Hyppychick

I got the potty training blues...

2012-05-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

We started potty training in July. Last year. "Started" being the operative word.

In my usual OCD manner, I read every book I could get my hands on, viewed every video at the library and Netflix. Talked incessantly to Phoebe about it and how exciting it would be. I bought cute little princess underpants. I bought 3 different potty chairs. We read books together about pottys. And I talked to just about everyone I knew.

And then we sucked.

We sucked because deep down I wasn't sure she was ready. I worried that her speech wasn't good enough to tell me what she needed. I worried we didn't have the right potty. I obsessed over every little detail. I followed EVERYONE's advice but I did it all at the same time so I think I just confused her. I would say one thing and do another.

Case in point: pull-up diapers. They are EVIL. Do not use them. Well except if you're going on a long trip or at night time or during nap time. See what I mean?

So during the day, at home, I'd have Phoebe in a dress sans pantaloons or "without underpants" for y'all that don't speak messed up French. Then, we'd put on a pull-up if we were going somewhere or it was nap time or bedtime. Phoebe would stay dry and clean as long as she was pants-less but would save poops for the pull-ups or underpants. She got to the point that she didn't like getting cleaned up and would stay just out of poop smelling range to avoid it. Which meant that by the time I smelled it (10 minutes or so) she would be a little irritated and we'd have to stop everything to get her cleaned up and cream applied. I was at my wit's end. Bribes in the form of suckers were no good. It really seemed like she could careless about being potty trained.

A friend of mine suggested a particular book and told me that purchase of the book also granted you access to the author in a forum so you could ask questions. I purchased the book, looked at the forum and found it all completely useful information. And then I promptly went back to what I was doing.

Until about six weeks ago when she went in a pooping spree. At bed time, she'd poop a little, request cleanup and then go back to bed. Then a little more poop and more cleanup. This would happen 3-4 times every evening. I'd ask her if she was done pooping and make her sit on the potty but no dice. She'd poop a little more and be back for cleanup.

After about 6 nights of this, her butt was getting raw and cleanup time was no fun for anyone.

I went on the Internet looking for answers and was reminded of the book I bought and the forum. We were 9 months into this and I had no idea what to do next and I didn't feel we were any closer to being trained than when we started.

The woman who wrote the eBook answers questions directly in her forum. I posted where we were in the process and what we were doing and she came back with the fact that the pull-ups HAD TO GO. NOW. DO NOT PASS GO. DO NOT COLLECT $200.

So we went cold turkey with the pullups and it has been amazing. Phoebe went from refusing to poop on the potty to doing it willingly. We've only had a few accidents and those only in the first couple of days. We even went to the zoo last weekend and she was perfect.

Night time training is sucking but not for the reason you think. She's only had a few accidents at night mainly because I check on her about 2 hours after she goes to bed and then I get up about 3 hours later and take her to the potty again. Then, sometime between 3 or so and 8:30 am, she'll get up and go potty without help. I'm working on stretching the time of the second check so that I can train her out of that one.

So between getting up with her at 3AM and with Griffin, who is experiencing his first ear infection and a growth spurt at the same time, I'm not sleeping a lot. But the fact remains that my kid is nearly potty trained. I can't say she's perfect - we're not done. But day time is no problem anymore.

Reasons to Home School: Traditional Schools Kill Creativity

2012-05-25T07:30:00.001-04:00

Schools are all about conformity. All the kids learn the same thing, at the same pace, in the same place, in the same way. There is usually only ONE right answer and it's in the back - but DON'T LOOK!

The kids are taught to think the same. And in some schools, they dress the same. If there are no school uniforms, then fashions rule what the kids wear and next thing you know, your daughter wants to wear something stupid to school because she feels she will be a social outcast if she doesn't. And she's right. Quirky, divergent thinkers are rarely the popular kids in traditional schools because they don't look or act like the crowd.

But you know what my dad always taught me?

"Don't be a sheep. Sheep are led to slaughter."

It's a pretty depressing thought but then I also think about Tommy Lee Jones' comment in Men In Black:

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."

