My sister-in-law now has fake food in her etsy shop. Lexi just got a box of it and it’s as cute as it looks. Plus, if you order a bunch, you get a fun little tote to carry it all around in. Oh and the hair clips are fun, too.

People often ask me if I am going to homeschool my kids because I am a teacher. And my answer is always no. (I teach kindergarten for a reason - once she hits about 7th grade algebra, she’s on her own…)

But here’s some interesting news in the world of homeschooling. The San Fransico Chronicle ran this story (and there’s another take on it here) about how California is basically trying to decide if homeschooling should be a parent’s choice.

I’m a undecided on how I feel about this. Part of me likes the idea that homeschooling not be an option for parents. I am a strong believer in children going to school. With all of the options - private, public, charter, magnet, alternative, etc, etc, etc, - there is a school out there that will fit your child and your child’s learning style. Teachers are well trained and good at their jobs. Going to school helps kids build character, helps them learn how to interact in the “real” world, builds social skills, learn to compromise on top of learning the academics. There are instances when homeschooling is appropriate but it would not fall under a choice - when a child is too sick to attend school, for example - but then the parents are not choosing to homeschool, they are doing it out of necessity.

I also see the other side of the argument. Why does the government get to decide how parent’s raise their children? There are already laws in place saying that children need to be educated but shouldn’t how they be educated be up to each family? I see the slippery slope of the government getting to involved.

But here is a problem that I think does need to be addressed for homeschooling - the requirements. Each state has very different laws over what parents need/don’t need to do to homeschool their child(ren). I think that those laws need to be uniform. The paperwork parents need to complete should be equivalent to the paper work schools need to complete for the students. Curriculum should meet the state standards and benchmarks. Tests required for non-homeschooled kids should be administered to homeschool kids. The same number of contact hours should be required.

As they say on NPR is this story Good News, Bad News or No News?

I’ve talked about this site before but it’s worth mentioning again. I love, love, love etsy. I’ve purchased pictures from here, the same wallet (twice) from here, a purse from here, and a baby sling from here. I am wanting things from here, here, here, and here.

And now my sister-in-law has opened up her own etsy shop. If you are in need of a cute (and very well made) gift, check out her shop. Lexi has gotten something homemade every year for Christmas and loves the dolls and blankets that have been made for her.

My blog is ugly. But unfortunately I ride the short bus when it comes to graphic design and computer techno-speak. Anybody with the skills want to volunteer their services?

Seriously. Do you really think I spend the last 20 years of my life waiting for this?

(HT: Jaime Hunt)

While I was picking Lexi up from Sunday School two older boys (second-graders?) were running laps around the room. One boy’s mom asked them to stop running. He paused and replied,”But Mom, we don’t want to get Type 2 diabetes.” and then kept on running.

Less than a year ago I found a super-cute wallet on etsy.com. Then a week ago some stupid-face-dookie-head-baby-ass-spicy-spice-hot-hands-bunny-hopper purse thief stole it from my room. I started searching on etsy to see if they had more and YAY they did. I also found a very cute purse to replace my stolen one and a new baby sling. I’m super excited about the purse and wallet but I am even more excited about the sling.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of baby slings and wearing your baby. I used one for Lexi and I loved it but as she got bigger I never got very good at the more complicated wraps for wearing older kids. Since the baby we are adopting is going to be older than an infant I wanted to upgrade my sling. (Mine looked like the slinglings but I actually made it my self). Also, I wanted one that I could put a baby on my back easily and have my hands free to do whatever. The baby is also coming from Africa - a place where children are carried until they are several years old and they are carried in slings (or just long pieces of cloth, expertly tied). We don’t know if the baby was placed in the orphanage at birth, or if they have been carried in a sling for several months. Either way, a sling will probably be a familiar feeling to them.

So about my new sling. I’ve been looking at a type called a Mei Tai or an Asian Baby Carrier. I found several that I really liked but I couldn’t justify paying $80 - $100 for a square with some ties hanging off it. Even used ones were going for about $70. But I found a lady on etsy who happened to be selling one for $25. Sweet.

It came in the mail today and Lexi and I tried it out. She likes riding on my front (it’s like carrying a baby monkey around) but is a little unsure about my back. She liked the idea of being back there but I think she was unsure because I had a little trouble getting her back there. Poor kid, she’s gonna have to be my guinea pig until I learn how to get a kid tied in the right way.

Christmas Eve Lexi got sick - the gross, throwing up all over, all she wants is to be held kind of sick. Christmas morning she seemed to be doing better - just tired. Then on the way home she got sick again. The car still has a funky smell. Well, I think I caught whatever she had because last night I spent most the night in the bathroom. (I’ll spare you the details). I’m feeling a little better - but not “good” by any stretch of the imagination. Kevin was supposed to leave for LA tomorrow to write an article on a conference out there. Right now, he’s in bed sleeping after canceling his flight, etc.

Stupid sick.

Play a vocab game and donate 20 grains of rice for every correct answer. Go on try it. You know you want to….

I’ve noticed a trend in the past several months of people not putting their real names or any contact/location information on their blogs in order to protect their privacy. I’m not a stickler about this, but I am also not about to post my name, age, social security number, phone (home and cell), and street address in a blog post or on my blog. But I’ll put up a way for the reader to contact me (e-mail) if they really want to.

Some people keep all indentifying information off their blogs. They come up with cute names for their family members and use those instead. Or they write things like K. and A. took L. for a walk with their dogs M. and S. or My DH told my DD to find her shoes. They don’t post pictures, and there is no way to contact them.

Personally, I feel that if you are going to write for the world to read, just use your normal name. You don’t have to use a last name but seriously, do you know how many Sarah’s, Tom’s, Jacob’s, etc. there are in this world?

But here’s the one that I don’t understand. The blogger goes through a ton of effort not to reveal who they are, where they live, or any other details but they post about 1000 pictures per entry of their kids, their house, their car (with license plate numbers showing), their pets, their parents and anything else you can think of. If you are going to plaster your kids faces all over your blog, what difference is it going to make if the world knows that the 6 mo. old naked in the bathtub is Little Janie or DD? Either way, when your kid is 16 she is going to be really pissed that you posted that picture online.