age limit for kids online?

We live in an online world these days. I could see this back in 1995 when i got my first Window's based computer and went online and started my first website (it was cheesy!). But the world that we live in is quickly moving to a world where kids NEED to know about the online world at a much younger age.

Claire was playing online at Playhouse Disney when she was 3. She could turn on the computer, she could open the Internet, and she could type in enough of the web URL that the rest would pop up and she would then click on the link to take her to Playhouse Disney.com. She had and used her own e-mail account starting at age 3. She had her own website (still does, its just not up at the moment) at the age of 2 and by the age of 4 she was helping me design it and work it. She had her own twitter at the age of 8. She had her own Facebook by the age of 9 and the list continues to grow.

i have many friends who shelter their kids from the online world thinking that it will protect their kids. My wonder in their thinking is this, Protect them from what? It is true that the world is a big place and the internet brings it right to your doorstep. But it is also true that if you are a good parent you can still shelter them from the world online by being a positive influence and by keeping tabs on what they are doing. I have not had any issues to date with Claire being online. she is 10 and still growing in her love of the internet.

For me it was the simple fact that the internet is the wave of the future. Heck, it is the wave of the NOW! If your kid doesn't get small doses of it during their youth, when they do get the ability to be online they will go over-board and perhaps feel lost. I'm not saying let your kid loose online and find their way to a porn website! but giving them their own e-mail account to connect with friends and family near and far,

that's my punk ass kid!

I do not know about you guys, but when i was a kid i was unaware of who i was as a person. True enough i still struggle with who exactly i am or want to be in life! But looking back i went through so many phases of me; a total tomboy, a sporty girl, a preppy girl, a hippy girl, a punk girl, a greenpeace girl, and so on. My look changed a lot over the years and sometimes even changed daily depending on which friends i was hanging out with at the time. I changed to suit other people. As an adult i do not over think my clothes or my look. I have learned what looks good on me and that's the best people are going to get. I still struggle with what look i want though. I am part punk, party hippy, part preppy, part SAHM, part everything else. There is a part of me that wants to cut all of my hair off and be a grown up sophisticated lady. There is part of me that wants to put blue streaks in my hair! There is a part of me that wants to grow my hair super long and be a total hippy. But the difference is that i am the one struggling with who i want to be, not because of who others think i should be.

Which brings me to my kid. I wish i had half of her attitude when i was 10! She dresses for her and her alone. I have caught myself saying, "you can not be serious with that outfit?!" and she's like, "what? there's nothing wrong with what i am wearing." Even when i point out the obvious miss-match of colors and the fact that she is wearing knee high socks with shorts - she doesn't care. And truth be told by the end of the day i most often love her outfit. But it's that spunk that she isn't dressing to please anyone but herself is something that took me a long time to get to as a person.

the other day she was wearing my black hoodie, shorty shorts, and a tee-shirt... and she had on these socks that have the toes cut out so you can wear them with flip flops. I thought she looked like a total mess! but she was like, "take my picture... PLEASE! i look so cute in this!" i was hesitant to capture this look on camera... but in the editing i saw what she saw - just my punk kid being who she is best at being, herself.

beauty of the day + lessons in learning the truth about myths

budding beauties

in that which is the beauty of another day, we tend to re-think our transgressions of the days before. We ponder our choices, we glance into the past... viewing with questions, as so bold to wonder, "what if i...?"

So today is one of these days. i sit and i wonder. i wonder and i sit. (all between teaching homeschooling lessons of course!)

Today's lessons were full of history. In our house, we love us some History! Knights and princesses to be exact! We have been studying the time of True Kings and Queens; medieval times and on up to the Renaissance time. Where people were beheaded almost daily, and the crusades were slaughtering every man, woman, and child who didn't accept Jesus as their savior (thank God we've moved past these days!) But it is amazing how much the movies make these times out to be so magical and full of romance... when in reality, it was full of murder and bloodshed. We teach our little girls about the romance of fairy tales and then they dream about a knight so valiant to ride up on his beautiful white horse to save her from the perils of the horrid dragon. But in true history, Knights often "took" women as their own, and very (very) rarely did the beautiful lady find herself living like a magnificent Queen in a big castle. Knights were never a King or even a Prince. They were noblemen from time to time, but we tend to think of the Knight as this wonderful hero. i suppose we can all define a hero in our own ways, but the reality is less romantic than the fairy tale.

