Expelled from the Mall

Pastor Dad asked Karen and Prince Charming at dinner today what they thought of this story, Since they hadn't heard it they couldn't comment. I guess my hubby thinks I run home immediately and convert everything into a blog post. Not quite. Sometimes it takes me awhile to put things into words. And the fact that today is Sunday could have something to do with it, too. Karen and her Prince have already heard this story. The rest of you are getting it now.


The Bear had an activity to attend last night so Pastor Dad and I dropped him off then decided to spend the intervening hours eating and shopping. We went to the same mall where I had my "missing-wallet-induced panic attack" in December. Last night's outing didn't end much better. I think I'm going to need to find another place to shop because this mall is becoming associated with too many panicky moments.

All was well until we went into one of the department stores to shop for some dress shirts for Pastor Dad. It was getting near closing time but we had several minutes until the official end of the business day. I, in the meantime, needed to visit the Little Girls' Room to take care of some business of my own. Normally, this would not take as long as it did last night. But while I was in there I developed a nose bleed. It seemed to me to make good sense to stay in that lounge until the bleeding stopped because of the supply of tissue, water, etc.

What I didn't know was that it was taking more time to get my nose bleed under control than what store policy allows. A security guard found Pastor Dad standing in the hallway outside the restroom and told him that the store was closed and that he needed to vacate the premises. According to Pastor Dad the guard said, "You need to be out of here in 20 minutes because that's when we release the security dogs." Whether he was joking or not is a matter of debate. Either way, it was clear that they wanted him outta there!

I was totally unaware of this conversation taking place right outside the door and Pastor Dad didn't alert me to it until about 10 minutes later when he was trying to rush me down an escalator. I asked him why he didn't knock on the door to get my attention. I could just as easily have bled all over their floor as opposed to their bathroom sink if they were in such a hurry to get rid of us.

Now, I've been a mother for almost 28 years. I have 4 children and have even been known to babysit my grandchildren on occasion. It really would not have been the first time I've been in a bathroom and heard persistent knocking accompanied by insistent yelling from someone on the other side of the door. Do you follow me?

But that's not the worst of it. Our car was parked outside another entrance at the far end of the mall. And the department store had already put down the barrier bars into the mall corridor. That meant we would need to go outside and walk around the mall in the cold.

But even that's not the worst of it. Some Barney Fife decided to lock all of the doors. Yes, even those leading to the outside. Several of us late shoppers were trapped inside until Pastor Dad reached around an upset mom with a baby asleep in a stroller who was standing there like some caged animal blocking the doors. Alarm or no alarm, we were getting out that door! (There was no alarm, but at this point anything was possible.)

Once out in the free air we started the hike to the car. I was beginning to wish I'd brought a backpack and provisions for the journey. If I'd known this I would've agreed to that doggy bag the waitress tried to get me to take earlier. Or a cup of coffee in a carry-out mug would've been even better.

Part way around we found streams of others vacating through one of the main mall doors. We held the door open for them and then hastily made our way back inside before any of the security guards saw us. We walked the rest of the way within the confines of the mall and exited the premises near our car just as the mall security began shining bright spotlights on the remaining cars in the lot. I'm beginning to suspect that this mall is not in the best part of town or something. Just maybe. And that part about the dogs doesn't seem so far-fetched anymore.

Never let it be said that Pastor Dad doesn't know how to show his girl an exciting time on a date. After 31 years he still knows how to get my heart a-pumpin'!

I'm Being Interviewed!

Ronnica over at Ignorant Historian was interviewed by another blogger recently. She in turn is interviewing others, including me. Here is how it works: Five questions are given to the person being interviewed. The person doing the interview picks the questions. I think Ronnica did a fine job of picking questions for me, so without further ado I will dive in and give my answers.


1. Did you always homeschool your children? How has it changed through the years?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I began homeschooling when our oldest was in kindergarten. In the intervening 23 years I have noticed changes in the homeschooling movement, and that includes even within our own homeschool. I have also noticed some new trends in the movement that disturb me but I will not get on my soapbox about those today.

Some important things have not changed in my homeschool, though. Our purpose for existing remains the same and is twofold:

1. We feel that Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us as parents that we are to talk to our children about our faith and teach them about our God at all times. We feel it is easier to do this if those children are actually with us at all times.
2. We feel that Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train our children in the way they should go. I believe it was Chuck Swindoll who compared this to nurturing a tree to grow toward a certain individualized bent. So if you have a bonsai you prune and tie to make it grow the way it should. If you have a topiary you have a whole different game plan. In other words, the goal is to really get to know the child and adapt an education plan to the child instead of adapting the child to an education plan. (And my children are going to start pointing fingers at each other stating, "You were the bonsai!")

Our goals have not changed, either. I happen to believe in OBE (Outcome Based Education) just not as the government states it. (For the uninitiated "outcome" is just a big word for results.)

