Econ Lesson

I don't read Daily Kos. I hear it's ridiculously left-leaning website, so I've stayed away. I'm pretty left-leaning myself (OK, I'm way left of most people), but I take pause when dealing with blatant political bias. Much as I love Michael Moore's work, I don't trust its objectivity. Same goes for Daily Kos.

But someone on an unschooling message board posted a link to an essay on Daily Kos the other day. Thankfully, I took the time to follow the link and read the essay. Entitled Polyphemus, it's an excellent explanation of some of our country's economic history and how it relates to the global economy. Fascinating stuff. I'd comment more, but the author said it all.

Wow. Just... Wow.

I was just on my local paper's website, investigating rumors that Kendra Wilkinson (one of E!'s Girls Next Door) is not 3 miles from my house. Right. Now. I'm a fan of the show, but not in that gotta-see-the-star kind of way. I'm interested in seeing her simply to satisfy my own curiosity regarding her real level of intelligence (can anyone really be THAT stupid?!). I found nothing helpful about K-Dub's current or expected whereabouts, but I did come across this little nugget.

Go ahead and follow the link. I'll wait.

Now, I know there is a lot of controversy over Gardasil, the HPV vaccine by Merck. I know that a lot of parents are pissed that anyone would even suggest their daughter should be vaccinated against a sexually-transmitted disease at the age of eleven or twelve (yes, I'm sure your daughter will be safe, just as long as your head is completely covered with sand). I also know that the vaccine's potential side effects are scary, and that many people think it's totally unnecessary, even if it is effective. I get all of that.

But what pisses me off is that the government -- a group of thousands of bureaucrats, mind you -- have decided to play doctor. Apparently, the government has weighed the risks (and there are MAJOR risks with Gardasil) and has decided what's best for your child. No, it does not matter if you are uncomfortable with the risk factors; the government is comfy with the numbers, so too bad if your daughter is one of the casualties. Luckily, Virginia is the only state pompous enough to follow the federal government's recommendation and require vaccination of all girls aged twelve and up (and theoretically, this includes homeschoolers). And very luckily, Virginians have big enough mouths and screamed at their Representatives enough to belay that order for another two years.

Immigrants, however, are not so lucky. They are apparently required to get every vaccination on the fed's list of recommendations, whether any individual state agrees and requires the shots or not. And to add insult to injury, the immigrants have to pay for it themselves. The Land of the Free isn't free, my friends. You gotta be rich enough to get in, but then you're gonna be so poor you'll wish you lived in Mexico. I hear rent's cheap there.

No wonder so many immigrants are illegal.

The Great Depression, ver. 2.0 -- Part 2

To continue our history lesson about the Great Depression, we come now to FDR and his New Deal. As you read this, think about what Robert Kiyosaki (the Rich Dad, Poor Dad guy) would say. What we had then -- as now -- was a stop in the flow of money. What we need now -- as then -- is a way to get the cash moving again. The problem, as I see it, is that the federal government has been living the same way the individual American consumer has been living: on credit.

As a nation, we are in debt up to our eyeballs. Most middle class families now know what that eventually leads to... the proverbial shit hitting the fan. Now that we are, individually, experiencing a financial crisis, how long until we, as a country, suffer the same? 'Cause I hate to say it, folks, but this "crunch" we're feeling now is nothing compared with what's to come if our government doesn't do some serious debt consolidation.

But now read how our financial crisis was handled the first time around:


The Complete Book of United States History
[emphasis and comments mine]

Part 2: Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal

In 1932, it was again time for U.S. citizens to elect a president. The Republicans renominated Herbert Hoover, who had been president since the Great Depression began. The Democrats nominated Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the governor of New York.

Franklin Roosevelt felt that the national government had to start helping Americans who were hurt by the depression. He believed that "To ... unfortunate citizens, aid must be extended by the government -- not as a matter of charity but as a matter of social duty." He promised that if he were elected president, he would help end the depression with "a new deal for the American people."

The American people believed Franklin's promise of a "New Deal." They proved it by electing him president in 1932.

The New Deal: New Agencies, New Laws
March 4, 1933, was a chilly, somber day. It also was the day the Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president of the United States. First, he took the oath of office that every president takes. Then, he made his first speech as president. He said, "This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He also told the American people "this is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously."

President Roosevelt did not just talk about change. He acted, too. One of the first things he did was set up a series of new agencies. [someone read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"] Each of these agencies helped to put unemployed Americans back to work.

One of the agencies President Roosevelt set up was the Works Progress Administration, the WPA. The WPA put the unemployed to work building and repairing bridges, roads, and public buildings; writing guidebooks; and creating murals. The Civilian Conservation Corps, the CCC, was another important agency. It put young, unmarried men to work planting trees, building forest trails, and doing other things that conserved the natural environment. Then, there was the National Youth Administration, the NYA. It offered part-time work for students so they would stay in school.

