Let's pretend I'm 19 and have all the answers in the world again. I can fix EVERYTHING and have not been jaded and trampled by life not going exactly as I expected it to go.
And let pretend I have a blog. (ok, pretend it's 19 year old me not midlife crisis me)
And let's surround my blog with people who read what I write and take it as gospel truth, because if it's on the internet and has a million page hits or is linked by another blog or news site I like, it must be true.
And people circulate these posts, and other people circulate the dead opposite posts, and both people think their side has monopolized the truth/true way to fix the world/economy/religion/etc...
I finally hit that proverbial straw this week when rather than hitting delete, I started responding. I had been operating under the modus operandi of 'respond with grace/ignore/delete' but this clearly has only gotten my 1083 unread emails in my inbox and a facebook feed I can hardly read. So my almost new year resolution is to no longer just ignore but to respond - to everything that I disagree, because isn't that the way the internet is supposed to work?
No one listens anymore, since their minds are already made up and they have 1000 or something likes to prove they are right.
Most things won't matter in eternity. Life the life that God has called you to do, demonstrate His love for others and stop doing battles on every front there is. God did not call us to destroy each others' churches. He did not call us to pick fights in extra-biblical theology. He called us each to an individual relationship with Him. He did not call us to critique other's relationship or lack thereof with Him. There is a few verses about this- he without sin casting the first stone (john 8:7) and taking care of the log in your own eye (matt 7:3-5).
The one thing in life that has opened my eyes to the way our heavenly Father's relationship with us is parenting kids. So many times there are squabbles and tattling- child a with sin issue a tattling on child b with sin issue b. And like our heavenly Father, I want to YELL at them (does He yell? Sometimes I think he does) IF YOU CAN JUST WORK ON YOUR OWN ISSUES AND LET THEM WORK ON THEIR OWN ISSUES WE'D ALL GET ALONG SO MUCH BETTER!!! And that is what I feel when I see church member a getting wound up that church b isn't "taking a strong stand against (abortion, same sex marriage, upholding the constitution, liturgical rites, etc)
So often I see church b brow beating someone (who wants nothing to do with Church B) for going to hell for not following their moral code. The church is putting the pony before the cart. There is no reason for people to follow the laws/moral code/etc of the Bible if they don't claim to be a Christian or follower of Christ. And the way the 'christians' treat them, I hardly blame then for not wanting anything to do with Christianity.
Jesus came to serve then call people to repent and follow him. If we could all get that order right, God would be pleased and the world would be better.
But the more we continue fighting being angry with each other and forwarding, posting more of the same, the more evil triumphs.
We have a choice.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
Annual Christmas Letters
It's that time of year where we start receiving those brag sheets annual Christmas letters with updated pictures of kids we may or not have seen, ever. Of course since we moved shortly before Christmas last year and have given up on updating addresses for pretty much anyone when there is facebook and email available for contacting.. and blogging if one is so motivated.
But anyhow, tocompete with keep in contact with all those not forgotten loved family and friends, here is our letter:
Greetings to all our loved friends and family! In case you missed our un-mailed letter and address change notices from last year(s) we are now living in coastal North Carolina and waiting with baited breath to hear our next duty station. We should here in the next 2 weeks, or 2 months, or about 2 weeks before we have to report to the new station. We anticipate moving to Florida, Texas, California, Japan, or some other heretoforth not known location that will take me a full year to accept living there. Briefly we thought we might be getting out of the military since staying in requires certain physical fitness and weight requirements that is completely not compatible with our baking habits, but the insurance is pretty good and the forced adaptability skills are not to be missed. Plus there is that motto about seeing the world and all that was promised.
This year Larry did get to see the world, or at least Europe/Spain for 8 months. I guess if you have to deploy, Europe is the way to go. It certainly would be my first choice. I did rope my parents into watching the kids so I could visit him while he was there. For those of you familiar with the military ways- yes, this was rather unusual for a deployment. But if you get sponsored by the command you can not only visit but you can fly Space-A. Space-A is short for Space-Available which roughly translated means you can get onto a military transport plane going in the direction you want to go for free or dirt cheap, but you have to show up and hope there is an open seat and it's based on a ranking system of who needs to go and how only wants to go and how long ago you signed up to go.. in a logarithm some programmer came up with.
I learned a few things: sign up early, pack light but bring a winter coat even if you travel from 90 degrees to 90 degrees because at 10000 feet or however night they fly, it gets dang cold in an unheated plane. I also learned if you wanted to pack an air mattress and sleeping bag, you can completely lay down to sleep in such planes. Really trippy, but c-c-c-c-cold.
But Spain was totally cool and I'd add it to my list of "places I wish the military would send us" but the nature of military life is that the very second I add it to my top 3 locations, I will.not.get.that.place. So, it's unspoken. Plus I'm not sure the grandparents would totally forgive us for taking their grandkids that far away even if we flew space-a back yearly to visit.
The kids are just fantastic.
Sonia ( age 12 , grade uncertain since we homeschool and grades are just arbitrary designations anyway) loves homeschooling because it means that instead of my harassing her to wake up for school at 6:30 she can sleep in until 8:30, or 12:30 if her mother gives up on the battle that day. She still loves animals, especially strays more than her siblings and has taken to feeding every stray cat in a 5 mile radius. If you could possibly adopt a cat, please come see me. I will ship them, if I can catch them. She also enjoys reading, cake decorating, sleeping in and standing up straight since it makes her appear taller than her mother. She played volleyball this year as a compromise since it involved no running and was an indoor-air-conditioned sport and comfort is key.
Joey ( age 12 about to enter engineering as a profession) has make it a life goal this month to devise a trap to trap said strays to aid and abet his mother in dropping said creatures off at the pound. Since we have yet to successfully manage this, our front porch/stoop looks like a cardboard box disaster complete with sticks, rubber bands and cat food and fabric bits. He did successfully catch one, however it would turn out that packing tape is not strong enough to contain the fury of a captured stray cat, so while that success was short lived, the tape does contain enough hair and DNA evidence of holding a cat to give him hope of catching them. Other than that, his hobbies include minecrafting, golf, growing 6 inches this year and sprouting a pair of feet bigger than his father's feet and he joined boy scouts this year. From our limited experience with the boy scouts thus far it appears that a new hobby will include playing with fire and a pocket knife as soon as he earns the pocket knife 'tote-n-chip' or whatever the official permission is that scouts gives you to carry a knife - think of it as the concealed carry permit for the pre-driving crowd.
