Reformation Day Rap

From The Corner

by 95 Theses

Aloha Friday:Homemade Halloween

Ok, I admit it. My kids are going to look shabby for Halloween. Their costumes are totally homemade/kid style. So here is my question:

Is it better to have an original homemade costume (that may be shabby) or to look polished for Halloween?

Who's who?

Not David Tennant, after four specials next year.

David Tennant quits as Doctor Who

Over and over and over (until it's over)

We watched the all first presidential debate, some of the second, and none of the third. Here's video proof that we didn't miss much.

There's definitely something wrong with the presidential debate system, as it's just a game to see how many of your pre-rehearsed talking points you can recite. Now I wonder how many of Obama's sound-bites you'll hear again during his half-hour commercial tonight. (Not me, I've seen enough.)

Obama's past elections

Barack Obama is a current U.S. Senator, and a former Illinois State Senator, so you probably figure that he's used to running against his political opponents.

From The Corner

In 1996 Obama goes to court, challenges the petition signatures of mostly African-American voters, and gets all his rivals eliminated from the ballot and so de facto runs unopposed.

In 2004 sealed divorce records were strangely released destroying the chances of his chief Democratic rival Blair Hull; then in the general, lightning again struck, and Republican front-runner Jack Ryan's sealed divorce records were likewise mysteriously released—and he too crashed, in effect, leaving Obama without a serious primary or general election rival.

Around the Nerdosphere

I have a Pampered Chef giveaway at NerdFamily Food and a scrapbooking giveaway at NerdFamily Things. I also am offering a great giveaway at my weekly Contesting Monday event!

A Great Homeschooling Benefit: A More Creative Halloween!

I made a discovery about a month ago. I realized that my kids were already making cool projects for history that could be used to go with Halloween costumes. I gently suggested that we not buy costumes this year but make ones from our history readings. The boys have decided to become Roman Soldiers and NerdPie is going to be a Celtic Queen with NerdPud as one of her daughters. The kids got all excited but then I started feeling guilty. These costumes will look so hand made, because they are. You are looking at some of the pieces to one of my kids' Roman Standard project for history so obviously this won't be professional craftmenship. But since my kids are in this exclusive school no on else will have their costume at the church event. Not only that but I get to save major money and I get to have my kids involved in creating something and isn't that more value than just walking around and getting candy. I think so.

Now a disclaimer, these are going to look so made by kids and that really includes all the parts I am doing and came up with. I sewed a dress for my oldest daughter to wear under her cloak she is helping make and it is obvious that it is my first dress I have ever made. But oh well, it is one night and the kids won't know any better as long as all of you don't tell them;).

BattleStar Galactica

BattleStar Galactica is going to start airing their final 10 episode season starting January 16, 2009. I am a little disappointed that this is the final season but I am more shocked that January 2009 is so close. I am curious as to how many hours this season is going to total. According to the article the finale could run more than 3 hours. Very interesting.

Making Cute Clips and a Giveaway!

Cute clips eh? You wouldn't believe how easy and inexpensive they are to make.

Materials:

Alligator Hair Clips (you get them at a beauty supply place, you can get 60 for less than $5)

Ribbon ( I got the red ribbon 75% off $1.99 and the striped as part of a 3 pack for 50 cents)

Fray Check

Glue Gun

Binder Clip (unseen)


Process:
Cut a length of ribbon and apply Fray Check. Then place the Alligator Clip on the binder clip (this prevents the clip from glueing shut). Then place hot glue on first section of ribbon that goes on the top inside and press down. Then put hot glue on the clip itself and press the ribbon all along the clip. Tada! You are done!

Now for the giveaway...As part of Bloggy Giveaway's Carnival I am giving away these 2 sets of clips! All you have to do is comment.

Make sure that you have your email in your profile or include your email in the comment so I can contact you if you win! Comments will be closed Saturday, 11/1, at 6 pm and I will email the winner. You will have 3 days to contact me.

Meal Plan Monday

So here is the plan for this week!

Monday: Asparagus and Orzo with premade Chicken(Asparagus is on sale at Vons for $1.77/lb this week)
Tuesday: Pork Loin Chops, Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Cube Steak, Beer Bread, Broccoli
Thursday: Pasta Alfredo Bake
Friday: Cheeseburger Pie

Respecting Your Children's Time

Do your kids throw a fit when you call them to dinner? How about bed time? Is it because you don't respect their time?

