Would you like a tall glass of Education?

I have been doing a lot of research about homeschooling and about public schools and the pros and cons of each.
Homeschooling!? I know, I know. My kids will have "poor people skills", "no friends", "will not know how to function in society" and "will not get a good education". That's absolutely the case right? They'll probably growl and bite people too! "Beware, I am home schooled" signs will be a must in every window, door, and I'll have to make some collars too. I have read it all... really.

I will be honest and tell you that I have not had the best of experiences with my oldest child during his time in the public school system. I have been ignored, judged, threatened, and all the while at my son's expense. He was behind in kindergarten and I was told that he would do just fine in first grade; I was told that he would catch up. I was nervous and unsure but I trusted the judgement of his teacher over my own.
First grade came and I explained to his teacher that I feared he was behind in some areas and to please take note of it and give me updates. This teacher was very annoyed with me from what I could sense and no matter what I tried at home after his already exhausting, and sometimes humiliating, day at school nothing worked. So I sent a letter in to find out what the teacher's point of view was for my son's progress during the second half of the year. No answer after a week so I sent in another asking for a conference with him. To which I got a note back, on a post it no less. The post it was in reply and telling me that he would not see me for a meeting because they do not make time at the end of the school year for parent teacher conferences. This teacher also told me that Gavin would be going on to second grade the following school year and that he would "catch up". I understand "no child left behind" but pushing him into another grade he is not prepared for is not going to help!

We found ourselves upset and angry at the school system at this point for denying us the right to speak to the person responsible for teaching our child for at least 6 hours out of every day for 180 days a year! However, it was at this same time we found ourselves moving out of the school district over the summer and praying that someone somewhere in the new school system would listen to us.

They listened and felt the same as we did, that our son needed to be held back. We assured him that it was not a punishment and explained that we wanted to make sure he was learning everything that he needed to know. We explained that some kids need extra practice and more time to learn things and that it was absolutely okay. He wasn't thrilled about doing first grade again but he knows and understands it.

On to more details, in both schools my son was denied access to restrooms. Last year it was so bad that I actually had to write a note explaining that my child was coming home telling me he almost pooped his pants because he was not allowed to use the bathroom. I explained that he is not a child who can just HOLD it in! He has never been like that when he has to go, he has to go; look out because he is coming through!
          So, you try to sit there and pay attention to what your teacher is saying while squeezing your butt cheeks together and tell me how much you remember!

Something else that is bothering me is that the children have snack toward the end of the day. That's not the issue. The problem here is that these snacks are full of sugar, for example rice crispies treats. For one thing my child does not care for those kinds of snacks. He says they are "junk". Yes my seven year old child is referring to sugary treats as "junk". I am so proud of him for this. So instead of paying for snacks he doesn't want to eat I started packing him his own snacks. Natural fruit and granola bars and fresh fruit. The teacher told him that he was not allowed to bring snacks in anymore. If kids are allowed to pack lunches why can't they pack their own snack? He has an undiagnosed sucrose intolerance. He knows that he has to limit  his sugar or he will have adverse reactions courtesy of his bowels! Then here comes the bathroom issue again. Full circle. So I would imagine that I have to get PERMISSION from my child's DOCTOR (who see's him on average once or twice a year) stating that my child, who I raise and care for and know better than anyone else, needs to take in his own snack because he has tummy issues. Also second note stating that he needs to use a bathroom at his convenience not his teacher's. Seriously? Yeah... I'm guessing that is how they want to play their cards.
More issues? Yes, my child gets excluded from activities and punished but claims that he does not know why.  He also knows that he does not get a second punishment when he gets home for something that happened at school and was taken care of. I will talk to him about it and that is the end of it. I like for him to know and understand the rules. Basically I am saying that if he does not know why he is putting his head down on his desk or being "uninvited" to activities how is he supposed to change his behavior to meet the necessary expectations?

