Because I try not to post political stuff on most of my online stuff I'll post it here mostly because I think this is so well said. Here is the link: https://medium.com/p/e3454354d692
His experience with the SNAP (what I knew as Food Stamps) is very similar to mine except that it was his parents using it not him. I've never known them to be a luxury by any stretch of the imagination. I've used them twice in my life for about 6 months at each stretch. Thank goodness they were there both times. And guess what? I had a full time job both times and still couldn't make ends meet. Stunk to high heaven. No, I didn't enjoy being on them. Yes, sometimes I splurged with them and got a decent meal of a steak. Ya know what? That meant I ate a lot of things like rice and other cheap stuff the rest of the month because my allotment was blown.
I just ran across a receipt from one of the 6 months the other day. For two of us it was $139.00 a month. Yes, that was supplemented by a part-time job and a full-time job so that wasn't all we were spending on groceries but pretty darn close. There are still a lot of things you aren't allowed to buy with those. Rightly so as they are a FOOD supplement. Also, the food has to be food that you have to cook. No deli type stuff. But still that is not a lot of money to put food on the table. To be honest we probably still qualify for them now that we have two kids. We don't use them because we are just able to make things work if we are careful.
Yes, we could abuse the system and eat a little bit more comfortably or out a little more often but I see no reason to. You see, I've paid my taxes that help to pay for programs like this since I was 14. I've had at least a part-time job since before I was probably legal to work. I understand people not wanting to pay for someone who doesn't need it.
My point is the same as this gentleman's that most people that use these kinds of programs don't really use them by choice. They use them because they need a hand up or a stepping stone if you like your metaphors. For whatever your reason is at that point in your life you can't make ends meet and you need a bit of help. It sucks to ask for that help too and you do your best to get on your own two feet as fast as possible too.
So there is my little bit of a soap box moment for you. I get frustrated with all politicians, most of whom appear to have never wanted for anything for a moment in their life telling us lowly folks how we are supposed to live. I would have loved to have been able to afford their schools, lifestyle, cars, and all that. I don't want their lives but I would love to afford them. I much prefer my life out in the sticks even if I'm a lot further down on the economic ladder than they are.
I'm going to bet that I know how to do a lot more than they do and I like that. I like that my financial situation has required that I learn how to cook, bake, chop wood, can, raise animals, hunt, dress out at animal (whether hunted or purchased), and I can still go out to dinner at all the fancy places and hold my own in most conversations. Sure a little more money would be nice, but I'm going to bet they say the same thing. I heard a great analogy for that. I think it was a family member that described it as a gold fish theory. A gold fish grows to the size of their bowl, so do our spending habits. We spend what we make. Oh so true!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Been awhile
I can tell school is going and things have gotten a little hectic. I'm not on here writing nearly as much. School is going all right. I'm ready for parent teacher conferences. It is a bizarre way to get information when it is through the perspective of your 5 year-old. Things are certainly skewed. I'm hearing lots online all of a sudden about Common Core. I haven't heard anything earlier and now all of a sudden there are lots of posts on Facebook against it. I finally read an article on NPR that basically stated that some people are for it and some are against it. Well, gee. You don't say? Isn't that the case with anything?
I'm trying to find a bit less biased information about it. I want to talk to Bear's teacher and see what she knows about it and/or her opinions as a teacher that may have to implement it. From what little I know it appears to be a way to try to get all the states on the same program so a kid moving from state to state doesn't have to go back a grade or jump a grade depending on the state they moved from. That seems like a good idea but it will be interesting to see what the actual implementation involves. Like I say though, I really don't know what it is.
I saw one comment (those always make for good entertainment) that basically said parents who didn't know about Common Core weren't involved in their children's education. Hmmmm... I take issue with that. I don't know what it is but that is because we are about 4 weeks into a 13-20 year stint of schooling. Maybe we don't know as we've never heard of it before because we are new to the school system. Ever think of that? Oh, wait, or it is a NEW program by the looks of things. Uh, with new things the word needs spread. Just like with a new product of any kind there needs to be advertising. Not all of us are glued to the t.v. 24/7. A lot of us haven't seen a commercial in a very long time. Or we see very limited numbers of commercials. So maybe, just maybe the word needs to be spread in more than one way. I like to think I'm involved in my kid's education but I haven't a clue what this is all about.
As you can see, I have issues with many random commenters online. I think the simple fact that they can hide behind a computer screen makes them say things they wouldn't necessarily say otherwise. I know it can be true for me. I'm guilty too. I'm sure not exempt from saying stupid things. In fact I can be pretty good at it.
