My Own Thoughts

Originally written 21 September 2003. The number one cause of trouble/arguments in marriage is money. Money. Money. Let me say that again, in case you missed it. Money/cash flow/budget/spending is the number one source of discord in marriages in the US today. There's a reason for that. Our lives revolve around money. Work to make [...]

I was looking for a site which actually gives the study about money being the number one problem in a marriage, but I didn't find that. Instead I found suggestions and scary stories. These follow. Marriage and Money 101 on Kiplinger.com is about the necessity of discussing finances before you are married. I am not [...]

There is a fascinating discussion of education going on at Mrs. DuToit's. I read the whole thing and commented. But sometimes when you have so much to say, you want to post your own. So here it is. My comment: As a homeschool mother, a private school teacher, and a public college teacher, I think [...]

I am feeling very mushy right now. I want to go cuddle with my hubby and snuggle. But he's upstairs watching TV (which I don't enjoy much) and I'm down here. I was reading a book. Now I'm blogging. I don't know why I am in a mushy mood. There was a mushy song on [...]

Today I was planning on talking to the head and saying, “I feel as if I am being barraged from all angles and there is no relief. I am not the parent. I can't be the parent. I can't even be “the teacher” like a homeschool parent is. All I can do is tell them [...]

I put one copy of Hospital Calls up. Two showed up on my blog. When I tried to delete one, both went away. I was unable to remove either one from the trash. I am seriously considering moving. Even though I may have to pay more. This is just getting to be too much trouble.

Today I have gotten two phone calls about people in the hospital here in Houston. Considering I know just about no one well enough to be aware they're in the hospital, that's a bit amazing. One phone call was from C telling me his wife M is in the hospital. We were hoping her not [...]

No, not mine. I got a call from an admin up at the college. “The parking at your campus will be non-existent today due to a party scheduled there. Do you want us to call your students and cancel class?” I talked to the admin for a while and then said, “I guess we could [...]

When we all started getting married years and years ago, we agreed to a simple Christmas/Thanksgiving plan. We would go to in-laws for one holiday and our parents for one holiday and then switch the next year. We've all been doing that for years. Except my youngest sister. Her husband somehow (on purpose) always manages [...]

Where I live now no one is on time to church or parties. If you are invited over to someone's house, you show up 15 minutes late. If it's a party, you show up even later. I don't remember this growing up. We were always on time everywhere. Is this lateness normal or fashionable where [...]

Reuters has a study in which 17th and 18th century passages, referring to nice guys and cads were read. Then college age women were asked whether they would marry or have sex with the guys. Most appeared to say they'd marry the nice guys and sleep, short term, with the jerk. This, says the authors, [...]

This article discusses a survey done for HSDLA which involved 7,306 adults who were homeschooled. People worry about socialization for homeschoolers. According to this survey, that's not a big deal. Homeschooled adults are involved in community service at a rate of 71% as opposed to the 37% for the general population. Of those who are [...]

It's October. If you live in the Northeast US, it's been like that for months. But I live on the gulf in Texas. It's hot as all get out here normally. But it's going into the 40s tonight. I am so looking forward to that. I hope it stays cool tomorrow. I'd love to be [...]

We don't have the money, so it sure won't happen anytime soon, but I've been dreaming about furniture changes in my house. I would like new sofas. I don't think I've ever had a new sofa in my life. I've only bought one sofa in my life. That was used. All the other sofas I've [...]

It's not because I have nothing to say. It's because I can get to the home page for my blog and then I can't get past it. That has happened several times this week. Don't know why. I will say I didn't try yesterday, though. So maybe something got fixed between Wed and today.

Because I loved the idea, which came from Kelly, Alan, and Annika, I am going to tell you 100 things you never knew you wanted to know about me. 1. I went by my middle name all my life because first names are “family names” in my family. My brother, my dad, my grandfather, and [...]

An interesting post from a monitor of German news. They are moving away from the educational objectives the German government fashioned after WWII and moving back to something else. I knew that already from a different post which said that most young Germans think the US orchestrated 9/11. Also, there is a book out in [...]

I handed out midterm grades on Wednesday of last week. Most people took their report cards home today, but my students already knew what they had. What I found hilarious, and telling, is that normally I have between five and eight people turn in the regularly scheduled extra credit work. Over the weekend 24 of [...]

Rumor has it that this season the flu is nasty. Many people who don't normally get a flu shot are getting one. I heard that this flu is so contagious you can get it from someone who's got the germs. They don't have to sneeze on you or anything. Just breathe near you. I was [...]

I had a student drop out of English 3 (10th and 11th grade English) today because it was too much work. It was too much work. In eight weeks we did exactly two chapters of grammar and six chapters of vocabulary. We did actually make it through 150 pages of the lit book. (Which is [...]