Next year I will have two children in school and I am terrified. My daughter, who turned five in November, is in the bathroom twice an hour. I can only anticipate all the phone calls that she peed her pants in school. Mind you she still pees the bed at night and thus I believe she may have an under developed bladder or maybe it is teeny tiny. I understand that it will interrupt her "education" time to have to use the bathroom so much. Is there a way to change her? Probably not. So what is a mother supposed to do? I worry about all this stuff. I worry that she's not going to be able to keep up because she really does seem to need the one on one learning experience to understand.

I don't want to shelter my children from life or put them in pretty little bubbles. I just want them to succeed. I want them to be understood and respected just like adults (should) respect each other. If I had to use the bathroom while at someone's house I would not be told that I was not allowed to use that bathroom until they were done telling their story.
Social skills do not come from the school atmosphere they derive from the manners you are taught by your parents and how you apply them in real life situations.
Think about this... my son goes to school 8 am to 4 pm and those are the hours that we do all of our "out and about" things. We go to the stores and take care of errands. When my child comes home from school we are now considered to be home for the day. All our social skill improving activities are completed. So my child goes to school, comes home, does his homework, plays, watches some tv, eats, baths, and goes to bed. The home schooled child will have gotten to go out to the store/post office/the gym with his/her parent(s). Before, after, or between lessons. Kids are permitted to talk to other children during lunch time and recess. It is a controlled environment in which they only socialize with other children who live in the same area and are the same age. When do you as an adult find yourself surrounded by a group of 20 people who are the same age as you? Your office? Nah that's not right, hmm. At the beach? No that is not it either.. Ohh the class reunion!

As an adult how many friends do you have? I have a few good friends. I could most likely count them on one hand. Most vary in age by a few years. One of my very good friends today was simply someone I knew who went to the same school as I went to. My boyfriend went to the same school as me but not for long. He was home schooled and we're going on a 20 year friendship. He has a couple good friends as well. Friends, boyfriends/girlfriends an issue? I think not. I was there when we got pregnant with our son when we were only 16 years old.

To be quite honest my home schooled honey is way better with society than I am today. He tells me that I am a hermit. It's something I need to work on. Once I get out of the house though I am just fine. I do have a hot temper ooooh boy. I have a hard time keeping my cool. Now that I really think about it maybe it had something to do with being picked on and teased through school. Someone always had something mean to say or a dirty look to flash at me. Sometimes people will look at me "the wrong way" while I am out and it sets off that inner psycho and it's screaming RUN.

Home schooling is something that I am seriously thinking about. So tell me, is your blood pressure rising? Are you left sitting there thinking back on your childhood and your public education in the process of thinking about the future.

I love my children. I want them to enjoy life, make friends, have boyfriends and girlfriends, gain knowledge and experience through living and seeing. I want them to learn in the way that best suits them. I want them to be respected individuals.
Also.... I want to keep my sanity!   To be continued...?

My Inner Psycho Feeds on your Vanity

I pride myself in not caring what other people think of me. I don't care about the vanity of life's everyday things and happenings or seeking the approval of others. For this very reason I really have to keep myself in check especially with things that upset me. Me not caring what others think = escape of the psycho! So you could say I do worry about how people will judge my inner psycho.
I am happy to make my own decisions and not wait around for someone else to step in. However, I do ask opinions and thoughts on different topics from friends and family. I like to get other people's view points and I think this is important. If the only opinion and way of thinking you use is your own you are guaranteed not to see all angles of the situation. Confession: I may ask someone for advice but I will rarely use it. I always fall back on the advice I would give to someone else in the same situation. Taking your own advice is probably the best thing you can do for yourself.
Confession: I do get jealous when people play the vanity card. 
It just seems to be all "Heyyyy look at me...." and I want to snap out and punch people and be like, "Glad you have it alllll figured out!" It is for this reason that I really wish I could just deactivate my social networking profiles and go back to just using the internet for educational and entertainment purposes. I can't seem to do that though I like to feed the inner psycho with other people's vanity. Which really makes me sit here and question myself. Is something wrong with me?  I hope this is normal behavior... but deep down. I really don't think that it is and it certainly cannot be healthy.
I have "friends" who I wish I could just delete from my list but I don't because my inner psycho feels the need to feed off of their idiocy! I wonder if people keep me around for the same reason? It would only be fair if your psycho needs its daily dose to feed on me.

