I’m not sure she’s going to be able to finish that piece of watermelon!
On Earth Day we hear a lot about recycling so I decided to recycle this post from last year… with a few updates, to keep things interesting.
When I look at my WordPress stats the one that consistently floors me is the little world map. My humble little blog has been viewed by people in NINETY FIVE different countries! That just completely stuns me. What a world we live in!
Just a generation or two ago, being so effortlessly in communication with, literally, every part of the globe was unheard of! Every day it is becoming increasingly easy to see how inter-connected the entire planet is. My grandparents didn’t worry about pollution in China or over population in India or oil spills in Nigeria. Modern technology has made us more aware that those things do affect us, just as our actions have an effect on everyone else. We cannot pretend to live in an isolated bubble.
That said…
I don’t know if my international readers have noticed this problem; I would love it if you would take a moment to share. Americans are killing the Earth because we just don’t eat enough!
So today, on Earth Day, I’m asking you to please eat more.
OK. So maybe we Americans, chubby people that we are (as a nation. I know that many of you are perfectly fit and you should hold your healthy heads high!), get plenty to eat. But we WASTE SO MUCH!!! Did you know that, in 2004, researchers at the University of Arizona determined that 50% of the “ready to eat” food in the United States is thrown away? Think about that! HALF of the food produced in this nation is thrown in the garbage!
Kinda makes you want to go dumpster diving, eh? Oh. Right. Yeah. Me either. Gross.
My friend, Paul, will be mentally climbing into his pulpit to preach right now about the injustice of people starving in a nation that THROWS AWAY HALF of its food and he is absolutely positively for-ever-and-sure right to do so! I am standing strong with him on this one.
BUT that’s not what I’m getting at today.
Nor am I intending this to be a push for people to eat more “real” food, grow their own and buy local though I am 100% in support of all those things.
Today is Earth Day. The day we randomly selected to pay respects to that big round ball (oblate spheroid – I’m a nerd. I admit it) that God gave us dominion over. And here’s what I’m thinking….
Living in rural Michigan I am surrounded by farms. It’s easy for me to witness what it takes to make food. There are trucks that haul seeds to a giant silo. There are trucks that haul seeds to the farm. There are tractors to til the earth and plant the seeds and spray pesticides & fertilizer on the plants and harvest the ripe food. There are trucks and trains that haul stuff to factories where it is produced into various pre-made dinners or sauces or juices or whatever or to the market where it needs to be sprayed with water or refrigerated or frozen. Then we buy it and DRIVE it home in our cars and more refrigeration or freezing is required before we cook it and eat it. And that’s not even considering the animals and their water and food and milking machines and fans for summer and heaters for winter……. you get the idea.
BUT we only eat HALF!!!! So all that gasoline, the poison sprays going into the ground, the electricity for storage and preparation is FOR NOTHING! AAAARRRRGGHHHHHH!!!
Have you ever seen your child wasting food that you paid hard-earned money for? Didn’t it make you crazy? It drives me up the wall! It is a serious, MAJOR pet peeve of mine. But the truth is, I do it too. I buy too much produce and throw it away when it spoils. I don’t feel like eating the tiny bit of leftover pot roast so I toss it in the trash.
Apparently, as a nation, we are ridiculously, sinfully guilty of this.
So today I’m simply asking you to take care of the Earth by doing what I ask my children to do. Take all you want. But eat all you take!
And for goodness sake, ENJOY IT!
Chubby Hippie Baby (AKA: Captain Spaghetti Beard) is the poster child for enjoying your food. He eats with GREAT enthusiasm.
Well… 8,251 other moms plus their babies and I broke it. In April, 2012 parents and caregivers at 256 locations in 15 countries simultaneously changed all their babies out of cloth diapers and into cloth diapers.
Why?
To show how easy it is to use cloth diapers! It’s also environmentally friendly, super healthy for babies and oh-so-stylish.
You just can’t be this awesome in paper pants!
Tomorrow we’re going to do it again! This time there is a brand new FABULOUS cloth diaper store (They’re online if you need the hook up. Check them out!) just a mere 5 minute walk from my house that is a certified host location so there’s no 50 minute trek to the big city. This means I don’t have to burn fuel to promote sustainability. That’s a good thing!
I thought about using this post to wax poetic about all the reasons I love cloth diapers. I thought about sharing tips if you are thinking of switching but, in the end, I realized that I just wanted to brag that I’m in the Guinness Book of World Records. Also, that I’ve had my best (busiest/most positive response) blog week ever. If you’re reading now, thanks for making it even better!
Hope your weekend is full of fun and laughter and joy. Don’t forget to watch for miracles, they are all around you if you just make the effort to notice.
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
At this point, he just sounds sort-of hoarse, like he got little over-enthusiastic screaming at a rock concert or something. The first night, however, was very scary. He truly couldn’t get any air and we ended up spending the night at the children’s hospital.
