A Shocking Mix Up

Now I must preface this with the fact I can't stand Jerry Tarkanian as a coach or any part of a University. I was mad when Fresno State hired him so maybe that prejudices me against Danny Tarkanian but....

How could you confuse Harry Reid and Ronald Reagan? In the clip Tarkanian refers to Reagan's renowned 11th Commandment. When I saw this posted I was sure that if Tarkanian did it, it was a one time slip. Well, watch the tape. Tarkanian says Reid instead of Reagan repeatedly.

If this is representative of Tarkanian as a candidate....Well, as much as I dislike Harry Reid I dislike the idea of an idiot Republican more. I would rather let everyone see someone bad in the seat and know that he is a Democrat!

(HT: The Hill)

For Today (2/8) From NerdMom's Daybook

Outside my window I am not sure if we are done with the rain yet but a mom can dream;).
I am thinking about organizing my house and getting rid of some clutter. Who knows when or if it will ever happen but I am thinking about it.
I am thankful for all those in my life that love me!
From the learning rooms Kinderbach and some history!
From the kitchen I am making a big pork shoulder roast for the first time. (update: I have made pork roasts before but this is one of those huge shoulders that is over 10 pounds. This is something I have never done;)
I am wearing the standard for Mondays: Sweats and a 3/4 sleeve shirt
I am creating not much unfortunately.
I am hoping that I will be blogging much more! Especially on NerdFamily Food!
I am hearing a little bit of everything. NerdDad made a huge MP3 cd.
Around the house I hope to tidy up and organize a new coupon organizer.
One of my favorite things is the Torani Orange syrup that Smart and Final is once again carrying!!!!!
A few plans for the rest of the week: hopefully a meeting tomorrow (if Stephanie doesn't have to go for jury duty) and a girls night with my best friend Sara on Friday!

Safe Edible Glass?

Spray on Glass, yes spray on glass. There is a liquid breathable glass that they can spray on surfaces. You can spray it on surfaces to keep them new but the big arena is in food. You could spray it on food and then it would keep out bacteria. Veggies wouldn't mold so you don't have to worry about spoilage. Due to the fact it is only 100 nanometers thin it is totally edible. Science is amazing isn't it?

So would you eat food with it on it? Even though it is edible I think it might be a mental block for me.

Proving the Greatness of Socialized Medicine

So socialized medicine is supposed to be great right? I mean don't we all want what Canada has? Everyone can have great treatment and it will just be taken out of your check... Well, it isn't good enough for Canadian Premier Williams. He needs heart surgery and is going to travel over the border to avail himself of America's great health system. I have heard about this for years. That the wealthy in Canada (and frankly even the not so wealthy) will come to the US to have medical procedures done either due to our better quality or the expediency. So maybe all those who desire what Canada has should actual see what Canadians with a choice do.

I thought a commenter over at Instapundit had an interesting question. If Obamacare passes how will the Canadian healthcare system survive?

Starting to Homeschool: Academics

I was recently asked by a reader (Johnny) where he should curriculum wise with his 7th grader that he is going to start homeschooling. I don't have a ton of experience homeschooling older kids but I do have some recommendations.

My number 1 recommendation is to involve the kid!!! By junior high they want and need some ownership in order to learn responsibility and to get excited about it!

Make a list of what subjects you want to cover as far as interest and as far as high school goals. One example: if you want to hit calculus you need to start algebra by 8th grade. I have a friend whose kid wants to be a missionary so I would recommend Biblical Hebrew. Or art maybe something they have a passion for so encourage that.

I would prepare for the fact that no matter how well you research curriculum that it may not work for your kid. It is ok to sell or trash something just because they don't like it or it doesn't work well for your student. That is why I recommend looking at a friend's copy, download sample pages (CBD shows many inside pages for books), or buying it used!

I also recommend that you be real with yourself. Don't start looking at curriculum based on where your kids "should" be but where they are. If you buy something to advanced remember that you can hold onto it for when they get there. Don't freak and don't pressure them. Learning is a journey not a destination (how corny is that;).

I would also use the junior high years as a time to start looking forward to high school. There will need to be more record keeping to get your kid into college so now is a good time to start thinking about it.

So now to the real question... curriculum. Since this reader told me they are in California and I can specifically recommend that they attend the CHEA conference, which is coming up quickly. CHEA gives a free day to all first time homeschoolers so use it! But I recommend conferences no matter where you are. They all have many curriculum booths so you can touch and look at everything.

