A Day to Pray for the Future

Here is Little Lad with his buddy, a Little Boy Blue.

Pray For God’s Perfect and Loving Will to Be Accomplished in This Year’s Elections

My take on annexing

I've had a couple of people ask me what I think about the city vote on annexation.

Some friends of mine have already addressed this, and I share their sentiments:

My general philosophy of government is that
"less is always better than more."
I'm not convinced the city has demonstrated good stewardship with current resources, so see no need for providing more for them tosquander. Whether you live inside the city or outside (like me), I'm convinced that from an economic viewpoint alone, this is a bad idea. I say VOTE NO! on annexation!

Another:

From what I understand, Gentry annexes only by request, not by vote
unless it's a large neighborhood with differing opinions. A homeowner
or neighborhood can request to become part of Gentry. I've heard of
this happening around Rogers & Bentonville too.

As far as fire protection, we pay a yearly due so we have fire
protection ...

Still, the higher property taxes wouldn't be worth living in the city
limits to me. There wouldn't be enough difference in that & lower
insurance. Also, having a little land, the higher restrictions on what
we could do with it would really be hard. The additional paper-work
when we make changes to our house are another reason for me to stay
out of town

I agree, and I already voted no. Besides, I do NOT want higher utility bills. And I have yet to meet a single person outside of city limits who wants to be annexed in. It's not right for us to vote on this, when it primarily affects them.

Our Tax System Explained

Source Unknown (if you wrote it, claim it).

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.’ Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

‘I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’

‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man. ‘I only saved a dollar, too.

It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I got’ ‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man. ‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!’

‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison. ‘We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

We joined!

Sunday we joined a fantastic church.

I've been to my fair share of churches all over the country. I've visited the deep southern Baptist churches in South Carolina, with paper fans next to the hymnals. I've been to reverent Episcopalian churches with liturgy readings, real wine passed around in one large cup, and organ music. I've been to Catholic baptisms and Presbyterian lock-ins and everything in between. The only church that I've ever enjoyed as much as our new home church was Santa Cruz Bible Church. Loved that.

Now, granted, I know it's fine and dandy for people to worship in different ways. But for us, this church is just perfect! I'm still awed by the genuine people, incredible music, and the BIBLE being consistently opened, read, taught, and applied. L-O-V-E that!

I was even more astonished when the pastor broached the "difficult subjects" in church. A lot of pastors wouldn't touch election topics with a 10-foot pole. Or they might take the easy way out, with a vague prayer and no solid leadership.

But not our pastor.

He brought up three major voting issues.

First the lottery. Did you know this is the 6th time since 1990 that we've voted on the lottery? Now it comes with a tacked on promise of college scholarship money... bwa ha ha ha. As if we'll fall for that. This has failed 6 times for a reason. It is bad news.

As our pastor put it, "I'm not going to tell you how to vote, but vote AGAINST Amendment 3!"

Next up, he talked about an act that will prevent adoptive and foster care children from being placed in homes with homosexual couple and other individuals who are cohabiting with a sexual partner.The sanctity of marriage is under attack. From our pastor: "I'm not telling you how to vote, but vote FOR Act 1." Amen, brother.

Now for the biggie: Abortion. Yes, it's the horrid topic that no one likes to talk about. Why? Because the liberals like to call it "women's rights," as if that somehow masks what is actually taking place, and Christians just get sick to their stomachs. And we should. But we should also do something! Every one has a voice. Together we are the body of Christ. We can't possibly stand as one unless everyone is willing to do their part. No side liners in this game.

"First they came for the Jews, but I did nothing because I'm not a Jew. Then they came for the socialists, but I did nothing because I'm not a socialist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I did nothing because I'm not a Catholic. Finally, they came for me, but by then there was no one left to help me."

– Pastor Father Niemoller (1946)

Yesterday we studied Matthew 18. The littlest ones are the concern of our Father. Again quoting our pastor,"What must God think when Christians vote against His eternal principles?"

On January 22, 1973, five men in robes, in a judicial system gone wrong, legalized abortion. Since then 50 million babies have died. Because of five men. This was not a vote by the people. (And, by the way, Norma McCorvey, known under the pseudonym Jane Roe, never actually got an abortion. In fact, she is now a fierce pro-life advocate who founded the Roe No More ministry .)

The next president will be appointing supreme court justices during the next four years. Right now 5 of the 9 justices are over 70 years old. This may be the only chance we have to overturn this law.

