Aaaaand More Questions...

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I KNOW I'm asking alot of questions lately, maybe that is tedious to you, but that's just what's going on in my head. So deal with it because I've got a few more questions for you in this blog post. I'm going to avoid the bigger questions like WHY is Donald Trump seriously the Republican nominee for PRESIDENT of our country, Why do so many people prefer faith over knowledge, WTF racism?, why are there so many people on this planet, why can't we be kinder?, Why would ANYONE use drugs?, why do my ear buds disappear so frequently and Where the hell is my phone charger, and I'll just focus on some questions that you may have thought of, I'm not claiming uniqueness here, but that I'm thinking this morning.

I got up at 4am to take JD to the airport (he's flying out to visit some family in Arizona) and my mind has just been thinking about weird and absurd things that don't make sense to me. Most of these thoughts are of so little importance that the fact that I'm even bothering to write them down tells you how random my brain is.

Things like this: Why do we wear comfy jammies only at night? Why don't we have the sense to wear these loose-fitting, pretty, and soft garments all day long? Mine are pretty and very comfortable. AAAAAnd: Why are our stoplights red and green when so many people are color blind to red and green? Why are car colors so boring? Black, grey, white, silver, red. Is that really necessary? Of course there are the few greens, yellows, oranges, but there are so many beautiful colors available for cars, our highways ought to be rainbows!

Did you ever think how weird it is that we cry? When we're sad, water falls from our eyes. Or laugh? Why do we laugh? What actually makes us laugh? Human beings are weird and interesting. For example, why do we ask total strangers How are you? and they invariably reply I'm fine. Deviating from this social script is noteworthy.

Why have we, as mammals, decided that certain parts of our anatomy needs to be shaved (like women's legs) but leave other parts of our anatomy hairy (like arms and men's chests). Weird.

Autographs. Have you ever wondered why we get autographs from famous people? What's that all about? Don't get me wrong, I have a few autographs of famous folk myself, but just...what?

Couture. Just fashion. Why? What difference does it make to us if the lapel is wide or narrow? What if teal is last season's color? What did Jada Pinkett Smith wear to the gala? Who is endorsing this lip color? What kind of beings encourage such ridiculous trends and support such industry? But mostly, who do we not laugh at the people who offer such silly ideas for clothing and tell them to kiss off?

Why do cowboys so often wear plaid? 
Why is drinking alcohol OK but smoking pot is verbotten?
Why is our computer keyboard arranged this way?
Why is music on in the elevator?
Why do female superheroes wear revealing costumes?
Alternatively, why are we so weird about our bodies?
Why are eggs and waffles breakfast food rather than dinner food?
Why do we drive on the right side of the road?
Why do we get starstruck?

Why is it that when the kids are in the house they beg to go outdoors but when they are outdoors they beg to go inside?
Will there be some format of music purchase after the CD? Because I'm not buying it.
Why is there never anything to eat in this house? I feel like I live at the grocery store.
Why do we play the "I've got your nose" game with kids?
I don't understand why we laugh at videos where people get injured...I just don't get that.
Why does our family have to stay in budget but the government can have such a radically unbalanced budget?
Why are we supposed to be so loyal to A FLAG?

Not looking for answers...just musing...

 

My Friends' Music

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One of the neatest ways to get to know someone better is to share music. There have been a couple of times when a friend and I would sit and share favorite music. It is always fascinating and eye opening.

Last night my friend Kaleesha was over and she was kind enough to sit and listen to my love of Harrison Craig (an Australian singer who won Australia's The Voice several years ago). In return she shared some of her little-known favorites with me. I think our musical horizons were both expanded during this exchange. As I recall it was about o' dark thirty in the morning last night and we were both quite tired, but the music exchange was perfect for a middle of the night musical discourse.

