:smilielol5: :iagree:

Maybe it will seem that way to all of you. Hmmm...how to make this long story short? The facts: 1. I have two degrees in education and taught high school for 11 years. 2. I am now in administration in a school district for the last three years. 3. I have a "good" job as in good salary, good benefits, etc. DH works an opposite schedule so we can still homeschool. 4. I am currently working on my doctorate in educational administration. So what's the problem? I hate it. I am actually against public schools in general and especially against all this standardized curriculum and testing (which is exactly what I am in charge of). I don't want to be a principal, ever. Yet, that is the degree I am working on. Why? I don't know. I guess just because it is the logical next step for me (or so everyone says). The more classes I take, the more bored and miserable I am. I can handle the work load just fine (I am gifted in the area of multi-tasking). I just don't WANT to do the work. It's too fake and too boring. I can't take it. So I recently did something that may seem a little crazy. It is something I have thought about doing for a while and I just finally got the courage to do it. I applied and was accepted into a graduate program for Theology and Biblical Studies. It means getting another master's degree but it will be a track that leads to a PhD in Theology which is my end goal. I want to teach at the university level and I want to write about topics I care about. Including me, there are a total of TWO women in the program. I LIKE THOSE ODDS. I am all for busting through that glass ceiling! And I do NOT want to be a principal and give out detention and do "lunch duty" or "bus duty" or chaperone school dances or enforce arbitrary rules or promote a secular humanistic curriculum that espouses a post-modern "truth is relative" philosophy because I think it is destroying our nation and I don't want to be a part of that. And I can't keep doing this fake, existential thing where I keep assigning meaning to things that don't really have any inherent meaning just so I don't jump off a bridge. Truly, who cares about the stupid state test anyways? Not me. I scored a perfect score on our state test when I was in high shool. Do you know how many colleges and jobs have asked me about my score on that test? ZERO. That's right. It is a fake test given for fake reasons so that the government can "prove" to the public that their tax dollars are not going to waste and justify the continued expenditure on a system that cannot be reformed (and they don't want it to be reformed anyway...they just want to be reforming it...notice the verb tense...school reform is big business and if they were ever able to actually reform it, a lot of people would be out of a job). And I go to work each day and pretend that all this stuff is really important when it isn't. It has NO eternal significance whatsoever. And I wish it didn't matter to me but it does. I wish I could just do a job, any job, and be content that I have a job. But I am not. I need to do something meaningful. If I am going to work outside the home then it needs to be worth it and not just in terms of money. Whew...glad I got that off my chest. Maybe I am losing my mind. So anyways, I don't really know why I am writing this except that I had to tell you all ...maybe I just needed to vent...and maybe there is someone else out there who has done this degree before and might have advice for me. Or maybe you think I am crazy...that's OK , too. Or maybe you think I am doing the right thing? Dh is all for it. He is against the degree in education and wants me to go for the theology degree. Maybe losing a friend has made me a little too introspective or maybe I have always been this way. Sometimes I feel sorry for my dh for marrying someone as complicated and high-maintenance as I am. OK, I am done rambling. I just wanted to tell you all my news!

I love history and literature. Ds loves Math and Science.

Three months ago I sat across the table from my friend Christy at a 4th of July BBQ. She was 6 months pregnant at the time and we were laughing and talking about pregnancy and motherhood, etc. She and her husband Jason were expecting their first baby, a boy. They are one of those magical couples that you see in the movies...met when they were young and have loved each other ever since. I am not talking just about the comfortable love of companionship after many years together...no, they were still head-over-heels, butterflies-in-the-stomach in love even after 15 years together. She was one of the kindest souls I have ever met. And she died yesterday. You see, about 2 weeks after that 4th of July BBQ, Christy found a lump in her armpit. It was melanoma in her lymph nodes and it was on her lungs as well. She was pregnant and could not get chemo. They started her on steroids to develop the baby faster and he was born on August 28th, 7 weeks early. It seems that as soon as the baby was born the cancer began to spread rapidly...like it was waiting at the starting gate for the gun to go off. It spread like wildfire quickly engulfing her organs, filling her lungs with fluid until she couldn't breath. Too late for chemo. Too late for anything. Except for a miracle. I would love to tell you that God miraculously healed her and that she and her baby and her loving husband lived happily ever after. But I am even happier to tell you what really happened. In the final weeks of her life God worked a miracle...he called Christy's soul to Him and she accepted the gift of salvation. She died peacefully, quietly, in her sleep. She was 29 years old and she leaves behind a beautiful 5 week old baby boy who is her mirror image...a little piece of her for those of us who will miss her. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Thank you so much to all of you who prayed with me for a miracle. Our prayers were answered and she's with our saviour now.