Kayla (age 10 and at last count I think is somewhere between the 5th and 6th grade) is still playing the role of the agreeable middle child except for the days that she isn't agreeable. She still is our resident life coach to her younger brother and the example to the rest of us of how extroverts live. She is our fashion conscious, fad following child who keeps me up on all my texting acronyms. IDK where she learned them all, but it would appear that she is the child that knows the trends. At a homeschool Christmas party today she was the one of my 4 kids who not only went up to do the dance but knew the moves to it. If anyone wants to tell me that homeschool kids are necessarily sheltered and odd, let me introduce them to this kid. She cha-cha slides and sings one-direction (who apparently goes by 1D?) with the best of her public school counterparts. But seriously we don't even have cable, I think this kid learns this stuff by osmosis.
JonMichael (age 8, at last count he's somewhere between 3-4th grade) remains our youngest child. Much of his antics secure that position because after him, I'm pretty sure we are just broken parents who are just surviving. He announced this year that he wants to be called "Jonathan" however, I'm pretty sure his real name is "Tigger" since it would most certainly appear that his top is made out of rubber and his bottom is made out of springs. We bought a trampoline this year, largely because I thought he needed something to expel all this energy that didn't involved absolutely destroying the house and so far we have experienced 0 broken bones, so I call this a win. Unfortunately is rains a great deal here and trampolines are entirely an outdoor toy. He remains our sports orientated kid and loves anything that involves a ball. This year we added golf to his sports played mostly because they were short one kid for the team Joey was on. He and Kayla consider the entire world the audience for their 2 person comedy act. They get this from their father, I think- he's the funny one here.
Larry continues to work with Marines and has picked up minecraft to play with the kids,or at least he said it was to play with the kids. They have some communal island and build and grow things. I tell them they should try programming so they can be the ones making the next big thing like minecraft. No one is really interested.
Gina has no interest in Minecraft and has over 1000 unread emails in her inbox. She occasionally thinks of going back to work but in the meantime has been driving kids to co-op class, sports, and will be teaching the 6-9th graders science this winter. We continue to homeschool since we have managed to cover more material in less time and have more flexibility in our learning. Also the flexibility in vacations, sleep schedules and pretty much everything else is pretty awesome, too. And not being in the parent pick-up and drop-off lines every day: priceless. But who knows and we are fickle people and next year might bring public or private or charter school, depending on location.
Overall this year has been filled with ups and downs and character flaws and character growth. We've been able to look back over our friends and family lists and photos and reminisce about lovely memories and hopeful dreams for the future. No matter where our lives have crossed and where they will cross again, the one hope we have is that we will meet again in eternity. Until then, we blog, we laugh, we eat and hope to see you all again.
Much love
XOXOX
G, L and kids.
But anyhow, to
Greetings to all our loved friends and family! In case you missed our un-mailed letter and address change notices from last year(s) we are now living in coastal North Carolina and waiting with baited breath to hear our next duty station. We should here in the next 2 weeks, or 2 months, or about 2 weeks before we have to report to the new station. We anticipate moving to Florida, Texas, California, Japan, or some other heretoforth not known location that will take me a full year to accept living there. Briefly we thought we might be getting out of the military since staying in requires certain physical fitness and weight requirements that is completely not compatible with our baking habits, but the insurance is pretty good and the forced adaptability skills are not to be missed. Plus there is that motto about seeing the world and all that was promised.
This year Larry did get to see the world, or at least Europe/Spain for 8 months. I guess if you have to deploy, Europe is the way to go. It certainly would be my first choice. I did rope my parents into watching the kids so I could visit him while he was there. For those of you familiar with the military ways- yes, this was rather unusual for a deployment. But if you get sponsored by the command you can not only visit but you can fly Space-A. Space-A is short for Space-Available which roughly translated means you can get onto a military transport plane going in the direction you want to go for free or dirt cheap, but you have to show up and hope there is an open seat and it's based on a ranking system of who needs to go and how only wants to go and how long ago you signed up to go.. in a logarithm some programmer came up with.
I learned a few things: sign up early, pack light but bring a winter coat even if you travel from 90 degrees to 90 degrees because at 10000 feet or however night they fly, it gets dang cold in an unheated plane. I also learned if you wanted to pack an air mattress and sleeping bag, you can completely lay down to sleep in such planes. Really trippy, but c-c-c-c-cold.
But Spain was totally cool and I'd add it to my list of "places I wish the military would send us" but the nature of military life is that the very second I add it to my top 3 locations, I will.not.get.that.place. So, it's unspoken. Plus I'm not sure the grandparents would totally forgive us for taking their grandkids that far away even if we flew space-a back yearly to visit.
The kids are just fantastic.
Sonia ( age 12 , grade uncertain since we homeschool and grades are just arbitrary designations anyway) loves homeschooling because it means that instead of my harassing her to wake up for school at 6:30 she can sleep in until 8:30, or 12:30 if her mother gives up on the battle that day. She still loves animals, especially strays more than her siblings and has taken to feeding every stray cat in a 5 mile radius. If you could possibly adopt a cat, please come see me. I will ship them, if I can catch them. She also enjoys reading, cake decorating, sleeping in and standing up straight since it makes her appear taller than her mother. She played volleyball this year as a compromise since it involved no running and was an indoor-air-conditioned sport and comfort is key.
Joey ( age 12 about to enter engineering as a profession) has make it a life goal this month to devise a trap to trap said strays to aid and abet his mother in dropping said creatures off at the pound. Since we have yet to successfully manage this, our front porch/stoop looks like a cardboard box disaster complete with sticks, rubber bands and cat food and fabric bits. He did successfully catch one, however it would turn out that packing tape is not strong enough to contain the fury of a captured stray cat, so while that success was short lived, the tape does contain enough hair and DNA evidence of holding a cat to give him hope of catching them. Other than that, his hobbies include minecrafting, golf, growing 6 inches this year and sprouting a pair of feet bigger than his father's feet and he joined boy scouts this year. From our limited experience with the boy scouts thus far it appears that a new hobby will include playing with fire and a pocket knife as soon as he earns the pocket knife 'tote-n-chip' or whatever the official permission is that scouts gives you to carry a knife - think of it as the concealed carry permit for the pre-driving crowd.
