I'm a proud parent

Congratulations goes out to Caleb.

He was accepted as part of the Celebration Iowa Show Choir.

www.luther.edu/celebrationiowa


He will leave on June 6th and come home around the first week of August. He will have weekend breaks every 3 weeks to come spend with his family. He will also get Sunday mornings off to attend the church of his choice.

Only 10 guys and 10 girls were selected based on their singing and dancing ability. Then there are 17 for the band. A total of 37 teens.

So cool for him!

Scott's Baptism

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let everyone know when our last child will be baptized and you are all invited.


Saturday, June 5th at 10a.m.

Address is 570 Dublin Dr. Iowa City, Iowa

Dublin Dr. is right off of Melrose Ave. When you turn on Dublin Dr. you will see the church at the top of the hill.

Obama's back in his house.

I can't believe that Obama flew 1000 miles just to talk about how Northern Iowa ruined his NCAA bracket and then essentially lead a pep rally. He only spoke for about 25 minutes with about 10 of those minutes talking about how nice it was to be back in Iowa, removing his jacket, thanking various "dignitaries" (UI president, UNI president, Governor, IC mayor), and talking about basketball. Then, instead of feeding us some meat and potatoes, he spoon fed us mashed peas. His speech rang with phrases like, "It all started here," "Yes, we did," and so forth. The man who complains bitterly about partisanship then proceeded to widen the gap between the parties by literally daring anybody to run on a platform decrying health care reform. He compared what he is doing with healthcare with what LBJ did with Medicare, essentially saying, "See, the world didn't end when Medicare passed liked it's detractors said and the same will be true with healthcare reform." What he is glossing over is that Medicare doesn't work very well. In actuality, programs like Medicaid and Medicare are one of the reasons that we need healthcare reform. When physicians and hospitals can only recoup a small percentage of their fees from those programs, the real costs of those services and products are passed on to the rest of us, making overall healthcare costs rise on a yearly basis.

Recently, a poll was conducted among private physicians regarding their plans if healthcare reforms became law. 50% of them said they either would retire or consider retiring. In reality, I doubt that many would quit but if even 10% of them quit, we would be in a real bind.

In President Obama's rush to build a legacy, he has signed a very flawed piece of legislation into law. I do give him props for doing what he said he was going to do. Few presidents do that.

One of the things that makes me the angriest is that he is now going to be spending the next few weeks or more touring the country giving the same talk, spending our tax money to do so, in an effort to turn the tide of public opinion so that this year's election won't yield a sea of red in congress.

I believe that our healthcare system does need some help. Costs are skyrocketing out of control and the money being put into the system often ends up in the wrong pockets. Reforms need to center around tort reform and preventative medicine. Obama and his dogs have put the coon up the wrong tree.

Three Things

First thing:

The President is coming to Iowa City today. Not happy because

1. I don't think he needs to spend the money to be here, we all don't care, there are more protesters outside then supporters.

2. The traffic on campus and surrounding areas will be a mess.

3. I don't get to meet him, so I don't care if he's in the same city or not.


Second thing:

I saw a massive spider in my basement yesterday so I'm calling an exterminator. I've had enough with bugs in the basement, it has to end.

Third thing:

We are having a new dishwasher installed today and I'm super happy about that! Finally a dishwasher that works. A dishwasher that actually works on more than 1 cycle. A dishwasher that can do a rinse only if wanted. A dishwasher that has a dry only cycle. No more dirty cups, no more broken racks, and a dishwasher that matches the rest of the appliances. Lastly, it will have a warranty!

Obama's in the house

Obama is in Iowa today. More specifically, he is in Iowa City to deliver a talk on healthcare. I was at his talk when he unvailed his healthcare plan while he was on the campaign trail. I guess he sees this as coming full circle. Not many people here are very fond of the way this bill was crammed through congress nor are we fond of the bill itself. This was a very short sighted attempt to build some sort of legacy. The more I learn about the bill, the angrier I become. I will not be attending the talk today. Primarily because I didn't put my name in the pot for the ticket lottery but secondarily because I really want to keep my blood pressure under control.

It has been interesting watching the logistics come together. The Secret Service has been in town for the past few days. They have been up in the air in their helicopters and driving around in their black SUV's. Since the President is speaking over on our side of the river again, traffic around the hospital has already gotten worse than usual and will continue to get even worse as the morning wears on. I feel badly for the patients who are going to have to park even further away from the hospital because one of the parking garages has been set off limits due to safety concerns for the President.

I will probably wonder down towards the building the President is speaking in later to take a few pictures of the protesters and the like.

Questions--Just Ask

Since two of my sister in laws have posted a similar post on their blog, I thought I'd do this too. Because I've been wondering . . . What questions do you want to ask me?

So go ahead, ask away. As long as it's appropriate. Ask any question you want answered about Jason or about me?

Beautiful life

Today is simply a beautiful day. The sun is out, the temps are closing in on 50 already, and there isn't an ounce of snow on the ground. My tulips, crocuses, and other early bloomers are poking out of the ground - it's just a great time to be alive.

Change is in the air. Yesterday, our Stake Presidency was reorganized again. This is the 5th change (due to moves and the like) in the 9 years since our Stake was organized. My boss was called to be the new Stake President. He will do a great job, much like the Stake Presidents before him.

We had two General Authorities at Stake Conference. I have come to realize in the past several years how powerful Stake Conference can be. Our Stake Priesthood Leadership meeting was perhaps the best leadership meeting I have ever attended and the general session was very good too. I love being able to sit in the presence of the Lord's servants and hear their inspired words. I come away feeling so much more determined to be a better person.

I'll write more later about the leadership meeting when I have a few more minutes.

