Life On The Planet

Anti-Social Homeschoolers

I have been following Dana's coverage of this youtube.com phenomenon, and I was content to continue along that path until I received a mandate, an overwhelming mandate I tell you, from the 15-year-old demographic in this household to post it. It is exactly the kind of thing he and his goofy er, precocious friends would do. That is, if he had friends. He is homeschooled, after all.

(Removing tongue from cheek.)

So, here they are, those desperate, unsocial homeschoolers, in search of love...

(Not wanting to steal all of Dana's thunder, I will only provide the links. They are worth following!)

Episode 1: Comedy of Homeschoolers

Episode 2: The Email

Episode 3: Everything is Collapsing

Now, get thee hence to youtube!

And don't forget the pork rinds.

It's Almost!

It's almost the night before Christmas. A Cajun Night Before Christmas, that is.

Y'all pass a good one, you hear?

More Holly & Ivy

I've been singing The Holly and The Ivy nonstop for the past two weeks. This musical experience is not enhanced by the fact that I don't know all of the lyrics. Sometimes I combine Aussie Kim's version and the traditional version. Sometimes I just make up my own lyrics.

"The math book and THE PEN-cil

Are there to help YOU LEARN.

IF you pick them up AND use them.

The school day-AY will adjourn."

I think it's fun and festive.

The kids are ready to vomit.

So guess what the choir sang during the offertory on Sunday!!!! You got it - THE HOLLY AND THE IVY!!! Butterfly's eye role was a thing of beauty. Even Tiger cringed.

Anyhoo, here is a version that is highly preferable to mine.

Twerpy British Anglicans...they think they can sing. I could show them a thing or two.

Just ask my kids. Er, maybe you should just take my word for it.

 

Quote of the Day

Spelling Word: Tuba

Tiger: "Oh, you mean that thing from Veggie Tales?"

Whatever works, kid.

I Will Survive (Homeschooling)

I saw this on Alasandra's blog. Natalie Criss wrote the lyrics.

After one day back "at school," do you think it's too early to say, I will survive?

I'm Cool. Finally.

This is not a weather report.

This is a sad indictment of my children's priorities. I spend years teaching them to read, how to add and subtract and multiply, and they remain unimpressed.

But when they find out I know all of the words to the Spider-Man theme song, I'm suddenly a freakin' genius.

Thanks, Spidey!

National Treasure 2 is out (& WFMW is up)!

Was it ever worth staying up too late to watch!  The National Treasure movies have done more to get my kiddos interested in history than anything I've ever taught them. They absolutely love those movies.

Now, if they'd just hurry up and make number 3!

If your interested in handy tips and neat ideas, check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer.

Later, folks...I'm history.

One Week

With three sick kids, there is nothing coming out of my sleep deprived brain that you need to read! It's all gibberish.

However, since there is one week left until Prince Caspian comes out, I thought you might enjoy looking forward to it with us. You watch. We'll sniff.

Tighty Whitey Streaks to the Finish Line

It's not what your thinking! The Tiger's Pine Wood Derby was today. He won three out of his four heats! Hooray! However, it wasn't quite enough to move on to the next level of competition. His mother is jubilant very upset about this, but I am sure she will recover. His car (Tighty Whitey) was painted to resemble a pair of underwear. The inspiration was the wonderful, the fabulous... Captain Underpants.

Here is a short clip of Tighty Whitey in action. (I never in a million years would have guessed that one day those words would ever cross my lips. Being the mother of a son can be a humbling experience.)

Congratulations, Tiger, on a job well done!

P.S. I spent the entire day singing the wrong words to this song. Did I get the tune into your head, too? Yikes. Sorry about that.

Boundin'

Financially, this time of year is always tight, what with three birthdays and the holidays. Add a new job and a few unexpected medical bills on top of that, and tight can turn into a squeeze.

Like many folks, our family has a few jokes and sayings to get us through hard times. My favorite comes from a Pixar short film called Boundin'. You can download it, watch a sneak peek, or read more about it here, but if you have the movie The Incredibles, it's included in the extra features. (No, Pixar isn't paying me for this plug. If only.)

Anyway, it's a story about a sheep who is glum because his coat was shorn. Along comes a Great American Jackalope to straighten him out. He tells the sheep that when something goes wrong, you just have to keep at it, you have to keep on keepin' on, that it's all a matter of attitude. You just take that first step, and pretty soon you'll be boundin'. It's really a cute, jingly movie that will have you bouncing in your seat and singing along. Personally, the rattlesnake percussionist is my favorite character. However, the point of the movie is the message of positive thinking. One of the Jackalope's lines is, "You've gotta pick your leg up, and slap it on down."

This has become a catch phrase in our house. Job is lousy? Pick your leg up. Kids aren't cooperating? Pick your leg up. The laundry is taking over the kitchen? Pick your leg up. You have to write your times tables? Just pick your leg up!

It really is all about your attitude. Bad stuff is going to happen. Nothing is going to change that fact. It's how you deal with it that makes the difference. So, in this upcoming year, when the kids are driving you loopy, when the homeschool resembles a zoo, when the holiday bills come due, when tax time rolls around, just remember that a positive outlook will get you through. Remember what that eternal optimist, the Great American Jackalope says,

"You just gotta pick your leg up, then slap in on down."

The first step is the hardest. After that, you're boundin'!