Kayla (age 10 and at last count I think is somewhere between the 5th and 6th grade) is still playing the role of the agreeable middle child except for the days that she isn't agreeable. She still is our resident life coach to her younger brother and the example to the rest of us of how extroverts live. She is our fashion conscious, fad following child who keeps me up on all my texting acronyms. IDK where she learned them all, but it would appear that she is the child that knows the trends. At a homeschool Christmas party today she was the one of my 4 kids who not only went up to do the dance but knew the moves to it. If anyone wants to tell me that homeschool kids are necessarily sheltered and odd, let me introduce them to this kid. She cha-cha slides and sings one-direction (who apparently goes by 1D?) with the best of her public school counterparts. But seriously we don't even have cable, I think this kid learns this stuff by osmosis.
JonMichael (age 8, at last count he's somewhere between 3-4th grade) remains our youngest child. Much of his antics secure that position because after him, I'm pretty sure we are just broken parents who are just surviving. He announced this year that he wants to be called "Jonathan" however, I'm pretty sure his real name is "Tigger" since it would most certainly appear that his top is made out of rubber and his bottom is made out of springs. We bought a trampoline this year, largely because I thought he needed something to expel all this energy that didn't involved absolutely destroying the house and so far we have experienced 0 broken bones, so I call this a win. Unfortunately is rains a great deal here and trampolines are entirely an outdoor toy. He remains our sports orientated kid and loves anything that involves a ball. This year we added golf to his sports played mostly because they were short one kid for the team Joey was on. He and Kayla consider the entire world the audience for their 2 person comedy act. They get this from their father, I think- he's the funny one here.
Larry continues to work with Marines and has picked up minecraft to play with the kids,or at least he said it was to play with the kids. They have some communal island and build and grow things. I tell them they should try programming so they can be the ones making the next big thing like minecraft. No one is really interested.
Gina has no interest in Minecraft and has over 1000 unread emails in her inbox. She occasionally thinks of going back to work but in the meantime has been driving kids to co-op class, sports, and will be teaching the 6-9th graders science this winter. We continue to homeschool since we have managed to cover more material in less time and have more flexibility in our learning. Also the flexibility in vacations, sleep schedules and pretty much everything else is pretty awesome, too. And not being in the parent pick-up and drop-off lines every day: priceless. But who knows and we are fickle people and next year might bring public or private or charter school, depending on location.
Overall this year has been filled with ups and downs and character flaws and character growth. We've been able to look back over our friends and family lists and photos and reminisce about lovely memories and hopeful dreams for the future. No matter where our lives have crossed and where they will cross again, the one hope we have is that we will meet again in eternity. Until then, we blog, we laugh, we eat and hope to see you all again.
Much love
XOXOX
G, L and kids.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Furghettabout it
I'm listening to an 'informative webinar' which is supposed to go over the jr high program in said program I've been considering that's part of the current program we're in.
And I have a few impressions:
1. using big words that no one understands doesn't convince the world you are smart. Quadrivium? seriously. ooohhh, wait... I took latin. Quad clearly means "4" but rivium? humm I got nothing.
2. IMPRESSIONS MATTER. Starting late, 'technical' problems after a late start do not give the impression that you are a professional. I AM NOT IMPRESSED.
3. 37 minutes into this and I still have ZERO idea about what they are covering. WHY you ask. Lemme share a slide from this presentation. I believe it's supposed to convey that everything is interconnected.
(oh. wait. Since I got the new iphone my computer doesn't recognize it. I'll work on this. In the meantime. Pull up a graph in your memory. Then put arrows everywhere over it. That's the slide.)
Seriously, for an organization that prides itself on producing students on being able to present material they really need to evaluate the presentations they are producing.
The only parts I think would be beneficial are the group discussions, mock trials and science fair.
And I have a few impressions:
1. using big words that no one understands doesn't convince the world you are smart. Quadrivium? seriously. ooohhh, wait... I took latin. Quad clearly means "4" but rivium? humm I got nothing.
2. IMPRESSIONS MATTER. Starting late, 'technical' problems after a late start do not give the impression that you are a professional. I AM NOT IMPRESSED.
3. 37 minutes into this and I still have ZERO idea about what they are covering. WHY you ask. Lemme share a slide from this presentation. I believe it's supposed to convey that everything is interconnected.
(oh. wait. Since I got the new iphone my computer doesn't recognize it. I'll work on this. In the meantime. Pull up a graph in your memory. Then put arrows everywhere over it. That's the slide.)
Seriously, for an organization that prides itself on producing students on being able to present material they really need to evaluate the presentations they are producing.
The only parts I think would be beneficial are the group discussions, mock trials and science fair.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
New year, New Posts
Yes, I know it's already a full month into the New Year. And honestly now that the business is closed I feel like I have a much better handle on my time for the most part. Or, rather - now that the business is closed, Larry is overseas, the kid aren't going to fulltime school and I'm not trying to juggle working and a dozen other commitments I feel like I have a better handle on my time.
That said I'm back to hash out my thoughts. I am open to GENTLE suggestions. Yes, I'm talking to you, Mom and Dad.
So.. I signed the kids up for a well known school program. I felt like I was floundering and not really reaching the potential of all they could be learning and wanted more. Like the really smart homeschool kids I had in my mind that graduate college at age 16 sort of smart because they ARE that smart if their mother says so herself.
So this program is a once a week program with lots of memory work that is supposed to form all sorts of foundations for the rest of their schooling. They memorize a timeline of events from Creation to Sept 11. And if you buy the $35 CD set you too can own the 16 minute long song. Actually it's about the best (only) thing on that CD worth listening to all that much.
They "learn" (memorize) the songs for states, capitals, presidents and hand gestures to go with it. It's impressive to see their showcase 6 year olds be able to recite all the presidents of the US when I can barely remember half of them.
HOWEVER.
I'm 3 weeks into this and I'm really having second thoughts on this whole model and company.
First of all- it is not cheap. Their "corporate" gets fees for each child and if you have a 4th grader and up they get 2 fees for each child. I'm not entirely sure what these fees go to other than paying the lawyers they hire to try to keep their proprietary system out the the hands of non paying classical teaching parents. Frankly my 3 interactions with them trying to order my books has left a bitter taste in my mouth. They let me buy them, but refused to ship them until they had confirmation I had paid the fees for a class in the future and then did not send all of them because they were 'backordered.' Then to boot the newest edition which isn't officially a revised edition is 2 pages off of everyone elses' book PLUS the 'recommended to go with' timeline cards were not the ones to go with this cycle but I didn't realize they had shipped and I had ordered the wrong ones until I had opened them. If they girls they have answering their phones are graduates of their program I'm getting off this trail now. BUT it's a no refund policy so I'm pretty much committed for this year. And I'm trying not to finish burning this bridge with 17(or whatever) more weeks left in the classes.