Here are the outcomes that we wished to see as a result of homeschooling our children:

1. The student should exhibit a heart that is ready to serve God in whatever capacity the Lord desires. This is a training camp for the Lord's army.
2. Once the student reaches the age where he or she can be gainfully employed, he or she should exhibit such strengths of character as honesty, integrity, submission, and common courtesy (otherwise known as "a good work ethic") that the boss wishes he could hire dozens more like him or her.
3. The student should have developed enough skills to be a life-long learner. Education doesn't end at graduation so the ability to think reasonably and to find information should be encouraged. There is no way for any teacher to teach any child everything in 13 years that the student is going to need throughout his/her life. Children should be taught to access the resources available to them.
4. The student should exhibit the ability to adequately read and write, and have sufficient math skills to get along in the world. This, however, is the least important goal of them all, but is the one that the government OBE objectives place as a top priority. My school has a 100% literacy rate but if I do not develop points 1, 2, and 3 in my students then I fail my purpose for homeschooling no matter what their respective IQ's might turn out to be.

Some things have changed for the good through the years. One is the fact that there is a whole lot more support than there used to be. People still think we're "odd" but we're not almost-unheard-of anymore.

Another good change is that homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. When we moved to TN in 1985 it had only recently become legal to homeschool there.

There is also a wealth of curriculum choices today that didn't exist in those early years. Most of the curriculum we used was of necessity adapted from that used by Christian and public schools. Since I believe in tailoring the education to the child I think it is a positive development to have so many options.

There are also many options in sporting and recreation open to homeschoolers that weren't available in the past. This obviously is because of the increase of people homeschooling as it takes sheer numbers to be able to put together sports teams. This is very important to boys like my son (the Bear). In our early years we participated in group roller skating parties and activities in the park for games and recreation, but my older girls did not have team activities available to them through the homeschooling arena.

2. I saw you had an Austen thing on your sidebar...what's your favorite of her books (or movies, if you're more of a watcher)?

My favorite Jane Austen book is "Sense and Sensibility." I also like the movie starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and Kate Winslet. I believe Austen's works were categorized as comedies just because of the happy endings. I happen to like happy endings.

3. What your favorite snack?

Wow, I really had to think about this one more than the previous two questions because I'm really into snacking. :) I think my favorite snack is whole-grain tortilla chips with anything. I dip mine in hummus, salsa, nacho cheese, or that great party dip that is made with Velveeta and salsa.

4. You've gotten a lot of snow lately...do you like winter, or are you more of a summer gal?

I like snow. I also like floating around in the swimming pool in the summertime. The bottom line is that I like all 4 seasons. What I don't like is extreme cold or heat. I don't think I could live much farther north than I do now unless it was in an area blessed by gulf streams, and I already know how I fare further south having lived in TN for 14 years. Let's just say that I missed the snow when I lived there, but I loved the extended spring and fall seasons. The summers were hard on me, though, because I am a hot-natured person. In the months of July and August I couldn't breathe and had to stay in the house the whole time. I didn't like that.

5. What's your least favorite chore/task that you do simply because it has to be done?

Dishes. I love to cook and bake but I hate cleaning up the mess. I never had a dishwasher until this house so I have become majorly spoiled. It worked fine until recently. Since all the plumbers are doing other stuff like fixing peoples' broken water mains these days I'll probably be washing and drying my own for quite awhile longer. I just think it's ironic that this would happen soon after the last daughter married. And don't suggest that the Bear help. His idea of doing dishes is breaking some so that there will be fewer to wash next time.

That's the end of my day of being interviewed. If any you, my readers, would like to be interviewed it is very simple. Just drop me a comment stating that you would like to participate and I will compose 5 questions and send them to you. You will answer on your own blog and will link back to me stating that I am the one who interviewed you. (If you are experiencing writer's block this is a great way to automatically get a blog post. The downside is that you must trust me to come up with the questions.)

One For the Baby Book

It was destined to happen and it finally did. That's the Bear's perspective anyway as he has anxiously been awaiting this milestone in his life. His voice cracked.

My baby is growing up. :(

I didn't actually hear it. Here I am a stay-at-home mom and I missed it! That's like not witnessing my child's first steps.

So how do I know about this milestone? He proudly told me. And he didn't sound any different when he said it either. I then asked if he might just have a cold - it is the season for it, you know - and he looked insulted. I guess that's like getting excited about finally seeing your baby's first tooth peeking through the gums only to have someone respond, "I think it's just a piece of rice cereal stuck there."

Perhaps soon when someone phones the house and the Bear answers the caller might mistakenly query, "Pastor Dad?" instead of "Karabeth?" (or the one that used to really perturb him, "Princess?") the way they do now. Then won't some of us be happy.

If Nothing Else, It's Beautiful

I'm guessing that yesterday's 4 inches has now become today's 12 inches or so with about 1/2 inch of ice sandwiched between the layers. Shoveling today was a lot harder than yesterday. I took a bit of a break to take some pictures of the beauty around me.

The holly bush in the front:


The pine trees that are usually standing upright:

The lamppost with an icicle big enough to be used as a weapon:

The picnic table where nobody is picnicking today, not even the squirrels:

The dogwood tree with the buds that hold promise that spring will arrive someday:

Lilac bush "under glass:"

Some very dangerous deck steps:

And finally, The Revenge of Pepper, who once again was forced to stay inside while everyone else "had fun." Ha!: