Nutters

I find it so amusing the things that people connect sometimes!

Example: "because President Obama has a Kenyan side of his family he can't be American."

Today I had someone try to convince me that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is pro banning the teaching of evolution in schools. When I asked for them to support their conclusion they sited the instance of the Discovery Institute (which supports the teaching of creationism in schools) sponsoring a speaker who later ended up becoming president of the American Enterprise Institute (which Ali is a fellow of) as proof that she supports all things Discovery Institute...

Ummm....

First, if you don't know who Ayaan Hirsi Ali is I suggest you look her up. She is an amazing woman in my opinion. She escaped an arranged marriage and the subjugation to the male members of her family and country of origin as well as (in her opinion) the oppression on the Muslim religion. She ended up being a highly influential Dutch politician and was targeted by Muslims who felt that her leaving of the Muslim religion and her open criticism of it as warranting death. She wrote a great book called "Infidel". Good book.

Anyways, she ended up as an atheist and continues to fight things like female genital mutilation to this day. She highly values education and choice and feels that many religions are openly hostile to those things.

She is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (this is a conservative think tank).

The American Enterprise Institute is a notably conservative think tank but no where that I can find does it support suppression of science. If you can find it, let me know. Though I don't agree with it's stances generally, I don't find them openly hostile to science/evolution or any more religious that many other groups.

Now, you have to know what the Discovery Institute is to get where the connection comes in. The Discovery Institute is another think tank that is best known for it's advocacy of Intelligent Design. It is openly hostile to anything that doesn't support the Christian viewpoint.

So let me draw the lines this person was trying to convince me supported their stance. In 2006 the Discovery Institute sponsored a speaker who went to visit the American Enterprise Institute as a visiting fellow. This person, in 2008, became the president of the American Enterprise Institute.

So because Ali is a fellow at AEI she must support the stances of the Discovery Institute because at one time they sponsored the now president of AEI.

Anyone see a problem here?

First, just because you generally support an organization doesn't mean you support everything they do. Second, just because an organization sponsors a person doesn't mean that person supports everything that organization does.
and Third, even IF a president of an organization holds an opinion it does not mean that the whole organization holds that opinion.

It's just to far fetched for me... am I missing something or is this person seeing connections where their really aren't any?

Is Kevin Bacon a radical Jihadist because he can be linked to one??? Oh, poor Kevin... he's linked to a bunch of nutters!!!

Boating

Today my parents took us boating! Yay, I love boating... there is just something about the way that the water hits to side of the boat and the sound of the engine that is just completely relaxing. It's always been that way too! My mom says that when I was a baby a sure way to get me to sleep was to put me on their bed (they had a Bayliner at the time with a cabin that had a bed in the very front) and the motion of the boat would put me to sleep.

Today was perfect! We went to Palisades Lake which is near the Idaho/Wyoming boarder. No idea why it is called Palisades though... apparently a palisade is a cliff and (to me anyways) there wasn't much that qualified as a "cliff". Now Lake Powell? THAT has CLIFFS! Anyways, back to what I was getting at...It was just hot enough that getting in the water was enticing and the water was warm enough that your body would adjust to it fairly quickly. The water was smooth and clear enough that Turbo was concerned about "falling" when it was time to swim.

The kids had a blast tubing and each of them took a turn going "solo".

I love the fact that they are getting old enough to do that! Goober even asked to try wake boarding! Unfortunately a sneaky storm snuck in and started to make the water choppy so I had to tell him that next time he could try that. Now, you have to understand, of all of my children Goober is my cautious one. He hates the feel of butterflies in his stomach and freaks out a little when he gets that sensation, he is always the one that is most concerned with safety. While being brave has pros and cons - you learn new things but might break a few bones on the way, so does being cautious -you are less likely to hurt yourself but also less likely to have amazing experiences because you don't want to go out of your comfort zone. I was amazed at how brave he was on the tube (dad got going pretty fast and Goober even got outside the wake!) and it gives me a lot of hope that even though he is cautious he can still put that aside at times.

Overall, it was a really good day. :)

Well, That Helped!

Hi, I know a couple of posts ago I was frustrated and at my wits end with my eldest child. Thought I would update...

So before we would have the kids all bath and go through a big long bedtime routine (which helped them calm down when they were younger)... I decided that I would try having Goober do most of his daily maintenance in the morning instead and see if that worked. I also decided that I needed to start waking them up before 9:30am, not only to prep them for school (I KNOW!!! It's sneaking up on me!! one month away... meh!) but also to try to help Missy with her insomnia by getting her up and out in the light earlier - hopefully this will help reset her internal clock.

Holy crapola did it help! 

Now he gets up, get's breakfast, goes and practices piano (a huge frustration before) while waiting for his siblings to finish showering, then takes his shower and does all his other daily stuff. 