So that leaves private schools but they largely have the same problem as public schools and that problem is accountability. Accountability in and of itself is a good thing. But trying to measure a child's education by grading the child on thinking the way everyone else thinks is destroying education.

I will write more about No Child Left Behind in another post but I can tell you that Standardized Testing is the worst thing that ever happened to schools. Teachers MUST teach to the test. Teachers MUST teach test taking skills. Teachers MUST teach things that have no practical use in the real world. Seriously, how many times have you had to fill out a bubble form lately? Your Census form? Ok. One form. That has stupid easy instructions. Do you really need 20 or more hours of practice filling in a few dots?

In the real world, divergent thinking is important. Being able to think creatively to solve problems is revered. No one puts "I know how to bubble in the answers" on their resume.

How Homeschooling compares with Public Schools

2012-05-17T19:13:00.000-04:00

Created by: CollegeAtHome.com

Why I love scrapbooking

2012-05-16T08:08:00.000-04:00

About 15 years ago, I inherited literally HUNDREDS of pictures. A lot of these photos were loose in boxes, some were in old photo albums, few were labeled and all needed some time and attention given them.

That's when I learned about scrapbooking and I never looked back.

After a few years, I branched out into rubber stamping because it gave me the ability to stretch my scrapbook dollar and a while after that, I moved into making my own cards.

At heart, I am a teacher and see my purpose as an opportunity to share what I love with folks who were like me 15 years ago. I love showing people new techniques and I love learning them myself. I am also aware that, when faced with the MOUNTAIN of supplies, endless ideas and, most importantly, the sheer financial burden that some crafts impose, that it's important to start at the beginning with those things that you really need instead of just following what’s trendy.

I’m going to use this space to show you a few simple techniques that make the most of your creative dollar. I'd far rather you buy fewer things and be happy with them, than push you to buy the next great thing and have you quit your craft because it's too expensive.

My Summer Plans

2012-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

I figured out last night that I am working on about a dozen different project right now. Some are short term and will be over soon. Others are ongoing projects and will be going on for YEARS (I'm looking at you children who want to learn to read and write and do math and be ed-u-ma-cated...).

One thing I'm gearing up for is Camp Nanowrimo. In case you don't know, NANAWRIMO stands for National Novel Writing Month and traditionally takes place during November. Basically you commit to writing a 50,000 word novel in those 30 days. My darling hubby was a NANOWRIMO winner a couple of years ago - meaning he completed his novel. They also nost two smaller events in June and August called CAMP NANOWRIMO for people who basically can't wait for November.

Now, I've decided that the ideas in my head will not calm themselves down and must be written out in novel form. This is part of the moving towards more writing in my pursuit of employment where I don't have to actually deal with people.... I'll have to talk about that more in another post.

So I have 3 story ideas. I am working on writing out a synopsis for all of them but I think I know which one I will be writing during the contest.

Have you ever done anything like this? I'd be interested in hearing how it went in the comments...

Bracelet #3–Not yet

2012-05-11T08:03:00.001-04:00

I am using this book as a kind of curriculum for future bracelets. So far, I have made and destroyed about 10 bracelets because the weave is too uneven and ends up being wonky on one side but nice and tight on the other.

To this end, I am still working on a bracelet for this week.

I only drink at Disney World

2012-05-10T11:07:00.002-04:00

My mother was quite the party girl when she was in her 20’s. She drove intoxicated on more than one occasion and often said that it was a miracle that she never got hurt or killed someone. She often said that she’d used up all of her luck and part of mine too and was relentless in telling me not to drink and drive.

I was a willing student for the most part. Our young next door neighbor was killed in a drunk driving accident and it marked me and made me understand that just because you are young does not make you invincible.

My parents were also quite liberal about alcohol. We always had a full bar and my parents often offered to make me a drink and let me find out what it was like to get drunk in the comfort and safety of my own home. I had had wine from a pretty young age and had tasted the hard stuff numerous times and never took them up on the offer. This cavalier attitude affected me in the way that I saw no point in sneaking off to get drunk with my friends.