Anyway, what it boils down to is that I will be doing a bit more research. I knew this education thing would be the hardest part of parenting for me. Home school vs. public school. Parent clubs, volunteering, and random competitiveness of other parents. I don't really get it. I didn't get it as a student let alone now as a parent. As a public school product I see the value in public school. I also see its many flaws. Home schooling has its flaws too. I think both sides of it need to implement things from the other. I absolutely think public school needs supplemented by the parents. Some districts/states more than others. I also think that the home schooled kids need more exposure to the frustrations of working in large groups of people. Some people do this better than others. I think one of the best public school lessons is learning how to be your own person despite having them try to stuff you into a mold that they want you to fit in. Conform and follow rules without losing yourself. It is a tough lesson to learn. No matter when it is learned. Some of us are better at different parts of it than others too.
I'll get off my little rant here. I hear that the laundry needs swapped and our weather is getting yuckier so I need to make sure things are battened down. I don't think my poor chickens have even poked their heads out of the coop. Windy, rainy, and cold.
UPDATE: Here is the actual Common Core link: http://www.corestandards.org/ I've just very quickly scanned it so far. What I'm seeing is that it looks like any other school curriculum. My guess is that the issues all come about in the implementation just like in any curriculum. And it also answers why I haven't heard much about it. I live in one of the five states that has not adopted it. Interesting.
I'm trying to find a bit less biased information about it. I want to talk to Bear's teacher and see what she knows about it and/or her opinions as a teacher that may have to implement it. From what little I know it appears to be a way to try to get all the states on the same program so a kid moving from state to state doesn't have to go back a grade or jump a grade depending on the state they moved from. That seems like a good idea but it will be interesting to see what the actual implementation involves. Like I say though, I really don't know what it is.
I saw one comment (those always make for good entertainment) that basically said parents who didn't know about Common Core weren't involved in their children's education. Hmmmm... I take issue with that. I don't know what it is but that is because we are about 4 weeks into a 13-20 year stint of schooling. Maybe we don't know as we've never heard of it before because we are new to the school system. Ever think of that? Oh, wait, or it is a NEW program by the looks of things. Uh, with new things the word needs spread. Just like with a new product of any kind there needs to be advertising. Not all of us are glued to the t.v. 24/7. A lot of us haven't seen a commercial in a very long time. Or we see very limited numbers of commercials. So maybe, just maybe the word needs to be spread in more than one way. I like to think I'm involved in my kid's education but I haven't a clue what this is all about.
As you can see, I have issues with many random commenters online. I think the simple fact that they can hide behind a computer screen makes them say things they wouldn't necessarily say otherwise. I know it can be true for me. I'm guilty too. I'm sure not exempt from saying stupid things. In fact I can be pretty good at it.
Anyway, what it boils down to is that I will be doing a bit more research. I knew this education thing would be the hardest part of parenting for me. Home school vs. public school. Parent clubs, volunteering, and random competitiveness of other parents. I don't really get it. I didn't get it as a student let alone now as a parent. As a public school product I see the value in public school. I also see its many flaws. Home schooling has its flaws too. I think both sides of it need to implement things from the other. I absolutely think public school needs supplemented by the parents. Some districts/states more than others. I also think that the home schooled kids need more exposure to the frustrations of working in large groups of people. Some people do this better than others. I think one of the best public school lessons is learning how to be your own person despite having them try to stuff you into a mold that they want you to fit in. Conform and follow rules without losing yourself. It is a tough lesson to learn. No matter when it is learned. Some of us are better at different parts of it than others too.
I'll get off my little rant here. I hear that the laundry needs swapped and our weather is getting yuckier so I need to make sure things are battened down. I don't think my poor chickens have even poked their heads out of the coop. Windy, rainy, and cold.
UPDATE: Here is the actual Common Core link: http://www.corestandards.org/ I've just very quickly scanned it so far. What I'm seeing is that it looks like any other school curriculum. My guess is that the issues all come about in the implementation just like in any curriculum. And it also answers why I haven't heard much about it. I live in one of the five states that has not adopted it. Interesting.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Winter Stores
Trying to figure out my schedule is a chore. I've never been very good at setting my own schedules and sticking to them. Ideas I have. Execution not so much. Especially when I have things like canning going. I'm pretty over the canning right now. There is so much to do yet. I feel like have canned every day for a month now. I know it hasn't been every day but it has been close to that. Of course I have to remember that every little bit I can now is something I don't have to purchase this winter. And when I say can, I also mean drying or freezing. Basically just putting up food for the winter. I have a pile of it. It still probably won't last the winter with the four of us but it should at least help.
