Running on E

Anyone who thinks that online learning is a breeze has obviously never taken classes online. Right now Bill and I are BOTH in school full time- completely online. As if that is not bad enough, my laptop needs sent back to the factory for repairs so we are both full-time-online students who share one computer. This does *not* make learning simple. Actually, I don't feel like I'm learning much at all, just memorizing what I need to know for the length of time I need to know it for.... then it's lost.

Normally I am a very intent, focused student. This semester has brought out the worst in me. I am constantly putting things off until the last minute then getting frustrated when I don't quite understand it. I suppose I am at the point where I just want to be finished.

On a more positive note, I was invited to join Phi Theta Kappa, which is the schools honor society. I'm pretty excited that I got good enough grades to get an invite. I get inducted in on the 29th in a candle light ceremony. Fancy huh?

The other day Bill made me buried cherry cookies. A whole batch of them. My very favorite on the planet. Needless to say, they did not last long. Be jealous:






Last weekend Bill and I got MAJORLY serious about cleaning up the storage area. I couldn't take the absolute mess that it had turned into. So out everything came so that I could sort through everything, put summer stuff away, get winter stuff out, figure out what needed washed/aired out/thrown away. Even the curtains got washed. You know how 'they' say that things must get worse before they can get better? That was very very true of our house last weekend. It was so bad I was getting a little anxious because of the chaos.





I am happy to report that the house is now under control. Thank heaven.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are loads of recent pictures (just for the record, in some of these Jericho has a white reflection in his retina.... he does NOT have retinoblastoma, it's actually just a random thing that happens when you do a red-eye reduction on the software that we use. It sometimes leaves a whitish reflection):













Strangely, Jericho loves the taste of lemons. Maybe because I am a lemon water junkie.

I will probably go to jail.

Yes, I probably will... if I act on my gut instinct to travel to Nepal to kidnap little Matani Shakya. Apparently she has been voted the new incantation of some goddess the Nepalese people worship. She is three years old and will spend the next years, until she reaches puberty, being isolated and worshiped. Sounds all wonderful and good, right? Being worshiped. Not so much. From reports that I have read, once she loses her status at goddess, men are wary of her because husbands of an ex-goddess are rumored to die at young ages. So basically, she will spend her entire life struggling.

Being a goddess is not very child friendly, never being allowed to play or have fun, never getting to throw a tantrum or run barefoot in the grass. Never able to build sand castles or stomp in mud puddles.

The very idea of it makes me cry. That is no kind of life for any child to have to live. I can't imagine what sort of ramifications it must have psychologically and emotionally. Children NEED the love and comfort of their parents and caregivers, not to be treated as a revered OBJECT! She is going to be staying in some cold, remote temple away from her family, surrounded by strangers, with nobody to advocate for her very most basic right- freedom.

Yes, I know that it's a bit of a rant, but I want to steal her and give her a normal life.

Can't We All Just Be Involved?

The coming of the new school year also ushers in the coming of Parent Involvement and PTA meetings in the schools. I decided to be an active parent by getting involved in these daily/weekly activities that include fund raising, workshops, crafts,etc. Normally, this is a good, positive thing.

Not in my life it isn't! I have learned that I can never do something half way. I either don't do it at all, or I go in with guns blazing, whether I like it or not.

For example: On Monday there was a financial meeting to discuss how the parent involvement fund is going to be divided up this year. I was one of the painfully few parents present, and mentioned to the principle how I thought it was sad that the children don't have a school play. The principle thought so too, as she had done drama in the past. We discussed how it would be too expensive to get royalties to a play, when all of a sudden I came up with the idea of us writing the play ourselves.

Within seconds I had been nominated to make it happen. Here I was just making a suggestion, and now I am responsible for creating and pulling off a school play. Being in a high school production is far different than producing and directing an elementary school play I would imagine. I know, without a doubt, that I am in way over my head.

As if that wasn't enough, I was also informed that my name was submitted as the one of the two Parent Advocates who will be meeting monthly with the Superintendent of the schools. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do!

When I do meet the man, the first thing I'm going to do is raise heck over how disgusting the school lunch menu's are. Everyone tries to teach children to eat healthy, but how on earth can they when for school lunch they are having BBQ pork rib patties on a white bun with peaches that are covered in whipped cream on the side? As though it's not bad enough that they are being fed that horrid fruit from a can that is coated is syrup, now they're putting whipped cream on top???? Or my new least favorite- double dogs on a roll, which translates into two... TWO... pork hot dogs on ONE bun. Freaking ridiculous.

A few of you have been asking me what I've gotten up to lately with my crafting, but since I've started creating Christmas gifts, I really can't post about them because some of the people I am creating Christmas gifts for happen to read this blog. I *am* taking pictures of the projects I work on as I work on them so that I can make blogs about them post-festivities and not give any secrets away! I will tell you though- I am in the process of making some AWESOME things!

(Side note: as you can see from the above picture, Jericho is a lot more interested in his baby food now!)