I personally am a big Singapore math fan but I don't know anyone who has used them with older kids. But I have heard great things about Teaching Textbook for older kids. One of the nice things is that you don't have to actually do the teaching. They also have their own placement tests. I have also heard great things about Bob Jones satellite classes for older kids.

As far as history and social sciences go I recommend the real book mentality. Find a point, event or arena in history that interests you or your student and get books on it. You could go with something as broad as California history or specific things like Thomas Edison (that covers real science too;) or World Ward II. Then just have them do a project, paper, presentation or something on it. Depending on your kid they may want to do an art piece. I personally loved writing research papers (yes, I am a dork;). But something that shows they are getting it. You may just get them 1 book from the library and it may spark a year of study to find out more about it.

I also have the same mentality on reading. Pull up any reading list (from people you agree with versus nuts;) and start working through the books. You can also pair your literature with your history. Study Elizabeth I for history then read Shakespeare. Greek history and the Odessy.

The most important this is to enjoy the ride!!! So for those of you with experience in this age range: what specific curriculum do recommend for a junior high student?

A Declaration

NerdDad found this. I don't think he has heard the original song it is a take off of (which I like) so I will have to show him that video;). I have never heard of these people before but I already love them! I think this will be a great way to get the kiddo's memorizing the Declaration!!!

Condolences

Rep George Radanovich's wife, Ethie Weaver Radaovich, has passed away. My sympathy and prayers go out to Representative Radanovich, his son and all those who knew and loved her.

But now I have a question... Ethie and her battle with cancer was the prime reason that Rep Radanovich was not seeking another term in the House of Representatives. Is this effect what he is doing next? Can he/will he jump back into the race? Will he run for something a bit more local? Not to be callus but, is her passing so early in the campaign season a game changer?

A Little Link Love

I have been reading some great things around the blogosphere and wanted to share!

The Anchoress wrote a good piece on Lady Gaga for NPR: Monsters, Inc.? The Lady Gaga and Madonna Parade

Brainz has a piece on 15 Ways Science Will Kill Us All (it is funny, just laugh)

On the political front, there is a Database that you can search to see what kind of donations zip codes are doing for gubernatorial candidates in California.

Heart of the Matter has a great piece that has some great resources about Haiti and how to pray for it in Praying and Learning About Haiti.

Home Hilarity

Since we are now living without the satellite we are exploring our many free online options. We have recently discovered that all of Scarecrow and Mrs. King is online over at Slashcontrol.com. Scarecrow and Mrs. King was a favorite of mine as a kid and a teenager. I had a little thing for Scarecrow. The funny part is I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls and marry Scarecrow. Then Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) married Scarecrow (Bruce Boxleitner). But I digress...

To start with it isn't as dorky to watch as I was afraid it was going to be. And the kids love it. We are about 7 episodes into the series right now. At the end of the last episode Scarecrow got shot. We decided that we were going to watch another episode during dinner. NerdPie express how she hoped he was going to be all healed by this next episode. To which NerdDad said how he was sure that Scarecrow would be fine...he heals quick, like Wolverine.

It really tickled me (yes, I am a dork). But it tickled me even more that the kids didn't even blink at the statement because they knew exactly what NerdDad meant by that;).

Tea Anyone?

I didn't watch the State of the Union. Yes, I know that I am a bad American;). But between the internet and chatter on the street I wasn't worried about missing to much. But there was something I did miss (until NerdDad mentioned it and then I saw it on the Daily Show;). Speaker Pelosi had a silver tea set in front of her during the speech. I find that odd. Very odd. Now for many, many of my childhood and early adult years I watched the State of the Union and I don't recall ever seeing a silver tea set in front of anyone. N

Now frankly I had always been paying attention to the speech and the Presidents so did I just not notice? Is she that pretentious that she needs a special tea set instead of a glass of water like the Vice President? What is the deal?

For Today (2/1) From NerdMom's Daybook

I am thinking about many things I want to blog on but haven't gotten around to.
I am thankful for the last couple of days of sunshine.
From the learning rooms we are going to do some math drills and learn about converting fractions to decimals (I know, we are wild).
From the kitchen I am doing a big bunch of freezer cooking.
I am wearing sweats and a t-shirt.
I am creating Valentine's Day cards (I hope).
I am going to do a bunch of grocery shopping and the library this morning.
I am hoping to get stuff done!
I am hearing Celtic Thunder.
Around the house I will need to spend a lot of time cleaning the kitchen after all my cooking!
A few plans for the rest of the week: MOPS!

(For more Daybooks go check out The Simple Woman's Daybook)