Not So SAHM

Are The Judges On Drugs? The Worst Episode Yet

(Sorry to my RSS subscribers! This is the last edit! Pictures!)

Project Runway: Season 5, Episode 3.
They named it Bright Lights/Big City.
I’m renaming it Retro Rehash Complete With Smoke.

What was up with the Project Runway judges tonight (and what about Sandra Bernhard as a guest judge)? And what was up with all that watercolor fabric? I mean really, whatup? One of Michael Kors’ comments hit the nail on the head: “I mean, a girl who doesn’t remember the style of the 80s would so be into that dress.” (Or something like that). At first they were starting to make fun of the bubble 80’s dress that Kenley created,

then all the sudden the drugs kicked in and they started raving about it. I wanted to puke. It actually looks metalic and shiny here.Then the second watercolor came out (Terri’s dress).

I thought this was worse during the show, but after seeing this pic the bubble number up there is much worse. Michael’s comment to Kenley was backhanded if nothing else. It really betrayed what should have been his true feelings: That’s so 80s. It’s been done and it looked horrible back then too. Oh wait, did Nina just say it looked like 80s designers? Hmm, I better come up with a compliment, and quick!…

During the show I was all for Leanne’s outfit.

An architectural skirt that was very well tailored. Cute petals that were sewn with two different blacks. Paired with a simple black top. That skirt was rockin’. She really captured the look of the planter she had taken a picture of. Not to mention Heidi said it looked like it came from a store (not just sewn in a day) and she’d wear it in a heartbeat. Then on the runway we got the first look at Jerell’s dress.

FABULOUS!!! Where were his highlights throughout the show? And why wasn’t he in the top three when the two throwbacks to one of the worst fashion decades in history were? Another drug moment. Has to be. That dress is the best thing that’s been produced so far this season.

So with two throwbacks and a great architectural outfit to choose from how in the world did Leanne’s not win? I’ll tell you why. Although the judges are all the time saying, “if you’re unsure, go for less” (they told this to Emily) they never vote for that as a winner. They like the crazy, takin’ a chance dresses. That and they had to be on drugs.

The last two designers on the runway were Emily and Jennifer. They shot Jennifer’s dress to heck during the judging and voting.

They said she was boring and Heidi didn’t care to see anything else she designed. How in the world did she not get ‘auf’ed? Sure, Emily’s dress had ruffles that fluttered across her boobs,

but the judges didn’t trash that nearly as much as Jennifer’s “matronly” and “boring” (might I add maternity-looking) dress.

I don’t get it. Then again, I don’t do drugs. I wanted to post pictures, but Bravo is apparently embarrassed of the outcome of the show and how the designers stepped all over themselves to be wrong; they have yet to get those episode 3 pics up!

She Said – He Said: Displaying Stuff

Men and women are different, there’s no doubt about that. Although we are equal in God’s eyes we are definitely not created equally. There’s something that happens early in the womb–testosterone floods the male brain–and that changes him forever. From then on we think differently, act differently…and collect things differently.*

Vicki: We have too many mugs. We need to get rid of some.
Du: I like all those mugs. I want to display them all.
Vicki: (biting tongue and lip) Uh, honey, we don’t even use all those mugs, why would you want to display them?
Du: Because they’re all cool. They all have special meaning.
Vicki: Fine, you can display them at work.
Du: (shaking head and smiling) I want to display them here, at home, on a mug tree.
Vicki: (not knowing whether to laugh or cry) Whhhaaaa? Wha? What? A mug tree? In this house? Never.
Du: Why not? It will be cool.
Vicki: It will be a cool way for Ashlyn to break all of the mugs and one more cool thing that I have to dust.
Du: I want a mug tree.

