Monday, August 16, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
self-quake
Hve you ever felt disoriented by a shift in perspective that came out of no where and threw you off your plate?
I mean, when you are standing some place you've stood hundreds of times before and it's just not the same but you can't tell why.
When a front porch becomes a play pin. When the grass between your toes is suddenly crawling with snakes and spiders. When a country road becomes an unexplored wilderness. When a murder of crows becomes a flock of black feathered messengers from another dimension. When the clouds in the sky become chemical threats and your water is toxic sludge. When your car becomes a time capsule or another world completely cut off from it's surroundings and shooting you through time and space like some kind of futuristic vehicle of transportation.
What is real? Sometimes I wonder how much perception creates our entire reality. It makes me doubt reality exists and it throws me into a panic.
I mean, when you are standing some place you've stood hundreds of times before and it's just not the same but you can't tell why.
When a front porch becomes a play pin. When the grass between your toes is suddenly crawling with snakes and spiders. When a country road becomes an unexplored wilderness. When a murder of crows becomes a flock of black feathered messengers from another dimension. When the clouds in the sky become chemical threats and your water is toxic sludge. When your car becomes a time capsule or another world completely cut off from it's surroundings and shooting you through time and space like some kind of futuristic vehicle of transportation.
What is real? Sometimes I wonder how much perception creates our entire reality. It makes me doubt reality exists and it throws me into a panic.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
5 mothers' issues I am NOT okay with
1) Abuse. The physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse of ANYONE, particularly women and children, is never okay. I don't care if they hit you first, called you names, anything. NEVER is it okay to hit a child or a woman or anyone smaller or weaker than you are. EVER.
2) Over medication of children. Whether it be for ADD or depression, young children with emotional *abnormalities* need to be attended to more carefully, physically and mentally. An ADD or ADHD child need more one on one attention and affection, and a personalized plan of attack when concerning education and discipline. Expecting medication to make your child *normal* is just horrific and an insult to their unique personality.
3) Circumcision (of girls AND of boys). I am not okay with any form of physical alteration of a child that is not medically necessary. It takes away their autonomy and sexualizes an otherwise perfectly made part of a tiny infant, which sickens me.
4) Abortion. This one is touchy. I am okay with the abortion of a child if the mother is at risk for death. I am okay with an early abortion in cases of abuse. I am not okay with abortion as a form of birth control, and never am I okay with late term and second trimester abortion. When you have sex, you know it makes babies. Life and death is not something that should be in the realm of human control when it involves other living people.
5) The use of induction and cesarean in woman that are pregnant and have no medical reason for either. This kills mothers and children, and ruins the birth experience. It's sad that birth has become a business and not a life altering and beautiful event.
2) Over medication of children. Whether it be for ADD or depression, young children with emotional *abnormalities* need to be attended to more carefully, physically and mentally. An ADD or ADHD child need more one on one attention and affection, and a personalized plan of attack when concerning education and discipline. Expecting medication to make your child *normal* is just horrific and an insult to their unique personality.
3) Circumcision (of girls AND of boys). I am not okay with any form of physical alteration of a child that is not medically necessary. It takes away their autonomy and sexualizes an otherwise perfectly made part of a tiny infant, which sickens me.
4) Abortion. This one is touchy. I am okay with the abortion of a child if the mother is at risk for death. I am okay with an early abortion in cases of abuse. I am not okay with abortion as a form of birth control, and never am I okay with late term and second trimester abortion. When you have sex, you know it makes babies. Life and death is not something that should be in the realm of human control when it involves other living people.
5) The use of induction and cesarean in woman that are pregnant and have no medical reason for either. This kills mothers and children, and ruins the birth experience. It's sad that birth has become a business and not a life altering and beautiful event.
Binding Spells, Protection, and Ethics
Recently a friend of mine came to me with an overwhelming issue. My knee jerk reaction was to offer advice and help on binding and protective magick for her. I have since decided against the binding, and have offered her information on protection.
What is binding?
Upon doing a little bit of internet research to see how my knowledge of the subject stacked up against the general consensus, I realized that, as usual, my interpretation of a basic concept is not quite typical. I hold that any beliefs I have about magick and what it is or is not are perfectly relevant as I am of the opinion that it is all about energy and psychological manipulation on a cosmic level, but anywho...
My definition of binding is that it is a kind of magick used to bind someone (or something, but generally someone) to something (or someone) else. This can be a physical thing or person, or an idea. Your most common binding would be a hand fasting, or marriage ceremony, where you offer yourself fully and from the soul out to another, whether for life or for a year and a day, whether by the Lord and Lady or with fear and trembling under God. This is a ritual, and you are pledging your immortal soul (as you understand it) to another person. A Christian might not call it *magick*, per se, but the idea of divine retribution is there if you are unfaithful to your marriage. When you tie your soul to something magickally, you have created a divine contract with the gods or spirits or karma that says should you stray, there will be consequences, and it will be painful.
Something a little less intense, but considering magick and that we cannot honestly fathom the ideology, if it exists, of the gods, is the binding of another. Binding them FROM causing harm (like tying a dog to a tree), or binding THEM to YOU without their permission. It is arguably a very common form of black magick. How on earth can keeping someone from hurting you or another be bad?
Let's take a look at ethics and the loosely used term "black magick"
Black magick is in Wicca and many other versions of pagan spirituality is pretty much sloughed off as wrong wrong wrong and unethical. You immediately begin to imagine black masses and witches eating babies and voodoo dolls (which is funny, because that last one can be not all that bad, lol). Black magick is more simply put any kind of magick that interferes witht he free will of another. When you look at it this way, pretty much any magick affects the free will of others and of the Universe itself. Pretty heady all the sudden, right? Healing could be considered black magick in this context because you are interfering with the divine plan, if there is one.