However, on one occasion I decided to be one in the crowd when an older friend, who was driving, said he would “stay straight” so we could all get wasted. And wasted was what I got. But not so wasted that I didn’t notice my designated driver having a beer. I confronted him right then and there and told him I wasn’t letting him drive me home. I then took off into the night and walked about 2 miles to a convenience store with a pay phone (this was before cell phones, kiddies!).

I called my mother and told her I was drunk and needed a ride. She had promised me that she would pick me up, no questions asked, if I EVER needed it. I had mostly sobered up during the walk and was almost completely sober by the time she got there.

I got in the car and she said we weren’t going to talk then since I was drunk and we would discuss it in the morning. I said that I wasn’t drunk anymore, but that I was PISSED!

I was mad that I had trusted someone to stay sober so I could get drunk. From that day on, I have only trusted three people in this world to stay sober: my husband who doesn’t drink, my mother when she was alive, and ME.

That’s right, ME. I know that I will be sober and have acted as the designated driver on many occasions while I watched friends be idiots while under the influence.

So this brings us to Disney World.

We have always stayed on property – meaning in a Disney hotel – while at Disney World. Disney hotel guests have access to free transportation. Disney World has awesome alcoholic choices. And voila! It’s like a match made in Heaven for a control freak like me.

Homeschooling Laws in Georgia–REDUX

2012-05-09T16:22:00.003-04:00

Just a few of days ago, I posted this story about the laws in Georgia as they are on the Georgia Department of Education page.
Turns out that the Governor had JUST signed a new bill into law whereupon all correspondence now goes to the State instead of the to local school district.
As of today (5/9/12), the page has not been updated and there is no mention of any changes. So I will keep watching to update you on this…

Bracelet #2–EDITED

2012-05-04T12:58:00.001-04:00

I made this bracelet about 4 years ago and I’ve been trying to find the pattern ever since. I’ve found patterns that are close but not exact.

It’s made with Swarovski 4mm bicones in Peridot and silver Delica beads. I think the class I made this in was the first time I’d used Fireline.

Fireline is really fishing line but somewhere along the line, beaders found it and decided it was so tough and thin that it would make great beading cord.

EDITED: Wouldn’t you know that after posting this item this morning and 3 years of searching, that I would find a resource that not only tells me what the name of it is but how do to it? Here it is for your information… Hana-Ami Pattern

72 Hour Kit Challenge #2

2012-05-03T09:39:00.000-04:00

Last month we started our 72 hour kits. Did you start yours?

The theme this month is MAKE A PLAN and the items in this month’s challenge will help with that.

This month, gather these things:

Copies of important papers like insurance policies, marriage certificates, birth certificates etc. You can store in a large envelope for now…
Cash— $30-50 at least. At least $5 in quarters for phone calls
Phone numbers and addresses for out of town contacts
A list of medications and dosages and the names and phone numbers of the prescribing doctors.

Broken Wings: Lessons Learned

2012-05-02T09:54:00.000-04:00

Last August, my daughter fell off of a kitchen chair and broke her collar bone. I knew that she was injured, but decided that it was urgent but not critical that she receive medical care.

I quickly called the local emergency room and was told that we could bring her there, but that anything serious would require a transfer to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I hung up and decided to take her to CHOA myself.

I had no idea where Children’s Healthcare was. I knew there was a location near Northside Hospital and there was another location near Emory Hospital. Were those my only choices? A quick review of the hospital’s website told me that the closest location was Children’s Healthcare at Hughes Spalding near Grady Hospital. A check with Google maps told me I could be there in 30 minutes.

She and I jumped in the car and were there in 23 minutes. I may or may not have exceeded the speed limit.

Now, I have the address and phone number for the hospital in my cell phone. If necessary, I can quickly access it and be on my way. But it would have been really helpful if I’d gotten my information together BEFORE I needed it.

This month’s challenge is all about making plans. What would you do if your child were hurt? Who would you call? Do you know if your dentist has emergency hours?

Another consideration is talking to children about preparation. Talking about disasters can be scary to children and for people who may have difficulty coping with daily life. Be open and positive. The unknown causes more anxiety than knowing facts. Listen to your child, learn how they feel and what they may be afraid of. Sesame Street has great resources for helping get your kids on board.

