Individuals under assault

I haven't blogged our homeschool adventures much because, quite frankly, I'm spending all of my "spare" time researching, learning, and determining what is really happening in our country. The fact is, I'm not sure what legacy will be left to my children when they become adults. Will they live in the "land of the free, home of the brave" or will they live in a society where the government believes it knows better than the individual family?

The individual is under assault in favor of the "collective." If you want proof of this, just read about John Holdren, science Czar, who wrote a book called "Ecoscience" that describes how to sterilize the population through our food and water system. Or Ezekiel Emanuel, special advisor (czar) for health policy helping to construct the healthcare bills. He believes that "communitarianism" should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those "who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens...An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dimentia" (Hastings Center Report, Nov-Dec '96). Thirdly, read about Van Jones, our green jobs czar who "himself stated in a 2005 interview his environmental activism was a means to fight for racial and class “justice,” and that he was a “rowdy black nationalist,” and a “communist.”

If you don't know what the communist view of families is, then I would suggest you search and read on your own. I don't want anyone to take my word for it; do your own homework. Don't just read a "conservative" view or a "liberal" view; read them all and read the person's OWN WORDS. There is nothing more telling than a person's OWN WORDS.

How could we possibly have people in power with these views? Because they do not have to go through confirmation hearings. There are NO provisions in the constitution allowing a President to appoint anyone he deems necessary and yet, here we are with people of influence whom most in this country know NOTHING about and are not willing to find out.

There have been many eras in history when the common person would say "Oh, that would never happen" and yet the worst HAS happened. We have all become complacent. In the words of someone I know, "The government should run itself, I don't want to be here trying to get the government to listen to me."

Sorry, folks, but a republic does not run itself. This is why we are now here, because we didn't take notice. Our Senators are not representing us, they are constantly working towards re-election. Even though thousands upon thousands of people called their Representatives offices (in 10:1 ratio, admitted by the reps themselves) opoposing cap and trade, it was still passed in the house.

Want to learn some of the truths about healthcare, but you don't want to read the bills? Here are some fliers with PAGE REFERENCES to help you:

CNN: 5 Freedoms You'd Lose in Health Care Reform

http://www.liberty.edu/media/9980/attachments/healthcare_overview_obama_072909.pdf

http://www.deserveliberty.com/library/published/Stop_Socialized_HC.pdf

http://www.saveourcountrynow.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=1469


We are still here, plugging along. But we are concentrating on HISTORY, not the history written in the politically correct textbooks. The real history, about how Roosevelt slaughtered 6 million pigs to raise pork prices, or how he burned millions of acres in cotton to increase the cotton prices, then giving "relief" for these actions by using tax payers money for subsidies (that, by the way, didn't go to the tenant farmers--the poor people--but to the owners). History repeats itself. Read about the Great Depression, this would be a great time in history to do so.

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Happy Inauguration!

The girls and I spent the morning watching the Presidential Inauguration of the 44th President.  To reinforce the Inauguration, we had another dinner election.  My 6.5 year old felt it was "unfair" that her choice didn't win.
Truth be told, we didn't vote for Barack Obama.  There are parts of his platform I vehemently disagree with, such as a redistribution of wealth.  I believe in true charity; you can't force the salvation of one's soul, nor can you teach someone about personal responsibility by giving him everything.  You must "teach a man to fish" not "give a man a fish."  I also disagree that it's a woman's choice to abort any time she feels like it;  even Obama admitted he's not against partial birth abortion.  To me, that's plain murder.  I've seen a 24 week old baby survive and THRIVE.  So there are parts of his presidency I will never agree with.
However, we cannot let that be where it ends.  We have a new president and we celebrated that today.   We're thrilled that America has a new president who represents where we want our country to be:  one where all men (and women!) are created equal.   And how amazing is it that people can disagree on candidates and yet the change in administration was peaceful. 
We had a great civics lesson today and learned that, even though "our guy" didn't win, we support and pray for our president.

I'm sure my 6.5 year old will enjoy dinner even if it's not the exact one she wanted :)

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Fun Quiz:
Who was the only president to be elected to 4 terms?
Who was the only president to be elected unanimously?
Who was the first president to also have a son serve as president?  Who was the second?



To find answers, look here

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Crayon Crafts: Crayon Necklaces

The girls like to send their penpals fun stuff for Valentine's Day (penpal moms....shh!  it's a surprise LOL).  I found a great craft in Wondertime Magazine that combines crayons and cookie cutters.   For our first batch, I lined a small glass pan with foil and baked it.  You can also use little foil cupcake liners in a muffin pan.  After melting the wax into liquid, carefully remove the glass or muffin pan with a steady hand from the oven and let it cool.  If you're not careful, the colors will really mix and won't show the fun swirls of color.