[I'm not sure that such a plan would work this time around; in fact, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't. How can the government pay workers if the government itself is in debt for over ten trillion dollars? And speaking of the national debt...Where the hell is that surplus we had eight years ago?!]

As you can see, many of the New Deal agencies came to be known by their initials. There were so many that President Roosevelt's government was sometimes called a "government by alphabet." Even the president himself became known as FDR.

Under President Roosevelt, the government also passed a series of laws to help the citizens especially hurt by the depression. For example, to help farmers keep their farms, the Agricultural Adjustment Act set prices on some farm products. To help homeowners keep their homes, the Home Owners Loan Act helped people pay their mortgages. [How were these programs financed? The money has to come from somewhere.]

The Social Security Act of 1935 was another very important new law. It provided the elderly with a monthly pension, or retirement income. It also gave money to the states to help them care for the homeless, the visually handicapped, and other needy Americans.

What the New Deal Did
The New Deal did not end unemployment in the country. Neither did it bring the depression to its knees. However, the New Deal did help Americans believe in America again. It showed that the government has a responsibility to help its citizens when its citizens need help.

The Great Depression ver 2.0 -- Part I

What do you remember about the Great Depression from school? It happened in the 1930's. People were out of work and homeless. Stock market traders killed themselves after losing fortunes. Kids worked horrible jobs to help the family get by. And that's... well, pretty much it, right?

McGraw-Hill has a textbook, readily available in bookstores, entitled "The Complete Book of United States History" ("for grades 3 to 5"). I would hardly call this a complete history -- only major events are covered, and then not very completely. Still, I like to pull from a wide variety of sources on such objective topics as history, and my boys can only handle textbook information in small doses. The book's come in handy.

I have always believed -- from the first whisperings about the mortgage industry -- that our country cannot possibly continue operating in the way it has without serious ramifications. Our citizens (a/k/a our consumers) cannot keep living off of credit without some kind of consequences at some point. Credit should be for unusual circumstances in which you need more money upfront than you can get, but that you can, over time, repay. It is not for paying bills or buying stuff that you can't outright afford.

Alas, the shit is hitting the fan for many Americans.

So, while looking through my "Complete History" last night, searching for information about Jamestown and the Revolutionary era to share with the boys, I glanced at the book's unit entitled "A Time of Troubles." I knew there were similarities between what caused the Great Depression and what our country is facing now, but I hadn't realized just how many similarities there are. It's frightening. What's more frightening is trying to envision John McCain coming up with a modern New Deal or WPA. But I digress.

I'm going to post the relevant text from the book here (in parts) with occasional personal comments. Mostly, though, I just want you to read what happened in the 20's and 30's. Think about it. Comment if you feel compelled, or post your opinions on your own blog -- but at least think about it.

The Complete Book of United States History
[comments and emphasis mine]
Unit 9: A Time of Troubles -- Part 1

"The Great Depression"
In every economy, there are good times and there are bad times. A good time is called a boom. A bad time is sometimes called a depression.

The 1920s seemed like a boom time. [like the 1990s and early 2000s] But, times were not booming for everyone. New inventions helped increase the amount farmers could produce. However, farmers produced so much, that the prices of some crops dropped. This meant that, although farmers produced more, they often made less money. So, many farmers did not share in the boom of the 1920s.

During the 1920s, some people made a lot of money, but most did not. Those who wanted to buy things began buying on credit. That is, they gave some money at the time they made the purchase. Then, every month, they made a payment until the item was paid for.

People also began spending a lot of money to buy stocks. A stock is a share in the ownership of a company. People watched as stock prices doubled during the 1920s. They wanted a share of that wealth, too. For the same reason, many banks and businesses also bought stocks during this time.

The Stock Market Crashes
In October 1929, stock prices began to drop. They dropped again and again. On October 24, 13 million shares of stock were sold. On October 29, 16 million shares changed hands. Many, many people wanted to sell their stocks, but few wanted to buy. This caused the prices of stocks to drop even more. People were forced to sell their stocks for much less than the original prices. The people, businesses, and banks with money invested in the stock market lost a fortune that October.

In addition, businesses now found that no one had money to buy their products. To stay in business, they often had to fire workers. Other businesses had to close. By 1933, almost one of every four American workers had no job. Many who were still employed had to take pay cuts or work fewer hours.

Banks, too, were in deep trouble. Many people who had borrowed money from the banks now couldn't pay back that money. In the next few years, thousands of banks were forced to close their doors. People who had accounts in those banks lost all their savings.

Usually, depressions last for a year or two. [That's comforting...] The depression that began in 1929 lasted for over a decade. [...but that's not.] In fact, it lasted so long and was so bad that to this day, it is known as the "Great Depression."

