Been awhile, been stressed, been just off.....

   Yeah its official I hate the holidays! Bah Humbug, whatever, blah blah blah......This year I acctually have a good reason. Thia also goes right along with the reason I hadnt updated this in forever.

    Lets go back about a month and a half, to where my Grandma Margie fell and broke her hip. This is a stressful thing on a normal 78yr old woman, especially one with Parkinsons. So things were dicey for a while there. I mean scary.....and anyone who knows me knows I am closer to Margie and Bill than anyone in the Universe aside from my kids. These are the people who have always been there, loved me and been the parents I needed. As you can guess there was a little over a month that Rhiannon and I both were on egg shells and not doing to great. NONE of this was made better by the fact my Father and Mother decided to call the police and try to claim that Grandpa was abusing grandma. Fortunatly the chief of police put that idea to reast as soon as he got wind of it but not before the young female officer who answered the call had spread the rumor all over town.(she has since abruptly left the PD, funny huh) So OF COURSE I had to hear all about how the police had told my other grandparents how insane my grandfather was being. Then since THAT ploy didnt work my parents called adult protective services. Anyone in their right mind KNOWS Bill worships the ground Margie walks on.
   My theory is they think Margie and Bill inherited a bunch of money when CT, Margies Father passed away about 10 years ago. Little do they realize he paid for round the clock in home care for both he and his wife up til they died and that ate up all the money. In researching around we found out that after loosing a court case where it appears they were trying to defraud workmans comp my parents are likely drowning in a sea of legal bills, which is pressumably why the sudden suppossed interest in Margies well being as oppossed to the outright loathing and hate expressed through my childhood. And people seriously wonder why I have nothing to do with these people???  All of this is on top of the fact my younger sister, who is living in the UK, now has cancer and apparently not doing well. I guess I should be thankful I had them go over me with a fine tooth comb while we had tri-care. I can live with the ulcer and bad back, the whole cancer before 40 thing is scary stuff.
   All of this, plus the usual money, the looming chances of deployment, kids, winter weather, and I am just a fucking ray of sunshine. And yes this is a rant but I am frankly tired of living in the midwest. I miss culture, I miss civilization, I want to be able to take my children to a museum that doesnt center around freaking cowboys or the old west......I miss the real world. Sadly short of hitting the powerball I dont see that changing...lol.
   Needless To say I am NOT in the christmas spirit. I havent even set up the tree and am frankly dreading the task. No christmas spirit this year, really just faking it for the kids....

Random stuff and pictures of Gareth today

    Fall break is nearly over!!! I am sure there is more than one other parent who is happy to see Monday approaching...lol.

    My two were suppossed to spend the night at Rose and Chads last night to hang out with their bunch. Gareth had a meltdown though and had to come home about 7:30. I cant complain though, we got to goof around and go out for dinner without fighting the kids. He was over tired, came in and had a piece of cheese, a cup of sugar free pudding and passed out. Today he has been helping re-arrange the snakes living arrangments. Shiva(above) kept trying to go up the sleeve of his t-shirt.

    After we rescued her and Durga from the horrid conditions they had lived in they have thrived. We have kept them in the same tank to prevent stress and moved them into a spacious 55 gallon complete with branches and warm wet caves. They are sure they are styling...lol.

   Durga, our pastel, has turned into Mister personality. He has been an absolute laugh to deal with today.

Last one is the two of them together, doesnt show his coloring off the greatest but still neat.

   With those two situated we moved Ruby into the same enclosure as Kali. Rhiannon and I had been working with them together for about 2 weeks now and they have been great so today we officially moved ruby in. She did a couple of laps around the tank, then crawled in the cave with Kali and they are in a comfortable little knot hidden in the dark. I am figuring their urge to hybernate is kicking in.

Long week and its only wednesday....

    Okay let it be said, sick kids suck! Gareth has been down for the count all week and I am SO ready for him to go back to school tomorrow! I have got spoiled by how much easier it is to get stuff done without him under foot

   This was to funny night before last. Donovan was giving Shiva some attention so she was doing laps around his head even over his glasses. As usual our 3 ring circus is a neverending source of ammussement. I am just glad he is home from that class. That was a long 2 weeks.

