Makiah's ear was checked out by the doctor and assisting Doctor Bob. A small cut on the inner ear, no ear infection. Makiah was pleading "pain, pain, pain" till the verdict was in. The pain went away immediately, and any hope of staying home from school also was erased from his plotting intentional genius self. So, I dropped him off at Washington Elementary School and rushed home to get ready for my outing.
It has been at least a decade since I got a massage. And I love massages! One of my top priority gifts to myself is to be able to afford a wake-up massage every morning then a trip to the spa retreat outside my bedroom door. So, I have been working on the SageHouse.org website and met Tracy Thoreson who is a massage therapist, who wanted her own web site to link to SageHouse.org and with everyone else who might desire her healing genius touch. I can truly say she is amazing! How lucky can I be? She was born and raised in Mt Vernon, went to the local college for music, switched to the University of Iowa for theater, then decided to study massage in San Diego, went on to learn every healing technique not known by most Iowans via New York, Canyon Ranch and Austrailia ...and here I am lucky enough not only that she found her way back home to Iowa, but that I was in need of her healing touch and I was available to be healed. Wow! It was heavenly, what a golden touch. She has definitely been educated into her passion. Iowa could really be heaven, if only the natives who left and learned, returned to the state to be recognized and appreciated for what amazing treasures they truly are...Iowa would be more like a state growing corn with pure gold kernels rather than growing corn to run our cars, ethanolsucks.us.
To be touched, rubbed, healed via someone how is a master at so many diverse modalities of healing, she is THE ROSE...I'm blessed she found her way back home.
No history here, before 1840. No field trips into the old battle grounds. We do have the Meskwaki Indian Casino in Tama. The Ioway and Hohokoms before that, but something to be taught and shared in schools?...no bus rides going there.
Today, is Saturday...the FUN DAY! Nick, Emilee, Matthew, Makiah, Shari and I are heading north to see the #1 UNI Panthers play "whomever"...Shari was a UNI Cheerleader so I'm sure she will be in rare and true to form today.
Then Makiah and I volunteered to sell books for Jennifer Azzi, talking on reseting your life.....what do you do post Olympic Gold?
Post Heroine of the sport, post this post that....looking forward to all THE FUN!!!
ps.Maybe your boys should consider playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the team needs them NOW! Maybe they could learn what real Iowa battles are about. Face to face combat in the drenches of "Playing THE GAME!"
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Education? Today I....
chaperoned 534 7th graders to a historical ranch thats purpose was to teach the history of its land. We went from Nativity styled tent to tent starting in the early 1700's and ended up in 1920.
The kids were bored. Why would they be interested in a musket, when they have access to AK-47's on PlayStation? Why would they care about Morse code when they all use email? How could a steer be worth more than a human being or better yet actually become a Big Mac? A Black Smith worked his iron as the 10 school buses idled their diesel engines yet their was no relationship or pattern or historical trace of connection made by any? Has the importance of history been lost? Was our educational system not doing a good enough job?
13 year old girls were walking around looking like they were 18. Other kids looked they should have been still in the 5th grade. Some boys had mustaches. Hip Huggers were in.....again?. The history teacher looked like a playboy centerfold. And she let EVERYONE know it. Boys and Girls flirting, petting, hugging, chasing, slapping, and positioning themselves for their future. I found myself back in 7th grade laughing, not having a care in the world, yet also remembering that 7th grade had its downside - being scared to go home after school - never wanting to disappoint my parents. Today I chaperoned walking around scared for another reason. My kid was growing up.
Were we being educated today?
YES! Absolutely YES!
Education is not about being taught what to know, but about how to live. Education is LIFE.
I picked up both my 7th and 8th grade boys today from football at 5:00. Devin was proudly telling Tyler how I was unlike all the other "Mom" chaperone's and that it was really cool that I gave out the answers to the assignment for the trip. That "everyone wanted to be in Dad's group". Tyler was sad though. He sheepishly informed me that he had only gotten a 78 on his Science test.
I smiled.
"WHATEVER" I said and asked "What do you guys want to do tonight?"
"Lets do something FUN Dad"
TGIF
positive memories are more powerful than any educational degree
The kids were bored. Why would they be interested in a musket, when they have access to AK-47's on PlayStation? Why would they care about Morse code when they all use email? How could a steer be worth more than a human being or better yet actually become a Big Mac? A Black Smith worked his iron as the 10 school buses idled their diesel engines yet their was no relationship or pattern or historical trace of connection made by any? Has the importance of history been lost? Was our educational system not doing a good enough job?
13 year old girls were walking around looking like they were 18. Other kids looked they should have been still in the 5th grade. Some boys had mustaches. Hip Huggers were in.....again?. The history teacher looked like a playboy centerfold. And she let EVERYONE know it. Boys and Girls flirting, petting, hugging, chasing, slapping, and positioning themselves for their future. I found myself back in 7th grade laughing, not having a care in the world, yet also remembering that 7th grade had its downside - being scared to go home after school - never wanting to disappoint my parents. Today I chaperoned walking around scared for another reason. My kid was growing up.
Were we being educated today?
YES! Absolutely YES!
Education is not about being taught what to know, but about how to live. Education is LIFE.
I picked up both my 7th and 8th grade boys today from football at 5:00. Devin was proudly telling Tyler how I was unlike all the other "Mom" chaperone's and that it was really cool that I gave out the answers to the assignment for the trip. That "everyone wanted to be in Dad's group". Tyler was sad though. He sheepishly informed me that he had only gotten a 78 on his Science test.
I smiled.
"WHATEVER" I said and asked "What do you guys want to do tonight?"