The whole method is they have 'tutors' which 'teach' you child (read from the pre-approved verbage of corporate and demonstrate approved hand gestures) for the facts of the week. Then sing song about them and drill said facts and facts from previous 6 weeks. OK. information is being imparted I'm ok with that.
The first week I watched the older class (parents are supposed to be in there helping/watching/whatever) and the tutor was engaging and organized. BUT.. I added 3 kids to the class and the tutor didn't want to continue so they split the class into 2 classes and gave them 2 new tutors(teachers) the following week. One of which started the same week I did. OOOOkkayyyyyy. No longer impressed. Daughter 1 was in a class with one other girl who's mother was the teacher . Granted there was another girl absent but when you have one sullen teen with their mother and my daughter in a room I don't see a whole lot of the 'socialization' aspect that this community promised to deliver. So that was week 2.
Week 3 (today) I went into JMs class. He told me he was the oldest in his class. I didn't realize he was in with kids who couldn't even spell their name or speak intelligibly. Sure I'm an over-achieving parent but you can not possibly expect that my kid is going to learn in this sort of environment. EVEN with the song method of teaching - because the chaos was so loud I couldn't figure out was was being taught. And we missed 13 previous weeks of material.. I was mad. I asked the teacher if he was too old for this class and then asked the director why he was in a class with 4-5 year olds. She said 'oh, there were other kids absent who are older' which was total nonsense because there was ONE kid missing and she was 7. Talk to the other teacher and she has 7 -9 year olds. So why was my kid in the class with the kid that wouldn't keep his hands out of his pants or nose? And why are you telling me that in other communities there are 4-10 year olds in the same class as justification? If other schools have kids smoking pot are you going to say it's ok? *I* teach 8-11 year olds in one house and I can tell you from experience that it's a HECK of a lot easier to teach them at their level rather than trying to teach an 8 year old 7th grade math or expect a 11 year old to not be bored to tears with basic writing. Sure, some subjects would work. EVEN this timeline stuff could work in theory. I sure as heck wasn't seeing it work in real life.
So. Next week he will be in the "other" class that they still defend are the same age. I call BS if the director can't tell the difference between a 5 year old and 9 year old perhaps she should try teaching that age spread.
The afternoons JM goes to "Bible study" which is akin to nursery at church where it's basically babysitting with a Bible picture to color in. (It's a "christian") program. Today he was whining that he would rather stay with me which for me is all sorts of red flags. I'll probably keep him with me next week.
Where am I when this is going on? I'm in the afternoon grammar/writing class for the 4th-6th graders. It's old school. I mean older than me school- they still teach diagramming sentences. And after having to teach myself and the kids 13 weeks of this we are finally caught up and getting it, more or less. The diagramming part I could take or leave. It has a cult like following, almost reverent worship among parents who do this program, but I honestly can't see how it's all that useful. Not even at the college english major level useful. Sure you can identify subject/noun/adjective/adverb/pronoun but my kids learned that doing ad libs. Writing is a weak area for my kids and the IEW book and DVDs they use I actually find useful, but that's 1/3 of the afternoon. And THOSE books I don't need to be a paying member to buy since it's a totally different system.
Next year the 7th graders are supposed to graduate into a 'amazing/wonderful/challenging/make-your-child-guaranteed-to-succeed-in-life' program. And all the costs associated with this will nearly double. If we want to try to secure a spot I have to register for it next week. NEXT WEEK. There is all sorts of 'it will sell out, so register fast' pressure especially since I want to transfer to a campus here in town rather than commute an hour. I've hear they are larger campuses and I have hopes that means that they'd be more organized out of default and that they kids would have more opportunity to make friends their ages.
But I'm torn. This is one of those programs that you're supposed to commit to 3 years to get all that memory foundation. I see some benefit to memory. I think I'd like to keep JM and Kayla in it. I';m just so very torn on what to do with Sonia and Joey. Sonia wants to go to public school based solely on the fact that she would have more regular access to a library. Joey wants to homeschool based solely on his desire to not be in school from 7:30-3:30. I think they're learning more this year and we're fixing alot of bad habits and learning what was missed along the way. But I'm not in love with this program and I'm a bit creeped out by the way this program has a cult like following that you MUST love it and I find myself frustrated that the corporate office control and propaganda.
Some of my biggest frustrations come from the degree of propaganda and control. They won't let you buy the curriculum until you enroll in it. So I can't see next years until I enroll? So I can't make an educated decision I just have to go based on their testimonials that this is the best academic program out there, well worth the high cost. If I wanted to make decisions based on testimonials alone I'd buy all my household goods off late-night TV.
I have until Feb 10 to decide. I know Larry thinks I should send them to school because he thinks social interaction is key. I find this incredibly ironic coming from one of the least social people I know. I haven't met anyone who has said 'wow, jr high years in school were awesome' and have met countless people and count myself among those that would rather chop off appendages than have to live through those years again, especially everything that involved the interactions with others in school.
I approached the director asking to see a copy of the 7th grade program before committing and since her kids are not that age she doesn't have one. I can ask the local overseer on Feb 18th when she's visiting.. but that's exactly 8 days too late.
Maybe I'll email her directly. At this point I have few reservations. I already gave my current campus my 'I'm not returning in the fall' notice. EVEN IF the rest are full I can't see it worth going back there. I have the books. I'd buy the CDs and call it a day. Maybe that's my problem, that deep down inside I'm not a social person? That I'd rather raise my kids in a vacuum that I enjoy than go out in a world that I have to regularly filter what I say. This particular area I'm needing to filter alot.
But since this is my overall dumping ground.. let me say a few things:
First of all- I know we live in the south here and all... but seriously "Lincoln's war between the states" and "Lincoln went to war against the southern states" has a serious bias. And while I like and appreciate Jim and Elizabeth Eliot, Missionaries to Equador are they really world events? Seriously- he got killed that first year he attempted to reach that people group. Their legacy lives on and all and I really respect what Mrs Elliot had since done in life but really? They're on par with the War of 1812 and China's Ming Dynasty?? I understand they(the program) used to use Veritas Press timeline. I may go buy that instead if we flunk out of this system. At least then I'll have something to compare it to.
And lastly. Some of those songs on those CD's.... ugh. just ugh. Like if the kids fight in the car I threaten to play them but only if I first put on headphones. Screeching soprano, no accompaniment. Seriously. Just. No.
That said I'm back to hash out my thoughts. I am open to GENTLE suggestions. Yes, I'm talking to you, Mom and Dad.