During the Great Depression, thousands of families lost their homes, because they couldn't make their mortgage payments. All over the country, shantytowns sprang up where people built shelters from flattened tin cans and cardboard or car bodies or anything else they could find. Many called these shack cities [like the one outside of Las Vegas] "Hoovervilles," because they felt that President Herbert Hoover was partly to blame for their condition. [Um, "Bushvilles?"]

People who didn't have jobs found there were no jobs to be had. Some became shoe shiners. Others sold apples on city streets. Still they starved. America was full of scenes such as the one a woman witnessed in a Chicago alley: "One vivid, gruesome moment of those dark days we shall never forget," she said. "We saw a crowd of some fifty men fighting over a barrel of garbage outside the back door of a restaurant. American citizens fighting for scraps of food like animals!"

The President Responds
Herbert Hoover was president during this time. He didn't believe the national government should help the people. He argued that in times like these, it was the responsibility of individuals to look after their neighbors. What individuals couldn't do, the local or state governments should do. The national government -- at least as long as Herbert Hoover was president -- would give aid only as a "last resort." According to the president, that time of "last resort" didn't come during his presidency. As a result, the national government offered little aid to the nation's overwhelmed states, cities, and citizens.

A Shameful Story

One of the darkest days of the Great Depression happened in Washington, D.C., near the Capitol Building, where Congress meets. In the summer of 1932, fifteen thousand World War I veterans straggled into Washington. They were part of perhaps two million men who had lost almost everything since the depression began.

As veterans of the war, they were holders of bonus certificates. These certificates were to mature, or reach their full worth, in 1945. The veterans hoped to talk Congress into letting the certificates mature in 1932.

Congress voted not to advance the bonus money. So, most of the veterans went back to their home states. About two thousand, though, stayed in Washington. Many of these men had no homes they could return to. They set up places to live in a shantytown they built near the Capitol Building.

President Hoover worried that the two thousand veterans in the nearby shantytown might become violent. Plus, their presence was embarrassing to him. So, he told the U.S. Army to make the veterans leave the area.

On July 28, 1932, Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur ordered the Army to scatter the veterans. Troops armed with tear gas, tanks, guns, and bayonets forced out the desperate, hopeless men, women, and children of the "Bonus Army." Then, the Army burned the shacks of their shantytown.

Later, General MacArthur defended his actions. He said that the veterans were a bunch of "riotous elements." Regardless of what he said, many Americans were furious with his and President Hoover's treatment of people who had faithfully served their country during World War I. The Washington News spoke for many when it said, "What a pitiful spectacle is that of the great American Government, mightiest in the world, chasing unarmed men, women, and children with Army tanks. ... If the army must be called out to make war on unarmed citizens, this is no longer America."

Many Americans had become frustrated with President Hoover's failure to end the depression. Many, too, were horrified by his treatment of the veterans in Washington. A cry went out for new leadership for this difficult times.

Next, Part 2: Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal

Texbooks, Shmextbooks

In an article (published in 2004 and now found here), entitled "Why Textbooks Stink," Kathy Ceceri gives an eye-opening account of how textbooks come to be written. I was more than a little disturbed to read this paragraph:

"Parents and citizens groups regularly call for changes in textbooks reflecting particular political or religious views, and many times, they succeed. One hundred years after the Scopes Monkey Trial, opposing sides are still waging the evolution-creation fight. ([Harvard science professor and evolution expert Stephen Jay] Gould, who often testified on behalf of teaching evolution, wondered why his son’s high school biology textbook invited students to “investigate other theories” when he never saw similar invitations to, for instance, check out levitation as an alternative to the theory of gravity.) In November 2004, CBS News reported a group of parents were suing a school district in Georgia which had added stickers that said "Evolution is a theory, not a fact,” to biology textbooks at the earlier insistence of other parents. The same story noted that the State Board of Education in Texas exerted pressure on publishers to change the wording in their health textbooks to specify that marriage was a lifelong union between a man and woman, an issue of debate in many parts of the country."

Seriously?! Homophobia aside, even if you are simply defining it in a legal sense, marriage is hardly "lifelong." And Mr. Gould's point is spot on: I see no one proposing that we theorize other reasons for Earth's orbit around the sun or Old Faithful's promptness.

But I was particularly pleased to read this paragraph:

"[Textbook editor and writer Tamim] Ansary would like to see states get rid of the textbook adoption process altogether, and let teachers pull together their own classroom resources instead relying on a single text. He envisions teachers supplementing a mini-encyclopedia reference core with related fiction and nonfiction books, board games, software and hands-on materials like maps or models that would make the subject come alive (similar to the way many homeschoolers design their own curricula without textbooks). Ansary believes that letting schools pick and choose the elements of from different, smaller publishers would encourage competition by smaller companies and increase diversity, instead of stifling it."

Uhh... yeah! Why are students (and their teachers) in schools expected to all learn from these same, terrible textbooks? Why is pulling information from varied and interesting resources such a revolutionary idea?