Vote based on principles. Get out of your circle. Talk to people who may not agree with you. Be loving, respectful, but passionate and knowledgeable about the topics. Educate others about what these candidates stand for. Get out of your comfort zone a little. If each one of us could change one person's thinking (and their vote,) we could redirect this nation. Lives truly are at stake here.

Regardless of the outcome, God is in control.

I'll get off of the political bandwagon soon, but this has been on my mind. And where better to vent than my own blog? :-)

This is not a debate. This is not open to criticism. These are simply my thoughts on my blog. Take it for what it is.

A friend of a friend wrote this. Funny, witty, English professor post on the same topic. :-) Enjoy!

Be sure to VOTE

Why vote?? Well, there are hundreds of excellent reasons. Here are just a few:

1. This year especially, every vote counts. We have a responsibility.
   
2. The next Congress will determine SO many things that affect your future.
   
3. The next president will determine the philosophical bent of the Supreme Court. The next president may select four or more justices. With a gridlocked Congress, the Court often makes new laws. The most visible concern expressed during the campaign has been over how the Court will rule on abortion. This alone should be enough of a reason to vote. If you are pro-life, this single issue should seal the deal.
4. The next president will select our health care leaders. The people who serve as secretary of health and human services, surgeon general, NIH director, and FDA commissioner will be appointed by the president. These are the people who provide national leadership on health care issues. If you care about the future of health care policies, you ought to care who's providing the leadership, or lack thereof. Raise your hand if you actually want a socialist government...
   
5. The next Congress may address campaign finance reform. Who is spending all the money? Go look at some figures.
6. If you vote, you have the right to complain later. If you didn't vote, you lose some --if not all -- of your right to complain.
7. Finally, you CAN vote. Voting is an incredible right that we have. Believe it or not, people in other countries actually fight and even die for this right; a right that so many of us take for granted. You should vote because you can, if you don't you may one day wake up in a country where you can't.

... and take your kids with you! Let's set a great example for the next generation! :-)

To register to vote, select your state from the widget on the bottom left.

So, who are you voting for and/or what issues are you passionate about? I don't mind differing views, as long as they remain respectful and polite. If you can't say something nicely, then don't say anything at all! :-)

results..yeah, I know I'm late

The 5.4 millage increase was passed.

The voting was 998(55%) for to 833(45%) against.

1831 people voted -

less than 15% of our population made the decision for everyone.

That is truly pitiful.

Ah, well. I stood where I believed I should stand, and I tried to get some facts out there. At this point, though, all I can say is that I hope the school turns out fantastic. I hope they spend the money wisely, and make it stretch as far as it will possibly go. And I truly hope that they don't come back asking for more money anytime soon. ;-)

So enough about the millage already, right?

Here's something to get your mind off of it. We went to the local waterfall on Sunday afternoon.

The Naturalist spotted several snakes!

They were close enough to reach out and touch. Yikes!

The boys thought this was "totally awesome!"

LiveWire wanted to keep this one for a pet.

Siloam millage-- my head is already on the chop block...

Okay, my head is already on the chop block. The nice thing about "crossing the line" is that once you've crossed it, you might as well take the baton and run with it. ;-)

Oh, the things that happen in small towns. The back-biting and manipulation. The social pressure and stigmas. It would be almost humorous if it weren't so darn frustrating.

I have seen many Vote Yes signs...and even a "Vote Yes" t-shirt.
(I wonder what will happen to those shirts, signs, buttons after next week?
Trash? And who is funding that? What a waste...)

Just for comparisons sake, let's look at the other area schools and facilities, shall we?

First up is the John McDonnell Field, built in 2006. Yes, I know this isn't a school.
But we'll get there.
Just wanted to throw this in because I find it interesting. It will be "state of the art for a track facility," says Michigan Coach Ron Warhurst. The facility cost about $ 13 million and includes permanent seating for 7, 000 fans, a giant video board, locker rooms and a huge press box. Wow. 13 million for all that. Not bad, right?


Next Up: Rogers Heritage High School. Should open this fall. Cost estimate $115 per square foot, for 330,000 square feet. Ouch. But this one even has buildings centered around a terraced courtyard. Pur-ty.

Here's a great one: Massive Springdale Har-Ber High School, completed in 2005. Have you seen this baby? Looks like a college campus building! At 385,000 sq. ft., that is something to boast about, right? Wow.