And isn't that a beautiful thing?
Not long ago I was feeling very bored of my own music; I have a tendency to listen to beloved music over and over and over again. It's my way and I love it. But a moment came when I was open and ready to hear new things and it was during this period when a friend and I had the fun idea to make CDs for each other. Each of us filled up a CD with our favorite and most meaningful songs and included written descriptions of the songs and why they meant so much to us. It was wonderful, so much fun, and I felt like I gained a deeper love and understanding for my friend Mary.

In the spirit of TMI and openness, here are a few of my favorites right now and why they are favorites. This list is, in no way, all inclusive. Please share one or more of your in the comments, along with a youtube link of available.

• Kiteflyer's Hill by Edie Reader - I picked up this singer/songwriter by watching this first song on a TEDtalk. I love the beautiful and ethereal quality of Edie's voice. As for the song, I love the longing and the lost first love stuff.
• Demian Rice's Blower's Daughter - Another song that is both tender and longing. Ignore the movie scenes for better appreciation of the song.
• Song for You by Ray Charles - the last song I listened to with Dad just before he died, but I loved it so much before that, which is why he and I listened to it together that night.
• Choir Girl by Taylor Henderson - The singer in this video is covering the song during the show Australia's X Factor a couple of years ago. The original song was done in 1979 by an Aussie group called Cold Chisel. All of the people my age in Australia love Cold Chisel; they seem to be one of the top pop/rock bands of that era. As for the song, it is about a young woman going in for an abortion. Weird subject, but great song.
• Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins - it just reminds me of my sisters and how we longed for togetherness, so we turned this song in to a ritual song for the holidays. Also, the song was on the first LP that I had by Kenny Loggins and I listened to the album over and over and over again when I lived alone after I got my first apartment. It was wonderful.
• Turn the Page by Bob Seger - Just an excellent song. I listened to Bob Seger albums over and over and over again while I was in high school and in my early twenties. Truly the soundtrack of those days. This is just one of my favorite tunes. Include many other songs by Bob in this list though.
• Pahl Paeng Ee (Snail) by Cho Kyuhyun - One of the first Korean songs that Elizabeth shared with me. The lyrics are weirdly beautiful but Kyuhyun's voice is AMAZING. I've loved this song for several years now. About half of the views of this song on Youtube come from Elizabeth and I. Even if you don't read the lyrics just listen to Kyuhuyn's beautiful voice. Also stick around for the final smile in the last seconds of the video.
• Sail On by the Commodores - I have to include a song by Lionel Ritchie
• I'll Be There by the Jackson 5 - The Jackson 5 started with Motown and I had those first 45s. This song, as well as a few others by the Jackson 5, are truly the songs of my childhood. My sister and I would pile them up on the turntable and play them and sing and dance. It is a lovely memory. And very silly.
• You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me by Gladys Knight and the Pips - This was our first song at our wedding.
• Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson - The lyrics in this one are not about a romance but about a small infant that someone else got to parent.
• Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney - A song that is between Elizabeth and I. She is my beautiful-souled daughter; we always intertwine our fingers during this song.
• You'll Be in my Heart by Phil Collins - The song that I heard in the car on my way home from my gyn when I discovered that I was pregnant with a boy and I began sobbing on the highway with so much love for that little boy: a song for John.
• On My Own by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald - transitional song at a transitional time. I used to cry so hard to this song back in the eighties. I still love it; Michael McDonald's voice is like butta.
• A Different Drummer by Les Crane - This song is just one of the many songs on the Desiderata 8-track tape that our family listened to a thousand times. I loved every song on that tape. They were all kind of moody and groovy. 

I think that my songs reveal that I am sappy, emotional, backward looking, and a bit cheesy.

 

Craving

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Even though they are right here in my house, I still crave my children. Somehow I thirst for those cheeks, for their hand in mine, for the can I sleep with you, for the help me, Momma, for the tell me a thecret, for the bedtime reading, for the morning snuggles, for bathtime. I ache for arms around my neck, for baby beds and baby pools, for baskets of diapers scattered within arms reach around the house, for sippy cups and plastic-tipped spoons, for crayon drawings on the refrigerator.