And why -- WHY -- do people think that home educators should aspire to using the same resources as the schools? That seems to be a great concern among the detractors I've spoken with: where will I get my textbooks? Or tests? Oh, don't get me started on that one.

My kids have learned history through dress-up, games, stories, and role-playing. I doubt they could tell you what year Caligula was assassinated (though they can Google it, if you really need to know), but they can tell you all about his insanity, as well as what life was like for the average Roman citizen during his tyranny. They've also seen how a simple salt mixture mummifies flesh, how paint becomes part of a wall in the fresco process, and why trebuchets fling farther than catapaults, which fling farther than onagers.

Anyone can look up information these days, and even a young child can look up false information. It takes hands-on learning and interest-based reading to get to the meat of the matter, to really understand the reasons for scientific principles or historical events, and to be able to glean from this knowledge how to move us all forward.

Totally Selfish Wish List

I've been thinking about Christmas a lot lately. Mostly, I've been thinking how the hell are we going to buy anyone anything?!?!

And in the true spirit of an American Christmas, I've also been thinking about the stuff I'd love to have for myself or my family, if money fell from the sky onto all our friends and family. Assuming, of course, that it misses us: if we had our own money, I'd buy this shit right now and wouldn't have to ask anyone for any of it for Christmas.

On to my list:

For Aengus: a real drum set and unlimited participation in soccer, fencing, and flag football for the year. And a pet penguin. And a pool -- to house the penguin, of course.

For Noah: A violin, recording equipment, his own computer, a good stereo, a room makeover, several new guitars, and a year of fencing lessons. Oh, and a gas card (to pay for all those trips to see his girlfriend).

For the whole family: An Xbox 360 (with games and all peripherals, plus a headset, subscription, etc. for online play), membership to museums around Virginia, a gas card to get us to all the museums in Virginia, a camcorder!!!!, a year's membership to the community center, a weekend in D.C., a trip to the beach, a weekend in Williamsburg, a camping/fishing trip, and a new entertainment system (a CD/DVD player, radio, maybe even a TV -- and speakers that emit sound).

For Jason: R/C helicopter supplies. And clothes. That boy still wears the old-man clothes he's had since 1992. And maybe a tan.

For me: A community center membership for the family, instruments for the kids, a camcorder, fabric to recover my deck furniture, a laptop that works, an occasional meal at a restaurant that does not have a drive-thru, a few days in NYC to see Equus, a month or two (or more) in -- well, pretty much all of Europe (hell, throw the Middle East in there, too). And a haircut. I cannot maintain my hotness with this god-awful soccer-mom bob.

So, what's on your totally selfish, if-I-could-have-anything Christmas list?

I'm trying hard to think of a post for my other blog. But what did my kids do yesterday? I know they learned something, I just can't put my finger on anything educational. Aengus wasn't really here much, though I know he did a lot on his camping trip. I can certainly come up with something for him. It's Noah I'm worried about.

What did he do yesterday? What does he do any day? All I can think of is what he doesn't do. He doesn't read, he doesn't write, he doesn't work on any math; he doesn't even watch educational TV anymore. He plays his guitar (good) and Runescape (good, but I think he's gotten about as much out of it educationally as he can). He watches videos on YouTube (I think a lot of music videos, so that's good) and emails his friends (OK, so that's socialization and writing).

I guess I've answered my own question: he actually is doing stuff. But it's what he doesn't do that has me concerned. I feel he should know more about history, should be able to express ideas on paper in a somewhat coherent and organized fashion, should be able to manipulate numbers beyond multiplication and division.

But all that will come in time, I suppose. Wait it out, Adesa. Every time I've gotten worried about academics in the past, it's always been a matter of waiting for his interest and maturity to catch up to my goals for him. And eventually, it all kicks in.

Wait it out, Adesa.

For now, what we need to work on is his work ethic. I'm very concerned that he's learned about the value of work from his mother, who never met an excuse she didn't like. I jokingly refer to him as "Half-Ass Hafford," but... well, the name fits. Not his fault, like I said: he learned it all from me. But I'm really getting worried that what was just a habit is becoming Who He Is. And no matter what he does with his life, he'll need to work hard at it. Motivation he can find on his own; determination must be cultivated.

I think that this is one of those dilemmas that all parents face, unschooling or not: to change (mold? guide?) our children or let them be who they are, despite the potential problems we see? To what extent do I try to step in and affect this path he's on? He is who he is, and I respect that. I don't want to impose my own ideas on him. And I really don't want him to get the message that he's not good enough just they way he is. I love him completely, lazy or not.

But I also don't want him to be a 30-year-old man who lives with his mom because he can't keep a job. Even worse, I don't want his future family to suffer financially (the way we have) because I didn't teach him better habits.

But how does a lazy person teach industriousness?

