The other night MyHero was telling our kids about how he kept himself entertained when he was a kid. He was trying to get across the point that he survived without video games, computers and DSI devices. He told them how he once made his own boardgame. RoboBoy (my Aspie) looked at his siblings and said, "Yeah, but that was in the OLDEN DAYS, when everything was in black & white!"
I started to protest that MyHero is not THAT old, when I realized the rest of what RoboBoy had said. We tried to explain to him that there has always been color in our world. He looked as us unbelieving and said, "Then what is up with all those old pictures??" I said, "Sweetie, they just didn't have color film back then."
This is a prime and funny example of how Aspergers kids tend to take everything literally. If the pictures showed black & white then the world must have been black & white. It makes perfect sense to their minds.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Attempting to Break the Mold!
I wish I could find a way to dip my entire house along with all it's contents in bleach!!! It seems like everything in my house is growing mold! Of course, I'm being overly dramatic and not EVERY thing is moldy, but there sure seems to be a lot!
I just cleaned a window sill in my kitchen today. It's the one that our garbage can sits under. Oh, my goodness!! I can't believe we lived with it like that for even a few days!! I guess it's because of where it's situated where it doesn't get much direct sunlight. Also I have a bookshelf right in front of that window which holds my bread maker and some other kitchen stuff. The height of the bread maker plus the shelf blocks the window sill and part of the window. It's just sooo hard to keep ahead of places like that where the condensation from the window sits.
We are also having to do some mold management in our bedroom. A few years ago we did a renovation in our room adding wood laminate floors, repainting and putting up nice wallpaper. I LOVE my country bedroom! Unfortunately, the mold loves the glue on the back of the wallpaper too. We are starting to see areas at the seams where mold is growing. So the wallpaper is going to have to go! We are also going to have to keep a dehumidifier going 24/7. It's such a joy living in Florida!
Not sure if it's a product of living with the mold but I ended up with a very painful ear infection. I spent a couple of sleepless nights due to the pain from it. When I went to the doctors she said there was green gunk inside my ear! She gave me antibiotic ear drops and a pain med so that I could get some sleep. I believe the infection is all cleared up now, thank you LORD!!! Now if we can just get a handle on all this mold maybe I can manage to stay well for a while!
I just cleaned a window sill in my kitchen today. It's the one that our garbage can sits under. Oh, my goodness!! I can't believe we lived with it like that for even a few days!! I guess it's because of where it's situated where it doesn't get much direct sunlight. Also I have a bookshelf right in front of that window which holds my bread maker and some other kitchen stuff. The height of the bread maker plus the shelf blocks the window sill and part of the window. It's just sooo hard to keep ahead of places like that where the condensation from the window sits.
We are also having to do some mold management in our bedroom. A few years ago we did a renovation in our room adding wood laminate floors, repainting and putting up nice wallpaper. I LOVE my country bedroom! Unfortunately, the mold loves the glue on the back of the wallpaper too. We are starting to see areas at the seams where mold is growing. So the wallpaper is going to have to go! We are also going to have to keep a dehumidifier going 24/7. It's such a joy living in Florida!
Not sure if it's a product of living with the mold but I ended up with a very painful ear infection. I spent a couple of sleepless nights due to the pain from it. When I went to the doctors she said there was green gunk inside my ear! She gave me antibiotic ear drops and a pain med so that I could get some sleep. I believe the infection is all cleared up now, thank you LORD!!! Now if we can just get a handle on all this mold maybe I can manage to stay well for a while!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Making Learning Meaningful
Ok, so I haven't blogged in what feels like forever! To tell the truth I got a bit burned out on writing for a bit there! I didn't even think that was possible for me! I needed to write 24 150-200 word articles within a week. My brain was sore at the end of that week but I did it! Now I've got the writing bug again!
I went to a Homeschool Conference this past weekend. One of the speakers, a dear friend of mine, encouraged us to find out what our children's strengths are. We should then use that knowledge in our homeschools to help inspire our children to soar in their strengths while improving in the areas they are weak.