One thing to remember: Your plan does NOT have to be perfect. ANY preparation is better than NO preparation. Do not allow fear of making a mistake, stop you from thinking through these situations.

Preparedness challenge: Make a Plan

2012-05-01T08:52:00.000-04:00

Goal: Understand what puts you at risk from disasters and take steps to lower your risk.

Choose one thing to do this month to become better prepared:

Learn what disasters can happen in your area and decide what you will do in a disaster.
Plan to protect yourself and your family: Decide on a room in your house that can be your “safe room”. This should be an interior room or closet away from windows and doors. An interior hallway can also work. Meet with your family and discuss how to prepare and respond to emergencies. Give each person a job and make a plan to work together as a team. If a family member regularly travels for work, discuss how you would respond if they were away from home. Also talk about lesser emergencies at home like falls, illness and burns. Know where the closest emergency room is. Teach the kids what 911 is for.
Plan what to do if you have to evacuate: Choose two places for your family to meet. One should be right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire. The other should be outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.
Download GEMA’s Ready Georgia mobile phone app for FREE

Homeschooling Laws in Georgia

2012-04-30T17:05:00.001-04:00

If you’re interested in home schooling your children, you’d better be finding out how to do it legally. Home schooling is legal in all fifty states but each state has it’s own rules and methods of doing it.

Before we begin this discussion, let me first say that I am not a lawyer. I have never played one on tv. I do not want to be a lawyer. You should consult with your own attorney before taking my advice about ANYTHING.

It is currently legal to home school in all 50 of the states, but each state has their own particular rules that must be followed. To find out the laws for your state check out the Home School Legal Defense Association, who has detailed information about each state’s requirements. We plan to join the HSLDA when Phoebe starts first grade just as a little backup.

For Georgia laws, you can check out their requirements here. My interpretation of the laws – AGAIN, I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY, THESE ARE MY INTERPRETATIONS OF THE LAWS – are that Georgia doesn’t require anything too terribly difficult.

The rules as they are on the website:

Parent or guardian must annually submit to the superintendent of the local school district a Declaration of Intent to Utilize a Home Study Program by September 1 or within 30 days after a program is established. The local school superintendent will provide a form upon request for this purpose to be returned to that office.
The declaration must include the names and ages of the students, the address where the program is located, and the dates of the school year.
Parents or guardians may teach only their own children in the home study program provided the teaching parent or guardian possesses at least a high school diploma or a general educational development (GED) equivalency diploma, but the parents or guardians may employ a tutor who holds at least a high school diploma or a general education diploma to teach such children.
The home study program must include, but is not limited to, instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
The school year must include the equivalent of 180 days of at least 4-1/2 hours of instruction per day unless the child is physically unable to comply with this requirement.
Monthly attendance reports must be sent to the local superintendent at the end of each month. The local school superintendent will, upon request, provide the reporting forms.
Students in home study programs shall be subject to an appropriate nationally standardized testing program administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm referenced tests. The student must be evaluated at least every three years beginning at the end of the third grade. Records of such tests shall be retained.
The instructor shall write an annual progress assessment report in each required subject area for each student. These reports shall be retained for at least three years.

My interpretation in a nutshell:

Anyone who is teaching my kid must have a high school diploma.
I have to keep records of what my kid is studying and her progress.
She needs to learn the basics: readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmatics and some science and social studies and we need to spend at least 180 days every year studying these things.
I have tell my local school district that I am homeschooling by September 1st every year. I also control when our calendar begins and ends. Additionally, I have to send a monthly attendance report to my local school district. The forms will be provided to me upon request although the GHEA has an Excel version HERE.
Starting with 3rd grade, we need to do some sort of standardized test but we don’t have to give the results to anyone. We will have to do these tests again in the 6th, 9th, and 12th grades.

See? Not too bad…

Now an extra added bonus to this is that Georgia has compulsory schooling for kids from 6 to 16 with keeping in mind being that a kid has to be 6 on or before September 1st to start first grade. So in this case, even though we will be home schooling this Fall, I do not have to start following these rules until 2014.

