I’m thinking of “accidentally” dropping both of our television sets while we move.  We used to live without tv altogether.  Maybe they will go on the fritz as soon as basketball season is over.

I just read this poem again, and while it’s rather tongue in cheek, it’s so-o-o-o-o true.  Take a minute and give it a read.  Then maybe you’ll want to read it to your kids.

Mike Teavee

The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set
Or better still, just don’t install the idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been,
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotized by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink-
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?

IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -HE ONLY SEES!

‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:

THEY….USED,,,TO,,,READ!
They’d READ and READ and READ and READ,
and then proceed to READ some more.
Great Scott! Gadzooks! One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine fantastic tales
Of dragons, Gypsies, queens and whales
And treasure isles and distant shore
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars.
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching ‘round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it’s Penelope!)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Toad, the Dirty Rotter,
And squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How the Camel got his Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost his Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please,
We beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They’ll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start–oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts.
They’ll grow so keen
They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

From Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Just wanted to point out that I have added a ton of links for free homeschool stuff and re-published the page.  You can click on these words right here, or you can look up top of the blog and find the Free Homeschool Stuff page and click that.

It’s Spring Break in San Antonio, and I barely noticed.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I know I’m not, shouldn’t Spring Break happen during the Springtime?  Just a thought.

I really do enjoy times when the incarcerated children aren’t required to report, because that means we won’t be glared at over the fence by all our neighbors if we dare to venture out into our back yard during “school hours”.

I would have chosen a different week for it.  Maybe sometime during the next season called Spring.  Just sayin’.

Even so, we have had some uncommonly beautiful weather the past several days.  It’s due to rain maybe  tomorrow or more likely, Saturday.

You’ll remember that I’m not planting a garden this Spring due to our imminent move sometime in June.  But there is something very compelling about all that sunshine.  I’m planting a container garden, but that’s so limited.  I’ve never done a container tomato plant before, peppers either.  I still haven’t planted the lettuce and spinach seeds, but the buckets are ready.

We’re looking for lots of baby rabbits next weekend.  See?  Rabbits understand about Spring.

We listened to #1 of these Biographies of Great American Saints today(Cotton Mather by George Grant), and tomorrow we’ll go back for #2 (Patrick Henry by Steve Wilkins).

With any educational resource my first concern is, “Can my kids learn the material using this resource?”   My next concern is, “Do I have the time and ability to use it?”

With an audio presentation we are miles ahead.  The kids learn well this way, and I can totally click the play button and then sit down to a sack of yarn and a crochet hook!

Oh yeah!  My third consideration goes like this, see if this sounds familiar, “Can I afford it?”

These lectures are FREE!

HT to Perry!

Pssst.  I know y’all think you know where that last link for Perry leads, but give it a click.  You may be surprised!

Here’s your shortcut back to Works for Me Wednesday.

All I know is that the Homeschool Convention/Conference (?) will be on May 14th and 15th and I’ll be the Teaching Textbooks representative!

{squeal!!!}

I can’t wait!  I love homeschool conventions, and I don’t often get to go, but this time I’ll be there for the whole thing.  Don’t guess I’ll get to go to any workshops, but the fun part is getting to be in the company of so many other homeschoolers!

• Talk to homeschoolers all day?

Check, I can do this.

• Bemoan my inability to teach math?

Check, check, I can do this.

• Sing the praises of a math curriculum my kids beg to get to use. . . every day?

Check.mark.palooza!

• Get paid for havin’ fun?

It’s one of my super-powers!

Parsley outside my backdoor!

El Niño, La Niña,  whatever, I forget how it goes, but I think that due to the oppressive heat we had this Summer, we are having a very wet Winter.  Or maybe the wet Winter is a harbinger of a mild Summer to come?  I don’t know, but we have had rain near ’bout every four days ’round these parts all Winter long!  I’ll try not to complain because I know we have it very easy in the Winter.  This is our time to shine!   We seldom get snow, and when we do, it’s hardly anything to worry about.  Also, the rain we’ve gotten lately is sorely needed.  So, I’ll try to not sound too whiney.  OK?  I’ll try.

Never buy plastic fencing, even though it’s cheaper than the wire fences.

BUT!

I’m really sick of the mud, and the kids being in the house so much.  See, one of the trade offs that Texans are so proud of is that even though we huddle indoors listening to the humm of the a/c for most of the Summer, which, by the way, lasts about eight months here, the pay off comes in the Winter when we can enjoy the truly mild (yesterday the high was 79°) field trip weather.  Perfect for going to the Zoo, or bird watching, or cleaning up a long neglected backyard!

I’ve had it with the rain and the resultant mud, and we have mud!  After our record breaking heat and drought this past Summer, there is no lawn, just mud Mud MUD!

Rabbit cages, clothes lines, and dirt lawn – it’s the Redneck Tri-fecta!

Today is a great day.  It’s sunny, dry and 50°, so there is work going on out back.  If I had focused on laundry instead of rabbit breeding this morning I might have even hung some laundry on the line.  That’s ok, first things first.

Tomorrow the forcast calls for more mud in the form of rain AND snow.  I have my doubts about the white stuff.  My kids have still never even seen it, and likely some of them doubt if it’s a really and truly real thing.  At least we’ll enter into this weeks wetness with a cleaned up yard!

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

What a neat deal!  It seems like the wrong time of year to be having a book swap, but, I have books to sell, so, I’m going!  My neighbor and I will be sharing a table at the CHEWSA Book Swap this  coming Saturday, Feb. 13th.

Not sure what CHEWSA stands for, but I’m thinkin the SA is for San Antonio.  Let’s see, the C would be for Christian and the HE is likely Home Educators, but the W has me stumped.

Anyway, this Saturday at Northwest Hills Christian Church from 9 to 1 we’ll be swappin’ books.   The address is 9560 Potranco Rd., San Antonio, Tx. And you’re invited.  I know it would be a ridiculous commute for some of you, but there are a few of you here in town who might like to come.  Admission is free!

I love going to book swaps!  I can’t wait!  hope to see you there!

I’m crying today.  Crying over the Dyslexia that one of my Pirates is struggling with.  I have two Dyslexic Pirates, but one is having lots and lots of difficulty, the other is doing great.

I know that every child is different, but, how can these two be so different?  Or is it that I am handling it differently?  Doubt that.  It’s just that Dyslexia is not a ‘one size fits all’  kinda deal.

I did my research years ago and figured out how to help the older Dyslexic Pirate,  but  I feel like I’m still clueless with my second Dyslexic Pirate.

And, like a good mother, when I don’t know what to do, where to start to help my child, I cry.  Then the crying reminds me to pray.  (I’d like to say that praying was my first impulse, but I don’t wanna add lying to you to my list of reasons to cry.)  The tears are tears of frustration and uncertainty.  I need some answers.  I need a plan that isn’t gonna waste our time and energy spinning wheels that can’t get us from point A to point B.

And I’m not really asking for any suggestions.  I know you would all come fix me a cup o’  tea and comisserate with me and tell me anecdotes of others who used xyz approach with great success, and I would love you for it.  But that likely won’t help my Pirate spell the word “giant” correctly in the book he is writing.

All that said, if you have a Dyslexic child, I do crave YOUR words of encouragement and advice.

But, mostly, I just gotta get this crying outta me, then I’ll be fit to plan.

Thanks for “listening” to me ventilate.  Yer a peach!