Today Zoe was working on a book called The World of the Fey. She wrote a really sweet introduction. Her writing is getting really good!
So she is illustrating the cover and she says "I don't really believe in fairies but I want to. So I like to pretend I do."
I agreed with what she was saying. I went to get a drink and when I came back she had tears in her eyes.
"Mommy" she said, her chin quivering, "I have something to say but I'm afraid you'll be mad at me. "
"Oh no!" I told her. "I won't be mad! What's the matter?"
"It's like the fairies... sometimes I don't believe in God." The tears came more readily now. "I want to. I want to believe in him but I think I might just be pretending!"
I opened my arms to her and she climbed onto my lap. I hugged her and rubbed her back. 'Oh Honey! That's okay. That's totally normal! People who are really smart, sometimes they need more than someone else telling them what to believe. Even people that have faith, sometimes they question it. Sometimes they struggle. It's okay. It's okay."
We talked some more. She told me she wanted to be a good Jew and that she felt guilt and I explained that you can be Jewish and still have your doubts about God. And that she doesn't have to believe anything. And that she can keep trying to have faith if she wants to and when she wants to.
We talked about prayer and why we say them and why we might keep saying prayers even if we are not sure God is listening.
*big heavy sigh*
I'm glad I got to have that conversation with her. It's a big one.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Outsiders
Today I am just quoting from an article I am reading about Leta Hollingworth regarding the special problems faced by the extremely intelligent.
Is any of this familiar?
Children with IQs up to 150 get along in the ordinary course of school life quite well, achieving excellent marks without serious effort. But children above this mental status become almost intolerably bored with school work if kept in lockstep with unselected pupils of their own age. Children who rise above 170 IQ are liable to regard school with indifference or with positive dislike, for they find nothing in the work to absorb their interest. This condition of affairs, coupled with the supervision of unseeing and unsympathetic teachers, has sometimes led even to truancy on the part of gifted children
Another problem of development with reference to occupation grows out of the versatility of these children. So far from being one-sided in ability and interest, they are typically capable of so many different kinds of success that they may have difficulty in confining themselves to a reasonable number of enterprises. Some of them are lost to usefulness through spreading their available time and energy over such a wide array of projects that nothing can be finished or done perfectly.
A lesson which many gifted persons never learn as long as they live is that human beings in general are inherently very different from themselves in thought, in action, in general intention, and in interests. Many a reformer has died at the hands of a mob which he was trying to improve in the belief that other human beings can and should enjoy what he enjoys. This is one of the most painful and difficult lessons that each gifted child must learn, if personal development is to proceed successfully. It is more necessary that this be learned than that any school subject be mastered. Failure to learn how to tolerate in a reasonable fashion the foolishness of others leads to bitterness, disillusionment, and misanthropy
The single greatest adjustment problem faced by the gifted, however, is their tendency to become isolated from the rest of humanity. This problem is especially acute among the exceptionally gifted. Hollingworth says:
This tendency to become isolated is one of the most important factors to be considered in guiding the development of personality in highly intelligent children, but it does not become a serious problem except at the very extreme degrees of intelligence. The majority of children between 130 and 150 find fairly easy adjustment, because neighborhoods and schools are selective, so that like-minded children tend to be located in the same schools and districts. Furthermore, the gifted child, being large and strong for his age, is acceptable to playmates a year or two older. Great difficulty arises only when a young child is above 160 IQ. At the extremely high levels of 180 or 190 IQ, the problem of friendships is difficult indeed, and the younger the person the more difficult it is. The trouble decreases with age because as persons become adult, they naturally seek and find on their own initiative groups who are like-minded, such as learned societies
Hollingworth points out that the exceptionally gifted do not deliberately choose isolation, but are forced into it against their wills.
These superior children are not unfriendly or ungregarious by nature. Typically they strive to play with others but their efforts are defeated by the difficulties of the case… Other children do not share their interests, their vocabulary, or their desire to organize activities.
But if the exceptionally gifted is isolated from his contemporaries, the gulf between him and the adult authorities in his life is even deeper.
The very gifted child or adolescent, perceiving the illogical conduct of those in charge of his affairs, may turn rebellious against all authority and fall into a condition of negative suggestibility–a most unfortunate trend of personality, since the person is then unable to take a cooperative attitude toward authority.
All things considered, the psychologist who has observed the development of gifted children over a long period of time from early childhood to maturity, evolves the idea that there is a certain restricted portion of the total range of intelligence which is most favorable to the development of successful and well-rounded personality in the world as it now exists. This limited range appears to be somewhere between 125 and 155 IQ. Children and adolescents in this area are enough more intelligent than the average to win the confidence of large numbers of their fellows, which brings about leadership, and to manage their own lives with superior efficiency. Moreover, there are enough of them to afford mutual esteem and understanding. But those of 170 IQ and beyond are too intelligent to be understood by the general run of persons with whom they make contact. They are too infrequent to find congenial companions. They have to contend with loneliness and personal isolation from their contemporaries throughout the period of their immaturity.
Here is the full article
Is any of this familiar?
Children with IQs up to 150 get along in the ordinary course of school life quite well, achieving excellent marks without serious effort. But children above this mental status become almost intolerably bored with school work if kept in lockstep with unselected pupils of their own age. Children who rise above 170 IQ are liable to regard school with indifference or with positive dislike, for they find nothing in the work to absorb their interest. This condition of affairs, coupled with the supervision of unseeing and unsympathetic teachers, has sometimes led even to truancy on the part of gifted children
Another problem of development with reference to occupation grows out of the versatility of these children. So far from being one-sided in ability and interest, they are typically capable of so many different kinds of success that they may have difficulty in confining themselves to a reasonable number of enterprises. Some of them are lost to usefulness through spreading their available time and energy over such a wide array of projects that nothing can be finished or done perfectly.
A lesson which many gifted persons never learn as long as they live is that human beings in general are inherently very different from themselves in thought, in action, in general intention, and in interests. Many a reformer has died at the hands of a mob which he was trying to improve in the belief that other human beings can and should enjoy what he enjoys. This is one of the most painful and difficult lessons that each gifted child must learn, if personal development is to proceed successfully. It is more necessary that this be learned than that any school subject be mastered. Failure to learn how to tolerate in a reasonable fashion the foolishness of others leads to bitterness, disillusionment, and misanthropy
The single greatest adjustment problem faced by the gifted, however, is their tendency to become isolated from the rest of humanity. This problem is especially acute among the exceptionally gifted. Hollingworth says:
This tendency to become isolated is one of the most important factors to be considered in guiding the development of personality in highly intelligent children, but it does not become a serious problem except at the very extreme degrees of intelligence. The majority of children between 130 and 150 find fairly easy adjustment, because neighborhoods and schools are selective, so that like-minded children tend to be located in the same schools and districts. Furthermore, the gifted child, being large and strong for his age, is acceptable to playmates a year or two older. Great difficulty arises only when a young child is above 160 IQ. At the extremely high levels of 180 or 190 IQ, the problem of friendships is difficult indeed, and the younger the person the more difficult it is. The trouble decreases with age because as persons become adult, they naturally seek and find on their own initiative groups who are like-minded, such as learned societies
Hollingworth points out that the exceptionally gifted do not deliberately choose isolation, but are forced into it against their wills.
These superior children are not unfriendly or ungregarious by nature. Typically they strive to play with others but their efforts are defeated by the difficulties of the case… Other children do not share their interests, their vocabulary, or their desire to organize activities.
