1.  salad dressing of choice...................blue cheese

2.  Favorite sit down restaurant...............Uno Chicago Grill  (love their pizza skins)

3.  What food could you eat for two weeks straight and not get sick of..............seafood of any kind.

4.  What are your pizza toppings of choice............hot chicken, shrimp, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms

5.  What do you like to put on your toast............butter, lots of butter.

6.  How many televisions are in your house...............3

7.  What color cell phone do you have..............silver

8.  Right handed or left handed.............writed left handed, do everything else right handed.

9.  Have you ever had anything removed from your body.............moles, wisdom teeth, babys, fat

10.  What is the last heavy item that you lifted................80 lb bag of mortar mix

11.  Have you ever been knocked unconscious................in a fist fight when I was in college.

12.  If it were possible would you want to know the day you were going to die............definitely not.

13.  If you could change your name what would you change it too..............Elizabeth.  I have always disliked my name.

14.  Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000.00...............sure, I once did it for $5.00

15.  How many pairs of flip flops do you own................3

16.  What is your goal for the year................grow closer to God, my husband, and my children, in that order.

17.  Last person you talked to ..................Matthew.  (that's not hard since we are home alone together.)

18.  Last person you hugged...................Matthew again.  We are always hugging.  I think he loves his mother.

19.  Favorite season.............fall in central New York.  I love the colors and the feeling that God is putting everything to bed and to rest for the year.

20.  Favorite holiday...............it is a toss between Christmas and the whole Easter season

21.  Favorite day of the week................Saturday.  MK is home from school, Ian doesn't have to work, Matthew has no school.  We can all be home together.

22.  Favorite month..............October, it contains all of my favorite sights and sounds and smells of the year.

23.  The first place you went this morning...............to my rocking chair to say my morning prayers. 

24.  What's the last movie you saw...............The Bourne Ultimatum, Matthew wanted to watch all three Bourne movies this past weekend

25.  Do you smile often.............yes, as often as I can. 

26.  Do you always answer your phone..............not during school hours and not if the number isn't identified.

27.  It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?...............I have no clue and dread seeing it.

28.  If you could change your eye color what would it be.............I wouldn't, they are brown and my husband once said that he liked them that way.

29.  What flavor drink do you get at Sonic...........never ate at Sonic, there aren't any around here.

30.  Have you ever had pet fish............two ten gallon tanks full right now.

31.  Favorite Christmas song.............Carol of the Bells

32.  What's on your wish list for your birthday..............don't have one.

33.  Can you do push-ups................nope and no desire to

34.  Can you do a chin-up...............nope and no desire to do that either

35.  Does the future make you more nervous or excited.............excited to see what comes of the lives of my children

36.  Do you have any saved texts or messages.............nope, no need

37.  Ever been in a car wreck.............once and that's a memory that I never like to visit

38.  Do you have an accent...........depends on who you ask

39.  What is the last song that made you cry.............I think its called "If you're reading this" by Tim McGraw

40.  Plans tonight..............supper with my husband and sons, finish schoolwork and then blessed sleep (maybe)

41.  Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom............more than once

42.  Name three things you bought yesterday..............don't shop on Sunday.

43.  Have you ever been given roses............yes and it happens so rarely that each time is memorable.

44.  Current hate right now............don't have any

45.  Met someone who changed your life.............my husband and my seven children

46.  How did you bring in the New Year.............spent the evening visiting with friends.

47.  What song represents you...............My family would probably say the theme song from Veggie Tales

48.  Name three people who might complete this...............don't know but seeing is half the fun.

49.  What were you doing at 12AM last night.............either sleeping or coughing.

50.  What was the first thing you thought of when you work up..............."wonder what time it is?"

 There has been some talk lately about homeschooling on Xanga.  My son, P_Obrien, wrote a post concerning this topic, which you can read here, http://p-obrien.xanga.com/the innocents.  I would like to put in my two cents from a parents point of view. 

This is not the original reason why we homeschooled our children but it became an overriding reason as the years went on and, as I get older and witness more and more of what the world has to offer to these young people, it becomes, for me, more and more of a compelling reason to keep your children at home and school them, not only in academics but in life.  