The thing about croup is that kids don’t really seem too bad during the day but, for some reason, nature has played a sick-twisted joke on exhausted parents everywhere, because as soon as the sun sets the symptoms of coughing and wheezing and generally sounding like one is drowning kick in. Of course, babies don’t rest well while coughing and wheezing and feeling like they’re drowning and, as any parent can tell you, if baby doesn’t sleep, no one gets to sleep.
Being awake around the clock for 4 days in a row gives one a fair amount of time to think… though, admittedly that thinking process becomes progressively more erratic sometime after day 2.
At 4am today, for example, with the 914th episode of Blue’s Clues that I’ve seen in the past few days playing quietly in the background, I thought about how I could help my fellow up-all-night-for-various-reasons parents. I decided that, if I could have anything at that very moment I would wish for hot coffee and something to make me laugh (for in laughing we cast aside the other choice… crying).
I can’t give you coffee. Because… you know… you are there and I am here. BUT, I can give you justification to drink more coffee. I once learned that drinking vast amounts of coffee will, over time, lead you down the path of immortality. John Tesh told me so. So, stop hesitating and go pour yourself a cup o’ Joe. It does the body good!
As for laughter… here you go… 5 things that will make you laugh.
1) The banana slicer.
A friend of mine recently posted this link to Amazon where one can apparently buy a tool specifically designed for that oh-so-difficult task of slicing bananas. Read the reviews. You will laugh, I promise.
I give you the Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer
2) The Backin’ Up song.
This just cracks me up, and I can’t help but admire the cleverness, creativity and available spare time of the people who made the re-mix. But be warned. This song will randomly pop into your head and stay there for weeks on end for the rest of eternity once you watch this.
3) What Celebrities Would Look Like If They Moved To Ohio.
Someone emailed this PDF file to me at work and I laughed so hard I cried.
I think it’s just the idea of Ronald McDonald slapping the crap out of somebody that really gets me. I bet he ordered the salad.
Image from oddfunny.com
5) These pranks.
This is one of those things that build and build and gets funnier and funnier the longer you watch. I think the Jesus humor is the funniest because, for some reason, Jesus humor is almost always hysterical to me.
So there you go. I hope it helps. Hang in there, sleepy moms and dads. You’re not alone and you will get to sleep again…. some day. I think. Dear God, I hope so. In the meantime, just keep laughing.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
6) No More News
Handsome Hippie Hubby said, “You have to include the “no more news” video! It’s hysterical!” And so it is. Enjoy!
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
It would seem that there has been some confusion among my readers regarding my political views. This is a little weird to me, as I don’t remember ever posting an actual statement on any specific political policy, candidate or official.
As far as I can tell, those of my readers who are staunch conservative Republicans are concerned that, because of my views on the environment and helping the poor I may be leaning a bit further left than is proper for a well-raised Midwestern Christian girl. Further, I almost NEVER watch Fox News and I have affiliated my blog, at times, with the bleeding heart liberals at Huffington Post.
Image from sodahead.com. This is not me, but the resemblance is uncanny… if I were younger and taller and thinner and more blonde and looked completely different than I do.
Those of my readers who are die-hard Democrats feel that my declarations that the government needs to be more “hands-off” and my choice to homeschool and attend a “traditional” Christian church as well as the fact that I almost NEVER watch CNN mean that I may be aligning myself with the cold-hearted conservatives.
This is not me either.
Allow me to set the record straight.
I’m not a big fan of the Republicans or the Democrats. I voted in the last election, but not for Obama or Romney. I think the government has failed. Not just the current administration, but the whole system. Obviously, problems as vast and complex as the economic recession, environmental decline and faltering education can’t be placed upon the shoulders of a single individual, or even a single political party. They’ve all had their chance: The Democrats, Republicans, Socialists, Libertarians, The Democratic-Republicans (yes, that’s a thing), The Whigs, The National Republicans, The Independents and the Federalists have all had their turn in Federal government and look where it’s gotten us!
Not one to complain without offering an alternative, Lazy Hippie Mama is here, today, to propose something altogether new for America.
This is me. I am holding a baby because I, apparently, don’t own a single photo of myself from the past 11 years in which I am not holding a child. I didn’t realize that until today.
That’s right. During the next presidential election I will be running for Queen.
Government, as it is, obviously can’t get anything done. With one party ruling the executive branch and another in the legislative we are at a stalemate. The judges… well… let’s face it… they cause nothing but trouble. No matter what they say someone ends up unhappy.
Throw them all out!
One queen.
Problem solved.
No more bickering.
I am a mom. I’m used to running things with a firm and loving hand.
Firm, but loving.
I am happy to hear your side of the story and I promise to always and forever be as fair as is humanly possible but, once judgement is rendered…. that’s it! No more talking about it or you’ll go straight to time out.
Once I’ve established my Mom-archy, first thing will be first. I will balance the budget.
Moms can stretch a dollar further than any banker or politician ever dreamed. A mom can buy a bag of potatoes for $4 and make it into 30 different meals to feed the family for a month. Moms can fix and patch and make do better than anyone in the world. Moms know the difference between NEEDS and WANTS.