But if the exceptionally gifted is isolated from his contemporaries, the gulf between him and the adult authorities in his life is even deeper.
The very gifted child or adolescent, perceiving the illogical conduct of those in charge of his affairs, may turn rebellious against all authority and fall into a condition of negative suggestibility–a most unfortunate trend of personality, since the person is then unable to take a cooperative attitude toward authority.
All things considered, the psychologist who has observed the development of gifted children over a long period of time from early childhood to maturity, evolves the idea that there is a certain restricted portion of the total range of intelligence which is most favorable to the development of successful and well-rounded personality in the world as it now exists. This limited range appears to be somewhere between 125 and 155 IQ. Children and adolescents in this area are enough more intelligent than the average to win the confidence of large numbers of their fellows, which brings about leadership, and to manage their own lives with superior efficiency. Moreover, there are enough of them to afford mutual esteem and understanding. But those of 170 IQ and beyond are too intelligent to be understood by the general run of persons with whom they make contact. They are too infrequent to find congenial companions. They have to contend with loneliness and personal isolation from their contemporaries throughout the period of their immaturity.
Here is the full article
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Cleaning and Age
Pere rearranged the bookcase in the living room this week and today Zoe and I put all the books (4 - 4'x8' bookcases) back on the shelves. Then I throughly cleaned the whole room.
I took out almost all the clutter.
But I just put it in the entry way... I have no idea where all that stuff is going to go yet.
Now I am sitting here having a diet coke in front of the air conditioner vent and listening to the new Neko Case album. The living room looks awesome.
We are trying to get things ready for our new piano.
And we are hosting my niece's graduation party in a couple weeks so I really need to get everything throughly tidy. (Things have been less tidy since I laid off the cleaning lady...)
* * *
Do you feel like you are your age? I'm 35 now but I don't feel it. Not that I don't like it. I certainly wouldn't want to be a teenager again. Nor even 28 (which was a pretty good year.)
When I was in my mid-twenties I worked with this very hot Puerto Rican mamacita who was 43. Arianna. When I think about aging I am not afraid. Arianna rocked it. She rocked it more than me when I was 25.
And with age comes wisdom, so they say. And that is what I wouldn't give up. I remember Arianna telling me that she thought I was wise beyond my years. I like that. It is one of those compliments that I carry with me and take out from time to time when I want to feel good about myself.
I took out almost all the clutter.
But I just put it in the entry way... I have no idea where all that stuff is going to go yet.
Now I am sitting here having a diet coke in front of the air conditioner vent and listening to the new Neko Case album. The living room looks awesome.
We are trying to get things ready for our new piano.
And we are hosting my niece's graduation party in a couple weeks so I really need to get everything throughly tidy. (Things have been less tidy since I laid off the cleaning lady...)
* * *
Do you feel like you are your age? I'm 35 now but I don't feel it. Not that I don't like it. I certainly wouldn't want to be a teenager again. Nor even 28 (which was a pretty good year.)
When I was in my mid-twenties I worked with this very hot Puerto Rican mamacita who was 43. Arianna. When I think about aging I am not afraid. Arianna rocked it. She rocked it more than me when I was 25.
And with age comes wisdom, so they say. And that is what I wouldn't give up. I remember Arianna telling me that she thought I was wise beyond my years. I like that. It is one of those compliments that I carry with me and take out from time to time when I want to feel good about myself.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Recovery: It Works!
Wow...
So I have been going to therapy since September and I have dutifully done all the assigned "homework." I have educated myself on the problems of my family of origin (FOO) so that I can physically and mentally extricate myself from them. I've recorded the events of my childhood in my journals and have seen that dysfunction with the perspective of an adult who is also a loving responsible parent.
I've made a lot of changes, some drastic and dramatic, like going No Contact with my mother. That is since November, so... about five months now.
I think I have been changing for the better but sometimes that is hard to see because this process is emotional, stressful, and sometimes depressing. But, the good news is, that I think all this is working in some BIG ways.
Yesterday I noticed that something that would normally trigger my issues just didn't. The kind of thing that would have me second guessing myself all day and/or coming up with upsetting scenarios to stew over... instead, without even trying, I just felt more confident and I felt I had some kind of barrier up (I think we call those Boundaries *wink*) that protected me from taking things to heart.
It was kind of weird. Because I have always been a sensitive person that takes things to heart. I think that being sympathetic and empathetic are positive traits but without strong boundaries I was too easily buffeted by the feelings of other people, which isn't good if they are feeling something mean and selfish and jerky.
As a child I had to raise myself while also catering to the immature emotional needs of a mentally disordered single mother. I became uber-responsible. I was responsible for my own welfare, but I don't really mean that. I mean that I couldn't really make the mistakes that normal kids could. I had to be hyper-aware of my mother's emotional state and so figure out what she needed and wanted from me. That hyper-awareness is hard-wired into my brain now, literally (I've read medical studies about this phenomenon.)
As you might imagine, being hyper-aware, sensitive, sympathetic, empathetic, and uber-responsible makes my social interactions more stressful than they have to be.
But, back to the good news, yesterday I realized things have changed (are changing.) I was able to let go of feeling so responsible. I was journaling about various people in my life and when I got to writing about a certain person who is competitive with me in a not very friendly way I realized that my feelings had changed. I felt kind of sorry for the person, rather than attacked. I (I think) realized the extent of my responsibilities in the relationship and that I don't have the power to make things better. As a child, of course, my only hope was that I could make things better. I thought if I behaved just the right way my mother would act like a mother is supposed to.
But she has her own demons and so do other people. And I am finally letting go of the idea that I can exorcise them with my brilliant behavior.
Wow, this post is so much longer than I thought it would be. Really, I was only planning for like two or three paragraphs. But writing this has been helpful to me. I'm a writer and putting things into words make them more real for me.
Those of you who managed to read to the end, I hope this post offers some... uh, hope that you really can recover from the damages of your childhood. And those of you who had a healthy happy childhood, hopefully, this was at least morbidly interesting. *wink*
So I have been going to therapy since September and I have dutifully done all the assigned "homework." I have educated myself on the problems of my family of origin (FOO) so that I can physically and mentally extricate myself from them. I've recorded the events of my childhood in my journals and have seen that dysfunction with the perspective of an adult who is also a loving responsible parent.
I've made a lot of changes, some drastic and dramatic, like going No Contact with my mother. That is since November, so... about five months now.
I think I have been changing for the better but sometimes that is hard to see because this process is emotional, stressful, and sometimes depressing. But, the good news is, that I think all this is working in some BIG ways.
Yesterday I noticed that something that would normally trigger my issues just didn't. The kind of thing that would have me second guessing myself all day and/or coming up with upsetting scenarios to stew over... instead, without even trying, I just felt more confident and I felt I had some kind of barrier up (I think we call those Boundaries *wink*) that protected me from taking things to heart.
It was kind of weird. Because I have always been a sensitive person that takes things to heart. I think that being sympathetic and empathetic are positive traits but without strong boundaries I was too easily buffeted by the feelings of other people, which isn't good if they are feeling something mean and selfish and jerky.
As a child I had to raise myself while also catering to the immature emotional needs of a mentally disordered single mother. I became uber-responsible. I was responsible for my own welfare, but I don't really mean that. I mean that I couldn't really make the mistakes that normal kids could. I had to be hyper-aware of my mother's emotional state and so figure out what she needed and wanted from me. That hyper-awareness is hard-wired into my brain now, literally (I've read medical studies about this phenomenon.)