Are you considering home schooling your child? How do you feel about what it means to do it legally?

UPDATED: May 9, 2012: The law has just recently changed. Please see Homeschooling Laws in Georgia: REDUX.

Bracelet #1

2012-04-20T08:16:00.001-04:00

In a more perfect world, I would have started with an easier bracelet but that’s not how I roll.

This bracelet is based on Right Angle Weave and I’ve found a couple of links to get you started on that if you like. You can go here or watch this video to learn it.

I got this particular pattern from this website and she’s got several things there that are very nice and not too difficult.

This bracelet uses Swarovski Crystals in the colors Garnet, Sian and Crystal AB. They are all 4mm bicones and are probably the easiest ones to find. You’ll also need a #12 beading needle, some Fireline (this is actually fishing line), some coordinating seed beads and a clasp.

Another angle of the bracelet.

And get used to the creepy hand. I got it especially for this project!

52 Bracelets

2012-04-19T11:54:00.001-04:00

I have been making jewelry for a very long time. Really since I was a kid. I loved beads and bracelets and earrings and anything that shines and sparkles. Maybe my nickname should be “Magpie” and not Hyppychick – but I digress.

Starting this coming Friday, I’ll be posting a new bracelet every week. And yes, the name of the series is “52 Bracelets”. Where I can, I’ll teach you how I did it. Where the technique is someone else's, I’ll give you the link.

What to do with 40 pounds of chicken (or it’s a Zaycon chicken event!)

2012-04-16T10:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday, I picked up a package of 40 pounds of chicken breasts. Yes, FORTY POUNDS of chicken.

The chicken came by way of Zaycon*, a company that sells wholesale meats at wholesale prices to consumers.

What to do with all that chicken?

Ideas for you:

Chicken taco kits
Grilled chicken kits
Chicken Enchiladas
Cranberry chicken
Chicken burritos
Chicken Pot Pies
Chicken tortilla soup
Cooked, shredded chicken for salads

I made 11 taco kits, 8 bags of chicken with teriyaki sauce for the grill, and 3 bags of chicken prepped and ready to cook. I put all the fat and trimmings into my crock pot and made 92 ounces of chicken stock. Now all I have to do is thaw out what I need when I need it.

It only took a couple of hours to prep all that chicken and we’ve go tons of meals in the freezer as a result.

*The link to Zaycon is a referral link and I do receive a small credit if you sign up.

Be Informed

2012-04-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

You’re at home. In the distance, you hear a siren. Not a police or fire siren but an odd horn type siren. What does it mean? Do you know what you should do?

Ready.gov – FEMA and Homeland Security’s Preparedness website – lists 3 key steps to preparedness. One of these steps is Be Informed. In this case, it means understanding what you should do if you hear a warning siren or a message scrolling at the bottom of the TV or an Emergency Broadcast System Alert. It also means learning about what the risks are in your area like hurricanes or tsunamis or tornados and having the knowledge to know what to do if one is coming your way.

Things you can and should do:

Make sure everyone in your family knows what to do when they hear emergency warnings.
Get a NOAA Emergency Alert Radio. You can get them for about 30 bucks on Amazon.com
Make sure everyone in your household can communicate in a disaster.
Sign up for your county's Emergency Notification System. Many counties and localities have First Alert type systems that will text or call you in the event of danger in your area. In my county, Douglas, the website is First Call. The next county over, Paulding, uses a system called Code Red. Your local government website should have this information. You can also check out FEMA and your state’s Emergency Management website for more information.

These are simple things that take very little money and time but will go a long way in telling you what you need to do.

72 Hour Kit Challenge: Part 1

2012-04-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

What is a 72 hour kit?

A 72 hour kit is the grouping of items that would be needed should there be an emergency. It’s called a “72 hour” kit because 3 days is about how long it takes for emergency crews, Red Cross, local rescue groups, etc. to get mobilized during disasters.

Odds are, you already have most of the stuff that should be in your kit. Odds are, there will be very little that you actually have to purchase. However, do you know where a battery operated radio is in your house? Could you lay your hands on a wrench in less than 3 minutes? Get your kit together and you’ll know exactly where it is.