And it only cost $88.00 per sq ft.

Compare that to the estimate of $140 per square foot that Siloam projects,

which does NOT include another 3 million for site development and

10 million for technology & furnishing...

(if that didn't make you suck your breath in, maybe you should read it again!)

Estimated Building Size in Square Feet: 286,798
Projected Construction Cost: $40,151,720
Furniture, Fixtures, Fees: $10,037,930
Site Development Cost: $3,011,379
TOTAL PROJECTED COST $53,201,029
Construction Costs: $140/sq. ft.

This is taken from their own site. Absolute fact.

Now Bentonville voters just rejected a proposed millage increase in March.

The district asked voters to approve a 3.99-mill increase in property taxes

(compare that to our proposed 5.4 mill increase!!)

The increase would have made the district's millage rate 44.09 mills,

the seventh highest rate in Arkansas.

Well, ours right now is around 52, and will go up to 57.5 if this passes.

So what would that rank us??


So, you see, it's not just a gripe about taxes.

Or about funding public education.

Or about buildings.

It's about using the money wisely that they are entrusted with.

And when we make this kind of comparison,

it becomes very obvious that Siloam is being a bit extravagant.

Maybe they're aching for the big city flair.

Maybe it is just about having something to boast about,

like the paper said

(what poor wording.)


Education is really about learning.

It's about imparting knowledge and leading children into a

lifetime love of learning.

And, for that, large expensive buildings are not necessary.

We do not need to outdo everyone else.

We do not need to pay almost twice as much per square foot as Springdale's HarBer high, just to have something better.

Who can afford that?? This is not about one-upping everyone else.


It should be about education.


A very serious part of education in any field is training in wise use of funding.

How to get the most for the money...

not how to spend the most money to get something....

53 million is NOT necessary.
I Voted NO.

Be informed about your taxes, and vote!

First, thank you to all my supportive friends who contributed to this Q & A. I appreciate your encouragement and help. And, by the way, I am a home educator. People like to bring that up, as if it's the "why" of my stand against this. I'm actually the only home educator who helped with this information. (In fact, one public school teacher got in on it, too. Thanks, girl!) We all believe that what the local government is asking for far exceeds what they need.

I think it's only fair that we have our own question and answer site. I understand where they are coming from, and I respect that view point. So I expect the same courtesy in exchange.

Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. Here's my PRO-family, PRO-home,

PRO-keep-your-own-money, PRO-wise-spending-for-education information:

What amount of tax increase are we talking about?

Passage of this proposal will increase taxes from 52.1 to 57.5, which is more than 10%. The most famous property-tax revolt occurred in California in 1978 when voters approved Proposition 13, which limited annual increases to 2 percent and led the way for copycat proposals in nearly half the states.



What would the new building cost?

$53,201,029 …yep, you heard right…53 MILLION DOLLARS. I guess we’re building the Taj Mahal.

Actually, they’re projecting $140.34 per square foot…did you know you could build on Hilton Head for that amount of money? Really. Look it up.

How can we afford 53 million dollars?

We can’t. With the economy struggling, people are already cutting costs and trying to stay afloat. I for one, think that money is used most wisely by the family who earns it.

Will local small businesses be affected?

You bet! Property taxes will go up for them, too. Our small businesses will be hurt as much as residential homes. 10% increase for everyone.

If the state funding follows the student and if the District is growing, why can’t the District build the new high school with the increased state revenue?


The money does follow the child. However, the state Foundation or Matrix rate of funding per student does not include a funding component for facilities. Blah, blah, blah.

This is a faulty system. There’s a tax pot that we can’t dip into. They have enough tax money, but they can’t use it…so they need more tax money. Clear as mud?

When the bond expires, will taxes go back down?

Hahahahaha. Oh, excuse me, I was rolling on the floor. When have you EVER known taxes to just go back down? Only when there is a tax revolt or tax laws are completely reformed. It might take a miracle. So, if this passes, be prepared to pay hundreds more EVERY year from here on out.



How much of our income already goes to taxes?

In 2008, Americans will work 74 days to afford their federal taxes and 39 more days to pay state and local taxes. Meanwhile, buying food requires 35 days of work, clothing 13 days, and housing 60 days. Other major categories are health and medical care (50 days), transportation (29 days), and recreation (21 days). YIKES.

Days Americans Work to Pay Taxes Compared to Other Expenses, 2008

How high are Arkansas’s taxes compared to other states?