As you might imagine, being hyper-aware, sensitive, sympathetic, empathetic, and uber-responsible makes my social interactions more stressful than they have to be.
But, back to the good news, yesterday I realized things have changed (are changing.) I was able to let go of feeling so responsible. I was journaling about various people in my life and when I got to writing about a certain person who is competitive with me in a not very friendly way I realized that my feelings had changed. I felt kind of sorry for the person, rather than attacked. I (I think) realized the extent of my responsibilities in the relationship and that I don't have the power to make things better. As a child, of course, my only hope was that I could make things better. I thought if I behaved just the right way my mother would act like a mother is supposed to.
But she has her own demons and so do other people. And I am finally letting go of the idea that I can exorcise them with my brilliant behavior.
Wow, this post is so much longer than I thought it would be. Really, I was only planning for like two or three paragraphs. But writing this has been helpful to me. I'm a writer and putting things into words make them more real for me.
Those of you who managed to read to the end, I hope this post offers some... uh, hope that you really can recover from the damages of your childhood. And those of you who had a healthy happy childhood, hopefully, this was at least morbidly interesting. *wink*
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
All Better
I need to practice asking my friends for their expert help more often.
One of my best best friends, back in Los Angeles, is a singer. I told her about Zoe's problem and she totally had a solution for us!
Zoe's problem is that she wants to sing in a talent show where she will have to bring her own CD of the piano accompaniment. The only CD we have is really fast during the runs.
My friend says nobody sings with the CD that comes with the song book. She told us to find an accompanist who will work with Zoe for 15 minutes and record the song at Zoe's pace. She said something like "Singing is supposed to be an artistic expression. How are you supposed to express anything with the CD that came with the book!"
So... last night I saw Zoe's choir director and I asked him if he knew anyone that could work with Zoe and make her a CD. He said he will do it for her. *big happy grin*
When I explained the new deal to Zoe she was SO happy and SO relieved. Thank you L.T.! I just wouldn't have thought to do that.
One of my best best friends, back in Los Angeles, is a singer. I told her about Zoe's problem and she totally had a solution for us!
Zoe's problem is that she wants to sing in a talent show where she will have to bring her own CD of the piano accompaniment. The only CD we have is really fast during the runs.
My friend says nobody sings with the CD that comes with the song book. She told us to find an accompanist who will work with Zoe for 15 minutes and record the song at Zoe's pace. She said something like "Singing is supposed to be an artistic expression. How are you supposed to express anything with the CD that came with the book!"
So... last night I saw Zoe's choir director and I asked him if he knew anyone that could work with Zoe and make her a CD. He said he will do it for her. *big happy grin*
When I explained the new deal to Zoe she was SO happy and SO relieved. Thank you L.T.! I just wouldn't have thought to do that.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Homeschooling Monday
Math - Ratios. Zoe grasped ratios very easily.
Language Arts - Four part diagramming of a sentence, Latin stems in Caesar's English, reading aloud and discussing four poems.
Japanese - Katakana
Music - more practice of voice and piano for upcoming recitals and talent show. (Zoe is pretty stressed about the song she is singing in the recital. It is very difficult and she is sometimes having a doom and gloom attitude about being able to perform it with a recording of the accompaniment. Last Monday she cried on the way home from her music class and then she told her father it was "a catastrophe!" *jeez* I am trying to be understanding, validating, as well as positive and motivating. I think she is going to do great. But I guess the real issue is how to help her feel more in control of her situation.)
Science - Making circuits with wire, light bulbs and batteries. Diagramming and labeling circuit parts and whole. Explaining the uses of the parts of a circuit.
History - The Spanish explorers head north into North American looking for gold. Reading, answering questions, filling in map, making a profile of Esteban.
Reading - Julie of the Wolves
*update*
Music Lesson - I thought it was a good lesson but Zoe had a bad attitude afterwards.
So I finally had enough with the defeated negative attitude about this song. For the past 3 weeks I have been walking the fine line between validating her feelings, soothing her fears and inspiring her to have confidence in herself.
Zoe has confidence in herself like 95% of time. But other other 5% does the whole 'I CANT do this! I CAN'T!" like a normal kid. She pouts and glares and is totally self-defeating. And that is all it is... she is defeating herself. Because there is nothing that Zoe hasn't been able to do. She did this for bike riding, for swimming, math at one point, playing baseball, learning kanji, piano at one point, etc.
What is it? What is she feeling? She seems to get overwhelmed. She gets totally wigged and can't think straight, loses all confidence, start catastrophizing, etc.
I have always tried to have homeschooling be challenging for Zoe. I think it kind of is. But she still usually gets everything right anyway. It is not like she is doing 5/6th grade work and getting C's. YKWIM?
But certain things "trigger" this feeling of being overwhelmed. And it is not always the same thing. Mostly all these things - math, piano, voice, learning new things are happy and exciting for Zoe. I haven't figured it why certain times trigger and others don't.
But today I told her that I am tired of the attitude. I told her that singing is supposed to be fun. This isn't fun. If she wants to perform then she is agreeing to certain amount of practice and to doing her best. If she can't do that without a big cranky 'tude then she can stop performing, AFTER this performance since she has already committed to this.
I told her I understand she is feeling kinda worried because the song is hard. I told her that I want to be understanding and loving and helpful but that I am not going to be all that and also her target for angry glares and complaining. This is her thing, not my thing. And if she wants to keep performing the attitude needs to stop.
I said some more things and then I turned up the radio and drove to Target. I could hear her crying in the back seat. I gave her time to think about it.
Once at Target we made up. She said that she wants to keep performing and I said I want to help and support her.
I know that one talk hasn't fixed everything. She will do this again. But I really do want to figure out how she can help herself through this because when she grows up I wont be there to walk her through her valley of fear. Any advice?
Language Arts - Four part diagramming of a sentence, Latin stems in Caesar's English, reading aloud and discussing four poems.
Japanese - Katakana
Music - more practice of voice and piano for upcoming recitals and talent show. (Zoe is pretty stressed about the song she is singing in the recital. It is very difficult and she is sometimes having a doom and gloom attitude about being able to perform it with a recording of the accompaniment. Last Monday she cried on the way home from her music class and then she told her father it was "a catastrophe!" *jeez* I am trying to be understanding, validating, as well as positive and motivating. I think she is going to do great. But I guess the real issue is how to help her feel more in control of her situation.)
Science - Making circuits with wire, light bulbs and batteries. Diagramming and labeling circuit parts and whole. Explaining the uses of the parts of a circuit.
History - The Spanish explorers head north into North American looking for gold. Reading, answering questions, filling in map, making a profile of Esteban.
Reading - Julie of the Wolves
*update*
Music Lesson - I thought it was a good lesson but Zoe had a bad attitude afterwards.
So I finally had enough with the defeated negative attitude about this song. For the past 3 weeks I have been walking the fine line between validating her feelings, soothing her fears and inspiring her to have confidence in herself.
Zoe has confidence in herself like 95% of time. But other other 5% does the whole 'I CANT do this! I CAN'T!" like a normal kid. She pouts and glares and is totally self-defeating. And that is all it is... she is defeating herself. Because there is nothing that Zoe hasn't been able to do. She did this for bike riding, for swimming, math at one point, playing baseball, learning kanji, piano at one point, etc.
