Weeds

But, since I’m a season behind because I never get the tv to myself, I’ve been buying each season on itunes. So I am just now starting season 4. The first episode “Mother Thinks The Birds Are After Her” (and I suspect they are in some form or another, ha!) the usual theme song is of course, Little Boxes, originally sung by Malvina Reynolds, but sung by several different artists on the show is as always great! The ending song piqued my curiosity though, so of course, I googled.

The song is Se Puede by Los Mono. It’s got such a good beat it makes you want to grab a beer, or me, a few tequilas and lemons, and jump up and dance (and for me that says a lot since I’m not much of a dancer). I then found another song of theirs I like too called, Promesas – another great beat. And the youtube video for it is funny too — Love the dancing monkey man. See video at the end here..

I did find a translation of Promesas in both chilean and english and was impressed. The song isn’t just a hip-hop mess of words to rhyme with little meaning or story behind it. Rather than just reword what’s been said, here is a quote by Sonic360 regarding Los Mono and the album playing these two songs:
“Not only is Somos Los Que Estamos a full on high-energy blast from start to finish, the album is an adventure with a moral message; promoting creativity, originality, positivism, and self-responsibility. In fact, the conscious lyrics and upbeat vibe are the perfect compliment to an album that is driven from start to finish with a myriad of crunchy lo-fi beats n bleeps, infectious melodies and pure funk-fuelled inspiration.”

While I haven’t listened to the whole album, maybe it’s off, but I am definitely getting a few songs of Los Mono to listen too. I like the beat.

Here is Promesas in both chilean and english and the translation is in thanks to c.hilino.com – like it, let ‘em know.. something off about it, let ‘em know. Oh and seriously, don’t pass on the video:

Promesas by Los Mono
Album Somos Los Que Estamos

Las palabras son bastantes,
son bastante importantes
cuando hablo pienso antes
hay que hacerse responsable

Mula! Mula!

Decir una cosa una cosa por otra
Es como confuso es como pura boca
Una promesa rota palabras que rebotan
Una persona por delante y por detrás otra
Una promesa trucha, puras palabras mula
Porfa diga la verdad
Y no me prometa lo que nunca llegará

Una vez que se dice algo
Se hace, se cumple, no se pasa por alto
Una vez que se dice algo
Se hacen las promesas no se pasan por alto

Prometé una liebre por un gato
Lo que prometiste lo espero hace rato
Que pasó? Se olvidó? No cachó?
Cuando me lo dijo no ponia atención
Aaaaa q pena q pena q me da
Ya no estoy seguro cuando dices la verdad
Duda duda duda duda duda
Muchas dudas ahora me das

Una vez q se dice algo
Se hace, se cumple, no se pasa por alto
Una vez q se dice algo
Se hacen las promesas no se pasan por alto

Cuando digo algo y lo cumplo
Algo gano yo siento q triunfo
Pero cuando digo mucho me confundo, me siento
Como un gusano como un humano trucho antro

Puede ser, quizás, q yo te llamo
Te lo juro, demás, obvio q vamos
Sí sí sí, como si fuera tan fácil
Mula…

Yo lo se, es difícil decir que no
Pero vale la pena
Entonces vamos a aprender
Como N con O es NO, N con O es NO
Si le pones un “gracias”, cuanto mejor
No gracias, señor
Yo esta vez pasó
Para qué le digo que sí sí no ,
Si te confundo a ti termino confundido yo

Una vez q se dice algo
Se hace, se cumple no se pasa por alto
Una vez q se dice algo
Se hacen las promesas no se pasan por alto

Una vez q se dice algo
Se hace, se cumple, no se pasa por alto
Una vez q se dice algo
Se hacen las promesas no se pasan por alto

Etc…
- – - English translation (roughly)
Words are pretty,
pretty important
I think before I speak
You have to be responsible

La-hame. La-hame!

To say one thing, one thing for another
It’s confusing, it’s only your mouth
A broken promise, words that bounce back
One person on the front and another on the back
A false promise, only lame words
Please tell the truth
And don’t promise what will never come

Once you say something
You do it, you fulfill it, you don’t overlook it
Once you say something
You fulfill promises, you don’t overlook them

When i say something and i fulfill it
I get something, I feel like i win
But when i say too much i feel confused
I feel like a worm, like a bad human being

Maybe, perhaps, I’ll call you
I swear, sure, of course we’ll go
Yeah, yeah, yeah, like it was that easy
Lame…

Once you say something
You do it, you fulfill it, you don’t overlook it
Once you say something
You fulfill promises, you don’t overlook them

Words are pretty,
pretty important
I think before I speak
You have to be responsible

I over-delivered on my promise
I’ve been waiting for a while for what you promised
What happened? You forgot? Didn’t understand?
When he told me I wasn’t paying attention
Aaah, man that sucks, that’s really too bad,
Now I’m not sure even when you’re telling the truth
Doubt doubt doubt doubt doubt
There’s a lotta doubt you’re delivering

Lame!

Etc…

And the video… makes you want to move… even in your seat.

For about a year, I coveted Amazon’s reading device called the Kindle. While there are other reading devices available, I liked the Kindle because you can be just about anywhere, browse Amazon’s books and download a new read in less than a minute.