"Lets do something FUN Dad"
TGIF
positive memories are more powerful than any educational degree
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Destiny or Luck
I don't remember being invited to any parties here in Mt Vernon, as a stay at home dad. Maybe I used up all my party hours years ago as a student at Cornell College. I remember those days of wondering why all my classmates seemed to party with such passion, purpose and with such heart. I was taking learning seriously, like all the riches of my future experiences would depend on it. A couple of years ago while on a solo drive across America, somewhere in the beautiful south eastern rolling hills of Wyoming was a lone billboard saying, "What is the purpose of education?"
No invites for morning coffee or afternoon lunch. No meeting with any bosses. No meetings with any fellow worker bees. MSNBC plays in the background reminding me of the choices of Regis and Kelly or another disaster happening somewhere. Today, it's the fires of Southern California. I see myself on Mt Soledad gazing down at the fires in Rancho Santa Fe, hoping the library survives. I love San Diego, loved my life there.
I am excited, I found a new stay at home dad to communicate with at my first online convention at eComXpo. I have great hopes of integrating and sharing our experiences, stories, and everything we own into incredible riches of seeing all our dreams manifesting. We both know we live in a castle and kingdom of amazing freedom and bliss at having the opportunity of sharing our time, our energy, our love with our children. But now I feel I have a real friend who understands my concern for seeing blood coming out of Makiah's right ear this morning and my excuse of having to leave this conversation to take my eight year old, special needs son to his new really sexy beautiful intelligent doctor.
Later Scott, my neighbor has a corvette too, mostly for parades. Have a most perfect day.
ps. I like the golden apples with bites taken. "What is the purpose of education, anyway?
No invites for morning coffee or afternoon lunch. No meeting with any bosses. No meetings with any fellow worker bees. MSNBC plays in the background reminding me of the choices of Regis and Kelly or another disaster happening somewhere. Today, it's the fires of Southern California. I see myself on Mt Soledad gazing down at the fires in Rancho Santa Fe, hoping the library survives. I love San Diego, loved my life there.
I am excited, I found a new stay at home dad to communicate with at my first online convention at eComXpo. I have great hopes of integrating and sharing our experiences, stories, and everything we own into incredible riches of seeing all our dreams manifesting. We both know we live in a castle and kingdom of amazing freedom and bliss at having the opportunity of sharing our time, our energy, our love with our children. But now I feel I have a real friend who understands my concern for seeing blood coming out of Makiah's right ear this morning and my excuse of having to leave this conversation to take my eight year old, special needs son to his new really sexy beautiful intelligent doctor.
Later Scott, my neighbor has a corvette too, mostly for parades. Have a most perfect day.
ps. I like the golden apples with bites taken. "What is the purpose of education, anyway?
Luck or Choice?
A typical scene.
Neighborhood party.
Me chatting with all of "their" wives.
My wife chatting with all of their husbands.
I understand who they are. They really still don't get me.
They feel safer talking to the "bread winner", as if it was really THAT that was bringing them together and as if it was really THAT that what was really keeping us apart.
Wishing it didn't have to be this way.
How can I change their perception? Or is the perception all mine?
Then it happens. Oh Boy......here he comes. Well dressed. Confident. Arrogant maybe? Polo Shirt. God he's got great hair. Did he just get back from playing golf? Why am I in a T-shirt, cut off shorts and sandals and he looks like he just jumped off the cover of GQ?
"How ya doin?" he asks, as if he really cared.
"Doing great, how about you?" ...hoping he wouldn't tell me about his new Corvette convertible.
"You know, I think you are so LUCKY that you get to stay at home with your kids - I'd do anything to have your job" At this point double-income Dave isn't even looking at me anymore. Is he actually checking out my wife? Or is it John's wife new boobs? Was he being sarcastic? Sincere? Degrading? Or would he REALLY want to do what I do? I ponder.
"Well", I say speaking to a slightly turned head, "it was a tough CHOICE we made but looking back we know we made the right one. She is much better at working and I am much better at raising the kids." "You should try it sometime?"
"Yeah right! And give up our lifestyle? We like things just the way they are."
I am lucky.
Being a stay at home Dad is the luckiest choice I ever made.
Neighborhood party.
Me chatting with all of "their" wives.
My wife chatting with all of their husbands.
I understand who they are. They really still don't get me.
They feel safer talking to the "bread winner", as if it was really THAT that was bringing them together and as if it was really THAT that what was really keeping us apart.
Wishing it didn't have to be this way.
How can I change their perception? Or is the perception all mine?
Then it happens. Oh Boy......here he comes. Well dressed. Confident. Arrogant maybe? Polo Shirt. God he's got great hair. Did he just get back from playing golf? Why am I in a T-shirt, cut off shorts and sandals and he looks like he just jumped off the cover of GQ?
"How ya doin?" he asks, as if he really cared.
"Doing great, how about you?" ...hoping he wouldn't tell me about his new Corvette convertible.
"You know, I think you are so LUCKY that you get to stay at home with your kids - I'd do anything to have your job" At this point double-income Dave isn't even looking at me anymore. Is he actually checking out my wife? Or is it John's wife new boobs? Was he being sarcastic? Sincere? Degrading? Or would he REALLY want to do what I do? I ponder.
"Well", I say speaking to a slightly turned head, "it was a tough CHOICE we made but looking back we know we made the right one. She is much better at working and I am much better at raising the kids." "You should try it sometime?"
"Yeah right! And give up our lifestyle? We like things just the way they are."
I am lucky.
Being a stay at home Dad is the luckiest choice I ever made.
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