I know, this may sound like a shocking statement coming from me. As many of you know, I do not believe in child centered parenting but that is not what I am talking about. Has their ever been a time your kids have walked up to you and asked you something and you told them that you were in the middle of something and to give you a few minutes? So in other words you wanted them to respect you and your time.

Giving a time warning (5 minutes until dinner, 10 minutes and you will have to clean up your craft, etc) shows that you respect that they are doing something that you respect.

Do you want to have kids that get involved in whatever they are doing? Do you want them to concentrate on their activities? Well, of they can be pulled away at any minute no child is going to be all the vested in their activities. A time warning gives them the security that they can wrap things up or get to a stopping so they know they won't just have to abandon their efforts.

The real dirty secret...respect your kids' time and they respect you and your time more. My kids really value that warning so when they need something from me they are willing to give me that same kindness. "Mom, I would like some more water when you get a chance." Isn't that so much nicer?

Also, when you respect your kids they know it. So if plans have to change ("Kids, Mom didn't realize what time it is. We gotta go now!") they handle it with a definate modicum of grace.

This is a win-win. You get a payoff with your kids now and you take another step at raising awesome adults!

Hilarity and Palin!

For those of you who don't have Tivo, don't stay up late or live on Mars;).




The slightly less funny cold open:

Meal Plan Monday

So here we go for the week!

Monday: Roast and Potatoes, Broccoli
Tuesday: Chicken Kiev, Broccoli, Beer Bread
Wednesday: Tilapia, Cheddar Bay Biscuits (these are the Red Lobster Biscuits), Broccoli
Thursday: Corned Beef Hash, Scrambled Eggs
Friday: Pork Loin Chops, Pasta, Broccoli

Don't Trust Politicians

I started watching John Stossel's special on 20/20 (love Tivo) and he was talking about how people trusted the candidates who are running for president. Ah! That is everyone's first mistake.

We are not elected a messiah or even a Moses. We are conducting a nation wide job interview. It is time people treated it as such. So what does that look like? Well, think about your own job experience. You give the prospective employer you resume then based on that and your interview they decide to hire you. You decide to accept the job based upon the expectations that were outlined for you.

NerdDad is currently working on a software feature with another person. The employer can't hold NerdDad accountable for the other person's productivity but they can hold him accountable (read: fire him if he doesn't produce) for his work. NerdDad didn't get his job to miracoulously produce every product for his company but to complete his job.

This is how we should view the presidency. There is a job with requirements. Then we look at the candidates' interview, evaluate how their experience and temperament line up with the position and choose. Keep in mind that you are hiring for the position of President, not be all to end all. The first thing to do is go , brace yourself, read the Constitution! The Founding Fathers did a decent job of laying out what is expected. Then keep in mind that if either of these candidates could fix all of our and the government's ails they would have done it already. They wouldn't have been dependent on our little votes. They are just humans and therefore defecient in many areas and mostly jerks (who else would want the job?).

So take the emotion out of this election. Know what the Presidential job is and don't confuse it with the whole Congress. Look at the candidate's history and resume. Then choose. Wisely!

Gourd Doll House

Isn't this cute! If I had a rotary tool I would totally make this for NerdPie! Go over to Bitter Betty Blogs for a step by step tutorial.

Where have the good educational shows gone?

NerdDad and I are a little frustrated that there aren't any good educational shows that are aimed at the NerdBug (2nd grade). They are all kindergarten or earlier. Where have 321 Contact, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego and the Electric Company gone? Or one of our favorites SquareOne TV?

I'm a PC!

I think the new Microsoft commercials are a great comeback at all you Mac heads. I found this interview with the first "I'm a PC" guy and it is a little interesting. What do you all think about these commercials? I personally am tired of the idea that all the interesting and creative people are only on Macs. Now I am not interesting or creative but still;).

It was the best of news, it was the worst of news....

In the Best of News category has to do with VH1 and Paul F. Tompkins. It has been announced that VH1 is changing the format of Best Week Ever. They are taking it from a multi-host format to just 1 and it is Paul F. Topmkins! I have to say he is one of my favorites so I am happy!

Now onto sadder news...Mothers Cookies has declared bankruptcy and closed their factory in Oakland. I love their cookies and NerdDad will particularly miss FlakyFlix.

