Family Fun Day

Unity Family Fun Day at church today. There was barbeque fun, tickets for games, prizes to win, bubbles galore, and of course the ultimate face painting. We haven't been out to do much lately so I couldn't resist a chance for all the kids to have a good time. Even Gaige hung out with friends. He volunteered with the food and clean-up.

What is going on now???

Pictures to follow. Interested in our actual Homeschool Lives?? Both the girls opted for soccer this year and they are on the same team. And doing remarkably well appearantly. My daughters are not killing eachother on the team. LOL. And since my husband lost his job a couple weeks ago, I gave the girls the choice of joining dance again or going to UWWG (Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gathering). We couldn't do both. They opted out of dance for UWWG. Interesting choice. Evidentally they have more fun in that one week than in an entire 9 months of dance class. Girl Scouts of course has started again for Brenda. My Brownie troop will probably start up in October since I don't have an adult helper until then. Also there is a place called HappenInc. that provides free pottery lessons 3 or 4 days a week so we go there once a week for art now. Brenda is beginning a photography class as well. Brenda has chosen to take up piano. I am helping her out until we can afford lessons. Bret is learning to read. And the girls are both working on a recognition through our church for Girl Scouts as well. So we are in our beginnings of busy-ness.

Brenda's first shiner

We went to "Uncle" Scotty's house for a barbeque get-together. And on leaving, Brenda bent the car seat down to situate herself in the car. The seat flung forward too fast and hit her in the eye. And waa-laa her first Black Eye. She was so embarrased at first. Then so proud next. LOL.

So on we trek...

The school year has begun here is our small town. Why does that matter to us, homeschooling mom and family? Well it means the beginning of our Girl Scout year. A new pastor at our church where we meet that seems real cool! So here are some of our girls working on a team-building activity. The girls each got four puzzle pieces (the puzzle was from my Marley's Wubzy Puzzle collection. LOL.) and they had to put the puzzle together touching ONLY their pieces. Silently. It was fun. Then we headed over to Dairy Queen for a tour to complete a badge. (And some Thin Mint Blizzards of course...) Great start to the Girl Scout year!!!

Part III -The End

Here is the last of my posts on the topic. We are a constantly changing world. What seems ok one day is not acceptable the next. And so here we are. The boy is faced with maybe years of house arrest at his gramma's house with an ankle bracelet, separated from his family, going to school and counciling and right back home. I am sure the family realizes how lucky they are... he is. We live in a county that is so overwhelmed with kids that need to be locked up, there isn't room for everyone. Practically like being grounded at grammas.

And funny how this has changed our life too. Gaige has had to change schools too. He goes to school, counciling, and back home. Not much different than Ryan when you look at it that way. Of course we have left time for his community service which he is regularily involved in now. And his computer time, phone, video games... all gone. But he can gradually regain some of what he lost over time of good grades, proper behavior at home, changed attitude. I know this does not sound like the unschooler of last year. It is not. People don't come and go from our house like they used to. Gaige is not left to fail classes and roam the streets with friends in assumption that he will find his way. He doesn't tell us how he hates all of us anymore. He probably still does. And in three years he can move out if he chooses not to follow our rules any more. But chaos is over. I remember being his age. I remember hating life. I thought that if I waited it out he would come back around. After all, I did. It went too far. If it were a pendulum I would say our life has come full swing to the other side.

When we told Gaige what Marley said happened on Gaige's watch he shrugged his shoulders and went back to his video games. My husband had left Gaige to watch her while he went to pick up a pizza for the boys. Later he told us we didn't have proof. So when the proof came in there was nothing else to say. Just straighten up or be miserable while you await your 18th bday. And I don't care which. I would love to see a turn around, but I am not holding my breath and I am not going to wait it out a second more.

So is house arrest justice or is it being grounded at grammas house? No it is not justice. But in the court's defense, if they put him away until he turned 21, that still wouldn't ease our pain. It wouldn't make things better for us. Because our healing is not about his justice. And there is no punishment that is worth what this has and will put us all through.

But the Wild Women and Church have made me stronger over the last few years. And wiser too. I will share my thanks now a little out of season. I am thankful for such a strong, brave, animated child. After all, without her testimony, convicting Ryan would have been hopeless. I am thankful for Dotty, the prosecutor who was none less than Wonder Woman herself. And the detective that bugged the heck out of Dotty until she decided to take the case. I am thankful for all the worse nameless things the boy could have done but didn't. I am thankful for the opportunity to try to turn Gaige back in the right direction. And that I know how strong I can be, even when I am sobbing uncontrollably. I know so many great people and I didn't realize it. I now see how much a single moment is worth, not just the ones you wish you could change, but also the ones where you realize that you ARE the change. I fight daily with hating that boy while knowing from church that only love can drive out darkness. But I am only human still. I am glad that quiet meditation brings me peace while I find a way to heal us all.

Thank you all, last of all, who listened to me rave and cry over this through the summer. Sometimes I could think of nothing else. And you were my wall to lean on. Thank you for not letting me fall when I wanted to. And I will take you all with me where ever I go.

Worried about the rapid warming of the Earth??

I posted a while ago about how the agriculture industry appears to be responsible for over 15% of human-induced green house gas and specificallly how high the animal agriculture green house gases are. That if you are concerned about making a difference, rather than playing the blame game, you could make some changes in your own life to reduce these gases. Namely go vegan or even vegetarian is helpful. That is too much to ask? Just cut down on your meat consumption. Eat two more meals a week that contain no meat. It is not hard to do. PB&J, Spaghetti without the meat, humus, bean soup, rice, veggies, veggie sushi, there are even some really great imitation meat products out there. But this is trial and error as there are some not so good imitation meat products out there as well. After all if everyone did this there would be a huge difference made.

I came across this interesting article recently that I wanted to share... Along these same lines. Just interesting to know what science is doing. Just give this article a chance. Because it is fascinating to know these things.

In-vitro meat: Would lab-burgers be better for us and the planet?

By Matt Ford

(CNN) -- Meat is murder? Well, perhaps not for much longer.


Artist Banksy has satirized modern farming and meat production; could in-vitro meat be a better option?

A pioneering group of scientists are working to grow real animal protein in the laboratory, which they not only claim is better for animal welfare, but actually healthier, both for people and the planet. It may sound like science fiction, but this technology to create in-vitro meat could be changing global diets within ten years.

"Cultured meat would have a lot of advantages," said Jason Matheny of research group New Harvest. "We could precisely control the amount of fat in meat. We could make ground beef with an ideal fatty acid ratio -- a hamburger that prevents heart attacks instead of causing them."

But it isn't just the possibility of creating designer ground beef with the fat profile of salmon that drives Matheny's work. Meat and livestock farming is also the source of many human diseases, which he claims would be far less common when the product is raised in laboratory conditions.

"We could reduce the risks of diseases like swine flu, avian flu, 'mad cow disease', or contamination from Salmonella," he told CNN. "We could produce meat in sterile conditions that are impossible in conventional animal farms and slaughterhouses. And when we grow only the meat we can eat, it's more efficient. There's no need to grow the whole animal and lose 75 to 95 percent of what we feed it."

Read the whole artical here...
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/07/eco.invitro.meat/