Beach Pics

Heavy on the pics, light on the words!
Rory was obsessed with Aunt Jenni's glasses.  (Or Aunt Ninny as Rory says)

 Rory sat in Davis' lap and let him read to her for a long time.  She kept reaching up and patting his face and saying "Awwww, sweet"

 We had to watch  her like a hawk, she kept running towards the ocean and we had to chase after her.

 The last night that we were there, we took Rory out to the beach and took pictures.  Here are a few.

 I couldn't decide if I liked the color or black and white better so I included both.

The Big 3-0

I don't feel 30.

MIA

We just got back from a week at the beach.  I should be back this week with updates!

10 on Tuesday

1. We are going to the beach.  I can't wait!
2. I had lunch with Mandy and Maci today.  I love those girls (and Emma) so much.  I can't believe that Maci is almost five and Emma is going to be in fourth grade.  CRAZY!  I remember when Mandy and I met and Emma was like Rory's age.  Crazy!
3. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my hubby?  No?  Well I do.  I don't think that I could have found anyone more perfect for me.  We truly are a great team!  I know very few men who would love being at home with a baby as much as he does.  
4. I am almost 30...as in like just over 2 weeks.
5. My house is a disaster...oh well!
6. My Father in Law fixed our TV last night!  We have been watching a 19" TV for a week and it is SO nice to have our big kid TV back.
7. We have been playing in the back yard a lot!  A whole lot!
8. Sarah Grace and Victoria are going into the 10 grade...I think that I am going to be sick!  Where did my babies go?  It is so surreal to see them with MY baby...They are so funny.  It is so interesting to see and hear them going through high school and remember what it was like to be there...it don't feel like it was that long ago!
9. I had a great conversation with Allison last week.  She and DJ are enjoying DC but boy do I miss her!  I miss our weekly lunch dates.  We always have the greatest conversation, even though we couldn't be more different on a lot of issues, but she is truly one of my dearest friends.  
10. If I didn't mention it already..I'm ready for the beach!

Update

Last weekend, Rory and I were in Decatur for Dash's Birthday and to take some pictures for Kitty.  While we were there, Mom got my little table and chairs out of the attic and said that we could bring them back home with me.  That was not before Rory had herself a little tea party with her baby doll.

"Here ya go baby...have a scone, just leave my pacie alone"

 Sometimes Rory's inner Italian comes out "fugedda bout it"

We spent about an hour this morning playing outside.  

 Get ready, she is about to make a break for it.  We are working on throwing the tennis ball for Nellie, but she really just wants to run around with them in her hands. 

That is all for today I guess.  Have a great weekend!

Putting it all out there. MY blog, MY kid, MY opinion

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Thank you everyone for their comments! I didn't mean to spark a controversy; I was just stating what I know in my heart to be true for our family. I agree Klancy, I think that Homeschooling is the right choice for some people, in specific cases. For example, our babysitter (who keeps Rory 4 days a week) and her brother are homeschooled mainly because of medical issues for both of them (Insulin dependant Diabetic for her, Mild CP for him-he had a stroke at birth) and they do really well! Their parents have taken a very active role in their education though. They get extra tutoring and truly approach homeschooling as school. They have assignments, they take tests, and they have a set schedule..really, just like school, but at home, it actually functions more like a college class. You do the lesson; get an assignment - it is up to you to complete it on time, within the deadline and complete the appropriate test.

It has just become easy to hide under the “Homeschool” label since as long as you are a member of a ‘cover’ school (and they don’t have to meet regulations); there really isn’t any accountability and therefore, much of the time, the education is really subpar. I just wonder what it says to kids when the only people that they are around are people who think just like they do. How many places in life are you always around people who think 100% like you do? Never. That is what I am referring to when I say that often times these kids have trouble functioning in society. Clearly, I am aware that this is not the case with all homeschoolers, and I have never said that it is the case with all, however, it is the case with a great many of them.

On the flip side, it is a fallacy to imply that homeschoolers learn everywhere and regular schoolers learn only in school. Just because a kid goes to a regular school doesn’t mean that he/she doesn’t have the opportunities to learn outside of school that homeschoolers do. I was in the public school, and yet I was still exposed to other “educational” places as well. For example, I spent the last 2 weeks of my 4^th grade year in a car with my Grandparents driving to, then exploring Boston and then driving back. I went to Bellemeade (Andrew Jackson’s home), did the Freedom Trail in Boston, went to Mystic Aquarium, went to the USS Constitution and learned so much I filled up a spiral notebook that I was using as my journal. Clearly, I wasn’t in school and wasn’t being Homeschooled, so does that mean that I wasn’t learning? Nope…not at all. Then does it mean that I didn’t learn anything in school about those things? Nope…not at all. My point is, learning is an active process, regardless of the location. The statement that as a Homeschooler “the world is our classroom” is not specific, isn’t the world everyone’s classroom? There is no On-Off switch for learning, homeschooled or not.