The important thing to remember, in my opinion, when deciding whether or not to do any kind of magick or spell is this; are you willing to face the consequences of your actions? If you pull someone off of their path, you will have a butterfly effect on all the people around them and an entire web of karma. Is that okay to you? Is it worth it? If so, by all means, dabble. It's your karma... right?
I don't have answers to those things, you just have to consider them for yourself.
When presented with a potentially violent person or traumatic situation, consider what you might GAIN... and then consider and attempt protection magick, which is 100% personal and pretty much out of the grey area (the reach of which is... well, a grey area).
ritual, spell, meditation for protection.
Useful tools for this could include:
sage for smudging
an orb stone, I prefer a desert rose
black candles to absorb negative energy, and white to reflect and inspire positive energy
thorny or poisonous herbs or vines
roses
start the meditation by smudging yourself and your space. If you are using black candles, they will be buried, and white will be lit.
Seat yourself comfortably (but not so comfortably you will fall asleep. Hey, it happens!!). Begin to breath in and out, focusing in on your breath until you are able to focus only on your breath. Feel the air pull inwards and move through you. Then feel it rush out. I personally imagine it like lapping waves. When you are well into your breath, you can move inward and find your heartbeat. Feel your life force, your breath, you beating heart. Your heart's rhythm will fill you. You will hear it in your ears. You will feel it in your bones. This is as it should be. From your heart begin to expand your focus to your spirit body. You will see yourseld in your mind, featureless. You will probably see yourself in a color, but maybe not. Your psychology and attatchment to physical interpretation of the metaphysical will rule your interpretation of the spirit. This is okay. You will likely see dark spots in your glowing self. Lightless spots, or thick black splotches. Begin to see your breath as a white energy, moving into you and filling you. Breath in the white, and breath out the dark. You will begin to mentally scrub these dark places with your cleansing breath. When you are filled with this energy, scrub until you are comfortable moving forward. In with the fresh, out with the gunk. From here you will move forward into the next stage. You will imagine yourself as a tree, or any sort of rooted and limbed thing. Imagine your roots digging deep into the earth. Through cool black soil, through thick grey clay, into hard chunks or stone... deeper and deeper until you find your roots dipping straight into the molten energy of the earth's core. You are traveling down with each breath out. When you are in that center, each breath in will bring that hot energy closer to you, until it reaches your toes, and fills your body with each breath in until you are filled with it. Remain attatched to this center. Then push your limbs upwards toward the stars. Up with each breath out, up up until you can tangle your branches amongst the stars. Again, each breath in invite that ethereal and silver energy to trickle downwards, and then fill you. You will notice that it feels unusual when it meats the hot energy from the earth. I think it's weird that the stars are probably hot as hell, but the energy is much more cool and refreshing. Whatever I say! lol. Anyways, when you are full of this energy, begin to surround yourself, above and below and around, with golden light, so that your spiritual body is surrounded by a golden orb. You will then begin to cover your orb with a thorny or poisonous plant. You do not want to be pricked or poisoned, but you want to protect yourself from unwanted advances from predators. I like to imagine my hair as a rose vine, creeping outwards and growing and blooming all over my golden protective energy. This will invite pollination from positive sorces, while presenting a barrier to unwanted company. When you are thickly bound in your protective layer, you want to seal your magick with some sort of physical representation that you can keep with you. I use the desert rose crystal. You will reverse your earlier absorbtion or energy by sending access energy first back into the skies, then deep back into the ground, which will also help you ground yourself. Become one with your body, then your heart, then your breath, and open your eyes. Bury your negative tokens if you used them, and EAT!!!
Good luck!
What is binding?
Upon doing a little bit of internet research to see how my knowledge of the subject stacked up against the general consensus, I realized that, as usual, my interpretation of a basic concept is not quite typical. I hold that any beliefs I have about magick and what it is or is not are perfectly relevant as I am of the opinion that it is all about energy and psychological manipulation on a cosmic level, but anywho...
My definition of binding is that it is a kind of magick used to bind someone (or something, but generally someone) to something (or someone) else. This can be a physical thing or person, or an idea. Your most common binding would be a hand fasting, or marriage ceremony, where you offer yourself fully and from the soul out to another, whether for life or for a year and a day, whether by the Lord and Lady or with fear and trembling under God. This is a ritual, and you are pledging your immortal soul (as you understand it) to another person. A Christian might not call it *magick*, per se, but the idea of divine retribution is there if you are unfaithful to your marriage. When you tie your soul to something magickally, you have created a divine contract with the gods or spirits or karma that says should you stray, there will be consequences, and it will be painful.
Something a little less intense, but considering magick and that we cannot honestly fathom the ideology, if it exists, of the gods, is the binding of another. Binding them FROM causing harm (like tying a dog to a tree), or binding THEM to YOU without their permission. It is arguably a very common form of black magick. How on earth can keeping someone from hurting you or another be bad?
Let's take a look at ethics and the loosely used term "black magick"
Black magick is in Wicca and many other versions of pagan spirituality is pretty much sloughed off as wrong wrong wrong and unethical. You immediately begin to imagine black masses and witches eating babies and voodoo dolls (which is funny, because that last one can be not all that bad, lol). Black magick is more simply put any kind of magick that interferes witht he free will of another. When you look at it this way, pretty much any magick affects the free will of others and of the Universe itself. Pretty heady all the sudden, right? Healing could be considered black magick in this context because you are interfering with the divine plan, if there is one.
