreams or to make your life miserable but they do worry about the pratical things. Daddies want to know that you will be taken care of, that you will be safe and have all the nice things you need and don't need to make life comfortable. So they hope and encourage and praise safe majors in college, accounting, business, MARKETING, medicine, etc. It is just because they are afraid for you and find letting go almost impossible. When you finish college they want a nice safe job waiting for you so they don't have to worry, and certain majors are more likely to offer those safe jobs. But no major truely gaurantees a job, or happiness, or success. Daddies know that too.

So chase those dreams and create a life for yourself filled with passions, we, yes both of us, will support you all the way in any way we can, because ultimately we all want the same thing. We know as well that you have an outstanding head on your shoulders and a heart that searches for truth. You are not and have never been a frivolous child, you are a classic first born, responsible mature and driven to be first and best. We don't need to be hard on you, you do that for us. Just know that you are truely loved and whatever you choose that is best for you will be just perfect for us.

If Daddy rolls his eyes and makes snarky comments it is just a special daddy way of saying "I am worried and want the best for you and it scares me that you are growing up so fast and I don't know how I can possibly take care of you for the rest of your life unless I lock you in a closet and I don't really know how to respond when I feel so helpless." So just remember that when it seems he doesn't understand or is belittling your choices, it is really just because he cares.

There are many of these special daddy daughter communication techniques that will come to light as you grow older and become a better observer in the meantime I will continue to act as interpreter. Don't hesitate to ask for regular translations.