What is it? What is she feeling? She seems to get overwhelmed. She gets totally wigged and can't think straight, loses all confidence, start catastrophizing, etc.
I have always tried to have homeschooling be challenging for Zoe. I think it kind of is. But she still usually gets everything right anyway. It is not like she is doing 5/6th grade work and getting C's. YKWIM?
But certain things "trigger" this feeling of being overwhelmed. And it is not always the same thing. Mostly all these things - math, piano, voice, learning new things are happy and exciting for Zoe. I haven't figured it why certain times trigger and others don't.
But today I told her that I am tired of the attitude. I told her that singing is supposed to be fun. This isn't fun. If she wants to perform then she is agreeing to certain amount of practice and to doing her best. If she can't do that without a big cranky 'tude then she can stop performing, AFTER this performance since she has already committed to this.
I told her I understand she is feeling kinda worried because the song is hard. I told her that I want to be understanding and loving and helpful but that I am not going to be all that and also her target for angry glares and complaining. This is her thing, not my thing. And if she wants to keep performing the attitude needs to stop.
I said some more things and then I turned up the radio and drove to Target. I could hear her crying in the back seat. I gave her time to think about it.
Once at Target we made up. She said that she wants to keep performing and I said I want to help and support her.
I know that one talk hasn't fixed everything. She will do this again. But I really do want to figure out how she can help herself through this because when she grows up I wont be there to walk her through her valley of fear. Any advice?
Friday, April 17, 2009
Asian Festival
Today Zoe performed in the Asian festival.
She sang and recited.
Here she is with her teacher
She was in the fashion show
There were a lot of other performers
There were these cute little Chinese kids singing and dancing.
There was Middle Eastern dancing
Here is her teacher doing a Japanese Tea ceremony
She sang and recited.
Here she is with her teacher
She was in the fashion show
There were a lot of other performers
There were these cute little Chinese kids singing and dancing.
There was Middle Eastern dancing
Here is her teacher doing a Japanese Tea ceremony
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Fresh Air
I have been sick for a couple days, maybe the flu. I feel like... trodden on toast.
Zoe and I sat outside for awhile this afternoon. I tried to nap on the lounge chair. Zoe read her book.
Look we have flowers coming up!
Look at Zoe's cute tiny handwriting! This is her history test.
This is just another picture I had on my iphone. She was sitting there looking so beautiful, with her porcelain skin... the iphone doesn't show it so well.
Zoe and I sat outside for awhile this afternoon. I tried to nap on the lounge chair. Zoe read her book.
Look we have flowers coming up!
Look at Zoe's cute tiny handwriting! This is her history test.
This is just another picture I had on my iphone. She was sitting there looking so beautiful, with her porcelain skin... the iphone doesn't show it so well.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Plan A
People sometimes ask me if I plan to homeschool Zoe through high school. My stock answer is "Our plan is go with whatever is the best option at the time."
But since we decided to homeschool, when Zoe was like one and a half, our Plan A was to homeschool all the way through. I am pretty much convinced that there is no school option that would be better.
What do I think constitutes an education and a wholesome, appropriate, "good" childhood?
I want Zoe to be challenged educationally. (At this point it means for her to be working at least four grade levels ahead.) When I went to school, both the crappy public and privates schools I attended, I was bored most of the time. The material was too easy, trite, and shallow. What a waste, huh? Sometimes, as the homeschooling parent, I get overwhelmed with the HUGE amount of wonderful things there are to learn and how we are going to fit it all in.
I want Zoe to actually enjoy learning. To the point where she looks forward to it and considers it an important ingredient to a happy life. Now, I have always felt that way. But school usually stymied my enjoyment. I loved learning despite school. I was the "Hermione" that always raised her hand. I wanted to take topics further, discuss, explore, apply, etc and the other students wanted me to shut up and, sometimes, the teachers didn't appreciate my "rage to learn" either.
I could go on and on.. but you get the idea. I had a pretty crappy education. I want more for my daughter.
Okay so I know there are GOOD schools out there. I lived in Los Angeles, which has more private schools than any other city in the country. I know there are lots of good public and private schools that do wonderful things for kids.
But there is NO school (except one that we will get to later) that I have found that lets the kids work 4+ years ahead. Zoe was accepted into the Mirman School in Los Angeles. That was the school for "highly gifted" children. You actually had to have the test scores to get in, so HG wasn't just some kind of judgement call.
That was for Kindergarten. I also applied to a few other very hard to get into schools for Zoe. She got into all of them. One told me that they couldn't handle her and she should go to Mirman. I appreciated the honesty. One told me they could give her a two year grade skip but that she would be physically dwarfed by the other second graders (some were eight.)
And Mirman... they were kind of annoying. They were famous for "teaching each child at their level" but in reality kids could move ahead in reading and math and otherwise were about one year ahead of grade level. When I tried to pin them down about what they were going to do specifically with Zoe, like how would they accommodate her doing third grade work, they got snippy with me. *shrug*
In the end I told Zoe that if we enrolled her at Mirman she would go to school 6 hours a day plus an hour each way for the commute and then they have 30 minutes of homework times your year. So by second grade (which is your third year) it is an hour and half. So she would have to give up all but one of her extra-curricular activities. At that point her extra-curriculars were piano, gymnastics and Shakespeare. She said "no way."
Which brings me to another homescooling Pro - kids have the flexibility of time to do more extra-curricular activities. Until this year, 5/6 grade, Zoe was getting all her school work done in the 3 1/2 hours before lunch. That left plenty of time to try different activities and stick with a few. There is no way she would have time to do 2 - 4 weekly extra-curricular activities and down time to play and relax if she were in a traditional school.
Here I come to another homeschooling Pro - teaching one kid, or even 3 or 4, takes a lot less time than it does to teach a full classroom. It takes about half the amount of time. There is no time spent commuting, waiting for the bus, standing in line at the water fountain, standing in the lunch line, standing in the bathroom line, waiting for your turn to address the teacher, moving down the halls from one classroom to another, etc. But wait! You might say 'But those were my favorite part of school!" Well, how sad is that?
So, what was your favorite part of school? Maybe it was talking and playing with your friends. Maybe it was recess, but how many schools even have recess these days? Maybe it was talking in the classroom but you could end up getting in trouble for that. I know I always did.
We have been very fortunate to have a very full homeschool social calendar. When we lived in Los Angeles Zoe has a 5 -6 hour weekly play date with her homeschool group which had about 100 kids. She had a shorter playdate once a week with the kids in her science class. And I rotated playdates twice a week with her seven or so best friends. And there were the neighbor kids. Usually socializing was a problem of too much, never too little.
Since moving to the midwest we have found a wonderful homeschool playgroup. Zoe has 2 - 3 hours of totally free play time a week with that group. Then she has two more hours of play time with a different group that often does more organized play. And we have a couple play dates during the week. AND she has half a dozen neighborhood friends that she gets together with regularly - to play pretend, or soccer, to build things.
One thing that is different than many schools "social" time is that she gets to play for hours using her imagination. Their play is almost entirely self-directed, even games of soccer, basketball, and dodgeball. But parents are nearby to help, to guide and to generally keep it from falling into the scary Lord of the Flies dynamics that some of us remember from regular school.
You might ask 'What about learning in a group?" Again, there are a plethora options. Since we have been homeschooling Zoe has had classes with groups of kids in gymnastics, ballet, swimming, soccer, art, musical theatre, voice-overs, Shakespeare, astronaut training, science, a type of girl-scouts club, choir, (I'm sure I am leaving some out) and about a dozen week long or weekend summer classes.