The important thing to remember, in my opinion, when deciding whether or not to do any kind of magick or spell is this; are you willing to face the consequences of your actions? If you pull someone off of their path, you will have a butterfly effect on all the people around them and an entire web of karma. Is that okay to you? Is it worth it? If so, by all means, dabble. It's your karma... right?
I don't have answers to those things, you just have to consider them for yourself.
When presented with a potentially violent person or traumatic situation, consider what you might GAIN... and then consider and attempt protection magick, which is 100% personal and pretty much out of the grey area (the reach of which is... well, a grey area).
ritual, spell, meditation for protection.
Useful tools for this could include:
sage for smudging
an orb stone, I prefer a desert rose
black candles to absorb negative energy, and white to reflect and inspire positive energy
thorny or poisonous herbs or vines
roses
start the meditation by smudging yourself and your space. If you are using black candles, they will be buried, and white will be lit.
Seat yourself comfortably (but not so comfortably you will fall asleep. Hey, it happens!!). Begin to breath in and out, focusing in on your breath until you are able to focus only on your breath. Feel the air pull inwards and move through you. Then feel it rush out. I personally imagine it like lapping waves. When you are well into your breath, you can move inward and find your heartbeat. Feel your life force, your breath, you beating heart. Your heart's rhythm will fill you. You will hear it in your ears. You will feel it in your bones. This is as it should be. From your heart begin to expand your focus to your spirit body. You will see yourseld in your mind, featureless. You will probably see yourself in a color, but maybe not. Your psychology and attatchment to physical interpretation of the metaphysical will rule your interpretation of the spirit. This is okay. You will likely see dark spots in your glowing self. Lightless spots, or thick black splotches. Begin to see your breath as a white energy, moving into you and filling you. Breath in the white, and breath out the dark. You will begin to mentally scrub these dark places with your cleansing breath. When you are filled with this energy, scrub until you are comfortable moving forward. In with the fresh, out with the gunk. From here you will move forward into the next stage. You will imagine yourself as a tree, or any sort of rooted and limbed thing. Imagine your roots digging deep into the earth. Through cool black soil, through thick grey clay, into hard chunks or stone... deeper and deeper until you find your roots dipping straight into the molten energy of the earth's core. You are traveling down with each breath out. When you are in that center, each breath in will bring that hot energy closer to you, until it reaches your toes, and fills your body with each breath in until you are filled with it. Remain attatched to this center. Then push your limbs upwards toward the stars. Up with each breath out, up up until you can tangle your branches amongst the stars. Again, each breath in invite that ethereal and silver energy to trickle downwards, and then fill you. You will notice that it feels unusual when it meats the hot energy from the earth. I think it's weird that the stars are probably hot as hell, but the energy is much more cool and refreshing. Whatever I say! lol. Anyways, when you are full of this energy, begin to surround yourself, above and below and around, with golden light, so that your spiritual body is surrounded by a golden orb. You will then begin to cover your orb with a thorny or poisonous plant. You do not want to be pricked or poisoned, but you want to protect yourself from unwanted advances from predators. I like to imagine my hair as a rose vine, creeping outwards and growing and blooming all over my golden protective energy. This will invite pollination from positive sorces, while presenting a barrier to unwanted company. When you are thickly bound in your protective layer, you want to seal your magick with some sort of physical representation that you can keep with you. I use the desert rose crystal. You will reverse your earlier absorbtion or energy by sending access energy first back into the skies, then deep back into the ground, which will also help you ground yourself. Become one with your body, then your heart, then your breath, and open your eyes. Bury your negative tokens if you used them, and EAT!!!
Good luck!
Monday, August 2, 2010
amazing oatmeal muffins, less than $1 to make!!
Okay, everyone knows we're broke as crap. This week was particularly harsh, and snacks were not on the grocery list. Luckily I already had some apples and applesauce... which of course gets old after almost no time. So I tried to find a recipe with ingredients I have stocked. Found one! Oatmeal muffins, and they are SO good...
First I gathered my ingredients. You'll need a cup of flour, a cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking SODA, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and...
two BEATEN eggs and...
one cup of COOKED oatmeal, so fix it... 1 and 1/3 cup water brought to a boil with a pinch to 1/8 teaspoon salt, then mixed with one cup of oats
preheat your oven to 350.
mix all the wet ingredients: the two beaten eggs, the one cup of cooked oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of cooked oatmeal in ONE large bowl
mix all of the dry ingredients in another bowl, the: one cup flour, one cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and one teaspoon of baking powder
then mix both bowls together of course!! Even the batter is good, nom nom nom!
Grease your muffin pan or use cupcake liners and cook for 25 minutes at 350.
et voila, bon appetite!
these muffins obviously SMELL and LOOK so good, they propted my overweight little chub Jasper, who turned 6 months old today along with his twin brother Hunter, to pull himself up and STAND on his own for the first time... in an attempt to steal his sister's muffins, lol.
First I gathered my ingredients. You'll need a cup of flour, a cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, a teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking SODA, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and...
two BEATEN eggs and...
one cup of COOKED oatmeal, so fix it... 1 and 1/3 cup water brought to a boil with a pinch to 1/8 teaspoon salt, then mixed with one cup of oats
preheat your oven to 350.
mix all the wet ingredients: the two beaten eggs, the one cup of cooked oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of cooked oatmeal in ONE large bowl
mix all of the dry ingredients in another bowl, the: one cup flour, one cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and one teaspoon of baking powder
then mix both bowls together of course!! Even the batter is good, nom nom nom!