Okay so here is the green christmas plan

   The kids and I sat down this weekend and mapped out our plan for a green christmas. Its going to be different but alot more thoughtful we think than the commercial crap that is so often shoved down our throats by every outlet possible at this time of year.

   1)Home made stuff....Rhiannon and I both worked really hard to make jelly, salsa, syrup and other canned stuff. We are alos planning several gifts in jar items and baked goods to give to family and friends. We have picked up a couple of tie dye kits and several packages of white shirts too. Those will be for the kids friends and people they want to make gifts for.


   2)Second hand stuff.....My kids have never thought everything they get should or needs to be brand new. There are so many good finds to be made at yard sales and second hand stores. Kids outgrow toys and get bored with them so quick that there isnt a reason to not look for second hand. Even if you dont have the time to get out second hand shopping everyone has time to check craigslist

   3)Sales.....We are trying to avoid buying pretty much anything brand new this year at all, however some things are useful and cheap enough not to pass up. Take for instance today I was lucky enough to catch numerous items at wal-mart for $1 each, including Dr Scholls tennis shoes for Donovan. I bought 3 pairs for 3 dollars, a savings of 72 dollars not taking tax into consideration. The secret is not just falling for the SALE attitude and buying only what you need and will use.

    4)Free....Before you knock it I suggest trying it. Freecycle is a wonderful thing and I also plan to start a green christmas yahoo group to help people trade items around that they need. In this ecconomy I see free/trading and barter as very viable options for the holiday season.


Any more ideas?? We are still brain storming

   Our house has turned into reptile rescue. We have 6 pythons now...sigh. Its fun though. They are interesting and have alot of personality. Kali is still my favourite. She has the privilage of the big tank in the living room where she gets to be in the middle of all the household activities. We have aquired Shiva and Durga who we rescued from horrible circumstances.(2 snakes being kept in a 10 gallon tank with a hot rock and no water)They had only been fed once in the last month and she had thrown hers up so they were basically starved to boot. Both are happy, healthier and turning into as big of attention sluts as the rest of our crew. Unfortunatly we are at our limit so if anyone is interested in educating themselves and adding a new family member let me know. I am offered pythons for cheap to free pretty regularly at this point. Snakes are easy, dont smell, and allergin free.

    Well I think I am going to call it a night. Tonya starts her new job as a lunch lady tomorrow and I have to be up early to take her to work.

Really?? October already???

   WHERE ON EARTH HAS THIS YEAR WENT?????? Seriously it doesnt seem at all to me like today should be the first of October. Between Gareth and all he has going on and Homeschooling with Rhiannon it seems like we are constantly doing something.
   This week has been doubley so with Donovan gone at a class for 2 weeks, Tonya and Davids car is broke down so I am getting them around to work etc, I have had 2 job interviews and Tonya and I are starting temp jobs at the trail of fear. I am excited about that! Its going to be loads of fun, getting to run around, be nuts and scare people usually is. Its just a temp job but its always nice to have a bump in the cash flow.
    Monday was a sad day here for us. Sage, our german shepherd, had been getting worse with her anxiety issues and it had finally came to the point she was doing herself harm. The meds from the vet had quit working so we didnt have another choice and had to put her to rest. I decided no more rescue shepherds. Bad breeding, poor care by others and I end up with a broken heart after spending hundreds in vet bills. I think the goofy basset hounds are good enough. They are healthy as little tanks at least.(and rotten spoiled to boot...lol)
   Snakes.....pythons are us? I swear what is it with us and ending up with rescue animals?? First we got Fluffy who had been left with no heat source and was not a happy camper. Then came kali who came to us with a respitory infection due to improper care, we got her healthy and along came Loki who while healthy had been abandoned with a friend who raises boa constrictors. Now we have Shiva and Durga who came to us as a pair this week. I was just going to go look, I SWEAR! Then we got there, the two of them were in a screen enclosure that is not intended for snakes(no way to hold in heat), one light that was not adding enough heat for anything, no hide area, and a hot rock that could have easily damaged the snakes. To top it off they have only been being fed once a month and do to stress the female had thrown up her last rat back at the first of september and they hadnt attempted to feed her again since. Needless to say they left with us. Once they were able to warm up, they seemed to feel so much better. Shiva was so literally starved when rhiannon went to transfer her into a feeding tank to seperate her from durga she caught scent of the rats in the box and was fighting to get at them. Needless to say once it was in the tank with her it was over in seconds. Durga was nearly as bad. They will do alot better now with a two week feeding schedule, proper heat and proper care. I can no longer give Tonya shit about her herd of weasels since our reptiles outnumber her furballs.

