This little blog of mine...

Has moved.

If you'd like to know where, email me!

Check it out!

Go Anglicans.

In other news,

I've moved my blogging elsewhere... I don't know if I'm staying or not - but I'm there right now.

If you want to know where, simply shoot me an email or leave a comment here (I'll keep checking) and I'll fill you in.

Return To Sender, Address Unknown...

This morning we were awoken by Federal Postal Investigation agents.

Yeah.

At 7:30 they had 2 SUV's parked on my front lawn and wanted to take me somewhere to investigate something. The asked if they could come in and ask a couple of questions before they took me to wherever it was they wanted to question me. (Please note, I did not plan to GO anywhere to be questioned without a lawyer - I'm not that stupid.)

They came into the livingroom and sat down with me still in my PJ's.

I was a good bit confused as to what I possible could have done.

See, I've been to the post office before... just a week or two ago I went for the first time in months and mailed a couple of packages. I brought my kids and wondered... "oh geezzzzz... what did they touch while I wasn't looking???"

I then went back last week to mail another to England. So my next thought was "uh-oh... did I mess up the customs form? No... that wouldn't bring on an actual visit... would it??"

If case you are wondering, the answer is no.

Apparently they were looking for a gal with the same name as me who worked as a CNA in Cleveland, TN... I've never been a CNA - I nearly took the test in college, but decided not to. I got to see her file - well, the outside of it. It was pretty large. One of those expanding accordion files jammed full.

I told them that I'd never held a job in the state of Tennessee. I told them my birthday (not the same as hers). I told them that 'Watts' is not my maiden name, and that I've never had any of her other names.

They seemed to believe me and decided that... of all things... the United Postal Service had... wait for it... can you guess????

The Wrong Address!

So, I have now been interrogated by Federal agents. I do have to say that I think they did a really shoddy job of it. See... I could have (not that I was, mind you) been lying in all my answers because they never once asked to see any identification to verify that I was indeed who I was making myself out to be.

How was your morning?

Geek Party

Since I've been reading rather then getting pictures off the camera and into the computer this is a little late...

Friday night we - in true geek fashion - went to the release party for the final Harry Potter book... Costuming was, of course, an essential for this family. I was a rather under-dressed Mrs. Weasley.

Rory was charming and spacy as Luna Lovegood...

Kater was Hermione (disguised in Slytherin green)

Em (leaping) was a rather too cute Delores Umbridge

It was a long night of revelry and resting on benches

Jme wore his Gryffandor t-shirt
and Charley was Harry (though he forgot his glasses at home)

I got the chance to snap a picture of something that makes for...

Happy Geeks!

I've finished the book just this morning. I'm quite satisfied. I won't post any more about it until Jme has been able to finish... suffice to say I cried.

The Man Stole My Book...

So I'm online trying not to turn around and snatch it from his hands while he reads happily on the sofa behind me.

Now that's an idea: post all the good things you see in your blog. That way you don't have to have lists and bookmarks.

Tell me, why is it that there are people who are blogging about all the 'cool' things they make and selling them for big bucks - things I've been doing for years! Why am I so totally unable to market myself? I mean... I have things all over my house that I have made that people buy from "indi-crafters" yet I can never manage to break into the club. Whine, whine, whine.

Train Up Your Children - Take 2...

So, I went to the curriculum fair.

It was lackluster.

I bought a lovely secondhand Tomie DePaola book of Bible stories that had pretty pictures.

I found the math curriculum that I want, but didn't have enough money to buy it... gonna try off eBay I guess.

And I spent nearly 3 hours there yesterday and just wanted to throw things the entire time.

Bravo to Gateway for not having the 'training' book out on their table, though they did have Ted Tripp, who's not much better. I hid it behind some other books.

*snicker*

But maybe it's cause those darned No Greater Joy people had their own frickin' table - cleverly disguised under another name, but selling nothing but their crap.

It took everything in me not to yell at them and throw things at their heads.

I come from very conservative roots. I have a pretty solid conservative education. I even impressed a lil' ol' independent baptist preacher in the bookstore the other day by finding him a good bible commentary that would explain some things in line w/ his world-view.

I'm not so much a conservative baptist anymore, but they don't really get to me as much as bad theology disguised as being 'real' Christianity (if you don't follow, go check out pelagianism and then take a really good look at NGJ's theology - it's NOT what they are selling it to be!).

Tell me what you believe up front. I may not agree, but we can still be friends.

Lie to me and you'll never get me to hear anything else from you - even if it may have a tiny spark of good in it.

There were crappy parenting books all over the place. I did see a measly two copies of good ones - but it just makes me SO upset to see the others everywhere. There are so many people who buy into that 'training' crap as a part of being a 'good Christian homeschooling family' - they take it part and parcel and don't even give a second thought to what they really should be doing for/with their kids. They just buy the party line and don't think for themselves as they create another generation of little robot-homeschool kids who will raise their kids the exact same way and wonder what is missing from their relationships.



Herein lies my most recent dilemma.

I am finding that I want to do things that would identify me with people I don't in any way want to be identified with.

I'm too conservative for the liberals. I'm too liberal for the conservatives. And it's becoming a pain the the butt...

Oh well. What does it really mater. I have the last Harry Potter (we went to the release party last night - fun!) and I'm almost halfway done...

I should have known...

The Home-Schooling conference is this weekend and I was actually pretty excited to go.

I was even thinking about stopping in for a couple of the seminars they were offering. But I'm an informed shopper, and I always check people out before I waste my time listening to them try to brainwash me. And boy am I glad I checked out some of these folks.

See... I was kind of intrigued by this parenting seminar that was supposed to be all about getting to the heart of your child rather then focusing on their actions. Rather sounds like my kind of thought process for parenting...

Never mind though, 'cause the folks who are doing it are all in favor of spankings and deem them biblically mandated - yeah, not just an option, but a requirement.

Now, most of my friends know I'm an avid non-spanker. Period. I'm all about Gentle, Grace Based, Discipline. Its my job to teach my children to make good choices and guide them as they grow up. But I won't do it by instilling fear of beatings into them.

I know people who spank and we're still friends. I don't agree that they are doing the best thing for their kids, but there's nothing I can do about it - other then refusing to allow my bathroom to be used for beatings.

And the one thing I refuse to stomach is organizations who use their power to tell parents that GOD wants them to spank their naughty little children - and they are sinning if they don't.

So there go my top choices for the seminars at the CSTHEA Curriculum Fair.

Oh, I'm still going to the fair. I'll have fun looking at books with my little girls and being a freak.

Maybe I'll make a burka and see what all the denim-jumper mom's think? *giggle*

Or maybe I'll just make a few little hand outs to sneak into the books by those evil Pearls that I just know will be on Gateway's table like always. Maybe this year I'll be brave enough to pick a little fight about it...