“Well that’s alright, dear. Nothing goes better with cabbage than cabbage!”
The GDP in the United States is in excess of $15 TRILLION and you’re telling me we can’t afford to pay for Great-Grandpa’s heart pills.
Oh, good grief. Get a grip!
Any Mama who has told their 10 year old “no, you can’t have your own cell phone plan because you don’t really need that but we do need to PAY THE MORTGAGE,” could do a better job balancing the budget than any political party in recent memory has done.
Once the budget is balanced, here’s how it will work in the Mom-archy:
Get up! Get moving! Get to work!
Why?!?!
Because it’s morning and God gave you another day and you need to use it wisely.
Please make your bed and be sure to eat a healthy breakfast and don’t forget to brush your teeth. Nobody wants to smell your morning breath.
Do your best at work or school. You are talented and it’s a waste to give less than 100%.
No fighting! I don’t care who started it, I will finish it. Find a way to get along. Period.
Share. There is more than enough for everybody. You don’t need to be hording everything for yourself.
If you make a mess, clean it up. It is not the Mom-arch’s job to tidy up every little thing. You are plenty old enough to take care of it yourself.
Be nice to those weaker than you. Perhaps that person is physically or mentally unable to do the things you do. Be kind anyway. They, and the gifts they share with the world, are just as valuable as you are. Never forget, to someone else, you are the smaller, weaker person.
Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Don’t waste your time watching trash TV all day.
There is never a reason to use crude language.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
No running with scissors!
image from rathika.deviantart.com
Go to church. It doesn’t have to be MY church, but you need to recognize that there are forces in the universe far greater than yourself.
Eat your fruits and veggies.
Be kind to animals.
Boys and men, please aim carefully.
Girls and women, don’t be over-dramatic.
Your outer clothes should ALWAYS cover your underclothes.
Image from theage.com.au. This is NOT acceptable in the Mom-archy. Pull your pants up.
Take a good nap after lunch.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Don’t give up on your projects until they are finished.
Use proper grammar.
image from teamtwo3340. blogspot.com
And, for goodness sake, use your manners when you are in public. After all, good manners are a way of showing respect for others and everybody likes to be treated with respect – including you.
This shall be our national anthem.
Should you fail to follow these rules, a fitting consequence will result.
Perhaps, if you have done harm to another… say… caused him financial harm, then you will be made to repay him fairly.
If you have been mean to another, you may be made to walk in her shoes for a time, to learn what her life is like.
And if a “time out” is required, you will be sent to Florida until such a time as you can show the Mom-arch that you are fit to re-join society. And I’m not talking about the pretty, landscaped, Disney World, old-people-want-to-retire-there part of Florida, either. I’m talking about the swelteringly hot, mosquito infested swamp that caused some early European settlers to believe they had died en-route and been sent to Hell.
You sit there and think about how you made your neighbor feel! When you are ready to be nice, maybe I’ll let you come back… if the three-eyed swamp monster hasn’t eaten you yet.
There will be a police force… sort-of a secret service, if you will. It will be comprised mostly of old women. They could be anywhere, so be warned. Their primary job will be thwapping people in the back of the head or grabbing them by one ear when they are acting like idiots.
As for my part, I will do my best to see to it that no one forgets the rules. I will encourage you and lift you up. I will cheer you on, endlessly. I will point out your greatest talents and do everything in my power to give you the opportunity to use them. I will champion your worthy cause before others and do everything I can to keep you safe and healthy and be sure that you always have enough of everything you need (though, perhaps, not always everything you WANT). I will pray for you every day and give you the very best parts of who I am. I will fight for you, tirelessly. I will listen to you. I will respect you. I will love you, always, unconditionally, because of the beautiful person you are.
Why would I do those things?
That’s what a mom does.
So, what do you say? How does it sound? Do I have your vote?
Like the post, share it on Facebook, Pin it, Tweet it, re-blog it and help spread the word. After all, we only have 3 1/2 years until election day! (Plus it makes me so very ridiculously happy to have posts with lots of “views” and “likes” and “shares” Come on, won’t you follow my blog and pass this post around so I can jump up and down and say to my husband every five minutes, “Look how many views I have NOW!).
Feel free to contact me, directly, if you would like to make monetary donations to my cause.
*For the record, I truly and dearly love this country. I am humbled and honored to call myself an American and I am well aware of the extraordinary freedom that living in this time and place grants me… freedom, among other things, to write things like this. Our nation is flawed, because we are only human, but it is a wondrous place to live. Perhaps, if we all make a sincere effort to live as our mothers taught us, we can make it even better.
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
I’m not a cultural anthropologist or a psychologist or any other “ist.” I’m a mom, and something struck me today and I’d like to run it by you and get your input. I have an opinion (almost always! hahaha), but I’d love to hear what others think about this.
I’ve been hearing about this growing trend of places that don’t allow children and I’m hearing how many folks are thrilled to know that there are kid-free restaurants, theaters, airplanes and more.