Chugging along

   Well things are clipping along as usual. The Epic Charter school stuff is not gonna happen this year so we are doing Time for Learning and supplimenting with alot of the K12 materials.  Rhiannon is able to relax on some stuff at least. She is reading what she wants to read, working her schedule and rolling through stuff at a good and rapid pace. I still cant say I am overjoyed with home schooling as oppossed to the vitual school. Its alot more work for me.

    As a "break" for myself I am trying to find a part time job. Nothing huge, just mostly an excuse to get out of the house 20hrs a week and to get a little extra cash. I am hoping to find something I enjoy so I am being pretty selective. I would love to have the pet store job I applied for last week but I am just not holding my breath considering 7 other people came in while I was there.  Of course working there would make it more of a trade of work for goods than a job...lol.

Holidays, Craigslist and turning 39

     In case you missed the tittle I am turning 39 on Sunday......I am not entirely sure how I feel about it. No mid-life crisis or anything like that just the thought I am now older than my parents were when I graduated from high school. ( they were 19 when I was born) Comparativly I feel accomplished with my life to an extent I never saw in them. I think thats great for my kids, they dont live in the bitter hostile environment we grew up in and are so much better for it. I have no clue what I am going to do for my birthday, its guard weekend so it'll be the kids and I for the most part. I did get myself a present at Sams yesterday though...lol...well it was free since I had to re-up the contract on my cell. I got the HTC HD2 phone I have been looking at. I loved my android phone but decided to go with a windows one for the compatibility with the 360 kinect when it comes out next month.(yay) Tomorrow I need to hit the mall or T-mobile place and get a case and screen protecter. I am getting used to the full touch screen but it makes me really paranoid

   Donovan and Gareth went on a guys road trip over labor day weekend. His grandmother up in Junction city KS isnt doing well(she is like 92)and had never got to meet Gareth.  They left Friday shortly after school and were home by 3 on monday. It was a whirlwind visit but amazingly Gareth managed to be on his BEST behavior.....like pod people good behavior. We are still trying to figure out a good reward for this, I think he may get to go to a movie or something like that over the weekend. He has had a perfect record at school as well so we are really proud of him.

    I cleaned out all the stock pile of cell phones from the last few years that have been tossed in the closet, the dsi no one uses, the psp no one uses and a bunch of other stuff on craigslist. Feels good to get some of the crap out(and make some cash)

End of the week, finally

The week is winding down with a giant blah...lol. As always with payday I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. Sage to the vet, grocery shopping and bill paying. I am tired but wide awake of course so I figured I would get a bit of writing done.

The coming week is gonna be interesting. Rhiannon is fully into her school work, the dog should get her stitches out and I plan to start painting the boys room. He loves the chalk bored paint I did on his door. once his room is red and blue his will really love it. I plan to get everything cleaned up and moved around then pain while he and his dad are gone for the weekend. Thats another HUGE thing! I convinced Donovan to take him to visit his great grandma.The old lady is dying and has never seen him so its my good karma for some one who I have no love loss with.

   Rhiannon and I are looking forward to a nice relaxing male free holiday weekend. We plan to watch movies, eat stuff we normally wouldnt get and paint. It should be really fun. I think we may even lite a fire in the fire pit and roast marshmellows.

So once more into the sun....

     I have been working on uploading more of the stuff off my phone. I REALLY need to replace the USB cord, it would be so much easier and less time consuming than e-mail stuff to myself...lol. I thought this is just a great picture of Grandpa Bill and Gareth. Bill took Rhiannon to her first day of school til we pulled her out of publice schools so it was a huge deal that he was here for Gareths first day of school. Definatly a picture I need to print up and frame for Gareths room.

   The weather has been gorgeous today again. Rhiannon and I have been working around the house. I am on I guess you would say a fall clean up and clean out, Most of it is working towards our goal of doing a green christmas, but I will blog more about that as we get a better idea of what we are doing.

