We have arrived!

I have never been the type of homeschooler that brags about how her child is reading at 3 grade levels above her age or how her 5 year old is doing 4th grade math.

No, I am more the type of homeschooler that is always worried about whether my child is on grade level or whether I am messing them up by homeschooling them. Should a 10 year old know how to spell the word different? Oh no, my 8 year old has forgotten how to subract! Ack! it's been a week since I have worked on phonics with my 5 year old, I am scarring her for life!

But the time has come where I feel we are succesfully nerdy homeschoolers. Who cares if my 10 year old can't divide, yet. She -and her 5 year old and 8 year old sisters - can sing the U.S. Presidents in order!


I told them they can now go on Kid Nation. (I was all worried last year when the kids on Kid Nation had a challenge where they had to put the presidents in order and I knew that I was messing my kids up because they didn't know them, yet :P)

In related news, I added our book list from our recent government and presidents unit to the side bar.


Oh, and we got this song off of You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsePr32vOxA

While you're at You Tube check out the Anamaniacs and the Nickelodean versions, too. Fun, Fun.

Politics, Schmolitics

I am admittedly clueless about politics. Pretty sad considering my husband almost has his PhD in Political Science. Growing up my parents voted Republican, still do, I think? So I thought I was a Republican. Then I went off to college and my liberal side came out to play and I voted Democrat in the very first presidential election after I turned 18. Since then I haven't been much into politics. I haven't live in the same town long enough to care much about the local political scene And every 4 years when it is time to vote for president, I wonder which candidate is lying more... Or I have a tendency to fall into the category of people that my husband despises - " People who want to vote for whichever candidate they would rather have dinner with."

When I was a senior in high school, I took a quiz in government class and I score exactly in the middle on both the Republican/Democrat quiz and the Conservative/Liberal quiz. I kind of still feel that way. I think both parties/sides have some ideas that I agree with and some ideas that I disagree with.

One of the local homeschool groups allows political discussions (well, if you can call it a discussion since most of the people's views are pretty one-sided). The other day I got brave enough to comment to someone who posted a political joke that had some elements in it that went against that person's religious views. Instead of responding to what I had commented on many people in the group started making all kinds of comments about how the government should not be involved in helping the poor. Apparently, I had been talking about the posts a lot and how many homeschoolers I know are anti government involvement and try and "stay off the radar" because this week as the girls and I were learning about presidents and reading about how President William McKinley was shot by an anarchist and the book described an anarchist as one who doesn't believe in government, my oldest said, "Oh, like the people in your emails..." Funny, funny.

I do know who I am voting for. It is my husband's job to understand international relations and ecomonics and the things he tells me make sense. So while I am becoming more curious about politics and would like to learn more so I can hold my own in a political conversation, I am going to vote with him on this one.

Michelle's 8 essential 80's movies

My friend just posted movies she considers to be the 8 essential movies of the 80's. A friend of hers is showing movies from the 80's at film series at Middlebury College. Since most of the freshman this year were born in 1990 - yikes! they missed seeing these classics movies during the 80's. In choosing movies my friend picked movies that were not only filmed in the 80's, but take place, at least in part, during the 80's in order to give the college students a taste of the culture of the 80's as well as the filmaking. I will follow this rule as well. Here are my selections, in no particular order:

The Breakfast Club

Back to the Future

When Harry Met Sally

E.T.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Top Gun

Sixteen Candles

Ack... I only have one more spot and 5 movies left on my list...


Um... OK...

St. Elmo's Fire


Runner's up:

Footloose

Say Anything

Lost Boys

Which movies are your 8 essentials of the 80's?