Those years of bath toys under foot and colorful plastic dominating the dishwasher, I thought it would never end at the time. Now I long for that precious skin, for those tiny, pearly teeth, for hand holding, for toy boxes, dandelion bouquets, toy-sized shoes. I long for that tiny body with the head tipped up to face me. I long for the stranger asking What did he say? and we being the lucky ones who know what he said in that baby language.

How can I miss Legos all over the house? Piles of stuffed animals in every corner of the room leaving no place for anything else. Stickers on the bedroom door. Toys in the bathtub. How can I miss cutting up their food on those little plastic plates each day? Bringing food and drink with us every time we walk out the door. Kids falling asleep in the car seat as soon as we hit the highway. Fanned toothbrushes from little fisted hands holding them. How can I miss the sweaty, teary, snotty hugs? Cheap, colorful sheets with favorite characters on them. Nail clipping night. Piles of laundry waiting for me to get to it as I chose time with the kids instead of clean clothes.

Elizabeth and her beloved Pink Baby

Imaginary friends with interesting names: when was the last time she played with Ariel Copechert? Fairy stories. That sweet lisp, I love you, Thithy. Crayons on the couch. Popsicle on the front porch every afternoon in the summertime. Strawberries on the wall. Paint spattered on the kitchen cabinets from an attempt at "Modern Art". Forehead kisses. Playing in the laundry basket. Mispronunciations that I don't want to correct. Hiding behind the couch. Eyes so bright with excitement that they seemed to sparkle. Toothpaste in the sink. Little girl dresses. A child crawling up into my lap. A child sleeping on my shoulder. Well-baby check ups at the pediatrician. Playing bubbles in the sink. PBS shows, yes, even that one. Little girl dresses. Kids sneaking into my room at night. Pockets full of treasure. Pink Baby going everywhere with us. The only thing I don't miss is Playdough.

But I do, I do miss these things.
Does the craving ever end? 

I Don't Get It

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OK, just a few questions...no need for you to answer them. Just bear with me and my musings.

First of all, it's not fair and I don't understand it but why do men get more attractive as they age? Grey hair and wrinkles. It's just not right.

And another thing, why did they used to dye pistachios red? It was weird and your hands and mouth would stain and...it was all red. What was that all about?

Also, what freakish set of circumstances came together to make our presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton? What the hell, Folks? 
Is someone punking us?

In fact, almost everything political. Really? Is this the best we can do? Doesn't it seem like only untrustworthy people are seeking leadership positions in this country? Why is that? Just exactly what kind of satisfaction is there in having power unless to use it wisely?

And how can the so-called 1% not appreciate how their greed and avarice affects the entire country? They have tremendous opportunity to do amazing things through philanthropy and good works. How cool could that be? What sort of satisfaction comes from having so much? Doesn't it kind of lose its meaning after a few billion?

And did you ever notice that the word commence can mean to begin something or to end it?

Another thing. Is it just me or does it seem like some restaurants are unnecessarily dark? And why do restaurants play the music so loud? It's not possible to think or, say, talk to your friends when the volume of the music is so loud. 
Dang, I'm getting old.

One big question, why is the cup of tea that I make at home never as delicious as the pot of tea from a tea shop?

And think of this, the only reason the USA isn't using the metric system is because of hard-headed people who are unwilling to learn something new. The metric system is simple, intuitive, oh, and global. When will we finally embrace the metric system?

Another question: when I buy an ebook, essentially electronic pulses, why does that book cost so much money? 

Why are people so devastated about schools not teaching cursive handwriting? What is the big deal? Even though schools aren't focusing on cursive, I'm sure it will be back one day. It's just a different paradigm. And the pendulum will keep swinging; things change all of the time and our kids are all far better typists than we will ever be.