I can be nice, really.

During my workout this morning Caleb texted me and said, "I desperately need money."

Knowing he needed lunch money and that I forgot to give him some this morning.
I texted back, "How much and when?"

Caleb's text: "10 or 5 by fourth."

Me: "What time is fourth?"

Caleb: "11"

I was at the end of my workout so I texted back. "Can you meet me outside in 10 minutes?"

Caleb: "Yes, let me know when you are close. Auditorium"

Knowing how much he loves Hardees food and it was almost lunch for him and I was going to be passing by Hardees in just a minute I decided to stop there to get him food to surprise him.

Right when I drove up to the window Caleb called me and said, "How close are you Mom?"

I told him I'd be there in a little bit and did he want anything from Hardees?

Then Caleb said in a shocked voice, "You are at Hardees and are going to get me something?"

I told him "Yes"

He said, "Mom you are sooooooo nice."

I said, "Please remember that."



So there you have it, my teen admitting that I can be nice. I thought I could and now it's confirmed. I'm happy!

11 inches

Before


After

Time for a deep, relaxing breath.

Show Choir season is officially over. Both Brenden and Caleb had their final concerts this weekend. In addition to their normal show, Caleb also did two special numbers. One was a duet and the other was a 9 voice arrangement of "Nearer My God To Thee." It was absolutely beautiful. Caleb spearheaded the whole piece. He found the arrangement, auditioned the boys, and got them all together for practices. He has a real future in music if he so decides. Brenden also did a great job. He had his choreography down and looked great. They sounded and looked much more polished than last time. I am proud of both of them.

We have finally broken out of the 30's and have forecasted temps in the 40's all week. Unfortunately, we also have rain forecasted. That is never a good thing when the ground is still frozen. The "authorities" have predicted a 30-50% chance of significant flooding again this year. Let's hope not. It is nice to see part of my lawn once again.

Michelle is getting her hair cut today. Not just a trim, but a let's-donate-9-inches-of-hair chop. I am a little nervous for her but I am sure she will be even more beautiful than normal.

Thoughts on homeschooling

My sister, Adrianne, has three beautiful little boys one of whom is getting ready for Kindergarten. She raised a question on her blog about homeschooling. She got a lot of good responses from many people who have obviously given the subject some thought. Rather than take up more of her blog space, I decided that I would write about my thoughts on the matter here.

Michelle and I have six children. Two in High school, two in Jr. High, and two in Elementary school. Needless to say, we have experienced just about all that the school system has to offer. Michelle and I never even considered homeschooling our children. There are several reasons for that. First, both children and parents need a break from each other. Children need to learn to be independant and we as parents need to learn to let them make their own decisions when appropriate. Doing otherwise is contrary to the Lord's plan and sometimes even selfish on our part. My children being in school also gives me an excuse to pry into their lives. It provides us with fodder for conversation. Second, being in school allows children to learn to be social. As I said on Adrianne's blog, the lessons learned on the playground about sharing and problem solving are almost as important as anything that they will learn in the classroom. If any parent thinks they can teach their child to socialize, they are deluding themselves. Children need to learn to socialize with children their own age, not just adults. Thirdly, they will be exposed to different ideas and cultures that will enrich their lives. About half of my two youngest children's classmates are not naturalized US citizens. My children are among the most racially color blind children I have ever met. The lack of exposure to different cultures and ideas in the middle east is what has led to our modern day problem with terrorism. Fourth, our children provide good examples to their friends. Children tend to be better missionaries than adults and are not afraid to ask if their friends want to go to church. My 12 year old just gave a Book of Mormon to his bus driver. An opportunity he would have missed if we homeschooled our children. The last reason I will mention is that it is very difficult for a parent to appropriately teach their children simply because most parents simply don't have the training to do so. I would do a great job teaching my children science but a lousy job teaching economics.

One of the comments on Adrianne's blog said that children coming out of the public school system are poorly educated. I beg to differ. I work with many highly intelligent people, none of whom are products of home schooling. If your child is coming out of the public education system poorly educated, you have no one to blame but yourself. Our children have had horrible teachers and wonderful teachers. They have changed schools several times as we have moved. The one thing that has been stable in their educational careers is us. Michelle and I. We have as much responsibility to educate our children or at least oversee their education as do their teachers at school. The same person on Adrianne's blog said that they didn't want to expose their children to foul language, crude jokes, etc... I completely understand and wish that I didn't have to be exposed to those things either. However, the only way to prevent that is to keep your children in the house. Are you going to tell your child to close his eyes as you walk past the magazine stand in the gas station when the SI swimsuit issue is prominantly displayed? If so, what are you going to do when he is called to serve a mission somewhere in Europe where the laws regulating modesty are somewhat more lax? The key is to teach your children the correct principles and slowly begin to loosen the apron strings as you prepare them to make choices for themselves. They will make mistakes. They will make choices that you know will hurt them. But the joy that comes from knowing your child made a good decision in the face of opposition is exquisite.

To summarize, although I understand some parents desire to home school their children, I am very much against the idea. If you believe that your child is recieving a sub-par education, get involved. Most teachers are only to happy to have parents in the classroom. Join the PTA, get elected to the school board. If you don't have the time to do any of those things, supplement your child's education at home. Just stop complaining. When we take our children out of school, we are essentially hiding their light (and ours) under a bushel. The public school system is certainly not perfect but it does a better job educating our children than the majority of school systems throughout the world.

Sing, baby, sing

Here is a link to the last half of Caleb's show choir performance from a couple of weeks ago. If you want to see the first half, let me know and I will post that link als0.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcvmzOSwHA

Enjoy.