There is a blog I read called Throwback at Trapper Creek. She had a post about estimating how much to can and using the number 52 for the 52 weeks of the year. Now, she is producing a whole lot more of their own food than I am. And probably more than I care to. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of milking my own cow. One, I'm not a huge fan of raw milk, and two I don't want to be tied to milking twice a day every day. Can't do goat milk either. No matter how hard I try I don't like the stuff. Don't like goat cheese either. Sheep I don't know. Can't say I've ever had sheep's milk. Now, I'm pretty sure feta cheese is sheep. I like that. Not enough to warrant keeping a dairy animal though.
Anyway, back to the canning stuff. I have oodles of tomato sauce, salsa, and whole tomatoes. Probably close to 52 jars of the stuff. I have more to can too. I have a few carrots canned and a few frozen. We aren't huge carrot fans so we only put up a little of those. I have one jar of pickled beets. That is probably more than enough. I like them at Thanksgiving or Christmas but that is it. No one else really likes them around here. Bear likes plain beets so I may put up some of those now that I have my pressure canner.
Mostly I just want my kitchen back. Canning supplies take over the kitchen this time of year. The actual canners are huge. The stock pots for prepping the recipes are big and there are all sorts of accessories that lay around needing to always be at hand. Ladles, jar lifter, funnel, food mill, rings, lids, jars, towels, and other basic kitchen utensils. There are also always the baskets and bins of the produce. Big baskets of tomatoes take up a lot of my counter space. Ugh.
Can you tell this is what I'm putting off? Canning more tomatoes. I probably should actually do more salsa since I have a pile of peppers. Well, never mind, I don't have any hot peppers. Maybe I'll do a roasted pepper and tomato ketchup. That might be good. And it is pretty easy. Easy is good at this point.
I suppose I should go swap my laundry around so I might make it through that stuff today too. I'm seeing that in addition to the canning it is a good thing we are headed for Colorado in a couple of weeks. We need a Costco run something fierce. Peanut butter and olive oil are almost out. Funny that those are the things we go through the most from there. I also need to re-stock some things like aluminum foil, Ziplock type bags, and some of that type stuff that is so much cheaper in bulk. Plus then I only have to worry about buying it once, maybe twice, a year. That is my favorite aspect of Costco purchases.
Oh, and recently I say the food dehydrator I'm interested in on one of their ads. I wonder if it is in any of the stores. I'd like to actually physically look at them before buying one. Okay, I'm off to swap laundry.
There is a blog I read called Throwback at Trapper Creek. She had a post about estimating how much to can and using the number 52 for the 52 weeks of the year. Now, she is producing a whole lot more of their own food than I am. And probably more than I care to. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of milking my own cow. One, I'm not a huge fan of raw milk, and two I don't want to be tied to milking twice a day every day. Can't do goat milk either. No matter how hard I try I don't like the stuff. Don't like goat cheese either. Sheep I don't know. Can't say I've ever had sheep's milk. Now, I'm pretty sure feta cheese is sheep. I like that. Not enough to warrant keeping a dairy animal though.
Anyway, back to the canning stuff. I have oodles of tomato sauce, salsa, and whole tomatoes. Probably close to 52 jars of the stuff. I have more to can too. I have a few carrots canned and a few frozen. We aren't huge carrot fans so we only put up a little of those. I have one jar of pickled beets. That is probably more than enough. I like them at Thanksgiving or Christmas but that is it. No one else really likes them around here. Bear likes plain beets so I may put up some of those now that I have my pressure canner.
Mostly I just want my kitchen back. Canning supplies take over the kitchen this time of year. The actual canners are huge. The stock pots for prepping the recipes are big and there are all sorts of accessories that lay around needing to always be at hand. Ladles, jar lifter, funnel, food mill, rings, lids, jars, towels, and other basic kitchen utensils. There are also always the baskets and bins of the produce. Big baskets of tomatoes take up a lot of my counter space. Ugh.
Can you tell this is what I'm putting off? Canning more tomatoes. I probably should actually do more salsa since I have a pile of peppers. Well, never mind, I don't have any hot peppers. Maybe I'll do a roasted pepper and tomato ketchup. That might be good. And it is pretty easy. Easy is good at this point.
I suppose I should go swap my laundry around so I might make it through that stuff today too. I'm seeing that in addition to the canning it is a good thing we are headed for Colorado in a couple of weeks. We need a Costco run something fierce. Peanut butter and olive oil are almost out. Funny that those are the things we go through the most from there. I also need to re-stock some things like aluminum foil, Ziplock type bags, and some of that type stuff that is so much cheaper in bulk. Plus then I only have to worry about buying it once, maybe twice, a year. That is my favorite aspect of Costco purchases.