I guess what I am saying is that homeschooling, in certain circumstances, done correctly can be very successful. But I don’t think that it is a one-size-fits all solution as it is being used. Also, I think that homeschooling should be regulated and more closely watched. There are a lot of kids out there who are underserved as far as their homeschool education goes. I would venture to say that there are probably many more out there who are not doing it well than who are. The whole premise of “I leave it up to my kids to decide what to learn” is a tad self serving, in my opinion. If children could 100% self regulate, why would they need parents? That doesn’t make much sense now does it? When I think back and ask myself what I would have deemed “necessary” I can assure you that my list of necessities at 10 was different than my list at 15, and vastly different at 18 when I went to college. I would have gone to college with 0 chemistry, math sufficient to do basic addition and subtraction and use a calculator, basic thesis formulation skill, little to no experience with any conflict, and very poor test taking skills. My ACT test scores for admittance to college would have been laughable.

As I alluded to before, this is my blog, my family, my child, my choice. I will spend the rest of my days defending what I have stated. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. As I stated previously, I find it very hypocritical that homeschoolers can post on their blogs about the joys of homeschooling, and how superior it is to traditional schooling yet, when I post to defend my opinion, I get jumped on. I dare even one of them to show me an example of when I have made a derogatory comment on their blog. There isn’t one. I tire quickly of the insinuation that they are far more intellectual and a much better parent than I am because they love their child enough to homeschool.

God gave me this child to nuture, grow and prepare for life. A life that is not always fair in a society of people who will not always agree with her. I feel by never exposing her to people with differing opinions and world views, I am not doing her any favors. Don’t get me wrong, my Mommy-heart wants to hold her close and never let her experience any pain, disappointment or hurt. My Mommy-heart doesn’t ever want her to be upset or experience loss. My Mommy-heart wants to shield her from anything and everything that makes her feel sad or causes her pain, but I know that in the long run, I am crippling her. As much as I would love to keep her all to myself, I have to teach her to be self reliant and independent and prepare her to be an well rounded individual. I have to let her experience the world and learn how to cope in the face of hardship, disappointment and pain. I think about if my parents had sheltered me and never let me test out my wings (and I know that a part of them wanted to), who knows what would have happened to me when my Dad died. If I had been sheltered and prevented from ever experiencing difficulties and completely reliant upon my parents and their interpretation of what I should and shouldn’t do, I would be in a world of hurt. Instead, they let me stumble, they let me make mistakes, they let me see the not always pretty side of things, all because they wanted me to be prepared for whatever I was faced with. They wanted me to be able to defend myself, my views and opinions and not crumble under adversity.

I will gladly discuss my views and opinions with most anyone, I welcome differing opinions on my blog and in my life. I think that it is silly to discard a friend simply based on a difference in opinion, especially without ever attempting a reasonable discussion on the matter. What is it they say “Actions speak louder than words”? What would I be teaching Rory through example if I simply avoided situations and discussions that make me uncomfortable or that I don’t agree with? If everyone had the same opinions, it would be a very boring world! Be forewarned, I won’t shy away from the debate, if you want to speak respectfully and intelligently about homeschooling (or any other issues) I will gladly oblige and in the end we might just agree to disagree, however, don’t expect me to cower to your opinion or run off with your tail between your legs when I stand my ground! If you want to discuss, be prepared to do just that…discuss. In the end, regarding the content of my blog: MY blog, MY kid, MY opinion.

Ok, this is all that I am going to say on this...next subject.

Mom Survey Version 2.0

I said that I would retake this survey last year and I am a bit late, but whatever, I don't think that my answers have changed much in the 12 days since it became past due. :)

