My Love Affair with Science Fairs

Ode to the Science Fair

The biggest challenge I face in interacting between my son and the school system is the science fair. I think there should be stricter rules and regulations regarding participating in such events as listed below.

1. The parents are required to be less neurotic than the child. If you have a child that is extremely easy going, lives for today and never worries about what tomorrow brings and then you have parents that come unglued over deadlines and changes in procedures that tend to throw them into a tailspin, it’s not a recipe for success.

2. This should be optional. A child with absolutely no interest in doing science experiments nor care what the outcome is, has no business putting his parents through this stressful activity. More than seeing experiments as the science fair, People love to see the kids enthusiasm over what he have accomplished or figured out. Like they had some major revelation.

3. The parents should actually know what all the materials are. When the experiment calls for “Non-Galvanized Nails” in the year 2012, the parents should realize that this is hard to find since all nails are galvanized to some degree and finding the requirements is going to take more research than a 5 minute trip to Lowes. It is also important for the parents to know that they actually have the wrong materials sooner than 28 hours into an experiment that is due in 3 days.

4. The child should not be prone to beg for an F instead of doing science. This just leaves the parents to spend hours upon days convincing the child that failure is not an option and no one is sleeping the night before its due.

After weeks of working on this science project and also having to start all over with a new idea one week before it was due, I feel we have pulled it off. I’m going for D or better and everyone gets ice cream. Please do not tell me this is a yearly thing. If so, I’m going to make him start today on next year’s project.

All and all, the science fair went off without a hitch and I actually learned some really cool stuff from some creative 6-8th graders. My personal blue ribbons go to child #4b who proved that Wal-Mart brand nail polish lasts longer and chips less than your expensive brands and child 3a who proved that chickens lay more eggs when listening to classical music than they do with country music or no music. Both these I will definitely try at home. Stay tuned and I’ll post some pictures.

Virtual Walls

Today my thoughts were about my robot. I have an irobot that vacuums for me. It has patterns and sensors that keep it moving to completely cover the room eventually. I can set a timer to run when I’m not here. It has a voice that states its needs like when its in a pickle it says, “Please move Roomba to a new location.” Or “Please charge Roomba.” It comes with lighthouses and virtual walls so you can let it know where to go next with the lighthouse or not let it in certain areas that you don’t want it to go. One cool thing is the docking station so when it senses that its battery is low, it docks itself and recharges. Its equipped with everything it needs to do the job it was made to do.

Why am I telling you all about my robot? I’m not selling them or anything but one day a friend of mine also bought one of these robots and she asked me, “Do let it run while you’re not home?” I said no because I’m never sure where it will be when I get back and I end up calling for it like some kind of crazy woman…”Here robot, where are you?”

As a person who ponders numerous conversations for days, I started thinking about the robot and the question posed to me by my friend. I also think about kids and teenagers a lot. Then a huge lightning bolt seared across the sky, lights started flickering and I had an AHA! moment. iRobot is like cildren. I am in such a rush most days, I usually don’t take the time to set up the virtual walls or the timers so it just works randomly throughout my house. It takes twice as much time to clean than if it the equipment was used properly. All the information I need is there, I just have to stop and listen to it or maybe read a manual or two. I don’t really set the timer because I just use it when its convenient for me and my schedule. I have never used the lighthouses really because sometimes I’m not even sure where I think it should go next. Imagine what would happen if our children had no virtual walls, no boundaries, no idea what was coming next or where they should go next. Imagine if we didn’t really take the time to read a manual or search out answers that would help our kids run more efficiently. They come equipped with everything they need to be successful and its our job to keep the batteries charged and the direction clear.

