September 16, 2009 10:09 p.m.


Well, we are off once again. Almost exactly a year later since our last big family vacation. We are embarking on a 13 day van camping trip that will encompass four southeastern states. We are really looking forward to it, although the weather forecast is abysmallllll....

Anyway, there will be no TV, no video games, no DVDs, no iPods, no internet access (my hands are shaking already). Just books, books, books, and card games, board games, clothes, junk food, our camping van, and credit cards. We're all set!

I will not speculate as to what we will see and where we will go, as things may change depending upon the weather. We do have reservations at various places, but that, too, can change.

Thanks so much for being such great readers and visitors, and I hope to see you as soon as I get back (and there will be photos, oh yes, there will!)

Bless you all!

September 16, 2009 3:20 p.m.

One of the qualities I want to teach my children is that of diligence. One tenet we associate with diligence goes something like this:

Work before play.

So I have had to reinforce this by not allowing toys and other playful distractions to inhabit the work space during lesson times. I recognize that close proximity of play items to school books is not a good thing. It presents irresistible temptations to my immature students. The Matchbox cars, the glow sticks, the flashlights, the rubber balls, the stopwatches, the beads, all this must be banished from the school table on demand. Diligence, and the ability to focus on work tasks exclusively for longer and longer periods of time, are (or should be) desired and indispensable skills in the workforce and in all other areas of responsible living.

So what happens, then, when I go to my computer in the middle of the school day to print out a worksheet, and just before walking away, I quickly check my email, Face book, blog roll, Drudge, etc. to see what's been up in the past few hours? Am I not mixing together my work with my play? I have been convicted about this of late, and so far my son has not called me on the carpet about it. In fact, he hasn't yet recognized that blogs and Face book are Mommy's form of play, just like Matchbox cars at the table are his. So I need to practice better diligence myself if I hope to model it for my children. But enough about me..

One of the resentments I have toward the internet is that it represents a perpetual source of easily accessible "play time" for adults (and older students). At present, I feel a strong tug in my brain to check up on things online, often, very often, when I am home and have access to my desktop computer. We choose not to own any laptops, and we certainly won't have any iPhones or Blackberries or any other such device that would give me access to the internet twenty-four seven. I cannot imagine life if I was only a couple of button pushes away, at all waking moments and in all places, from my online connections. It would be disastrous for me and I feel it would destroy my life in a sense. I can just see myself harvesting my Farmville veggies at a funeral service, for instance. BAD. Very bad.

As I write, hundreds of thousands of work spaces across our world provide such ready access to play time during work time for employees and workers. I submit that the loss of workforce productivity this represents is incalculable. Self-Reliant Man and I were having a chat with friends, recently, about this situation. I remember commenting on the near seamless mixture of work and play that students and adults enjoy routinely in our time, and I remember our friend reacting to this with ~~ amusement, perhaps even a sense of awe that our young 20 and 30 somethings have this special 21st century, uh, ability, shall we say? ~~ Well, I am not amused. I find it disturbing. I don't consider it an ability. I consider it a handicap of our younger generations.

One of the things my parents always talked about (and remember, they grew up in the 1920s and 1930s) was that we kids needed to be able to sit quietly and survive periods of no entertainment when asked. That we would need this ability when we grew up into adults and had to be responsible in our careers or whatever. I remember my mother, in particular, trying to train this into me. Today, we think that if our kids can stay quiet in a waiting room with a Gameboy we are doing well. Or even with a book. But does this really prove anything? I realize that as humans, we are intelligent beings, and that we thrive on mental stimulation, but how many of us can tolerate even short periods of time (five minutes?) without the stimulation? How do we do when there is no TV or radio to listen to, no iPods, no video games, no DVD player, no CNN, no internet -- nothing but ourselves and the voices and faces of those around us? How do we do in a media-free environment for even a few minutes? How many of us can handle it?

I was at an event recently, among an audience of parents with their children. Before the event began, the room was aglow with the lights from their portable digital devices. There were mumbled phone conversations, the poking of screens and tapping of buttons, and then the show began and thankfully everything was turned off after the request from the stage. Then when the intermission began, all the devices were immediately aglow once more. Few folks engaged in small talk with their neighbor in the next row; most were checking in with a different set of friends. Pity the poor mom who was hoping to make new friends in this group.

And as I alluded to before, even the workplace environment, I'm afraid, has become this new hybrid of work-play, real-virtual existence and I think it has made us all mentally handicapped. Not to mention less productive. I remember when I was an engineer geek, there was a never-ending list of things I needed to do. There was a list of things that absolutely had to be done, and then there was a second list of tasks that would help improve things and make things work better (or more efficiently) but only to the extent that I had time to tackle these tasks. Everybody has them. I can only imagine how I would do today, with today's new connectedness. Sure, I might complete all my "have to be done" items, but I doubt whether I would be able to tackle much, or anything, on that second list. My boss would be shortchanged to the extent that I couldn't control my web-surfing impulses. Not to mention that I would be breaking that commandment of God: thou shalt not steal.