Beach Volleyball Bitch

The males in my house don't understand why I'm so upset. Every time I see beach volleyball, I rant and rave about the injustice of it all.

Exhibit A: The men's uniform.








Exhibit B: The Women's uniform.








Am I really the only one who can see what's wrong here?! And on top of all the blatant objectification apparently ingrained in this sport the world over, the Olympics even added "cheerleaders" to the volleyball venue:





Sheesh. Guess we haven't come such a long way, have we?

I just LOVE this kid!

My darling, innocent, wide-eyed angel has been building with Legos all morning. Why tell us this on this blog and not the family-friendly, education-oriented blog, you ask? Aren't Legos an unschooler's wet dream?

Well, yes they are. But wait 'til you hear what he was building:

A bar. A BAR! Complete with bartender, drinks, and patrons. I'll have to ask if one of those patrons is Mom... God help us if the bartender's him!

Attention, NBC

Your programming of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing SUCKS ASS. Sure, you posted the schedule of all the fencing matches on your website. You got us all psyched up to watch it live, then you proceeded to broadcast soccer, field hockey and hand-fucking-ball instead.

We didn't complain (much) when you didn't broadcast the women's sabre (even though a homeschooler took the bronze and the US swept the event for the first time ever), because we thought for sure you'd show the men's events. We woke up early because your website said the quarterfinals would take place at 7:10am -- nothin' but handball. OK, we thought, semifinals at 7:20 -- nope, field hockey. Finals at 8am? Hah.

We've given up on you, NBC. You may advertise that you have the most complete coverage ever, but it still sucks. Why can't you, in two-thousand-frickin'-eight, make the events "on demand"? Why can't we go to our TV's menu, select a sport, then watch it? Why is this so difficult? My God, teenagers can download porn right to their phones while they're sitting in class, but do you think we can watch a little fencing?!

What is particularly sad is that your programming in general, NBC, has been on the slide ever since Friends went off the air. From the looks of your fall line-up, there isn't much hope for the near future, either. Your Olympics coverage was the one bright feather left on the Peacock... til you fucked it up.

So is the Peacock now bald... or is it just dead? If the team fencing isn't broadcast, I'm declaring a DNR on the bird and never coming back to the networks.

Six Things Meme

I done been tagged, and I think this one's a good meme. It could keep me writing for hours! ;o) I won't be tagging anyone else, since I don't know too many bloggers, but feel free to jump in!

Steph says I should tell the people 6 things they don't know about me. Just six, Steph?

1) I share Steph's phone phobia. It's not a fear so much as an extreme discomfort. Much like poor money management skills, I believe this phone repulsion is a closeted characteristic with which many people suffer, and it needs to be addressed, publicly, once and for all. We who suffer from it must swallow our embarrassment, raise our keyboards, and SHOUT through the blogoshphere that we will no longer be shamed by our inexplicable avoidance of today's accoutrement of choice.

2) My mother's main goal for my upbringing was for me to graduate high school without becoming pregnant. To that end, she refused to discuss birth control ("You will NOT have sex"), and I ended up with a near miss. Whoever is in charge here knew I couldn't step up to that kind of responsibility, and I had a miscarriage. But I was so woefully undereducated about all things sexual that I had to ask my mother what was happening to me. Oy. That was NOT a fun conversation.

3) I pick. At my kids, my husband, at anyone who disagrees with me. At my nails, at my scabs, at a spot on the wall or a thread on the sofa. Can't just let anything GO.

4) I secretly yearn for an encounter with another man. I have several in mind, none of whom would hold a candle to my own husband, but still... it's my one fantasy.

Want the list? Here goes: Dan from high school (OK, he might actually make a good life partner), Mark the Marine (I'll tell you that story another time), Dan Radcliffe (but only if he's scruffy and his hair is zhoozhed, like on the Details magazine cover), Hunter Parrish (Silas on Weeds... I am LOVING the storyline with him and the neighbor boy's mom!!!), and Drake Bell (holy hell, get me away from children's programming already!).

5) As the above list testifies, I have been experiencing a bit of a mid-life crisis. How long are these things supposed to last, anyway? It's been about six years now, and I'm ready for it to be over. And by over, I mean "twenty-seven again."

6) Back when Jason and I were first living together, we were dirt poor. I know, I know: you'd think that after almost twenty years together, we'd have made some progress. Ah, but we have! Because back then, when we needed cash, we visited the priest at the Catholic church in the city. For forty bucks -- cold, hard cash, straight outta the collection plate -- all Jason had to do was take off his glasses and pretend he was watching Father John masturbate. With some other young guys, since an audience of one was not enough, I guess.

Us girls? We got to eat the cookies leftover from Sunday School. Good deal all around.

Luckily, it's been a LONG time since we've been that poor. But in case gas prices don't come down anymore... Do any of you know of any clergymen with unfulfilled needs?