That should cover the concern of children getting to work with different teachers and not just "mom" all the time.
Another pro of homeschooling is that Zoe gets to know a diverse array of children. Not just the kids in her neighborhood and not just the kids in her grade. Both of our homeschooling groups have had a mix of ages, socio-economic backgrounds, race, gender, ability, religion, etc I think that is important. Zoe should see all kinds of children as playmates/peers.
Again, I am sure there are schools that also do great at all these things. I have looked into LOTS of schools. But, the sticking point for us is the "challenged educationally." So far no school has been able to offer Zoe as good of an education as she can get at home.
There is one school that I have my eye on. But it is in another state. Zoe could go once she is ready for middle school and, since it is on the campus of a university and has full access to the professors, libraries, labs, etc she can start taking college as classes as soon as she is ready. We call that school Plan B.
Otherwise I do plan to homeschool Zoe until she goes away to college.
But since we decided to homeschool, when Zoe was like one and a half, our Plan A was to homeschool all the way through. I am pretty much convinced that there is no school option that would be better.
What do I think constitutes an education and a wholesome, appropriate, "good" childhood?
I want Zoe to be challenged educationally. (At this point it means for her to be working at least four grade levels ahead.) When I went to school, both the crappy public and privates schools I attended, I was bored most of the time. The material was too easy, trite, and shallow. What a waste, huh? Sometimes, as the homeschooling parent, I get overwhelmed with the HUGE amount of wonderful things there are to learn and how we are going to fit it all in.
I want Zoe to actually enjoy learning. To the point where she looks forward to it and considers it an important ingredient to a happy life. Now, I have always felt that way. But school usually stymied my enjoyment. I loved learning despite school. I was the "Hermione" that always raised her hand. I wanted to take topics further, discuss, explore, apply, etc and the other students wanted me to shut up and, sometimes, the teachers didn't appreciate my "rage to learn" either.
I could go on and on.. but you get the idea. I had a pretty crappy education. I want more for my daughter.
Okay so I know there are GOOD schools out there. I lived in Los Angeles, which has more private schools than any other city in the country. I know there are lots of good public and private schools that do wonderful things for kids.
But there is NO school (except one that we will get to later) that I have found that lets the kids work 4+ years ahead. Zoe was accepted into the Mirman School in Los Angeles. That was the school for "highly gifted" children. You actually had to have the test scores to get in, so HG wasn't just some kind of judgement call.
That was for Kindergarten. I also applied to a few other very hard to get into schools for Zoe. She got into all of them. One told me that they couldn't handle her and she should go to Mirman. I appreciated the honesty. One told me they could give her a two year grade skip but that she would be physically dwarfed by the other second graders (some were eight.)
And Mirman... they were kind of annoying. They were famous for "teaching each child at their level" but in reality kids could move ahead in reading and math and otherwise were about one year ahead of grade level. When I tried to pin them down about what they were going to do specifically with Zoe, like how would they accommodate her doing third grade work, they got snippy with me. *shrug*
In the end I told Zoe that if we enrolled her at Mirman she would go to school 6 hours a day plus an hour each way for the commute and then they have 30 minutes of homework times your year. So by second grade (which is your third year) it is an hour and half. So she would have to give up all but one of her extra-curricular activities. At that point her extra-curriculars were piano, gymnastics and Shakespeare. She said "no way."
Which brings me to another homescooling Pro - kids have the flexibility of time to do more extra-curricular activities. Until this year, 5/6 grade, Zoe was getting all her school work done in the 3 1/2 hours before lunch. That left plenty of time to try different activities and stick with a few. There is no way she would have time to do 2 - 4 weekly extra-curricular activities and down time to play and relax if she were in a traditional school.
Here I come to another homeschooling Pro - teaching one kid, or even 3 or 4, takes a lot less time than it does to teach a full classroom. It takes about half the amount of time. There is no time spent commuting, waiting for the bus, standing in line at the water fountain, standing in the lunch line, standing in the bathroom line, waiting for your turn to address the teacher, moving down the halls from one classroom to another, etc. But wait! You might say 'But those were my favorite part of school!" Well, how sad is that?
So, what was your favorite part of school? Maybe it was talking and playing with your friends. Maybe it was recess, but how many schools even have recess these days? Maybe it was talking in the classroom but you could end up getting in trouble for that. I know I always did.
We have been very fortunate to have a very full homeschool social calendar. When we lived in Los Angeles Zoe has a 5 -6 hour weekly play date with her homeschool group which had about 100 kids. She had a shorter playdate once a week with the kids in her science class. And I rotated playdates twice a week with her seven or so best friends. And there were the neighbor kids. Usually socializing was a problem of too much, never too little.
Since moving to the midwest we have found a wonderful homeschool playgroup. Zoe has 2 - 3 hours of totally free play time a week with that group. Then she has two more hours of play time with a different group that often does more organized play. And we have a couple play dates during the week. AND she has half a dozen neighborhood friends that she gets together with regularly - to play pretend, or soccer, to build things.
One thing that is different than many schools "social" time is that she gets to play for hours using her imagination. Their play is almost entirely self-directed, even games of soccer, basketball, and dodgeball. But parents are nearby to help, to guide and to generally keep it from falling into the scary Lord of the Flies dynamics that some of us remember from regular school.
You might ask 'What about learning in a group?" Again, there are a plethora options. Since we have been homeschooling Zoe has had classes with groups of kids in gymnastics, ballet, swimming, soccer, art, musical theatre, voice-overs, Shakespeare, astronaut training, science, a type of girl-scouts club, choir, (I'm sure I am leaving some out) and about a dozen week long or weekend summer classes.
That should cover the concern of children getting to work with different teachers and not just "mom" all the time.
Another pro of homeschooling is that Zoe gets to know a diverse array of children. Not just the kids in her neighborhood and not just the kids in her grade. Both of our homeschooling groups have had a mix of ages, socio-economic backgrounds, race, gender, ability, religion, etc I think that is important. Zoe should see all kinds of children as playmates/peers.
Again, I am sure there are schools that also do great at all these things. I have looked into LOTS of schools. But, the sticking point for us is the "challenged educationally." So far no school has been able to offer Zoe as good of an education as she can get at home.
There is one school that I have my eye on. But it is in another state. Zoe could go once she is ready for middle school and, since it is on the campus of a university and has full access to the professors, libraries, labs, etc she can start taking college as classes as soon as she is ready. We call that school Plan B.
Otherwise I do plan to homeschool Zoe until she goes away to college.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Ray of Light
Today I had a wonderful surprise! My good friend brought over a basket filled with goodies symbolizing wonderful things she wants for me to have in my life.
Not only did she she choose each aspect of the goody for it's symbolism, she wrote down all the meanings for me in uplifting and funny prose.
*sigh* I am so lucky!
She made this to cheer me up because last night, after Passover dinner, we were standing around cleaning up the kitchen and I told her how and why Easter weekend is hard for me.
Since I don't want to be too mysterious I will share that I was kidnapped from my father 30 years ago on Good Friday. I remember hunting for plastic Easter eggs behind some curtain in a strange hotel room.
While I know things were bad before that, and there are reasons why my mother stole me away, that weekend was the first really bad, really traumatic event of my life.