I’ll be posting a master 72 hour list that I’ve compiled from a number of sources but for right now, let’s start on simple things.

Storage for your kit – this can be a large rolling trash can, a rolling suitcase, backpacks, duffel bags, etc. Think in terms of mobile. If you have to evacuate, you need to be able to take this stuff with you. And remember, even a small child can carry a lightly loaded backpack.
A Sewing Kit – useful for many things
A battery operated radio
A flashlight – I prefer battery operated versus the crank kind. Nothing like having the thing go dim after you’ve cranked your brains out to getting it to work.
Batteries!!! Get enough for at least two rounds in the radio and the flashlight.

Another note on the storage: even a cardboard box is better than no kit. If funds are an issue, just start gathering things in whatever large container you can find. I’m actually going to use a large plastic storage tote for mine until I can get something else like a suitcase or something.

More items will be coming next month on the 3rd.

Those pesky household files

2012-04-04T11:07:00.025-04:00

Where do you keep the “stuff” of daily life? You know what I’m talking about. The copy of your auto insurance policy for the next six months? The bills that need to be paid? Warranties, manuals, that kind of thing?

I had that stuff all over the house. Some of it was in my desk drawers; some of it was in John’s desk drawers; some of it was in a file cabinet in the closet. Heck, we had tax returns in three different locations.

Well no more.

As part of our Spring Cleaning, we gathered all that “stuff” together and weeded out the old paperwork: old paperwork on cars we no longer own, manuals for printers we’ve gotten rid of, THREE YEARS of old utility bills.

Then, I reorganized it into a new filing cabinet that we got. I have a whole drawer dedicated to the paperwork that matters.

We are using a product called “Freedom Filer” to help keep things organized. They have a completely logical way of looking at files. Basically, everything is color coded and the labels make it very clear what you need to do.

For example, we have all of our tax returns going back to before we got married. I worked for a major tax preparation company during college and the one thing I learned was NEVER THROW AWAY YOUR TAX RETURNS. Yes, I know everyone says you only have to keep them for 7 years or 10 years or whatever. I know that I had clients that were audited back as far as the clients could produce returns – one went back 15 years and the Federales still wanted another year to review.

So I don’t EVER get rid of old tax returns. This system makes it very simple to store and retrieve if necessary. I usually keep a folder called “TAXES” on it. At some point during the year, I can’t find that file so I make another folder called “TAXES” – now I have two. Then if I can’t find either of those, I make a third “TAXES” folder and make a note that somewhere, in all the files, there are THREE folders. This system makes it so much easier.

This year, 2012, is an even year, so things are filed in the EVEN TAX YEAR folder. Everything during the year that needs to be kept for tax purposes can be thrown into this folder. It’s a nice blue tab that looks different than all the other tabs and is easy to both see and get to. No digging through a zillion manila folders looking for “Taxes”.

Next year, when I do my taxes, I’ll pull this folder out and have everything to get my taxes done. then I’ll put my completed return in the drawer and move it to the back of the cabinet. The ODD Tax Year folder will have it’s contents moved to a folder marked TAX YEAR 1 because the year, 2011, ends in 1. Then, I can start gathering everything for it. Easy-peasy, right?

I have one folder near the front of the file called In-Box. This is where all the mail goes – minus ads and catalogs – until I can file it or pay it. It works BEAUTIFULLY!! I used to just pile things up on a corner of my desk. But with a three and half year old and a 1 year old, I’d find writing on things or my mortgage bill in the toy box. Now, I go through the In-Box about once a week when I pay bills and file everything away. You do have to be pretty disciplined, but this system makes it easy to file things away quickly.

Yes, this system is 33 bucks. Yes, that’s 33 bucks just for the labels. But I’ll tell you this: I am enormously happy with this system.

What do you use to keep your paper monster under control?

How Freedom Filer works

Quick Disclosure: I am an Amazon.com affiliate. Some photos in this post will take you to Amazon and if you make a purchase, yes, I get paid. However, I only link to products that I have actually used and approve.

Prepared Not Scared

2012-04-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

Storms knock out all the utilities. You are alone with a small child. Would you be prepared?