Technology Update

Dear Husband and Son,

You may not have recognized this item but I would like to take the time to fill you in. In order to clear up any miscommunication, I will now attempt to answer all your questions about this. The wicker square thing in the corner of each room is called a laundry basket. I understand your not recognizing it since it does not have tires, engine nor propels on the water. It has been used for centuries as a place to put clothes that have been worn and are in need of laundering. Hence the name “LAUNDRY basket”. What this strange item cannot not do is be magnetized to spontaneously attract your used clothing. It cannot sense unclean articles and retrieve them. There is no remote so it does not have to be turned on, unlocked or turned off. It just sits there. It cannot pick up socks or anything else by itself that have been left on the floor next to it. It order for this device to work properly, you must actually feed it every day.

Recruit and Paint

So I called Danyele, my sister in law. She is always redecorating, moving something, updating, fixing, restoring, reorganizing…well, you get the picture. I went to her with my awesome idea and my terrible dilemma. “But I can’t paint” I said sadly with puppy dog eyes. She was more than happy to help and we planned a Saturday to do the paint job. Since we live so far away and its hard to get people together these days, I had a brilliant idea to make a day of it. Make a big dinner, have family over, paint, eat, play. Well, I wouldn’t say it was brilliant, more like addicted to chaos.
Danyele comes over with her supplies. She has on these cute shoes, nice pair of jeans, button down shirt and the cutest leather jacket. Hmm. Where’s the sweats? I guess she’ll change later. I, in my ripped jeans and baggy shirt, start helping to get the room ready. She opens the paint and gets right to it....in her cute outfit. So I waited, surely she’ll realize she forgot to change? Meanwhile, the family is here, kids are running everywhere wanting in that room that they are sure all the toys are in. I left the paint job to Danyele as I prepared dinner and tended to the guests. Not to mention the fact that I am not allowed anywhere near paint. When the day was finally over, the room was painted, not a drop anywhere, not even on Danyele’s shoes, dinner was good, the company was great and all in all a successful day. Thank you for your help. The painting was perfect and better than the people I originally paid to paint the orange.

Next...We Paint...Maybe

Getting excited about seeing the orange disappear, I asked my son what color he thought his Antique Car room should be. Since he was going to be a teenager in a couple of years, I knew it had to be a pretty mature looking room. He said black. Compromise lesson #1: If one persons idea is crazy enough to make you pass out,don't just say 'No Way!' I thought I would appeal to his love of cars and say, "How about we paint the base color gray and have black and red pin striping just like this car here on the cover of your Hot rod magazine?" Bingo. He thought that would be perfect.

I announced to my husband about our plans for painting and the ideas we had for the room. I was starting to get excited and couldn't wait to get to Lowes and get started. The only small glitch was his response. In the nicest, warmest way possible he said to me, "If you touch another wall with a paintbrush, I'm moving out." Ouch! Although I did still have fresh memories of my attempt to repaint a small bathroom in our house. I am reminded of it every time turn on my blue tinted light fixtures or clean the blue spotted commode or pull down the shades over the blue accented window frames. Not even to mention the brush strokes that are wearing off the walls.

Now I have a small dilemma. Hmmm. I can't really paint(walls) and I don't have a design team. I have already cleaned out the room and am set on doing this project. I need a team. I need professionals. I have got to get some input from someone that loves this stuff and can coach me on this. I just now realized that some planning is going to have to be involved and that's something I lack. I just had the best idea. I'm going to call......

A Decorating Excursion

Ever since my son was very little, he has had an obsession with the color orange. I don't think it had anything to do with us hanging UT flags, banners, hats, memorabilia all over his room since birth. Or maybe it does. When we built a house we let the kids decide their room color and agreed to paint whatever they wanted. Well, as it happens, my son picked orange and it was done. Its been 5 years of the orange bedroom and I think I'm pretty oranged out. I finally talked him into redoing his room with the promise of antique classic car theme. This picture is the before picture and I'll update it as progress goes on.

I did realize that redoing a bedroom is NOTHING like you see on TV. There is so much involved especially for someone with absolutely no sense of design. So here it is, before.

Staying in AWE

There are so many things we lose as we age. Our hair turns grey, wrinkles appear, joints don’t move as well as they did and we seem to just be all around slower. I am pretty much ok with all that. I call it my successes. The only thing that I want to be careful not to lose is my awe. I have to practice it every day. Sometimes a vigorous workout is required. I would suggest 20 to 30 minutes a day, at least three times a week.