It is kind of sad to see the disappointment on a 10 year olds face, when they really start to understand what the world use to be like. It is hard to sugar coat History. No more fairy tales and legends of dragons and knights slaying them to free the beautiful maiden. Although it is good to still bring those stories in to tell during the lessons.

Which brings me back to my sitting and thinking today. Why do we teach the stories that we teach? Why do we tell a young, very impressionable, child about fairy tales and things that are not real. Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny. The tooth Fairy. Etc. We fill their heads up so full of things that are not real, and then one day we just expect them to wake up and understand that all the while... nothing we said was true.

I'm sure this will start a controversy of backlash, but from day 1 we never told Claire that any of that was true. She knew that we were Santa, the Easter bunny, and the whole bunches of other things. She still to this day is full of imagination and she chose to "believe" in it all on her own. Something deep down inside of me felt betrayal (the first of many i am afraid) towards my parents for telling such stories... such lies to me when i was a child. i can still remember the day my older sister told me the truth. i cried. i was more upset and angry at my parents for the lie than i was in finding out that these mythical creatures did not exist. i never wanted my child to feel that sting of truth when she learned that her entire childhood of fantasy was a bold faced lie from those who she trusted the most.

But i too believe in the fairy tale of adventure and spirit of those things which can not be seen. i have been blessed with such an amazing child. She believed without fail in the adventure of fairies, Mermaids, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and all of the rest of them. Without even thinking twice about the truth, she felt that even though she knew the truth - there must be something more to the belief than that which is fact. And i totally love that about her. She has a spirit beyond science, beyond fact and her adventure... is sure to take her places in her life!

following.

Thorns

recently i have grown to feel much like this image. i feel as if i need to protect myself from those who wish to steal the beauty in which i hold dear to me. Not only metaphorically speaking, but truly. i have put myself out there for those who i trusted... i have been burned more times than i wish to count. so today i woke up at 6am and laid there pondering why?

i have a quote on my sticky notes wall "if it doesn't make you happy, then why are you doing it? Who are you doing it for?" i have no idea where i saw the quote because i didn't write that part down (if it was said by you, tell me and i will give you credit).

but this made me think about all of my "social networking" sites that i visit and take part in. does it make me any happier to put up a status update? no. does it make me any happier to see a new person following me on twitter? no. does it make me happier if people i do not know follow my blog? no.

So if not, then why?

i pulled myself out of bed and took a look at my twitter followers. over 300 people. i went through the list, one by one. There were people selling porn - deleted! there were people selling things i didn't want to buy - deleted. there were people who said creepy things and/or looked creepy - deleted! there were bots (look it up if you don't know) - deleted. there were people who were following ONLY me (creepy!!!) - deleted! there were people that just looked like they were up to no good - deleted.

i could go on, but i deleted over 100 people that i didn't want to have follow my every move online. i also recently had been thinking about the kids i grew up with and how i am their friend on FB. i have not seen or heard from many of these people since i was a young child. Good to connect, sure. But i do not honestly know these people. Do i really want them seeing my status updates? Do i want them knowing that i am having a difficult time right now? Do i want them seeing all of the photos i take of my family? Complete strangers knowing my every life move... all because i happened to know them when i was a young child?

We protect what we love. We shelter it, we give it love and we teach ourselves to be cautious of those around us at all times. How do you protect yourself from something you can not see? Do you know how many times a stranger has looked at your photos? Do you set your photos up on FB to be seen ONLY by those you are friends with, friends of friends, or everyone? Do you honestly know all of your friends- friends and trust that they are not scary people who might wish to harm you or your family?

