 Imagine this: You are in public, let's say, at the mall, or the salon. Or maybe you are enrolled in college courses. You go about your day, completely blind to those microscopic germs and bacteria that were on the:
Let that sink in for just a minute. Grossed out yet? Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps you are a germaphobe who washes your hands religiously. Perhaps you take it further and don't even venture outside your home. Or just maybe, you don't worry about the "big ones", like measles, mumps, chicken pox, Hepetitis, rubella, scarlet fever... Because your parents felt strongly about having you vaccinated. Yes, there are reasons to vaccinate, and reasons NOT to vaccinate. Rather than start a debate over the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, I'll limit this post to the title: Why we vaccinate. We vaccinate because there are increasingly more who do not. The rates of outbreaks, specifically mumps and whooping cough are on the rise. Meningococcal meningitis among public educational institutions are also increasing. We vaccinate to protect ourselves. Do we get ALL of them? No! The HPV vaccine is the one we elect not to recieve, and for good reason. The mere thought of cancer is somewhat debilitating. Knowing that certain strains of HPV have been linked to some cancers is... well, as scary as hell. But the thought of having a vaccine that was nothing if not forced into society through less than (my) satisfactory testing and studies. The alarm of increased risk with this vaccine has my red flags waving. Now is not the time for my family to be at risk for those who rightfully choose against vaccinating their children. We homeschool, we vaccinate. We made the choice that is right for us. Ciao! LaVonda
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Dear Readers,
I hope you have had some time to read over and digest my previous post "13 Reasons Why You Should Watch 13 Reasons Why". I hope that my words did not fall on blind eyes (because you couldn't hear them, you could only read them). Nevertheless, I told you I would be following up with second post and I had to take some time to digest how I wanted to approach it. Please keep in mind, I love my children with all of my heart and I've always told them to be a beacon of light for others. It is my hope that this story, while extremely personal, will be a light for others who have been in or are currently in situations similar to these. This is a true story.  Hello Readers,
Tonight, as I sat at my desk thinking about all the things I should be doing, I couldn't help but keep thinking about a post I seen on Facebook. It was the image you see to the left - a Netflix Original based off of a book. I've never read the book, but I found the title to be intriguing and decided to watch it. It wasn't until I pressed play and got about 3 minutes into the show that I realized something: This could be a tool for parents everywhere. Why wasn't this available sooner? After finishing the episodes - all of them - I found myself fighting my brain to piece all of the issues together and how to blog about it. Partly because it was such an informative and empowering show, and partly because it hit home in a way that I can't express right now. Due to my own course work in college, I had almost forgotten about the things I wanted to write about, when I came across another post today that got me thinking. The comment was something like: "... romanticized suicide and should be removed from streaming immediately!". I sat there with my jaw on the floor. Was this person serious? How was it romanticized? You'd have to live in a bubble to think that. Then I thought, OK, let me see if I can "make it seem" like they were indeed glorifying suicide. I could not. I analyzed it from top to bottom, front to back, and all points in between. What I did see being "promoted" was: drinking, bullying, dishonesty, revenge, anger, oppression, embarrassment, selfishness, and pure hatred. Suicide was merely an effect of those things. So, in attempt to provide a less narrow-minded point of view, I started making a list of reasons why parents SHOULD watch the show. Not because I like to cause a stink, but because it hit home in a way I hope none of you ever experience. Here they are! Hello Readers,
I come to you a very humbled woman today. Not because of my own issues, but because sometimes, seeing what others go through makes you truly appreciate what you have. I want to tell you about a woman and her son. No, he is not an only child. He has four siblings. He is an uncle. He is in First Grade. He has not always been a homeschool kid. But he wasn't pulled from public school for many of the reasons you might think: Bullying? Never Problem child? No way Education standards? Nope Spoiled? Heck no. Loved? Of course Cared for? You bet Lazy pancreas? Unfortunately Younger than three years of age, this little guy was diagnosed with diabetes. Since then, his life and that of his family was literally tossed up into the air. Throwing aside all other issues, the most important became keeping their son alive. Through heartache, lonely cries, and mounds of support, this family has become a beacon of hope for many other families who struggle with childhood diabetes. And no matter how difficult their journey has been, they have found a way to make the best of a bad situation. His mother elected to homeschool him because he is still too young to know what his body is going through and she hopes when he is older, he can return, should he choose, to a traditional school settings. You see, this little fellow has won the hearts of hundreds of people. His infectious smile and bright blue eyes make it hard to stay away. His eagerness to be involved is heart-melting, and his strength to battle through the numerous blood checks, ups & downs of sugar, and the fear of simply knowing he is not like others, is a tug at the toughest of hearts. Yet he perseveres. He knows the angels that encourage him to keep going. But little do people know about the lives HE has touched. Along with receiving hundreds of birthday cards from family and friends, to patches from local police, fire, and rescue departments, and around the country, he continues to remain a part of the public school life and the teacher he left behind. I've requested permission to post this about him, and his mother has generously allowed me to do so. Read on to find out just how wonderful they are! My apologies dear readers,
