I believe that spiritual beliefs should be personal. I have come to completely dislike organized religion. Everyday you hear things about one religion or another that is totally disgusting. People believing that others should die or go to hell, yet claim in the next sentence that their God is a loving forgiving God. It is hypocrisy in the highest order and drives me nuts. People should not be so worried with how other people worship and should be more worried with their own personal choices when it comes to religion. To bad they cannot seem to understand that.
Kids and School
Oh, I just love the after school homework routine. Okay, not really. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to get the children to do their homework. There is always one who doesn’t feel like doing it on any given day. Therefore there is never a reprieve. I always have to stand over one of them to make sure they don’t dilly dally about. It can be very grating on the nerves, but I am very good at holding my temper. I simply tell them that if it doesn’t get done, they will do nothing for the rest of the week that is remotely fun. It works most of the time, but not always.
Watching for the Bus
When we moved out here, the idea of having a lot of land for the boys to run and play was one of the top reasons I wanted to get this house. The house itself is really old and needs a lot of work, but my backyard is 40 acres of woods, with creeks and hills, and a large cleared area down by the road where I can put a garden in the spring.
The only drawback to this property so far is that the school bus comes really early to pick up my kids, as they have to be down by the mailbox in the dark during the winter to catch the bus to school. It is only dark for about a month in the middle of winter, and every day that we get closer to spring means there is more light and the days get longer.
I don’t feel comfortable with the idea that my kids are standing by the road in the dark by themselves, so I usually get dressed when they get up and after breakfast I walk down to the mailbox with them and watch for the bus.
This morning it wasn’t so dark anymore and I thought that I might stop walking down to the road with the kids. But they surprised me and flipped out when I suggested it. I think that is kind of cool that they like spending those few minutes together first thing in the mornings. And I could use the exercise, anyway.
Tech School Promises
Am I the only one who is tired of the late night commercials for technical schools that promise a fast and easy “degree” and a guaranteed job as soon as you finish their courses? I know that dozens of people here are “degreed” and “certified” and they cannot find a good job. By good job, I mean a full time position in an acceptable environment. With benefits and a reasonable expectation of being able to continue working there for a long time.
I don’t care if they schools have placement assistance. Its hard to find a job right now and if you don’t have any skills or training, it is even harder. THAT is what they should be telling young people – you need more than high school to get a job. So get trained in something so you have some skills to offer.
Smart as a 5th Grader?
Stop Hitting
Around here a very controversial subject is spanking. A lot of people say that kids should be spanked as part of their discipline. Other people say that hitting children is abuse. I feel strongly that children should not be hit, but was shocked when I found out the local police encourage parents to hit their kids. The official stance of the police department according to two officers on TV who were talking about it is that beating kids is fine – they must need it and the parents should not worry about being arrested for it. That disgusts me to my very core.
Bozo
Do you remember watching Bozo on TV? There used to be a Saturday morning show for children, featuring Bozo the Clown. He would just say a couple of cute or funny lines and then show a cartoon, like Tom and Jerry, Roadrunner, Popeye, etc. It was a harmless way for children to be entertained in the morning while Mom and Dad took are of household chores.
I’m a mother
Anyone that has ever had children, especially more than one, knows that one of the after affects of pregnancy is belly fat. I hate it so I started checking into how to lose belly fat. No I don’t want to look like a teenager again but I would like to lose some of that belly fat. I have exercised and watched what I eat but it’s still there. Hopefully I’ll learn something new.
Since the kids aren’t home now
Now that the kids are back in school, I have been going through the house and getting rid of a lot of clutter that we no longer need. I hate all of the clutter the kids have in their room with toys they don’t play with anymore and everything else that is all over their room.
I’m even thinking about doing some redecorating. Maybe I’ll start with the living room or my bedroom. I don’t know. I’ll have to shop around and see what I see.
Are you a penny pincher?
Just about everyone I know is pinching as much out of their money as they possibly can. You have to especially when you have children. My children are really into the Discovery Channel on TV and they do have a lot of great things for kids. I found Discovery Store discount coupons online.
With school starting back, each of my children needed shoes. That can be expensive but would you believe that I also found Footlocker discount coupons too? I was so proud of myself when I found them. I saved almost enough money to buy at least one of my kids school supplies. How’s that for pinching pennies?