I love days like today!  It is 1:30 and I have successfully finished homeschool for 2 children, entertained 1 preschooler, changed, fed and napped 2 babies all while making turkey vegetable soup for freezing and extra turkey broth for freezing, all from scratch.  Oh and I also fed everyone breakfast and lunch and chatted with a friend who stopped by to pick up some of Stephen's pants he's outgrown.  Now to just get the house picked up before Chris gets home and I have to leave for Ellie's concert tonight.

No matter what you think of this woman's beliefs and her science curriculum (which they say very little about) this sets a very dangerous precedent not just for homeschoolers but for religious schools since this judge is basically ruling on curriculum, not on educational neglect or any other  issue over which he has jurisdiction.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4727161/

I hope this mom belonged to the HSLDA.

Alan Keyes thoughts on the subject:

In my last post, as I listed areas of life where the imposition of socialist tyranny will produce the enslavement of conscience, I referred to the fact that "Parents will be required, without exception to surrender their children for indoctrination by the state." I'm sure the usual purblind skeptics dismissed the thought as another example of rhetorical hyperbole. Providence came to its defense today in the form of a report out of North Carolina where "a judge has ordered three children to attend public schools this fall because the homeschooling their mother has provided over the last four years needs to be 'challenged.' The children, however, have tested above their grade levels - by as much as two years."

Judge Ned Mangum did not usurp Ms. Mills right to decide the best education for her children because the schooling she provided was academically deficient. He is reported to have "stated that his decision was not ideologically or religiously motivated but that ordering the children into public schools would 'challenge the ideas you've taught them.'" As reported, I'm not sure whether that statement is an example of self-evident dishonesty or shocking ignorance, but either way it makes hash out of the notion that Mangum is better qualified than their mother to decide the educational path of her children.

what an incredible, amazing, busy year it's been.

As I sat down in December to write my Christmas cards I was amazed by the sheer volume that I was sending out.  We have been blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives and those were only the ones I could find addresses for!    And then last night at a going away party/birthday party for two friends I was once again reminded of the amazing circle of people my family is lucky to be surrounded by.  So for that I am truly blessed and grateful.

It's hard to believe the year started off with 2 tiny little infants who were only just beginning to wake up and notice the world around them and here we are starting 2009 with 2 energetic toddlers who are anxious to experience everything the world has to offer.  But those weren't the only big changes in 2008.  We also went from a public schooling family to a homeschooling family.  There were many reasons for the change and each has brought a positive impact into our lives both as individuals and as a family.

In 2008 Stephen continued cubscouts, did spring soccer and then gave baseball a go in the fall.  The break from soccer was just what he needed.  He enjoyed learning a new sport and is now ready to attack spring soccer with renewed interest and energy.  He dropped formal guitar lessons but still occassionally plays with Chris.  He is reluctantly learning recorder as part of homeschooling.  He complains about it but has a natural talent for music.

Ellie traded off Brownie scouts for a great new organization for girls called Frontier Girls.  It is similar to Girl Scouts but maintains more of the focus and traditions of Boy Scouts.  She also began singing with the Fairfax Youth Chorus in September and is learning so much in her musicianship classes.  She continues to be obsessed with Phantom of the Opera and treats us to songs from the show on a daily basis.  She also began piano lessons in the fall which have been going very well thanks to our good friend who is also a great piano teacher!

Catherine continues to strive to be just like the big kids.  She attended a fitness oriented preschool in the spring where she became fast friends with a little boy who was the Spiderman to her Spidergirl.   Then in the fall she began attending a more traditional preschool which we adore!  She has learned so much and much to our surprise we discovered in late fall that she was teaching herself to read without us! LOL! 

Other highlights of 2008 included two trips to Great Wolf Lodge, one in the Spring as a post-baby getaway for the big kids and one in the Fall as part of our homeschool group.  There were many trips to the Kennedy Center for the big kids.  This year they were able to experience drama, musicals and the symphonies.  The big kids got to see the Broadway production of The Lion King and Ellie also was treated to a performance of Phantom of the Opera in the Opera House.  The National Zoo was, of course, another mainstay for the year and this fall Ellie and Stephen had the great opportunity to tour the zoo's actual commissary.  I'm not sure they were wild about the dead frozen mice blocks but it was an interesting time.

Summer of course brought many different camps and then we rushed full on into fall and a flurry of cool fieldtrips and activities.  The best trip of all was a camping trip we took to Jellystone Park in the Shenandoah mountains with the twins club in September.  It was chilly and rainy and absolutely the best time we've ever had as a family!  Some other honorable mentions are:  Kenmore Plantation, Ferry Farm, Mt. Vernon, Williamsburg, Family Day at NASA Goddard (so incredible!), Ft. McHenry, an Alpaca Farm, 2 trips to the dinner theater, a tour of an ice cream shop and last but not least making custom soaps and crayons which Stephen and Ellie sold at Entreprenuer Night. 

Sadly we also saw Stephen's best friend lose both of his parents this year to illness, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. 

We added several members to our household this year.  We took on my parents' cat Oliver, who took awhile to get adjusted but is finally comfortable enough to stand up to the other cat and the dog.  We also acquired a hamster, 2 mice and 2 Beta fish.  So I guess you could say we're bringing the zoo home with us. LOL.

As far as Chris and I go well we've mostly been driving to all of these things.  Not really!   We were incredibly blessed to be able to have Chris "work from home" nearly full time from Feb to September.  It was an amazing gift to be given with 2 new little ones at home and it made my life a million times less stressful in those early months.  When Chris did go back on-site it was to a fantastic job where he has already been promoted and is on the forefront of IT security.  He is also getting his TS.  All of these are VERY good things!

I have held onto my sanity through the support of my MOTC (mom's of twins) group.  Moms of multiples are just the most incredible people, I really believe that, and through joining a book club.  I have rediscovered the joy of reading all across the spectrum and even if I don't finish the book on time I look forward to reading each and every month's selection.

And that about wraps up 2008.  Bring on 2009!