Grease your muffin pan or use cupcake liners and cook for 25 minutes at 350.
et voila, bon appetite!
these muffins obviously SMELL and LOOK so good, they propted my overweight little chub Jasper, who turned 6 months old today along with his twin brother Hunter, to pull himself up and STAND on his own for the first time... in an attempt to steal his sister's muffins, lol.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
mini nature walk
Today Allen was home all day so I was able to really spend some good quality time with my daughter. We snuggled on the couch, we hung out and picked up the kitchen. We took a nap together. We learned about how to cut and glue and she made some rad art.We also got outside in the sweltering summer heat and had a little nature walk. First we sat down and while getting dressed talked about what we might find outside. She came up with squirrels, trains, cats, sky, grass... I added trees, flowers, clouds and leaves to the list. We took a plastic ziplock outside, and we collected *specimens*, which she thought was pretty awesome. Then we glued the specimans to a peice of paper and made a nature collage. Check it out;
Saturday, July 31, 2010
homeschool rainbow fun
Every preschooler is beginning to learn and explore the world around them. And everyone of their mothers (and fathers) is rediscovering the simple pleasures of vibrant color and arts and craft. We also are madly in love with our computers, which provide a really nifty resource for all kinds of things. I like to get online and look at colors on google image search. Search red and get a page covered in different and beautiful images with that color playing a starring role. It's fabulous. You can do this with anything. Here I've compiled a couple activities and stolen photos from my online googling, and encourage you to do some googling yourself.
Rainbows are created when sunlight filters through water. You generally see them after a rain, or if it's raining and the sun is shining at the same time. A lot of people use the ROY G BIV method to remember the colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. If your child is too young for the letter, skip over it, or present it briefly. My child had no idea what I was talking about when I told it to her, lol.
Red is the color found in apples, cherries, roses, lipstick, and cardinals (for those kids that love animals). For a closer look at this color have an apple day, put on makeup with your kid (if you're okay with that sort of thing), watch the Little Mermaid and loor at her hair, and go outside and do some flower picking and birdwatching. Beets, hearts, some fish and star fish are also red, not to mention the red curtain on your puppet show display if you have one!
Orange is an easy one, because oranges are *gasp* orange! There are of course also blood oranges. Have fun with citrus for an orange day, and look even at different citrus colors. Flowers, cantelope, and some cats are even orange!
Yellow is the color of bananas, many wildflowers, and our great sun! The sun is one kind of a variety of stars. Might be a good way to get into astronomy a little for a preschooler that is interested and ready. Bananas are a favorite though in this house!
Green is easy! Trees, grass, leaves, bugs, snakes, limes, watermelons, beans, peas, parrots... all kinds of things are green. You might put a highlight to a little older kids how the green pigment helps plants make energy, and how that energy fuels the world!!
Blue is the color of the sky, the seas, birds, peacock... it's also a very major color. Why is the sky blue? Do you have blue eyes?
I dunno what kind of stuff is indigo, you'll have to research that one on your own (lol).
violets are violet! duh!
okay, enough of the colors, what are some crafts you can do?
Rainbows are created when sunlight filters through water. You generally see them after a rain, or if it's raining and the sun is shining at the same time. A lot of people use the ROY G BIV method to remember the colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. If your child is too young for the letter, skip over it, or present it briefly. My child had no idea what I was talking about when I told it to her, lol.
Red is the color found in apples, cherries, roses, lipstick, and cardinals (for those kids that love animals). For a closer look at this color have an apple day, put on makeup with your kid (if you're okay with that sort of thing), watch the Little Mermaid and loor at her hair, and go outside and do some flower picking and birdwatching. Beets, hearts, some fish and star fish are also red, not to mention the red curtain on your puppet show display if you have one!
Orange is an easy one, because oranges are *gasp* orange! There are of course also blood oranges. Have fun with citrus for an orange day, and look even at different citrus colors. Flowers, cantelope, and some cats are even orange!
Yellow is the color of bananas, many wildflowers, and our great sun! The sun is one kind of a variety of stars. Might be a good way to get into astronomy a little for a preschooler that is interested and ready. Bananas are a favorite though in this house!
Green is easy! Trees, grass, leaves, bugs, snakes, limes, watermelons, beans, peas, parrots... all kinds of things are green. You might put a highlight to a little older kids how the green pigment helps plants make energy, and how that energy fuels the world!!
Blue is the color of the sky, the seas, birds, peacock... it's also a very major color. Why is the sky blue? Do you have blue eyes?
I dunno what kind of stuff is indigo, you'll have to research that one on your own (lol).
violets are violet! duh!okay, enough of the colors, what are some crafts you can do?
bloggin moms
There is a thriving intellectual forum for hot political and social debate happening. It's not at the local college. It's not happening on the white house steps. It's not in your local chamber of commerse. It's probably happening right next door, in your neighbor's living room. It could be going on right now while the coffee brews. I'm talking people getting online and expressing themselves.
Recently myself and a couple friends have created a trifecta of mommy blogs. But it's not just a group of posts about how our kids pottied on the potty seat or our husband left the ketsup on the counter. We've come together to support each other's dreams of becoming artists, activists, journalists, and artisans. We're sharing ideas on everything from breast feeding to the legalization of marijuana. We're exchanging opinions on the healthiest foods, best forms of government, and the most productive ways to manage our low incomes. And we aren't the only ones.
Women from all over not only the country but the world are coming together in cyber-space to create activist groups and both formally and informally express themselves, their beliefs and their opinions. Stay at home moms with babies attatched to their breasts are writing college level English class worthy essays on world ills and beauties. These woman are doing scientific and social research, citing their sources, interviewing professionals, and passing their findings on to the next mom sitting at her computer bouncing a toddler on her leg.