Also why and WTF is going on with heroin? Why is such a hideous and destructive opiate so popular? And knowing how terrible it is, why would anyone give it a go?

And what is the deal with almond milk? How do you get milk from an almond? And why is it so delicious?

On top of that, why does my cell phone autocorrect to ducking? Seems like flicking or flacking would make more sense, Autocorrect.

Plus, is it just me or does it help me drive better when I turn down the air conditioning blowing in my face? I think better and problem solve behind the wheel better when I turn down the AC.

And two thoughts and two questions about music. First, and I hate to repeat what so many others have said before me, but is the grocery store music starting to be really, really good? I'm loving it. And second, does the new music that the kids listen to all kind of sound the same? 
Is this one true just because I'm getting older?

A bit question: why oh WHY do my passwords have to be so freaking complicated? Capital letter, a symbol, a number, a blood sample, and a secret handshake. Sure, if my bank wanted such a complicated password it would be OK. But the book store account? My doctor's portal? My Walgreen's account. KISS OFF, all of you.

Another query: what is with all of the sequel movies? Can't they think of new and fresh ideas? Why all of the films ending in the word TWO? Where are the creative geniuses in the movie industry?

Question: The Kardashians? 

 

How can my sisters, Bren and Linda, and I be so different? Raised in the same home...I don't get it. 

And just why do I think that things should make sense? Life itself is a mystery. Surely life here on Earth didn't just spring to...life from non-life. But what? Where? How? Whaaa?

And one more thing, who first called our planet Earth?

Give me another 24 hours and I'll have an entirely different list. These were the questions that I found myself thinking about this afternoon as I was, again, at the grocery story. I had a few more questions but I can't remember them. It was a short trip to the grocery, but fear not, I have so many questions in my mind...there will be more!

Beautiful

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Beautiful things, beautiful people.
Have you ever thought about how attracted we are to beautiful things and beautiful people. 
I wonder why. Is there an evolutionary advantage to possessing beautiful things? 
Does a person with a beautiful face possess an evolutionary advantage?

Have you ever been around a really beautiful person? Isn't it weird how much of a buzz it is to be around a truly physically beautiful person.
It is more than the stereotype of how silly some men can act around beautiful women because women act different around beautiful people too. At least I do. I'm aware of it. It's not a sexual thing, it's like a buzz. It's like some kind of intoxication.

Imagine a beautiful face. We have to look at it; we can't look away. We begin to act giddy; we want to make the beautiful person smile at us; we want their approval or their attention.
I wonder why.

Some studies that I read tonight* as I studied this question suggest that when we see a beautiful face we assume certain traits about that person. We assume upward mobility, success, affluence, and a generally good life. Some studies further suggest that attractive people affect employers, politics, judges, police, people around them in places across the globe. Beauty is celebrated. It is privileged. It has power.

Evolutionary biology would suggest that beautiful people ensure the passing on of genetics by producing more offspring. I'm not at all sure that that truly happens, but an unspoken power exists for a beautiful person, male or female, estrogen or testosterone. Some people are willing to overlook a good number of unpleasantness of personality when a person is very beautiful. 
I wonder why. 

The other day we were talking about an old friend of ours who is truly beautiful. She possesses beautiful features and she's a lovely, accomplished human being to boot. The reason I kept thinking about this young woman was less about her features than about my own response to her. To beautiful people. I feel a strange euphoria around truly beautiful people.

Do you?
I wonder why.

* BTW, check out the links to some very interesting reading; each word highlighted is a different link!

A to Z of Atheist Homeschooling

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For a little bit of fun I am going to spend time creating an A-Z post with things related to Atheist Homeschooling, or to just homeschooling in general. I should mention that I'm watching Bob Ross painting some happy little trees at this moment, so I'm feeling super laid back...and in love with squirrels.