SHE SAID:

You can probably guess that the conversation hasn’t gone beyond this. And let me clarify what this mug tree would look like. It wouldn’t be one of those beech woody things that six or eight mugs would hang on. Du has in mind this floor to ceiling peg pole where mugs galore would reside. Like a truck stop souvenir shop. I truly hope Du is joking because we’ve been striving to get rid of clutter. Not display the clutter in a countrified-hazardous-where the crap would we put it-new way. Are you being defiant and hard headed? Funny? Please? We only have so much room in the house and we’ve pretty much filled it. And by Du’s own desire (in which I totally agree) we’re getting rid of a lot of the things that sat on the horizontal surfaces around the house. So, what’s up with wanting to take mugs out of the cabinet, nicely hidden and put away, and displaying them in broad daylight where cats, kids and Mommy’s hips will inevitably destroy most of them. Wait a minute. He’s on to something…

HE SAID:

After throwing away my cub scout and boy scout uniforms, my high school letterman’s jacket, our shot glasses from all over Europe, I finally tell Vicki, whhooooaaaa, partner. I say that those types of things have memories for me and it helps me remember people and events in my life. Vicki says pictures are what can help us recall things. This after she has stopped doing hardcopy scrapbooks and is “possibly” going to start digital scrapbooking at some point (read this as the next time I’m deployed). OK, so somehow we’ve gone from having a few trinkets around the house on shelves or in boxes that will occasionally remind us of past momentous events in our life to a couple of online pictures? I told Vicki that as much as I like pictures, I love the reminders from touristy shops (things I can actually see and hold).

Since I’m a big coffee drinker, I have picked up a few coffee mugs recently. I got one at the Space Shuttle Atlantis launch (the only one I’ve ever been to and one of the last shuttle launches ever) that says “Failure is not an Option”. Now how cool is that around the office? Same with the Truman library I visited recently. The mug from there says, “If you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen.” Each Friday afternoon, I take my coffee cup home to wash and bring a new coffee cup in the following Monday. I rotate which one it is (my Georgia Tech mug that Reagan/Ashlyn bought me, my mugs from previous jobs, etc) It’s not about the mug tree. It’s that Vicki wants me to stop getting mugs altogether. I’m glad that pictures are enough for her. For me, I need a memento, so what’s wrong with a mug? Come on ladies, show me a little love on this one — Vicki will not hold it against you 🙂

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There you have it. Our first S/He Said. We’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while but couldn’t agree what “issue” should be first. What do we do? Keep the mugs in the cabinet (where they belong)? Or hang them on a mug tree (for the visual person who likes memories)? Your answers do not obligate us to follow a certain course of action. This, in no way, is a democratic blog.

I’m SO Behind (and school hasn’t even started!)

Summer is great in so many ways. The long days, the heat, the relaxed attitude, no school. I’m realizing it’s a great lazy-maker as well. On that last day of school, before summer, I was planning how I could make the most of the summer days. You know, remain productive, keep a schedule, actually get things done. Why has that not happened?

Of course, I’m going to blame it on the move. How could I remain productive and get things done while moving? In the past that’s exactly what it would have done for me. I used to be Super AR* Girl! when I was under stress. That’s how I managed to graduate with honors from college (can’t remember if I did so in high school…that’s a little too far back although I was still Super AR). I would stress so much that nothing else mattered except scheduling and organizing that stress. I thrived on it.

Apparently it’s that stress that made me get things done. Somewhere between kid one and kid two I lost the stress gene. My priorities have changed and being Miss ÜberAR just doesn’t matter as much anymore. I went from planning out every single minute detail Du and I would do on our trips in Europe to flying by the seat of our pants on our family trip to Orlando earlier this year. What’s up with that? I used to be a royal list maker. Nay, I was more than a list maker. I would have whole charts, maps and schematics created to organize myself. Now I can barely force pencil to paper to write anything out. I do not thrive on it anymore. Thank goodness I still shower and brush my teeth.