Early on when people became aware of the fact that we intended to keep our children at home, one of the most oft expressed concerns was socialization.  At the time I was at a loss as to how to explain away other's concerns.  In my heart I somehow felt that this wasn't going to be a problem, after all we were going to have a large family and there is always plenty of socialization going on in a large family.  Also, with church and community activities that we were involved with as a family I felt that this concern was unfounded.  Sure we knew other families in our area who were homeschooling for the very reason that they wanted to isolate their children from the influence of others and were insulating them and keeping them exclusively at home.  But this family isn't like that and surely wasn't going to become like that.  But still, as these concerns were voiced over and over I wanted to have a well thought out and intelligent answer to give.  Perhaps my pride entered into this, I didn't want to sound unqualified to teach my children either.

Now I have only one answer to those who ask about socialization when speaking about homeschooling.  Of course I'm not asked anymore since my youngest is 17 and is obviously well socialized, but when discussing the topic in general terms, I have only one answer to give;  forget socialization, formation is far more important.  Socialization is something that comes along naturally. 

What do I mean by formation?  Formation, from the point of view of a parent and a Catholic parent at that, is raising your child in faith.  It is molding their thoughts, words and deeds so that they conform themselves to the image of Christ.  Sounds like brainwashing?  Well maybe, but isn't that what all parents do?  From the earliest days of childhood when you tell them "no, don't touch that" you are molding the thoughts, words and deeds of your child to conform to something.  To some idea you, as a parent have to what is right and good behavior.  By allowing certain books, movies, games, and friends and not allowing others you are saying that these influences are okay with me and these others are not.  By supplying the reasoning behind your decisions, as they get older and able to more fully understand, you are supplying them with the power to take your teaching and apply it to situations where you aren't present. 

As a Catholic parent I simply add the teachings of Christ through the Catholic church to the mix.  I add a prayer life, the learning of, preparation for, and the frequent reception of the sacraments to the reasoning behind all that I tell my children is right and good or not at all acceptable.  And, since I am charged by God, and when I say "I am charged" I mean both my husband and myself, to be the first and foremost teachers of my children, it then only stands to reason that this duty not be relegated to the public school system, or even the Catholic school system or anyone else for that matter.  In other words, I take this charge seriously.

Have I let others influence my children?  Without doubt, try to keep it from happening.  You'd have to live in a bubble to avoid this from happening.  But up until their teen years this influence has been controlled and then it has been much discussed.  Even contact with close friends, although they may seem to have the same philosophy about child rearing, was greatly monitored.  A little example.  When she was younger, perhaps 11 or 12, my daughter stayed overnight with a friend.  The family has been friends since the mother and I grew up together.  The older girls wanted to watch the movie Titanic that evening and the mom called to ask in MK could watch too.  The answer was an emphatic no.  I asked if they could even hold off watching it until the next evening when MK wouldn't be there since I knew the house well and she would be able to hear the dialogue well from where she would be sleeping although she wouldn't be able to see the movie itself.  I was told that was ok.  Well, it turned out that the begging of the older girls prevailed and the movie was shown.  My daughter was subjected to the dialogue of a movie that my husband and I both would not only not let her see but I had to spend the next afternoon explaining things to my young daughter that I felt I should not have had to do.  The moral of that story; just because you are close friends with a family doesn't mean that their restrictions are your restrictions.  Ever after we changed the movie watching policy when they were away from home.  If we haven't seen it first the answer was no.  I went and got the child or provided an alternative from our collection. 

Can you protect them from everything?  No, absolutely not.  That is not the point.  The point is formation.  To form their conscience and their wills so that they have the tools and the strength necessary to combat what ills come along in life.  And if they fall, to provide them with the tools necessary to help them pick themselves up and start over again to serve God and begin again to strive to be what He expects of them. 

*Note:  This is not a statement that I feel all should homeschool their children.  There are those out there whose circumstances do not allow this to be.  This is merely a statement of what I feel to be a very important reason for keeping your kids home if it is something that you can do.  Obviously we are all trying to do the best that we can for our children.  Only God knows our intentions and what is in our hearts.

Outside my window........rainy, windy, and chilly.  But not cold!!!!  I guess we were due after all the sunshine that we had last week.  I'll take it since it will water my seedlings and make them grow.

I am thinking........ just as winter seemed to come upon us quickly and early last fall, spring seems to be coming upon us quickly and early.  We will see how things play out.

From the schoolroom.......silence.  I don't think Brett is even going to come today since I still have no voice and cannot seem to get this cough to calm down.