Chubby Hippie Baby hanging with the family for his Papa’s birthday. It wasn’t exactly fine dining but we’re working up to it.
My thought is that it would be to the betterment of our society as a whole if the people who seem to be so terribly upset by the mere sight of a runny nose or sticky hand would suck it up and move on with their lives.
Please allow me to share a story:
When Sweet Hippie Daughter was four years old we took her to the symphony. Before we went we spoke with her at length about appropriate behavior. ”This is the quietest of quiet places,” we told her. ”People really want to hear every single note of the music, so it’s important that you don’t even whisper or wiggle in your chair or click your shoes together because we don’t want to ruin it for anyone.” She told us she understood and off to the performance we went.
At the door, the usher didn’t want to let us in. ”This is an important performance. They are recording.” We assured him that we understood. ”There can’t be any noise.” We assured him again that we understood. Finally, reluctantly, he let us in. Once we reached our seat the woman behind us stage whispered to her husband, “Oh, GREAT! I’m glad we paid good money to listen to their kid.”
Our daughter sat perfectly still and listened with wide eyes to the music. She perched on the edge of her seat when the violin soloist came out, but she didn’t rustle or say a word… which is more than I can say for the chatty whisperers behind us.
Now, four years later, she has been to several other performances, but she still remembers that one. She was chomping at the bit to be allowed to learn an instrument for herself. She was bursting with pride when she played her first concert.
From the audience to the stage. Our girl is hooked on live performance of any sort.
A second story: We took my 1 1/2 year old son to a movie theater recently. (Our girl could have done it at that age, lest you think we’re crazy.) He was restless about 10 minutes in. He started to cry. We took him out. When he’s a little older we’ll try again. If it doesn’t work we’ll wait a while and try again. And we’ll keep trying until he learns to sit nicely and then we’ll try something a little trickier. Like maybe the symphony.
Young children need to have the chance to try and fail and try again. When we ban them from public places, we rob them of vital experiences that will make them better mannered, better educated, more well-rounded adults.
Now, I totally get that no one wants to go out for an expensive, long-awaited, romantic dinner only to have it ruined by the screaming baby at the next table or the kid that’s running all over the restaurant picking food off other people’s plates. But may I suggest that, as this article highlights, it is not the child that you have an issue with, it’s the parent. Many times I have taken my children to restaurants and they have sat quietly and eaten politely. A few times we’ve dragged them out to the car and they’ve cried in the parking lot while everyone else finished eating. Yes, that meant we paid for a dinner that was eaten later out of a box, but our fellow diners weren’t disturbed for more than a few seconds and our child (hopefully) learned an important lesson.
Along the same lines, parents need to know their children’s’ limits. Even as a baby my daughter could sit quietly for long periods. My son… not so much. We’re working up to it. He will get the same experiences, but perhaps a year or two later than his sister.
And, parents need to exercise a little discretion I realize the line isn’t always perfectly clear… can a 4th grader watch Twilight or not? But some things are clearly over the line. No child needs to see The Freddy Kruger Halloween Chainsaw Massacre. Then again, no adult really needs to see that, either.
To those who complain about kids in public places I ask you: who do you want taking care of you when you are old? A man or woman who was brought up to act politely and learn about many different parts of life from an early age? Or a man or woman who was allowed to run wild in a “child-only” environment 24/7 and then set loose on the world at age 18? Regardless of whether or not you have children, the facts of life are that, some day, these kids WILL be running the country you live in. May I suggest that, instead of hiding them away for the 1st 1/4 of their lives you participate in creating a culture in which they can learn and grow and develop into mature, productive citizens.
As the old proverb suggests, it take a village to raise a child. YOU (I’m talking to you, chatty whisperer from the symphony) are part of the village.
Parents need to take their kids to nice restaurants. Children need to see the beauty of live ballet and hear the miracle of a real symphony. Children need to sit through boring meetings and civic debates. Children need to be challenged and be bored and be nurtured.
What do you think? Should restaurants, theaters, airlines, etc ban well-behaved children?
The little hippies have had a very pukey few days. Thanks to the wonders of social networking I know that there are at least five other families nearby fighting off the same crud, so this brief but heartfelt post is for all those sleep deprived Mamas out there who are being nurse, maid, cook, comforter and so much more.
You may be wearing the same yoga pants you had on for the past 3 days, smell slightly like kid-sick or have disturbing mysterious stains on your shirt but, come on… admit it… you’re sexy and you know it.
Image from quickmeme.com
Here’s to a quick and total eradication of the plague!
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
Every single day I put my 8-year-old into situations in which she could get hurt. Not only do I allow this, I force this issue. For example:
She has to help make dinner. She helps wash and cut up fruits and veggies, often using a very sharp chef’s knife. She can (and regularly does) scramble eggs, flip pancakes, and mix dough. She puts things in the oven and takes them out, all by herself.
She has to take the dog out and bring him in… even when it’s very cold and icy outside.
She has to help with the shoveling and salting of the steps and sidewalks around our house.