• A - Algebra: I've mentioned this many a time, but I'm definitely not a math lover and this can be a detriment to my kids with their skill-building. Both Elizabeth and John have far better math abilities than I do. Elizabeth, though, struggles with Algebra. Right now she is taking Intermediate Algebra at the community college. Her dad is helping her a bit today...and we have an appointment to meet a new algebra tutor on Tuesday.
• B - Books: Do most people have this many books in their homes? I wonder. I used to think I could never have enough books; I often told myself that little fib when shopping Amazon.com late at night. I know better now. You CAN have too many.
• C - Co-op: Although we are not active in a co-op at this time, time was the co-op was our entire life. It was our social, our classes, our friends, our down time. If I hadn't found our secular homeschool group I might have not been as confident as I am. I learned so much from those families.
• D - Documentation: As you know, different states ask for different documentation for homeschooling families. You can find out what is required in your state here on the HSLDA website.
  
  
• E - Expense: The amount of money that a family spends on homeschool is so unique from other families. I know of families that spend tens of thousands of dollars on science equipment, materials, books, lessons, travel, etc, and who have spectacular libraries and I know of families who are very frugal and find other ways to meet the needs of their children.
• F - Friendships: My kids always had friends from our co-op community, friendships that have been so special and in-depth. Oh and FIELD TRIPS.
• G - Grades? Totally unnecessary. Unless you want them, totally your choice.
• H - John Holt: GOOD reading.
• I - Internet: In-freaking-valuable. When I was a kid I'll bet homeschoolers had very little in terms of resources available to them. Today our children can find information and connections ad infinitum online.
• J - Joy Hakim: Her science and history books are priceless.
  
• K - 
• L - Library: FREE materials, excellent reading groups, art, magazines, games. I hope your community has at least one great library.
• M - Methods: Unit studies, Charlotte Mason, School-at-home, Classical, Unschooling.
  And yet, eventually, most homeschooling families develop their own method, a no-name, unique, personalized method.
  
• N - Nature. Rocks, clouds, animals, weather, stars, germs, dirt, flowers, insects, wind, creeks, caves, prairies, mountains, gardens, seeds, eggs, birds, zoos, farms, oceans, rivers, fish, minerals, shells, fossils, strata, the water cycle, nitrogen, all things anatomy, the atmosphere, oxygen, fungus, seasons, the moon, the sun, the stars, ecology, energy, feathers, snails, trees...
• O - Organization. Some families have special rooms, bookshelves, and file cabinets for their family homeschool. But most families that I know homeschool everywhere, every time, all over the place, no special room necessary.
• P - Pencils, pens, and markers: I can buy hundreds and hundreds of them and still not be able to find a decent one when I need it.
• Q - Homeschool quotes, I love them. One of my favorite by an Apologia science (LOL) is this one:  If the purpose for learning is to do well on a test, we've lost sight of the real reason for learning. OR this one by John Holt: What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world...to make it easier for them to get where they want to go and to find out what they want to find out.
• R - Record keeping: when I first started homeschooling the record keeping was a nightmare. Now the online resources make it easy and intuitive.
• S - Secular curriculum? Don't confuse secular with atheist because lots of publishers and friends will be willing to overlook lots of religion in their books...
• 
  T -Testbooks: I make no secret of it, I think that many of the homeschool books and curriculum are completely unnecessary, unnecessarily expensive, and not atheist enough for me.  :)
• U - University: There is no reason why a homeschooled child can't go to college. I think that many people say this to frighten us, but I guarantee you, colleges are hep to our youth.
• V - Volunteering, Mentoring, 
• W - What grade are you in? Erm....?
• X - 
• Y - YouTube and TEDtalks and Crash Courses and The Learning Company and all of the excellent free or affordable resources available online.
• Z - 

That was fun...kind of.
Still digging the happy little trees; you can put one where ever one lives in your little world. You decide.

Open and Out and Wanting to Say it Tonight

Encore+ Post

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If you are here from Google, or if you are looking for information about atheism OR if you are an atheist OR if you are looking for information about people who are atheists.

Welcome.

