Thomas Crapper

After many years of homeschooling, I never had to ask the question, "what did you learn in school, today." I already knew. But, now since the kids are in public school I find myself asking that very question on a daily basis. Sometimes more than once per day. It is so hard to go from being in control of their education to a spectator. But, for now this is what works. And I ask the question.

 I usually get typical kid answers. "Nothing."

"I can't remember."

"Boring stuff."

"Things I already knew."

The one I love the most, "We didn't learn anything, we just played kickball."

If you have school age kids, I am sure you can relate. In particular, if you have middle school aged kids, they already know everything there is to know about everything.

Today, however was very different. The 12 yr old child was in the back seat riding home from his soccer practice when the question was asked. He was in a particularly talkative mood. So, we (as the stellar parents that we are) pounced on the opportunity to strike up a constructive conversation. "What did you learn at school today (so creative)?"

.... wait for it.... we actually got an answer. Not one of those pre-programmed tele-prompted answers that we usually get. An actual, kid thought out, honest answer about his quest for knowledge in his brick and mortar school.

"I learned that Sir Thomas Crapper is known for his innovations on flushable toilets."

"Play time is over. What did you learn today?"

"I'm serious Mom. That is what I learned. Isn't that awesome."

Being the super sleuth mom that I am, I pulled out my I phone and googled Thomas Crapper. Lo and behold, it is true. Thomas crapper. He did not invent the flushable toilet, but had great success in improving it.

Thank you Caesar Rodney School district for educating my son and preparing him for the life ahead of him. No matter what CRAP it entails!!

Military discounts and BB Guns

It might not surprise you to know that I am little crazy when it comes to coupons, discounts, local rates, internet specials and anything else I can come up with to save a little cashola. It's fairly safe to say that I don't purchase much for the original asking price. I didn't marry for money, nor did I choose a career that would be too profitable. So, I have to save somewhere. I just recently realized how obvious this problem was to others. In particular, how obvious it is to the two little people who call me "mom."

About two years ago, the boy child came upon the responsible age of ten. It is at this age that he is now a military ID card holder. He was very excited to go to the MPF and get his photo taken. He now holds in his sweaty little hands his identity. A card he freely flashes to anyone who asks, or doesn't ask for that matter. What he was most excited about, we recently learned, was the possibility of a military discount. What? Yes my boy wants to ask every clerk at every store, if they offer a military discount so he can flash his ID card. Where did he get this idea? Oh, yeah... me. So, came the discussion of the sacrifices men and women in uniform make for their country. We are not entitled to a discount. We are not entitled to any special privileges with this ID card. We are graciously given a discount by local merchants who appreciate what our daddy does for his country. Period. End of story. Quit asking for discounts.

The younger girl child chimes in. "Why do they care what daddy does for his job." The discussion continued. The bravery of the men and women who have fought and died and continue to fight so that our country can enjoy certain freedoms. Then the even bigger question comes up. "Will our daddy have to fight?" Well yes, he does. He doesn't do anything glamorous like fly fighter planes or infantry or anything like that. But, yes he has a small, but important part in fighting wars. He is a small part of the bigger system that continues to fight for our freedom. At this point her face becomes very somber. I can see the worry gears turning in her head. I have those same worries in my head, so I am very familiar with what they look like. Then finally she finds her small contribution to keep her daddy safe in "fighting these wars." I'll let daddy take my gun to work with him. Yes, she said it. She has a gun. A shiny, bubble gum pink, Red-Rider BB gun that her grandparents got her for Christmas a few years back. With that... the  worries are gone and she skipped out of the room with a proud smile on her face. Problem. Solved.

Shaving cream...

We have a 12 year old boy in the house. 12 year old boys you know, they do strange things. Unfortunately for the 12 year old, when mischief appears in our household, he is usually the top suspect in the case. As was the case two weeks ago in the mystery of the disappearing shaving cream.

