It's been a fun week. We've had rain every day which makes me think that I need to find some rain barrels... my husband reminded me today that I'm to do the research and he'll provide the man-power and go pick them up... Although, I am quite capable of having someone else load them into the minivan... Smile nice now, jen.

Tonight we had dinner at the Colombian--quite the yumminess if you like Spanish food and sangria. Our nice waiter gave me 4 extra little plastic bulls--they come off the top shelf Sangria wine from SPAIN. Leave it to the Spaniards to put a plastic bull on a bottle! Ole! I read about Picasso last week and his liking of the bull fights and how it symbolized masculinity. Hemingway also had a thing for the bull fights... and fishing. Ted was going to get a babysitter tonight for our 3 crumbcakes but I said--it would be cheaper just to take them with. A kid's meal is $4.95 and the babysitter is $40. So we brought them with. We mostly discussed Jack and the Beanstalk and all the symbolism. Once again--back to that man-hood topic.

This week we are doing--10 days to multiplication Mastery. Yes, learning those times tables once and for all??? I'm hoping so. I'm hoping it'll give the boys a little head-start when we start all our homeschooling in a week or two. Lulu has been out of this game since she's officially starting K this year. Really she'll be in the first grade since she did the Kindergarten curriculum last year at age 4.

Tomorrow OBama is going to be in town giving a HYPE speech at my old high school--Gibbs High. It's a primarily black school. I went there for the Art magnet part and the advanced and AP classes. Otherwise the regular kid classes were a ZOO. And that was way back when... Can I say anymore about the state of education in FL. It is as horrible as everyone says. That's why we are homeschooling. Homeschooling is about one of the only things that is RIGHT about America. It defines the American spirit--of CHOICE and ownership of your own feats and failures. The government doesn't have to be responsible for me or my children. Wow, what a breath of fresh air. I don't want any government programs--let me have my rights as an American and stop trying to give away MY rights to prison detainees and ILLEGAL immigrants. I don't want an INTERNATIONAL court influencing American judges---yeah, I know I'm like 10 + years to late for that...
Oh, American rights--doesn't mean give me free health care, drugs, education... just give us nice roads to drive on and stay out of business--especially banking, oil, gasoline, etc, etc... And if i was running for president--I'd say flat tax of 10% for all Americans--richest and poorest. So what are we in 1984 or a Brave New World? How many Americans are on prescription mind altering drugs? Time for a soma vacation?? I know I'm rambling... it's the Sangria!! (get the top shelf... Colombian at the Pier in downtown St. Petersburg... )

Do you remember when blue jeans and rock and roll were fighting communism?? Now our rockers and movie "stars" are supporting--let me rephrase that--EMBRACING--socialism. Germans living in Communist East Germany would do just about anything to get a Beatles record or a pair of Levis. That wasn't that long ago. Wow, now we can get a maniac messiah-like speaker who promises the world and who will really give us nothing... wake up America! Obama in Germany last week was promising that we'd fight with the Europeans to end TERRORISM. How do you suppose he'll do that? How are we going to fight terrorism?? Now the Madrases that train terrorists did just that in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Congo, the other-stans, Syria, Lebanon, the middle east in general, Indonesia, etc... our own backyards--Uhuru in St. Petersburg. So how is Obama going to promise the EU to fight terrorism when all he wants to do is get out of Iraq. Iraq--good, bad, ugly... the fact is that we are there and when we leave--there will be a vacuum of power. Someone worse than Saddam Hussein--more brutal, more oppressive, more evil will take over--that's just what happens. Again, all the "good" Arabs--who have supported American troops in their nation will be murdered. Something just isn't right about this whole situation. We can't leave the defenseless to die--to be slaughtered. It's happened once before--GB SR and the first Gulf War. So Obama what are you promising to the Iraq people? Say whatever you want--if you get elected you won't be pulling the troops out--you won't be able to--once you get the full story, the top secret briefings==you know that your hands are tied just like the last guy.

A Beautiful Outing

Fishing was a lot of fun! The boat worked smashingly, weather was good and mostly acceptable--a little rain, I caught two fish, the kids caught a few, we swam to Eggmont Key from the boat, we enjoyed the day.  I'm showered now and a sunburned in places that I didn't get the sunblock applied.  I'm exhausted even after a post-fishing nappy.  It's a good way to end a day--slightly sunburned, ready for bed, maybe a little relaxation before turning out the lights. 

Going fishing

One of my passions is fishing.  I started learning about 2 years ago when a friend asked us to go out on his boat for my birthday.  I don't think we actually fished on that trip--had a picnic dinner at Shell Key and my husband brought birthday cupcakes.  Still, it made me want to be on the sea.  Another trip ensued and fishing was the main activity.  I was hooked.  It was a mix of having a challenge and being one with nature.  I also liked being with the boys.  I admit it--I prefer being with a group of guys rather than the gals.  I'm one of those girls--whatever that means... So two years later and several books later, including, "Fishing for Dummies," we are out to embark in my dad's new used boat for our first fishing trip maiden voyage.  It should be exciting to say the least... since our first maiden voyage ended in being stuck out in the channel for an hour or so before a kind family towed us into shore.  We had water in the gasoline tank.  So what problem will we have today??? Hopefully none!  

I'm trying something a little new...

Hello and greetings to the people of the world... or the one of you who might ever read this!  I'm always thinking and thought this blog might be a good way to express those thoughts in my head.  I'm in my thirties and generally it's a time of self-inspection; a time to do or be done.  I'm trying to DO.  Sometimes I feel like I'm a caterpillar about to bust out of the chrysalis.  It's a birth process, a change to something beautiful and different.  Yet, I'm not quite sure what that change should be.  I've already got a full plate.  Yet, I feel the need to do something that might make a mark on the world.  I'm already mom, aunt, teacher, wife, artist, Christian... Yet these labels do not really define me or at least in the way that I was hoping for.  I guess I was hoping for something different.  Now I'm waking up to that desire... a desire for something more.