BrianAndPamela.com

The more observant of you will have noticed a new tab in the site menu of late.  the Caffeinated at BrianAndPamela is the latest addition to the site.  At the most basic level, it's web forums for y'all to interact with us and with one another.  What else can it be?  Well, it could be a brooch or a hat or a pterodactyl… sorry, I was channeling Airplane.  It can be what ever your little heart desires.  Just a place to chit chat, ask us questions, and contribute your two cents.  You will need to register to post… sorry about that, but as an incentive there are special members only topic areas available!  (There are also private areas for friends and family, so if you register with a weird screen name that I won't recognize, make sure you tell us who you are.) 

Yes.  Next question? 

Ok, seriously.  This question comes from a first time reader to the blog.  Culture, language, just about everything changes.  Do table manners?  Is it still rude to have your elbows on the table?  It is, but not for the reason you might think… and, there are exceptions.  Pass the barbeque sauce, it's time for dinner!  

(more…)

Everyone has some topic in their life where they can carry on both sides of the conversation.  It's that thing where someone finds out something about you and then the next five minutes of conversation follows pretty much the same path every single time.

For me, that conversation usually happens when people find out that Pamela homeschools our kids.  At some point, the same question always comes up.  Oh they phrase it differently sometimes, "How do you account for socialization?" or "Are you concerned about what they are missing?" or other less direct phrases.  What they are really asking is, "Aren't you concerned your kids are going to turn out to be socially inept freaks who have no clue about the real world?"  At which point I feel like shouting, "Have you seen public schools these days?  Aren't you worried that the kids there are going to turn into materialistic under-educated peer mentality zombies?"  But most of the time I just smile and say, "Not at all." 

(more…)

Classes for the first year of the Grace Homeschool Support Group finished their first semester with acclaim from teachers, students and parents.  It's hard to believe that one semester and a month long holiday have passed.  On Monday, classes will resume and continue until April with options including Apologia Science, Veritas Press history, American Sign Language, studio art, and more.  Jack and Abby finished one semester of first aid and that time slot will switch to cooking for the remainder of the year.  They each also have a science class and then sewing and art respectively.  There are even classes for Pre-K.  Josh and a few other tykes have fun and games, music and dance and a craft hour.

In December, the children were given the opportunity to party together, play games with their classmates and participate in a small assembly.  Talents ranged from piano, violin and voice to recitations of poetry and the kings of England.  Each child had an opportunity in this safe environment to share without fear of rejection and enjoy the honest praise of their parents and peers.  What joy to know we're developing valuable skills and at the same time, continuing the greenhouse environment for fostering their young faith. 

 It is a privilege to homeschool.  Thanks so much to all the members who make it possible.  I'm looking forward to 2007-2008 already!  Grace Church has done the homeschooling community in Fredericksburg a great service by providing access to their great classrooms and cafe one afternoon a week.  As a parent and teacher, I'm thrilled to be a part of this venture, and can't wait to see it grow. 

Ok, so I've been falling down on the job and not blogging wii-cently.  Umm, sorry.  You might say I've been i-wii-sponsible.   Ahem… se-wii-ously though.  Errr… I should cut that out.  It's wii-erd.  Ack… I can't control it, it's all wii-flex, rout-wii-n, it comes natural-wii.   So, if you hadn't guessed, our fam-wii are the proud wii-cipients of a Nintendo Wii (pronounced "wee"–proper pronunciation is important), and it's truly wii-markable. 

(more…)

eToys: GR8 TaT2 Maker from Spin Master Toys

Because kids today don't draw on themselves with quite enough reckless abandon, Spin Master Toys presents the gift that every child in the lower socio-economic strata wants this Christmas:  The GR8 TaT2 Maker.  In the immortal words of Dave Barry, I am not making this up.  Sadly I'm not changing the spelling either, that bit of psuedo-hip leet/txt tlk is straight off the desk of some marketing genius at Spin Master (who, it seems, also makes the 7-11 Slurpee maker and the "Airbrush Tattoos" system targeted at little girls).  So now little Billy can get himself tatted up, and pretend to work at the McDonalds Drive Through.  ((Comments about after work activities including his rusted out Big Wheel etc.. have been withheld.)) (more…)

Lillian Vernon: McDonald's Playset

For those kids you just don't expect too much from, Lillian Vernon offers the McDonalds Drive-Thru playset.  Complete with cash register, play money credit card scanner (with credit cards… there's a whole 'nother blog post there) and fake food, trans-fats not included.  Next year, I hear they have plans for a toy that lets you pretend to be the guy that scrapes gum off the bottom of bus seats.

Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Girl starts thinking big picture….Honey? Can we have kids now? The thought of babies to snuggle, toddlers to chase with their sticky kisses and gooey fingers, teaching them to walk and say,'Daddy', is all very sweet and hazy. Heaven. (more…)

Quick plug for Becky, Sean and Mason’s Blog. Follows the process of their Chinese adoption. Learning Chinese, random thoughts about the process and lots of information and links. Worth a read, and not just because they are family.

http://masonsmeimei.blogspot.com/