I see here a beatiful opportunity for women to make themselves known, heard, and understood like never before. Powerful and educated women have been forging their way through a male dominated world for the last few decades, but those of us that are strong and opinionated but also desire to start families and be mothers have been often left out of the hot topics and discussion because of our inability to become involved. That simply is no longer a problem.
We're taking the issues into our own hands. We're writing letters in the form of e-mails to senators and companies. We're sharing all that negative information big businesses and industries don't want you to know. We're rallying together for our rights and freedoms. We're making ourselves heard, hearing one another, and lifting each other up.
Stay at home moms are becoming a new force to be reckoned with. So next time you see the woman in the grocery store with four kids and hair sticking out in all directions I want you to think twice about sneering your superiority and realize this is a strong and intellegent woman who simply has made a choice, and who now has a voice and the ability to make a difference. Offer some respect to the dignity of her post.
Hope you all have a good week end!!
Recently myself and a couple friends have created a trifecta of mommy blogs. But it's not just a group of posts about how our kids pottied on the potty seat or our husband left the ketsup on the counter. We've come together to support each other's dreams of becoming artists, activists, journalists, and artisans. We're sharing ideas on everything from breast feeding to the legalization of marijuana. We're exchanging opinions on the healthiest foods, best forms of government, and the most productive ways to manage our low incomes. And we aren't the only ones.
Women from all over not only the country but the world are coming together in cyber-space to create activist groups and both formally and informally express themselves, their beliefs and their opinions. Stay at home moms with babies attatched to their breasts are writing college level English class worthy essays on world ills and beauties. These woman are doing scientific and social research, citing their sources, interviewing professionals, and passing their findings on to the next mom sitting at her computer bouncing a toddler on her leg.
I see here a beatiful opportunity for women to make themselves known, heard, and understood like never before. Powerful and educated women have been forging their way through a male dominated world for the last few decades, but those of us that are strong and opinionated but also desire to start families and be mothers have been often left out of the hot topics and discussion because of our inability to become involved. That simply is no longer a problem.
We're taking the issues into our own hands. We're writing letters in the form of e-mails to senators and companies. We're sharing all that negative information big businesses and industries don't want you to know. We're rallying together for our rights and freedoms. We're making ourselves heard, hearing one another, and lifting each other up.
Stay at home moms are becoming a new force to be reckoned with. So next time you see the woman in the grocery store with four kids and hair sticking out in all directions I want you to think twice about sneering your superiority and realize this is a strong and intellegent woman who simply has made a choice, and who now has a voice and the ability to make a difference. Offer some respect to the dignity of her post.
Hope you all have a good week end!!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
homeschool versus public school
A growing number of people I come into contact with are saying no to institutionalized learning facilities and keeping their kids at home and hearth to learn what the government is paying hundred of thousand (millions, billions, etc) of dollars to educated and certified teachers and schools to do; live and understand the world around them.
The idea of homeschool is a firey topic that gets all kinds of peoples' panties in a bunch. The homeschooling *crowd* rants about the sterilization of the mind, the standardization of conformity, and the emotional damage that children are facing in todays classrooms. The public schooling parents are on fire about the socially stunted, educationally lacking hippies and hill fold that are keeping their kids at home and away from real life experiences and the education they deserve. Who's right?
I feel about this like I do about many things; yes. I personally have yet to decide whether or not to homeschool my kids at all, let alone into the later years when more challenging subjects that I feel perhaps incapable of teaching myself arise. The reason is that I don't know how much interaction MY kids could get homeschooling, since we have little money to do trips and classes and clubs and so forth. I also would like to go back to school and have a career in... well, status pending on that decision. I don't see the point in *homeschooling* if I'm not at home schooling.
In my opinion, being a mother is a career choice, but unfortunately it doesn't pay, and in this society it gets harder and harder to live off of love and one income. I do of course question whether or not that is due to an unhealthy attatchment to things and space that is unnecessary for the nurturing and health of a family. But capitalism is a hard habit to kick...
There are some serious reasons why I think that homeschooling is best for the babes, whatever my action and intent my be in the future. Along with that list is my befuddlement at the sheer bullshit reasons why homeschool is NOT okay, given by the majority.
First of all, to be cliche, "each child is a unique and special snowflake, different from every other." Corny? Yes. But it's a fact, and anyways corn is good for your health :D. Every child has a unique set of strengths, "weaknesses", interests, abilities, and learning styles. The public school system is standardized to a fault, leaving children that are ahead of their class so bored and uninterested they become "problems" for the teachers and other students (which in turn gets them into trouble at both school and home, puts them in a category of bad and ill behaved, which damages their self esteem and stunts their ability to learn and grow and be curious, which in turns dulls their senses while simultaneously making them rebellious, which leads to... any number of creative catastrophies). There are also the children that are not ahead of their class, or that have certain learning disabilities or preferances that are out of the ordinary but fo undetected, causing them to fail the regiment presented to them (which in turn gets them into trouble at both home and school, puts them into the category of bad and ill behaved, which in turn dulls their ... well, you get the picture.). Homeschooling allows YOU personally, the person that knows and understands your child best and whom he or she loves and trusts and is open to, to cultivate for them the best possible learning environment for their unique attributes. Their self esteem isn't damaged or challenged by upset or unhappy children and teachers around them, because there is no failure. Their progression can be self led and they can be allowed to chart their own most desireable course for education and learning. This nurtures their desire to learn, rather than simply their ability to fill in the blanks.