So last night I pulled out the book I'd ordered months ago but hadn't gotten around to actually reading, "How to Discover and Develop Your Child's Strengths" by Jenifer Fox, M.Ed. I'm barely into the first chapter and I'm already being challenged and feeling inspired.
In chapter 1, Ms. Fox says, "True learning is all about making connections between what you learn and how it makes for a better life or a better world. Without these important connections, children are not engaged in learning. When children are not engaged in learning, they stop paying attention. This is where the downward spiral into weakness begins."
I had to stop and think about that for a little bit. Then I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to put the book down and go online to search for a math program that would help my children make those connections. My first thought was, "Ok, after I finish this chapter." But I felt like I needed to do it right away.
I set the book aside and googled "relevant math". That didn't give me very many relevant options. So I googled "meaningful math" instead. That brought me to this site: http://www.cornerstonecurriculum.com/. Now we're getting somewhere! The more I've read on this site the more I'm convinced that this is the program that I want to use with my kids. Dare I even go so far as to say, this is the curriculum God wants me to be using with my kids?
You see, my kids have been struggling with math for far too long now. I hate to admit it but my 7th grader still hasn't mastered his multiplication. It has been very frustrating for me as a mom who also struggles with math and math concepts.
MyHero says that we need to wait to purchase these books after we see how much it is going to cost to repair our only vehicle. It currently refuses drive over 10 mph and is consequently staying the night and possibly more at the dealership. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting these books. I may actually learn to enjoy teaching math!
I went to a Homeschool Conference this past weekend. One of the speakers, a dear friend of mine, encouraged us to find out what our children's strengths are. We should then use that knowledge in our homeschools to help inspire our children to soar in their strengths while improving in the areas they are weak.
So last night I pulled out the book I'd ordered months ago but hadn't gotten around to actually reading, "How to Discover and Develop Your Child's Strengths" by Jenifer Fox, M.Ed. I'm barely into the first chapter and I'm already being challenged and feeling inspired.
In chapter 1, Ms. Fox says, "True learning is all about making connections between what you learn and how it makes for a better life or a better world. Without these important connections, children are not engaged in learning. When children are not engaged in learning, they stop paying attention. This is where the downward spiral into weakness begins."
I had to stop and think about that for a little bit. Then I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to put the book down and go online to search for a math program that would help my children make those connections. My first thought was, "Ok, after I finish this chapter." But I felt like I needed to do it right away.
I set the book aside and googled "relevant math". That didn't give me very many relevant options. So I googled "meaningful math" instead. That brought me to this site: http://www.cornerstonecurriculum.com/. Now we're getting somewhere! The more I've read on this site the more I'm convinced that this is the program that I want to use with my kids. Dare I even go so far as to say, this is the curriculum God wants me to be using with my kids?
You see, my kids have been struggling with math for far too long now. I hate to admit it but my 7th grader still hasn't mastered his multiplication. It has been very frustrating for me as a mom who also struggles with math and math concepts.
MyHero says that we need to wait to purchase these books after we see how much it is going to cost to repair our only vehicle. It currently refuses drive over 10 mph and is consequently staying the night and possibly more at the dealership. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to getting these books. I may actually learn to enjoy teaching math!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My Newest Blog
I've been blogging all day! Whew! Got seven months worth of blogging done! That's half of what I need to do for this project. Ok, so it was 6 1/2 months worth. The first post will publish tomorrow and then every 5th and 20th of each month after that. Here is the link to check it out: http://fifthgradeconlineurriculum.com/
Friday, January 14, 2011
My Possible New Job!
I'm working on a major project! I've been given the opportunity to show what I've got with my writing! The company that produces the online curriculum that my kids use for school has offered me this chance. It involves me writing 24 articles, each 150-200 words within a week. They are to be posted within the blog they will assign me and be scheduled to be published every 2 weeks for a year.
If I do well and like the work, (that's a funny one! If I like the work!) then they will give me another blog and I'll start getting paid! Woohoo!!