I remember when we rented a little house at the bottom of Brady Mountain. The location was just at the end of a few downhill hairpin type turns. This was a major route for tractor trailers to travel from the north to Chattanooga. As the trucks would make their way down the mountain, you could hear the screeching of wheels or the roughness of the engine as they downshifted to maneuver the road. Each time a tractor trailer would make its way down the winding road, the engines would scream and my then 3 year old son would stop everything he was doing and run to the middle of the driveway to be in awe of this huge mechanical giant on wheels. He did this every time. For hours regularly I would watch him race to get just one fleeting glance. He never tired of it. Each time he saw these trucks was like the first time he ever saw one. That is awe. He marveled at the size, the speed, the colors, the sounds they made.

Every morning I wake up early just to run outside to watch the sun rise. I marvel at the color, the cloud formation, the reflection, the speed in all its gracefulness. When I am lucky enough to be still at sunset, I wait and be in awe of that too. The sky is something that has always amazed me. Its where quiet comes from.
As I grow older, my body may fail me, my youth will leave me, but I hope I never lose the awe of looking up.

My Own Worst Enemy

I kill me. I really do. I am my worst nightmare. I Caught myself today. I opened the Yahoo homepage to see one of those "news" (haha) stories about some hollywood couple doing whatever. I thought to myself, "Really people? Is this what is occupying our time? Is this really news?" So then guess what I did. Yep. I clicked on the link to see what the story was about. Snap.

A Farm Thing

Today is the day I finally realized how truly blessed I am. Sometimes those things you think you have to endure really end up being an wonderful slice of luxury. You think all this time I have suffered when in truth I have been given a great gift. For 13 years I have not bought meat from the grocery store. Every year we “do in” a cow that feeds us for that year. The first year I was mortified. It wasn’t nice and pink like the store and it was vacuum packed and looked extremely odd. Not to mention watching these guys graze all year and then they are in my freezer. As with any cards we’re dealt, I began to adjust pretty well to a point that it just become normal and I didn’t even think about it anymore…..until today….
The weather was pretty nasty out. With the freezing cold and the snow flying I really didn’t feel like walking out to the freezer and defrosting meat. In my genius thought, I had to go to the store anyway, I might as well save some time and pick up some hamburger for meatballs there. I took the hamburger out of the package and noticed right away the strange color, almost pink. I smelled it. It actually didn’t smell like anything, no smell at all. Oh well, continue…I place it in the bowl and it’s a little slimy. Eww. I start cooking and there is grease everywhere. Now that’s gross.
It was then that I realized how much better the grass fed, home grown cow really was. Beef smells like beef. No grease to fool with and the taste is so good, you hardly have to spice it. Yep, I have been spoiled in my pioneer way of life and life is good.

Occupy Walmart

I have absolutely no idea why this Occupy Wall Street nonsense gets on my nerves. It really does but I think its a test. A test of my "no useless controversy" policy. I try really hard to not knock any idea someone has to do something great and useful with their life no matter how far fetched I think it is. Well, OWS, a test of my emotional endurance. I have a zipper on my lip.

So in order not to explode being quiet, I have to just voice my opinion on a great marketing campaign. Occupy Walmart. This should be the black Friday slogan of all time. "Thousands turn out to Occupy Walmart". The only problem is they would never use it in the era that is 2011 because it might offend someone...oh...did I just say that out loud? Stupid zipper.