I'm a head case, hold on tight!

I feel like a headcase lately... I feel like I have a ton of nervous energy bouncing around inside my mind.
It's preventing me from focusing in on any one thing for an amount of time long enough to realize what it is.

I can tell you what it's not... I'm not thinking about parties, or clothing, or cars. I am not thinking about world hunger or politics or theories on "2012". I am not doing anything that I should be doing. I am doing everything I shouldn't be doing. I don't know if I like this.

My head is completely upside down... Give me one good reason why it shouldn't be!... Better yet, give me one good reason why it should and I'll probably just tell you, if I answered this myself... because this is where it wants to be. I want to be looking at the world upside down while I spin round and round.

This is getting old, and I'm dizzy and confused. I'm not on any drugs... It's like.. something snapped and I can't get it to go back together. I have a hard time focusing and most of my communications go from la de da to RAAAH! I don't know what this is... but as soon as it lets up... I'll blog again.

And those are the only words I can formulate into a blog... I bid thee farewell!

Environmental Awareness, Make it a New Year's Resolution!

Environmental Awareness
                We're all guilty of not treating the environment with the utmost care and consideration at one time or another.
                I am asking you to, before you make your next purchase, ask yourself where this item is going to be at in a year? Five years? Ten years? Do you really need it or will it just be another thing that you set aside after a few months to collect dust and ultimately end up in a landfill?
                I am vowing to only buy items that enrich my life! Think about it... if it doesn't enrich your life, what is it really worth? (Ok so maybe toilet paper isn't going to enrich my life directly, but it will keep my tushy clean and that could be pretty enriching right?! ^_^)
                There are so many things that people buy simply because of the instant gratification they feel in that moment. If you have ever watched an episode of Hoarders where the hoarder seems to have a shopping addiction you will understand this point well. You look around and see tons of items still in shopping bags and with price tags on.
                Let's be honest here,  raise your hand if you have something around your home, brand new and never used/worn, possibly with the tags on it.... I know you're out there! I am so guilty of this, I sometimes buy things because I might have somewhere to wear it in the far off distant future if all my lucky stars line up. I realized this morning that I have a dress, a couple pairs of leggings, two swimsuits, and about 4 shirts I have only worn one or two times each (ya know the kind you buy because you actually do have a certain place to be with a date and a time) and what's worse is that some things I have not worn yet at all.
                Make it a new year's resolution to think before you buy and make other environmentally friendly choices along the way!  I will!!!


Have a happy and safe New Year's Eve! See you again in 2012!!! (Unless something brilliant hits me sometime tomorrow and I blog again!)

xoxo Rae 

Ask and you shall receive! - Diet Blog!

Starter Meal Ideas!!!!

Breakfast:
Italian bread toast with fresh fruit
Oatmeal/Cream of Wheat
Orange Juice & Eggs
Half of a bagel and a banana
Wrap- scrambles eggs, cheese, onion, green peppers, mushrooms (mix it up to you liking) and wrap in a tortilla(I don't like the whole grain tortillas but... I urge you to try it)!

Lunch:
Salad with bread
Rice with onions and black beans
Left overs from dinners

Dinner:
Pasta with sautéed onions garlic and fire roasted diced tomatoes(It really is as simple as it sounds)
Lentil Soup with bread
Cheesy Potato Soup
Veggie Lasagna
Shrimp Alfredo w/ veggie packed pasta
                Sides:
                Salad
                veggies: sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, carrots, asparagus, spinach fresh or steamed
                                zucchini
                Add ins: onions, garlic, lemon juice(from real lemons), tomatoes, shredded cabbage,

Snacks:
Dried fruit and nut mix
Waffle with peanut butter
Celery Carrots with dip
Small salad with fruits(fresh or dried), nuts, and seeds