I am a full-on, no holds barred, non-agnostic atheist. The type that does not hold to anything supernatural. No devils, no destiny, no crystals, no chakras, no chi, no dream reading, no telepathy, no tongues, no candles, no singing, no spiritual warfare or end-of-times fears, no fasting, no prayer, no meant-to-be, no ashes and mumbled words, no need for intercession of any kind.  No spirits, no hell, no eternal reward, no eternal punishment, no afterlives, no auras, no foot massages or body work, no universal life force, no feng shui, no alternative medicine, nothing.

No ESP, no tarot, no spiritual connections of any kind, no supernatural power of any kind, nothing paranormal, nothing metaphysical, no angels or demonic beings, no ghosts, no vampires, no holy beings, no saints, no sinners, no tithing, no telling the future, no miracles, no astrology, no secrets or hidden things, and no need to figure out why a so-called loving deity would allow or create such pain and hatred in the world.

No special rituals. No special books. No special clothing, chants, incantation, laying on of hands. No internal powers, no esoteric knowledge, no herbs or spices, no substances of any kind. No factions. No divisions between different groups of non-believers. No honor killings. No secret societies. No systematic bigotry. No ancient language or esoteric history. No martyrdom. No children born to sin. No religious leaders guiding thinking, no religious wars, no religious crusades. No need for redemption. No prayer requests. No religious chain letters. No hidden beings. No prayer. No secret handshakes. No hidden leadership. No hierarchy, No hidden plans. No secret words to utter. No faith. No special days of the year. No more dumbing down. No secrecy at all.
 

Just the wonder of what IS.
And I DO mean the wonder.


It is an act of sublimity to look at our earth, at our solar system, at our cosmos and see it through the eyes of AWE, rather than through eyes that call it a miracle, finger-snapped into place by a deity.  Instead, the vastness, the magnificence, and the incomprehensibility of it washes over me like a sacred experience. I feel connected to it. I am a part of it. My children are a part of it. We are star stuff.  The wonder of that never ceases to move me.

Our family is very science-oriented, specifically astronomy. Our opportunities to see deep space objects, to follow the movement of planets in our solar system, comets, and other objects help to support the all natural paradigm. The beauty of the natural works is truly without peer.


Having rejected all religious dogma and all supernatural deities of all kinds, I can honestly say, the world makes sense! No need to rely on "faith" or to accept "mysteries" that defy logic, ethics, and integrity. 

I am an atheist.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

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The BRILLIANT Pokémon franchise people came out with an amazing product/app today that my kids are freaking out about. Pokémon GO! This app turns their phones into Pokémon catchers. They can walk along and capture the Pokémon in their paths. Every one of these kids has gone out walking at least two times today; one kid has been walking the neighborhood all day!

The Pokémon thing has been in my life for over twenty years now. Before my own kids, my stepdaughter was CrAzY about it when she was a little one. Today having my teenagers running around in such delight was so funny to me.

I can't explain exactly what Pokémon GO! is, you'll have to ask your kids about that, but suffice it to say that as we were driving along they were BEGGING me to stop along the side of the road so that they could run off and catch Pokémon in the area.

All I can say is KUDOS to The Pokémon Company. I can only imagine the cumulative franchise value with their innovative strategies for getting and keeping fans. Games, CARDS, clothing, manga and anime' books, merch, and about a zillion upgrades and apps. From WIKI:

Tajiri first thought of Pokémon around 1989 or 1990, when the Game Boy was first released. The concept of the Pokémon universe, in both the video games and the general fictional world of Pokémon, stems from the hobby of  insect collecting, a popular pastime which Pokémon executive director Satoshi Tajiri enjoyed as a child.

Players of the games are designated as Pokémon Trainers, and in the main series Pokémon games, these trainers have two general goals. These are to complete the Pokédex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where that game takes place; and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers, and eventually win the fictional Pokémon League.

