Education Uncensored

Actress and philanthropist, Jennifer Garner reminded Americans to turn their clocks back an hour this weekend and encouraged them to devote that extra hour to a child in need.  For everyone who goes to Frigidaire.com and raises their hand with a pledge to make time for a child, Frigidaire will donate $1 to support the CHANGE program and Save the Children’s work to help children in need in the U.S., as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause. 

In our world, the children are allowed to eat as much candy as they want before bed, they then trade up til they have what they want from one another, then choose one sandwich bag full of candy each to keep.  The Halloween Witch (or the Tooth Fairy as Jace keeps calling her) will take the left over candy away and leave a toy. 

The two has never been anything very big, just a hotwheel car or something, but since my husband did the choosing this year, they got a set of hotwheels and a Wii game to share.  He will then take the candy to work and we will hide a few pieces for ourselves for later….in the past, we’ve had to get rid of Halloween and Christmas candy so that the Easter Bunny can bring more….and so, with that, we have thus far remained cavity free….

This is the first year that I won’t be giving you photos of 2 adorable Mickey’s hitting the neighborhood on Halloween.  My children made the decision to be Superman this year.  Yes, both of them will be Superman and no I did not have anything to do with it and can’t say that I would have chosen Superman…as a matter of fact….Mickey Mouse would have been just fine for another year at least……

Tuesday night was the Fall Festival as I mentioned and we did check out the spelling words before we went but I sent a note my son’s reading folder which still had all the assignments in it stating that, “it was a crazy night and we didn’t do any homework, unless you count reading the signs at the carnival”.

Now, one of the issues we have had is that Walker’s hand writing is horrible.  I mean, as far as studying spelling, he can spell the words to you, you can spell them aloud and he can recognize them but he needs to practice writing because his handwriting is bad. 

So, when his folder came home on Wednesday afternoon with the word “signs” circle in red and the word “uh?” written above it.  I did my best to write it a little better and then added a snipit about how my handwriting was apparently not much better than my sons. 

So, there you go……that’s about as funny as the week got!

I know I’ve been MIA this week.  I’ve had the whole jaw thing going on plus it was Fall Festival week at school and my in-laws came to visit.  We actually knew they were coming but had kind of just let it slide out of minds.  And, without realizing what was about to hit us…there was all that homework you know…

Add to that this little bit of fun called Red Ribbon Week.  Monday was PJ day and naturally when your kid grows as fast as mine does…you have to go buy new PJ’s to make that day work.  Then, Tuesday was a simple ‘wear red day’.  I saw my doc about my jaw Tuesday morning and scheduled the shots for Wednesday morning. 

So, we hit the Fall Festival Tuesday night, which meant little time for anything (by the way of this silly homework stuff) and since my kids normally go to bed at 7:00 or 7:15, pushing the limit of just arriving back at home after 8:00 was a horror. 

Moving right along, the shots Wednesday morning and my mother had made Ditto Boy a “doctor’s” outfit (scrubs, too cute) and so we had to get everyone dressed and out of the house and then travel 90 miles to get me to the doctor by 9:00.  Home to crash for a couple of reasons, one they “happy juice” as the doctor called it that they gave me to give me the steroid shots plus the place was across from a Krispy Kreme and I only consumed a dozen donuts on the drunk ride home (yes my Mom was driving and I was just passing our donuts right and left). 

Wednesday evening my husband comes home exhausted, my kids are worked up because their grandparents are in town and I’m a bit looped.  So, anyway, we go to dinner and end up with yet another night that we don’t get back home closer to 9 than even 8.  I don’t even remember what the dress-up was for Thursday and with the medication, I barely remember much that went on Wednesday or Wednesday night.  My mom told me bits and pieces of my day but I really don’t remember much.

Boy Genius calls around lunch on Thursday and declares himself sick.  He occasionally has an allergic reaction to one particular kind of wood.  His eyes get really red and nasty. He has to take his contacts out and he doesn’t really have back-up glasses.  So, that means…..loopy mom, blind dad, happy kids and even more happy in-laws waiting on us to come into town and go eat again.