In the evening I simply have them go and get PJ's on and then a read a chapter of Harry Potter to them and off to bed they go. There is still a bit of talking, but if I hear them I simply open their bedroom door and leave it open. 

I was making this WAY WAY harder than it needed to be!!! 

I just started waking them up earlier today, mostly because my sister was at my parents house this morning and I wanted to be sure the kids saw their cousins etc... Besides, I just plane like hanging out with my sister! Anyways, tomorrow will be the second day of waking them up early, hopefully it will go like today - in that Missy was fairly cooperative - then again, she was excited to see her cousins and that is a good motivator!

I'm not nearly as frustrated as I was... hopefully this lasts! 

Expelliarmus!!!

P.S. the family councilor never called back... guess I will be calling a different one. I don't want one that doesn't return calls anyways (one of my pet peeves).

Why I have no issue with my son's fascination with all things Harry Potter.

So, anyone that has talked to my eldest in the last... oh, 2 years? Knows that he is a major Harry Potter fan. Major. 


While it can get annoying at times (Expellaramus!!!!) I'm very happy that if he was going to be enamored with a story it is at least one that has really good lessons in it. Many of them are even one liners! 


I love, love, LOVE what J.K. Rowling says about the books: "The Potter books in general are a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry" 


Everyone has their favorite characters of course... and boy is it a hard choice! They were all so well created. I love Ms. Weasley's fierce defense of those she loves, and Neville Longbottom's amazing bravery and loyalty, Sirius Black's desparation yet undeniable goodness... then there is Tonks, Lupin, and Luna as well. My goodness... I have to say they are all my favorite! 


So on with the HP quotes! :)


You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself plainly when you have need of him.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness.
- Quote from Dumbledore to Voldermort


If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.
- Quote by Sirius Black


To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth.
- Quote from Dumbledore to Harry


When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


You sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.
- Quote by Ginny Weasley


It is our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore


Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.
- Quote by Arthur Weasley


As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all – the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore

Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore

Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young.
- Quote by Albus Dumbledore

Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. - Quote by Albus Dumbledore

Then there is my all-time favorite quote: 


"The world is not split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." - Sirius Black.


There are definitely more destructive things to be enthralled with! 

Maybe someone else can do better...

I don't know what to do anymore...

Here is tonight's scenario: Go through bedtime routine, Turbo gets a bath then I read a chapter of Harry Potter to the kids. Once that is done Missy hops in the bath and Turbo goes to bed. When Missy is done with her bath Goober has the option of getting in the shower or hanging out until I get Missy's hair combed and then off to bed for both of them.

All three kids share a bedroom. Not ideal, but it's what we have. We ask the kids to be quiet due to Turbo already being asleep and then head to our room.

Here we hope that everyone goes to sleep without too much trouble...

Soon we hear voices, so I go into their room and remove Goober (because he was talking the loudest) and tell Missy that it was not okay to be out of her bed (she was on Goobers bed and they were loudly pretending something.) Tell Goober to lay on couch in the hall (this is the only option we have for removing one of them outside of putting them in our room which would then leave us with no where to go).

Goober proceeds to complain about the blanket I gave him. So I tell him to pick another one, there are several already in the hallway. I go back to my room, but first turn on the Sentsy because I know that the dark really bugs my kids.

Soon after closing the door I hear something hitting the couch.

Jer goes out and asks Goober why he is hitting the couch, to which Goober refuses to respond. I ask Goober if he wants to be in trouble, to which he says no. I tell him that his actions say otherwise. He complains about the blanket again. Again we tell him to pick another one if he wants. We tell him to stop hitting the couch, and warn him that he will be in trouble if we have to come back out and then we go back to our room.

...

Goober starts hitting the couch again.

Both Jer and I go out. Both of us are significantly pissed by now, as this type of thing is not a rare occurrence. I had hope that an adjustment of his medication would help and it did seem to for a bit, but not long.

Jer informs Goober he is grounded from the train track toy (he is already grounded from video games etc for 3 more weeks due to his insistence to misbehave even after being grounded from them for a week etc....), I tell him he is grounded from TV. I also tell him that I don't believe him when he says he doesn't want to be in trouble because his actions say otherwise. We go back to our room.

...

Goober starts hitting the couch again.

Jer and I discuss and decide that Goober needs to go in the backyard for a little while (when he insists on misbehaving sometimes this works, he can come back in when he is ready to behave) and spanking him only ends up with a lot of yelling on his part and he STILL insists on being aggravating.  Goober states that going outside is fun on the way out (I'm sure trying to goad Jer and I).

Jer takes him outside.

I had kind of hoped it would be raining, it wasn't.

After a bit they come back inside and Goober lays down on the couch again.

...

That is where we are right now.