Lessons School Can't Teach

I couldn’t be more proud of my 11 year old son than I was this morning. No, report cards didn’t come out , I didn’t receive any papers with 100’s on them, nor did any trophy of special importance come home in his backpack. It was his courage.
A few days ago we randomly talked about forgiveness. Not only forgiving people but making it right after you forgive. I think its so important that if you are going to forgive people, you need to try to make things right between you. We also talked about when you do things that wrong or hurt others we need to apologize as soon as we realize what we’ve done and go and make it right.
This morning after I picked up some other riders and drove toward the school, my son, out of nowhere, says to another boy in the car, “A while ago I was mean to you. It wasn’t like me and I don’t know why I was, I just was. I am really sorry if I was. Do you forgive me?”
I can’t image how much courage it took him to say that because he is not very good with words or saying how he feels to anyone. I am just so thankful that he understands the things I try to teach him and know that he will be ok in this big crazy world. That, as a parent, is worth more to me than any report card or trophy.

In my search for all things old, cool and interesting, I ran across a school book at my in-laws house. The book published in 1914, The Volume Library, was used at the Grassy Cove Academy. The book was written with over 90 consultants as well as the President of the New York City College of Teachers in an agreement as to the direction to take our children. As I flip through the yellowed sensitive pages, I read exerts of the introduction teaching parents how to prepare a child for school and their responsibilities as a parent. The Kindergarten outline. The school book offers different types of obedience for parents to ensure successful learning at school.
Page 3 Paragraph5:
“About the worst method to secure obedience is unfortunately most commonly employed; to frighten the child by threats and punishments. The motive of fear is the most treacherous of all motives. It breeds cowardice, deception and hypocrisy. It destroys character and personality. It prevents development of confidence between child and parent, and will never teach a child the real reasons for right conduct.”
Wow. What a statement.

In all caps reads(speaking of the I Say, You Jump to please me approach to obedience): “THE PINCIPLE AIM OF EDUCATION MUST FOREVER BE TO GIVE THE CHILD THE POWER OF SELF CONTROL OF SELF MANAGEMENT AND THE SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY OF INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. This is the reason why obedience of the mechanical kind, as valuable as it is, has to be employed with great caution.”

I’m not sure exactly where I’m going with this except for the fact that I think maybe we ought to take a time out, find the successes of the past and implement them today for a better adjusted, well educated, happier experience studying for a good future.

Conversations

If you could have a face to face conversation with God, what would it sound like? For me, I think it would be just like this one:

About a Story

Its been a long time since I have posted my thoughts here. The summer was fun and amazing. I found myself every day writing a story in my mind about the day’s events. After awhile I determined that every sunrise to sunset I create a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. It has a climax and a purpose. Everyday I write. I live out my story until its time to create it in words. Like every good story it must be edited. I lie down to sleep and think of the day’s paragraphs and begin the process. ..”once upon a time in a land closer than you could possible imagine, there was this girl…………” Was what I said the right thing? Did I handle the situations in the best way I could? What was the best part? The worst part? And my favorite…what made me laugh so hard I cried!? My stories are usually about 5 brain pages before I would drift off to sleep and wait on the rooster crow to start a new one.

Just about Jesse

On June 4th, 2011 a dirt track race was held in Crossville, TN to spread Breast Cancer Awareness. The amazing thing about this race is that it was created and organized by 19 year old Jesse Lowe. Jesse has been racing since he was 14 and this year he had the idea to race for breast cancer. On his own he proceeded to create a car to get attention for breast cancer as well as put known breast cancer victims and survivors names on his car. He has a passion for doing great things for the good of the many. A lot of what he has done has come out of his own pocket and he believes he can make a difference in this world. I believe he can too. The race wasn’t widely marketing due to his limited funds but he still managed to offer a $1000 prize for the winner and raise $1300 for breast cancer research. Wow. This is a big deal and a big task for a recent high school graduate.
There are so many things our teens are doing these days to try to make a difference in the world and it goes unrecognized by the many. They get a bad rap when all we see on TV are school shootings and videos on You tube on fights and conflicts. I say this teen awareness is going in the wrong direction. Do you want to influence a teenager and celebrate the amazing things they are doing? Let’s let the world see firsthand what’s really going on. These kids are our future and by publically showing the things that they are doing, there is no telling where the domino effect of change and inspiration will come in.

I have a passion for these kids and am very proud of their accomplishments. I know many others in the area have been prompted by the acts of one to get involved.