This Easter/Passover is the first major holiday since we moved here that we are not spending with our extended family. I know that today my mother and step-father and sister and nephews and niece and others are all celebrating together. And I am not. I know it is my choice. But if I went over there it would be just like every other holiday and I would come home feeling stressed and upset, having taken more abuse from my mentally ill mother.
So yeah, it is pretty yucky. But part of my therapy homework is to "own" my history, to not deny it or minimize it. To recognize what wasn't normal, what was unhealthy, what was abusive, etc. As a great man once said, "Knowing is half the battle." *wink*
Once you know that something is wrong and how something is wrong you can start to make it right. And that is pretty much the place I am at now.
But I have something else. I have made many friends since I moved here, people that I really look forward to spending time with. And I have this friend who was up at midnight last night and thought to try to cheer me up.
Besides being mind-bogglingly thoughtful, she maybe made me feel totally different about the world and my place in it.
Thirty years ago when I was taken from my father I was taken without a word of explanation. I was not allowed to question. I was not allowed to cry. From then on, no expressions of grief were allowed. So, of course, no one ever had to cheer me up.
That my friend went to so much trouble to cheer me up, gives me something to look forward to now, when much of my time these days is spent looking backwards at darkness. She is a ray of light.
So the things my friend wants for me to have are:
That I will come to know what I am made of
A chance to breathe anew and start afresh
Miracles brought from the power of prayer
Glad messages of hope for a life reborn
That when things get hard and I work harder I have God's help (and she worked in a Flight of the Conchords reference!)
To have fun in Greece and have the strength of the Grecian Goddesses
To dig out some of the "weeds" choking my happiness
To Launch myself into everything that I do
To do something "radical"
To take a chance
To get moving!
To pass around more happy smiles. :)
It really brings tears to my eyes to have such a kind-hearted, funny, smart, wonderful friend. It is wonderful to have someone shine some of their goodness and well-wishes on you. It helps you grow.
Not only did she she choose each aspect of the goody for it's symbolism, she wrote down all the meanings for me in uplifting and funny prose.
*sigh* I am so lucky!
She made this to cheer me up because last night, after Passover dinner, we were standing around cleaning up the kitchen and I told her how and why Easter weekend is hard for me.
Since I don't want to be too mysterious I will share that I was kidnapped from my father 30 years ago on Good Friday. I remember hunting for plastic Easter eggs behind some curtain in a strange hotel room.
While I know things were bad before that, and there are reasons why my mother stole me away, that weekend was the first really bad, really traumatic event of my life.
This Easter/Passover is the first major holiday since we moved here that we are not spending with our extended family. I know that today my mother and step-father and sister and nephews and niece and others are all celebrating together. And I am not. I know it is my choice. But if I went over there it would be just like every other holiday and I would come home feeling stressed and upset, having taken more abuse from my mentally ill mother.
So yeah, it is pretty yucky. But part of my therapy homework is to "own" my history, to not deny it or minimize it. To recognize what wasn't normal, what was unhealthy, what was abusive, etc. As a great man once said, "Knowing is half the battle." *wink*
Once you know that something is wrong and how something is wrong you can start to make it right. And that is pretty much the place I am at now.
But I have something else. I have made many friends since I moved here, people that I really look forward to spending time with. And I have this friend who was up at midnight last night and thought to try to cheer me up.
Besides being mind-bogglingly thoughtful, she maybe made me feel totally different about the world and my place in it.
Thirty years ago when I was taken from my father I was taken without a word of explanation. I was not allowed to question. I was not allowed to cry. From then on, no expressions of grief were allowed. So, of course, no one ever had to cheer me up.
That my friend went to so much trouble to cheer me up, gives me something to look forward to now, when much of my time these days is spent looking backwards at darkness. She is a ray of light.
So the things my friend wants for me to have are:
That I will come to know what I am made of
A chance to breathe anew and start afresh
Miracles brought from the power of prayer
Glad messages of hope for a life reborn
That when things get hard and I work harder I have God's help (and she worked in a Flight of the Conchords reference!)
To have fun in Greece and have the strength of the Grecian Goddesses
To dig out some of the "weeds" choking my happiness
To Launch myself into everything that I do
To do something "radical"
To take a chance
To get moving!
To pass around more happy smiles. :)
It really brings tears to my eyes to have such a kind-hearted, funny, smart, wonderful friend. It is wonderful to have someone shine some of their goodness and well-wishes on you. It helps you grow.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
4th Night Passover
So we finally had our Passover dinner tonight. We had our good friends over for the Seder and lots to yummy food... too much yummy food in fact... ugh... so full.
So what is there to say about Passover? Well, I like it! I like it better when we can have the dinner on the first night, so that way I can have Hillel sandwiches (apples, walnut, brown sugar and wine mixture with horseradish on matzah - yeah, it's good) for the rest of the 8 days. Zoe likes Gefilte fish, she says it's the best fish.
Someday I want to have a better Seder where we really talk about Freedom and Liberty, Tyranny and Sacrifice. I want to say that I also don't like the last plague... that always bothered me.
Today I went out to lunch with four of my girlfriends. It was our friend Katie's birthday. We sat around for a couple hours and talked and ate too much.
The five of us all homeschool and we have become pretty close over the last year or so. It is kind of a new experience for me to have a group of girlfriends that I hang out with. In L.A. I had 5 or so close girlfriends but I pretty much hung out with them all separately as they were separated geographically.
The girl group dynamic is interesting. Yet another thing to get used to. But it is a good thing.
I have been doing a lot of therapy work. I want to write something about it. I will soon.
So what is there to say about Passover? Well, I like it! I like it better when we can have the dinner on the first night, so that way I can have Hillel sandwiches (apples, walnut, brown sugar and wine mixture with horseradish on matzah - yeah, it's good) for the rest of the 8 days. Zoe likes Gefilte fish, she says it's the best fish.
Someday I want to have a better Seder where we really talk about Freedom and Liberty, Tyranny and Sacrifice. I want to say that I also don't like the last plague... that always bothered me.
Today I went out to lunch with four of my girlfriends. It was our friend Katie's birthday. We sat around for a couple hours and talked and ate too much.
The five of us all homeschool and we have become pretty close over the last year or so. It is kind of a new experience for me to have a group of girlfriends that I hang out with. In L.A. I had 5 or so close girlfriends but I pretty much hung out with them all separately as they were separated geographically.
The girl group dynamic is interesting. Yet another thing to get used to. But it is a good thing.
I have been doing a lot of therapy work. I want to write something about it. I will soon.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Parasol Porch
This afternoon Zoe went down to her friend's house to play and I cleaned up the porch. The porch runs down the east side of our house and is accessible from two doors connecting to our living room.
It is just about my favorite area of the house when it is warm out. Last year Zoe and I came out here to do our reading.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Homeschooling Wednesday
Math - Geometry - finding the area of 3 dimensional shapes.
Language Arts - Caesar's English - Vocabulary - Vex, Martyr, Articulate, Abyss, and Prostrate. Read some Latin and excerpts from Caesar's from Commentaries on the Gallic Wars
Japanese - Writing in Katakana
Music - practicing piano and voice pieces for Spring Recital
History - Read primary source from Spanish Priest d Sahagun of the destruction of in Inca empire by Pizzaro, compared the Aztec to the Incas.
Science - Cellular mitosis and cellular respiration
Reading - Swallows and Amazons (Zoe is loving this book. It is so very British. I loved it a lot when I first read it.I really recommend Arthur Ransome.)