CRAYON NECKLACES(our Valentine's Day craft)

Materials:
Foil Muffin Cup liners OR a glass pan lined with foil OR silicone muffin pans or liners (we used heart shaped)
*Peeled crayon pieces (old nubs are good;  we used brand new crayons we purchased during the back to school sales--1 box was $.10).  
Small Cookie Cutters  (we used a heart, cow, pig and duck)
6 Inch wooden skewer(s) (to pierce holes to make a necklace)
Satin cord or ribbon
DIRECTIONS
1.  Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2.  Place foil liners in muffin tin OR line the glass dish with foil OR get out your silicon muffin pan or cupcake holders
3.  Fill each liner with crayon pieces (for the muffin tin or tin w/liners, about 3 to 4 crayons worth; for the small glass pan, fill the pan with a single layer of crayons, then add a second layer on top)
4.  Bake until just melted:  5 to 8 minutes for the muffin size, 10-15 minutes for the small glass pan
5.  Let cool until wax is still soft but no longer liquidy, 5 to 10 minutes.  It will take longer for the small glas span to cool (15 to 20 minutes).  If you start to cut when it is not hard enough, you get fingerprints in the crayons. 
6.   Remove foil liners from tin and gently peel out wax.   Press cookie cutters into wax and gently push out shape.  
*For the silicon muffin pan (or cups), poke the hole while still in the pan (be sure it goes all the way through) and let it completely cool in the pan (these are different because we already have our shapes, no need to use cookie cutters).
7.  Poke a skewer through each shape that was cut out, and leave it until wax is hard.  (we actually poked the hole and pulled the skewer out to cool, it seemed to work fine) 
8.  Once cool, thread a piece of ribbon or satin cord through the hole and tie a knot.  Make sure the ribbon is long enough to slip the necklace on and off.  We used neon color cording from a local craft store.  The holes are rather small, so cording used for beads works the best.
*A note about crayons:  Peeling Crayola crayons is difficult because they use a double heat and wrap process.  To make it easier, have a parent score down the length of the paper with a box cutter OR soak the crayons in water to loosen the paper; just be sure to paper towel try them before putting in the muffin tins.  Because of the current economy and the troubles with products from China, we used Crayola crayons, made in the USA.  (Of course, that doesn't guarantee the paraffin didn't come from China or some other country).

And because I like to get the "inside scoop" on creative recipes and crafts to decrease my trial and error time:
TIPS

• The smaller the size of the crayon piece, the more intricate colors.  Shave some of the crayon at the bottom (use a crayon or pencil sharpener for shavings) and then add small pieces of different colors for a better variety of color in the crayon.
• The foiled lined pan method created rather bumpy crayons.  The silicon pan method yielded really smooth crayons.
• Also, the smaller the size of the crayon pieces, the more evenly it will melt.  In a few of our's, we had a couple larger pieces and they didn't melt as well.

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And, of course, the added educational portion of our craft:

Video-How Stuff Works:  Crayola Crayons

Crayola Fun Facts:

-The crayola factory produces 650 crayons/minute and 14.2 million per day!

-Since younger users of crayons may have a tendency to peel off a crayon label and ingest it, Binney & Smith uses a non-toxic cornstarch and water mixture for the glue that holds the label on the Crayola crayon. Before 1943, crayons were hand-wrapped by farmers in the winter months to supplement their income.

-Crayola crayons are produced from Paraffin.

Paraffin is the common name for the alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula C_nH_2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to the solids with n=20–40.  Paraffin wax, are from the heaviest molecules from C₂₀H₄₂ to C₄₀H_82.  Paraffin wax is mostly found as  a white, odorless, tasteless, waxy solid, with a typical melting point between about 47 °C to 64 °C ( 116.6°F to 147.2°F),  and having a density of around 0.9 g/cm3.  It is insoluble in water, but soluble in ether, benzene, and certain esters (it is non-polar).  Paraffin is unaffected by most common chemical reagents, but burns readily.   Petroleum is composed of saturated hydrocarbons and some aromatics and parrafin.

Our crayons come from petroleum (just like our gas).  Here's a diagram:

Click on the Picture to view full-sized

Hope you have some crayon fun!

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Happy St. Nicholas Day Eve!

December 6th
St. Nicholas
Patron Saint of Children

Patron saints have lived a life which is a worthy example of how to faithfully follow Jesus Christ and, as part of the communion of saints, they intercede on behalf of those who call upon them. In other parts of the world, however, St. Nicholas' chief patronage is that of sailors and ships—offering safe voyage and protection from storms


The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.


Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.

Widely celebrated in Europe, St. Nicholas' feast day, December 6th, kept alive the stories of his goodness and generosity. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops begged alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves! In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds.

How is he celebrated?

December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 5th, the eve of the day, by sharing candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint's horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child.

