Wordless Wednesday: 16 Years of Pictures from This Blog

 

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16th Blogoversary Post

 16 years ago, George W. Bush was in the final days of his Presidency, Illinois Senator Barack Obama was about to become the 44th President of the U.S., the Chicago Cubs were nine months away from going 100 years without winning a World Series and a little blog called Home School Dad published it's first post, Why We Homeschool.

That little blog still exists, in fact, you are reading it.  Its name has changed since then and may change again, as I mentioned in my last post.

In the inaugural post, I answered the title question with 2 pictures and 7 words.  The words were: Three precious reasons: Lucy, Emma, and Charlie, and the pictures were of the aforementioned children. The post did not go into further detail but one of the main reasons why we home-educated our children was part of a concerted effort to build into our children a Godly character.  

Those reasons are all now adults and the youngest is 5 years removed from her last homeschooling, unless you count her Freshman year of high school where she was having school at home because of COVID. At the moment, all 3 of our children are at home until the youngest goes back to Champaign later this month.  

In the past few months, I have had sufficient opportunity to evaluate the character development of all our kids.  Each of my children has talked with me or my wife or both of us recently about individual issues they are going through.  I'd detail them here, but it wouldn't make it through the vetting process.  They are handling these issues in a mature and Godly fashion.  After we talked to one of them yesterday my wife reminded me that their response was a specific answer to prayer she had sent to our church just a few months ago.  I can also see the beginning of adult friendships taking place between them.  We just came back from a trip out East to a family wedding and most of the family squabbling was relegated to me and one of my siblings who accompanied us on the trip.  

I don't look back at our home school adventure as a qualified success.  However, on the 16th anniversary of this blog, I am glad to look back and see that God has at least used it to help meet some of  our purposes for it.  

Saturday Afternoon Monopoly

 My girls are passing this Saturday afternoon with a game of Monopoly.  

I figured this might be a good time to catch you, readers, up with my family

Emma FKA Bunny Girl is 21 now.  

She says Monopily is going good. She has two light blues an orange 2 railroads and a Brown. She is functioning as the banker,

Amy is still working as a School Bob Newhart/Psychologist.  She is doing real estate in the game and 1 monopoly 1 blue, 2 railroads,2 greens and a red.  She is currently in negotiations with L.J./Lucy FKA Wolfina/Puppy which have come to a standstill over the red and blue properties.

The previously mentioned LJ is a Freshman and has finally started live (hybrid) learning as a public school high school Freshman after being homeschooled for all of her middle school career and most of elementary school.  She has 2 reds, both utilities Boardwalk, and New York.

They are taking a break right now. All in all, it's a nice way to spend a Saturday as more snow heads our way.

Status Updates

The new school year is upon us, and I want to  share  what's new for each  member of our clan.

Dave 

I have been offered a job at a firm I used to work at before the whole homeschooling thing. It is entry level , and in order to bring Amy home(see Amy), I am going to need more than entry level money.  So I plan to wow them and get on the inside track as quickly as possible.  I also am pursuing freelance blogging and opening a content based blogging business as alternate income streams.

Amy and Bunny Girl

Amy started back at her school this week.  This is the start of her  3rd year at her current school, and the 6th since she returned to her  job as  a school psychologist.  Our hope is to get her back at home next year home schooling the kids as she did before I took over.

Bunny Girl starts school next week with the online Monarch program.  She volunteered at the library this summer and quite enjoyed it.  She is still a reading machine.

Spider Droid

Spider Droid is jumping in the deep end of middle school this year.  Since Amy and I will both be working this year, we have enrolled our 2 youngest children in public school for what we think will be one year.  It was a tough decision, and we are all still making our peace with it.  SD has been going to Camp Sixth Grade this week to get ready for the school year.  He did a lot of swimming and biking this summer along with a lot of reading and Minecraft.  He is not quite sure what to expect with the big change, but  we know he is up for the challenge.  

Wolfina

Wolfina isn't exactly having a cow about going to public school this year, but it is definitely outside the old comfort zone.  Inside the old comfort zone are howling, swimming, reading, howling, biking, writing letters, howling, drawing, cooking, and howling.  She was in her first theatrical production this summer and loved dancing,  singing,  and howling.

Next Time: COH

Bunny Girl Graduates from 8th Grade

Bunny Girl graduated from 8th grade two weeks ago.  4 middle school and 4 high school children from our co-op had a joint ceremony.  After the ceremony, the graduates all sent up balloons in to the air.  Post cards with the a graduation announcement and a favorite bible verse of the graduate were tied to the balloons.  