Yesterday i took Claire all alone, just me, to the Farmers Market two towns over. i gave her the "remember to stick with me" speech to which i got a sassy response of "i'm 10... i know!" So that put me into major mom mode and a lecture about the "stranger danger" ensued.

Here, we are all alone. Here, i have no one to call upon if i get into danger or trouble. Here, we are surrounded by hundreds of strangers whenever we go anywhere. Not 1 familiar face in the crowd.

So how do you get to that point of... enough? My life is MY life and not to be shared with the entire world?

i share because i want those that i care about to keep up with us while we are living 3,000 miles away.
i share because i want to not be closed off from the world.
i share because i enjoy sharing.

but i think there is a limit to which we share and who we share with.

choices that are worth more.

if we had not moved, Claire would be starting 5th grade back in the mid-west with all of her friends. She is currently still in bed and i do not want to wake her up. I know it is going to be a long and sad day for her today. It had not really hit her or effected her that we moved far away from her known world. She spoke daily, and for hours and hours at a time on the phone with her friends back home. Today will be the first true test of her not being able to reach out to her friends whenever she feels like it throughout the day and evening. Due to the 3 hour time difference she can't call them at 9pm because it is midnight there. Now that they all have an early bed time for school, she won't be able to call past 5 pm our time. that is like forever in 10 year old world... that time from 5-9 pm!

We all voted "yes" as a family (i was the only one left on the "no/maybe" side, so i changed to yes) to move to California. And on many levels it has been an amazing choice for her life experiences. i think today is just one of those days that i feel sad for a choice made that strongly effects my child.

that new feeling...

Remember when something is new, everything about it is... amazing!  You could sit all day and be with it. You love the smell, you love to watch/play with it. You just can't take your eyes away or your hands off of the new item.  Eventually the "newness" wares off and you either forget about the item, use it from time to time, or something even more magical happens... you cherish the item forever and ever as a keepsake item.

For some reason this morning i was thinking about Jon and Kate (+ their 8!) and wondering about marriage.  It is like a new toy when you are a child. You get it, you love it and then you forget that it even exists.  This paper that we all sign saying that we are legally together forever.  Forever is a really long time considering how we are all brought up in our childhood.

Think about all of the toys we give our children. Each holiday (Starting with Easter, then birthday's, then Halloween, then Christmas and in between there are even more tiny gifts) you give your child a gift.  They love this NEW item. They play with it for the day, maybe a week, if you are lucky they never let it leave their side for about a month! But eventually they are given a NEW gift and the older "new" gift gets left in the dust.

Parents are the creators of all things glorious in a child's life. They give them life, they give them shelter, they give them knowledge, but they also give them crap!  

If you follow my blog you know i gave up a lot to move to California.  It was easier than i thought but it was really hard for Claire to give up the toys that she loved.  Which brings me back to my point of sticking it out (yeah, it's up there in the mess of what i wrote somewhere lol).  I think i did something good, but part of me is wondering if i did something bad... horrible even when i told my child that her things were just that "things" and it didn't really matter to keep on to them in life.  

Before i ramble on any further, i just want to say... cherish every single thing you have, be it something new to love or someone new to love or just loving life.

click your heals Dorothy... or click a button...

The real world is not so easy my darling.

Two thoughts about video games.

1. Cooking games. Do not let your children play these games.  Claire loves cooking games.  She loves making/creating elaborate meals and desserts.  She often calls me over to view what she has created.  I am often impressed by her "cooking" skills, and i've even wished i could eat the creation right off of the screen it looked so yummy!  Recently I have been trying to teach her how to cook.  I've been letting her peel.  I've been letting her cut. I've been letting her measure.  I've been letting her do anything that i think a 9 year old can handle.  I am learning very quickly that she is losing interest in learning how to cook.  

You see, cooking (real cooking) takes time.  You can not wash, peel, cut up, dice, smash, season, marinate, etc. the food in the span of 30 seconds like you can on a cooking game.  You can not turn on the stove/oven/grill and it be ready to boil/bake within an instance.  Some meals can take hours to prepare.  Sure you can cut corners and purchase things already ready, but that is not what i am teaching her.  Real cooking means real work in the kitchen.

