This and That

I just realized I have only written about 14 times on this blog this year. I've been putting all my attention into the other one. There isn't too much to write about. Life just goes on, day by day.
The kids have been helping me with my photography. Here is Mr. C with his diablo. I've been practicing with shutter speeds.

Mr. C has been suffering from a cold this week. I made him stay inside (except for school) until yesterday when the temperature was near 80. Then he went out and worked on his trail.

He is determined to tame our backyard.

He's got a long way to go. Can you find him in this picture?

Redrawing the Lines

M's current art project: Lady Jane

After my post on homeschooling, I got a robocall from our school last night. Due to being 500 students over capacity they are redrawing the zoning lines. We won't find out until next Tuesday what this means for us.
Even though I am a firm believer in public schools, I am extremely controlling when it comes to picking out which public school I want my kids to be in. This is usually the first criteria we have when choosing a house. Unfortunately, not all public schools are created equally, so it takes some homework to figure out which ones are the best fit for our family. I look at the test scores, class offerings, athletics, and any other information I can get my hands on. Greatschools.com is a good resource and most realtors have up-to-date statistics as well.

In South Carolina we were redistricted at the middle school level and squeezed into our elementary zone three weeks before an enrollment freeze went into effect. In Alabama I used the parental choice option to take Mr. C to an elementary school that was out of our zone. Here, we purposely bought a house in the neighborhood right behind the school we wanted to be in. However, that does not guarantee we will be able to stay. I have heard rumors that the middle schoolers will be taken out and our school will become a 9-12 high school (right now it is 6-12). I think M will get to stay, but we won't know anything for sure for another week.

My Feelings on Homeschooling

Wow, two posts in one day! You can tell I'm trying to get out of some serious manual labor.

Earlier today I made a comment about homeschooling on my cousin's blog. Even though it wasn't meant to be offensive, I have a hard time knowing how my comments will be taken when they are written out, versus said face-to-face. The whole problem with this information/technology age we live in. Plus I don't do emoticons.
So here are my reasons for not homeschooling.

 1. My kids hate when I teach them. I had Smarty for an entire year of kindergarten. She and I were frequently in tears by the end of the day. She couldn't grasp the fact that she wasn't my special helper who could do whatever she felt like, whenever she felt like it. It was a nightmare!

 2. My kids don't believe anything I tell them/ won't do anything I tell them, but they do listen to other people.  If you've seen the Steve Martin version of Father of the Bride then think of the scene where Dad is trying to get Daughter to put on her jacket.
Dad: It's getting cold. Why don't you put on your jacket. Daughter: No, I'm okay. Dad: But you should wear a jacket. Daughter: I don't think I need one. Fiance: It is getting a little cool. Daughter: Really? Okay I'll get my jacket.
This is my kids.

3. I can not provide the social experiences my kids get at school. Not only are they exposed to the "good" people I approve of and would expose them to if I homeschooled, but they are also exposed to "bad" examples as well. Where else could they see first hand how some kid can mess up their life with drugs, alcohol, and sex. It's just not the same as reading a book about it or watching it on TV.

4. I can not provide the level of expertise that they need to prepare for college. My kids have 4-6 specialized, licensed teachers a semester who can, hopefully, challenge them and help them grow their minds. Yes there are loser teachers in there as well. But that is also a good learning experience for the kids: How to deal with idiots who are, for the present, in control of your destiny.

5. I don't want to spend all day with my kids. I get all day with them in the summer. I'm glad I'm home then and we get to do fun stuff together. That way I can always be "Mom" and not have to change hats with them. I think it would be extremely difficult to be "Mom" sometimes and "Teacher" at others. I know it was the year I taught S.

So those are the main reasons homeschooling isn't right for me. I know there are some people, bless their hearts, who choose to homeschool. And that is great for them. I am not saying one way is better than the other. Hopefully this doesn't offend too many people.

Improvements

We are busy fixing our fireplace. We are covering all the brick with wood and painting it white. This is what we want it to look like. For some reason it will only insert this image sideways. Turn your head, or your computer.

Right now this is what it looks like.

Mr. C was semi-sick yesterday, but much improved today. M went to Alabama to spend the day with YS. Here they are in front of the unimproved fireplace shortly after we moved in.

 I am supposed to be holding boards or something right now. So.... I'll post some finished pictures when I have them.

Computers

What did we ever do before computers?

Here Mr. C teaches his dad how to play the newest, most addictive game for middle schoolers, Paintball 2.

Here is M doing her homework and studying for the ACT. She took the test again yesterday morning. Then she went to study for an AP test at a friend's house. Afterwards a group of them went out to see a horrible movie together. I'm so happy she is starting to try to fit in and making friends. Of course she is still planning on going to the prom in Alabama, so she hasn't cut any ties there.
Boy did it get cold!!! The windchill last night and this morning has been 11. Yikes!

Ground Breaking

I did some of the home improvement that Hubby approves of; the free kind. We had a huge flower bed, sans flowers, blocking the front door. Even though we don't walk through the yard up to the door, I felt like I was stuck behind a "wall". So I moved the (heavy) stone border around to reconfigure the flower bed next to the driveway. I also used a snow shovel to move all that mulch into the new area.

 While I was at it, I cleaned up the edge next to the driveway where the monkey grass was taking over. In some spots I recovered 3 feet of driveway from the overgrowth! I transplanted the monkey grass around the outside of the stone border. I didn't quite finish, but I can hardly move today.

Notice the nice weather we had on Groundhog Day. If this is the kind of "winter weather" we can expect for the next 6 weeks, then I can live with that!

Foggy

We had a really thick fog this morning. The kids had to be at school before the sun came up to burn it off. As we pulled into the school drive, it was very dark since the lights couldn't penetrate the fog. Mr. C said, "They forgot to turn the school on today." By the time we got to the door, we could see that someone actually had turned on the school.

This is the view out my back door as the sun finally started to shine through it all. You can almost see wood nymphs wandering around out there, can't you? I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking out at my back yard.