Tag: homeschool

365 Snap Shots of Life:Day 148

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Do you believe in this old saying: You reap what you sow? Do you still believe in the kindness of strangers? In this world we live in with all the negativity the media broadcasts it’s easy to forget those simple truths.

Yesterday I was at the library. When we came out our car was dead. So we tried to figure out what the problem was,looked under the hood trying to trouble shoot. Then a man in his 60’s walked by us with his grandchild, a cute little kid who wore glasses just like grandpa’s . He offered to help us jump-start the battery and then we ran into the second problem; the jump-start cables were too short. Thankfully I had paid attention to the person who had parked on the other side of us just a few minutes before. I ran back into the library and found her checking out. I asked her if she could help us and she hurried to finish checking out and a few minutes later she allowed us to use her car to jump-start our battery.

There are a lot of good people out there who will help. If you do your part to help someone out, it DOES come back to you when you need it. In the movie BRUCE ALMIGHTY,God tells  Bruce,” Be the miracle people need.” Sometimes those miracles can be something as practical as jump starting someone’s car 🙂 

HAPPY SUNDAY!!! Be someone’s miracle today 🙂

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 147

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The home school prom was last night and it went better than I anticipated. I don’t know why I was so surprised that it centered around family and not just kids. I went to mine 25 years ago and having gone to public school for 12 years, you learn that adults are the enemy and to be avoided at all costs. Last night the scene was beautiful. I chaperoned my girls and they both had dates; 2 boys they are good friends with took them. I gave my girls space and before hand I told them this night was about them. That they deserved it and to forget that I’m even there. That took both of them by surprise. I know we live,work and play together and they needed that time and space away from me.

Once we arrived at the venue, I took a seat way in the back away from the dance floor. I love to dance and I figured I’d stay back there an dance by myself. Then my friend, another home schooling mom came by and I asked her if I could dance. Again, I was unsure of what my role as a chaperone was. She laughed, telling me to relax and just have a good time. Not too long after, the music was bumping and I worked up the courage to join the rest of the party goers on the dance floor; which consisted of kids and adults dancing up there and not caring what anyone thought.

I went to order a set of pictures and I overheard the man in charge of taking the orders say something quite amazing. He was telling my friend that he does many school proms and that he’d never seen a prom where it’s all about family;it was one big family party last night and he commented he’d never seen anything like it. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to say that home school parents are instrumental in taking back America’s families from the brink of destruction. It was evident last night that when you home school, it makes for a close bond between parents and children. The best part of it was that I had a chance to see my daughters having so much fun. And they sang when we came home,” I had the time of my life,and I never felt this way before, yes I know it’s true and I owe it all to you.”

One more quick note. I  hear that in these times we live, in Prom is a very expensive deal;it’s all about spending money to impress. Well last night my girls were laughing over the ridiculously low amount of money we put into their special night. Then I remembered how hard I worked so I could go to mine. 25 years ago I spent a little over $150 on my Prom. By today standards that is very inexpensive. The girls were proud of looking amazing and not breaking their parent’s bank account. I even overheard my oldest tell a woman who was complimenting her on her beautiful dress that she found it at a second-hand store.Most of the young men didn’t wear tuxes but they came wearing what they felt comfortable in and maybe what their parents could afford. I smiled because from watching most of the young people in that room, I could tell they weren’t there to impress but to have a good time and make great memories as child hood winds down for some of them. Prom 2012 was definitely a success and I’m glad I was part of it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 133

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MOTHER’S DAY FUNNIES. I’m posting these fun pics up to liven up your day. I’m taking the day off from blogging tomorrow…I’ll see you back here bright and early Monday morning. Enjoy  your day Mamas! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Reasons for why people run in different countries 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 122

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My daughter wrote this..please read it and pay attention to the youth because they are way more in tune with life’s events than most people will give them credit for.

 

I am a senior in highschool…YAY CLASS OF 2012! I am proud to proclaim that I have been homeschooled all my life. Throughout my years of learning, my mother has instilled in me the skill and love of reading. And not just reading regular writings, but literature. And all through highschool, my mom has had me read to her. I have read and discovered all sorts of works, like that of Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, John Bunyan and so forth. I have even read literature from Ye Ol’ English, dating back to the infamous Beowulf.

Though I have read some bad things, along with the good works, I have grown to love literature. It’s become my favorite subject. You learn about yourself when read things like these. You learn and find where your morals, and views stand…you self-discover essentially. I have grown to love poetry a great deal. It has inspired me to write some of my own. Through reading literature, you gain culture, knowledge, and a well-rounded  vocabulary, which you use in turn to write works of  art. My mother always taught me the value of communicating well. Not sounding like an idiot when you’re speaking to somebody…whether it be for a job interview, or in a social setting among educated people. It’s important to have this…because you never really know where you’ll be, or when you’ll need it.

I hope you enjoy!

Bleeding Sacrifice

Your body, feels good next

To mine,

As I run my fingers down your Spine.

Your body, feels like it’s in its

Place,

Everyone questions

They think us a disgrace

Forget them Love,

Live a little.

All we have is the now,

There’s no turnin’ back.

I see you,You see me.

They think us Crazy.

We’re each other’s baby.

We see each other as

BEAUTY!

No one can see our

Pain,

See our veins,

Dripping with the blood

They make us.

We come together now

Healing each other’s

Wounds.

In our weakness,we gain strength.

In our fight to save

Each other.

We fall,

Joining another paradise.