As you all know, the husbands "military" job in Las Vegas was a tad unconventional. So, he got out of the habit of shaving daily. Since we have moved to our new base, we have also moved back into the "real" air force. He has had to step up the shaving game. Well, all of that info was probably TMI and I promise to get to the point eventually.

So his morning routine is very "basic training" style. He can get out of bed and out the door in like 5 minutes. Not that I do a whole lot of primping, but I need an hour. Doesn't matter where I am going, I need at least an hour. Irrelevant, I know. Back to the story. In order to accomplish his morning marathon, he shaves in the shower.

 He noticed about a week ago that his shaving cream kept walking out of the shower. The first few days, he went to grab for it in shower and instead found it on the sink. He didn't think much of it. Then one day, he found it in the cupboard. He blamed that one on my cleaning and putting things away. Then finally one day, no shaving cream in the shower, no shaving cream on the sink, and no shaving cream in the cupboard. No, this time it had walked outside the bathroom door and decided to sit in the corner of our bedroom. Now, he knew a kid was to blame. It was either one of our two. Or possibly it was the ghost child. I am quite sure every family has a ghost child in the house. He gets into mischief of all kinds. We know it was him because neither one of my kids take responsibility for leaving the milk out- ghost child.  Toilet seat up- ghost child.  Or eating the last bit of cereal and putting the empty box back into the pantry-  ghost child.

Giving the ghost child the benefit of the doubt, we do have that 12 year old in the house. Jared assumed that the 12 year old boy was probably curious about the whole shaving routine. Now much more appropriate timing than 10 years ago when he last tried to use the razor (another story for another time).  So, he questioned the 12 year old. As the boy immediately dismissed any involvement in the walking shaving cream. The blame was quickly being shifted yet again to the ghost child-  poor ghost child.

But wait, the 7 year old girl overheard the conversation and quickly raised her hand- she is still learning the rules of classrooms and raises her hand at often inappropriate times (former home-schooler :)). She confessed to the crime,  "I read the back of the can and it said Caution: Flammable! Keep away from high heat. I didn't want it to explode Daddy in the hot shower." She was let off the hook. She had a very good motive. She can't help herself, she has inherited the worry gene from her mother.

Girls Running for Truth

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a bit crazy. I like to run. I am not good at it or fast in any respect, but I like it. Two years ago, I finally decided I would run the entire 26.2 miles of the Las Vegas Marathon. My lack of knowledge on proper training landed me a stress fracture and halted my progress, but I did manage however to limp, stumble, and crawl through the half (13.1) in just under 3 hours. Then I took some serious time off (and probably gained some serious poundage). The following June, I cut my goals a bit shorter and trained and ran the San Diego Rock and Roll half marathon and managed to impress myself with a shocking 2 hrs 19 min finish. With new motivation and love again of the sport, I decided to give it another go for the full Las Vegas marathon that year. I chalked up another half about a month prior to the full and then managed to cross that marathon finish line last December 2010. Something I am very proud of. The icing on the cake? No major injuries to speak of. I am also currently training for another half that I have dragged my husband into running with me.

So, yes. One could conclude that I kind of like running. I also like living a healthy lifestyle for my kids to witness. With a slew of health problems in both mine and my husbands side of the family. I want to set an example for my kids. I don't want them to just hear, "live an active lifestyle," or "eat a healthy diet." I want them to witness and experience it firsthand. Also if you know me well at all, you would know that my faith is a huge part of who I am. I grew up with so much confusion and self doubt, but one thing that has always remained strong was my faith in God. So this to, my husband and I have always wanted to demonstrate to our kids. Not just preach it to them but to truly show them what it means to follow Christ.