Arkansas is ranked 13th in the country in overall tax burden. Four years ago we were ranked 15th. Five years ago we were ranked 29th. We are definitely moving in the wrong direction.

When is the election?

The election is June 10th.

Early voting starts TODAY, June 3rd (and goes through Friday) at the County Clerks on Lincoln Street.

Vote NO to another tax increase.

And, just for fun, if you’d like to look at figures, go here.
If you’d like to see a fun little tax song on YouTube, go here. ;-)

How to tell a person's character by the way they respond to opposition

In case you didn't know, I was a psychology minor in college. Fascinating stuff. I love to learn about myself, and about everyone around me. What makes them tick? Why do they respond like they do? How does nature and nurture affect the outcome? And why can't everyone just be like me? Just kidding. ;-)

In general, people tend to filter the information they receive through their own "lens" of preconceived notions & experiences, reading their autobiography into other people's lives, or projecting their own home movies onto other people's behavior. (paraphrased from The Seven Habits...) So true.

It's amazing what you can tell about a person when you disagree with them. Will they become immediately defensive? Will they respect your convictions, just as your respect theirs? Will personal attacks follow? Is anyone ever swayed "to the other side," or do people pretty much stay planted in the first thought/ impression, even if it doesn't hold water? Not saying that either side in this case is like that.

I've had some sweet "good goin'" emails from friends. I've had some respectful disagreements, which I welcome. I respect you, you respect me, and it's all okay. I've also had some rather hateful notes, and a couple with personal attacks on me or my family. That, of course, is uncalled for, unprofessional, and just plain mean. Come on, y'all, I'm not being mean to you, so don't be mean to me.

Problems or differences should be recognized as opportunities to deeply understand and help others. "The word 'crisis' in Chinese is written as two character. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." (John F. Kennedy) We have an opportunity here to better understand each other.

Now, when people start using personal attacks to manipulate others they lose credibility. It also speaks volumes about the foundation of your friendship. I don't take myself so seriously that I can't see some humor in criticisms. Still, anything very personal can sting. I try to exercise restraint in responding to these. I usually just respond, "I hope this doesn't affect our friendship..." because I am, after all, the "bigger person." Heh heh.

Often, either the person writing the attack desires to change the subject, trying to distract me from the real issue because they don't have enough facts to stay on topic, or they have confidence issues about themselves. (In either case, they need pity, not anger...) Some people will try to pull you down no matter what. These people become obsessed with making the other person lose, even at their own expense. This is the philosophy of adversarial conflict, war, or of highly dependent persons.

I've also been blessed by a couple of "empathetic listening" messages. God is good to balance out the emails for me. :-) I didn't even think to pray for that!

Empathetic listening is listening with intent to understand the other person's frame of reference and feelings. You listen with your ears, eyes and heart.

"Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival - to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, and to be appreciated." People who understand that will go far in this world. It is a blessing to have conversations with them. People like this are rather rare, though, so when I come across one, I always try to personally thank them. You know who you are, my dear reader. Thank you again. Keep in mind, this person respectfully disagreed with me. And that is okay. As she put it, "we are two smart mothers trying to do what we think is best for our families and being willing to stand up for it." Who can argue with that? We both did our research, we both prayed about it, and we are both willing to stand up for our convictions. It's okay to disagree. Think: Principle-based behavior.
So the next time you disagree with someone, first do your research. Are you right? Do you really know all the facts? Either way, be willing to listen and hear the other person out. Maybe there are things you don't understand. If you still feel convicted about your stand, remain respectful and thoughtful. It does no good to bring the relationship down a notch just to get the last word in. Think Win/Win - Seek mutual benefit. 'Nuf said!

What it's all about

I love posting about family activities. I love the self-indulgent "look-at-my-awesome-kid" posts. :-) Things like that just make me smile.

However, desperate times call for desperate measures. Saddle up for a serious post. I don't do this all that often. ;-) There will be another one that follows this, too, related more to psychology. Aren't you excited?!! Heh.

So, now that you've been warned...

The aforementioned "letter" to the editor has been published in two papers thus far. And the responses have been pouring in. Mostly good, a few disagreements, and a few personal attacks. I'll get to that next.

I might as well bite the bullet and let you know what all this is about. It's about school and taxes. Specifically, it's about raising taxes to pay for a new high school. It's complicated because people on both sides of the issue have good motives. Obviously the school is practically falling apart. It was pathetic when I was there, and it's not getting any better. So there are good motives behind wanting a new school. That is not my argument.