So.. I signed the kids up for a well known school program. I felt like I was floundering and not really reaching the potential of all they could be learning and wanted more. Like the really smart homeschool kids I had in my mind that graduate college at age 16 sort of smart because they ARE that smart if their mother says so herself.
So this program is a once a week program with lots of memory work that is supposed to form all sorts of foundations for the rest of their schooling. They memorize a timeline of events from Creation to Sept 11. And if you buy the $35 CD set you too can own the 16 minute long song. Actually it's about the best (only) thing on that CD worth listening to all that much.
They "learn" (memorize) the songs for states, capitals, presidents and hand gestures to go with it. It's impressive to see their showcase 6 year olds be able to recite all the presidents of the US when I can barely remember half of them.
HOWEVER.
I'm 3 weeks into this and I'm really having second thoughts on this whole model and company.
First of all- it is not cheap. Their "corporate" gets fees for each child and if you have a 4th grader and up they get 2 fees for each child. I'm not entirely sure what these fees go to other than paying the lawyers they hire to try to keep their proprietary system out the the hands of non paying classical teaching parents. Frankly my 3 interactions with them trying to order my books has left a bitter taste in my mouth. They let me buy them, but refused to ship them until they had confirmation I had paid the fees for a class in the future and then did not send all of them because they were 'backordered.' Then to boot the newest edition which isn't officially a revised edition is 2 pages off of everyone elses' book PLUS the 'recommended to go with' timeline cards were not the ones to go with this cycle but I didn't realize they had shipped and I had ordered the wrong ones until I had opened them. If they girls they have answering their phones are graduates of their program I'm getting off this trail now. BUT it's a no refund policy so I'm pretty much committed for this year. And I'm trying not to finish burning this bridge with 17(or whatever) more weeks left in the classes.
The whole method is they have 'tutors' which 'teach' you child (read from the pre-approved verbage of corporate and demonstrate approved hand gestures) for the facts of the week. Then sing song about them and drill said facts and facts from previous 6 weeks. OK. information is being imparted I'm ok with that.
The first week I watched the older class (parents are supposed to be in there helping/watching/whatever) and the tutor was engaging and organized. BUT.. I added 3 kids to the class and the tutor didn't want to continue so they split the class into 2 classes and gave them 2 new tutors(teachers) the following week. One of which started the same week I did. OOOOkkayyyyyy. No longer impressed. Daughter 1 was in a class with one other girl who's mother was the teacher . Granted there was another girl absent but when you have one sullen teen with their mother and my daughter in a room I don't see a whole lot of the 'socialization' aspect that this community promised to deliver. So that was week 2.
Week 3 (today) I went into JMs class. He told me he was the oldest in his class. I didn't realize he was in with kids who couldn't even spell their name or speak intelligibly. Sure I'm an over-achieving parent but you can not possibly expect that my kid is going to learn in this sort of environment. EVEN with the song method of teaching - because the chaos was so loud I couldn't figure out was was being taught. And we missed 13 previous weeks of material.. I was mad. I asked the teacher if he was too old for this class and then asked the director why he was in a class with 4-5 year olds. She said 'oh, there were other kids absent who are older' which was total nonsense because there was ONE kid missing and she was 7. Talk to the other teacher and she has 7 -9 year olds. So why was my kid in the class with the kid that wouldn't keep his hands out of his pants or nose? And why are you telling me that in other communities there are 4-10 year olds in the same class as justification? If other schools have kids smoking pot are you going to say it's ok? *I* teach 8-11 year olds in one house and I can tell you from experience that it's a HECK of a lot easier to teach them at their level rather than trying to teach an 8 year old 7th grade math or expect a 11 year old to not be bored to tears with basic writing. Sure, some subjects would work. EVEN this timeline stuff could work in theory. I sure as heck wasn't seeing it work in real life.
So. Next week he will be in the "other" class that they still defend are the same age. I call BS if the director can't tell the difference between a 5 year old and 9 year old perhaps she should try teaching that age spread.
The afternoons JM goes to "Bible study" which is akin to nursery at church where it's basically babysitting with a Bible picture to color in. (It's a "christian") program. Today he was whining that he would rather stay with me which for me is all sorts of red flags. I'll probably keep him with me next week.
Where am I when this is going on? I'm in the afternoon grammar/writing class for the 4th-6th graders. It's old school. I mean older than me school- they still teach diagramming sentences. And after having to teach myself and the kids 13 weeks of this we are finally caught up and getting it, more or less. The diagramming part I could take or leave. It has a cult like following, almost reverent worship among parents who do this program, but I honestly can't see how it's all that useful. Not even at the college english major level useful. Sure you can identify subject/noun/adjective/adverb/pronoun but my kids learned that doing ad libs. Writing is a weak area for my kids and the IEW book and DVDs they use I actually find useful, but that's 1/3 of the afternoon. And THOSE books I don't need to be a paying member to buy since it's a totally different system.
Next year the 7th graders are supposed to graduate into a 'amazing/wonderful/challenging/make-your-child-guaranteed-to-succeed-in-life' program. And all the costs associated with this will nearly double. If we want to try to secure a spot I have to register for it next week. NEXT WEEK. There is all sorts of 'it will sell out, so register fast' pressure especially since I want to transfer to a campus here in town rather than commute an hour. I've hear they are larger campuses and I have hopes that means that they'd be more organized out of default and that they kids would have more opportunity to make friends their ages.
But I'm torn. This is one of those programs that you're supposed to commit to 3 years to get all that memory foundation. I see some benefit to memory. I think I'd like to keep JM and Kayla in it. I';m just so very torn on what to do with Sonia and Joey. Sonia wants to go to public school based solely on the fact that she would have more regular access to a library. Joey wants to homeschool based solely on his desire to not be in school from 7:30-3:30. I think they're learning more this year and we're fixing alot of bad habits and learning what was missed along the way. But I'm not in love with this program and I'm a bit creeped out by the way this program has a cult like following that you MUST love it and I find myself frustrated that the corporate office control and propaganda.
Some of my biggest frustrations come from the degree of propaganda and control. They won't let you buy the curriculum until you enroll in it. So I can't see next years until I enroll? So I can't make an educated decision I just have to go based on their testimonials that this is the best academic program out there, well worth the high cost. If I wanted to make decisions based on testimonials alone I'd buy all my household goods off late-night TV.