Today we prepared a BOX meal. Rice and vermicelli. You put in some butter, wait for it to melt a bit, and then you pour in the rice mixture.  You stir it around a bit and wait for it to turn brown. This is where i lost her.  She got bored with stirring it and said, "i'll be right back." and the next thing i know Michael is standing next to me cooking her meal.  I was preparing my Thai food left-overs and making more asian noodles to really care at that moment.  But darn it! I do care. I refuse to let her grow up never learning to cook.  It is frustrating these video games they play. What happened to Pacman?  Most of these games make the real world seem easy.  It creates a false illusion of how things really are in the world.  Yet they mass produce them and sell them as something to simulate reality.  Sorry to tell you kids, life is not as easy as clicking a button!

2. I have become a "game" player.  Well, not really. They have these silly little games on Facebook where you grow a farm or take care of a pet.  Today i noticed something that had been there all along, but never caught my attention.  "Go Home" It's just that simple. If you are lost, if you are somewhere you do not want to be, or even if you are some where you want to be but you just want to go home... click a button!  It's the same in the Wizard of Oz. "just click your heals Dorothy..." 

Um, yes... excuse me, i'd like to go home now! Can i click my heals? No, that won't work. Can i click a button? No, i'm pretty sure i'd still be here. It will take planning and packing and saving... and more planning and more packing and more saving of money and ah!! Yes, returning back home will not happen for quite some time.  But wouldn't it be nice if you could just click a button or a pair of ugly red shoes and return from where you came from?

***

Today i actually packed up things i had already unpacked. Yes, it sounds strange. We have no where to put anything. So i had a pile of picture frames in one corner... another pile had photo albums... another pile had random cards and pictures that were hanging on a pin wall.  I keep unpacking and making piles only to realize i have no where to put things yet.  Michael keeps saying, "don't get comfortable here... we won't be staying."  i do not even bother with putting holes in the walls since we'll only need to fix them all later.  So today i looked around at all of my loose piles of nick-nack's and what's-its and i made the choice to stop looking at the mess and just pack it all back up again.  

This made me both a little happy and a little sad.

Lost: one crazy cat

Today it has been 1 week since the cat has been seen.  She is an outside cat that lives at our house.  She stays in the garage during the cold winter months.  She gave me a really nice scar on my left arm, but i will not fault her for that ;-)

We told Claire last week that if the cat did not come back (which she normally does come back after a few days) we would take her around to look for the cat. So, today she went for a long walk with her dad, they looked around and called out "que-que", her name.  They came back without a cat.  Claire came back with tears in her eyes and fear of the unknown in her heart.

I keep expecting the cat to come running across the street... and i do not even "like" this cat like Claire does.  So i can not imagine how my sweet little 9 year old is feeling about her pet gone missing.

The harsh truth is that we would need to give the cat away when we move to California.  So the cat going missing, it is actually a small blessing for us.  I was going to look like the horrible mom when it came time to move away and we had to take the cat to a shelter.  With a house, the cat can live outside and we can see her all of the time (when she is around - which is actually quite often).  In an apartment, 3,000 miles away, the cat just would not work out for us. 

We were suppose to take the cat to my parents house a few weeks ago to live outside of their house, but my mom changed her mind and so the cat stayed here with us.  I have to wonder if she would still be around my parents house if we had taken her there?  Would she have taken off and also be missing today had we taken her there? 

Questions i have, answers i have not.  I sit her wondering how to comfort Claire about an unknown answer.  We do not know where the cat is, or if she will come back.  All i can do is comfort Claire, and tell her happier thoughts about the cat living better somewhere else.

A good night sleep...

When i was younger i liked to watch the old black and white Tv shows.  The Dick Van Dyke show, Mary Tyler Moore show, Bewitched, etc.  I remember watching and not really thinking too much about it until i was an adult.  The adults slept in 2 seperate twin beds!