Now I wonder about my present career as stay-at-home-homeschooling mom. How much more could I accomplish for my family? How many more books could I read? How many enrichment activities could I fit in with the children?

One last point about all this. I think it is essential to equip our children with the skill of being able to focus their attention on a work task for an extended period of time. I am reminded of certain college entrance exams I had to take that required this. I am also reminded of my Professional Engineer licensing exam that was eight hours long! Also, jobs like surgeons, air traffic controllers, teachers /lecturers, and others that require fixed attention for spans of time. If we can equip our kids with the character trait of diligence, and the skill of being able to focus sharply on their work, they will certainly be in a small, highly sought minority some day. I am all in favor of disciplining our kids intellects, as well as their behavior. My kids were blessed by God with good, sharp brains. I refuse to blunt their minds by making them nearly as dependent on entertainment as they are on oxygen.

September 15, 2009 12:05 p.m.

After our friend Raymond received a heart transplant in early August, he has been in the hospital continuously, and has had a few setbacks, including the need for a pacemaker and kidneys failing to function, but I received a wonderful email from his wife today, and I have to share it here:

Good news to all. I was advised to come back to G____ this morning as there was a possibility of Raymond being discharged today. Well the MD's just came in and he is ready to go, as long as his medications arrive to the hospital. I have a special pharmacy benefit with my insurance for all the specialty drugs that he requires now, so they were going to try and ship them over nite to [the hospital] . As of right now they are not here yet but the day is still young. We will all go to the H*mewood Suit*s here in G____ to live for awhile, as there is intensive therapy that needs to occur almost daily upon discharge. Yesterday he did use the treadmill here at the hospital and he was on it for 9 minutes! I felt that was fantastic. I told Raymond that back at the Suites there are 2 treadmills in the exercise room, so he can take one and I will take the other. We met a gentleman up here at [the hospital] and his wife a few weeks, who is on this email, and he is up and going with his new heart and using the treadmill daily. I know he feels great and he is running his wife ragged. I can not wait, to get Raymond back to be his old self, or new self and run circles around us all. Next week he will be scheduled for his next biopsy, now he is on a two week cycle, and if that is negative then the prednisone can once again be lowered. He looks good, his legs and feet are still a bit swollen but other than that he is ready to go! The MD stated today all his incisions look good, and all his organs are working as they should. Thank the Lord! I will keep you posted on his progress and again, thanks again for all your prayers.
Love June

I just had to share this wonderful news, and I am so happy to receive it before we go away on vacation (and away from the internet the entire time, too).

FOR TOMORROW, September 14, 2009..

Outside my window...it is nighttime, and there are frogs stuck on the outside of my windows, as it has been a rather wet summer.

I am thinking...that I need to step up my time in the Word of God these days. I can use the extra nourishment.

I am thankful for...the opportunity for my children to participate in a children's chorus at church. They had their first rehearsal this afternoon, and they really enjoyed it. My children love to sing, especially Baby Girl.

From the learning rooms...Little Son is 75% through Calvert fourth grade, and Baby Girl is 85% through Calvert first grade. They are eagerly anticipating the long break for our annual family vacation.

From the kitchen...right now, the dishwasher is humming along merrily.

I am wearing...my shortie pjs, as it is about time for bed for me (10:20 p.m. on Sunday night, actually)

I am creating... a packing list for our upcoming camping trip.

I am going...on a long camping vacation in Tennessee beginning this week! We will be sleeping in our van, which we convert for such trips.

I am reading... When the Heart Cries, by Cindy Woodsmall. It is my first time reading Christian fiction that is set in Amish country.

I am praying... for a pleasant, peaceful, and positive visit with my in-laws later this week.

I am hearing... Self-Reliant Man puttering around the kitchen testing out Bic lighters for our possible campfires in much cooler places next week.

Around the house... we are in desperate need of weeding and grass cutting, as the growing of green things has been rather rapid this month.

One of my favorite things... is the happy week of anticipation before a much awaited and longed-for family vacation. Oh wait, that week is now!

I also love stopping to eat at Cracker Barrel when we are on the road, and we will be doing that a few times this month.

A few plans for the rest of the week: take the children to violin lessons and class, and chamber trio practice, and take the children to homeschool P.E. class. Also, figure out where we are going to board our doggie (we truly don't have room for him in the van, nor would we be able to control his barking at any campground). :-(

Here is a picture thought I am sharing......taken the other evening while walking our dog.


To participate in this meme, please visit The Simple Woman's Daybook here.