St. Nicholas' gifts were usually good things to eat: apples, oranges, nuts, and eventually cookies and sweets. The custom quickly spread across Europe and was adopted by both rich and poor. St. Nicholas' example still inspires acts of charity and generosity.

Why Celebrate?

To learn about the true St. Nicholas: the man of faith who lived his life in devotion to Christ. Saint Nicholas loved children and cared for the needy. He brings the love of Christ and the healing of Jesus. When we honor this saint, following his example of selfless giving, we honor the Christ Child who selflessly gave the greatest gift of all—himself.



LEARN MORE

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Another one added to my "Hey, I didn't know that!"

I'm watching the closing ceremonies as China passes the torch on to London for 2012.

Did you know that London's "God Save the Queen" is the same tune as our "Let Freedom Ring"? Hmm...wonder where we got our song? LOL

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Who was the first president of the United States?

Nope, it's not who you think!

Washington was the first president under the CONSTITUTION. George Washington didn't start his presidency until 1789 but independence was declared in 1776!

Why is it that our own White House doesn't list anyone before Washington? http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/chronological.html

There were 7 presidents before him.

Who were they?

Hanson was the first.

"The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the Revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress. "
http://www.marshallhall.org/hanson.html

The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one-year term during any three-year period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time. He served in that office from November 5, 1781 until November 3, 1782. He was the first President to serve a full term after the full ratification of the Articles of Confederation – and like so many of the Southern and New England Founders, he was strongly opposed to the Constitution when it was first discussed. He remained a confirmed anti-federalist until his untimely death.
Six other presidents were elected after him - [b]Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. Why don't we ever hear about the first seven Presidents of the United States? It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well[/b]. The individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon. A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution.

Raise your hand if your school taught this in your American History class.

Nope, mine didn't either.

It seems rather important to understand that we had our own trials and failures as a country before adopting the Constitution.

Apparently, my children are going to fail the standardized question "Who was the first president?" Perhaps they will have to ask the examiner whether the question refers to the first president, or the first president under the Constitution.

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Field Trip-Buffalo Bill's Grave and Museum

Two weeks ago we went to Buffalo Bill's Grave and Museum.



Born in 1846, William F. Cody experienced the Old West to its fullest. He herded cattle, worked on a wagon train, mined for gold, rode in the Pony Express, and scouted for the Army. His skill as a buffalo hunter gained him the nickname "Buffalo Bill." Buffalo Bill's Wild West shows traveled the world leaving a lasting vision of the American West.

Though Buffalo Bill provided the troops with Buffalo from his hunt, he didn't like that Buffalo were being hunted for just their skins. He became very oustpoken against the atrocities against the buffalo.





It was REALLY HOT that day so after the museum, we briefly visited the grave and didn't stay long. This pregnant body can't take it! LOL The girls loved the play area with the horse and calf they can rope, but I'm sure it will be a few years before they really understand about Buffalo Bill.

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Independence Day

I was listening to a local talk show this morning on the radio (The Troubleshooter) and he was asking callers what they did to celebrate July 4th, Independence Day. He said he seriously doubted that many people really observed the true meaning of the day or even had a discussion about it with their children--why is that? Most of the callers agreed that their celebrations centered around family, barbeques and fireworks but that the meaning wasn't ever discussed.

I find it sad. We take for granted in this country the rights and liberties we have and what it took to get here. If we, as present day Americans, existed during the Revolution with our present attitudes, would we have prevailed? Or would we have, as we are doing now, simply questioned why we were in the war at all and protested every decision? Because truth be told, we didn't want to be ruled by England or to be taxed by England, but we weren't physically assaulted. When British soldiers attempted to collect taxes they were assaulted. Eventually the Soldiers fired into a crowd of protestors (Boston Massacre) and 5 were killed. England believed they were in the right to tax THEIR colonies to help pay for the French and Indian war, but the colonists wanted independence and self-rule.

The truth is, we have a great system of governing. It is far from perfect, but we wouldn't choose any other. There are those who complain, but do nothing about it. There are those who protest, but still live here--if it's so terrible, why are you still here?

We have a great sense of independence in this country. If you don't like the government, you are free to criticize it...without fear of being beheaded, hunted down and killed. In general, you are free to choose to do anything that doesn't impinge on someone else's freedoms and liberties.

This Independence Day, and every subsequent, my children will learn about their government, freedom, and those who defended our freedoms.

This year, we are making tricorn hats out of craft foam and learning where England and America are in relation to each other. We're also going to color the Flags (colonial and current American Flag) and talk about what freedom means to us, today.

Ah, but you can't forget the yummy food, either! Tomorrow we're making red, white and blue layered jello and a flag cake to go with our barbequed meat and corn on the cob. Family is, after all, important too!

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