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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, October 29, 2009

Homeschooling for High School

Is officially on the table.

Although I kind of like the school that the girls are going to now, I cannot help contrasting the education that they are getting there with the education that they received at home for all of those years.

Science, History, Math - full (and rigorous) curriculum starting in Kindergarten at home. Reading? They were reading by the time they started first grade. As things stand now, the 4th grader gets Science once p/week - - and apparently they are incapable of finishing the grade curriculum for Math as I had to do it over the summer. (Oh - it's no big deal though! Don't worry about it!!) History? Pshaw. They call what they are giving them 'History'? Nothing about ancient history, vandals/visigoths, renaissance, kings/wars, various revolutions - all the GOOD stuff is missing!

I am newly annoyed this week, you know that the girls were home for a full week with the flu. As I had to keep them home for a full day after they were feeling well, I figured it would be a good time to get caught up on some of the things that they've missed. So I notified the school that I would be picking stuff up and have assignments ready - please. I received 3 of the missing day's assignments. For the 8th grader, three days of math apparently included 5 equations. WHAT?! And - get this - she's now in her third year of pre-algebra.

I didn't mind her having an extra year of pre-algebra. In fact, I think it's a good thing. She got pre-algebra in 6th at home - then went over most of that information in 7th in school. I like having a good, solid base. Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT all for cramming it all in too quickly. But I do believe in progress. Based on her state testing scores alone, this girl has it going on for math. Based on what I know about my kid - and I taught her for 7 years before putting her into school - she's ready. Perhaps the classroom setting is not the ideal way to teach? That could be it. I'm not blaming the teachers, I guess I'm blaming a failed model.

I have been all at odds in the last several months. She wants to go to the local Catholic High School, and of course the school that she's in now is pushing that. We could go local public high school, but that idea makes me want to vomit. I know that there will be no want when it comes to getting her involved in the community - my kids were more involved in the community when they were homeschooled than they are now. Not only that, the local school is required by law to allow homeschoolers to participate in extra-curriculars. (The high school has a pistol team!!) I have already made contact with other homeschoolers in the area.

My husband and I have talked - he is open to homeschooling her once again. The little one - as things stand now - wants to continue in regular school. The decision does not need to be made this minute - so I am just putting it out there to think about.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

H1N1


Okay - so it looks like the girls have it. They definitely have some sort of flu. Nasal swabs showed negative, but according to my doc they come back negative all the time when they shouldn't. (I'm not sure I understand why they even use them...)

The older one had a chest x-ray - no pneumonia! The little one is exhibiting early symptoms. The doctor has said that day2 and day3 are normally the worst days. According to the H1N1 instructions that were given to me by the doc, I am to push fluids and keep my eye out for certain symptoms that indicate further medical action:

Blue lips
Difficulty breathing
Not drinking
Not waking up
Extreme irritability
Fever with rash
Improving of symptoms - and then return of symptoms with fever and worsening cough
Pain or pressure in chest
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Grizzly Mama has her Grizzly Eyes on the situation.

The girls' school has had a policy since the beginning of the year: If a child has a fever they must stay home until 24 hours has passed with no fever and without the aid of a fever reducing medicine. Accordingly, I kept my oldest home yesterday because she woke up with a low grade fever. The little one had no fever yesterday but woke up with a low grade fever today. The oldest one felt pretty good until about 7:30 pm yesterday when she started coughing and fever spiked to 102 degrees. Today she woke up and her fever had spiked to 104.7 degrees and she was so totally sick and miserable that my Grizzly Instinct was seriously alarmed. A cool washcloth to the head, some Tylenol and plenty of fluids were pushed. Getting her dressed to get to the doctors office reminded me of the days when she was so little that she couldn't dress herself.

They're both feeling pretty good now, but I expect spiking fevers are in our future. I normally don't give anything for a fever, unless it gets to be over 102 or so - and also depending on how they feel. Even at 102, if they're feeling okay I won't give a fever reducer. Fever is the body's way of killing that bug and it is something that I don't mind dealing with. That 104.7 freaked me out a bit, though.

It's hard for a mother when the kids are sick. They suddenly look much smaller than normal and more vulnerable. Especially with everything being said about this flu - that the people dying are not typical for seasonal flu deaths. One can't help but think of the worst and realize that, even if we like to think that we have control, there are a lot of things out there that we have absolutely no control over at all.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Where are you on the political spectrum?

My Political Views
I am a right moderate social libertarian
Right: 5.56, Libertarian: 1.13

Political Spectrum Quiz

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Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Dirty Dealings in Congress

Congress is still up to their dirty tricks. See Mike's America, where he gives us information about just HOW DIRTY our elected representatives are. They are stealthily making plans to pass this disgusting government takeover of American's health care, despite the fact that poll after poll shows that Americans DON'T WANT IT. Despite that fact that we vociferously let them know how we felt about it in townhall meetings all across the nation during the August recess. Despite that fact that over a million citizens marched on Washington and in every major city in America on 9/12 in adamant opposition of this nefarious plan.

THEY DON'T CARE. They have just realized that they have to sneak it through - all with Obama's blessing. Some excerpts from Mike's post:

Senate Dems on the Finance Committee defeated GOP offered amendments which would have strengthened bans on using federal funds for abortion and required immigrants to prove they are here legally with a photo I.D. before participating in the health plans. Like earlier defeats of GOP amendments that would prohibit rationing of health care or cuts in medicare Democrats have rejected every GOP solution which would have made this a bipartisan solution. Remember that next time Obama claims we are lying about health care reform. Joe Wilson was right!


But what is happening in the Senate Finance Committee is a sideshow to the secret back room dealings which will take place as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid takes the framework from the Senate Finance Committee and melds it with the very liberal Kennedy bill from the Senate Health Education and Labor Committeee. It is in that secret process that actual legislative language will be written and there is no restriction on what Reid and a handful of Senators and their aides can do.


Once presented for a vote - I doubt that our elected representatives, including Obama, will want anyone to actually READ the bill. They will attempt to push it through - as Obama attempted to pressure a quick vote before the August recess.

The time for us to act is NOW.

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