I'm Not MIA...Just Busy!

Good grief!  Has it really been six months since I posted on this blog?  Obviously and unfortunately the answer is yes!  From this point on I aim (notice, I'm not promising) to do better.  Although to some, I may seem to be being pulled from several different directions and that just might be true but that's just who I am.  I am the type of person who needs diversity on a day-to-day basis.  I learned awhile ago that I get bored very easily so I do much better when my business challenges are switched each day.  This is why I sell Life and Health Insurance, book Group Cruises and run two other small businesses in addition to teaching my children at home.

How do I do it? We are a relaxed home based family which means we do not fair well with too many outside of the home activities.  Other than field trips, park days, Band practice, shopping, eating out and family vacations we all really like being home most of the time.  My office is in my home so I get to work early in the morning before the kids get up, during and after lesson time, between cooking/cleaning time and after 6pm when most others are off from their jobs.  Works for us.

I am about to go into the next few weeks of intense insurance product training as I gear up for Medicare's Annual Open Enrollment season set to start next month.  I will be busy but I want to begin to spotlight on this blog one or two of the great educational sites on the internet that I have found to be beneficial, see my resource list on the right panel.  Keep in mind, my children are 13 & 11 so a few may be geared toward that age group.
This month I would like to focus on two Current Events and Social Awareness sites:

CNN Student News - We really enjoy this site.  My kids are engaged with the stories, how they are reported and presented as well as the commentator.  The content changes daily to reflect what is going on in the world on a daily basis and is kept at a 10 minute show time as to not lose it's audience's attention.

Youngzine - Internet News Magazine for kids. This site picks up where CNN Student News leaves off by carrying much more content and information about current events and world affairs.  This site is a fairly new find for us but we really like it's set-up and content so far.  Read their "Welcome Homeschoolers" message.

Living, Learning and Enjoying Our Blessings Together... PEACE! Tina

Tina Little-Coltrane - Home Educating Mother
Life and Health Insurance Advisor - Coltrane Insurance
Cruise Consultant - Expedia CruiseShipCenters

Food, Inc. - The Documentary

So I took this 90 minute educational journey last night and learned a little about the food industry (and apparently there is a lot more to learn) by watching "Food, Inc." the film which only introduces us to what/how/why our food, specifically meat, is being massed produced in order to keep up with the world's supply and demand, well in the US anyway.

I found this film very engaging and enlightening.  I must be honest in admitting, when I saw that it was 92 minutes long and this being at 9:30pm on a Friday night, my first thought was "Oh no, my eyes are already hurting from being on the computer working all day, there is no way I am going to sit here for 90+ minutes and watch this now. I'll just have to watch for 30 minutes at a time before the April 29 free viewing ends."  Well I have to tell you, I could not stop watching.  After the 1st 30 minutes went by, I needed more, then the next 30 minutes, still couldn't stop-needed to see more and watched it straight through to the end.  It really captured my attention and got me thinking even more so now, confirming what I had already begun to research over the last few months, that this is why so many of us are sick.  It's not only because of the lack of daily exercise, which I know is very important, but also the chemicals fed to the animals that we eat is and has to be filtering down into our bodies.  There is no truer statement, "We are what we eat".

"Genetically Modified", very interesting term and definition. If the Cows, which are being fed corn instead grass-(really need to watch the movie to learn the significance of this issue), Pigs and Chickens are being pumped-up with Antibiotics and other Chemicals to enhance their size and growth rate and we are ingesting these chemicals, daily, weekly, monthly, annually, how could it NOT affect our health in the long run.

I plan on having my children, ages 13 & 11, view this film in 3 thiry-minute increments as lessons in Nutrition this coming week. We have already begun to discuss healthier eating patterns but I think this film will allow us to really jump right into the thick of it.
I have a lot of nutritional corrective behaviors to address for myself and my family and there is a lot of information available right at our fingertips by way of the Internet, Videos, Books and now films like "Food, Inc.".  I encourage everyone to watch this film so that you will at least be informed about what you are putting into your body.  We can't do better or feel better until we know better and I now have some basic knowledge which will allow me to make better choices to improve our health and well being.  I intend to learn as much as I can about Nutrition and what is most beneficial for our bodies to function properly and hope you do the same.

Enjoy Your Blessings and do your best to take care of the Blessing that is your body.  Tina

You can watch the film, "Food, Inc." online at PBS.org/POV until April 28, 2010 or you can purchase the DVD which is also now available.

Fareed Zakaria: The Past as a Prologue in Haiti

If you don't know, if your children do not know...please take a few minutes to view this very brief (just short of 4mins) history lesson about Haiti.

“Just Follow The Crowd and Go With The Flow”, I Think Not!

 We can't break the cycle of living by misinformation and untruths if we don't acknowledge that they exist. Whether it be Parenting, Education, Health, Cultural or Spirituality issues, learn from the mistakes and misconceptions of the past that were taught to us and continue to be past down from generation to generation. Some things we continue to do just because “that’s how Mama-n-them have always done it” when we now know and see that some things are senseless, pointless and of no benefit or value.