September 13, 2009 10:02 P.M.

I have gotten a little behind on my blog, but I wanted to share some photos from last week when the children baked a birthday cake for Self-Reliant Man. They certainly had a good time decorating it (Daddy wanted strawberry icing) but Baby Girl was quick to admit that "we overdid it on the birthday cake decorating. It was tooooo sweet!"
Baby Girl was very happy to help make the batter.
She just lives to help out in the kitchen!
Both of the children got a kick out of decorating. They made this one colorful cake!
Of course, there is always time to pause and act a little goofy.
It is supposed to be a beach, with the water at the far end of the cake (under the candles).
Daddy was duly impressed.

September 9, 2009 4:59 p.m.

I don't often write about books I have read but I had to comment on the book I just finished reading: Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison. This is an unlikely read for me, but I heard about it on somebody's blog (I do not remember whose blog, sorry) and it turned out that our local library carried it.

I have to say that this was an entertaining read for me. It caused me to laugh out loud on several occasions. There were also some very touching moments in the book. But most of all, it was a truly interesting book. The author is about seven years older than I am, and grew up in the years before Asperger's was even identified as a "syndrome". He just wondered why he had such difficulty with fitting in, and wondered to what extent his severely disfunctional family life would render him "illegitimate" as a person. Nevertheless, he rose above his deficiencies and made the most of his strengths and today he is a happy person with a very successful life: married, a father with a good relationship with his son, and a productive small business owner. I shared several details of the book with Self-Reliant Man, in particular the author's interest and talent around cars, tractors, and his early career as an electrical engineer. Self-Reliant Man is an electrical engineer for a large corporation, and I am a "retired" electrical engineer. Despite the author's unstable childhood and teen years, I classify this as an uplifting and encouraging read.

The book left me wondering about myself and Self-Reliant Man. I would tend to think that both of us have some "Aspergian" traits. Perhaps this added to my interest in this book. I happened to find an online self assessment quiz that measure's one's "AQ"; I guess that the quiz is semi-serious, and measures one's "Aspergian Quotient". So I took the quiz, and as I suspected, I came up as near borderline Aspergian myself. My score turned out to be 29! Rather high for a woman. As I read and answered the questions, I can only guess that Self-Reliant Man's score would be even higher than mine.

Oh well, not to worry. I think the results are interesting, and they certainly explain a lot! (to me, anyway, as most of my friends would never guess about my internal social struggles and the self-coaching I need to often do). However, thinking about this has been eye -opening as well, because it reminds me how we cannot ever judge another person for their personality quirks, or ever consider a person less "spiritual" or less Christian on account of their reticence to do certains things within their church community setting. The Lord created all of our brains differently, and one person's weakness can certainly be another person's strength (and vice versa).

By the way, thinking about Asperger's caused me to think back to a boy I knew in middle school. He was a nice kid, although he had a lot of strange and unusual habits and the other kids teased him unmercifully. He was also a whiz kid in math. Although Asperger's wasn't a diagnosis in those days, I feel certain that he would have fit the profile. I had a flashback to some of the interactions I had with him in seventh and eighth grade. Both of us were marginalized by the other kids when we were in school, but I was always nice to him and he was a gentle soul. By the time I began high school, he and his family had moved away, and I never knew what became of him. I thought I would Google his name and see what became of him. It turns out that he is a university professor today, and a mathematician. He teaches in the electrical engineering and computer science department and specializes in theoretical computer science, specifically a subfield known as "computational complexity". He has written about a hundred research papers and he travels the country and the world to present his work at conferences. His name is all over the internet. He has a blog, and I cannot even understand anything he writes in it; it is that esoteric. Apparently he is an internationally well- known and respected contributor in his field. Where would we be without such people in the world?

Very interesting. What is it with these folks and electrical engineering, anyway? Hmmmm.

September 8, 2009 10:56 a.m.

This is a link to an article in today's New York Times regarding the upcoming flu season, as it is complicated by the H1N1 flu.

This is just one source of information, anyway, for what it's worth. There are several other information outlets online, most of which vary in regard to the author's attitude toward the federal government and the mainstream media. Meanwhile, keep up using the hand sanitizer and regular hand washing. We now try to sanitize our hands immediately after leaving every public place, as well as remind our children not to touch their faces and nose after touching surfaces in public places.

I am not sure that we will get the vaccine. Right now I am not inclined to do so. However, because of this, we plan to refrain from many group activities until after Christmas. Just to be on the safe side.

FOR TODAY September 2, 2009..

Outside my window...well, I can't really see out, since Little Son drew the curtains shut in the middle of the afternoon. It seems he released a Queen butterfly in the family room and was afraid it would injure itself trying to fly through the window.