I take up issue with the taxes. Taxes. Ugh. We're talking about increasing property taxes. The property tax is especially onerous in that it continues to tax us for something we already own. Unlike payroll and sales taxes, it increases taxes for people who haven't increased their income or their consumption. More and more of their money goes to the government just because they continue to own something. This hurts low-income property owners (my family!) and retired people (who are often on a fixed income) the most. We can't afford more money on our property, especially with the cost of food, gas, etc going up.

Our city's property taxes are already high. The average school district millage rate in Arkansas is 35.84. Ours is 39.6, which is more than 10.5% higher.

The average total millage, including city millage, in Arkansas is 43.39. Ours is 46.7, which is 10.7% higher. You can read more about numbers here.

If the numbers hurt your brain, just know that we're already paying a lot. The problem is that, although the tax base has grown, and more tax is being collected, it cannot legally be used for new buildings. Now, this sounds like a messed up system to me. I think everyone, on both sides, would agree that the way this is done does not make sense. The real problem here is allocation of funds not lack of them.

There is enough tax money, but we can't legally use it, so we need to collect more tax money. Make sense? No, I didn't think so. But that's the way it's done. And ask yourself this: if the millage goes up, do you think it will ever come back down? This is permanent! And money isn't growing on trees! If only...

Again, I'll say that I'm NOT against a new school. I'm just against using property taxes to do it. I think it should be funded differently and with less expense.. Right now property tax seems to be the only option. So can we just put our effort and time into getting that changed? In the meantime, I feel the obligation to protect my home. I've thought about this, prayed about this, accepted godly advice from friends. I am praying simply for God's Will to be done in this matter. I will pray, I will vote, and then I will leave it in the Lord's Hands. Can anyone argue with that? (Don't answer that, if you're feeling at all riled up!)

Early voting June 3-9. Voting day is the 10th.

I might as well tell you...

I wrote a letter to the editor of our paper about an upcoming local election. Before I wrote it, I sought advice from godly friends, then prayed about the issue, and waited. When I felt at peace about it (two weeks later,) I sat down and wrote the letter. I actually asked the editor to withhold my name, or publish with initials only, because I don't want the wrath of those who oppose me. However, the publisher explained that they only publish with full names, to prevent unscrupulous editors from creating letters to benefit a certain topic. Plus, it just keep everything on a personal and professional level. I understand that, but I withdrew my submission... initially. When I had time to think and pray and revise, I resent it. The editor thanked me, complimented the article, and now it will be published.

Today I received a call from another area paper asking if they could also publish "the letter." Apparently it has been circulating. He told me it is a great letter, and he would like to forward it on to someone else. (nice). Long story short (er), it will be published in three papers in the next week or so.

All that to say, that it is a controversial subject around here right now, and I have many friends on the other side of the fence. So now I am asking for prayer and understanding. Each of us must stand by our convictions. As my sister put it, "don't worry; if you are taking a stand for something, you'll inevitably have some opposition, but that's ok--no one made a difference without disagreeing with someone or something in order to change things, you know what I mean? There's nothing wrong with that--look at all the opposition Jesus and his disciples had for standing up for what they believed in. I hope you won't worry about what other people think of your article!" I love my family.

And, I know, I'm all vague and mysterious. Heh. I may post the letter on here, or a link to it, when it shows up in the paper. I feel strongly about this issue, so you can anticipate more about it... :-)

Homeschoolers Under Attack

Okay, There is something on my mind and heart. I need to share and ask for prayer.

On Feb. 28 California appeals court ruled parents have no constitutional right to homeschool their children and that those parents who do must be credentialed teachers. This was not picked up by national media until March 6. The shock waves are rolling now.

It arose in juvenile court and the parties had court-appointed attorneys, so even Home School Legal Defense Association didn't know about it until the ruling was issued. It flew under radar, so to speak.

Judge Croskey declared that "parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children." Furthermore, the judge wrote, if parents teach without credentials they will be subject to criminal action.

This could have broad implications on CA's nearly 200,000 homeschoolers -- and set a dangerous precedent for other students nationwide, my children included.

Keep in mind that California schools are the most liberal. We're talking about schools that push the homosexual, abortion, liberal agenda to the hilt.