This is especially exciting for me since I've always wanted to be a writer. Even when I was in High School it was my goal. I used to write stories in my notebooks all the time. I chose to study Journalism in college because I figured it would be a better "living" than writing in notebooks.
It was in my Junior year, I think, maybe it was my Senior year?...it's been WAY too long ago. Anyway, I realized I don't have the personality to be a journalist. It seemed too late at that point to change my major. So I graduated with a Bachelor's in Journalism. Then life happened, I found myself traveling and just working to make ends meet. I got married and had 3 kids and the dream of being a writer pretty much ended up on the back burner.
Now that my kids are getting a bit older and the Lord has led me to let go of some of the other things that have monopolized my time, I can pull that dream back to the forefront.
I've already got 6 of the 24 articles written and waiting in a special folder on my desktop. I'm just waiting for the details on how to log in to the blog they are assigning me. Once I have those details I'll also post the name of that blog on here so that my followers can follow that blog too.
If I do well and like the work, (that's a funny one! If I like the work!) then they will give me another blog and I'll start getting paid! Woohoo!!
This is especially exciting for me since I've always wanted to be a writer. Even when I was in High School it was my goal. I used to write stories in my notebooks all the time. I chose to study Journalism in college because I figured it would be a better "living" than writing in notebooks.
It was in my Junior year, I think, maybe it was my Senior year?...it's been WAY too long ago. Anyway, I realized I don't have the personality to be a journalist. It seemed too late at that point to change my major. So I graduated with a Bachelor's in Journalism. Then life happened, I found myself traveling and just working to make ends meet. I got married and had 3 kids and the dream of being a writer pretty much ended up on the back burner.
Now that my kids are getting a bit older and the Lord has led me to let go of some of the other things that have monopolized my time, I can pull that dream back to the forefront.
I've already got 6 of the 24 articles written and waiting in a special folder on my desktop. I'm just waiting for the details on how to log in to the blog they are assigning me. Once I have those details I'll also post the name of that blog on here so that my followers can follow that blog too.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I'm officially FREAKED!
That was really weird!! I just tried to log into my blog, I was going to write about the fun time I had with RoboBoy at an Origami Workshop at our local library last night. However, when I tried to open my blog, I got a strange error message that said, "We're sorry but we are unable to locate that blog" WHAT???
I reported the error like a good little blogger should. Then I did a little research. That didn't help much. On a gut instinct I decided to check and see if I could log into my google account. Hmmm, the plot thickens! I got a message there telling me that my e-mail account had been terminated due to "suspicious activity" on it. I had to give them my phone # and then type in the code they called me with to verify my account. Once I was able to get back into it, I looked and didn't see any "suspicious" e-mails.
My friend Mrs. B suggested that it could be because of the pictures I included in yesterday's blog post which came from Wikipedia. If you'll notice I have now removed them. I wonder if it has anything to do with what I was saying about North Korea. Either way, it's pretty freaky!
I reported the error like a good little blogger should. Then I did a little research. That didn't help much. On a gut instinct I decided to check and see if I could log into my google account. Hmmm, the plot thickens! I got a message there telling me that my e-mail account had been terminated due to "suspicious activity" on it. I had to give them my phone # and then type in the code they called me with to verify my account. Once I was able to get back into it, I looked and didn't see any "suspicious" e-mails.
My friend Mrs. B suggested that it could be because of the pictures I included in yesterday's blog post which came from Wikipedia. If you'll notice I have now removed them. I wonder if it has anything to do with what I was saying about North Korea. Either way, it's pretty freaky!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Diliberately Oblivious?
Warning!! I'm about to get political on you!
My Hero and I watched a documentary on Streaming Netflix last night. It was made by a team that snuck into North Korea with a eye surgeon who had a goal of doing 1000 cataract surgeries in 10 days. It seems that North Korea has one of the highest incidents of blindness due to cataracts in the world. Because of their poor diet, even young people get them and go blind due to them.
This team had to have people follow them everywhere they went to keep an eye and make sure they didn't do anything wrong. It was really freaky to see how the North Koreans actually worship their "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-il. There are pictures of him all over the place which people bow to.
