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Grizzly Mama

There's a Grizzly who has escaped the City of Brotherly Love..(and she's going back to homeschooling!!)

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Location: Out of Philly, Pennsylvania, United States

"All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth." Aristotle - Greek Philosopher.

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Terri Schiavo FAQ

I thought this was a good summation of it all. Thanks to Patterico


FAQ


The thing that bothers me the absolute MOST is that the diagnosis of PVS is disputed by many Neurologists - atleast one of whom provided an affidavit after examination of Terri. There has been no MRI, no PET. There is a CAT scan that is inconclusive from what I understand. The thing that bothers me NEXT TO MOST is that it is not clear at all what Terri's wishes were.

Here is a link to a Poem for Terri by Jedati. Jedati provided this link in my comments section and I appreciate it. It is a beautiful poem.

Poem for Terri

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Grizzly Tangled in a Web?

No, no, no - I'm okay. I had a thoroughly enjoyable visit with David Vance from A Tangled Web!

Thank you David and Family. My husband, my daughters and I had a great time talking with you over coffee here in the City of Brotherly Love. It was an honor to meet you and we appreciate you taking time from your trip to sit and chat with us for awhile. We only hope that we didn't gab too long and keep you up too late. Next time you visit we will take you to all of the parts of the city that are wonderful but that tourists don't know about.

Here is the gift that we presented to them. Always the Ambassador - that's me!! I hope that they get some mileage out of this when they show it to people back home.

It's a coffe mug!!

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Top Ten Reasons to Criminalize Homeschooling

Thanks to Abe for turning me on to Scrappleface


As per Scrappleface - here they are!

*Most parents were educated in the underfunded public school system, and so are not smart enough to homeschool their own children.

*Children who receive one-on-one homeschooling will learn more than others, giving them an unfair advantage in the marketplace. This is undemocratic.

*How can children learn to defend themselves unless they have to fight off bullies on a daily basis?

*Ridicule from other children is important to the socialization process.

*Children in public schools can get more practice "Just Saying No" to drugs, cigarettes and alcohol.

*Fluorescent lighting may have significant health benefits.

*Publicly asking permission to go to the bathroom teaches young people their place in society.

*The fashion industry depends upon the peer pressure that only public schools can generate.

*Public schools foster cultural literacy, passing on important traditions like the singing of "Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg..."

*Homeschooled children may not learn important office career skills, like how to sit still for six hours straight.


May I add one of my own?
*Homeschooled kids don't have the benefit of being drugged into submission because they are too 'lively'.

I could think of a few more. I'll bet you could, too!

Goodnight my sillies. Thanks for dropping by.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

A prayer and a thought

I offer up a prayer for Terri Schiavo and her family. God - please grant them comfort and peace and strength.

******

It's a sad day in America when a human being is not represented fairly in a court of law. When that person is sentenced to death with so many unanswered questions hanging in the air. Death Row criminals get better treatment in our country than a helpless woman does.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Extraordinary Actions

As I've shared with you before I'm not the best Christian you will ever run across.

I am amazed at what our government did in regard to Terri Schiavo. God Bless those men and women, God Bless President Bush and God Bless Terri Schiavo and her family. Truly I believe in the power of prayer. I do - really. I pray all the time and my ass has been snatched from the jaws of doom more than once.

Based on what I have heard and read about Terri Schiavo, she is NOT in a persistent vegetative state. With the proper therapy (which her husband has repeatedly denied to her) she could possibly be taking nourishment without the feeding tube. It's sickening to me that the law supports a man who wants so badly to kill his own wife.

It is extraordinary the way our government moved the way it did this weekend.

Terri's fight

Friday, March 18, 2005

Grizzly Makes The Pledge

If the FEC makes rules that limit my First Amendment right to express my opinion on core political issues, I will not obey those rules.

Thanks Zendo Deb and Patterico

Thursday, March 17, 2005

State tries (again) to wrest our parental rights away..

They'll have to pry my cold, dead fingers from my parental rights. Do I trust the State? Do you trust the State? Of course not and we shouldn't. What the hell does the State know? Ahhhhhhh - they're the 'experts', eh? You're just the silly parent who would unknowingly screw your kid up due to your dangerous ignorance of the proper way to raise your children in the world to be caring eco-friendly worker/citizens.

We gotta watch 'em every minute. Well, yes, the kids. But as important - we have to watch the State every minute. They're sneaky. Kids and the State. Especially the State.

Here's what they're trying to do now. Of course all the while assuring us that they really wouldn't do what it is they've decided to do.

Universal Mental Health Screening. Read it - it's ugly:

Courtesy of HSLDA

Here's a little excerpt from the linked article:
'The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was established by President Bush to investigate the nation's mental health service system and provide recommendations to improve the system. In 2003, the Commission's final report was released and it specifically recommended a universal mental-health screening program which would be created within the public school system.

While the White House has assured HSLDA that the President would not support this type of extensive program, Congress appropriated $20 million in 2004 to fund the Commission's recommendations. The money is in the form of "state incentive grants" and is currently available to the states with no guidelines preserving parental rights.'


Didja catch that little reassurance from the White House? Should we take it at face value - just accept it? I think we ought to be more than a bit concerned.