This is scary stuff. Do children belong to the state? Does the government know better than the parents? If you are a homeschooler, imagine your children being FORCED away from you every day. And if you are not a homeschooler, imagine being FORCED to put your child into a liberal school (or any place that you object to.) This is about freedom.

Please stop now-- right now, just for a second-- and pray. Lift a heartfelt prayer up to God, and ask Him to intervene. Pray for our freedoms and the safety of our children.

You can listen to Dr. Dobson discuss the case, learn more about the court ruling, see what California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says about this, and sign petition to depublish this ruling by using these links.

Click here to read about Hitler's ruling on homeschooling and how it still haunts Germans today, and threatens the rest of the world.
Be informed. Research, get the facts, follow the story.
Be a voice. Christians need to speak up. Defend yourself. Stand up for your rights and those of your family.

And PRAY. God can do anything. There IS power in prayer.

Operas and Pizza making, and everything in between

Busy, busy times and I've hardly had the chance to sit, much less post. Here is my update: Tuesday was "Super Tuesday." I hope you all went and voted!! I've heard several people say that they didn't particularly like anyone, so they would not vote. That makes NO SENSE. I'm sorry, but it doesn't. There WILL be a president, whether or not you want there to be. One of these people will lead our country. And no one has any right to gripe if they don't vote. ALWAYS VOTE. Be a voice. And be informed. Know what the candidates stand for. Don't just look at what they say, look at their track record.

I'm not going to go into who I support and why, but I do think everyone should participate and be informed. If it comes down to it, pick the lesser of two evils.

So, Tuesday night I took Isabelle to her first operetta, Ruddigore by Gilbert and Sullivan. At the end, I didn't get my camera out in time to get many good pictures. Oh, well. Maybe next time!! I'm not sure who loved it more! It was very entertaining. I can't believe how talented some people are. Wow. It ended around 9:30pm, so Isabelle was pretty zonked. Still, it was well worth it. I'm so grateful for our homeschool group for organizing it, and for the Arts center to allow us to sit in FREE for the dress rehearsal.

On Wednesday we watched Suzanne's oldest daughter while the baby had surgery. Kensie is such a sweet, mellow little girl. It was fun for Isabelle to have another child do school and crafts with us all day. We worked on card-making and Valentine's boxes for the party next week.

On Thursday, we dropped Trevor off at his church class and then headed off to our Eureka Pizza field trip from 9-11am. There were 40 homeschoolers that participated on Wednesday and another 40 of us on Thursday. I'm sure many more would have gone, too, if there was more space available. (In case you didn't know, my county has more homeschoolers than any other county in the state, which is awesome!!)

The field trip was well-organized. The kids each donned a big blue apron, and washed their hands multiple times before beginning their pizzas. Yes, each child got to make his/her own pizza! They loved it!! Towards the end of the pizza-making, I went out to the lobby area to sit and nurse the baby. The manager came out and asked if I would like for him to make me a pizza. So nice!! So I got my own supreme pizza, too.

Jerri and her girls followed us back to our house to eat the pizzas. Yum, yum. Food always tastes better when you make it yourself! (I'm sure you'd agree, my gourmet sister, Amy .)Then Suzanne's girls came over to go to the homeschool yearbook photo op with us. They even photographed Trevor. Of course, he enjoyed making lots of goofball faces! That kid is such a ham!!

After pictures, we watched Jerri's girls while she went shopping, and then I headed out to the library. I think I finally sat down around 7:30pm last night. Whew.

Today(or yesterday,now) Fred only worked until 10am, so I got to take a much-needed nap. Oliver is snotty and woke up several times last night. Poor baby. So far he's been our best sleeper. I put him in his crib every 3 hours and he goes right to sleep. Rarely cries. I love it. I wish we'd done sleep-scheduling with all of our babies. But that's just me. You've gotta do what works for you. Again, when I say what I do I'm not implying that everyone else should also do it that way! ;-)

Tomorrow is the Lowe's workshop. If you have a Lowe's around you, I would encourage you to try one of these workshops!! They are fantastic. In fact, I need to have the kids make a thank you note for it. We also have a Valentine's dinner tomorrow night. We rarely get to go anywhere alone together...and rarer still to eat out alone!

And, don't worry, I'm still planning to do the surveys I was tagged in by Shelley and Simply Stork. I'm also still gonna write a post about the accuracy and God-inspired Word of God. So many things to read, so many things to write, so little time.