There are concentration camps throughout the country where people can be sent for simply questioning the regime. Not only the person who dared to speak out against their dictatorship, but their entire family will be sent to a prison camp!
I think what was most chilling was at the end of the documentary when the surgery recipiants were having their bandages removed. As each realized they were able to see, some for the first time in years, they didn't thank the doctor who had performed the surgury. No, instead they went and worshipped and praised the image of Kim Jong-il! One after another they went forward to give the credit and praise to this absolute dictator for giving them their sight back. Both MyHero and I couldn't help but wonder how many of them were doing that simply out of fear. Then the narrator said that she realized that sincere worship and fear had become the same thing in North Korea.
After we turned the show off, MyHero and I were talking about what we'd seen and relateing it to what is happening here in the U.S. with Obamacare. He brought up the "Death Panel" discussion, (I'm not sure where I stand yet on whether this is true or not, but it would NOT surprise me!). The thought for those of you who, like me, don't watch the news and therefore basically live under a rock, is that our government wants to set up a panel of people who will decide who gets to live and who doesn't in any given healthcare emergency. The point here is not whether this is true or not, but that Americans will actually go right along with things like this without hesitation.
So I was pondering this as I went to sleep and wondering why that is. My first thought was that Americans, just like the North Koreans are being brainwashed. The difference is that we are being brainwashed by the liberal media. But then it occured to me, that's not the whole truth. The other part of it is that we Americans are just too busy to care! We are deliberately oblivious! That's why we allow ourselves to be spoonfed our opinions by the liberal media.
If I didn't know WHO is actually in control of all the governments and leaders of this world, I would be terrified that America could end up looking just like North Korea! But praise God, for holding all of this in His hands!!!
My Hero and I watched a documentary on Streaming Netflix last night. It was made by a team that snuck into North Korea with a eye surgeon who had a goal of doing 1000 cataract surgeries in 10 days. It seems that North Korea has one of the highest incidents of blindness due to cataracts in the world. Because of their poor diet, even young people get them and go blind due to them.
This team had to have people follow them everywhere they went to keep an eye and make sure they didn't do anything wrong. It was really freaky to see how the North Koreans actually worship their "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-il. There are pictures of him all over the place which people bow to.
There are concentration camps throughout the country where people can be sent for simply questioning the regime. Not only the person who dared to speak out against their dictatorship, but their entire family will be sent to a prison camp!
I think what was most chilling was at the end of the documentary when the surgery recipiants were having their bandages removed. As each realized they were able to see, some for the first time in years, they didn't thank the doctor who had performed the surgury. No, instead they went and worshipped and praised the image of Kim Jong-il! One after another they went forward to give the credit and praise to this absolute dictator for giving them their sight back. Both MyHero and I couldn't help but wonder how many of them were doing that simply out of fear. Then the narrator said that she realized that sincere worship and fear had become the same thing in North Korea.
After we turned the show off, MyHero and I were talking about what we'd seen and relateing it to what is happening here in the U.S. with Obamacare. He brought up the "Death Panel" discussion, (I'm not sure where I stand yet on whether this is true or not, but it would NOT surprise me!). The thought for those of you who, like me, don't watch the news and therefore basically live under a rock, is that our government wants to set up a panel of people who will decide who gets to live and who doesn't in any given healthcare emergency. The point here is not whether this is true or not, but that Americans will actually go right along with things like this without hesitation.
So I was pondering this as I went to sleep and wondering why that is. My first thought was that Americans, just like the North Koreans are being brainwashed. The difference is that we are being brainwashed by the liberal media. But then it occured to me, that's not the whole truth. The other part of it is that we Americans are just too busy to care! We are deliberately oblivious! That's why we allow ourselves to be spoonfed our opinions by the liberal media.
If I didn't know WHO is actually in control of all the governments and leaders of this world, I would be terrified that America could end up looking just like North Korea! But praise God, for holding all of this in His hands!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)