It is interesting to me that you equate conservative homeschoolers who shelter their children with homeschooling being seen in a "negative light." I am a conservative homeschooler who chooses to shelter my children from things that I feel are inappropriate for their ages and I don't think that is a negative thing at all. I guess I fit the stereotype that you see as negative...but it feels pretty positive to me!

:iagree: Phonetic Zoo is a big hit here.

I am glad you mentioned this as it is tough for me to discern how my brother's alcoholism came about. Neither of my parents are alcoholics and neither am I or my other brother. My grandfather was, so if it is a genetic thing then I guess that is where it came from? All I know is that he started drinking with that crowd at a young age and when most people have leveled off and grown up (think post-college), he did not. I do not blame that crowd (or they way they dressed) but I wonder if he had never ventured there would he have turned out the same, ya know? I understand he may have been predisposed in some biological way, but could it have been prevented with the "right" kind of peer pressure (hanging out with kids who don't drink, get good grades, etc.)? I guess we'll never know.

No harm done! I just wanted to clarify that I didn't think ALL people should have the same rules we do (especially if it is a health issue) and that those were just examples.

So far I have found the most "seminaries" won't even let me in. Colleges are more than willing to let me in their graduate programs but then I notice that not one single professor is a woman. Hmmmm..... Also, I ama conservative christian but I do not have a problem with a woman as pastor. However, most conservative christian groups will not allow women to be pastors so it puts me in a tough spot. I am excited for you and praying for the best outcome!

I did not say that clothes are a straight line to addiction. You are twisting my words. I was merely pointing out that sometimes dressing in a certain style CAN lead to association with a group that engages in dangerous behavior. It does not ALWAYS lead there but to say that the way a person dresses will NEVER lead to dangerous behavior is, to use your word, inaccurate.

As I stated, the children have been given clear expectations and perhaps I should have added explicit instruction on how to do tasks assigned to them (I assumed this would be understood but I apparently did not make myself clear). The POINT is that when children are instructed in how to act and given clear instructions on what is expected of them and how to go about achieving that and have a clear understanding of the logical consequences of their behavior should they CHOOSE not to comply, punishment is unnecessary. If your children have low blood sugar then I obviously would not suggest that they make their bed (which takes 5 minutes) before eating breakfast. It was merely an example of our parenting philosophy in terms of choices and consequences.

Very cool. It is exciting to hear about a woman getting a degree in religion. Do you deal with a lot of discrimination? What do you plan to do now or when you are done? I'll spill my dirty little secret. I have been involved in public education for 14 years. I just started my doctorate in educational administration. I hate it. I REALLY want to do a degree in Theology (I would love to teach at the university level...theology, that is, not education, blech.) but most places that I have looked at won't allow women professors (someone won't even allow women in their program to get a degree). Also, not many denominations will allow women pastors. Just wondering what your experience/perspective is on that?

I'm definitely a big fan of giving clear instructions with logical and natural consequences as well as giving choices. For instance, ds cannot watch TV, play video games, get on the computer, etc. until his lessons for the day are done. It is HIS choice. If he finishesd in a timely manner he has free time. If not, he can sit at the table until bed time. Again, it is HIS choice not a punishment imposed by me. Also, he has to clean his room in the morning before breakfast. He knows this. It has been explained to him clearly. If he refuses, guess what? He doesn't eat until it gets done. It is HIS choice. It ALWAYS gets cleaned (he likes eating). For the record, the entire family cleans their bedrooms before breakfast, including me so the rule applies to all. :D

Just being ultra-nosey... what degree are you getting? where? what is your dissertation topic? I just started my doctoral program and cannot even see the light at the end of the tunnel (is there an end to the tunnel?) so it is nice to hear from someone who is closer. :D

Wii Legos Those are the two items that ALWAYS get played with.