No, Really!

Nothing like screaming about being "back," then disappearing for a month, eh?

Sorry, folks, just a few technical difficulties. It's called "buying a Toshiba laptop," and it can sink an internet experience faster than you can say "they even had to cut their warranties to just 6 months."

But I'm not bitter.

Luckily, I have many wonderful, generous people in my life. I had several offers for computer donations and am currently blogging from my first-ever iMac.

I'm still not sure in what ways a Mac differs from a PC. So far, I've found the differences to be pretty subtle, along the lines of what you might find when comparing different versions of the same Windows program.

But none -- NONE -- of my software is compatible with this machine. Erg. What we sacrifice for our children, eh? Because you see, we took our friend up on her offer for the Mac because Noah can now download Apple's Garage Band, the music editing software that musicians everywhere claim is da shit. Here's hoping it's all they say it is.

Cheers!

I'm Baaaack...

I've been blogging a LOT, just not here. ;o) I've been trying to log the boys' freeform learning according to school subjects over at Xanga , with a fair amount of regularity. But there are some topics that aren't relevant to that blog or that I don't want my mom reading. ;o) So I've kept this blog very separate, but that meant I didn't get over here much. That's about to change.

I've had many occasions over the last few months on which I'd had a lot of thoughts, but I never put them down. I'm on a mission to change that. I look forward to hearing from anyone who reads this, though I'm guessing my audience will be way low. I hope you all enjoy my ranting.

Cheers!

Video Gaming

We've been struggling with the video game question lately. And by "we" I mean me, of course.

Noah's use of games has always been what I would call educational, and what the media would call edutainment. That is to say, he's always played games that were learning disguised as a game or were games requiring a lot of thought.

But Aengus has really gotten into gaming lately, and not at all the same kind as Noah. Aengus prefers those first-person shooting and destruction games. It totally fits with his personality: the Transformer smashing up cars on the screen might as well be him. And though I see a little "educational value" in such games, I really have a hard time being OK with the hours a day he spends playing them.

There is an excellent post here (http://zajosa.blogspot.com/2008/04/problem-when-parents-think-childs.html), written by an unschooled teen. In it, Zach expresses the difficulty his relationship with his mother faced when she not only limited the amount of time he could spend on his favorite hobby, but also did not share in the excitement of his interest. He also vocalizes (rather succinctly) exactly how I feel about video games: namely, that they are misunderstood and undervalued by older generations.

Just when I felt at peace with a parenting issue, Aengus came along and shook up my views. Something tells me this won't be the last time he does that. ;o)

Growing Up in the 'Hood

I referred to Aengus as a "big boy" today.

He said, "I'm not a big boy."

"Sure, you are. You're not a man, but you're not a little kid, either."

"Noah's a man," came his reply.

sniff. "Yeah, I guess he is." sniff.

"Well, almost," he said. "He can't drive yet, or drink beer."
___________________________________________________

I started a new blog, over at Xanga. That will be my learning log of sorts, appropriate for my extended (and long distance) family to view. As opposed to this blog, where I occasioanlly insult them. ;o)

Our, uh, Typical Day

We had another amazing day on Wednesday, full of LOTS of "learning activities." Aengus and I repacked our mummy-in-progress, played outside a lot, made a model of the Nile River, and discussed Egypt, climate, and archaeology. Noah and I watched Episode 2 of John Adams, with quite a bit of discussion.

Noah's quote of the day (after a nice, long talk about empathy, government, and recycling): "You know, Mom, it's kinda cool talking about this stuff with you." {awww!}

My response: "Yeah, that's one of my favorite things about you being a teenager; you talk to me like I'm a person, not a mom."

And Aengus's quote of the day? "You know that place where you get to pick what you learn about?"

"Umm, college?"

"Yeah, college. Can you learn about juggling there?"
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A more typical day for us, though, does not include so many recognizably-educational activities. What follows is not a particular day's schedule but is a general accounting of how most days (that don't have outside activities scheduled) seem to run in the 'Hood.

5:45am - I'm up, I'm up, I'm UP. Coffee. Feed cats. Let dogs out. Shower. Coffee. Dress. Straighten up. Coffee. Email. Webkinz. Coffee. Oh yeah, the dogs -- let dogs back in. Feed dogs.

7:00 - Aengus stumps downstairs, turns on the Playstation, and requests cereal.

7:10 - Daycare kids arrive (two of them: a 19-month-old that I keep all day and his 7-year-old brother that I see onto and off of the bus).

Aengus and the older daycare kid play Battlefront for a little bit, then we all march outside to wait for the bus.

The dogs enjoy their morning constitution and a bit of wrestling. Oh, to be a dog.

7:37 - After the bus gets Chris, we head back inside for the toddler's breakfast and more coffee (for me, that is).

Aengus usually returns to his game or switches on cartoons.

