I'm back!

I’ve got a lot on my mind and I’m ready to talk. I don’ t know what has kept me away for so long. Maybe teaching my daughter, moving (again!), building a house (again!!), taking care of a house…or maybe all of those things. But, I am back and that’s what counts! You can find me here: https://adalynshenanigans.wordpress.com/

New Blog

I am moving my blog to http://adalynshenanigans.wordpress.com/. It should be easier for you to comment at that site. And it is easier for me to share from this site. I love all options at this site. Let me know what you think!

There is a place at the top left of the screen where you can chose to follow the blog. From the home page, click on the post you want to read and there you will be able to read the whole post and at the bottom of the post you should see a place to comment and options to share.

Good Friends

Good friends are hard to come by. We have met some nice people here, but most of Ady's close friends are in Wisconsin. There are some friends she misses very much back in Omaha. But her friends in Wisconsin are dear to her. She misses them and I wish we were closer so that we could visit more often. We took a weekend trip and we had a great time. Ady really wanted to stay! It was nice to be surrounded by people that love Ady and we enjoyed catching up.

I have moved several (more than several!) times in my life and many friends have come and gone. There are some I have kept in close contact with, but it is hard when you move far away. Facebook does help me to keep in contact, but that does not replace the heart to heart talks we can have when we are together. It is my wish that Ady forms friendships she can have for her whole childhood, maybe even her whole life. That is difficult when we move so often. But, Ady is also independent and she knows that her mom and dad are there for her no matte what. We are her world right now and she understands that friends my not always be as reliable as her family. I am proud that she understands that at a young age. I do think moving to different places has taught her that. But now I am ready to settle where she can have those close friends that she can grow up with.

Missing Girl

Stories like this break my heart. Children want to show that they are responsible and independent. Parents want their children to be able to walk to the park, to school, to a friends house. There is a fine line between overprotective parenting and keeping our kids safe. I wonder how a child walking in a neighborhood can be abducted. How can this happen? How can a child be taken out of his or her own home? Is anywhere safe? Everyone has to be aware and diligent.

http://www.amberalert.com/#


I love the book Scoop, written by Julia Cook. She is a school counselor turned author from the Omaha area. She has many great books, but this is the one that deals with the topic of staying safe and being smart when it comes to "stranger danger." This is not a subject that parents want to discuss with their kids. We want to keep our kids safe and protect them from the bad things in the world. But, because we can't be with our kids all the time, we have to teach them to protect themselves when we are not around. Here is a link to the book:

http://www.amazon.com/SCOOP-Childrens-Life-Skills-Julia/dp/1934073008/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349805128&sr=1-3&keywords=scoop

Political Rambling

Because of the recent debate and the upcoming presidential election, I want to say something. I am not usually one to keep my opinions to myself, but I also don't want to offend anyone. I honestly don't see the big deal with discussing politics. Shouldn't we all be able to voice our opinions?

I have always claimed to not belong to a political party. But over the past few years I have become more aware of what both parties believe. I have noticed something that has convinced me that I am more Republican than anything else. Most people I meet that claim to be Democrat also claim that they are more tolerant of different lifestyle choices. And yet those are the same people that can't be tolerant of anyone that does not accept what they believe to be true. When having political discussions with Democrats they are much more likely to turn topics into issues of race, religion, or sexual preference. (I think part of the problem is that social media allows people to be mean to each other without having to see the reaction of the person they are speaking to.) According to most of my Republican friends I did not vote for Obama because I didn't expect him to do a good job. According to many of my Democratic friends I did not vote for him because I am racist. I am not assuming that every Democrat is a liberal or that every liberal is Democrat. But I have noticed that the people that claim to be the most liberal are the most intolerant of other people's beliefs. Someone actually posted on facebook the other day that Romney wants to get rid of PBS because he is a Mormon and Mormon's don't watch television. What??? I have known many Mormons and they have all watched TV. I know people that aren't Mormon that don't watch TV. Isn't a Democrat not voting for Romney because he is Mormon just as bad as a Republican not voting for Obama because he is black? Try to explain that to a Democrat and they just won't see it that way. So, this is why I am now claiming Republican. They are more accepting of others and more willing to listen and be respectful. At least in my experience. Now, I have plenty of friends that are Democrats that I can have political discussions with. They are the people I will be friends with no matter what.

I consider myself a good judge of character. I don't like Obama. I don't trust him. He says one thing in front of one crowd and then says something different in front of another crowd. I am not saying Romney is perfect. Nobody is! But every time something negative comes out about Obama, I think, that is it! This will convince people that he is not who or what he claims to be. But, they still defend him. And I just don't get it. He seems so artificial. People seem to have issues with Romney having money. I don't get that either. Isn't that what we all strive for, to have enough money to live comfortably? What I really don't understand is why, if Obama has money too, is he not evil for being wealthy but Romney is? Obama goes on vacations constantly. At inappropriate times. There is so much wasteful spending by the Obama family and that doesn't seem to bother people. But Romney having money seems to really irritate people. I'm not sure why. Obama says he wants to stop the coal industry (while he claims to be increasing jobs) because it's not good for the environment. Yet he and Michelle often take two different airplanes to locations and meet there.