Oh, and recently I say the food dehydrator I'm interested in on one of their ads. I wonder if it is in any of the stores. I'd like to actually physically look at them before buying one. Okay, I'm off to swap laundry.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
It is that time of year again.
We are certainly back in school. I have a head cold. Bear has some sniffles but seems to be kicking it pretty quickly. Mia has a few sniffles that don't seem to phase her, and mine are making me feel like my head is going to explode. Bear got quite the kick out of the fact that I told him I felt like there are a couple of little dudes in behind my eyes trying to push them out of my head. Figures that I'm the one that gets the nasty part. Maybe it isn't so bad. I'm probably just being a wimp. It has been awhile since getting sick so I'm feeling wimpy.
Of course Mom being sick does nothing to stop the rest of the world from moving on. I wish it wouldn't do that. I'm on a canning break though. I just can't bring myself to do that right now. Give it a few days and we'll be rolling again.
Mia has been particularly funny lately. She has taken to saying that the toilet paper is screeching as it gets flushed. It's a, "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm going downnnnnnnnnn." Of course it doesn't translate nearly so well into writing, but trust me that it is hilarious when she does this. Today while we were running some errands in town she and I stopped by Goodwill. I always check their basket selection for display stuff for my yarn business. And I'm looking for old pots to do dye work in. Oddly they have very few pots. Anyway, she and I were looking around and she found the purse section. She found a little purse that was covered in silver sequins. The girl loves her sparkly stuff and at $.50 I couldn't say no. She loves her sparkly stuff shoes so much that she has worn the sparkles off of them in most places.
Bear is getting into being in school. It is entertaining getting school news and goings on through a five year-old perspective. Things like the other day he and some other kids apparently had to go take some sort of test. I'm dying to know what it really was since all he would tell us is that it had numbers on it and he did that instead of music class. He did say it was fun though. At least he is having fun. Poor kid is like a walking zombie though. With class being all day he doesn't get a nap and he just can't get to bed soon enough to sleep long enough to not be a zombie. We try to help catch up on weekends and we try to push bed time earlier but it just hasn't worked out yet.
We've had a wicked heat wave lately too. We've been in the high 90s for the last week or so and it just hasn't cooled off at night. This keeps up I will be more than ready for Fall and that first freeze which is due in the next couple of weeks. I have a feeling this month's power bill is going to be a killer from running the ac even at night. We've been able to open up the place at night until recently and not run the dang thing. How sad is this? It has been so hot I haven't even been hanging clothes on the line. Too hot to be outside. Ugh!
I'd better get this proof-read and get going on something to eat. It is getting to be that time of day. Looks like we've got a storm rolling in too.
Of course Mom being sick does nothing to stop the rest of the world from moving on. I wish it wouldn't do that. I'm on a canning break though. I just can't bring myself to do that right now. Give it a few days and we'll be rolling again.
Mia has been particularly funny lately. She has taken to saying that the toilet paper is screeching as it gets flushed. It's a, "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm going downnnnnnnnnn." Of course it doesn't translate nearly so well into writing, but trust me that it is hilarious when she does this. Today while we were running some errands in town she and I stopped by Goodwill. I always check their basket selection for display stuff for my yarn business. And I'm looking for old pots to do dye work in. Oddly they have very few pots. Anyway, she and I were looking around and she found the purse section. She found a little purse that was covered in silver sequins. The girl loves her sparkly stuff and at $.50 I couldn't say no. She loves her sparkly stuff shoes so much that she has worn the sparkles off of them in most places.
Bear is getting into being in school. It is entertaining getting school news and goings on through a five year-old perspective. Things like the other day he and some other kids apparently had to go take some sort of test. I'm dying to know what it really was since all he would tell us is that it had numbers on it and he did that instead of music class. He did say it was fun though. At least he is having fun. Poor kid is like a walking zombie though. With class being all day he doesn't get a nap and he just can't get to bed soon enough to sleep long enough to not be a zombie. We try to help catch up on weekends and we try to push bed time earlier but it just hasn't worked out yet.
We've had a wicked heat wave lately too. We've been in the high 90s for the last week or so and it just hasn't cooled off at night. This keeps up I will be more than ready for Fall and that first freeze which is due in the next couple of weeks. I have a feeling this month's power bill is going to be a killer from running the ac even at night. We've been able to open up the place at night until recently and not run the dang thing. How sad is this? It has been so hot I haven't even been hanging clothes on the line. Too hot to be outside. Ugh!
I'd better get this proof-read and get going on something to eat. It is getting to be that time of day. Looks like we've got a storm rolling in too.
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