I am thankful for..........the warm sunny day that we had on Saturday.  For all of the things that we did together and all that we got done. 

From the kitchen...............pork tenderloin on the grill tonight with potatoes and broccoli.  I started marinating the pork yesterday.

I am wearing...........navy sweatpants, blue tee shirt.  Haven't showered and gotten ready for the day.

I am reading............Father John Laux's Church History

I am hoping............that my voice comes back this week.  No subs for my classes, too close to the end of the year and too much to finish up.  Do I make myself sound indispensible?

I am creating............beds in my garden and a three bin compost system.  My worms are supposed to come in the next two weeks.

I am hearing........the sounds of Ian getting ready to go to work and Matthew getting ready for the day.

Around the house............there's a lot to be done since I was lazy all weekend.  No work was done inside so it has all been left for today.  Laundry, floors, dusting.  That's okay, God sent me a wet rainy day to keep me inside.

One of my favorite things...........snuggling on the couch with my husband watching a movie.  Something that we indulged in yesterday which we haven't indulged in in a very, very long time.  Thank you Doug, I appreciate the TLC.

A few plans for the rest of the week............the usual rounds of classes and holy hours, to the lumber yard to get materials for my compost bin, pick up MK on Friday (I missed her this weekend).  Then work on my compost bin on Saturday.  My worms are going to need a home when they come.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you............(actually three pictures)

Ian has been working on putting tile in in the fields so that they will be well drained.  I love the way that he consults his father on what to do and where the old tiles are.  They are so much alike I couldn't help taking this picture.

Of course my husband cannot resist taking up a shovel and digging.  If there is work to be done he is the man for the job.  He would have stayed out there all night long digging that ditch by hand while Ian worked with the backhoe.

I had to take this picture of the lovely blue sky over the cab of the backhoe.  This is very unusual weather for March in NY.  You can just see the geese flying past the cab.  We have had hundreds and hundreds of geese, both Canada and Snow spending the evenings and nights in the pastures.  The Snow Geese are so white that they shimmer in the sunsets and the reflection of the light off the water that stands on the pastures.  I wish I could get close enought to take some pictures but they spook very easily.  But I carry the pictures in my heart.

Monday morning I woke up with a sore throat and a cough.  No big deal.  I have seasonal allergies and we heat with wood, both good explanations for that condition.  But by yesterday afternoon, not only did I have a VERY sore throat but I could not stop coughing and I had difficulty breathing.  I was still not alarmed since most of the kids in my Tuesday class had runny noses and coughs so it was bound to happen to me sooner or later. 

Then after coughing my way through the night last night and having to use the nebulizer every three hours so that I could breathe, I decided a visit to Dr. Jim was in order.  Oh, and did I mention that my voice has been gone since late Tuesday.  I don't mean just scratchy but gone, totally gone. 

This situation seems to be a matter of amusement to everyone that I have met for the past two days.  From the teller at the bank, to the town clerk when I went to pay the taxes, even the ladies at the cafe that we frequent in the town near ours when Matthew and I went out for lunch today.  (I had a desire for soup thinking that it would soothe my bedeviled throat)  I don't know why someone losing their voice is a matter for laughter but it does seem to be in this small town. 

Anyhow, I saw Dr. Jim and the diagnosis is an infection in my throat and vocal chords.  So until further notice, when the drugs are all gone, I am to remain silent.  Is this a difficulty?  No way.  As a matter of fact, as the lone woman in a house full of males, it is working out to be something nice.  They all have to quiet down and listen so that if I do speak they can be sure to hear what it is that I have to say.  My husband especially has to attend because he is hard of hearing and I cannot speak loud enough to be heard over all of the usual noise that goes with this busy household. 

So, contrary to the comments that have been made today, they won't be relieved to have me be silent, rather, I will be relieved to have a little silence for the time being.

I just received an email from my dad with a very interesting video attached.  I encourage all to watch this little clip.  It is not biased toward any person or political party it is merely educational.  It certaily made me angry anew at what is taught in the public schools concerning our American form of government. 

http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

Oh boy, Miss Jess, you know I cannot resist this one.

1.  What is your #1 comfort food?   It's a toss between Ben and Jerry's Pistachio Pistachio ice cream and my homemade chili

2.  If you were on a deserted island, what one food would you want to have with you?  Robert Mondavi's Pino Grigio  I think I could tolerate anything if I had a case of that.