Goofing off and random stuff

Gareth is having a BLAST at Kindergarden! He has been going to bed with little to no issue, getting up and getting around and out the door...just generally having a blast. He packs his lunch every night and is so proud to show his teacher every day. Ms.Justice is apparently the best teacher ever...lol. Today I think he threw her off when he asked if he can bring his snake to school.

We had to explain that Fluffy is acctually his sisters snake. Maybe once the kids have some time in class under their belts we will bring him up for show and tell. Gareth is totally jelous of his sister over the Boa, he wants one so bad now too.

Frasure family values(cue addams family theme song here)

  As much as irritates me at times we do live in a very conservative state. I accept this and try to work around the parts I find wrong. The true injustice of this is when I try to work within the structure and find in balking at its own ideals.

   How many times have we heard politicians drone on and on about a return to traditional family values? This seems to be the call of every election time and really is it possible? I would have to say in the 1950's sense no. However in the sense of valuing my children and sacrificing some material gain in order to better their live yes it is completely possible. So why is it when parents such as myself attempt to stay home and educate our kids in the virtual system are we treated as suspect?

    I could be working full time, sending my kids to school with little thought to what is really going on, but I think more of the future and of them than to just blindly accept that the school will take care of their needs.  Yes for the kids who wouldnt have otherwise eaten a free breakfast may be great....however what effect does that sugar and carb laden meal have on most kids? And they wonder why kids have issues sitting still? Sugar coated cereals and sugar coated cinnoman toast in the morning and then lunches heavy on potatoes and corn products produce energy that isnt getting used. Yet recess and physical education are becoming things of the past.
  
   So what are your typical 5th and 6th graders doing for the begining of their school years?  First and for most reviewing the last years material they have likely forgotten over the summer, where as while we lightened the load we never quit learning and working. The scariest thing I have seen is the shear amount of school supplies middle and high school students are expected to purchase this year. Things like entire rheems of copier paper.....and they can loose grades over these things. How is this legal?  GPA can mean the complete difference in some of these kids futures and they could loose out due to not being able to afford supplies? Just when I thought my opinion of the education system couldnt get any lower. Wow, and yet the superintendants of OKC and Tulsa school districts make over 150k a year and the state super makes in the range of a quarter of a million dollars a year. Yet we are told there is all this budget crisis in our schools? The only thing I see is a group of over paid people who have failed kids for years while blaming others and casting doubt on any hope or change that might benifit anyone other than themselves.


     Okay That was the rant for the day I added to the daily Oklahoman. Whatever happened to people being able to think for themselves??  As a whole people dont question what they are told, blindly follow the status quo and are little better than sheep. (sheeple) I was offended at the blind stupidity I have seen from the people who because a state official says something it simply must be true.

   Today around here has been pretty relaxing. I got up and made blueberry pancakes for everyone. The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven...lol.  They even had home made blue berry syrup to go with them. I have been in the mood to cook the last couple of days. We had meatloaf with mashed yukon golds with roasted garlic last night. Like I said, major mood to cook.  I have been sitting here contimplating what to make for a late lunch/early supper. Gareth is asleep so I guess it can wait for now

Randomly some what important first post

Okay, so here it goes and I have broken down and started a blog..... mostly to doccument and chronicle our virtual/home schooling experience.


    As some may already know Rhiannon and I joined in Epic Charter Schools law suit against the state of Oklahoma. This has been both good and bad in that we did win a victory for students in our state but bad in that we may be not able to start with Epic until next year and left to home school for the year on our own. Thankfully we were prepared for a fight and the possibility of all of this.

   Gareth started Kindergarden in LPS today. Alot of people think its odd I chose to enroll him in a traditional brick and mortar school when I have been fighting so hard for virtual schools. I dont see it as anything but the statement I have made from the start of all of this, education should be determined by the child not by lumping all of them together. What has worked for Rhiannon likely wont work for Gareth and why wouldnt I do what in the best interest of each of my kids.

   This coming week Rhiannon and I will begin a Lit. unit on Shakespeare. We are reading The Taming of the Shrew as a starter. I figured it was an easier place to start with the comedies.  The history surrounding the globe and a spelling list to go with it are in the works as well. With Gareth having school I am hoping we can move more smoothly through the more advanced subjects this year, including pre-algebra.