She has to help clean the bathroom, including the toilet. For the most part we use natural cleaners like vinegar and lemon juice but, occasionally, she uses bleach or other very strong chemicals.
What do you think? Is this child abuse?
Recently, I commented on an article that reported a mother had been arrested for allowing her 3-year-old pump gas.
In my comment, I said that I frequently allow my 8-year-old to pump gas. It’s something she likes to do. I make sure the nozzle is inserted completely before she begins (both for safety and because I seriously can’t afford to be paying for spilled gas!) and I stand next to her and make sure the pump is turned off when we are done. If she were to splash a little on herself (as the child in the article did) I would take her inside the station and have her wash up carefully.
I received the following reply:
Uhm, probably not the best idea to let an 8 year old pump gas. They don’t have the best gross motor skills and gasoline is a very dangerous liquid. I would rethink that and have her clean the windows of the car instead, maybe toss out the trash. I would also suspend her cleaning the oven, sharpening the knives, bleaching the toilet, and cleaning the litter box…
Other comments, not directed at me, specifically, were much the same. Some critics were FAR more harsh of any mother who would let a child not yet old enough to drive pump gas.
So, I guess I’m endangering my child. Further, I intend to continue to do so.
“Abuse” in progress.
I will continue to have my daughter pump gas (under supervision).
I will continue to have her help clean the windows (which, by the way, is done with harsh, toxic chemicals at the gas station).
I will continue to allow her to use the oven (let’s face it. We are not an oven cleaning kind of family. By the time we get around to it, it has become a Herculean chore that is beyond her childish capabilities.).
I will continue to have her use (not sharpen because, frankly, I don’t know how to do that very well. My husband is in charge of that job) sharp knives.
I will continue to have her clean (sometimes with bleach) the toilet.
I would make her clean the litter box if we had one. Instead, I make her clean dog poo out of our yard.
Poor little Laura Ingalls had it BAD! I can’t believe CPS never carried her away. (Image from http://www.twogirls100books.wordpress.com which, by the way, was a GREAT site to come across. Go visit it. You won’t be sorry!)
Other highly dangerous activities I regularly encourage include (but are not limited) running outside, throwing, catching and hitting balls, riding bikes at high speeds, fishing with real hooks, practicing archery with blunted (but still real) arrows, carrying toys upstairs to her room to be put away, standing on a chair to clean the top half of tall windows, crossing our residential street to see if her friends would like to come out and play, and climbing trees (especially apple trees in the fall – where all the best fruit is at the top).
“Why?” You may ask, “Would a loving mother put her child in such dreadful danger?!”
My answer?
Because I want her to learn! I want her to be able to take care of herself and her own family some day. I want her to have confidence. I want her to know which tasks in life she finds most enjoyable, that she may pursue them and turn that joy into a contribution to society. I want her to do something besides stare at the screen of her Nintendo DS all day. I want her to understand that being part of a family means helping care for each other. I want her to be strong and healthy and full of sunshine and laughter. I want her to know how to make an unpleasant task fun and how to embrace a fun task to its greatest extent.
Now…
Yes…
I understand that there is a huge maturity gap between 3 years old and 8.
I also understand that there are some things a child just doesn’t have the physical or mental ability to do.
This is why I stand next to her when she pumps gasoline. It is why, while she IS allowed to make her own pancakes she is NOT allowed to fry her own chicken.
If she gets a little burn from a dry frying pan or a nick on her finger from a kitchen knife I can kiss it and wash it and dress it and she can move on with her life a little wiser about kitchen safety. Every time she completes a difficult or (slightly) dangerous task successfully she grows more confident in her ability to do things on her own.
If she knocks a pan full of boiling oil on herself she will be scarred for life and could burn our house down.
When she can consistently show that she keeps a close eye on her cooking without getting distracted and she can pour liquid without spilling it, and she shows other signs of understanding how to be safe in the kitchen, we will move on to sauteing and, eventually, yes, I will let her fry chicken. Even if she’s not 18 yet.
I’m guessing the mom who was arrested is not so different from me.
But even so, she now has to go through the legal, financial and emotional crisis of defending herself against VERY serious charges. At best, they will be dismissed and she will live the rest of her life in fear that every little thing she lets her child do will be considered “endangerment.” At worst, she will be jailed and her child will be sent to foster care to live with God-knows-who.
We, as a society, complain that young people are lazy and ignorant and unmotivated.
We, as a society, raise children in a bubble where they don’t have to lift a single finger toward their own well-being.
Well…. so who are we to blame for our lazy, ignorant, unmotivated children? Hmmm…
Certainly we can’t blame the children! They are only doing what they’ve been taught to do.
I think that, perhaps, I’m rather passionate on this topic because we have dealt (and still sometimes must) with the consequences of spoiling our kid. Giving her more responsibilities helped immensely and immediately!
Child endangerment is letting your child play with a pail of gasoline. Or splashing it on them as some weird joke. It is giving them bleach and ammonia and sending them into the bathroom by themselves to clean, with no further instructions. It is leaving them alone to take care of themselves with no guidance what-so-ever.
