Her Corn Stick

We had Iowa State Fair Corn Dogs for breakfast. And pineapple whip (which is basically ice cream).

We missed being part of the world record, but we did get in for free and that was a major bonus. We saw dancers, a demonstration bee hive, horses, doll houses, a stage show with cavity goons and a dentist wizard, rode the sky lift thing (yikes), and played in the fountains. All before noon, when we headed home and I fell asleep with the girls.

Good times these. We plan to go back to see the animals on Saturday or Sunday.

Also, I took this picture with my old camera. I didn't want to lug the new one around with me since I was wearing Blueberry on the front, a diaper pack on my back, and holding on to Lil'bug's hand in the crowd. I can tell the difference. Boy oh boy am I camera spoiled. :)

Also, thank you all for the kind emails and comments. I do feel better today.

Jammin' With The State Fair Jam

I did not even place, BUT the judges said all the entries were wonderful and met standards. That meant a lot to me. I entered jam made from Spring crop and fall crop always has more flavor- so next year's will be from a fall crop batch AND with raw sugar instead of all white cane sugar (required by this year's sponsors, gah.).

I got great feed back from watching the competitions. I learned SO much. I also got the chance to explain to Lil'Bug all about "winning":
"Mama, you didn't win."

"Kiddo, yes I did. I may not have the blue ribbon BUT I tried my best, I met all of the requirements, I followed through with my plan and actually entered my jam, I watched the judging, I learned a lot about food canning, and now we get to eat the jam!"

She looked confused.

"Sometimes you get to be a winner because you have a good time and learn new things. You like having fun and learning new things?"

"Well, actually, I like crowns too."

I grinned. She thought I'd get a queen crown for winning the fair? LOL.

Also, I plan on making Christmas gifts from our fall crop. Hope you local mamas like raspberries! ;)

Some Small Thing I Get Cranky About

Age segregation.

As in public school classrooms. As in "enrichment programs" at the library. As in homeschool co-ops.

Why do we group children based on age instead of intellectual ability? The easy answer is "emotional maturity" and I can totally see that with preschool vs. older elementary, to a point because of disruption issues. But I don't understand social promoting just to keep kids with their age group and likewise not grade skipping for kids who are advanced in studies. Why is it such a big deal for a kid to be 11 in highschool? Why do we worry over the 9 year old in the first grade?

Well, because kids will be cruel to each other. That is a huge problem, but I am pretty sure it is not related to age segregation. Cruelty is a product of home life and should be addressed as such instead of ignored or institutionalized.

Ah, but we are homeschooling. We get to avoid such annoyances, yes? No. We were excluded from several activities this summer because of an age cut off. Last summer we couldn't do the canoeing part of a field trip because of Lil'Bug's age even though she had been out on our canoe in bigger waters more times than many of the kids who did get to go. She had proven her ability to handle it, her maturity, and her interest and was still left out. Liability the park ranger said. Ok. But that explanation doesn't hold for the library activities. That's just based on assumptions about how most kids act. Lil'Bug can get excited and run about with the best of 3 year olds, but she also knows how to leave (I know when to leave when she doesn't) if she isn't interested. She has demonstrated civility in group situations. I just wish the world was not so restricted.

Spending time with unschoolers who do not age segregate most of the time is a solution, but only for social and self learning. She really wants to take these classes that her 5-6 year old friends are taking. It is not fair. I wish the classes would list abilities needed to participate instead of "ages 5-10".

Bad Days

Yup. I have 'um. And when the dark clouds descend they are terrible and fierce. I just want to hide. I have a headache, I have tons of work to do, and I still have children and husband to tend to (ie feed and wash clothes for). The world doesn't stop for me, but I want it too.

I am cranky about nothing. I forgot to thaw meat for dinner. My student loans. The bill from the hospital. Laundry detergent. There are not enough hours in the day and if there were more I'd just have more laundry to do. Tornado Tot just went through four of her five nice dresses and got grape Popsicle juice on every last one of them. My shampoo smells funny and doesn't work. I'm hungry and don't want to eat healthy food and there is no junk food in the house. None. What kind of twilight zone am I living in? Gah. See nothing. Nothing. Not a darn thing that I should be so upset about. But I am.