Everyone thinks that what they believe is right and I am no different.  I am not here to change the minds of the masses so if you don’t agree with me, I’m cool with it.  I have no problem with agreeing to disagree but there are many who think that their way is the only way for everyone and everything and my point here is that this is just not so.  With all of the evidence staring us in the face, as we witness the fruit of disobedience, disrespect, lack of self-esteem, ambition and respect for human life we must acknowledge that some-not all, but some fault lies with the information, practices and habits that are passed down from generation to generation.  From the foods we eat to the way we educate our children and the chemical poisons we ingest thru our pores all for the sake of changing our Natural selves in order to become accepted as being beautiful according to society’s standards, things have got to change.  When we know better, we are supposed to do better but that’s not going to happen until we begin to break these Generational Curses of misinformation.

I have much admiration, respect and gratitude for my Ancestors for what they had to endure and overcome in order for us to enjoy the life we have with the opportunities that are available to us in this time.  Now let's be honest and with no disrespect intended to our Elders but certain things continue to be past down that came from a place and time of ignorance due to lack of education and submissiveness due to lack of human equality that we continue to practice just because.......

Well, for me, I’m done.  I can’t do it anymore, “No Mas”.  If it doesn’t make sense or benefit me, my family or anyone else, I am not going to do it and what I mean by “benefit” covers a wide scope of definitions that are not only financial but more importantly emotional benefits.  Traditional and Cultural habits can be a wonderful thing but if we find that certain practices are detrimental to our health, well being and future generations….Why do we continue like sheep in a flock being led to the slaughter??? 

Like many other working Mothers, I’m a busy woman and time is of the essence because I just don’t have a lot of it.  Together with my husband, we must determine with the time that we have, what is going to be of the most benefit to our family and especially our dependent children.  For us, after making so many mistakes with our older children who are now suffering the consequences for our past ignorance, we now realize that although the ways of old may still work for some, it just has not and does not work for us and ours.

So, our reply to the “Just Follow the Crowd and Go With The Flow” statement is most definitely “I Think Not!”  We are now living by and enjoy our “break away from the herd” lifestyle.

Millionaire in the Making (MoneyTrack on PBS)

Such a positive, intelligent young man at the ripe old age of 14! I am so impressed.  Although he is not homeschooled, this still proves the importance of a positive teaching parent and the results in a young aspiring mind.

Alternative Education IS Happening Outside of The Traditional School Building

Education, Knowledge and Continuing Education is the only way (IMO) for us and our youth to not only succeed in this life but more importantly to survive in this world.

As a Home Educating Mother, I know that education can be attained from many different ways, settings and formats.  There are always more than one way to achieve a goal.  The myth that education can only best be gained while sitting in a classroom setting in a school building was dispelled for me once I began researching alternative methods of educating myself as well as my children.

The internet has proven to be a convenient time saver offering the best opportunity to choose what I want to learn/teach, when I want to learn/teach it and how much time I wish to spend learning and/or teaching in any given subject.  For me and my family, it doesn't get any better than that.

If you don't already know about YouTube you really need to check it out.  You do not need to create an account/channel if you are not interested in creating/uploading videos in order to watch but it is beneficial to have an account in order to save, tag or share your favorite video clips.  There are so many people sharing their knowledge by way of YouTube, it's really the next best thing to discovering electricity.  There are channels specifically for just about anything: Home Repair, Home Education/Subject specific, Hair Care, Faith - you name it, it's on there. You can check out some of my favs on my account: - 4UTina.
A word of caution, there are quite a few videos on this site that I am not interested in seeing and are not (imo) appropriate for children to watch so just be mindful of that.

Here are a few others of my favorite online education sites:

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere. There are over 1000 Videos covering everything from basic Arithmetic and Algebra to differential equations, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Finance and SAT and GMAT Preparation.

Kids Space @ The Internet Public Library - Kids Space is just one area on this huge resource site which is just what the title indicates, The Public Library on the Internet.  I encourage you to explore the entire site and see all of the knowledge that is available to be gained here.

Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity - Lesson Plans, Student Materials, Interactive Activities and Educator's Resources. Although their overall goal is to improve student achievement by providing Educator Resources, Training and Professional Development, their mission seeks to improve the giver as well as the receiver of Education overall, so Home Educators can also benefit from the free resources offered on this site.

TV Smarts Program Guide - TV Program list that changes weekly, covering subjects such as Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Foreign Languages, Geography and History.  These programs are based on the strictest state curricula standards.

Learner's TV - This is a comprehensive site providing Video Lectures and Courses, Science Animations, Live Online Tests and Audio lectures in the fields of Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Medicine, Management/Finance/Accounting, Dentistry and a lot more all for FREE.

These are just 6 of the thousands of educational resources sites that are available on the internet today.  Sorting through and reviewing them all is a job in of itself.  I have compiled a page list of my favorite sites to frequent on my website Blessings2Enjoy.com.  Please feel free to visit the Education Resources page and collect a few more for your favorite's list.

Enjoy Your Blessings! Tina