I continue working on the computer, checking blogs and email, updating the NLSV calendar, seeing if there's any new Harry Potter news, yada yada yada.

Jason goes to bed.

8:30 - After a bit of play and a fresh diapie, Kane goes down for his nap. I play Cash Cow like any good mother would (to earn Kinz cash, of course!). I make Aengus and I each an egg sandwich and have some more coffee. I do the dishes and see to any other chores.

The rest of the morning is spent on the computer or with a book or magazine. Aengus enjoys way too much TV and/or PS2. At some point I make him get dressed (out of yesterday's clothes, because of course he wore them to bed last night) and wash up for the day. He snacks independently all morning, then starts asking for lunch aroun 11am.

Noon - I make lunch for Aengus. We play a game together, usually something like chess or Dragonology or Tickle Monster (this one's too noisy for times when Noah and Jason are asleep, though). Some days we do something edutypical like a Story of the World activity or something from Top Secret Adventures. Usually, though, we turn on the Discovery Channel and see what Adam and Jamie are up to or, if we're lucky, whether the Cash Cab contestants go for the Video Bonus.

Some time after noon (it varies greatly from day to day), Noah graces us with his groggy presence. He pours himself some coffee and commandeers the computer. Somehow, he perks up after just ONE cup of coffee. For the next 2 hours, he'll play on Runescape, check his email, and look up music videos. At some point he'll run upstairs to get one of his guitars; I'm researching whether there is a correlation between the guitar he chooses and the mood he's in. I'll get back to you on that.

Aengus spends the early afternoon playing by himself, either outside (you'd be amazed how many duct-taped sticks we have in our yard) or up in his room (making "magazines," writing in his journal in his own made-up language, playing with his stuffed animals, counting his money, duct-taping his plastic swords, organizing his YuGiOh cards, etc.)

Kane takes another nap in the afternoon, while I putter around the house.

3:30pm - Aengus (or sometimes Noah) goes outside to wait for the school bus. Now we've got Chris and another daycare kid, a socially-challenged 6-year-old boy. Chris and Aengus play outside, usually riding scooters up and down the driveway. Travis tries racing them on our little toddler bike, gets frustrated that they won't let him win, then comes inside to play with the Thomas the Tank Engine trains with me and Kane.

Jason wakes up, makes a pot of coffee, and smokes a cigarette.

Noah finally showers, then starts hassling me about when the next time is that we'll be going into town. That's where the guitar shop is, you see.

I hop online throughout the day as I'm able to. I research homeschooling stuff, take care of NLSV business, check email and lists, look up cool sites, etc. Sometimes I have time for more Webkinz. ;o) I return phone calls, pay bills, whatevah.

4:30 - Daycare kids get picked up. Thank. God. They're all nice kids, but they're not mine, and I've spent the afternoon watching the clock. I start wondering if I have anything thawed out that I can make for dinner. If Jason has to work, it's time to go.

5:00 - I finally decide on something quick and easy and vow to really cook something tomorrow.

Aengus starts up with his "play with me" mantra, and I send him off to clean up a bit. So of course he goes back to the TV.

Noah is playing his guitar and looking new tabs up on the web. I throw a few suggestions his way. "What about the Clash? Misfits? Ramones?" He gets a few chores done, then returns to the computer.

Jason showers and watches Discovery Channel with Aengus. We all eat dinner in front of the TV, usually finding some really cool new shows. I start to harp on Noah about doing something academic.

6:00 - I do chores, Jason does chores, Aengus watches TV or plays Legos, and Noah reads or "does schoolwork." Around here, that means a lesson from HippoCampus or some kind of math worksheet. It's supposed to also mean writing in his journal, doing some grammar worksheets, and/or reading something historical.

7:00 - Stick a fork in me. Whether the house is cleaned up or not (usually not), I plop down for some Hollywood news and Friends. Sometimes we all watch a history show or a movie together. And sometimes, if it's still light out, Jason takes the boys outside to do yard work or fly remote control planes.

8:00 - Time for Aengus to get ready for bed, though the actual bedtime is flexible. Sometimes it's as late as 9pm, depending on the TV schedule. But since he still gets up at the same time every day, I try to stick close to this bedtime. Once he starts sleeping in as needed, he'll have the same schedule as Noah, I'm sure.

Jason switches from the Discovery or History Channel to DIY, Military, or Science Channel.

Noah is on the computer with his guitar in hand (almost always an electric one by now).

I'm folding laundry or paging through a magazine while watching TV. American Idol, Daily Show and Colbert Report, History Channel, a movie, Lost, Girls Next Door... you name it. Background noise that keeps my brain busy.

10:00 - Bedtime for me. Noah stays up half the night; Jason's up all night. Noah does the dishes, cleans up his stuff, and is in bed anywhere between 1 and3:30am.
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Most of our days spent at home are like that. But most of our days aren't spent at home. We have Homeschool P.E., our fUNschool co-op, play dates, guitar lessons, fencing, and Science Club. On those days, far less of our time is eaten up by electronics.