May I suggest that requiring a young child to do tasks for themselves – even tasks that may pose some risk of minor injury – is the OPPOSITE of child endangerment? Especially if you stay nearby, supervising the chore at hand?
What do you think about all this? I honestly want to know. How do you draw the line for your own child between keeping them safe and teaching them to safely do potentially dangerous tasks? How do you know when a child is “old enough?”
This picture has nothing to do with this post but I came across it when I was looking for a Laura Ingalls photo and I just…. I… he…. DANG! And I felt the need to share. (Image from girlsgonewilder.com)
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
Why not follow LazyHippieMama on WordPress, by email or Facebook to get all the updates.
If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
In the past year I have l learned a very important lesson: There are days when homeschooling is no fun at all and everyone in our house questions if we are doing the right thing.
When writing about homeschooling, I’m often trying to tell about a specific project, or convey the idea that “homeschooling” only occasionally takes place at home, or explain that “homeschool” is different from “school at home.” When talking about all that, I’ll skim over a music lesson that went well, or a field trip we especially enjoyed, or a really unusual project that we all learned from. There is a lot of that kind of stuff.
For example, yesterday Sweet Hippie Daughter made a very cool “mini book” about the differences between the arctic and antarctic as part of a Unit Study on Mr. Popper’s Penguins. She was interested and doing her best work. I was interested and happy to help. Chubby Hippie Baby was being kept busy by Handsome Hippie Hubby and all was well. Morning school work (including the rare and prized math session that was quickly, happily and correctly done) was followed by a yummy, healthy lunch. Then we set off to run a few errands. SHD had her theater class and archery lesson in the evening and we had the added blessing of getting to visit with some good friends while she shot.
We are counting on her to save us from the zombie apocalypse.
Isn’t that a lovely day?
Doesn’t it just make you long to pull your child out of school so you, too, can experience lovely, wonder-filled days of learning with your precious little progeny?
But what I haven’t written much about are the bad days.
If you are considering homeschooling, be warned. The bad days come.
If you are already homeschooling, take comfort. You are not the only one that has bad days.
Yesterday was a very nice Monday. Last Monday I was wondering if there were nearby Gypsies who would be interested in buying my naughty child.
Surely they have room for one more kid in that wagon! (Image from leafpile.com)
Every single minute of the day was a fight. The girl did not want to get up. She stomped down the steps and threw herself on the sofa.
“We have to be at the church by 9 am,” I told her (she comes with me to my church secretary job and does her school work there so her baby brother doesn’t distract her so much).
“I don’t want to go! Why do I always have to go out so early in the morning?” She whined.
“It’s not early, honey. If you were still in public school you would have been at the bus stop 2 hours ago,” I reasoned.
But there was no reasoning with her.
At 8:30 I told her, “You have 25 minutes to eat something and get dressed.”
At 8:45 she was still slumped on the couch, scowling in my general direction.
At 8:55 she was slamming cabinet doors and crying because I was “making her rush.” Reminding her that, if she had started getting ready 20 minutes earlier she wouldn’t be rushing did not help at all.
At 9:05 we were at the church and she was laying on my office floor, crying, because she was going to starve TO DEATH and her mama didn’t even care that she was DYING.
She found a package of graham crackers I keep for just such an emergency and started in on her work.
At 11:00 she was ALMOST done with her first single math sheet for the day. Note here that she COULD have done it in 10-15 minutes if she’d been trying, even a little.
Everything degenerated after that. She spent a LOT of time in time out that day. She lost several privileges. She was angry. I was angry. Handsome Hippie Hubby was stressed by our anger.
By the time the public school bus came to drop off the neighborhood children I was feeling jealous of all the moms who had a quiet, productive day while their children were out of the house.
image from stayingintouch.com.au
It is moments like this that The List of 100 Reasons comes in handy. I can actually take it out and read it and remind myself WHY we are traveling this path.
Tuesday was better. There was learning and lots of hugs and even a sledding trip as a reward for a very well-done band lesson. In the calm, reasonable light of a new day I remembered speaking with a friend who homeschooled her children all the way through high school. She said, “bad days happen. Sometimes you fight with your kids. But, really, doesn’t that happen sometimes in all families?”
It’s true. When SHD was in public school we still had days where things were just “off.” Nothing seemed to go right. Everything was a fight.
The difference was that, unless it was a weekend, we weren’t together ALL day.
When you are with a person… ANY person… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week there will be rough moments. Ideas clash. Personalities sometimes conflict. Boundaries are tested. I’m sure that there have been times when one of our “bad days” was caused more by my grouchiness than hers.
My advice?
First of all: Homeschooling isn’t for everyone. If the very thought makes you shudder, then explore other options. Know what is best for YOUR family.
Second: Know when to cut your losses. If you are fighting with your child, no one is learning anything. There will be time to do the worksheet later. Even public school teachers will send a child to the hall or separate them from the group at times so they can have time to emotionally re-group.