In September of 2009, I was at home alone with my then 15 month old daughter, Phoebe. The area had been having heavy rains for several days. During a storm a couple of days before, lightning struck nearby and fried our cable box, two telephones and my husband's brand new iMac. Luckily, my cell phone would let me check the weather and emails.

Right after we dropped off my husband at MARTA that morning, the bottom fell out of the sky. If you experienced it, then you know what I'm talking about. The rain fell so hard I literally couldn't see more than 10 feet from my front door. During the worst of the rainfall that day, my washing machine, which I had turned on just moments before, made a strange whining noise. I quickly realized that we didn't have any water and I turned off the machine before there was any permanent damage. I used my cell phone to call the water company to find out what was happening and the power went off as I heard a recorded message telling me that the water system was overwhelmed by the rain and service was unavailable. So there I was, with a young child, no water, no power, and with no other way to communicate with the world besides a cell phone with a battery at 50% while a storm raged outside the likes of which I never hope to see again.

I was scared. But I thought quickly about my resources: what did I have? I had several cases of bottled water as well as a couple of gallons of water I had bought weeks before. I also decided to brave the rain and pull a large plastic trash can out into the deluge for water to flush the toilet. I may not have electricity or a way to find out what was going on, but, by golly, I was gonna get to go to the bathroom! We had peanut butter and bread so we were ok for food for a day or so. Luckily, the power came back on within a few hours and the water came back on the next day albeit with a boil water order.

The next few days are now marked as one of the largest and most expensive floods in history.

Our family was lucky and had a few things at hand. But this story also shows that the emergency doesn't have to be a terrorist attack or a Zombie apocalypse for preparedness to be important.

Over the next few months, this space will feature some preparedness information for you and your family. I will be issuing challenges for you to complete. Completing one task a month will get you on your way. I will also challenge you to put together your own 72 hour kit. This kit contains everything you might need in the event of an emergency. You probably already have a lot of these items on hand but have no idea where they all are! So we’ll have our own little scavenger hunt to make it fun!

Our theme for this whole series is not to scare you, but to make you aware and more importantly PREPARED.

"Prepared, not scared" is my motto.

What have you learned from emergencies that you have incorporated into your daily life? Let me know in the comments!

A House Made of Bricks

2012-03-27T09:55:00.001-04:00

Every now and again, I get paranoid and decide to get my crap together.

The theft we had the other day drove it home again and lit a fire under my butt. Here are the things that we are currently working on in terms of preparedness:

Building our Pantry – you never know when a freak storm will happen and will force you to stay at your house for a week. We had this happen last year just before Griffin was born. I was thankful for a full freezer. Now I want a full freezer AND a full pantry.
Building my Household Notebook – I’ve been having a little tummy trouble again. Not like last year – thank goodness – but troubling nevertheless. This has once again brought the idea of the household notebook to the forefront of my planning. I started it but need to finish it.
Getting our finances in order – this goes along with the household notebook. We have a rough monthly budget but we need to get more determined to stick to it. We just joined Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University and we intend to get it right this time.
Emergency Preparedness – Ever since 9/11, I’ve been pretty obsessed with this. Never obsessed enough to actually do the steps we’ve needed to do. But I want to change that and actually build our plan. Some of this will also be part of the family notebook.

What are you working on?

Gone Daddy Gone

2012-03-25T12:08:00.001-04:00

Did you know that folks steal catalytic converters off of cars to sell them for the precious metals inside? Did you know it only takes 20 seconds with a cordless saw to cut off the catalytic converter? Did you know that your car is inoperable without the catalytic converter or that to replace one is about 2400 smackeroos?

Yeah, me neither.

Friday afternoon, John goes out to his car after work. He rides public transportation to work and parks the car at the train station. So he comes out, starts the car and it sounds terrible. He calls me.

John: The car sounds really bad.

me: Like American Idol reject bad or what?

John: It’s making a roaring noise and I don’t know if I should drive it.

me: Drive it around the parking lot. If it won’t go, call a wrecker.

I’m a lot of help, aren’t I?

So he calls me back in a few minutes.