I have until Feb 10 to decide. I know Larry thinks I should send them to school because he thinks social interaction is key. I find this incredibly ironic coming from one of the least social people I know. I haven't met anyone who has said 'wow, jr high years in school were awesome' and have met countless people and count myself among those that would rather chop off appendages than have to live through those years again, especially everything that involved the interactions with others in school.
I approached the director asking to see a copy of the 7th grade program before committing and since her kids are not that age she doesn't have one. I can ask the local overseer on Feb 18th when she's visiting.. but that's exactly 8 days too late.
Maybe I'll email her directly. At this point I have few reservations. I already gave my current campus my 'I'm not returning in the fall' notice. EVEN IF the rest are full I can't see it worth going back there. I have the books. I'd buy the CDs and call it a day. Maybe that's my problem, that deep down inside I'm not a social person? That I'd rather raise my kids in a vacuum that I enjoy than go out in a world that I have to regularly filter what I say. This particular area I'm needing to filter alot.
But since this is my overall dumping ground.. let me say a few things:
First of all- I know we live in the south here and all... but seriously "Lincoln's war between the states" and "Lincoln went to war against the southern states" has a serious bias. And while I like and appreciate Jim and Elizabeth Eliot, Missionaries to Equador are they really world events? Seriously- he got killed that first year he attempted to reach that people group. Their legacy lives on and all and I really respect what Mrs Elliot had since done in life but really? They're on par with the War of 1812 and China's Ming Dynasty?? I understand they(the program) used to use Veritas Press timeline. I may go buy that instead if we flunk out of this system. At least then I'll have something to compare it to.
And lastly. Some of those songs on those CD's.... ugh. just ugh. Like if the kids fight in the car I threaten to play them but only if I first put on headphones. Screeching soprano, no accompaniment. Seriously. Just. No.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Homeschooling/Roadschooling our way
I've decided that the time the have stared out the windows staring at the rain, puddles and not the birds playing in the puddles counts as nature study. Especially when it was when they were supposed to be doing math or writing.
Never mind getting them to write in a notebook about what they've seen. That would make us serious experts in Classical or Charlotte Mason or whatever. We are no experts here. On anything except *maybe* slowly loosing our minds. On that I can assure you I'm at expert level.
Largely because it's raining. AGAIN. I swear to you I have moved to Seattle. This home on wheels in only intended for living in dry southern CA where it does not rain. And now with the new added feature of wind it not only leaks in the known places (which I swear is pretty much the entire roof perimeter) it blows in through the vent and air conditioning unit in the roof. Not that we have a whole lot of floor space to walk in, it's better without the buckets catching drips - on the floor or my bed.
BUT after pretty much exhausting the options on rentals, great ones (well from the online listing or road) being already rented, others being too small or just nasty dirty and smelly, others I thought were perfectly acceptable but none of which called Larry's name and seeing every known house, neighborhood within 30 minutes of base that was for sale or rent we bid on a short sale being told - sorry- assured- that it could close in 45 days but at day 15 it hadn't really moved anywhere and we were being told we needed to understand "these things take time" which I responded that we only bid on it because we were assured that it would close in 45 days but if they couldn't even get the process rolling in 15 then we were going to cut bait and run. Because frankly closing by Christmas will drive me out of my mind much much faster than closing by Halloween. Especially if this stupid rain keeps up. I told our agent to pass on the other one that a little honesty upfront wouldn't have lost the chance of a sale or wasted 2 weeks of my life. In fact I'd like to lock him in a camper with the rain with my 4 kids and see how quickly he would have gone crazy.
So.. we looked at our other options and other houses and were in the process of bidding on a somewhat more sure bet one squirrel trail led to another and a late night change of plans led us to bidding on a house we'd previously excluded being out of our price range but dragged into it because.. well.. because it was going to be cheaper in a few days and the builder was ready to sell it asap and willing to make a deal. Ironically this neighborhood the first week we got here we ruled out as being a little too foo-foo. It later became a top pick- mostly because it was close, had dock, water, pool and exercise room. HOWEVER it also comes with an HOA. Of which I've only read 31 pages of the 65 or so of the restrictive covenants and other HOA related materials. Our house doesn't have a flower bed so I won't get fined for not having live flowers in it. I'm going to assume that parking on the road is a problem but they have a lot for us to park the camper at if we keep it. *IF* and that's once it gets back from it's prospective 6 month stay at the RV repair spa. We have an extended warranty and know how to use it.
Back to the house - We've never had a new house before. This is going to be a new experience. Assuming all goes as planned and no new hiccups occur. Probably need to double check about the mortgage having everything it needed.
And it's further from the water so much less likely to have a first floor filled with water should that first hurricane get here. Tho with the wind blowing like it is maybe I should check the weather...
So yesterday as the weather and I conspired to confine and torture the kids with schoolwork they took it upon them selves to fog up with windows with their breath and write "HELP" on them. So help me.... if ever I am blogging from a jail cell I can tell you I'm innocent and my kids are somehow the culprit.
Two of said culprits just got back from collecting sand and shells. There are 2 shark teeth. more signs. I should fill in the rest of back story to that- But later- I have a beach to walk on.
Never mind getting them to write in a notebook about what they've seen. That would make us serious experts in Classical or Charlotte Mason or whatever. We are no experts here. On anything except *maybe* slowly loosing our minds. On that I can assure you I'm at expert level.
Largely because it's raining. AGAIN. I swear to you I have moved to Seattle. This home on wheels in only intended for living in dry southern CA where it does not rain. And now with the new added feature of wind it not only leaks in the known places (which I swear is pretty much the entire roof perimeter) it blows in through the vent and air conditioning unit in the roof. Not that we have a whole lot of floor space to walk in, it's better without the buckets catching drips - on the floor or my bed.
BUT after pretty much exhausting the options on rentals, great ones (well from the online listing or road) being already rented, others being too small or just nasty dirty and smelly, others I thought were perfectly acceptable but none of which called Larry's name and seeing every known house, neighborhood within 30 minutes of base that was for sale or rent we bid on a short sale being told - sorry- assured- that it could close in 45 days but at day 15 it hadn't really moved anywhere and we were being told we needed to understand "these things take time" which I responded that we only bid on it because we were assured that it would close in 45 days but if they couldn't even get the process rolling in 15 then we were going to cut bait and run. Because frankly closing by Christmas will drive me out of my mind much much faster than closing by Halloween. Especially if this stupid rain keeps up. I told our agent to pass on the other one that a little honesty upfront wouldn't have lost the chance of a sale or wasted 2 weeks of my life. In fact I'd like to lock him in a camper with the rain with my 4 kids and see how quickly he would have gone crazy.