Read- Aloud - The Little Princess. (This is a rereading)
Art - Artistic Pursuits - Line and Shape - Art as a visual recording of history - Practicing drawing from memory
Other:
Last episode of Star Trek the Original series
Wrote a letter sprinkled with Fairy Dust to her friend in California
Read all about Carbon in this month's Odyssey magazine.
Polly Pocket/Littlest Pet Shopalooza playdate with neighborhood friend
Language Arts - Caesar's English - Vocabulary - Vex, Martyr, Articulate, Abyss, and Prostrate. Read some Latin and excerpts from Caesar's from Commentaries on the Gallic Wars
Japanese - Writing in Katakana
Music - practicing piano and voice pieces for Spring Recital
History - Read primary source from Spanish Priest d Sahagun of the destruction of in Inca empire by Pizzaro, compared the Aztec to the Incas.
Science - Cellular mitosis and cellular respiration
Reading - Swallows and Amazons (Zoe is loving this book. It is so very British. I loved it a lot when I first read it.I really recommend Arthur Ransome.)
Read- Aloud - The Little Princess. (This is a rereading)
Art - Artistic Pursuits - Line and Shape - Art as a visual recording of history - Practicing drawing from memory
Other:
Last episode of Star Trek the Original series
Wrote a letter sprinkled with Fairy Dust to her friend in California
Read all about Carbon in this month's Odyssey magazine.
Polly Pocket/Littlest Pet Shopalooza playdate with neighborhood friend
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
That's news to me
So I went to therapy today and my therapist said that if I am trying to "heal" and "recover" that I don't have to continue hanging out with the people who damaged me in the first place.
Wow! That is news to me. I mean, isn't that what we call family?
I am allowed to stop thinking about them, stop listening to them, stop trying to win their approval, stop trying to fix them, stop taking responsibility for them and stop being a target for their abuse.
"Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter."
My new therapist is really good. He says stuff in this calm authoritative voice and I'm like "Yeah!! Right?! Could you write that down because it sounds so reasonable when you say it."
*grin*
Today Zoe and I read about the destruction of Tenochtitlan by Cortes. I wish I could have seen that city. It sounded so impressive and beautiful. This was from our History of US book.
Zoe also described plant cell and animals cells as if they were parks - the nucleus is the playground, the cytoplasm is the lawn, the chloroplast (in the plants) were benches around the cytoplasm path, etc.
She also said "You're such a nice mom! You made reading one of our subjects! So I get to read... for free!"
*snort* Kids... they think such cute things.
Otherwise I am kind of tired today. I want to go outside for a walk but it is cold and snowy again. I am learning that if I try to "man up" and go out anyway I end up coming back after one block with a numb face and an ear ache.
Wow! That is news to me. I mean, isn't that what we call family?
I am allowed to stop thinking about them, stop listening to them, stop trying to win their approval, stop trying to fix them, stop taking responsibility for them and stop being a target for their abuse.
"Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter."
My new therapist is really good. He says stuff in this calm authoritative voice and I'm like "Yeah!! Right?! Could you write that down because it sounds so reasonable when you say it."
*grin*
Today Zoe and I read about the destruction of Tenochtitlan by Cortes. I wish I could have seen that city. It sounded so impressive and beautiful. This was from our History of US book.
Zoe also described plant cell and animals cells as if they were parks - the nucleus is the playground, the cytoplasm is the lawn, the chloroplast (in the plants) were benches around the cytoplasm path, etc.
She also said "You're such a nice mom! You made reading one of our subjects! So I get to read... for free!"
*snort* Kids... they think such cute things.
Otherwise I am kind of tired today. I want to go outside for a walk but it is cold and snowy again. I am learning that if I try to "man up" and go out anyway I end up coming back after one block with a numb face and an ear ache.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Television
I like Dollhouse. Last night we watched episode 8, Needs, and I finally went from "wanting to like Dollhouse but unsure and Where the hell is Joss?" to "I like this show! I really like it!"
In Needs the actives Echo, Victor, Sierra, and November (Mellie) wake up with their own personalities but no memories. That much you probably got if you watched _Next Week On Dollhouse_. It was near the end of the episode, when Boyd and Dr. Saunders were having words with each other that I realized just how much Joss could do with this story.
Buffy, one of my favorite shows of all time, had everything, some of the funniest moments, some of the most heartbreaking, some that made you want to hug yourself or hug a friend. For a show that started out as a Vampire Slaying Cheerleader it was never really that. I could identify with every one of the main characters, sometimes painfully so. And Joss told every kind story using Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, and Sunnydale as his medium. I watch all seven seasons over again every year or two and, like a classic book, I get something new out of them each time. There were things I hadn't experienced yet so I wasn't able to appreciate them properly during earlier viewings and there were plot lines that were more personal to me then that overshadowed other stories that Joss was trying to tell.
Then Firefly came around and it was around the 5th or 6th episode that I realized, not without some guilt of betrayal, that I might end up loving that show more than I love Buffy. Firefly... sigh, what a waste. That show could have had it all. My love affair was cut too short.
Of course, this could happen to Dollhouse too. I am a little shy about getting "involved." But, at the sixth episode I felt some chemistry, the seventh episode I just had fun and last night, with the eighth, I have to admit I feel like Dollhouse and I could have a future together. ;)
***************
Other shows we are watching
Flight of the Conchords - Season 1
This is my happy show that makes me forget about all the ridiculous drama that is being forced into my life right now. I love it! The music is, for the most part, brilliant. The humor is deadpan and absurd, just like I like it. If you haven't watched this show I highly recommend it.
Cupid - new show by the creator of Veronica Mars.
I am not sure. I liked the first episode. But, this might sound weird, I kind of wish the guy that plays Trevor/Cupid were more attractive. Is that shallow? Is that sexist?
He has been a a lot of shows that I don't watch, maybe if I had seen him as Wills' boyfriend in Will and Grace or in HBO's Oz, I would feel differently. I did just watch him dance in his underwear on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxggSgW5bwU and that made me think a little more highly of him as an actor... does that make me shallow? Is that sexist?
Better Off Ted
Like Eureka but funny. (*snort*) Well I have only seen the first episode but it was pretty good. I think they need to tweak some things. But I like what they are trying to pull off. It is not going to be my favorite show but it will be a nice diversion while all my favorite shows are on hiatus.
Supernatural
Okay, This show is my guilty pleasure. It is like X-Files with classic rock and two hot guys. Oh, and a lot more humor. Every episode isn't great but the characters are, especially Dean. Jensen Ackles has become the much more interesting brother and I am not just saying that because his eyelashes are dark and pretty like a girls. ;P
Supernatural has your basic monster of the week storyline with a arc about demons, demon blood in one of the characters, and , this season, biblical baddies, angels and prophets. I usually enjoy the monster of the week stories. Some are truly scary, like the one about the clown *shudder*, and some are hilarious, like Ghost Facers. The show doesn't take itself too seriously. It plays off on it's campiness and all the fairy tales, mythologies, and ghost stories that we are all familiar with.
I really really like this show. It is easy and enjoyable to watch and it explores stories and tales that are right up my dark alley.
Okay, this post is getting too long. I talk about Lost, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and other shows I watch on another post.
In Needs the actives Echo, Victor, Sierra, and November (Mellie) wake up with their own personalities but no memories. That much you probably got if you watched _Next Week On Dollhouse_. It was near the end of the episode, when Boyd and Dr. Saunders were having words with each other that I realized just how much Joss could do with this story.