Enter my new hero - Rep. Ron Paul (R - TX)

Don't Let Congress Fund Orwellian Psychiatric Screening of Kids where he says:

'Every parent in America should be made aware of a presidential initiative called the “New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.” This commission issued a report last year calling for the mandatory mental health screening of American schoolchildren, meaning millions of kids will be forced to undergo psychiatric screening whether their parents consent or not. At issue is the fundamental right of parents to decide what medical treatment is appropriate for their children.'

He has introduced HR 181 that will forbid the use of federal dollars to screen our children without our consent.

Contact your representatives and senators - tell them to support HR 181.

Here is the text of the legislation:
H.R.181

Read it - it's important.

And here's a really cool website - it includes a beautiful Haiku verse for Rep. Paul....YourCongress.com

When I first heard of this man about a year ago I discovered that this guy's votes depend solely on whether the vote would be constitutional or not. Ya know - that's just not the normal way that business is done in D.C. but it should be.

God Bless America.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Mommy, what should I do with my ear wax?

Typical question in a typical day with a four year old.

So - any answers for THAT one out there?

Friday, March 11, 2005

Alright I've had just about enough of this crap.

So - what's it going to be? Are we the parents a pain in the ass - or are we the parents not involved enough therefore it is OUR fault that the test scores are so awful in the government education system?! Huh?! Well?! C'mon - let's hear it?!

Grizzly Mama is growling.

Grizzly Mama is trying to recover from a discussion with a Teacher's Union Hack.

Oh sheesh - here's the gist of it. No matter what, the government educators will never be happy I fear.

First it was this: The bad school districts have poor scores because for one thing the parents are not involved in the child's education. This is probably true.

Then it was this: The teachers get the garlic out and start to hiss when they are stuck with a kid who has been homeschooled because the parents are such a pain in the ass.

Does this strike you as odd as it struck me? So I guess we're supposed to be involved but not be TOO much of a pain in the ass. Just where is this line that we are not supposed to step over?

I need help with this one as my thought processes are quickly degenerating into ANOTHER anti-government education rant. Save me!

Monday, March 07, 2005

Want to have some fun with your kids?

We did this the other day for Science. It's the 'mystery substance' that doesn't act quite like a solid and doesn't act quite like a liquid. It's to show that although science has all matter pegged into neat little groups there are substances out there that don't fit quite so neatly into the solid, liquid, or gas category.

Find a place that you don't mind getting this stuff all over. It cleans up very easily and even though some spilled onto the rug it vacuumed right up after it dried.

Mix 2 cups of cornstarch with 1 cup of water. Mix until smooth.

Start playing with it. Get some cups and pour it back and forth. Stick your finger down through it to the bottom of the bowl. Pick a handful up and watch what it does. Form it into a ball and see how long it will stay in that shape. Put a bit on the table, watch it spread like water and gather it up into a ball again. Does it act like a liquid? Sometimes. Does it act like a solid? Sometimes.

The girls and I played with this stuff for about 45 minutes. Usually we have a bunch of neighborhood kids participate in the Science projects but this time it was just us. I had a blast and so did the girls. This 'mystery substance' was really blowing my mind.

We've done all sorts of cool stuff with Science. I love this Science curriculum. It's very hands on for the kids and all projects are framed in the Scientific Method.

When it gets warm out I save Science until the school kids start knocking up to play. Then we take it outside and everyone participates. I've had them mixing soil and releasing worms (always good for a scream or two) to see which type of soil the worms prefer. We've had crickets in an aquarium on the porch with different little habitats built to see which they prefer. We broke my broom stick using it as a lever. (El cheapo dollar store brooms!) We've drug race cars and sneakers around with a spring scale to measure Newtons of force. The kids frigging LOVE it! They love it, I tell ya.

This is almost like a second childhood for me - I swear! I never had this much fun with Science when I was in school. Now that I think of it I never had much fun in school at all. It's not only science, either. It's really a lot of fun to teach your kids. It's fun to be a part of the experience and quite frankly I've learned a lot along the way myself. We've discovered many things together. I've realized how lacking my own education was. I never thought that it might actually be fun. I was worried, wasn't sure if I could do it, but to have fun? Never even entered my mind.

Even if your kids are in school - have fun with them. Try doing some of this stuff together. It will enrich their lives - and yours. I'm having a blast with them.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Ok honey, can you say 'Wahhabi Lobby'?

They're here, they've got US Government support, and leftist government educators have no problem indoctrinating our children in their virulent form of Islam.

Daniel Pipes on a disturbing textbook for 12 year olds:
Think Like a Muslim

A reader responding to his article mentions her experience as a parent dealing with a school district in regard to another textbook for 12 year olds:
Islamic Indoctrination

(Don't you think it interesting that the kids aren't even allowed to bring this particular textbook home?)

Anyhoo you ask - what has this to do with Wahhabism?! Well it seems that the Saudi Royal Family finances the Wahhabi Lobby in Washington D.C. You've heard of it, I'm sure. Oh! You say you haven't? Well - lets take a little peek at what they're up to....

Undesirable Influence

Yikes!

Did he say 80%???

Yes - I believe he did say 80% - that's the percentage of American mosques controlled by Saudi Wahhabis.

So - the influence has been seen in our prison system, our government, our institutions of higher education and now...NOW...it's trickling down into K-12. Our precious little kiddies. They're being taught by the ones who 'know better', the ones who view the parents as the problem - our vaunted (and well paid, insured and taxpayer guaranteed pensioned)government educators.

Just remember these same educators feel threatened by the mere mention of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. (Not to mention the great J.C.)

And Mary and Johnny still can't read.