Bunny Girl's post card was returned to us a few days later.  

Bunny Girl's completion of 8th grade and her beginning her high school studies in the Fall are just two of many endings and beginnings to our family.  In the blog business, this is what we call a tease.  I will be telling you about some more of those changes in posts to come. 

Congratulations Bunny on your accomplishments and God's blessings in your adventures yet to come.

Friday Fragments: Kid's Update

It's Time once again for Friday Fragments.  Since I have not said a lot about the kids.  Here's  1 fragment a piece about them.

Before I do, let me just say that Friday Fragments, aside from being a part of your balanced breakfast is brought your way from Half Past Kissin' Time.  Click here for this week's installment.

Kid 1 -  Audition Edition

Bunny surprised us a few weeks ago when she showed some interest in trying out for a local production of Seussical: The Musical.  She worked hard  practicing her audition piece with my Mom.  I suggested she sing Suppertime from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown as she was often  singing it at home.

About  150 children auditioned for a cast that will be about 80.  Whether she makes it or not we are very proud of the effort she put forward.

Kid  2 - Army Surplus

Spider Droid continues to be very creative and 100% boyish.  Here is a video he made yesterday.  If you know any 8- 12 year old boys  who would like to watch this please send them the link on you tube.

Kid 3- A Puppyism

(OF COURSE)

Wolfina FKA Puppy was taking a bath a few nights back when Amy overheard this gem.  Apparently she had just finished washing her toes when she said:

"Step aside fingers there's a new cleanest body part in town, toes."

So those are my family of fragments for the week.

Fragments of rants, thoughts, and feelings.

Fragment 1: Stupid is a swear word in our family.  It is not a word that we want our kids to use nor  do we use it ourselves. It's a crippler.  And it's everpresent.  Consider these lyrics from the beginning of Book Report from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown:

"Peter Rabbit is a stupid book about a stupid rabbit who steals vegetables from other people's gardens."

Be that as it may, stupid things fascinate me.  I don't mean that I am fascinated by things that nobody else finds interesting.  That is true.  I am very random, and the oddest things do strike my fancy.  What I mean is the nonsensical things that people say and do fascinate me.  Nonsensical is a kinder gentler way of saying stupid.

Before, I continue with fragment 1, let me digress. This whole introduction to fragment 1, is a fragment to itself.  So let's call it a prefragmenace (part fragment part preface). 

At the 4th of July parade I described in my last post, I saw one illustration of the nonsensical.  It was a sign that a man was carrying in the above picture.  I have isolated the sign below.

The reason why I think this sign is stupid nonsensical is mainly because it doesn't make sense.  Voting independent will not end fascism for a number of reasons. 

Fascism is defined at dictionary.com as  a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

So A,  if the U.S. was a fascist state, this mans opposition  and criticism of it would be forcibly suppressed. 

B, our governments checks and balances and our current 2 party system and free elections  show that we have no dictator leading us. 

C, voting independent will not necessarily keep us from a fascist state.  Imagine a fascist running as an independent.  His plan to get in power and become a dictator. Voting independent in that case would actually put a fascist in office rather than remove one from office.

Fragment 2:  Not  all isms are Puppyisms.

Bunny Girl just walked into our bedroom and said that she was thinking and when she was done thinking she began thinking credits.   Then she walked out. 

Fragment 3: Obligatory heat wave post.

It's been hotter than heat itself for the past week or so.  It is 10:30 at night and the temp have finally dipped to 85 degrees.  It was 104 at 3:00 when we left the swimming pool  I am not sure how I feel about these real feel forecasts.  It is 85 now, but it feels like 95.  Who cares how it feels? What's next  if were at work at 2:00 in the afternoon but it feels like 5:00 in the afternoon, are we supposed to leave for the day?  It's anarchy I tell you.  And if there's anarchy, can fascism be far behind?

For more fascism free fragments head back to half past kissing time. 

Our Summer So Far (In Fragments)

We have been up to a lot already this summer.  Today I thought I would express it in fragments.  Videos and photos of the first few weeks of the summer.

Fragment V1  - Spider Droid Shoots and Jumps

Fragment P1 -  Bunny and Dad Bike

Fragment V2 - Kite Flying Fun

Fragment P2 A Hike in the Woods

Fragments P3 & V3  - Puppies and Dolphins Unite

Fragment P4 - Volunteering at an Outdoor Food Pantry

Fragments P5 & V4 - More Fun at the Pool

That is all the photos and footage I have for now.  Hope your summers are fun also.  For More Friday Fragments stop over at Half Past Kissing Time.  