That is not to say that a homeschooled child is the master of his or her own world. Parenting doesn't work that way. However, it does respect their individual choice, which makes them feel like people. You know, I think one of the biggest problems with schools and parents alike is this belief that children are not people yet, and need to be taught how to be members of society. We live in a society, and children are parts of it. An adult, a child... they are not seperate things. They are one thing on a different part of their journey through the cycle of life. Parents, mothers, fathers, are there to help the child assert their own place in the world, not to put them in their place. We need to nurture our childen and watch them uncurl. It's insane how much we try to control who our children are. It's wrong, just like pulling open the petals of a flower is the wrong way to make it bloom, and certainly going to damage it's ability to produce it's fruit.
But I'm getting off topic. Another huge homeschool myth that needs to be dispelled is that a homeschool kid is going to be ill socialized. Yeah, because there's nothing better for a sensitive young child that to be left alone with a large mass of strangers to figure out their social skills. Homeschooling moms know that "socialization" is one of the fun and easy parts. Play groups, homeschool feild trips, classes, nature walks, camping trips, lessons, sports, scouts, etc.... There are more ways than I can count on my fingers that homeschooled kids get out. Many more ways than your average publicly educated zombie gets to socialize, and more enjoyable too. Think about it, a kids spends eight hours in a class room or on a play ground on in a lunch room, sitting here, standing there, sitting here again, and repeating the same activities over and over again. The homeschooled child has the ability to break away from unhealthy relationships with peers and to choose the activities they enjoy to fill their days. They can rest when they need to, eat when they're hungry. The child that gets to "learn at home" spends meaningful, educational, and positive moments with people that appreciate them and enjoy their company and have similar interests. And if they don't get along, no need to deal with the stress of bullying or bored forced interaction. You can simply move on to something that better suits your child and family.
I could go on and on, but I really have spent more time on this than I meant too. Hope it makes sense, I'm a suckage writer.
TGIF!!
Dez
The idea of homeschool is a firey topic that gets all kinds of peoples' panties in a bunch. The homeschooling *crowd* rants about the sterilization of the mind, the standardization of conformity, and the emotional damage that children are facing in todays classrooms. The public schooling parents are on fire about the socially stunted, educationally lacking hippies and hill fold that are keeping their kids at home and away from real life experiences and the education they deserve. Who's right?
I feel about this like I do about many things; yes. I personally have yet to decide whether or not to homeschool my kids at all, let alone into the later years when more challenging subjects that I feel perhaps incapable of teaching myself arise. The reason is that I don't know how much interaction MY kids could get homeschooling, since we have little money to do trips and classes and clubs and so forth. I also would like to go back to school and have a career in... well, status pending on that decision. I don't see the point in *homeschooling* if I'm not at home schooling.
In my opinion, being a mother is a career choice, but unfortunately it doesn't pay, and in this society it gets harder and harder to live off of love and one income. I do of course question whether or not that is due to an unhealthy attatchment to things and space that is unnecessary for the nurturing and health of a family. But capitalism is a hard habit to kick...
There are some serious reasons why I think that homeschooling is best for the babes, whatever my action and intent my be in the future. Along with that list is my befuddlement at the sheer bullshit reasons why homeschool is NOT okay, given by the majority.
First of all, to be cliche, "each child is a unique and special snowflake, different from every other." Corny? Yes. But it's a fact, and anyways corn is good for your health :D. Every child has a unique set of strengths, "weaknesses", interests, abilities, and learning styles. The public school system is standardized to a fault, leaving children that are ahead of their class so bored and uninterested they become "problems" for the teachers and other students (which in turn gets them into trouble at both school and home, puts them in a category of bad and ill behaved, which damages their self esteem and stunts their ability to learn and grow and be curious, which in turns dulls their senses while simultaneously making them rebellious, which leads to... any number of creative catastrophies). There are also the children that are not ahead of their class, or that have certain learning disabilities or preferances that are out of the ordinary but fo undetected, causing them to fail the regiment presented to them (which in turn gets them into trouble at both home and school, puts them into the category of bad and ill behaved, which in turn dulls their ... well, you get the picture.). Homeschooling allows YOU personally, the person that knows and understands your child best and whom he or she loves and trusts and is open to, to cultivate for them the best possible learning environment for their unique attributes. Their self esteem isn't damaged or challenged by upset or unhappy children and teachers around them, because there is no failure. Their progression can be self led and they can be allowed to chart their own most desireable course for education and learning. This nurtures their desire to learn, rather than simply their ability to fill in the blanks.
That is not to say that a homeschooled child is the master of his or her own world. Parenting doesn't work that way. However, it does respect their individual choice, which makes them feel like people. You know, I think one of the biggest problems with schools and parents alike is this belief that children are not people yet, and need to be taught how to be members of society. We live in a society, and children are parts of it. An adult, a child... they are not seperate things. They are one thing on a different part of their journey through the cycle of life. Parents, mothers, fathers, are there to help the child assert their own place in the world, not to put them in their place. We need to nurture our childen and watch them uncurl. It's insane how much we try to control who our children are. It's wrong, just like pulling open the petals of a flower is the wrong way to make it bloom, and certainly going to damage it's ability to produce it's fruit.
But I'm getting off topic. Another huge homeschool myth that needs to be dispelled is that a homeschool kid is going to be ill socialized. Yeah, because there's nothing better for a sensitive young child that to be left alone with a large mass of strangers to figure out their social skills. Homeschooling moms know that "socialization" is one of the fun and easy parts. Play groups, homeschool feild trips, classes, nature walks, camping trips, lessons, sports, scouts, etc.... There are more ways than I can count on my fingers that homeschooled kids get out. Many more ways than your average publicly educated zombie gets to socialize, and more enjoyable too. Think about it, a kids spends eight hours in a class room or on a play ground on in a lunch room, sitting here, standing there, sitting here again, and repeating the same activities over and over again. The homeschooled child has the ability to break away from unhealthy relationships with peers and to choose the activities they enjoy to fill their days. They can rest when they need to, eat when they're hungry. The child that gets to "learn at home" spends meaningful, educational, and positive moments with people that appreciate them and enjoy their company and have similar interests. And if they don't get along, no need to deal with the stress of bullying or bored forced interaction. You can simply move on to something that better suits your child and family.