3.  What is/are your signature dishes? (What dishes are you known for)   A.  Fettucini Alfredo     B.  My Marinara Sauce

4.  It's Friday night, you don't know what to cook.  You opt for.........    homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese

5.  What is your biggest weakness when it comes to food?   Shrimp, anything with shrimp in it.

6.  What food can you absolutely not eat?   Liver.  Can't eat it, can't cook it, can't look at it.

7.  You need a drink.  You grab a............  Alcoholic    Killian's Irish Red    Non-Alcoholic    lemonade

8.  What's the most decadent dish you've had?   If you're referring to sweets, I don't care for them.

9.  What's your favorite type of food?    Italian and Southwestern but I, unfortunately eat just about everything.

10.  Favorite dish?  Lasagna

11.  If your partner could take you to any restaurant you wanted, which one would it be?  One of Mario Batalli's

12.  Are you a soup or a salad person?   Soup in the winter salad the rest of the year.

13.  Buffet, take-out, or sit down restaurant?  sit down on the rare occasions that we go out I want to take my time and I don't want to be tempted by a buffet.

14.  What's the most impressive dinner you have ever made?  Baked Haddock in wine sauce, fettucini alfredo, steamed asparagus in hollandaise sauce, garden salad, raspberry cheese cake

15.  Do you consider yourself a good cook?  Not really but my family is impressed and that is all that matters to me.

16.  Do you know what vichyssoise is?  I knew it before I read it on Miss Jess's page.  It's potato soup, chilled.

17.  Who's your favorite TV cook?   Alton Brown

18.  Can you name at least three TV cooking personalities?   Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batalli

19.  Homemade or homemade from a box?   Homemade always.

20.  Name three or more foodies you are going to tag.......consider yourself tagged if you are reading this.

Outside my window..........it's dark and cold.  I hope that no more snow has fallen over night.  Yesterday morning we were surprised by a dusting of snow and it tried hard to snow all day long.  I think I'll wait and be surprised rather than go and turn on the light and look.

I am thinking.........I have to consciously force myself into a routine today.  MK is gone back to school and it's back to just Matthew and I.

From the schoolroom..........silence, obviously, since the day really hasn't started yet.  Matthew is upstairs finished with his workout, Ian is still in bed, although I hear his pager going off and Doug has gone to work.

I am thankful for............good friends that we visited with at our parish dinner yesterday. 

From the kitchen...........leftovers for lunch and supper.  I made too many pizzas yesterday so that's what's on the menu.

I am wearing............green flannel pj pants, grey Army sweatshirt and slippers.  Give me a break it's only quarter to six, I haven't even showered yet.

I am reading..........nothing currently.  I need to digest The Valiant Woman and perhaps reread a few parts.

I am hoping.........for a nice warm sunny day so that the seeds that I sowed last week can grow.

I am creating............gifts for friends who are having babies and a new pinafore for another friends daughter.

I am hearing.............Ian's pager going off, Matthew coming down to feed the fish and get his breakfast.

Around the house............everyone and everything is coming to life and beginning a new day and a new week.

One of my favorite things..........is the week just past and all of the time that MK and I spent together.  It was so wonderful to have her hear.

A few plans for the rest of the week.............the usual round of classes, holy hours, morning Mass, and schoolwork.  Along with laundry, meals, and keeping this place running and in ship shape.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...................

Mary-Kate taking a walk with her steer Horton.  This picture sums up totally my girl.  Animals and young children trust her and love her and would follow her wherever she would go.  She would never lead them astray.

Doug got home from work an hour ago and Mary-Kate quickly snagged him to help her get all of her heifers treated for worms.  It's that time of the year and it is not an easy job, although it is relatively easy with her animals since they are more like pets to her. 

First we have to say hi to Oreo.  He's not going to be getting a shot today.  I think he looks happy about that too!

First Mary-Kate lures them into the barn and then the stanchon  using a bucket of grain and a soft voice.  Very tricky.

Wait, I spoke too soon about it being relatively easy.  One heifer is being stubborn about putting her head into the stanchon.  So Matthew tries to bribe her with her favorite treat, turnips.  She takes the turnips but refuses to put her head in.

So Mary-Kate gives it a try.  Maybe a firm grip on the vegetable will help.  This is where my hands got cold and stiff and the battery died on my camera so I have no idea how this story ends.  I am sure that the farmers prevailed somehow though.