Eroding Parental Rights

No doubt you've heard of the ruling in North Carolina where a judge (that's Judge Ned Mangum of Wake County) forced a mother to send her children to public school for his personal agenda and thereby sided with the adulterous father.

A judge do that in America?! No, say it ain't so!

It sets a scary precedent if not overturned. You may recall just last year a similar situation in California that threatened the rights of homeschooling parents statewide and distressed the rest of us across the nation. The court wisely reversed their decision, Praise God! They recognized the parent has a right to educate as he/she sees fit as long as the child is not abused or neglected. Why is there always some bonehead judge out there who doesn't take a hint and thinks he can do it better?

Read Patrice Lewis' perspective, a columnist for WorldNetDaily, in Playing God with Homeschoolers. She gives a satirical voice to the lunacy of the North Carolina ruling. Can you imagine the lobbyists that would be up in arms if a judge ordered a public school child to be homeschooled against his or her parents' wishes? Stop the presses!

What's next? How we choose to feed our children--genetically modified, pesticide-coated, animal by-product crap or homegrown organic fruit and veggies and real, straight-from-the-farm meats? How about whether they take medicine pushed by pharmaceutical companies or receive all-natural, homeopathic health care? You know it's only a matter of time.

I urge you, as Patrice does, contact this judge and respectfully let him know what you think.

Get in Shape with a Friend!

Wanting to get in shape for a long time now, I finally joined 24 Hour Fitness. The kids and I had been walking the dog for 20 or 30 minutes a few times a week before lunch (though the goal was everyday), but with no regularity. On Valentine's Day my hubby took me with him because they had a free 2-week pass.

He's been going for a year and looks great. He weighs less than when we got married. I know this because his wedding ring kept falling off and thought it was lost for good after our Christmas trip to Indiana. He lost it while packing so we figured it had to be in the luggage but couldn't find it after returning home. A week or so later, it turned up in one of the duffel bags. He got it resized and it fits perfectly again.

All of this brought out the green-eyed monster. I began to get concerned. I'm not getting any younger you know and it only gets harder the older one gets to take off the pounds. Thank the Lord for a friend who was wanting to get in shape too. We started walking together first. Now that I have a membership, we work out a few days a week.

Today, we tried the Turbo Kick Box class. OH MY!! Great workout...though I realized how uncoordinated I am. My sister is the dancer in our family. She can pick up moves like that. I'm so clever, I decided to stand at the back of the room to hide. I forgot an important fact: everyone on the gym floor can see what I'm doing because of the huge window at the back of the room. It was comical for several people, I have no doubt.

Hint: always take a friend who has no idea what she is doing either. Then you both can laugh at yourselves and each other.

Keeping My Resolutions: Organizing 15 Minutes a Day

I've got to get organized! I've got to get organized!

Does this sound familiar? Most of us have this mantra running through our brains when the New Year arrives. But for me it's everyday, regardless of the time of year. I'm still working on completing my office/school/craft room.

I started on it when we moved in July 2006.

I do find, however, I get energized about organizing again while I'm making all my other resolutions. It's like the year is a clean slate. I can wipe away all I didn't accomplish previously and begin anew.

But I don't need to wait for a new year. I've discovered I have a blank palette each new day.

Whether it's one 15-minute organizing session or several throughout the day, I feel great about sprucing my space in such a short amount of time. It's easier for me to feel good about my home and myself when I break tasks down into manageable steps. If I've accomplished at least one task on my list, then I give myself permission to let the rest go. Understand, this is not anywhere near easy to do.

Hello, my name is Melanie and I'm a recovering procrastinating perfectionist.

I have ADHD and am OCD. I self-medicate with Starbucks and Dr. Pepper while pouring over awesome blogs like SimpleMom and Nesting Place. When my husband attempts to help, I sound like Rainman, mumbling and shouting. What'd you do with my stuff? Where's my stuff? I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH MY STUFF!!

He rarely does this anymore.

I don't think 15 minutes is a magical number. You can do it for 5 or 30 minutes. What's important is giving yourself a time limit and praising yourself when you're done. Be careful not to look at every other cluttered space and beat yourself up. Nester has great advice on this here.

She has numerous examples of how she tried something that didn't work and moved on to the next idea. (I think all her ideas are great and want to be her when I grow up.) But she's right--just like her blog states--"it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful" and there's no wrong way to get it done.

Your home is a reflection of you so make it what you want it to be. If it doesn't work for you, try again; it's your space. Own it. Make a plan of attack and stick to it. Your home will look great and clutter-free in no time.

Now, if only I could figure out how to keep the family from using it.

How about you? Do you have any tips on getting organized?