I could go on and on, but I really have spent more time on this than I meant too. Hope it makes sense, I'm a suckage writer.
TGIF!!
Dez
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
snuff it out already!!
So I recently decided to get my tubes tied. I also recently decided to have another baby. I then followed up both decisions with a veto and decided to stay consciously hence forth child free, remain on the birth control pill, and let chance decide if the pill should fail miserably and my uterus decides it's time to glow again.
I hate and have always hated the idea of physically and surgically altering the body to be something it is not. I'd also like a boob job, a tummy tuck after a bit of weight loss, hair extentions, some tattoos and more piercings, to dye my hair. I like to take my brain meds and my BC pills. But anyways, back to hating physical alteration. I hate the idea of snuffing out my fertility. My ultimate womanhood card. My freedom of choice. I can't bring myself to do it. I can't even commit to an IUD, which I fear might be too effective and unconscious. With the pill, I am actively choosing to be (additional) child free, and reminded of my commitment to this every night when I pop the tiny little wonder drug into my mouth and hold it there next to me Sertraline and bustle about in a frenzy looking for a drink (which just goes to show you how NOT clever I really am, and serves and a perfect metaphor to my approach to life; half in, half out.
I also considered having another baby then getting tied up for good. Like, accidentally pregnancy TOMORROW. As in, "Oops honey, I guess my birth control fails *sound of flushing toilet in the background* and WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY (or two)!!" Stupid fucking manic psycho that I can sometimes be, good grief! Yeah, because what my kids need is a grumpy pregnant mom, and then another crying sibling taking away from the sparing time I have to spend with them each individually as it is. Yup, super mom, or psycho mom? You pick! Not to mention the stress it would have on my body, my marriage, our lacking finances, my goals for the future, etc. Yeah, having a baby, especially on purpose and now, would be about as stupid as... um, Jessica Simpson. (but it would be so cuuuute!) @_@
and there you have it, I blogged. Congrats to me :P
I hate and have always hated the idea of physically and surgically altering the body to be something it is not. I'd also like a boob job, a tummy tuck after a bit of weight loss, hair extentions, some tattoos and more piercings, to dye my hair. I like to take my brain meds and my BC pills. But anyways, back to hating physical alteration. I hate the idea of snuffing out my fertility. My ultimate womanhood card. My freedom of choice. I can't bring myself to do it. I can't even commit to an IUD, which I fear might be too effective and unconscious. With the pill, I am actively choosing to be (additional) child free, and reminded of my commitment to this every night when I pop the tiny little wonder drug into my mouth and hold it there next to me Sertraline and bustle about in a frenzy looking for a drink (which just goes to show you how NOT clever I really am, and serves and a perfect metaphor to my approach to life; half in, half out.
I also considered having another baby then getting tied up for good. Like, accidentally pregnancy TOMORROW. As in, "Oops honey, I guess my birth control fails *sound of flushing toilet in the background* and WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY (or two)!!" Stupid fucking manic psycho that I can sometimes be, good grief! Yeah, because what my kids need is a grumpy pregnant mom, and then another crying sibling taking away from the sparing time I have to spend with them each individually as it is. Yup, super mom, or psycho mom? You pick! Not to mention the stress it would have on my body, my marriage, our lacking finances, my goals for the future, etc. Yeah, having a baby, especially on purpose and now, would be about as stupid as... um, Jessica Simpson. (but it would be so cuuuute!) @_@
and there you have it, I blogged. Congrats to me :P
Friday, July 2, 2010
sour booby juice
So I've been struggling and struggling to nurse my twin boys. It's hellish I tell you! Who has time for it and how is it possible!?
Well, I am making some progress. Boys boys will nurse once or twice a day, not a full meal's worth but certainly more than none, which is better than nothing. I'm still expressing milk. Still pumping, although I don't know what the point is since I don't get anything. Stimulation I suppose.
Now I have a new problem though. Apart from having little time to spend on skin to skin cuddles and nursing in and fussy teethers, I have a sour boob. Yeah, you read that right, a sour boob. I do the unholy (to some) act of suckling myself in order to keep supply up and running at a nursable rate. Probably kind of gross and disturbing to most, but it works and I'm not living to please you or your idea of sanity (lol).
I did a little research and there are a couple reasons this could be. First of all, when you begin to loose your milk because of a lack of nursing, it can go a little sour as it disappears. Unfortunately if that is the reason it sucks (no pun intended) because I am trying to make the milk stay and be bountiful and I am going to extreme measures to do so. Anyways, it is one thing that can cause that sour, salty taste.
The other reason freaks me out. Mastasis, or an infection in the breast causing clogged ducts could lead to a build up of sodium in the breast, making it taste salty. Yick! This is bad because A) it's kinda gross that I've been giving my boys and taking myself (try not to puke about it, sheesh!) this infected boob juice which is disturbing and B) because I need to see a doctor about it soon.
Seeing a doctor is NOT COOL man! For a lot of reasons: I don't have health insurance, although my medicaid covers fertility and maybe I can see a doc at the health department, and because if I do see a doc and medicaide does not cover it I have to pay I dunno what for the appointment and for antibiotics. I don't have any damn money!! Third reason is that if I do take antibiotics it'll affect my birth control, which I don't feel like dealing with. And finally, how the hell do I make it to ANOTHER appointment out of the house.