Buffy, one of my favorite shows of all time, had everything, some of the funniest moments, some of the most heartbreaking, some that made you want to hug yourself or hug a friend. For a show that started out as a Vampire Slaying Cheerleader it was never really that. I could identify with every one of the main characters, sometimes painfully so. And Joss told every kind story using Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, and Sunnydale as his medium. I watch all seven seasons over again every year or two and, like a classic book, I get something new out of them each time. There were things I hadn't experienced yet so I wasn't able to appreciate them properly during earlier viewings and there were plot lines that were more personal to me then that overshadowed other stories that Joss was trying to tell.
Then Firefly came around and it was around the 5th or 6th episode that I realized, not without some guilt of betrayal, that I might end up loving that show more than I love Buffy. Firefly... sigh, what a waste. That show could have had it all. My love affair was cut too short.
Of course, this could happen to Dollhouse too. I am a little shy about getting "involved." But, at the sixth episode I felt some chemistry, the seventh episode I just had fun and last night, with the eighth, I have to admit I feel like Dollhouse and I could have a future together. ;)
***************
Other shows we are watching
Flight of the Conchords - Season 1
This is my happy show that makes me forget about all the ridiculous drama that is being forced into my life right now. I love it! The music is, for the most part, brilliant. The humor is deadpan and absurd, just like I like it. If you haven't watched this show I highly recommend it.
Cupid - new show by the creator of Veronica Mars.
I am not sure. I liked the first episode. But, this might sound weird, I kind of wish the guy that plays Trevor/Cupid were more attractive. Is that shallow? Is that sexist?
He has been a a lot of shows that I don't watch, maybe if I had seen him as Wills' boyfriend in Will and Grace or in HBO's Oz, I would feel differently. I did just watch him dance in his underwear on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxggSgW5bwU and that made me think a little more highly of him as an actor... does that make me shallow? Is that sexist?
Better Off Ted
Like Eureka but funny. (*snort*) Well I have only seen the first episode but it was pretty good. I think they need to tweak some things. But I like what they are trying to pull off. It is not going to be my favorite show but it will be a nice diversion while all my favorite shows are on hiatus.
Supernatural
Okay, This show is my guilty pleasure. It is like X-Files with classic rock and two hot guys. Oh, and a lot more humor. Every episode isn't great but the characters are, especially Dean. Jensen Ackles has become the much more interesting brother and I am not just saying that because his eyelashes are dark and pretty like a girls. ;P
Supernatural has your basic monster of the week storyline with a arc about demons, demon blood in one of the characters, and , this season, biblical baddies, angels and prophets. I usually enjoy the monster of the week stories. Some are truly scary, like the one about the clown *shudder*, and some are hilarious, like Ghost Facers. The show doesn't take itself too seriously. It plays off on it's campiness and all the fairy tales, mythologies, and ghost stories that we are all familiar with.
I really really like this show. It is easy and enjoyable to watch and it explores stories and tales that are right up my dark alley.
Okay, this post is getting too long. I talk about Lost, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and other shows I watch on another post.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Books
Zoe just finished reading The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler and The Westing Game. And she gives them Two Thumbs Up. For homeschooling she is reading Swallows and Amazons and I am reading her Bulfinch's Mythology. And for bedtime Pere is reading The Lord of the Rings and I am rereading The Little Princess.
I'm reading the Promethea graphic novels, David Copperfield, The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child (not for Zoe,) Ben Franklin's Autobiography and a handful of books on occult topics for research for my novel.
Pere is reading the Buffy graphic novels, Rama II, and various cookbooks.
I'm reading the Promethea graphic novels, David Copperfield, The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child (not for Zoe,) Ben Franklin's Autobiography and a handful of books on occult topics for research for my novel.
Pere is reading the Buffy graphic novels, Rama II, and various cookbooks.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April Fools
Okay, so I really don't like April Fools. Maybe I am too sensitive for pranks.
I don't even really like surprises, unless they are a total surprise and they end quickly and in cakes and ice cream.
Well once Zoe cottoned on to April Fools she made it clear that she expected pranks. She looks forward to it and talks about it and on April 1st I have to deliver.
Last year I told her that I wanted her to get more Omega-3 in her diet. I used to give her those little flavored tubes of Omega-3 paste to suck on before you could get eggs and bread and milk with Omega three. Anyway I told her it was important to me that she get more Omega-3 and then I gave her a HUGE glass of frothy milk with green food coloring and I told her it was Fish Guts and that the Omega-3 was was more pure and thus better for her and now she would have to drink one of these HUGE glasses of fish guts everyday.
Bless my soul! She made a face but she actually took a sip. Expecting the worse but tasting milk there were a few moments of uncertainty before we gave her the big reveal.
We all laughed. Good times we had by all.
Today... well...
I told her that I read a web article that said her reoccurring runny nose might be caused by an allergy to Red dye no.5. We realized that she doesn't eat or drink anything with red dye in it. I said maybe it is jut something she comes in a lot of contact with. We made our way up stairs. On the way I said that maybe we would have to get rid of the red things she has in her room. We stepped into her room. Then I said "And maybe all the pink stuff too. Cause all your pink toys and things are just made out of red dye and white dye"
I waited a short beat and then I grinned and she got immediately that she had been pranked.
But she started crying. Oh No! She was crying out of relief. She really thought for a split second that I was going to get rid of all her pink toys. Yikes! That is scary. I guess I don't make jokes like that enough for her not to take me serious. I felt like such a jerk! I really didn't want her to cry. She told me she was just crying because it was so funny. But that was just her trying to make me feel better. :( It totally didn't work.
Ack! I really don't like April Fools day.
I don't even really like surprises, unless they are a total surprise and they end quickly and in cakes and ice cream.
Well once Zoe cottoned on to April Fools she made it clear that she expected pranks. She looks forward to it and talks about it and on April 1st I have to deliver.
Last year I told her that I wanted her to get more Omega-3 in her diet. I used to give her those little flavored tubes of Omega-3 paste to suck on before you could get eggs and bread and milk with Omega three. Anyway I told her it was important to me that she get more Omega-3 and then I gave her a HUGE glass of frothy milk with green food coloring and I told her it was Fish Guts and that the Omega-3 was was more pure and thus better for her and now she would have to drink one of these HUGE glasses of fish guts everyday.
Bless my soul! She made a face but she actually took a sip. Expecting the worse but tasting milk there were a few moments of uncertainty before we gave her the big reveal.
We all laughed. Good times we had by all.
Today... well...
I told her that I read a web article that said her reoccurring runny nose might be caused by an allergy to Red dye no.5. We realized that she doesn't eat or drink anything with red dye in it. I said maybe it is jut something she comes in a lot of contact with. We made our way up stairs. On the way I said that maybe we would have to get rid of the red things she has in her room. We stepped into her room. Then I said "And maybe all the pink stuff too. Cause all your pink toys and things are just made out of red dye and white dye"
I waited a short beat and then I grinned and she got immediately that she had been pranked.
But she started crying. Oh No! She was crying out of relief. She really thought for a split second that I was going to get rid of all her pink toys. Yikes! That is scary. I guess I don't make jokes like that enough for her not to take me serious. I felt like such a jerk! I really didn't want her to cry. She told me she was just crying because it was so funny. But that was just her trying to make me feel better. :( It totally didn't work.
Ack! I really don't like April Fools day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