Third: Realize that kids are people too. You have bad days, lazy days, productive days, exciting days. You manage one task with joy and slog through another and put a third off for another day. Don’t expect your child to be any different.
Fourth: Remember that homeschool is all about learning through life, as you live it. Part of being a successful person is learning how to manage “bad” days and re-shift your focus. That is a great and immensely important lesson, all by itself.
Fifth: Don’t be afraid to bribe. Yes, I do understand that sometimes a task needs to be done simply because it needs to be done. But, sometimes you need to sweeten the deal. I even bribe myself sometimes. ”If I get the kitchen clean, I’ll sit down and watch that show I recorded.” I have no problem telling my child, “if you get your work done (and do it well) in a reasonable amount of time we can take a walk to the park.”
Finally, keep perspective. For our family, there are some really miserable days. But there are many many many more that are a joy from start to finish. We have had so many opportunities to enjoy life together, as a family, than we did before we began homeschooling. We have seen our girl flourish and grow and that, more than anything else, tells us that this is, indeed, the right path for us.
The aspiring thespian and goofball with her friend and co-star after a recent performance as flying monkeys in “The Wizard of Oz.”
Are you, too, seeking to save the earth, promote world peace and raise productive citizens without expending too much effort?
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If we work on our goals together, they may be a little easier to achieve!
Do you find yourself wanting, asking, and praying all the time?
I do.
Sometimes I want material things: I want a newer, fancier car. I want prettier clothes. I want a snazzy cell phone. I want….
Sometimes I want experiences. I want a romantic date with my Handsome Hippie Hubby. I want to sleep for 18 hours straight. I want to travel. I want to spend a day at the zoo. I want…
I want all the time. Every day. All day long.
I want to write more, and better. I want to learn how to play the piano. I want another piece of cake. I want coffee. Ohhh….. I love coffee. I want to be skinny. I want to be strong. I want to be a yoga master and post pictures of my strong skinny body in impossible positions on Facebook (Stephanie!). I want to be an inspiration to other people who are fat and lazy but WANT to be skinny and strong. I want to play outdoors with my children every day. I want to invent a super fun way to teach multiplication to kids who struggle with math. I want…
I want! I want! I want!
But…
Do I really want those things?
This morning I wanted to eat, so I made myself some breakfast.
I want to have a paycheck, so I went to work today.
I wanted to smell nice so I took a shower and washed with my favorite fancy soap.
Those are small examples, but they illustrate a larger point. If I really want something, I go get it. I find a way. It doesn’t even occur to me to ask, “can I get it?” I just go get it.
So do I really want all those things I mentioned?
Well… I want to want them. I feel like I should want them. I recognize them as good/nice things to have/do/be.
Which ones do I want most? I mean… would I rather have the second piece of cake or would I rather be skinny and strong and full of energy? It’s not very probable that I can have both. Life is full of choices.
He talks about distinguishing between passing whims and material fancies and the truest, deepest desires of our heart.
I find myself in a bit of a mental rut lately. It’s not a bad state to be in. Things are comfortable. Everything is good. I’m just plugging along. Day after day after day. After day. After day.
And how can I complain about that?
I can’t! There is no crisis in our lives (beyond the usual bills and baby-up-all-night exhaustion and so forth). Everything is peaceful.
There have been times of serious stress over the years, when I beg for days like these. I pray and plead for rest, both physical and emotional. These past few months have been a much needed rest. I am thankful for them. More than that; I literally list my blessings every day, several times a day. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Just to be clear, I don’t sit around wanting all the time. I am very aware that my life is truly blessed. I have SO MUCH. And…
Well….
The thing is…..
I guess…..
It’s just that…..
I’m bored.
There! I said it! (SHHHHH!!! Don’t tell my kids. I am forever lecturing them about what a terrible word that is and how boredom is a choice.) Judge me if you must.
But when faced with the question, “What do you really want?” I’m a little stumped.
If a genie were to appear and grant me three wishes, I’m not quite sure what I’d wish for.
I think this Hippie Mama needs to take some time meditating and exploring her heart, praying and seeking God’s Will. I need to find my next step and take it boldly. I’ve been resting alongside the path long enough now. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to start moving again. I’m just not sure which way to point myself.
Note to God/Source/The Universe/My subconscious/Whoever or Whatever makes such things happen: I am NOT asking for a major crisis. Just a gentle nudge will be fine. Thank you.
So, now that I’ve (over?) shared all that, my question for you is, do you find yourself in this place every so often?
Please say yes. It will make me feel so much better to know I’m not the only one.
Is there something you do to lift yourself out of a rut? Or does life just come along and give you a push?
If you’re still with me, thank you for reading today’s entire long, rambling, stream-of-consciousness post. Mostly I try to offer up helpful thoughts with my blog, but occasionally I use it for free therapy.
#1 – LAZY hippie mama. Why spend a whole bunch of time hand-crocheting a blanket when I can, for about the same amount of money (have you priced good yarn lately?!) buy one at a craft show or local shop? Maybe when I don’t have kids in the house and am not working and so forth I’ll feel more inspired to direct some energies toward being a producer and not just a consumer. Time will tell.