I am thinking...that I need to prepare a birthday cake for Self-Reliant Man, whose birthday is tomorrow.

I am thankful for...my healthy family.

From the learning rooms...Little Son has written a ghost story as a composition for this week. Baby Girl is reading The Secrets of Droon: Journey to the Volcano Palace. In fact, she is walking around the kitchen right now reading it aloud to anybody who will listen.

From the kitchen...potatoes are boiling for mashed russets, and meatloaf is baking.

I am wearing...my trademark green shorts, striped T shirt, and athletic shoes.

I am creating... an information notebook to take along with us on our camping vacation in a few weeks. It is a three ring binder with maps and printouts from various attractions in the area of Tennessee where we plan to camp. Can't wait!

I am going...on a long camping vacation in Tennessee in a few weeks. We plan to visit Fall Creek Falls, Chattanooga, and Pigeon Forge.

I am reading... Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, a fascinating read, written by John Elder Robison.

I am hoping... for a miracle of reconciliation with a family member really soon.

I am hearing... Baby Girl is continuing to read her book aloud to her big brother at the kitchen table.

Around the house... we are hoping to have some success with late ripening watermelons in our garden.

One of my favorite things... is when I walk outside with the dog at 6:45 a.m. and I can see the mist rising off the pasture grass in the distance and hear the cicadas fading out for a new day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: looking forward very much to Self-Reliant Man being home for a three day Labor Day weekend.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


To participate in this meme, please visit The Simple Woman's Daybook here.

It has been a long time since I have participated in a good meme. So I thought I would try out this one. This is the way one homeschool mom lives, anyway!

1. Do you cook every night?
I try to cook every week night, and Sunday. Fridays and Saturdays are eat out nights, usually inexpensive fast food or good value sit down.


2. What kind of laundry detergent do you use & why?
Purex Ultra Concentrate Free and Clear, because it is cheap, but mostly because Little Son is not allergic to it (and he has had problems with various laundry soaps).


3. Do you do laundry every day or loads at a time?
My intended schedule is to empty the laundry basket on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Sometimes I get behind and the basket piles up pretty high.


4. How often do you eat out per week?
Two to three times, usually Friday night, Saturday night, and possibly one other lunch or bagel shop breakfast.


5. Where do you usually eat out?
We like P*llo Tropic*l, S*nny's BBQ, B*ston M*rket, and any pizzeria that can remind my of my earlier life in New Jersey. We really liked F*zoli's but it has gone out around here.


6. What is your favorite retail store?
Don't have a "favorite" but I suspect we hit Mal-Wart more than any other.

7. What's your favorite thing to drink?
Diet Dr. Th*nder these days.


8. Do you take vitamins? What kind?
a multi-vitamin, a vitamin E, and a calcium tablet, when I remember.


9. What percentage of the household chores do you do?
75%


10. Do your children do chores? {Or will they, did they, etc}
Yes, they do chores like make their beds, clear the table, feed the dog, wipe down bathroom counter and sink, tidy up their rooms, pick up the living room.

11. Do you go to church?
Yes, we go as a family twice on Sunday, morning and evening.

12. Do you have a housework schedule?
On my good days, I try to follow a Flylady-inspired control journal, although sometimes I just blog instead (like now!)

13. Do you keep a working budget?
We do keep track of our spending, by keeping a log, but have found that we cannot possibly even things out because expenses come up unexpectedly, ALL THE TIME!

14. What do you do at night as a family?
We eat dinner together, clean up, walk the dog, practice violin, read a chapter from a family read- aloud book (currently 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and get the kids prepared and into bed. Whew! We don't watch TV at all, and haven't for over six years. Once a week, we watch a N*tflix video, though, as a family.


15. How do you prepare yourself for a new week?
I look over my homeschool materials to see if everything we will need is already there. We just try to relax and enjoy our Sunday as much as we can before it all starts again.

16. What do your mornings look like?
Up by around 6:30, check the computer, walk the dog, then quiet time with Bible, then kids are up and I do catechism/Bible lessons with them. After that, we begin our morning chores together, eat breakfast, and try to begin our homeschool lessons by 9:00 if possible.

17. What time do you get up in the mornings?
6:30, give or take.

18. What time do you go to bed at night?
I try to be in by 11.

19. How do you manage all of the paperwork that floods into your household? {bills, school work, magazines, ads, etc}
I allow piles to build up on our kitchen counter, much as I hate this. Then occasionally, I get disgusted with the appearance of my counter and I get motivated and plow through it all, filing and processing as needed. I try to throw out as much incoming junk mail as possible when it first comes in.

20. How do you keep your household organized? {calendars, charts, etc}
I use a control journal that I created back when I was a Fly Baby. All appointments are written in on a wall calendar. I tried to use a portable written planner this year, but it hasn't stuck.