I'm so tired of this. I really don't know what to do. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't happen so often (with slight variations). I'm so worried that he will end up not caring about anything in life, at the same time I need to teach him that his actions have consequences. I don't know why he wants us mad at him and it breaks my heart at the same time because I feel like a failure as a parent. I love him, but at the same time I don't want him when he acts like this and want to hand him off to someone else to raise. I feel incredibly guilty for feeling that way towards my own child, but again I feel like a failure so maybe someone else could do better with him? I have shed many tears over this.

I called a family councilor today to try to make an appointment but he was out to lunch and hasn't called back yet.

Like life isn't hard enough right now without this too.

I hate this.

Grandma Jones

Last night my dad called to tell me that my Grandma J had passed away. This is my dad's mom.

I wasn't very close to my dad's parent's growing up, and honestly we didn't live close to any of my grandparents so it was really my immediate family that I was close to, nevertheless I still remember and loved a lot about my Grandma J.

My grandma loved food storage... almost a little too much (she was human)! She had all sorts of recipes for all sorts of different things and really seamed to love to cook (which I admire because I really hate it lol!). She loved camping and being out in nature. She knew all sorts of songs and nursery rhymes and had the poem "Paul Revere's Ride" memorized and holy CRAP that thing is long, but she had it! She would often exclaim "Good Night!" as a kosher expletive around family and would often pull her hair back into a pony tail with curls around her face (when it was long enough). She loved her religion and clung to it with all her might.

At one point I know she was a concert pianist and I remember as a child watching her type faster than the typewriter could print. She loved children and always had candy in her pocket for the Primary kids... in fact those kids would stop by her house years later just to say "hi" and get a candy :D

The last few years she has had a rough time, be it a broken foot that won't seam to heal, frustrations with her memory, to other medical complications. I know her kids have had disagreements as to what was best for her and that my aunt has taken care of her more and more.

I know my dad has just wanted what was best for her and that at times his siblings disagreed and fought each other and him tooth and nail, but I also know that she was my dad's mom and that I can only imagine the heartache I would feel if my own mom passed away.

My heart aches for him,

I love you dad, I have no idea if there is anything I can do to ease the pain even a little... if there was I would surely do it.

For anyone who doesn't know the poem Pail Revere's Ride I'm including it below.

Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five: Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country-folk to be up and to arm." Then he said "Good night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war: A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon, like a prison-bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street Wanders and watches with eager ears, Till in the silence around him he hears The muster of men at the barrack door, The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet, And the measured tread of the grenadiers Marching down to their boats on the shore. Then he climbed to the tower of the church, Up the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, To the belfry-chamber overhead, And startled the pigeons from their perch On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses and moving shapes of shade,-- By the trembling ladder, steep and tall, To the highest window in the wall, Where he paused to listen and look down A moment on the roofs of the town, And the moonlight flowing over all. Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, In their night-encampment on the hill, Wrapped in silence so deep and still That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread, The watchful night-wind, as it went Creeping along from tent to tent, And seeming to whisper, "All is well!" A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead; For suddenly all his thoughts are bent On a shadowy something far away, Where the river widens to meet the bay, -- A line of black, that bends and floats On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats. Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride, On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere. Now he patted his horse's side, Now gazed on the landscape far and near, Then impetuous stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle-girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry-tower of the old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still. And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height, A glimmer, and then a gleam of light! He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns! A hurry of hoofs in a village-street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet: That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night; And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat. He has left the village and mounted the steep, And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep, Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides; And under the alders, that skirt its edge, Now soft on the sand, now load on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town. He heard the crowing of the cock, And the barking of the farmer's dog, And felt the damp of the river-fog, That rises when the sun goes down. It was one by the village clock, When he galloped into Lexington. He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed, And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare, Gaze at him with a spectral glare, As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon. It was two by the village clock, When be came to the bridge in Concord town. He heard the bleating of the flock, And the twitter of birds among the trees, And felt the breath of the morning breeze Blowing over the meadows brown. And one was safe and asleep in his bed Who at the bridge would be first to fall, Who that day would be lying dead, Pierced by a British musket-ball. You know the rest. In the books you have read, How the British Regulars fired and fled,-- How the farmers gave them ball for ball, From behind each fence and farmyard-wall, Chasing the red-coats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load. So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm,-- A cry of defiance, and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo forevermore! For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Hiking?

Grandpa J with my kidlets

So after our camping expedition with my parents last weekend I'm seriously considering insisting that my family start hiking. Seriously.

I know I'm out of shape and since I put my gym membership on hold (they STILL haven't finished the larger facility they have been promising for over a year!) I really think that this may be a good way to get into shape while getting my kids involved so that hopefully they can develop healthy lifestyles (and also tolerance for wildlife, bugs, and temperature changes).

I really don't want to have to purchase maps so I started doing a little research myself. The BLM has a short trail not far from here that I think I will drag everyone to... probably tomorrow, if the weather will permit -there is a 50% chance of rain (I really wish they would indicate if it would be heavy or light rain!).

Anywho... we shall see :D

Besides, there ARE some Geocaches on the way... Mwahahaha!