Well, I thought it was hysterical. And it seems like people are getting a little crabby around here. :confused:

The whole "experimenting with styles" thing, unfortunately, has had a very negative impact in my family. I have two younger brothers. I have always been a trendy dresser as has one of my brothers. We respected our parents' wishes in dress code and we actually prefer to dress fashionably anyways. My youngest brother, however, was "the rebel" in the family. At around age 12, he had his first phase and started dressing like a "skater"...no big deal, some bleach-blond streaks in his hair, some over-sized sweatshirts. It's just a phase. The prolem was that most of the kids at his school that dressed like that were a bunch of slackers so he started skipping school with them, getting high with them, etc. This activity introduced him to a new group of kids at school and he entered his rock phase. At 15, he joined a rock band at school and started dressing up like a singer from Motley Crue. My mom didn't want to "alienate" him with demands so she allowed it. It's just a phase. That phase had him smoking, drinking and doing drugs with other kids who "dressed" like that, too, and were in a "phase" too. Well, the phase never ended. Those kids and that lifestyle became a long-standing part of his life. He is now 33 years old, a severe alcoholic, pill-popper, cheated on his wife until she left him, has a little boy that he takes mediocre (at best) care of, STILL dresses in a sort of half-goth, half-rocker way, etc. And he is still playing in dive bars, waiting for his "big break". In a nutshell, his life is a mess. It is very difficult for him to get a job as most employers will not hire a guy with arms covered in tattoos and multiple piercings with black eyeliner around his eyes. Does the way a person dresses always lead to a destructive lifestyle? Of course not. What I am saying is that it is a slippery slope. There is a line we parents must walk in not wanting to alienate our kids or "tell them how to live their lives" and letting them walk straight into the fire and not try and stop it. If you ask my mom right now if she would do it the same way again she would say no. In fact, she would say no with tears in her eyes and say "I never should have let him dye his hair." She feels responsible for his lifestyle now because that one act of teenage rebellion gave my brother a ticket into a group of kids he had no business hanging out with. I know there are plenty of goth-dressing kids with mohawks who are good students and don't do drugs...but there are also plenty of those kids who are drowning in their own bad choices that parents have allowed, too. Just another perspective from "a phase" gone wrong.

The Wonderful Way Babies Are Made is really good.

Well, when I was younger I heard that I look like Jennie Garth (the blond chick from 90210) a lot. My husband gets "Russell Crowe" a lot (which is true... I think he looks like Russell Crowe also).

I am actually glad to hear they found some remains. OK, that sounds weird but you know what I mean. I hope DNA proves it to be Fossett so I can go back to trusting in the goodness of others. :D

can you link me to a pic of the wreckage? I can't find one.

And I read a while back that his wife did not want them to continue the search. She just wanted to put it to rest. Sheesh, it wasn't even a year yet, and she already gave up? And another thing, isn't it strange that of all things to survive a plane crash where almost the entire plane disintegrates on impact JUST HAPPENS to be his pilot license? You know, like so there's NO DOUBT that he died in the crash? This guy was sort of an adrenaline junkie, climbing mountains, racing in the iditarod...how much of a thrill would it be to fake your own death and get away with it? I really gotta stop watching TV. :glare:

...this whole Steve Fossett story? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_re_us/fossett_search;_ylt=AiHJ3WY._UPmhebbjg5q8JEazJV4 On the one hand, you have a hiker who discovers Fossett's pilot license, some money, a sweatshirt, etc. not that far from where searchers looked last year (another article said about 90 miles away which isn't all that far when they said they searched a 20,000 square mile area). The license and money are ever-so-gently tattered. Yet the article states that the plane hit a mountain head on and the fuselage disintegrated on impact. And, of course, there are no human remains (which could be attributed to the fuselage disintegrating or animals, etc). Not one single tooth survives but his license makes it out with just a tiny blemish? Have I been reading too many conspiracy-theory type things or does this seem fishy?