For Christmas, my husband said, “Order it”. I did, knowing it had a 13 week back order date. I hoped by February or early March I’d have it in hand. Little did I know at the time, but the Kindle 2 was going to make it debut and I’d be getting one of those.

While the Kindle 2 doesn’t have a memory card slot, it provides plenty of on device storage. Amazon keeps a history of all the books you download from them, so you can delete items and re-download them any time.

If you don’t have a good connection, or you prefer, items may be transferred via usb. Yet another option if it is a small files email it to your kindle email address, which Amazon provides, for a small fee of 10 cents per email.

I’ve had my kindle since February 25th, 2009. In that time, I’ve read so much more than I would have had I not had it. It’s just so easy to use. I’ve found many books for free, and many others for just a few dollars. While I am not able to resell, or buy used like I did for paperbacks, it’s beneficial to me just because of how much I am reading. I have found new authors I never knew about and I just love. I’ve read many series I’d not known about.

When asked what the downside is the only one I can think is the lack of organization ability. There are no folders, no way to tag or use keywords. You can sort by book, by author and by date, or just to a different page. Using the Search feature is easy so finding your book isn’t hard. It keeps your most recently read books at the top of the first page, so keeping track of where you are isn’t hard. While the lack of organizing is definitely a downside, it’s absolutely not one to keep me from buying my kindle, or loving it now.

I have read many books, but decided to keep a list of the series I have been reading (My Reads). My list will make it easier to reference the authors I’m waiting on for new books. It has been fun though getting caught up on some series. I have been able to download the next book as soon as I finish one; reading a series one after another is great. I find myself always scanning and searching Amazon for new authors and series.

Who is your favorite author(s)? Do you have a favorite series? Do you read paper books or use a reading device?

What I do need is to notify the school district of our intent to home school again this year. This needs to be mailed, certified mail so you have a receipt, to the school district Superintendent before the start of school. They are usually fairly quick at getting an acknowledgment letter back to you and you’ll need this before school starts.

We write our notification letter every year, for each child home schooling the coming year. Our letter to the school district Superintendent gives notice, but also provides a list of all the resources we’ll use for our education in the coming year.

Our notification letter will also include either a summary from a certified teacher who has given an assessment of each of our children from the previous year who will be home schooled, or we can test our child(ren) with a home test. Either option provides the Superintendent a look at how well we were teaching and learning the previous year.

Usually, we opt to test. This way we don’t have to worry so much about keeping track of everything we do all year long. I order CAT (California Achievement Test) from Seton Home. The tests aren’t expensive and it includes test results. The CAT is easy to administer at home too.

If you choose to have an assessment done, you’ll need a certified teacher. This is easy to do too. What is looked at most in the assessment is progress. The teacher wants to see the child has progressed from the beginning of the school year to the end. Take samples of the work from early in the year, and samples from the end of the year. Keeping a calendar of all your activities is helpful too.

This year, my youngest son is age 5 before August 1, or in some districts September 13th. In Ohio, that means he’d start kindergarten this year. It’s not a requirement to notify for kindergarten, at least not in Ohio. However, if I were planning to put him in school for first grade, it’s a good idea to go ahead and notify for kindergarten. This way there is a record he schooled for kindergarten because in Ohio a child must complete kindergarten to move on to 1st grade. Here’s another article about Kindergarten Options in Ohio.

Once you have your acknowledgment letter in hand, it basically makes you an educator. So take it to your local library and ask for a teachers library card. This allows you to check out books for a longer period of time and may have a few other perks. Take the letter to your local book stores, there you can get a discount card which may give you up to 20% or more off educational materials. Don’t be shy, when you make purchases for your home school, ask if they have a teachers discount. Some activities will provide a discount for teachers and you may qualify.

Just writing about getting ready for homeschooling makes me excited for the coming year and all we’ll learn and do.

They Don’t Care About Us video:

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shot dead
Everybody’s gone mad

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you black or white me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of hate
You’re rapin’ me of my pride
Oh, for God’s sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy…
Set me free

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
trepidation, speculation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
black man, black male
Throw your brother in jail

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Some things in life they just don’t wanna see
But if Martin Luther was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, segregation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Kick me, strike me
Don’t you wrong or right me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Summer is hot, and sometimes it’s just hard to eat much. Staying hydrated and taking advantage of some of the fresher fruits is just one way to make your summer enjoyable.

Frozen fruit isn’t just for the blender to make yummmy fruit smoothies. Freezing bite-sized pieces of fresh fruits make for great snacks (and on really hot days, even dinner!) throughout the warm season.

Cut up watermelon, whole seedless grapes, peach chunks, raspberries.. the list goes on… place on a cookie sheet small enough to fit in your freezer – space the fruit so it isn’t touching and then freeze. I like to roll some fruits in sugar, like raspberries. If it sounds good, but you don’t want to use real sugar, you can always try one of the calorie free sweeteners like Pure Via or Splenda – I much prefer real sugar… just can’t get my taste buds to accept the other sweeteners.

I’m headed out to my dads to pick some fresh raspberries for freezer jam and frozen snacks… I just hope I manage to bring some home and don’t eat all those sun-kissed berries off the vine instead.