So.. we looked at our other options and other houses and were in the process of bidding on a somewhat more sure bet one squirrel trail led to another and a late night change of plans led us to bidding on a house we'd previously excluded being out of our price range but dragged into it because.. well.. because it was going to be cheaper in a few days and the builder was ready to sell it asap and willing to make a deal. Ironically this neighborhood the first week we got here we ruled out as being a little too foo-foo. It later became a top pick- mostly because it was close, had dock, water, pool and exercise room. HOWEVER it also comes with an HOA. Of which I've only read 31 pages of the 65 or so of the restrictive covenants and other HOA related materials. Our house doesn't have a flower bed so I won't get fined for not having live flowers in it. I'm going to assume that parking on the road is a problem but they have a lot for us to park the camper at if we keep it. *IF* and that's once it gets back from it's prospective 6 month stay at the RV repair spa. We have an extended warranty and know how to use it.
Back to the house - We've never had a new house before. This is going to be a new experience. Assuming all goes as planned and no new hiccups occur. Probably need to double check about the mortgage having everything it needed.
And it's further from the water so much less likely to have a first floor filled with water should that first hurricane get here. Tho with the wind blowing like it is maybe I should check the weather...
So yesterday as the weather and I conspired to confine and torture the kids with schoolwork they took it upon them selves to fog up with windows with their breath and write "HELP" on them. So help me.... if ever I am blogging from a jail cell I can tell you I'm innocent and my kids are somehow the culprit.
Two of said culprits just got back from collecting sand and shells. There are 2 shark teeth. more signs. I should fill in the rest of back story to that- But later- I have a beach to walk on.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Life in the small house
Small houses are all the rage. I guess those don't realize that there is huge populations of people that have been doing this forever. They used to scornfully call those people trailer trash. Honestly the main difference between a tiny house and trailer trash is where your tiny house is parked. The right neighborhood makes all the difference. We still wait for more permanent housing. And since we've been less than thrilled with our neighbors here we shopped around for other trailer parks. And I realize not all are the same and honestly if we just bought a plot of land with sewer and electric we could be all set. Although showering is still a hassle in the camper.
But since a picture says a million words here is our life
So that's it. not glamorous. I could take pictures of all the storage cubbies but I doubt it's all that exciting to anyone else. Besides then I'd feel compelled to clean them first to make it look uber organized instead of the general shove-it-in-quick-and-close-the-door-before-it-falls-out way that things tend to revert to. if you have any doubt look at the bathroom picture or the storage shelve pictures.
But since a picture says a million words here is our life
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| The front "cabin" now the makeshift library. |
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| The classroom. Under those books is painter's tape. It's divided into 4, although 4 do not think they fit there at all. |
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| shower. Also doubles as the laundry hamper, clothes dryer hanger thing and catcher of leaking roof drips |
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| living room area. minus kids who are outside now. without rain and 100 degree heat outside is more appealing. |
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| kitchen. this is across from the living room area above. Enough counter space for 2 coffee cups. coffee maker has to go into the closet to make room to cook. |
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| microwave. also dish drainer storer and bread holder. this is not household size nothing sized larger than 1/3 actual size fits in either the microwave or toaster. that's a micro-dish drainer. I'm pretty sure it should have been sold in the doll size dish section of Ikea. But having no counterspace for anything else and this thing hangs off the wall.. it's what we have. |
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| another view of the kitchen/stove. |
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| the beds. Bunk bed and double bed in back. The dining room table and couch also turn into beds. |
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| micro-closet. hanging all our coats, Larry uniform and storing most of the clothing. It might look big but I assure you it doesn't fit much. |
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| storage. seriously at a premium here. this is cleaning suppliesa, extra whatever, kid stuff,etc. |
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| the school work shelves. Not sure that TV works, as the rest of the entertainment system in the RV has not worked. It came with it and hogs that space. but it's deceptive. It's not deep enough to hold a regular size binder or book. so it's about 8 inches deep instead of the 8.5 in you need for that sort of thing. |
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| 6 of us share this. There are 2 towel rods so that's pretty much the way the kids just stuff towels up. And unlike real houses you have to deal with the stuff that comes out in regular plumbing. For your household it's about every 3-4 d that I have to empty the tanks and do laundry. I have over the door hooks over the side of the shower door that hang robes and towels if anyone bothered to try to hang towels there. in theory it was a good idea. in actuality it' turns into a huge face level mass of wet towel/robes that blocks the mirror. |
So that's it. not glamorous. I could take pictures of all the storage cubbies but I doubt it's all that exciting to anyone else. Besides then I'd feel compelled to clean them first to make it look uber organized instead of the general shove-it-in-quick-and-close-the-door-before-it-falls-out way that things tend to revert to. if you have any doubt look at the bathroom picture or the storage shelve pictures.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Finally the weather has broken
We were promised that it would get better. Yesterday was absolutely glorious. No too hot, not raining, humidity under 100%.
Got school work done and spent the afternoon at the beach. Larry and the boys spend the night hours fishing. We are having fresh caught shrimp tonight for dinner. He's been spoiled living here at the beach - all the fishing, shrimping, crabbing and clamming is just a short walk away.
I'm re-thinking most of my earlier curriculum choices and now that I have a post office box I can actually get mail.
That was an unexpected frustration in this whole move- when you move without a forwarding address you can send it to "general delivery" at a main post office at your new town. Well.. I choice Camp Lejeune. But apparently I chose the wrong main zip code because when I got there they didn't have any mail and had to look up where it was actually sent- which is downtown Jacksonville.
And while using the term 'downtown' is really a stretch here. it's definitely out of the way and hard to find. My GPS is totally unable to find it and insists it's in Jacksonville, Florida. (sigh, technology)
And when we got there to get the mail, I ask, can I get a PO box? and the answer is " you need proof of physical address- registration, drivers license, lease, etc" to which I looked at him and said "if I had that I wouldn't need a PO box" And he tells me 'oh, that's ok, you can have it sent general delivery for up to a month" so which I reply "it's already been 3 weeks." he says, well, as far as concerned, it started today." gee, thanks.
So this goes on a few weeks when I go to the base post office (the one that didn't have our mail) to cash in a money order (long sorrid story of shipping a car going sideways) and ask them, can I get a PO box? I brought a copy of Larry's orders knowing that usually gets us far on base. Sure, he replies and hands me the same form. I start filling it out and hit the same "physical address" part and instructions that I need 2 proofs of physical address.. and look at him and say "this part is a problem" He says "what's your husband's unit, put that there"
Seriously, that's it?