Take A Hike

Yesterday we went on a hike. Besides swimming and biking we are trying to take a hike once a week. Yesterday we went to Raceway Woods, which was a speedway in my town in the 50's and 60's and the remains of the racetrack now make a number of great trails.

I made Bunny Girl write a post about the hike. Her blog at homeschoolblogger wasn't coming up so I had her write at old blog. I decided to lead by example. and post about the hike as well.

This picture was posed. I actually had everybody turn around and hike back to me. It was either that, a picture of their backsides, or me running up to catch them.

The view from the top of a broken bridge

Pandora and other Fragments

It is time once again .  Yes Half past Kissing Time and time for Friday Fragments. 

1.  I heart Pandora.

I have a very eclectic taste in music.  Show tunes, Pop, Rock, Christian, folk, country.  You name it I like it.  I don't even mind listening to many genre's at the same time.  That'w why I like Pandora.  I have about 50 different channels and when the mood strikes me, I hit the shuffle option and get my eclectic on .  This is what I am listening to right now.  I can go from that to Under The Sea from Little Mermaid.  (Which, incidentally just happened.) From there maybe Bowling For Soup or Barry Manilow to Bing Crosby or Puppy's favorite, JJ Heller.   This musical journey may contine with music from Journey or the musical saga may continue with The Saga Begins by Weird Al.  Like I said, eclectic.

Sure, I could do and  do the same thing with my IPod and Itunes.  But, the songs I listen to, I have to own.  With Pandora it often plays songs I not only don't own but am sometimes not even aware of.  I just listened to 5 O'clock world by the Vogues from my Beach Monkeys(Beach Boys and Monkees are the seed artists)  channel on Pandora.  I may have heard it before on an oldies stattion but I would never be able to ask for it by name.  That's why I like the music genome project employed by Pandora.  It takes what you like and plays music similar to it.

2.  A to Z coming soon.







Earlier this year I joined up for the A to Z blogging challenge for this April. March is 1/2 way over and I hope I am up to the task of 26 letters in 30 days. We get each Sunday off except the first Sunday, which is the first of April. It seems a little NABLOPOmish to me. Click here to review my love/hate with Nablopomo. I don't have a theme or even a plan yet. But I do have a little inkling of a system. I love systems, so it may still work.

Here is a cool promotional video for the event.



3.  I owe I owe so back to blog I go. 

I am so behind in my blogging for promotional items  I have received.  There is a math program that Spider Droid and I used last month that I need to write a review of.  There are almost a half dozen books I received that I owe reviews for.  Hey I think that's a good future Friday Fragment post!
I also owe the host of Home Spun Juggling a review of her fabulous book of cartoons. 

Bunny did  her own review of this fine Tome of Homeschool wit and wisdom.  So in lieu of my  review here is a link to hers.  Hopefully, I'll catch up soon.

4. It's not a test, it's Iowa

Did you ever take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills? I did a few times as a kid.  I really enjoyed it, because it was a day or 2 off from the routine of regular school.  I also brake for scantron.  Next week I will be proctoring an Iowa Test for a bunch of home school kids.  Spider Droid and Bunny will be among those taking the test.  I will spend the next few days of school just getting them  familiar with the world of testtaking in a classroom setting.

I'm not out of fragments but I am out of time.Click here   For more fun filled fragments of Fridaytude.

Thanksgiving Fool

Where are the Birds? A Puppy and Bunnyism

I am sitting here at the library using the computer and voting for the HSBA Awards. (Vote for me in funniest blog and best home school Dad if you have not already by clicking here. Puppy is at the computer next to me playing Club Penguin. After Puppy picked up some videos to check out, she started watching Bunny play. That is how I overheard this conversation.

Puppy: Where are the birds?
Bunny: What birds?
Puppy: The birds you are going to destroy.
Bunny: Oh (Puppy's real name) Kill two birds with one stone is just an expression.

Oh well. Just had to share that. Now back to my HSBA voting.

Sunday's Cool: Bunny Circus

Sunday's Cool

A Link Up & A Look Ahead

A Link Up: In September and October when I was all but an absent figure in the blogosphere, I was also not pushing my children's presence there. Now that things at the Izola Becker Home School or more or less to back to normal, I hope my kids will get back to blogging as well.

On Friday, Bunny Girl wrote a post about our trip to the Circus. You can get to that post my clicking on the picture of the 12 year old ringmaster or by clicking here.

A Look Ahead: This week I plan to blog about birthdays. My son's that just passed and a birthday my late brother would have loved. I also will be working on the Carnival of Homeschooling that I will be hosting on the 16th of this month.

Next Time: Birthday Training