Amanda has a question.

I don't know that there is an answer to her question in her entry titled Longing and Denial.

It is about people suffering with infertility. Longing for a baby and never having that need fulfilled. The question asks, 'Why won't more young women give their babies away, rather than killing them?'

I wonder this same thing. We have suffered through infertility and were blessed with a baby after much anxiety, years of heartbreak, dollars spent, testing endured and anger. (Although our baby then screamed for 6 months after she was born - colic. She's a lovely girl now :-)) I'm sure we all know someone, or know OF someone, bearing the burden of infertility. I know several and ALL would be worthy parents. Most are on adoption waiting lists. I don't understand why life works the way it does. Why are the babies given so easily to those who don't want them - or don't deserve them?

One possible answer to Amanda's question is that adoption is not being presented as a viable alternative. Abortion is easy, there are no consequences, it's not a baby. Most women in the predicament swallow that hook, line and sinker. It's not until afterward that they realize it's not so easy. There are consequences, feelings, regrets, sorrow. Their baby is dead and will never be forgotten. Years are marked. Thoughts are thought...my baby would be 5, 20, 35.

It's a shame that there isn't any emphasis put on alternatives to abortion at Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation. Adoption would be a very difficult choice, yes. Sometimes the difficult choices are the best ones.

How apropos! (you know...the war on Islamofascists?)

What Is Your Battle Cry?

Lo! Who is that, striding through the desert! It is MonicaR, hands clutching a studded crowbar! She cries homicidally: "I'm going to wrap you in bacon, and throw you on the grill!"

Find out! Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?

created by beatings : powered by monkeys

Hat tip The Poosh

Grizzly Mama is back in charge.

Back in charge of the house.

Grizzly Papa displayed a courageous attitude and mounted a valiant effort to run the house. He's quite bad at it.

I will be very busy over the next few days fixing it.

God bless you, Papa. The cubs and I love you anyway! You're a good Papa.

Challenging the Education Monopoly

This man, Nathan Tabor, says it better than I ever could!

Homeschoolers are Challenging the Education Monopoly

"The Public Education Establishment in America is controlled by the Federal government through the unconstitutional Department of Education and is supported by the Left-leaning teachers’ union, the National Education Association."

Yes - the government wants to keep their stranglehold on the youth of America. Guess what? Homeschoolers are thumbing their noses in their collective face. The government does a crappy job at edumacatin the little ones it seems - and gets LOTS of money to do it. The Moms and Dads are doing a great job of it on a shoestring. Yes! Those pesky parents that the system hates so much. Those pesky parents -- why they're the problem, the educrats say!

"On nationally normed standardized achievement tests, the average score for all public school students is 50 in all areas. For all home schooled students taking the same tests, the average score for the complete battery of tests was 87, a whopping difference of 37 percentile points. For example: Total Reading, 87; Total Math, 82; Social Studies, 85. In every category, the home-schooled kids out-performed their public school peers."

Oh you can't deny that academically they are doing well. So says the Union hack teacher relative. Then comes the big 'BUT'. BUT - they're not being socialized! Socialized. The last desperate grab - the last desperate straw - the only thing the educrats have to hang onto now. It's the big BUT. 'Socialization' - and what an apt word for them to use. Public school it seems is the one place where ‘all of the children of all of the people come together.’

Wrong again. Studies prove them....wrong....again.

"Frankly, the whole socialization argument is bogus, too. Fully 98 percent of home-schooled kids are involved in two or more extracurricular activities with other kids outside the home. These just happen to be of a more wholesome type, like field trips (84 percent), Sunday School classes (77 percent), group sports (48 percent), music classes (47 percent), and volunteer work (33 percent)..."

I know that the girlies are extremely involved in many activities with other kids. Kids of all stripes. This is America for goodness sake. The melting pot.

Not only that, but kids who are home educated in states without stringent homeschooling laws achieve just as much as the kids who are home educated in states WITH stringent homeschooling laws - like PA for example. They're doing great and the parents are doing great no matter WHAT the state does to try to get their filthy, bureaucratic hands on the kiddies.

If you homeschool you are not alone! Close to 2 million American children were being home educated in the year 2002-2003. More and more people are choosing to home educate every year. 7 - 15 percent more per year!

Homeschooling. It will save our Republic! Plus - it's a great way to get to know and appreciate your kids.

Almost time for school

We take the summer off. Of course all summer there are many moments that could be considered 'teaching moments'. I don't document it and keep track of it for the state, though. So I'm gearing up for doing all of that soon.

The little one - the 5 year old - is SO excited about learning to read. She climbed into bed with me early one morning (Grizzly Papa was at work already) and chatted away. One thing she said made me giggle - it was 'Soon daddy will have TWO reading girls!' She wants her own composition book - and she shall have it!

The older one - the 8 1/2 year old - wants to re-arrange the day. She doesn't want to start with math anymore. 'Okay', I said, 'think about what you want to do and we'll make it happen. We can also continue to make adjustments if and when you want.' Last year she decided that she hated math. I looked at her in disbelief. Hate math?! She's scoring at 9th grade level on the state assessments! Hate math?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...Grizzly Mama has it figured out. The cheerleader on the block (age 9) HATES math. The cheerleader on the block has taught all the girlies her cheer: 'The boys have the brains and the girls have the seexxxxy legs!' Of course I had to point out that it's a bunch of crap. The cheerleader has moved away and I had to explain to mine that usually if one hates doing something then one doesn't easily do quite so well at it.

I'm excited about starting, too. It's a lot of work yes. It's a commitment yes. Of course it is. It's a joy to watch them learn. It's a joy to learn new things right along with them. It's a joy to see that light go on. You know - when they learn to read? Every word they figure out is read aloud in a squeal and with a big smile. Nothing can replace that.

I can hardly wait for school to start!

The Grizzly Sloth

Out for a walk on a steamy Saturday. Hot, Humid and Hazy. Heading out to find a swimmin' hole.

Thanks Ranting Gina for the pic.

Check out this new product for homeschoolers.

It was designed by experienced homeschoolers. Listen - they've been doing this for years - they know what you need! They did it the hard, old fashioned way and knew that there must be an easier, new fashioned way. Guess what? In the true American spirit they decided that they needed to develop it themselves. They named it 'Did Today'. They are very cool.

So - have at it. Dip your toes in. Delve a little deeper. Ask questions. Get support. You can do it. You can.

Kim du Toit


*****UPDATE*****

Here is a link for the Toadies of the world. No pictures of scawy, scawy guns.

Did Today