That's it.
I have a copy of his orders..
That's fine. I don't need them.
Oh glory day.
On to update addresses for all things like bank statements and credit cards...
So I can get the mail actually delivered, hopefully.
The other rather unexpected part in this is that when you use your credit card at the pump and it tells you to put in your zip code... it's hard to remember it. In a military town I don't get too many crazy looks when I have to pull out my phone to look up my address and zip. Usually I just say "we're new, I'm having a hard time remembering it"
We bid on a short sale house. It's a lovely house and we have absolutely no furniture to put in it. Almost absolutely, practically speaking. It's more house than we need. But it has all hard wood floors and I really like that idea. PLUS it has washer/dryer hook ups. And a real size kitchen and fridge. Another huge bonus and it probably wouldn't be TOO hard to put a gas tank and line in for my dryer. BUT you can see the water from it - as in the water that rises when a hurricane visits. So I am almost guarantee you that the first real hurricane of the season will be the month after we close on it if we get it. It's ok as long as I'm mentally geared up for that. It's not like we'll have had time to buy furniture for the thing. I'm still not entirely sure what is on that moving truck since we sold and gave away so much stuff including furniture. It will be like Christmas when we actually do get to open that truck and boxes.
In all it's having a real shower I miss the most. The shower in the camper is good to rinse but not enough water comes out to actually de-soap or de-shampoo so we a trek down to the public bath house for showering. Besides if your use the camper one then you have to empty out your grey water tank that much faster and I'd have to find somewhere else to put my dirty clothes hamper. Some camp grounds have nice laundry and bath houses. This isn't one of them. But it's cheap, it's on the water for fishing and on the beach for swimming. Priorities, people, really. who needs clean clothes and bodies when there is salt water to be in?
I thought it would be washer and dryer I missed most and those are a close second. I'm almost to the point where I think I don't need a dishwasher - it's kinda nice having the dishes washed, dried and put away without having to empty the dishwasher hours later and sort clean vs dirty dishes. I do miss counter space and wish I had a full size dish drainer not the 'it looked good at Ikea' wall one that isn't intended for any of the dishes sizes we have. Not having a washer/dryer or storage space to store dirty clothes it's dramatically changed my view on clothing - every day they need clean underwear. Aside from that, if it isn't visibly dirty or smelly it can be worn again. Some of the family are better at staying cleaner than others. Especially when there is salt water and sand to be digging in.
Got school work done and spent the afternoon at the beach. Larry and the boys spend the night hours fishing. We are having fresh caught shrimp tonight for dinner. He's been spoiled living here at the beach - all the fishing, shrimping, crabbing and clamming is just a short walk away.
I'm re-thinking most of my earlier curriculum choices and now that I have a post office box I can actually get mail.
That was an unexpected frustration in this whole move- when you move without a forwarding address you can send it to "general delivery" at a main post office at your new town. Well.. I choice Camp Lejeune. But apparently I chose the wrong main zip code because when I got there they didn't have any mail and had to look up where it was actually sent- which is downtown Jacksonville.
And while using the term 'downtown' is really a stretch here. it's definitely out of the way and hard to find. My GPS is totally unable to find it and insists it's in Jacksonville, Florida. (sigh, technology)
And when we got there to get the mail, I ask, can I get a PO box? and the answer is " you need proof of physical address- registration, drivers license, lease, etc" to which I looked at him and said "if I had that I wouldn't need a PO box" And he tells me 'oh, that's ok, you can have it sent general delivery for up to a month" so which I reply "it's already been 3 weeks." he says, well, as far as concerned, it started today." gee, thanks.
So this goes on a few weeks when I go to the base post office (the one that didn't have our mail) to cash in a money order (long sorrid story of shipping a car going sideways) and ask them, can I get a PO box? I brought a copy of Larry's orders knowing that usually gets us far on base. Sure, he replies and hands me the same form. I start filling it out and hit the same "physical address" part and instructions that I need 2 proofs of physical address.. and look at him and say "this part is a problem" He says "what's your husband's unit, put that there"
Seriously, that's it?
That's it.
I have a copy of his orders..
That's fine. I don't need them.
Oh glory day.
On to update addresses for all things like bank statements and credit cards...
So I can get the mail actually delivered, hopefully.
The other rather unexpected part in this is that when you use your credit card at the pump and it tells you to put in your zip code... it's hard to remember it. In a military town I don't get too many crazy looks when I have to pull out my phone to look up my address and zip. Usually I just say "we're new, I'm having a hard time remembering it"
We bid on a short sale house. It's a lovely house and we have absolutely no furniture to put in it. Almost absolutely, practically speaking. It's more house than we need. But it has all hard wood floors and I really like that idea. PLUS it has washer/dryer hook ups. And a real size kitchen and fridge. Another huge bonus and it probably wouldn't be TOO hard to put a gas tank and line in for my dryer. BUT you can see the water from it - as in the water that rises when a hurricane visits. So I am almost guarantee you that the first real hurricane of the season will be the month after we close on it if we get it. It's ok as long as I'm mentally geared up for that. It's not like we'll have had time to buy furniture for the thing. I'm still not entirely sure what is on that moving truck since we sold and gave away so much stuff including furniture. It will be like Christmas when we actually do get to open that truck and boxes.
In all it's having a real shower I miss the most. The shower in the camper is good to rinse but not enough water comes out to actually de-soap or de-shampoo so we a trek down to the public bath house for showering. Besides if your use the camper one then you have to empty out your grey water tank that much faster and I'd have to find somewhere else to put my dirty clothes hamper. Some camp grounds have nice laundry and bath houses. This isn't one of them. But it's cheap, it's on the water for fishing and on the beach for swimming. Priorities, people, really. who needs clean clothes and bodies when there is salt water to be in?
I thought it would be washer and dryer I missed most and those are a close second. I'm almost to the point where I think I don't need a dishwasher - it's kinda nice having the dishes washed, dried and put away without having to empty the dishwasher hours later and sort clean vs dirty dishes. I do miss counter space and wish I had a full size dish drainer not the 'it looked good at Ikea' wall one that isn't intended for any of the dishes sizes we have. Not having a washer/dryer or storage space to store dirty clothes it's dramatically changed my view on clothing - every day they need clean underwear. Aside from that, if it isn't visibly dirty or smelly it can be worn again. Some of the family are better at staying cleaner than others. Especially when there is salt water and sand to be digging in.
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