Well, Boy Genius doesn’t actually make it home til close to 4 and so we did homework going down the road.  I was driving, my husband is trying to call out spelling words but can barely see and we are headed out.  Since they were leaving today, we headed out, made about a 50 mile drive into another town for dinner. 

I was still loopy, my husband was now starting to get congested and he was just losing his energy.  We hung out at the hotel and let the kids and in-laws play for a while.  Then, the next thing you know, it’s almost 8:30 and we are headed home. 

Today the kids were to wear their costumes to school.  Normally my son is up way before me but I have learned to sleep through a few alarm clocks because my husband likes to hit the snooze over and over.  But, this morning, it was my alarm clock squalling and my husband trying to wake me up.  That NEVER happens.  Not only does my husband rarely ever wake me up, he has only taken like 5 sick days since we met 8 years ago..so yea, it’s been a tough week.

I got everyone moving this morning and we’ve made it to the close of the day with one kid spending the night at my mom’s because my kids seem to think that one of them should stay with her every night. 

I have a funny tale or two from the week……coming soon…..

Since the beginning of this school year, I’ve been a volunteer freak at my son’s schoo I’ve he volunteered in the classroom, I’ve built websites, some of which are not even being used, I’ve worked snack days, I’ve worked fund raisers, all the while, many others have done way more than me. 

I am not a PTO officer and to be quite frank, they do a majority of the the work.  But, I do think I’ve put in a great deal of time in my own way in the volunteer department.  I have typed, designed, printed, folded, handed out, emailed and compiled information for months now.  I’ve done it most all of it from home and even when I wasn’t feeling well, it wasn’t a big deal, the work could be done from the confines of my sofa, in my pj’s and I could take breaks and work into the wee hours of the morning if need be. 

****************go read the post on Don’t Eat That for the filler info here…*****************

Now how in the heck this post started as an educational post and has ended up as a post for my Don’t Eat That blog, I’ll never know…yes I do, I talk too much. 

So, I’m breaking it up and you’ll have to figure out where the parts of the store come and go.  Now, that is a truly educational experience, right?

So, back to education, I am suppose to be at the school today at noon to set up for the Fall Festival which is tonight.  And, then I am suppose to return to the school at 6 Pm to help out until only the good Lord knows what time.  And, then, leave home at 7 in the morning to drive 90 miles with son and mother in tow, be sedated by 9 pm. 

I just don’t know.  Where do you draw the proverbial line in the sand it the volunteer department?  Because honesty, I just don’t know if I have it in me.  The pain from these tears is enormous.  The medicating for it is even more enormous.  And, no one wants to go to their child’s school and volunteer….drunk…..wait, that might be the best way….no, I guess not, better find a better way…..

Multi-platinum, 3-time Grammy Award-winning Def Jam recording artist Ne-Yo adds two new credits to his long list of successes over the last three years, starting with the announcement that his new song, “Never Knew I Needed”, will be the featured end credit song in Walt Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’ animated motion picture event. The single was blasted out to Urban, Urban AC and Rhythmic radio on October 14th. Plans for the video, directed by Melina, will be announced shortly. The soundtrack album will be available November 23rd, and the movie, whose action takes place in New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou, will open in theatres on December 11th.

In addition to Ne-Yo’s contribution, ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Soundtrack boosts a colorful collection of original songs and a lively orchestral score, both composed and conducted by Randy Newman.