1. How old is your child/children? 17 months
2. Girl(s) or Boy(s)? Girl
3. Bottle fed or Breast fed? Bottle
4. Are there more children in your future? Probably, can't say exactly when, but more than likely.
5. Do you stay at home with your kid(s)? Nope, Kevin is home until 2 and then we have a sitter until I get home around 5 on Wednesday through Friday and he is off and home with her on Monday and Tuesday. Works out well
6. Bedtime (kids...not you!): 8:00p in the bed, asleep or not, but she is usually asleep within 3 minutes of being put in the crib.
7. Where do your kids go to school/daycare? No where right now. We will put her in playschool 1-2 days a week in about a year or so.
8. Do you like their school/daycare? Yep, she loves her Daddy too!
9. Would you ever homeschool? NOPE! I know that some people do it and really like it but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that homeschooling Rory would be doing a serious disservice to her. Beyond the "reading, writing and arithmetic" and social implications to school, there are far too many other positive things that school teaches kids. Mainly, how to adequately function in society, schedules, deadlines, goals and expectations are a part of life, like it or not.
10. Is college important...will you insist that your child go? Yep, she has to go some where, and get a degree in something. A degree in something is better than no degree at all. By the time that Rory is in college, she will probably have to have a graduate degree to be competitive, so yes, it is in her best interest.
11. Favorite time of the day: After bath, sitting on the couch drinking her milk getting ready for bed.
12. Favorite foods: Blueberries, Strawberries, cheese (Or as Rory says: Boo-Bear, Saw-Bear and Sheese)
13. Kid's favorite happy meal: She has only ever had Chick Fil A nuggets so I guess that is her favorite, but only if you give her Polynesian sauce.
14. Do you eat organic? Not all the time, we do buy organic when we can.
15. Does your child have a security item? Not really, but she does love her pacies.
16. Thumb sucker or Pacie Baby? Pacie baby.
17. Any extra curricular activities? Nope, just running around the house at this point.
18. Does your child have any nicknames? Tiny Girl, Sweet Pea, Little Bear, Sugar Plum
19. Do your children share a room or have their own? She has her own.
20. Discipline: Time out or Spank? Well neither really right now since she doesn't really get either. We have spanked her hand once or twice, but only for things that would hurt her. Right now, we tend to do more diversion to something else than anything else.

Most of my answers haven't changed at all...interesting. I guess that is good?!? Well, have a good weekend everyone!
Edited to add: Great stuff going on in the comments, I will address #9 more at a later date...I would like to say that I have addressed homeschooling as it relates to OUR family and MY opinions on MY blog. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone does what they feel is right for their family. It is interesting to me that it is ok for Homeschoolers (some not all) to spout their superiority to public schoolers, but it is not OK for Public Schoolers to express their opinions as well or at the very least defend their choice of not to homeschool. Interesting!

Sprinkler Fun

Saturday, Rory and I played outside in the sprinkler for a little while...here is a sneak peak.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day this year was a lot of fun. Originally, Kevin had arranged to take just Rory and I to lunch at Shula’s Mother’s Day lunch however, we quickly decided that we wanted to invite our Mom’s and then we invited Chris (Kev’s brother) and his family and Kev’s Grandmother too. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Kevin’s Dad couldn’t make it, but we had a good time anyway. We made the reservation for 11:00a so that Kevin would have enough time to eat and get home since he works on Sundays. Ordinarily I am not a fan of the buffet, but this is by far the best lunch buffet I have ever had. It was HUGE! It was set up in the lobby outside of the ball rooms at the Wynfrey Hotel (Where we had our reception) and there were 3 different areas plus a special kid’s buffet that was much lower to the ground with kid friendly food and desserts. Strangely, it was the most non-buffet buffet that I have ever been too. None of the typical buffet food was presented, substituted instead for gourmet creations. The food was fantastic, they had everything from waffles, cheese grits and eggs benedict to prime rib, stuffed tenderloin, crab legs and gourmet cheeses. It was wonderful and I think that Rory enjoyed everyone being there. She kept trying to give everyone a high five (or Pi-Pibe as she says it). It was wonderful to sit there with our families and enjoy our meal. Also, it was really neat since we ate in the grand ballroom which is where we had our wedding reception. It was cool to be sitting where, a bit over 4 years ago, we were dancing on a dance floor, and now here we sat with Rory. It really was pretty amazing. To top it all off, we found out the night before that Kevin could be off on that Sunday and it was lovely not having to watch the clock and rush home so that he could get to work. Instead, we spent the afternoon chilling at our house, taking a family nap and enjoying our little family of three. My Mother’s Day presents didn’t come in until yesterday although after such a wonderful day on Sunday, I really didn’t need anything else. I got three books: “How to Raise Girls” by Dr. James Dobson (from Rory), “I just want you to know” by Kate Gosselin (from Ruby and Nellie) and Laura Bush’s Biography (from Kevin). I haven’t started reading any of them yet, but I will probably crack one open today. All in all, it was a terrific Mother’s Day and I absolutely enjoyed having my whole family all together and eating good food. As I said last year, there were times when I didn’t know if I would ever get to celebrate being a Mom and now, here I am, it is wonderful how God works isn’t it?

Video Update

Ignore the crazy hair and dirty face...we were going for content! Enjoy!