But I have to say that I'm OK with some of our days being just like the above; it is amazing what's on TV these days. We learn so much from TV that I consider the time spent in front of the screen to be "school time." My only reservation is the lack of physical activity, which I really do try to include in our lives each day.

So.... What's your "typical day" like?

What a Day!

Amazing how we have leaps in interest and understanding. We do very little structured "schoolwork" around here, except for the occasional Hippo Campus lesson and sometimes a writing exercise or two. We're mostly unschoolers, though, and our days are consumed by TV (Nick, HBO, and Discovery and History Channels ROCK!), the internet (mostly Runescape and Webkinz), and music (all of us listening and Noah playing).

As an experiment, I purchased the CAT test for Noah. He's been test-averse in the past, so giving it to him was simply to see how he'd handle it. No pressure, no expectations.

Well. We've had the test for weeks now. He did the first section (20 questions, 10 minutes) and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. We managed to knock out two more sections within two weeks. (Yes, I know most people do the whole thing in a day or two. Have I mentioned before how very relaxed we are around here?)

Along came Easter and a visit to family in PA, followed by a visit from my mom (that's a whole 'nother post), a big field trip, and some sleepovers. Needless to say, we're not quite back into the let's-do-a-little-more-structured-work-and-see-where-it-gets-us mode. We're still in the who-the-hell-cares-whether-we-adhere-to-their-timeline-and-who-says-we're-not-learning-anyway mode. Frankly, I could stay there all the time, but Noah did say he wanted a bit more structure. Maybe it's about time to at least finish the test, I figured.

As Noah and I sat down to review fractions and do another section of the CAT, I was distracted by a little book I had ordered about a month ago. It's a pocket-sized copy of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It's put out by a fundamentalist group, so it has some rather religious quotes by some of the Founding Fathers. But it has the exact text of the original documents, including the Amendments.

WELL.

I asked Noah if he'd ever read the Constitution or Declaration. He hadn't, of course. I noted to him that were he in school, he'd have to memorize the Preamble of the Constitution and possibly the entire Declaration.

"Good thing I'm not in school," came his witty reply.

So I read him the Preamble and paraphrased the remainder of the Constitution. Funny, the Preamble seemed much, much longer when *I* was in school -- and trying to memorize it.

Anyhoo, I then started reading the Amendments. We spent -- no lie -- HOURS discussing them. Jason (yeah, he was actually there, for once) and I would explain an Amendment or give Noah the historical background or reason for it, and we had a lively little talk about each. It was fantastic!

Then I read the complete Declaration of Independence to him. Now, do you remember what all the grievances against King George were? I urge each and every one of you to go back and read the Declaration in its entirety. Then come back here and riddle me this: Could each of these grievances not be also said by the Iraqis regarding King George Dubya? It was an eye-opening experience reading the Declaration. It was wonderful to hear Noah interject, "But wait, isn't that what we're doing to Iraq?"

He thinks I was joking, but I think our next exercise in writing is going to be a paper or blog that compares, line by line, 18th-century Britain's actions in the Colonies with 21st-century America's actions in the Middle East.

After this wonderful discussion, we turned to HBO On Demand to watch the first episode of John Adams. (Pause for review: Though well done and fascinating, I wish it were more than a miniseries. I'd like to see each of these men's points of view, not just Mr. Adams's. Personally, I think it should be a full-on series about the founding of our country and the formation of our government. Westward Expansion included.) Noah thought it was good, though I had to explain a few things along the way (they hint at additional actions taking place elsewhere in the country that the general public should already know. Noah needed a running commentary). Today, episode two, in which the Declaration is signed.

That was enough for one day, I figured, so we skipped both fractions and the CAT. My head hurt, and Noah HAD to get his guitar on.

Later, when I was about to close my eyes for the night, a show I had discussed with a friend came on HBO. It's called Autism: The Musical, and I highly recommend it.

Now, I'll never know what it's like to have a child with Autism. I know a few "Auties," so I catch glimpses. But I had no idea just how challenging it must be. But those kids were absolutely beautiful and amazing. I wish the world would look at them and see the person inside, because they are most *definitely* in there. My favorite comment was from the mother of Lexi, who said that her daughter "is different, not wrong."

Indeed.

All in all, it was quite a day. Noah got about a semester's worth of civics, in a non-threatening, relevant, interesting, and respectful way. It was exactly the kind of homeschool I want for my kids. (We'll ignore the fact that he's been working on the same book since October and is only halfway finished.)

Off to check the progress of the chicken Aengus and I are trying to mummify...

Billie Jean

See if this one works better...

Tell me this isn't amazing! WAAAYYYY better than MJ.

This is Homeschool