Tips:
Do not add salt during cooking unless it's for pasta. Chances are you'll forget you want it once you start eating.
I use real butter but do so sparingly. Real butter is more natural and I feel that while it is high in calories, it is less synthetic than margarine is, thus making it the healthier choice (to me anyway).
Prepare snack ahead of time you are less likely to grab something not so healthy for you if you have dried fruit waiting for you in it's own little premeasured baggie!
Use whole grain brown rice not white rice.
Take Vitamin C daily. It helps to promote weight loss and is great for your immune system.
"Grazing" is terrible. Just sit down and eat a meal!
Never, finish your child's left overs. Calories add up and you don't even realize it!
Top salads with low fat dressings. I found a balsamic vinaigrette dressing that has 15 calories 0 fat calories! It's delicious. No creamy dressings like ranch. You'll just be insulting your salad!
Switch to low fat milk.
Vinegar helps to slow the process of digestion thus making you feel fuller longer! (I put it on steamed spinach and it's delicious and of course in my salad dressings.)
When you become hungry eat a salad first.
Drink 8-12 ounces of water before every meal and 16 ounces before you even start your day!
Green tea is good for you. Buy locally made honey- you support local working people, if you have any seasonal allergies it will help, and it's not likely to be contaminated with horrible nasty chemicals that you see on the tv!
Put onions on top of salads. Purple(or red?) onions are the best for you nutritionally and they can be used for anything. Onions have the most nutritional values while they are raw. You should never pre-cut onions for later use, in this state you are more likely to get sick from them. (I don't quite remember if they attract bacteria or what it is... just don't do it)
If you're a meat eater go with lean meats! No piggies!

So, this is what I have so far, I may come back and add to this blog or just start a new one! I hope that you found this helpful. 

"...in that moment I felt like I was free..."

The Simple Life Is Never Simple!!
                So I have been pondering a more simple existence. Life is simply too much sometimes. I just mean that, the amplification in everything (to seemingly make life easier!?) can be absolutely overwhelming. Not to mention it angers me to a point of screaming... in my head, which I know sounds a tad crazy... I never said I wasn't crazy...  ;)
                Really though, all this technology is corrupting society and the way of life. Sure you could go to a store or get on the computer and buy anything you want. You can find a gadget to do just about anything you need done (you can even hire someone to do things for you if you can't buy a machine to do the work). This means you have to work less in life. I know that it is sometimes very convenient to just pay some extra money and wham-bam no worries on your part. When you stop to think about it though, are you really living? We need to be experiencing life, not making it so simple that we no longer take pride in anything that we do. This is where my passion is. Take pride and make your life worth living and worth talking about. Ever find yourself listening to someone's super dull story about their day thinking, "What is wrong with this person!?". Me too! If it's not worth talking about don't speak at all....... *tick*........*tick*........*tick* Do you hear that? It's the sound of your boring pathetic life passing you by! So what are you going to do about it?
                I had a vision of my life; I closed my eyes and I saw everything that I wanted and it was not in any way corrupted by society. It was beautiful and happy and fulfilling! I wish I could paint this image but alas, I am not an artist.  So I will tell you that I was sitting in my kitchen, it wasn't modern but rather rustic and farm house like. I wasn't wearing any make up and I was drinking a warm beverage and reading a book. Then one of my daughters came running in and was laughing and smiling and jumped into my arms and I hugged her and gave her kisses. In the larger picture of this vision that flashed before my eyes I saw simplicity. I saw life as it should be; I saw homemade clothing, area rugs and curtains, and not one electronic device was in sight. It was so breathtaking and in that moment I felt like I was free from the altered form of my life I live today. The life that is surrounded by television, ads, Walmart, fads, consumerism, to name a few. One day I will live the life I saw in this vision. I will do whatever it takes to get there and I plan to start this transition immediately. Why not?
                You can think I am crazy if you like. But as they say, if you're going to dream, dream big! While I feel like I'm trying to dream big, the reality is that the life I want is the exact opposite of the "American Dream". Simplicity in the midst of a complicated world.
This is all I have for now, stay tuned for more!
xoxo ~ Rae

Hello, Where have I been??!

In all honesty... I had to figure out what blog site I was using and it's taken a few tries and failed attempts until now. Go me!


So for this blog I will simply say, I am back and stay tuned because more blogs are coming!