Now, if you had this set up today... they'd say you had marital problems and they would quickly suggest that you seek marital therapy!  But at what point (my guess it was the sexual revolution of the 60's) did it become abnormal, unusual, strange, un-hip even, to sleep in seperate beds?

My husband snores.  And i do not mean that light sometimes cute noise you see people doing on a Tv show.  I mean, S. N. O. R. E. - SNORE!  I wake up several times a night and he will be laying right in my face/ear and snoring very loud... to the point of shaking the bed lol  He is also a blanket puller.  Not a gentle tug.  No no, while he is sound asleep, he will TUG the blankets over to his side of the bed, again, waking me up.  He is a sound asleep scratcher.  He will scratch his arm, his leg, he butt, his balls... his anything!  It's like an asleep dog, only i do not think my husband has flees!  God, i hope not!

With all of that going on, i am suppose to get a good night sleep.  Yeah, right.  ;-)

I think that the parents of the 40's and 50's had it right.  Human beings were not meant to "sleep" in the same bed. It just can't be done and have a good night sleep.  I'm not going to go into the "sex" topic... but i will add, yes, having sex in a single bed (let alone a twin bed) can be done ;-)

***

We are showing our house tonight. I am all nerves on the inside about it all. It is our first time selling a house, the first time we will be showing the house, i'm a total newbie and freaking out with questions!

**

Claire went back to school today.  I always worry when she has been sick and goes back to school.  I make sure she has water/juice all day to keep her cough under control... will the teacher? I make sure she has tissues with her so if she needs one she doesn't have to get up and walk across the room... will the teacher?  I make sure if she needs a break because she is feeling light headed due to having her sinus' draining (she gets that with a cold) i make sure she gets a break and sits down for a minute.... will the teacher?  Probably not.  Her teachers at the school are amazing, but they are not her mom.  I might over do the love and being there for her when she is sick, but i think it helps when a kid is sick.  

*

My favorite movie, it's cheesie, it's dorky, and probably not my favorite anymore.... but it once was a favorite movie - anyway it arrived in the Netflix mail today!  I'm excited to watch it.  Oh yeah, it's from 1980 - The Private Eyes, good movie... funny movie!  But only if you like silly movies from 1980 ;-)

Love, glorious love!

Define Love: is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection[1] and attachment. The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction. The word love is both a verb and a noun. Love is not a single feeling but an emotion built from two or more feelings. Anything vital to us creates more than one feeling, and we also have feelings about our feelings (and thoughts about our feelings)[1]. This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.

I use to be more open to love.  At some point through my adult years, i was wounded to the point of closing off the idea of using "love" in any term to anyone outside of my family.  I tell my husband and my daughter i love them daily.  But if i sign an e-mail, i say "*peace*" or "thanks" and anything other then "love". 

I notice people using it when they send e-mails to me.  And it isn't that i do not care for these people... but "love"? I am not sure that i "love" my friends in the terms that i "love" my daughter or husband. Dare i use this word to just sign a very basic e-mail to someone?  Yesterday i tested this water of signing "love" on a message to a close friend who i care for.  I would do most anything for this person... but sign messages with "love"?  

Am i placing too much of a meaning on this word now?  I have read the definition... i do "love" most all people i know.  But i do not say it in those terms.  Can you imagine if you went up to a friend and said "i love you"? they would think you were a bit nuts!  As a kid i used the term very loosely, i loved everybody!  Even if i had just met you, i loved you.  Boy, that seems like a life time ago!

So through the years of getting to know people, loss, moving, becoming distant, etc.  The pain of this word "love" have taken their toll on my use of them.  It is not that i do not feel great admiration and care for the people in my life... i am just in a struggle to use the word "love" on an every day level.  perhaps i need help?

***

So, this morning... i grounded my child from the phone, the internet, video games, and all things that she finds "fun" in her life.  She is 9 and having some major attitude problems.  I have been giving in on so many things these days because my stress level just could not take the "fight".  And i think that she has taken advantage of it all. So today when her butt crack was hanging out of her pants when she bent over (yes it was a funny example to start with, but it turned to anger) i politely went over to her and gave her an example of how to squat down like a lady so that she did not show the world her butt crack (which included just explaining that a simple pulling up of her pants would also help).  She gave me this *look* of "shut up!" and got frustrated with me that i pointed it out and she just kind of blew up about this little issue.  