Elena Brincat

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 109

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I was journaling earlier today and I did a little exercise called a gazillion questions day. I allowed myself to write down all the questions  swimming around in my head. Some I answered. Others, I had no answer for and I just left blank.There is something very freeing about writing down those questions even if you don’t have an answer or if the answer is something you don’t want to accept. At least it’s out of my head and I anchored it down on pen and paper. Or in my case, hammered them down with each strike of the keys on my key board. So now that I’ve told you what helps me clear my head, I feel a nap coming on :). Chao for now!

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 106

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SWEET SPIRIT

I drew this horse for my daughter a while ago. She wanted to know if I could draw her a horse and I took out some butcher paper I had lying around the house. I wasn’t going to color it because I didn’t think she’d like it. Once she saw my finished sketch she squealed in delight and begged me to finish it. So I used Prismacolor pencils and markers. It’s now framed hanging in her bedroom. When your child believes in you more than you believe in yourself, that’s the BEST feeling in the world! Happy Sunday to all!!!

365 Snap shots of Life: Day 105

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FIESTA!

The flamenco dancer
her name was Penelope,
stepped up on the dance floor
and lost herself in ecstasy.
Her voluptuous body
covered in violet and magenta,
taffeta with silk organza.
Her feet in black heels.
Her hands clicking the castanets.
All the men there spinning their wheels.
Penelope’s chocolate tresses,
flowed in the wind in gentle caresses.
Penelope the flamenco warrior,
used her fan as her shield,
warding away male impetuous stares.
She arched her sensual body,
dainty hands wove intricate patterns
throwing away all of her cares.

Eva Santiago © 2012

 

365 Snap shots of Life: Day 104

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I discovered how much I enjoy painting when my kids were toddlers. One frigid winter afternoon in Georgia I took out some finger paint and construction paper and they spent the next few hours delving into the paint with such enthusiasm that after a little while I joined them. I did a little picture and I put it on the fridge next to theirs. When their dad came home from work that evening, he noticed mine right away and he was as surprised  as I was at how good it turned out. Ever since, I enjoy experimenting with different mediums. One day I am going to get the nerve up to use oil paints. So I leave you with this picture I did in water-color. Happy week-end everyone!

Lonesome Coyote

Tell me what you see lonesome coyote,

the moon is your lover,

bathes you gently with light,

you respond in a howl- haunting Don Quixote.

-Eva Santiago copyright 2012

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 103

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10 Things and then Some…

10 Things I have learned in 17 years of home schooling:

1. Children are children until they grow up so let them be kids for as long as they can get away with it. You are training them to BECOME adults. So don’t treat them as “little adults”; they’ll be there soon enough.

2. Nobody is perfect so don’t expect perfection from your kids. Instill in them a sense of excellence instead.

3. Practice what you preach. Kids see right through their superiors and if you’re phony they’ll call you out on it.

4. When your child does her best, accept it.
5. Don’t even think that you’re going to pretend that you know everything. We don’t and kids learn that soon enough.

6. Sometimes kids ask questions not because they want an answer, they want to see how much you know.

7. DO NOT lie, especially to kids, in the guise that you’re trying to protect them. As they get older, they’ll see right through the BS.

8. Kids are honest as long as you’re honest with them.

9. The home schooling journey tends to get lonely at times for both parents and children.

10. Now a days education is a big money-making business. It doesn’t take a lot of cash to give your children a good education.

 

This is just a VERY brief over view of some of the things I have learned in this amazing, challenging and at times frustrating journey. I had never stopped to think about it until now. If you were to ask me 25 years ago when I graduated from high school what I’d be doing 25 years later, this would have never popped into my head. I was headed to live out a completely self-absorbed life style and then what happened? Faith took over and led me here. I’m so glad I listened to her instead of following my way. My 25th class reunion is coming up this summer.  I dare say I’m pretty sure I’m not going to hear too many of my fellow classmates of the class of ‘87 saying they are in my profession. I’d probably get the usual bewildered looks that I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. But alas, I don’t see the point in going to a reunion where I hardly knew anyone back then and I’m certainly not going to know any of those people now. It’s time to celebrate my daughter’s accomplishment and that’s what I’m going to do this summer!!!

365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 91

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ROOSTER

Along time ago I was going through a rough time and I had a great friend from Texas. Rooster was his name and he had a bigger than life personality. I wondered a lot back in those day when my ship was going to come in. Rooster was a man who had lived live fully and now at the twilight of his life, he was doing his best to love people right where they were. One afternoon I visited him at his RV which was parked across the street from mine. He was having a tough time breathing because the Santa Ana winds were blowing the desert sand everywhere and this was messing with his very bad lungs. “Rooster,”  I asked,” when is my ship going to come in?” He paused, letting my question sink in for a few minutes then he starts laughing. I looked at him laughing with him not sure why but he had a contagious laugh so I couldn’t help it, Then he said,” Well darlin’ I’ve had several come in during my life time only they all ship wrecked later on.” That set us both off and we couldn’t stop laughing for several minutes. Then he stood up, his over 6 ft frame filled the 30 ft. trailer he called his home on wheels. He pulled me to him and gave me a big bear hug. I never had gotten hugged from my father so I closed my eyes and imagined that if my own papi was still with me, I’m sure that’s what it would feel like. I dedicate this post to my dear friend Rufus Maxwell AKA ROOSTER. I know you’re in heaven my dear friend and we miss your cock-a-doodle-doos you used to do every morning from your trailer. That seems like a whole other life time ago. Happy Saturday blog world 🙂