John: The engine light came on. I’m calling a wrecker.

me: UGH

It’s not that I wasn’t sympathetic. I was. It was just that I was wondering what was wrong the with the car. Just last weekend it was at the dealership getting an oil change and inspection. I was wondering what it was going to cost.

So John calls me about an hour later from the dealership.

John: I am freaking out.

me: What’s the matter?

John: Somebody cut off the catalytic converter.

me: WHAT?

John: Somebody cut off the catalytic converter.

me: I heard that the first time. I thought perhaps I was hallucinating.

John: I wish I were.

me: Why would someone cut it off?

John: Apparently folks steal these for the precious metals. It’s gonna cost about $2400 to replace. You need to call the insurance company.

And so I did. Hopefully, insurance will cover this. We now have a lovely rental minivan which just makes me wish I still had a minivan.

Blog Direction

2012-03-23T10:17:00.000-04:00

I wonder about what direction to take this blog.

I wonder what kind of impact it could have. But I am so eccentric in what I want to write that I often wonder if I should write at all.

Things I want to write about:

Home making
Home school
Raising kids
Raising my kids in particular
Marriage
Being an only child with both parents deceased
Politics
Culture
Disney stuff
Writing the novel(s) brewing in my head

Hmmm that's an interesting list. I feel like the sahm/home-maker niche is so saturated that I really don't know what I can add. Politics will probably piss off most of my readers. I will be writing about Disney very soon on a different blog. Writing about writing just sounds boring.

I also find myself wanting to share personal things here. Yes, I know I’ve talked about my poop and that seems pretty personal but what I’m talking about it is even more personal. The thing is that I’m sure that someone out there could really benefit from what I’m going through.

Some of these things, I’ve written elsewhere privately but it feels lonely to write to myself. But, it’s not like I get tons of comments or hits every month. I feel fairly desperate to connect with others about the demons in my soul. But some of the people that would read this might not be too happy with what I write and might say that these things are better unsaid.

Have you ever had something that you have to get out of your brain? Did you have the courage to discuss it in the open or did you share it privately?

How to Start Homeschooling

2012-03-21T10:53:00.000-04:00

One of the questions I’ve gotten about homeschooling from other mama’s is: How do you start?

My answer is generally something like: “Did you teach your kid how to walk? We’ll you’ve already started homeschooling them.”

We start teaching them as soon as they can open those beautiful baby blue eyes and start looking at us. But more likely the question is more about what curriculum to use or how to stay legal.

Here’s my steps in getting started:

Ask around – find what others have done
Get legal – find out what the requirements are for your state
Figure out your style – there are a ton of options out there
Figure out your schedule – this topic could fill a book – AND DOES!!

One of the best places to start is by asking around. You more than likely know at least one person who is homeschooling their children or at least someone who is researching it. I asked my friends on Facebook and got back a variety of responses – some positive, some negative.

Another great resource is the HSLDA which is a legal website and service. It has information on the legal requirements of each state.

We’re using Calvert for our curriculum and I’ll talk more about why we’ve chosen this particular plan in another post. It will blow your mind when you find out how many options you have for teaching your kids. There’s online, off line, structured, unstructured, religious, non-religious, the choices can be staggering. I’ll go into more detail about this soon.

Lastly, you need to figure out how you want school to work in your home. Do you want to have school 5 days a week? 6? Half days here and there to accommodate extracurricular activities or Homeschool co-ops?

There’s a ton of stuff to decide but don’t let that deter you. You CAN do this.

Reasons to homeschool

2012-03-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

We have been fielding a few questions about why we are choosing to homeschool P and G. Here is reason number 1:

Yes, that is a home explosion. The authorities believe that the man injured was cooking meth in the empty apartment. The empty apartment RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE SCHOOL MY CHILDREN WOULD ATTEND.

In our county, the child must attend kindergarten at the assigned school, after that, you may enter a lottery to possibly attend another public school. I don’t want my kids anywhere near this place. This incident happened last August and it is still sitting like this. I don’t know if insurance isn’t paying or if the owner has just given up or what.

So you add in the awful test scores of the school PLUS this incident and I don’t want the kids NEAR this place.