I am a Christian, I run, and... and... and... I home-school my kids. Alright, now if you weren't convinced before, you should be completely convinced now that I am a total nut-job. Any level headed college educated person would totally conclude that I am quite delusional and if my kids have any brains at all should deduct the same. So what?? We are different. As it turns out, my kids are quite different too. They are nice level headed individuals. My son actually is quite a good runner. Not to mention a pretty talented soccer player too- props to his coach of the last 5 years. My daughter is one of the most hard working, loving people I know. She doesn't look like other girls, nor does she act like them. She is beautifully unique. Different. Afterall no one ever said it would be EASY being a Christian. One Bible verse I have to constantly remind myself of is this, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12. So, I happily conclude we are different.

I have been running with this thought for some time now. Don't get me wrong, I have my moments. I see other kids and parents who seem to have the perfect life. They just seem to have it together. I find myself envying them. Their kids go to public school and are so-called "socially adjusted." I have these panic attacks asking my husband, my friends, family :"am I doing the right thing?" It drives me crazy when I get "the look" right after I make it known to a new acquaintance that I home-school my kids. I second guess myself constantly. Are they getting the education they need and deserve? Will they grow up to be so called "normal" members of society? What is the right thing to do here? And then after days (and many nights) of this panic, I suddenly remember... Oh yeah. I do this because I (yes me) felt it was the right thing to do. I feel this sudden calm. This feeling of God saying "I got this."

Then, I am back to this, "it is ok to be different." And so... different we are. In this craziness of home-schooling, we have access to many home-schoolers activities. A dear old co-worker of mine started this "Girls Running for Truth" 5K training program. This is a character building program designed to make an early positive impact on girls regarding their body image, "true" beauty, nutrition and fitness (quoted directly from GFRT website). Of course, this was right up my alley. I was oober excited about registering my princess for this activity. So tonight we went to registration and got her all signed up. She saw many old friends there and they were all playing and socializing in the park. She looked pretty excited too. My heart was glad. Then, we got in the car and began our short drive home and she asks, "will I have to... like... run??" Once again, I didn't quite have an answer. Some times, I think the apple falls farther from the tree than previously believed. This apple might have fallen even closer another one of my friends tree :) The good thing is, this dear friend and I are still growing in basically the same grove. She just doesn't run!!!

A bit about us...

I have these two amazing children. I have truly been blessed to birth and help mould these two people in my life. Their innocence keeps me connected, their wit keeps me entertained and their honesty keeps me on my toes. They were not accidentally placed in my life- this was definitely part of God's plan. They have kept me grounded and amazingly at the same time allowed me to dream dreams I never imagined I was capable of. They encourage me to run marathons whether physically or spiritually. They get me out of bed in the morning and moreso put me into bed in the evening.

My kids both have traits I wish I had. Dylan (11) my son is the most atheltically and physically fit person I have ever met. He is a soccer player, gymnast, runner, push up master and as I have learned today crunch champion. He went to youth group camp this year for the first time unaccompanied. AND he came back in one piece. I worried. Oh boy did I worry. You see, he is home schooled. He has been for the last 4 years. If it is not under my educational instruction, it is under my hubby's soccer coaching, or our hand selected music instruction. This year, we trusted the lord and sent him away to youth group camp. He came back a better person (is that possible??)

Tonight, he went to youth group and had fellowship with other Christ followers. I want him to learn about the God we serve, but also want him to benefit from this 2 hour/ week time to socialize with other NORMAL non-homeschooled kids. There is this girl who went to camp not only this year but also last year when Dad went as a counselor. I don't know her, but know she is worth making an impression upon to him. So, I take a deep breath and trust... and (despite what my mind tells me) let be...

So, he comes home today with a query; "How do I get my abs ripped?" I respond, "try these bicycle crunches" I attempted to demonstrate a set of 25 wretched examples. " If I can do 25, you can do 50. " He really can do 50. This kid is a walking, talking muscle.

He quickly countered, "So, you only have to do 25 and I somehow have to do 50??

"Yes," I answered, " I have had kids in this stomach, so that means it is not as strong as yours..."

Dylan rebuked, "what are you talking about??? I am out here and so is Megan, you don't have any kids in there. Let's see 50."

Me: speechless...