That I am lazy less organized isn’t a new revelation to me. I blogged about it the whole month of April (to the moans of my readers, I’m sure). I’m just beginning to realize however that I do need to function in this new normal. I still have things that need to get done. I still need to be organized. Big things are on the horizon that need to be attended to:

School. AAAGGGGHHHH!!! It’s coming way too quickly for me. I’ve got the curriculum ordered but I haven’t planned anything out. I actually impressed myself by getting the curriculum ordered early. Urged by huge Alpha Omega and Tapestry of Grace sales, I couldn’t afford to wait anyway.
Sew Petit. AAAGGGHHH!!! I’ve got to get new products onto the website. I’ve got some new fabrics for burp cloths that I can’t wait to introduce. And I’ve got several other ideas that I need to begin working on.
Bible Study. AAAGGGHHH!!!! I’ve fallen off the wagon with this one. How can I expect to be my best (or at least try my best) everyday if I’m not spending time in the Word and learning more?
Let’s see: bills, finishing decorating the house, making “friends” during this year in Alabama, transferring contacts from old phone to new one, finishing up digital scrapbook of our Orlando trip, moving all cds to ipod, etc., etc.

None of it will happen unless I acknowledge they’re coming (or are already here) and plan for them. The saying is true that a person is more productive when they’re busy. When you’re not busy you get lazy. Am I really not busy enough already? So, now that I’ve wasted taken who knows how much time writing this post I’m going to sign off now and actually go and get some things done. Jaci, you may actually have done a brilliant thing.

*AR, of course, stands for anal retentive. You know, that unflattering term we throw around like it’s not really gross once you start thinking about the words.

More Great Blogs

I’ve written a post before about where I’m going for great blogs. People, I’ve found another! MomDot will be doing blog shoutouts, reviews, etc on their site and its grand opening begins tomorrow (Monday)! Here’s a message from them:

“Hey BlogoSphere! MomDot is so excited about our launch! We had been working hard to get going for August 1st, but with all the amazing support of mom boutiques and mom bloggers, we are ready to get the Party Started! We want you to come every day starting on July 28th with the party ending on August 31st, including prizes daily and feature bloggers, just in time to bang out the end of summer and into the school year. Don’t forget to list your blog for free and connect with other mommies on our forum!”

And, between us, I believe I’m going to be one of the blogs featured in their grand opening month of August! Here’s to hoping! So head over there tomorrow!

So You Think You Can Homeschool

When people find out I homeschool I get two distinct reactions, and they usually come from the same people.

Wow, that’s great!
Even so, I could never do that.

The reasons I get are varied, but I rarely hear the old standby: “what about socialization?”

Parents can be their children’s teachers. I’m the perfect example.

I have little to no patience (I’m working on it), but I put one foot in front of the other each day and I have just enough patience each day.
I do not have a teaching degree, but there’s so much help out there that if I’m not strong in a subject I can get help (and at the elementary level that Reagan is at this hasn’t been a problem).
We’re not rich, but I find bargains for curriculum and other ways to get things for free.
I have to have “me” time everyday, and I still manage to have that, even with spending so much time with my children.

I’m writing this post, not to chastise those who truly don’t feel they can homeschool. I’m writing this post to encourage those who are thinking about it or may be on the fence. You can do it!

So, here is my Friday 13 for this week:

FRIDAY 13: 13 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN THINKING ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

