My father is not Hank Williams, Jr.

I was sitting at my computer, typing up shopping list, when it occurred to me that I could pull up iTunes and stream a radio station. A few clicks here and there, and the window was open.

So many options. What to choose?

Christian music, to set the tone of my afternoon?
An 80s station, to remind me of the days when I thought Simon LeBon was hot?
A little early 90s alternative, to bring me back to the heady days of senior high?
Classical, always a safe bet?

Nothing felt right.

I scrolled down.

Country. Hmmmm ....

List the options. Wow. A lot of options.

Does that say "classic country of the 70s"?

Why, yes. It does.

And it washes over me.

Stretching across the back bench seat of our Chrysler with a coloring book and sweet-smelling crayons. The windows wide open. My father driving with a beer can between his knees and a Pall Mall in his left hand. My mom fishing through a cooler full of baloney sandwiches. The changing scenery of I-75 South.

And on the radio, it was Outlaw Country. Kris Kristofferson. Johnny Cash. Waylon Jennings. Willie Nelson. Hank Williams, Jr. The soundtrack of every trip I ever took as a child was chock full of beer, booze and honky tonk women.

So I spent an hour listening to songs that gave me a glimpse back at my childhood. Did my father really sing "Family Tradition" at full volume as he flicked his smoke out into the thick, grey air of Dayton, Ohio? Yes. I remember it now. He did. Did "Ladies Love Outlaws" really make my momma squeal and slap the dashboard? Oh, yeah.

Funny how music brings that all back, isn't it?

After having confessed all of this, I'm absolutely sure that 90% of my readers will have a whole new impression of me.

Let me go ahead and keep shattering your image. This place here?



Yeah ... it's an hour and half from where my father's side of the family lives.

Disclaimer

My blog covers a multitude of topics. You may have noticed this, what with me posting about Oliver's adoption status one day sharing some of my writing the next. You know how some people label themselves eclectic homeschoolers? Well, I'm an eclectic blogger.

A more organized person would probably have two or three blogs going if they found themselves writing about homeschooling, adoption, church, writing and family life. Not only am I not that organized, I'm not that compartmentalized. Life is one big crock pot meal as far as I'm concerned. Cook the potatoes in with the chicken, and I'll just call it flavor.

That said, I have felt that it was important to make a full disclosure regarding the reviews you see here at Books and Bairns from time to time. You will note in the header up top that I describe myself as a writer. My passion is short fiction. I also write far too many reflective essays that focus on life and family. Neither of these have very large markets, so I learned early on to take up reviews on the side. In my many years of freelancing, I've written reviews for things as diverse as Jamaican holidays and children's videos. Nowadays, I find myself primarily reviewing homeschool curricula, children's fiction and the occasional smattering of fiction for adults. Those are the reviews I post here on my blog.

All items reviewed on this blog have been used/read by me. Homeschooling products are used with my own family. Some things reviewed in this blog come from my own shelves and were paid for out of my own pocket; some items have been given to me at no cost with the understanding that I will publicly review them. In either case, the end result is the same: f I think that a resource will be especially helpful, I will gladly pass on my find to others. If I find that something has very little value despite its appealing marketing, I'll give you my two cents worth on that as well.

When I approach a product for review, I do so with the understanding that I will be absolutely honest in my presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of said product. I do not write rosy reviews simply because I have been given a free sample of a book. To do so would be dishonest to you, as a reader. It would also deny the publisher of the book I'm reviewing the opportunity to improve their product. I do not submit my reviews in advance of publication for author/publisher approval. I do not post reviews that have been edited by third parties.

All published reviews on this blog have "Review:" in their title. I do this so that you can choose to skip that day's post if a review isn't what you had in mind.

If you ever have a question regarding a review that you've seen here, please feel free to email me. If you'd like for me to review a particular item, you can email me regarding that suggestion as well. And finally, if you are a publisher/author/homeschool entrepreneur that can agree to the terms listed above and would still like me to review your product, contact me. I can be reached at this blog's name (no spaces) @ gmail . c o m

Thanks for tuning in to my PSA.

Support

Logan: Why didn't you sing to me last night?

Me: I was at my homeschool meeting, remember?

Logan: Oh, yeah. I forgot.

Me: Well, I kissed you goodbye. You were in the tub when I left, remember?

Logan: I remember now.

(pause)

Logan: Why do you go to those meetings again?

Me: Well, so that I can talk to other homeschooling moms and share ideas and just be around people who are doing the same thing as me.

Logan: It sounds a lot like soccer.

Me: Wellllll, kind of. I guess.

Logan: Except for the brownies, of course. No one bakes brownies to bring to soccer practice.
And therein lies the rub, eh, son?

Light at the end of the tunnel!

Adoption

staffing

meeting

is

scheduled

which means termination is (bythewillofGOD) imminent.

Think fast

You've got five buttered slices of bread on the hot griddle, awaiting their dose of American Cheese.

A peek at call waiting reveals that your husband--who you had a bit of a tiff with as he left this morning-- is on the other end of the line.

Your six year-old is practicing his soccer skills against the front door. Loudly. Again.

Your eight year-old is asking you to help him understand a Bible verse that, he says, has been on his heart.

Your 22 month-old is running around with a bare bum and has just sucked down an entire sippy cup of watered-down juice.

Think on your feet, soldier. Triage this situation and let me know which issue ranks highest in your book.

All-over-the-home schooling

One upon a time, we did school at our dining room table. Books were pulled from a tidy shelf and utilized, then squirreled away. Craft projects littered the end of said table. Flecks of glitter took up residence on the backs of the chairs.

So we built a schoolroom. Suddenly, we had a home for the vast library of books, manipulatives, craft items, and whatnots that we had acquired. School now took place inside the four walls of our little classroom. And we were happy.

But not for long.

When Oliver joined our family, we abandoned the schoolroom. There was no way to keep him entertained in such a small area outfitted with so few toys--and no way to keep the bigger kids on track if we began toting in toys and wiggly toddlers. We retreated to the dining room table, and our schoolroom became a glorified storage space for our homeschooling supplies.

So where, exactly, do we "do" school these days? ALL OVER THE HOUSE. Over the course of today's lessons, I made a list of places where I found children actively engaged in learning:

Bedroom floor (Jo)
Bed (Atticus)
Game room couch (Atticus)
Closet floor (Logan)
Living room couch (Logan)
School room desk (Jo)
Computer desk (all three at various times)
My bed (Atticus)
Game room table (Logan)
Kitchen table (Jo)
Bathroom (Atticus, don't ask!)
Kitchen floor (Atticus)

That doesn't even touch the time spent in read-alouds, where all three of them sprawled on the living room floor and listened while playing with their various fidgets.

I guess that's why they call it HOMEschooling, huh?

What she said

I've been trying to sum up a few thoughts that are bouncing through my mind as of late and haven't quite found the words. It turns out that I didn't have to. SmallScribbler painted a far clearer picture than I could possibly manage today. Check out her post, A Sure Foundation, and then see what Isaiah has to say to you today.