#2 – I totally lack artistic talent of any kind. I distinctly remember a sixth grade art project in which we were to draw our “dream room” in perspective using a pencil to draw as well as to shade. I seriously labored over that project for weeks. I thought of every little detail and studied pictures to notice how things appeared bigger or smaller as you looked at them from different angles. I don’t think there were many school projects I ever threw myself into with such passion. As I turned it in I was practically bursting with pride. I had finally created a real work of art… not just one of those childish elementary school construction paper projects. A few days later I got it back with a C- grade. My dreams were crushed. I gave up all hope of ever succeeding as an artist. When, years later, I saw “A Christmas Story” I totally empathized with poor Ralphie who’s Wicked Witch of the West teacher just didn’t understand his efforts.
#3 – The Destructor. If you don’t know about my Little Hippie Baby you can get some idea of what he’s like by reading this or this or this. Perhaps when he reaches that special age where he knows not to drink the glue or try to cut the dog’s tail off with the scissors we can have some crafty supplies about the house.
So, knowing that, you will understand my bafflement when people say, “You should ask Hippie Mama to design the ultra-cool Christmas play sets. She’s SO CREATIVE!”
I’m really not.
But I am pretty good at copying other people’s clever ideas… you know… when I feel ambitious. A few times a year.
Last week, for instance.
Sweet Hippie Daughter has been struggling to master the skill of multiplying by 4, but she’s worked hard and I think she’s starting to get it. (Please note that she has no trouble with 2s, 3s, or 5s. I don’t get it either.) I had the idea that she could bake cookies (she LOVES to cook) and quadruple the recipe. Well… I didn’t have the idea. I stole it from WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers. They blogged about the benefits of setting your kids free (safely) in the kitchen a while back.
She did great! She even multiplied the fractions (once I explained how that works)! I was very proud of her.
Of course, this assignment had the pleasant side-effect of filling our kitchen with cookies.
Score!
It seemed only appropriate that we share the yummy abundance, so we made little Thanksgiving packages for all of our neighbors. They really are great neighbors. They are friendly and generally not too nosy and they don’t get mad at us when we are the last ones on the block to rake our leaves…. or at least, if they are mad they keep it to themselves.
We topped our cookies with a little homemade turkey note.
A few years ago I was at the library and they had a super cute turkey on the bulletin board made out of circles and triangles. I can TOTALLY make circles and triangles! So, now, that’s my go-to turkey design.
See what I mean about stealing other people’s ideas?
So, since this was such a rare and lovely day of creative expression and giving, I thought I would document it with pictures.
This especially meant a lot to me because that post, in particular, is very close to my heart. It was not a blast to the good doctors and nurses who have dedicated their lives to bringing babies safely into the world. Rather, it was a plea to the American Medical System to empower women to make the choices that are best for them and their babies, without interference from the big businesses of pharmaceuticals and insurance. I was trying to point out that we’ve gone so far from nature that natural now seems weird and unsafe to us.
Thank you CPM! I love your blog, too!
If you, like me, enjoy stealing other people’s awesome ideas, CPM is a great resource! This is one I’ve got great plans for.
Finally, it wouldn’t be thanksgiving week without making a thankful list!
Few things in the world make me happier than counting my blessings. It can pull me out of a funk every time. So here is a list of eight things I’m feeling especially thankful for today, in no particular order.
Why eight?
Because I told SHD to choose a number and that’s what she chose.
#1 I am thankful for my Handsome Hippy Hubby. He really is the kindest, gentlest, most patient husband in the whole world. He puts up with so much from me and gives so much of himself and, after all these years, he still kisses me and tells me he loves me every day. I really love that guy!
#2 I am thankful for comfy shoes.
#3 I am thankful for baby wipes. Seriously, I don’t know how a mommy could survive without them.
#4 I am thankful for my awesome office chair. It’s just the right amount of tippy and swively so that I can be restless and productive at the same time.
#5 I am thankful for supportive undergarments. Some things in life need to be firmly harnessed. I have a feeling that this will only become more true as time goes on.
#6 I am thankful for my Kindle Fire. It’s such a handy little tool!
#7 I am thankful for my BFF. She’s always been there for me and she makes me laugh and she gave my Little Hippie Baby a very sweet little friend to have as his own BFF.
Little Hippie Baby and M. Love those boys!
#8 I’m thankful for people who respond to my blog posts by “liking” them or “commenting (even when they disagree)” or following me on Facebook. All those little orange notification stars are like happy little surprises that come to me all day long and tell me, “Even though you can’t draw a picture in perspective and you are too lazy to knit your own socks, I think your writing is, at least occasionally, worth reading.” They just make me feel good.
Happy Monday, dear readers! It’s Thanksgiving week! There is no better way to get your Hippie on than to give thanks. Have fun with all that Thankfulness and I’ll see you back here in a day or two.
Do you find yourself wanting, asking, and praying all the time?
