AskTracy

You know that song?  "6 o'clock already I was just in the middle of a dream. I was kissing Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream... It's just another manic Monday..."  Okay, I know that's not all the words, but OMgosh!  I really felt this way all day!  Manic and crazy and rushing around like a wild woman, and can this sentence be more redundant?  Wait, let me try... manic, panic, freaking out... yep, I don't know why I felt this way.  I think next time I'm feeling manic I should stop and read what I write and take some of my own advice, take a DEEP breath, and change the view! 

I'm off to put the kids to bed, I'll start again tomorrow with a new view and a new song.   TM : )  

Okay, who's ready for the weekend?   TM : )

Okay, it's that time again.  I'm gonna ask you, "How are you doing?"  No, not just, "I'm okay."  That's not what I'm asking.  How are you doing with your homeschool life?  Is it getting easier?  Are you ready to pull your hair out?  Or are you getting the hang of it?  Usually at this time of the year you're starting to get the swing of things, but if you're not, DON'T WORRY.  Look back and reflect on what you have accomplished.  Give yourself credit and don't be so hard on yourself.

Homeschool is a lifestyle and if you're new at it, it takes time to adjust.  Not just you, but your entire family.  And guess what?  It's ever changing!!  WHAT?  Tell me it isn't so!  Yes, it really is so.  And you know what?  That's what's GREAT about homeschool, the freedom and flexibility to be ever changing is a gift for your children.

So leave me a comment and let me know how you're doing.  I want to know. And I'll give you a little insight... my hair is still on my head, but trust me, I go through boxes of hair color!   TM : )

Homeschool encouragement... hmmmm... I'm not feeling it today.  How about my view on why teaching your kids history is so important instead?  There has been so much going on in our crazy world that I have not thought about writing encouragement and I have been thinking about current events only and what it means to us.  I am a big fan of getting information from all different sources and I encourage my kids to do the same.  History is so important as the more you know, the less likely you will be fooled.  The media tries to fool us all the time.  So how do we know which news source is correct?  By knowing your history!

I am so fortunate to have a husband that has majored in world history.  He helps me decipher the news by letting me know who is telling the truth and who isn't based on his knowledge of the past.  He also is able to explain why certain policies make sense, and why others will never work based on that country's history.  I'm always appreciative when he gives me his views, as, well, I didn't care for history much when I was a kid, but now as an adult, I realize how important it really is.  So get out the history books (I am) and read a few biographies on some of our greatest thinkers from the past (this too!).  With what's happening in our world today, let's teach our children to move forward and not to repeat history.   TM : ) 

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."
 George Bernard Shaw Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

Another perspective on raising successful kids.  What do you think?   TM : )

This video is from 2007, and it is still relevant today.  Get yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a comfy seat, and keep an open mind.  Sir Ken Robinson is in the house...  TM : )

The reason I started this blog/website was to inform new "thinking about it" homeschool families and to encourage those who just started their homeschool lifestyle.  I've made it a point to be positive and encouraging, no matter how frustrating some days can be.  Today I'm breaking the mold and writing, More Than Homeschool.  The topic... Japan, and I'll share with you information that is important and will have you think about your daily decisions.  As a Homeschool Mom, we are not only sporty little race cars, but we are resourceful, knowledgable, and prepared.

Japan will be in turmoil for a very long time.  My heart goes out to these people that have no control over their future, their children's future, or the future effects of their beloved land.  It has been almost a month since that 9.0 earthquake and enormous tsunami hit, and it affected areas as far away as Hawaii, shutting down a favorite landmark of mine, Kona Village.  In the event of an earthquake or tsunami, no matter how severe, the people can start over, but that's not the case for the people of Japan.  

For those who think nuclear is a safe alternative for energy, think again.  No one knows what to do in an emergency (Fukushima), and that's coming from the experts world wide!  We have 104 nuclear power plants in our country.  Three of them happen to sit on the largest fresh water resource in the entire world and our country's biggest water asset, the Great Lakes.  Hmmm, something to think about when experts can't figure out solutions in an event of an emergency.  

The Dai Ichi Power Plant was not thoroughly thought out when being built for an event of an emergency.  The emergency generators were put in the basement surrounded by tall berms.  Okay, let's put this into perspective... knowing that Japan is an island and known to have tsunamis, would you put your emergency equipment on the ground floor?  What about the berms?  Think about water from a tsunami going up a hill then over with great force and then receding back.  The water went over the berms and when it tried to go back, it couldn't, there was a berm in the way.  Now there is a swimming pool with emergency generators submerged in the middle.  Had the engineers of this plant NOT put the berms up, Japan would have a different outcome altogether.  The Japanese are not the only people that will suffer from the Dai Ichi Power Plant disaster, and that's part of the daily decisions that we will have to make that I mentioned earlier. 

23 million pounds of radioactive water will be dumped into the Pacific Ocean. I can't fathom what 23 million pounds even looks like, so maybe this will help, 2.75 million gallons of radioactive sewage.  Nope, too big for me, and if it's too big for me to understand, then surely that's something that will affect the entire globe.  Should we eat seafood anymore?  I wouldn't, and I love sushi and all those shelled little underwater critters.  That's a daily decision for the dinner table, now we need to think about it. 

Another daily decision?  Dairy products.  Iodine 131 has been found on the West coast of the United States.  Yes, it's so small and minimal...for now.  What harm is drinking a glass of milk with my pb& j and why should I think about it?  Well, it affects your thyroid gland but at least as adults the older we get, iodine 131 doesn't affect us as much as it does for the kids as our glands are much larger than theirs.  But while our children are growing, one of the many things the thyroid does is it affects the development of their bodies as the thyroid over sees certain growth hormones that determine how tall, or how small they will be as adults.  Not sure if I want to risk my children's health like that over a pb& j and a glass of milk.  Another daily decision, thanks to nuclear power.  And that's only one plant in the entire world that's causing all these daily decisions!  

I have given you a couple of examples of daily decisions that I know will be part of my day.  As a Homeschool Mom, we dig for information.  We don't compromise on one source of information to be our guide, we use several and make decisions on what we have found.  As a Mom, we make sound decisions based on what we know and what we've learned.  I hope you will dig and make sound decisions for you and your family.  We are resourceful, knowledgable, and prepared.  We are Homeschool Moms.   TM : )

It's Monday and I can feel change in the air.  Thank goodness we homeschool and change can be made swift and accordingly.  I like to think of us homeschool Moms as speedy, little, convertibles when it comes to teaching our children.  We can change gears to pass the big rigs (traditional schools), we can maneuver around the corners ("Mom... can we read instead?"), excel as fast as we want to go ("Hey Mom, I finished my 4th grade math and I'm only in 2nd grade!") and when we're in park, all others look at our rims and tires and shiny paint and wish they could be like us (We have smart, respectful, and well mannered kids.  Most of the time!)!

So bring on the change... My engine is ready and the count is on... 3, 2, 1... GO!   TM : ) 

It's Aloha Friday.... Have a great weekend!   TM : )

Even when you don't feel like it (me), take a deep breath, and keep on going!  Maybe a change of scenery for a new view.  Yes, a new view is good and it is always inspiring for me to get fresh ideas that make me excited which of course always gets the kids going.  So take a different route, maybe a new adventure will ensue.  I'm going to!   TM : ) 

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." - Mary Engelbreit