I have often had parents who have kids much older than mine tell me to treasure the moments that our kids are young, as they grow up too fast. When Kale and Ruby were 1 and 3, I wasn't so sure. Diapers, getting up at night, carrying them everywhere, etc. led me to believe otherwise. Now that my kids are 3 and 5, I see what they meant.
My son will be entering kindergarten in the fall. Where has the time went? He wants to play baseball every night, loves Joe Mauer, can't wait to go to his cousin Roland's house, and truly enjoys playing with his sister, sometimes. He can count to over 100 and is starting to learn words, and he would ride his bike everywhere if he could.
My daughter is the sweetest thing in the world, most of the time. She loves to sing to herself, play with her barbies, and is a great colorer. She loves to make a bubble beard in the bathtub and say "Ho, ho, ho Merry Christmas." She would wear dresses or princess clothes every day if she could.
I guess the point of this blog is this: Kids are precious. Love them. There are no do overs so make the most of the first time around with every child!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Kale and the dentist
I took kale to the dentist yesterday to try and get some cavities filled. It did not go well. Right now my teeth hurt just thinking about it. Everything was fine, the gas seemed to be calming him down, then the drill hit his teeth, you know the sound and the feeling. He raised his hand to let them know he was in pain. The dentist tried one more time, with me holding him. This time Kale raised both his hands and his whole body tensed up like he was in convulsions. He tried not to cry, but you could see he was in great pain. The dentist stopped and gave us a few options.
1. Take him to GF and they can put him under
2. Bring him back in a few months to see if he can handle it better
Option 2 is out the window. He never wants to see another dentist again. I don't blame him, the most painful experiences of my life were getting cavities filled at the dentist. The gas never worked for me. At about 12 years old I experienced novacaine for the first time, what a miracle! I never used gas again. Not sure what we will do, but at 4 1/2 years old, Kale already hates the dentist.
1. Take him to GF and they can put him under
2. Bring him back in a few months to see if he can handle it better
Option 2 is out the window. He never wants to see another dentist again. I don't blame him, the most painful experiences of my life were getting cavities filled at the dentist. The gas never worked for me. At about 12 years old I experienced novacaine for the first time, what a miracle! I never used gas again. Not sure what we will do, but at 4 1/2 years old, Kale already hates the dentist.
On line classes
There has been some talk of on line courses for high school students. I think if a student can take a course that is not offered by his/her local school, then by all means give the on line option a try. Or if they are unable to come to school, or if they are like some families who's jobs are always moving, maybe the online ption is a good idea.
However, students who take courses online that a school already offers is wrong in my opinion. The local school district loses money for that student. Also, some of these online courses are a joke. They take 10-20 percent of the time of a regular course. Also, the biggest problem with an online course is accountability. How do you really know who is doing the work? Mom or dad could be taking the tests or older siblings for that matter.
The biggest problem I have with online courses (and I would throw in home schooling on this one as well) is that one of the major aspects of a child's education is social skills. By doing classes on a computer one loses all verbal communication and misses out on a great deal of interaction with other students and teachers. I would not want my 16 year old spending a great deal of their day alone, on a computer. What kind of society would that create?
However, students who take courses online that a school already offers is wrong in my opinion. The local school district loses money for that student. Also, some of these online courses are a joke. They take 10-20 percent of the time of a regular course. Also, the biggest problem with an online course is accountability. How do you really know who is doing the work? Mom or dad could be taking the tests or older siblings for that matter.
The biggest problem I have with online courses (and I would throw in home schooling on this one as well) is that one of the major aspects of a child's education is social skills. By doing classes on a computer one loses all verbal communication and misses out on a great deal of interaction with other students and teachers. I would not want my 16 year old spending a great deal of their day alone, on a computer. What kind of society would that create?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Philippine American War
How many of you have ever heard of the Philippine American War? Not many is my guess. Now most educated Americans have heard about the Spanish American War of 1898 which was fought to free Cuba from the oppressive Spanish and in the process the US gained the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Many people may remember the war chant, "Remember the Maine" about the warship that was sunk off the Havana Harbor. Referred to as "A splendid little war!" Because of all that was gained in such a short time and at the cost of only about 1000 American lives.
Let me now explain about the Philippine American War. It lasted 15 years from 1898-1913, 4300 American lives were lost (as many as 200,00 Filippinos may have died). This war was fought why? To stop the Philippines from gaining independence. The US annexed them instead. We just fight a war supposedly to help Cuba gain independence, and now we have just fought a costlier war to stop another country from gaining theirs. What is worse is that the US committed unspoken about atrocities to the Filipino people. Women and children were killed, villages were burned, it was horrendous!
The meaning of this blog post is to point out the fact that the Spanish American War is still celebrated in this country and well written about, yet a longer and more tragic war with the Philippines is hidden and hardly written about at all. Why? Because we are embarrassed and would prefer to hide that part of history. History is written by the winners, what will happen when we lose? What will the history of the US look like then? Hmm....