Homeschool Myth: Manipulatives

An argument I have heard against homeschooling is lack of materials/manipulatives. I was told that it would cost an arm and a leg to get all the hands on teaching tools I would need to teach preschool and the first few years of elementary school and that is why they needed to go to a school enviroment. I say, "Bologna!". Yes, you might need a few things but many of the big things will be just cheap things you have around the house. For counters you can use beans or M&M's(great reward system too;). For those nifty little fraction models...An apple or orange and a knife. You can even get a kid safe knife (or a pumpkin knife) and have the kiddo cut it themselves. Be creative and cheap!

Now there will be times when, depending on the kid, you might need a real mainpulative. Take for example those lovely unit blocks in my picture. All kids may not need those but the NerdBug's math progress came to a screeching halt when we got to borrowing and carrying so we went and got a little help. Something you need to keep in mind is the local teacher store isn't your only option, and sometime that is a costly option. I went into our local teacher store (GW Supply) and found some unit blocks but not all that I wanted. They had the tens and the ones but not the hundreds and they were about $9 a bag. So I went on line and found these interlocking ones at a fraction of the price and they lock together (the ones at GW didn't). All I did was go to the website on the bag. After shipping and handling I still paid less (less than $18 for all 3 sets plus a couple of clearance items;). So remember to look around. The Internet is your oyster!

One last thing, if you are going to invest in something try to make it do double duty. It can teach basic addition and subtraction, carrying, borrowing and fractions.

This is the first manipulative I needed to buy so that myth is officially debunked!

Meal Plan Monday

So here we go again! Since 3 kids are sick already, I am going with easy and comfort foods.

Monday- Baked Chicken, Orzo and Asparagus
Tuesday- Cube Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Wednesday- Fried Tilapia, Orzo and Asparagus
Thursday- Pork Loin Chops, Beer Bread, Broccoli
Friday- Spaghetti with Chicken, Broccoli

Button, Button Who has the Button?

Buttons. We all have them. We get them hooked onto new clothes and if you are like me, you never throw them away. And on the whole, that is a good thing. As I was digging through all my buttons looking for a replacement for one NerdPie lost on a dress, I was reminded that there was a reason for these crazy buttons. But I had to find a better storage solution. So I took an old prescription bottle and peeled off the label. Then I got rid of all those ridiculous baggies and just dropped them in. By the time I was done the bottle wasn't even close to being filled!

Meal Plan Monday

So here we meet again and it is all about the food!







Monday: Marinated Pork Loin Chops, Asparagus and Orzo
Tuesday: Oven Baked "Fried" Chicken, Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Cube Steak, Beer Bread, Broccoli
Thursday: Roasted Beef and Potatoes, Broccoli
Friday: Chicken Kiev, Cheesy Grits, Broccoli

Things I Learned Homeschooling

No one will deny that homeschooling is a learning experience. What I think that many people don't realize is that no one really learns more that the homeschooling parent. Now I was very prepared to what homeschooling was and some of the lessons I would learn. I would gain knowledge that was left out of my conventional education. I would learn to have patience and how to schedule better. Already I see those lesson taking form in me. But there are some lessons I didn't foresee and I am sure that there are more to come.

The big lesson I didn't foresee was sometimes you need to leave them the heck alone. It started when I was trying to teach my oldest how to use scissors. I couldn't figure out how to communicate to him on how to make the scissors work and cut on the line. So I went to a woman at church who works in our children's department and asked for advice. She said hand him the scissors and paper, then leave him alone. Well, she was right.

Same child a couple of years later we are working on first grade math. Now I tutored math for years so I felt like I had a handle on this situation. Well, I may have been wrong;). The fact that I was making sure that he had a handle on the concepts before I gave him the work to do was really exasperating him. I found that he worked so much better if I gave him his workbook and when he stumbled (more than once or twice) then I would pull out the textbook and go over the lesson.

Now this isn't always the approach for all my children but it was something I wasn't prepared for. I just wonder what unexpected lesson I will be learning next;).

Ben Stein, Paulson and the Economy

The NY Times has a very good article from Ben Stein. He really helps to offer a perspective as to what has caused some of the economic issues. He also talked about how Paulson had the chutzpah to ask that he not be held responsible for the $700 Billion he wanted in the bailout.

(HT: Bridget Johnson)

For your pre-VP debate viewing pleasure

If you're worried that Sarah Palin might make a gaffe or two during tonight's VP debate, this message (from the Maverick to you!) may make you feel better.