It has been a little bit since I've posted, but I do not want you to think it is because of you! You are GREAT! This has been one heck of a year and I need a time out! For instance, on January 9th, after a great day of homeschool and babysitting for a neighbor who just started to work the week before, I managed to break my fibula in two places, requiring a week-long hospital stay, a 2 and a half hour surgery, a steel plate and some bolts. Then, as if that weren't enough, my daughter calls me in frantic mode saying her husband of three months wants a divorce and has kicked her out (boy, he had us snowed!). Then, two days after she moves home, she has a sore throat and swollen glands. I initially thought it was her ear acting up again, and possibly strep... But that would be too easy.  Hello Readers and Passers-by,
It's been a Wednesday... all day. I'm feeling it, too. I woke this morning with goals and plans. I've accomplished nothing. Well, I can't say nothing, but I did not cross one thing off of my task list. So much for that. Is it me, or are the mid-week blahs real? I have tried multiple times to avoid these and this week, they caught up to me. I am never ready for them, either. I would blame it on the weather, but it's been this way all week. What do you do to tame the mid-week blahs? I'm curious and would love to hear from you. In other news, I've thought of nothing new to do for homeschool this week. I really am feeling a burn out. I want to feel that elated feeling I get at the beginning of the school year. I know it will happen by the time we start back to work on the 2nd, but this week is just... terrible. I find myself getting bored (and that NEVER happens). I could read, but I don't want to sit still. I could clean the house, but I don't want to work. Tell me I am not the only one who experiences this feeling? Please! I think I'm going to take the remainder of the week off from the blog, from homeschool, from it all. I'm simply not going to do anything blog or homeschool related (if I can bare it), and just rest. Until next time, LaVonda Hello Readers,
Thank you for stopping by. We are into our second half of our first quarter and I want to talk to you about downtime. Over the past couple of years, I discovered that taking a much needed break was important to me for a number of reasons. Whether it be to get caught up on housework, to take care of those doctor's appointments, or to even get in touch with friends and family, I wanted those things to happen. However, I knew that taking time off from school could be a bad habit to get into. I was afraid that taking time off would ruin the good run of school work we had been accomplishing. I was fearful that the kids would get "lazy" in their learning and simply not do the work. Truth be told, I was also afraid that I would get "lazy" in my teaching. Taking time off was a "want" basis at that time. If was it wasn't a necessity, we didn't do it. And that was my first mistake. Hello Readers,
As we begin preparing for our homeschool year, I started thinking about how, as parents, we strive to help our children. Whether we are working on lesson plans that will give them the best opportunity to learn, all the way to coping with everyday stressors that arise. As parent’s we want nothing but the best for our children. As a former public school family, I knew right away that my younger boys were struggling. Not just in school, but with bullying. I fought their fight. I pulled them from public school because I didn’t want them to be afraid. I wanted them to have the ability to learn in a stress-free environment. I wanted them to know that they are loved and appreciated. That their opinions are just as important as the next persons and to be equally responsible for their actions. As I sat down this month to meditate on things, a notion popped into my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder… was my help actually hurting them? Good Morning,
I am so excited to announce our newest Unit Study. I’ve been waiting on our materials to arrive and they have finely done so – and I am working non-stop to get everything in order. In my anxious mind, I have begun creating a mini-unit study to go along with it. What are we learning? Drug Use and Abuse Prevention. The wonderful folks at NIDA, SAMHSA, and the Department of Health and Human Services have excellent resources available for free! Good Morning from Evans Homeschool Academy,
As the boys continue working on their mean, median, mode and range worksheets, I am forever resentful to the seasonal time change. I have always been a summer child. I’ve never cared much for the winter months. Yesterday, with the cloud cover, we had what I consider daylight for 1 hour! That is ridiculous. Granted, the clouds prevented the awesome sun from shining through, and I know the sun was there, but still, I yearned for those bright, blinding beams of warmth. As a child, I never paid any mind to the time change. It was something older folks worried about and tended to – as long as it didn’t impede on my playing in the upstairs attic. As a teen, I would find something to do indoors from November to March that kept my mind busy and that worked the majority of the time. But that was then. |
HELLOWelcome! My name is LaVonda. I am the wife of Rodney, the mom of 5 remarkable kids (well, 2 are adults now), an avid homeschooler, blogger, and sociologist. I am blessed with the ability to spend my time sharing our homeschool and life experiences with you. It is my hope to provide you with motivation, ideas, and some candid stress-relief through my blog - Mom's Scribe! Grab a cup of coffee, sit on down, and make yourself at home! Past Scribes
August 2020
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