This is just one of many examples of her attitude these days.  So today, i broke it down for her and made her aware of how she has been treating myself and her dad.  I told her that all of the things she has in her life were gifts from us: having a phone - privilege.  Having a facebook - privilege.  having a blog - privilege.  All of the things that she comes home and runs to do and doesn't even ask permission anymore... these are all things that she will have to earn back with changing her way of talking and dealing with us (her parents).  All of this at age 9.  Boy, i can't wait for age 15!

**

having lunch with a "new" friend today.  I've known her for years, but we have only recently become more friendly.  Sure, i make friends just 3 months before we move away.

The life of a Vegan Mother

We stopped off and got some fried chicken yesterday.  If i had to guess, i would say we've had this as a meal perhaps 3 times in the last 10 years.  I do not cook it because it is so bad for you!  I normally cook chicken breasts for dinner for Claire and Michael.  But yesterday was an eye opener for me and how i have raised my daughter...

Claire: Can i have an arm?

Michael: An arm? You mean a leg or a drumstick?

Claire: Drum what?

Michael: you know this piece *points out the piece*

Claire: YES, that one...

She picked at this piece and kept asking questions...

Claire: is it OK to eat this piece?  what about this piece, is it ok to eat it if it is... what is this?!

Michael: NO that is a piece of fat... you don't eat the fat.

Claire: *picking some more* What about this, what is this part?

Michael: that's a tendon... don't eat that either...

Claire: Ok, i think i've picked it enough, can i have a body piece now?

Michael: Seriously, what have we done in feeding you?!  It's a leg, a wing, a breast... how do you not know these things?

Me: It isn't like we eat fried chicken often... it's not her fault... i blame me, i don't eat meat so it isn't as if she should know about the pieces of a fried chicken!

About 5 minutes later i had to excuse myself from the table due to the graphic nature of them devouring their chicken.

For me, i can't stomach the nastiness that comes along with people eating meat when they are picking it off of the bone.... and discussing it all in detail!  A hamburger, sure eat away... just chew with your mouth shut.  A piece of chicken, sure eat away with your knife and fork.  But the raw details of eating a piece of fried chicken... it's so nasty! lol

If it were up to me, Claire would be a vegetarian like me.  But she enjoys meat, and i will not keep it away from her.  I'm not a vegan-whack-o who thinks that all people should eat veggie's only.  I mean, in a perfect world there would be less meat eaten because of the way they kill the animals so you can all eat it... trust me, it is so nasty!  And the way people will eat a cow, but not a horse or a dog... i find that odd.  You either eat meat, or you do not.  There should not be this whole "i can't believe that Chinese people eat cats!" uh, you eat a cow, a chicken, and a pig, and fish and whatever else you can eat the meat of that is considered "normal".  Some people worship cows and can't believe American's eat them.  So to them, you are all odd.  Meat is meat, if you're going to eat it, i'm honestly surprised there aren't more cannibals out there.  That sounds strange, but if you eat the flesh of one LIVE being, what is stopping you from eating the flesh of ALL living beings?  because for me, eating ANY flesh is just the most disgusting thing about human beings.   You can put any "religious" spin on it you want, but i've read all sides of it.  There is no pure truth in what God wants.  There is no guarantee that you won't all end up in hell because you killed one of Gods creatures to get a quick meal.  If it's living, if it's breathing, if it feels pain, i'm going with the school of thought that it shouldn't be killed for my "pleasure". No meat for me! :o)