Keep an open mind. Weigh the benefits of homeschooling with the risks that may be involved. I could write on and on about the benefits. If you’re thinking about homeschooling then I’m sure you’ve considered those. Seriously take a look though at the “risks”. Can your family subsist on one income? (That answer can be yes). Will you be dedicated to teaching your child in the best way for him/her (and that’s easy to figure out)? Can you be flexible enough to give yourself a break (don’t be hard on yourself)?
Pray about it. Seriously. Ask God what His will is for your family. If you get the idea that He’s for it, then by all means, go for it!
Research your options. There are so many different ways to homeschool. From the stricter Classical method (to which we try to adhere) to unschooling. There are video courses, online courses, mixing curriculum, making up your own curriculum, 9 month schooling, year round schooling. So many different options. You’re not locked into anything. And if you try something and it doesn’t work for your family you can change directions.
Know state rules. The Home School Legal Defense Association is a great place to start. HSLDA lists state regulations so you know what you’re required to do as a parent (and what you’re not obligated to do).
Ask for help. Ask other parents who are currently homeschooling. Pick their brains about any and every question you have. We love these chat sessions. If you decide to take the plunge seek encouragement. The first few months or first year can (will) be tough. Seek out that encouragement. And don’t be hard on yourself.
Curriculum Fairs. Go to them. Ask other homeschoolers if they know of any coming to town. Do a little google research and you’re certain to find a couple. Curriculum fairs are the best way to get a good look at tons of curriculum at once. It’s a lot easier to decide if a program will work for your family if you can flip through the books. Often you get curriculum discounts if you buy at the fair.
Buy curriculum early. Many companies offer discounts for buying early. Alpha Omega has a 20% off sale in early spring. MUCH cheaper than waiting until later in the summer. If you’ve missed these sales don’t forget to search websites like ebay, half.com and amazon for curriculum deals. There are tons of curriculum sites on the web as well.
Sign up. There are plenty of homeschooling organizations you can join. HSLDA, state and local organizations, website groups (CafeMom has some great ones to join), there are lots of organizations that are geared towards helping you be a successful homeschooler.
Co-ops. Seek out and join co-ops or get together with other homeschooling families. If you have trouble teaching a certain subject (calculus? chemistry?) there’s bound to be someone in your area who is competent. Co-ops are great for pooling resources and also a good source of “socialization”. In some subjects, like drama, there is strength in numbers. Online co-ops can be a great help as well. Homeschool Buyers Co-op gets their members deals on curriculum by buying in bulk.
Prepare your child. If you make the decision to homeschool make sure you talk to your children extensively about what is going to happen. Let them know what you expect of them as a child and what they can expect of you as a teacher. Let them know that this is a big experiment and there are likely to be changes along the way. By all means, be excited (both you and your spouse). The enthusiasm will catch.
Prepare others for your decision. Other people will be affected by your decision to homeschool. Family and friends may not understand your decision at first. Boundaries may need to be set as to when people can call on you by phone or visitation. Be prepared to answer questions positively. You’ve done your research, you know the benefits!
Set up your homeschool space. Or not. Many families have one room that they have designated their “school room”. That doesn’t work for us. We’ll “do school” in the dining room for a month or so and then switch to the living room. We’ve done school in the kitchen and in the bedroom when it suited us. Be flexible. Work with your house, your family’s needs, etc. And it doesn’t take a lot of money to get a room set up. All you need, really, is the curriculum. A white board is the next thing I’d suggest. A table would be good if you don’t want your child doing school on the floor. See? That’s easy!
Internet help. Never forget that you have the world at your fingertips. Do research online. Find curriculum online. Find help online. Find immediate answers to your children’s questions online. How did people homeschool before the internet? Use it!

Intrigued? Do you have questions about homeschooling? Ask me! I’ll be happy to answer them.

Is He Really Pulling the Wool Over Your Eyes?

I’m laughing again at politics. Is it really supposed to be this funny?

You wanna know why Barack had such a big crowd in Germany today? Over 200,000 people in attendance?

Because there was a concert held with two popular bands (to the Germans) beforehand.

Are you really surprised that mainstream media has not mentioned this? Heaven forbid (and I can use that term as everyone seems to think this phony is the messiah) everyone find out that over 200,000 people are showing up to see a couple of bands rather than the messiah. And remember his successful speech in Portland? He did the same thing. A popular Portland band held a free concert before Obama spoke.

If some European dude who had been shown favorably in the press was coming to America, and they were offering a free Sugarland concert beforehand, you better believe I’d be there. To see the band. Then I’d stick around for the speech just to be a part of the mix and possibly of history.

Is there anything inherently wrong in this? No. But don’t you think it would at least be mentioned in passing that this concert incentive was being laid out there to hundreds of thousands of “supporters”?

Here are the articles on “Woolfy”. Do you mind that I rename him (a mix of wolf and wool)? I’m definitely not calling him messiah. The real Messiah will return and snatch me up before the Antichrist has had a chance to reveal himself. OMG, did I just type that out loud? You’ve got to admit there are similarities. To borrow a phrase: I’m just sayin’.

German Crowd and German Bands

Portland Crowd and Portland Band

NOW: How many of you actually think that Woolfy is smart and knows his stuff? Watch this video.

Heather Wilson for president!

I’d like to thank NewsBusters.org for all this info. Don’t be deceived by mainstream media. And please no flames. Just go whine post on your own blog.