Typically mastasis causes fever and so forth like any other infection, but I don't have one. Doesn't rule it out, some women can have a silent mastasis (I wonder if I'm spelling that right.). Oh joy! And then there is that hypochondriac freakoid in my head that assumes if I am infected it will enter my blood stream and head into my brain and I'll die. Not realistic, but it's crossed my mind.
Before I make the doctor call, I'll be sucking and pumping and expressing milk like crazy to improve the flow (more blech) and see if the taste returns to something a little less like butter. If not, I'll have to make the call.
How frustrating! I am finally making progress getting the boys back on the breast, and then THIS happens. When it's not one thing I swear it always feels like it's another.
Here are some links about the infection and so forth I found useful, just for referrance:
It's spelled mastisis by the way :P
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mastitis/DS00678
Tells me that I also should be in pain and sore and warm and red and I am not...
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html
talks about plugged ducts vs. mastisis, blech dudes, although I wonder if maybe this is why I am always so tired lately, aside from just being worn out. I've also been nauseated...
and yeah... g'night.
Well, I am making some progress. Boys boys will nurse once or twice a day, not a full meal's worth but certainly more than none, which is better than nothing. I'm still expressing milk. Still pumping, although I don't know what the point is since I don't get anything. Stimulation I suppose.
Now I have a new problem though. Apart from having little time to spend on skin to skin cuddles and nursing in and fussy teethers, I have a sour boob. Yeah, you read that right, a sour boob. I do the unholy (to some) act of suckling myself in order to keep supply up and running at a nursable rate. Probably kind of gross and disturbing to most, but it works and I'm not living to please you or your idea of sanity (lol).
I did a little research and there are a couple reasons this could be. First of all, when you begin to loose your milk because of a lack of nursing, it can go a little sour as it disappears. Unfortunately if that is the reason it sucks (no pun intended) because I am trying to make the milk stay and be bountiful and I am going to extreme measures to do so. Anyways, it is one thing that can cause that sour, salty taste.
The other reason freaks me out. Mastasis, or an infection in the breast causing clogged ducts could lead to a build up of sodium in the breast, making it taste salty. Yick! This is bad because A) it's kinda gross that I've been giving my boys and taking myself (try not to puke about it, sheesh!) this infected boob juice which is disturbing and B) because I need to see a doctor about it soon.
Seeing a doctor is NOT COOL man! For a lot of reasons: I don't have health insurance, although my medicaid covers fertility and maybe I can see a doc at the health department, and because if I do see a doc and medicaide does not cover it I have to pay I dunno what for the appointment and for antibiotics. I don't have any damn money!! Third reason is that if I do take antibiotics it'll affect my birth control, which I don't feel like dealing with. And finally, how the hell do I make it to ANOTHER appointment out of the house.
Typically mastasis causes fever and so forth like any other infection, but I don't have one. Doesn't rule it out, some women can have a silent mastasis (I wonder if I'm spelling that right.). Oh joy! And then there is that hypochondriac freakoid in my head that assumes if I am infected it will enter my blood stream and head into my brain and I'll die. Not realistic, but it's crossed my mind.
Before I make the doctor call, I'll be sucking and pumping and expressing milk like crazy to improve the flow (more blech) and see if the taste returns to something a little less like butter. If not, I'll have to make the call.
How frustrating! I am finally making progress getting the boys back on the breast, and then THIS happens. When it's not one thing I swear it always feels like it's another.
Here are some links about the infection and so forth I found useful, just for referrance:
It's spelled mastisis by the way :P
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mastitis/DS00678
Tells me that I also should be in pain and sore and warm and red and I am not...
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mom/mastitis.html
talks about plugged ducts vs. mastisis, blech dudes, although I wonder if maybe this is why I am always so tired lately, aside from just being worn out. I've also been nauseated...
and yeah... g'night.
Monday, May 10, 2010
kids and chores
Lilith is two years old and has begun to LOVE helping out... IF she initiates the helping. Don't get me wrong, Lilith is a loving and caring and eager to please most of the time kind of girl. She is a huge help with the boys and my general laziness. BUT, if she sees me in the kitchen doing dishes, it lights her up to pick up the bags in the floor, or the clothes on the carpet. She just really gets a kick out of it, and a sense of accomplishment.
Well, with that in mind I thought: Maybe it's time to set up a chore chart and an allowance? I took that thought back almost as soon as I thought it. She seems to really enjoy it. It's fun and rewarding to her. First of all, if I turned it into a CHORE, then it would quickly become unappealing. It would be, um, A CHORE! Secondly, Lilith can't even count past four, so what on earth is she going to do with money? She could put it in a piggy bank, but isn't saving money, at this age, MY job to do for her? Yes, it is. You know, she's just two.
But you know what? I want to know how you feel. Give me your thoughts on ages, chores, chore charts, allowance. I want to look at what the other moms out there are doing, and question myself.
Well, with that in mind I thought: Maybe it's time to set up a chore chart and an allowance? I took that thought back almost as soon as I thought it. She seems to really enjoy it. It's fun and rewarding to her. First of all, if I turned it into a CHORE, then it would quickly become unappealing. It would be, um, A CHORE! Secondly, Lilith can't even count past four, so what on earth is she going to do with money? She could put it in a piggy bank, but isn't saving money, at this age, MY job to do for her? Yes, it is. You know, she's just two.
But you know what? I want to know how you feel. Give me your thoughts on ages, chores, chore charts, allowance. I want to look at what the other moms out there are doing, and question myself.
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