For this I am Grateful......

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I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money.  ~Pablo Picasso

For this I am Grateful......

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"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."

Woody Allen

Birthdays and UnBirthdays

    On August 18th, Abdur  Rabbi turned four years old. His favorite color has changed from orange to red. He has blue eyes that look deep into your soul just like his brother IIsa. Auby is my last child.  He slept in our bed and from the first night he would coo , letting us know he was comfortable. If we cooed first he would answer. He was and is a very happy child. May God continue to bless us.



August 28th is my birthday and Zeda's birthday. She turned into a teenager and I went to the downhill side of middle age. Zeda is a gorgeous, nurturing, silly young lady.  She makes her brothers crack up. She can whip up a loaf of bread from scratch in no time at all. I need a day just to prepare then a day to cook! People say we look alike but I don't see myself as beautiful as she is. I never did. I hope she believes me when I tell her .





She has asked that I buy her make up. I  worry that this is an indicator as to her self-reflection. I don't want her to base herself on outside influences. So, what did I say ? I said I would get her  'some' make up, lip gloss  and kohl. I used to wear the stuff  but now only once in a while and sparingly. Zeda is  a feminine spirit, natural and wholesome. I will help her experiment and experience things as I hope to keep her grounded.

When I look at my kids, especially around the birth-days, I think of how fast the years have gone by. I hear my mother's words coming out of my mouth. I still FEEL  like I'm in my twenties!  Then the mirror screams reality. I remember that I never thought I would get married or have kids! Boy, was I wrong!!  The funny thing is , now, I can't imagine life without them.( Except on bad days I imagine I am a hermit artist, alone with my art in a tropical paradise.) They are my raison d' etre, my joie de vive. I am swirling with mixed feelings of being old and young at the same time. How is it that the events of the past ten years are like a lifetime and yet I can remember the smell of the top of baby's head, peach cobbler!

It's like the Talking Heads sang  "Is this my beautiful life?"

                                                                  "How did I get here?"

I think now I prefer to celebrate  like the Mad Hatter - " A very merry un-birthday! To me!"

Back to school....

The local schools are back in session. I know that this is usually a hated day for the kids. In our family,we have the leisure of a slow start and an end that just tapers off with no real stopping.

This year is the ninth grade year of the oldest. So, now we have the specter of college to deal with. Transcripts, what will be good enough? Record keeping , all of this is in our hands. It is not left to the faceless office  of some high school. If we, the parents, don't get this right my son knows who to 'blame'.

My plan is to involve him in this process as much as possible. He will know the form and content of his transcripts. For those who are home schooling, I have found a nice site that helps in recordkeeping and scheduling. It also has the transcript builder needed to make our records look professional. As I was contemplating this, I realized how little I knew of my own high school transcripts. These were not even in my thoughts as I drifted through school. How in the world did I make it to college! I do not think that college is a must have either. I think that those that educate at home are capable enough to also educate themselves in anything. There are many other avenues to gaining college level education without enrolling in a college or university.

MIT  actually has  free online , or open, courses! Yale has them as well! Why does anyone need to go to college when resources like these are there for free? As a parent I am not inclined to spend thousands of dollars for my  child to "experience" being away from home and the challenge of peer pressure. The real world has enough of that without the "removed from reality" effect you can get from campus life. As an adult I have only been asked once for my college transcripts and never have I had to prove where I went. I am not advocating lying about your education but there may be certificates available from programs such as these to serve as proof. I know too many of my fellow classmates that have the same degree I have but did NOT learn as much as I did! While I believe knowledge is power ,I also believe that the "DEGREE" (the paper) has overridden that actual knowledge that it is supposed to represent.

I will help my children learn but I won't tell them that unless they get a Degree their knowledge is worthless.