About the 47 percent...It's a mystery to me why Romney saying anything about this make it a negative issue. His only mistake was saying it quietly. If you watch the whole video, not just the clip the media released, his point is that many Americans are relying on government money. But there won't be any money if the government keeps spending the way it is spending. Then the 47 percent won't be taken care of. So, if we can reduce the 47 percent, there won't be so many people to take care of. Seems logical to me. Seems like most of the people in the 47 percent would want to get out of it. I don't have an issue with taking care of those people that really can't take care of themselves. But, we all know that many, many people that receive assistance don't really need it. Don't we want a country of resourceful, hard working people? If we are okay with the 47 percent, we are okay with this country not improving. And, to have so many people need assistance in this country, doesn't that say a lot about how our educational system is working? It's failing to create people that want to work hard to help better the country as a whole.

I wanted to say this because I am worried about this country. I am worried about the loss of freedoms that we have endured in the name of safety and security. I am concerned about the lack of respect for other peoples opinions and thoughts. I am worried about the type of country Ady is growing up in. I don't intend to turn this blog into a place to share my political opinions but I am saddened by the division in this country and I fear that it is only going to get worse.

I do like getting your emails and hearing your thoughts. I know some of you agree with me and some do not. That's okay. Why do we have to agree on everything? Some healthy discussions and debates are good for us. Hearing other points of view can force us to question our own and help us continue to grow.

Well, that didn't go according to plan...

Jer, Ady, and I headed out this afternoon for a day at the pumpkin patch. We were expecting a day of sun and seventy degrees. After we got there, we rode the tractor out to pick our pumpkins. While out in the field, the rain started. We could see it in the distance, but were hoping the weather report would be right and it might just pass us by. It was just a sprinkle at first, but by the time we were back on the tractor to ride back to the farm, it was raining hard. And the rain was starting to pick up. We headed right home and didn't get to do anything else at the farm. Frustrating, yes, but we were all laughs on the way home. It didn't go as planned, but we had fun regardless. 

The rain is starting...

And here we are, back in the car...

                                       

We always have fun together. Yesterday we spent the afternoon in Frederick at the Oktoberfest.  It was a great time! Ady is a sport about us dragging her all over. She did get some good food and a few new items out of the deal. She is such an easygoing, fun little girl. 

15 Years

Jeromie and I have been married for 15 years! Time sure does fly! It has been a wonderful 15 years. Not always perfect. But always loving and loyal. I complain about having to pick dirty socks. And I don't understand why he can't seem to put dirty dishes into the dishwasher (is it really that hard to do???). But I am thankful that we have each other and that Ady has two parents that love her and love each other very much. 

Look how young we were...

Ady and I celebrated by going on a field trip while Jer went to work.  We went to Hanover, Pennsylvania to the Utz potato chip factory then to the Snyder's of Hanover factory. We toured both and learned how they make chips and pretzels. It was a lot of fun!  

At the Snyder's factory

At the Utz factory

Listen

I telling myself I am going to post more. The problem is, when I think of things to post I then have to think of ways to cover the topic without offending somebody. I am not one to not speak my mind. But I also believe that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. So I don't say anything at all. I bite my tongue. This has been a difficult year for me in some ways (not others) and I am a little bitter these days. I am afraid everything I want to say is going to sound grumpy, bitter, and just plain rude. 

This is MY blog and I should be able to say what is on my mind. But I know there are some people out there that actually read this. We don't have to agree on everything. But we live in a society where, if I don't agree with you, I am wrong. I hate how everything has to be so politically correct all the time. Why shouldn't we speak our minds? You don't like it? Leave. Or listen and be respectful. Or maybe, just maybe, admit that someone else might have a good point. You don't have to change your position, religion, or political affiliation. Just listen. 

I recently had a conversation with someone about why I only have one child. It was a good conversation. After the conversation was over, someone else said to me, "Don't you think you offended them by stating that you only have one child so you can give her your full attention? They have three kids so you are telling them they can't give each child full attention because they have more than one." I don't care how many kids you have, as long as you love them and care for them. But I have my reasons for only having one. And if you are going to ask my why I only have one, I am going to tell you. I don't mean to offend you. I don't mean to assume that one is the right number for every family. But shouldn't I be able to say why one is right for me without offending someone else? It's not as if I approached the conversation saying, "You have three??? Are you crazy? What are you thinking?" This is just an example, of course. There are many more. I apparently offended someone recently for stating that I do not like to watch football. 

I am not always the best listener myself. I am working on this. Listening is much more difficult than speaking. But, hear me, people...I just might have something important to say. Or at least something to say. 

Field Trips!

School is under way and our new homeschool group is busy, busy, busy! During the summer I worked hard with a few other parents to create a group called Franklin Learning and Activity Group here in Franklin County. FLAG for short. So far we are a group of about 30 families! We have gotten together as a group a few times, but today was our first official field trip. We took a trip to the local Pizza Hut and got to go behind the scenes. Each kid got to make their own pizza. We all had lunch together. It was a lot of fun! We have lots of activities and trips coming up! 

When we decided to teach Ady at home a main concern of ours was providing her with opportunities to socialize with other people. Not just kids her own age, people of all ages. She is so busy doing dance, piano, story time, golf, soccer, art classes, field trips, music classes, and just playing with friends, I don't know why we were ever worried. 

The freezer

pizza crust

pizza sauce

pizza crust

making pizza

waiting for the pizza to cook

the first pizza is done

the finished product

Yum! What fun! 

Seven

Time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe Ady is seven. In just eight short years she will be driving. If the next eight years go as fast as these first years, I don't know what I will do. I am honored to spend my days with this amazing girl. She works hard, learns a lot, plays often, and loves with all her heart. She deserves a party! Her birthday theme this year: Camp Out! 

Party with the friends!