‘The Princess and the Frog’ Soundtrack Tracklisting  (get a sneak peek here)

1. Never Knew I Needed - Performed by Ne-Yo
2. Down in New Orleans (Prologue) - Performed by Anika Noni Rose as "Tiana"
3. Down in New Orleans - Performed by Dr. John
4. Almost There - Performed by Anika Noni Rose as "Tiana"
5. Friends on the Other Side - Performed by Keith David as "Dr. Facilier"
6. When We’re Human – Performed by Michael Leon-Wooley as "Louis," Bruno Campos as "Prince Naveen" and Anika Noni Rose as "Tiana" featuring Terence Blanchard on Trumpet
7. Gonna Take You There – Performed by Jim Cummings as "Ray" featuring Terrance Simien on Accordion
8. Ma Belle Evangeline - Performed by Jim Cummings as "Ray" featuring Terence Blanchard on Trumpet
9. Dig a Little Deeper – Performed by Jenifer Lewis as "Mama Odie" featuring the Pinnacle Gospel Choir
10. Down in New Orleans (Finale) - Performed by Anika Noni Rose as "Tiana"
11. Fairy Tale/Going Home – Score
12. I Know This Story - Score
13. The Frog Hunters/Gator Down – Score
14. Tiana’s Bad Dream – Score
15. Ray Laid Low – Score
16. Ray/Mama Odie - Score
17. This Is Gonna Be Good – Score

Check out the Official Website for The Princess and The Frog and you an pre-order your own copy on Amazon too

You know, here I go again when I start the post with the word “again”…….

Anyway, as we discuss many topics here and there and it’s been a while since I visited the idea of Homeschool versus Public/Private School.  However, with the multitude of issues going on around the nation, you know, kids in a balloon and kids doing hours of homework…..it’s a nice topic to re-visit….

A-G-A-I-N

And, with that, we got a great comment here on this blog that belongs to a reader known as K.C.   And, here is what she has to say…

I am a Youth Services Librarian and I work with parents that homeschool, parents that send their children to the public school, and the local school teachers. Our village happens to have an excellent award winning school district. That being said I’ve found that all of the above mentioned people care very much about the education of our children, yes this does includes the teachers too. I am very open-minded to both sides of the equation. I think parents need to do what’s right for their children and family. It really seems counterproductive for parents who homeschool to look down on parents who don’t. I’ve seen it happen first hand. At the same time I think it’s just as bad for a well meaning person to tell a homeschooler they are ruining their child’s education. Parents need to respect one another’s decisions for their families.

I send my daughter to the public school and it’s working out very well. I have a very good friend who has chosen to homeschool three of her five children. Her eldest boy started out homeschooling but is now in the middle school mainly because he really wants to be and she trusts him to take control if his education. Her youngest has never been homeschooled because she has Asperger’s syndrome and they are choosing to utilize the “Head Start” program offered by the school district. I have tremendous respect for my friend and she gives that same respect to me.

In the end I think to home school or not is a very personal decision for each individual family to make. As parents the best thing to do is support and encourage one another in whatever endeavor we choose. This kind of respect and camaraderie would be an excellent example to give our children – what a wonderful learning experience that would be!

And, all I could say about that is “More K.C., give me more, you are awesome!”

So, I had novicaine and dye inserted into my jaws with a needle and then ha cat scans on both jaws.  I came home felling bad now I”m fairly certain that I am afflicted with a but ugly round of the flu!

I know I have contests ending and other work to be done and I’m going to do the best I am to get some of it done tomorrow if I can at least hold my head up….scarry yea.

And I’ll get my winners chosen and announced as soon as possible. 

If you need me, email me, jareason (at) gmail (dot) com,

Paul Martin’s Book Winner Pamela Callahan

Business Cards For You Winner by Divers Chick

You should know Uprinting by now… Winner Melanie Lee

End on 25th

Stickers – Because I Get Giddy Like That

E.l.f Cosmetics – Do You? Get yours at Target and don’t hesitate!

Snow White I Am

E.l.f. Make-up is rockin’ my world just wait til they take over Target….

Uncharted Territory…but the Mums deserve it all

e.l.f Make-up hitting your local

Target soon…

Book Giveaway by Paul Martin

Stickers For You and Yours!

Post Cards – They Make Great Birthday Invitations

Brandi Carlile Album “Give Up the Ghost”

Shew, How Come the clean clothes stink?

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