For the uninitiated among us I'm going to attempt to explain Pokémon GO! to you. OK, so remember that little hand-held device that Al used to use in Quantum Leap every time Sam was in trouble? Ziggy was the name of the device and Ziggy had tons of information available and could do lots of things, right? Imagine if we could have had Ziggy on our phones right now figuring out if we were really making the best decisions from moment to moment. Wouldn't that be amazing? Oh boy!

For the kids, Pokémon Go! is kind of like that but what it does instead of figuring out the success of possible scenarios is identifying the location of imaginary pocket monsters (the word Pokémon is Japanese for pocket monster) on these anime'-looking maps of your location and allowing your Pokémon trainer to capture said monster in the phone. All pretend of course. Oh boy.

One amazing part of Pokémon GO! is that it is connected to the world through magic and Google Earth! And that cool feature allows it to include local buildings and landmarks on your child's phone screen as a location for collecting a pocket monster, or energy, or gems, or a variety of other cool imaginary stuff.

  Did that help?  

My kids LOVE Pokémon and I'm okay with that, but if you can avoid it with your kids at all, DO because my kids truly think they have to catch 'em all.  

Is This a Clickable Blog Title?

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The World Wide Web is freaking HUGE, isn't it?
It's overwhelmingly full of information and opinions and pictures and clip art and messages and online communities and advertisers and statistics and journals and news and sources for more news and people who want your money and games and time pass and time sink and debates and educational things and annoying things and...stuff.

 And then there are the blogs.

Every time you click onto a blog, you are opening yourself up to another person's thoughts, to their philosophies, to their biases, to areas of interest and of non interest, to their overt efforts, to their hidden efforts, to their deeply held opinions, to their unspoken desires, to their LIFE. It can be a bit overwhelming, really. I enjoy reading through the blogs when I have the time. I love following them from one to another to another and finding myself completely different from where I started. It's a reader's delight.

And a reader's nightmare! 

What to read? For how long? What will you give your time and attention to on a blog? How many "clicks" before you leave a blog? What is this writer trying to say? What are they trying not to say?  
Why should I read this? Are they entertaining? Educating? Supportive? Lame?  Full of shit? Full of wisdom? Does it make me laugh? Is the blog easy to navigate? Is it pretty? Does it make you feel empowered? Does it lose you? I have read dozens of posts on some blogs and no more than a few words on other blogs. Some blogs are wonderful places. 

Did you know that some bloggers really watch their statistics and strive for viral posts? There is now a science to blogging and the prize is to have the popular vote, many subscribers, and cash in pocket. Someone has created formulas for the perfect blog post. Others create click bait to get people on to their blogs. But none of that interests me much.

My favorite blogs are written by people that I think I would like to know in real life. I love it, really love it, when I hit on a blog that seems to speak to me somehow. I love it when something just "clicks" and I feel as though this person and I would enjoy a tea time together and, somehow, that doesn't seem freaky or stalker-ish at all. It seems bloggish, in a good way.

And now you are here reading this blog. Why? How did you get here? What are you looking for?  What interests you about blogs? Just curious. 

It's IRL me, only not.

 I'm glad you are here...really! Welcome!

As Time Goes By...

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When I think about blogging lately I am so aware that I genuinely have very little to say about actual homeschooling anymore. I'm trying because I think that some people who read my blog are looking specifically for atheist homeschool stuff...but I'm done with that.

My kids are older, our lives have changed, my focus is so different than it used to be just a few years ago, the way I spend my time, the energy I expend all goes in a different direction, it's just not something I can write exclusively about more about.

John is still in homeschool high school and Elizabeth is still in college and JD is still adulting sometimes...so I will still write about them because they are where my heart is. But there is so much change going on with me as the kids get older and less dependent on me.

.

.

And So, As Time Goes By...

I do plan on continuing to blog about my thinking and whatever I am processing. I completely expect many readers to fall away with this switch of content. I understand if you disappear. I hope you understand.

Peace.