less is more

I have been trying to teach Claire about religions of the world through the years.  She has learned about every religion and how they work, what they worship, and etc.  Whenever someone asks her what her religion is, it has varied between the lessons of the years.  Recently she wanted to go back to learning about being Buddhist.  She had learned about it back when she was in 2nd grade.  The other day i was showing her a website (Buddha net) about some Buddhist teachings.  After reading it, she came to me in an understanding of what i had been telling her for days... "we don't "own" anything in our life... it belongs to the Earth in the end..." I had been trying to get her to donate her toys that are never played with to charity or friends or even goodwill.  She was having a hard time giving up anything.  No matter what i pointed at her answer was, "no, i need that."  I kept saying, "need or want?"  She wasn't sure how to answer that question, but would always say, "i think i need it" to which i always would give a laugh and a look to her.  But after i saw all of this lesson sink in to her, i went and read what i had already read years before, and i also came to realize that i too was trying to pack up and keep far more than i actually needed.

I have been going through every drawer, every cabinet and every shelf.  It is amazing the JUNK we keep.  I found knobs to dressers we no longer own,  but for some reason i kept the old knobs in a drawer.  I have found letters from friends that i have not heard from in several years,  and i have no reason to keep such a communication, but for some reason i felt the need to originally keep it.  There is so much stuff that is not needed!

Need.  It is a funny word.  We need food, but do we need the name brand expensive food?  We need clothes, but do we need a lot of clothes in our closet that we know we will never again wear because we forget that it is even there and when it comes time to need a certain shirt, we forget we have what we have and we buy something new anyway.   So do we need expensive clothes that will be forgotten about?  Do we need a closet (or two closets) full of clothes or just the basic clothing items of need?  We need certain things, a roof over our head, heat in the winter, food on the table, clothes on the body, and clean water.  There are i'm sure other needs, but those are the ones that come to my mind at the moment.  So as i sit here going through my many things, i have to make a choice; do i NEED that item to survive and to move out to California... or do i simply WANT the item.

Today i plan to go through the things i had already gone through with fresh eyes and see exactly what i NEED to keep and donate the things that i only want for one reason or another.

what's on the list today...

Pet peeve of the day: Dishes left in the right side of the sink.  This is the side where you wash your hands, wash out your cup, dump un-eaten food down the drain.  Both Claire and my husband have this habit of just sitting their dirty dish in the sink.  As if a magic dish elf will come along and clean it off for them... oh wait, that's me!  Even if they do "rinse" it off, i hate when dishes are left in the side of the sink that is for using.  The left side was invented for a reason, am i right? 

lack of world knowledge...

a conversation at our house tonight:

Claire: Daddy, check out my new webkinz... it's an elephant... a velveteen elephant!

Michael: that's pretty cool.

Claire: guess what i named it? c'mon guess!

Michael: velve... ele... i don't know what?

Claire: think of a country where you'd find them...

Michael: Africa

Claire: Daddy, Africa isn't a country - it's a continent!

Michael: South Africa?

Claire: why would i name my elephant "South Africa"?

Michael: i don't know... what did you name it?

Claire: INDIA!

Michael: i would never guess India! why would you pick India for an elephant name?

Claire: Hello... it's like their car over there!

OK, perhaps more WORLD culture is needed in our schools?  My 9 year old child thinks that elephants are the major means of transportation in India and that they have very few cars on the road.  Thank you public school system.

The 12 Days of Thanksgiving.

The 12 days of Thanksgiving

by Claire Blu 

(my 9 year old daughter)

On the 1st day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, a turkey in a grill

on the 2nd day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, two honey hams

(repeat 1)

on the 3rd day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, three silver forks 

(repeat 2 and 1)

on the 4th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, four pilgrims 

(repeat 3, 2, and 1)

on the 5th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, five Indian's 

(repeat 4, 3, 2, and 1)

on the 6th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, six people eating 

(repeat 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1)

on the 7th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, seven cups of water 

(repeat 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1)

on the 8th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, eight people burping 

(repeat 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1)

on the 9th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, nine white plates 

(repeat 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1)

on the 10th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, ten fries a frying 

(repeat 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1)

on the 11th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, eleven wishbone wishing 

(repeat 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1)

on the 12th day of thanksgiving my mother gave to me, twelve full bellies 

(repeat 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1)

enjoy!