I Will Miss Homeschooling

We are now preparing to start traditional school. Uniforms must be bought, backpacks, school supplies. School bus schedules obtained, proper notebooks, the summer literature project for the soon to be 7th grader. Review of math facts for the soon to be 3rd grader. New haircuts and only one set of earrings allowed for each.

I will miss homeschooling my girls. I will just plain miss my girls. Home education has been a very rewarding, and mostly very enjoyable experience for us. The girls have blossomed in every way over the past 7 years. Socially, physically and mentally. It has been a joy to be such a huge part of that. What a privilege to know intimately their abilities, strengths and weaknesses.

I want their experience in school to be a good one, however I would also like it to be a brief one. No matter how great the curriculum and the teachers and the school, they can never get as much there as they can get working with their mom and dad - one on one. The freedom to explore their unique interests is limited in a traditional school environment. The material offered is not as rich as what can be had with the K12 curriculum that we love so much. The opportunities to interact in their community is also limited with traditional schooling.

Why the hell are we doing this, again? They want, and I believe need, the experience. There have been many times in my life that being told something is so cannot substitute for knowing by experience that something is so. They are pining to go to school - so we found the least abhorrent school that exists in my part of the world. It is a nice little school.

Wish us luck, and perhaps after a year (maybe two..), we will be back at it again.

Pew News IQ Quiz

Your Percentile score for
the average adult:

| 97 Grizzly Mama
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| 50 National Average
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Percentile Rank

This chart and the charts by gender, education, and age show your percentile rank. The percentile rank shows the percentage of the public who scored below you on the quiz. By definition, the average person scored at the 50th percentile (half of the public did worse, half did better). You scored better than 97% of the general public on the quiz.

The percentile rank sorted by gender shows women at 39th perentile.
The percentile rank sorted by educaton level (some college for me) at 48th percentile.
The percentile rank sorted by age (30-49 for me) at 48th percentile.

Go! Take the quiz! I'd be willing to bet that you ace it, too.

I found this at Little Green Footballs.

Small Town Stuff

We are very excited about the upcoming festival in a nearby community called Terre Hill. You just can't find stuff like this in Philly...

* Chainsaw Carving

* Outhouse Racing

* Mountain Man Encampment

* Skydive Bingo

Along with pie eating contests, a good old fashioned tug-of-war, rides and games - amongst other things.

Totally different mindset out here. It's like living on a different planet. I love it.

God Bless America

Happy 4th of July!

Troll and I actually have a day off TOGETHER. We will be partaking in a host of activities with the girls. We have traveled back in time. Life is simpler and a bit more wholesome here in the land of cornfields, horse-pulled carriages, and Harley-Davidsons. Less complicated. It's all about growing food, working hard, families taking care of each other, and helping your neighbor. Drying the clothes out on the line, wading in the creek, and running across the grass barefoot.

God Bless America.