Here is a link to a Mark Twain writing about the Philippine War. It is a nice snippet to some of the atrocities that we committed there. It is also a good read as Twain is masterful with his sarcasm!
http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/25/26060/timeline/docs/sources/theme_primarysources_Culture_17.html
Let me now explain about the Philippine American War. It lasted 15 years from 1898-1913, 4300 American lives were lost (as many as 200,00 Filippinos may have died). This war was fought why? To stop the Philippines from gaining independence. The US annexed them instead. We just fight a war supposedly to help Cuba gain independence, and now we have just fought a costlier war to stop another country from gaining theirs. What is worse is that the US committed unspoken about atrocities to the Filipino people. Women and children were killed, villages were burned, it was horrendous!
The meaning of this blog post is to point out the fact that the Spanish American War is still celebrated in this country and well written about, yet a longer and more tragic war with the Philippines is hidden and hardly written about at all. Why? Because we are embarrassed and would prefer to hide that part of history. History is written by the winners, what will happen when we lose? What will the history of the US look like then? Hmm....
Here is a link to a Mark Twain writing about the Philippine War. It is a nice snippet to some of the atrocities that we committed there. It is also a good read as Twain is masterful with his sarcasm!
http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/25/26060/timeline/docs/sources/theme_primarysources_Culture_17.html
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Hunting season
This has been an extremely successful hunting season for the Geiser-Bauck deer hunting group around New York Mills, MN. At least 6 potential wall mounter bucks have been shot. Dad shot a 164 inch 13 pointer 150 yards from the house (deer drag story to come later), my brother Cody shot a 140 inch 12 pointer, my uncle David shot a 147 inch 9 pointer about 200 yards from my stand, my cousin Shanna Shot a 130 incher right by the house, cousin Sam shot a 137 incher, and my cousin Isaiah shot one that will probably go over 130 as well. 15 years of passing up little bucks is paying off!
But I do not measure success of a hunting season on the size of the bucks we shoot. It is also about spending some time with family, getting out in the woods, and relaxing. In those areas this hunting season has been very successful as well!
But I do not measure success of a hunting season on the size of the bucks we shoot. It is also about spending some time with family, getting out in the woods, and relaxing. In those areas this hunting season has been very successful as well!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Politics and War and the Media
As far as I am concerned politics and war and media do not mix. Take Iraq for example. We have won a war there, yet the politicians to the left and the media refuse to admit it. On a website I check frequently for casualty numbers (icasualty.org) one can view casualties, both hostile and non hostile for every month of the war, and the facts don't lie. In May of 2007 the American troops suffered 123 hostile fatalities, and in Oct. of this year they suffered 2! Some will say that the Iraqi civilians are taking the brunt of the violence now, also not true. In Sept. of 2006 there were 3300 civilian fatalities, in September of this year: 96! For some reason the media and the politicians to the left don't like positive things. Maybe they should read the book, "How Full is Your Bucket?" When things were going bad in Iraq there was criticism everywhere, people wanted Bush out of office. It was a key issue in the campaign during the primary races for President. Another sign that things got better is that the nearer we got to the election last November, the less of an issue Iraq was. Why? Because we are winning and no one knows it or wants to write about it. And everyone likes to claim how well we are supporting our troops yet we refuse to admit that they have gone over and kicked butt, is that support?
Now Afghanistan is a different story. Things have gotten worse there as it is trending the other way, fatalities are getting higher. The military is asking for 40,000 more troops now. Obama says he is thinking about it. Americans are dying while he is thinking and the politicians to the left are using rhetoric and stall tactics. If I had a son or daughter in Afghanistan and the military leaders were requesting more troops to help, I would not be happy with the situation happening in the Capital right now. It was proven in Iraq that troop increases helped win the war. I say give it a try in Afghanistan. To me it is time to go all in or go home. This half way stuff is costing Americans lives! I thought we learned lessons from Vietnam, obviously the wrong ones it looks like.
I guess my main point is this: How can we as Americans let the media and politicians get away with this? All these positive things going on in Iraq, when positive news can be so good for the American people and the troops, and nothing is said. That is sad, and it hurts the morale of the American people. I am sending an email to Obama, Clinton, and Pelosi and highly encouraging them to read the book "How Full is Your Bucket?" It might help.
Now Afghanistan is a different story. Things have gotten worse there as it is trending the other way, fatalities are getting higher. The military is asking for 40,000 more troops now. Obama says he is thinking about it. Americans are dying while he is thinking and the politicians to the left are using rhetoric and stall tactics. If I had a son or daughter in Afghanistan and the military leaders were requesting more troops to help, I would not be happy with the situation happening in the Capital right now. It was proven in Iraq that troop increases helped win the war. I say give it a try in Afghanistan. To me it is time to go all in or go home. This half way stuff is costing Americans lives! I thought we learned lessons from Vietnam, obviously the wrong ones it looks like.
I guess my main point is this: How can we as Americans let the media and politicians get away with this? All these positive things going on in Iraq, when positive news can be so good for the American people and the troops, and nothing is said. That is sad, and it hurts the morale of the American people. I am sending an email to Obama, Clinton, and Pelosi and highly encouraging them to read the book "How Full is Your Bucket?" It might help.
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