Side note:
The weather has been really cold. below freezing. It even SNOWED! There should be some rule that says when plants pop up and birds sing, then it’s offically spring and it just can’t snow or be cold anymore.
Earlier this week Ron and I had some deep discussions wherein I decided that I would close down the store. Not right away, but soon. As in the first of next year.
Then I get a pile of mail & phone orders come in. Talk about conflicting messages! I wish when God sends a message, he’d be a little more clear.
Another biggee is Addison. We had been discussing the possibility of home schooling him again when he gets to high school. That will be in one more year. I mean, look at the state of the school systems. They’re not perfect, but they’re not really getting any better. I think for him, Grade 9 is too young to be thrown in the den of High School. I won’t get into the violence, drug busts or bomb threats, either. Yeah, they happen around here too.
I also told him when he started high school, he’d have to make his own lunch. “Guess I’ll be home schooled again, Mom!” he said with a grin.
Now he’s talking about staying home next year. Says he’s tired of doing all the work in group projects. We’ll see.
I’m also looking at new curriculum and finding a group in town we can join. Yeah, we had one that was curriculum-dependant, but a few families dropped out, and most of who was left all went to the same church and lived in the same area.. so we were odd man out.
I’m thinking deep on spiritual matters, too. How manifestations or experiences of the Holy Spirit are seemingly different depending on your particular church affiliation. Coming from a Baptist and Catholic background, and now going to a Pentacostal-flavoured experience makes for interesting observances.
Here’s a religious question to ponder for those inclined (if you don’t want to bother, skip down to the next paragraph): Why is it that some people think that a person is *not* blessed by, or experiencing the Holy Spirit, if they are not worshipping the same way they are? If I want to sit in quiet meditation while someone else wants to jump and holler and do cartwheels (or vice versa), why should anyone else care?
Anyway, I had a customer walk in today with a very big potty mouth. It was f*ck this and got any f*cking new things in, and what the f*ck is this… Not in a hostile way, I do know this person. It was funny when I realized how I must have sounded when I cursed a lot. My particular word though was sh*t. Then we instituted the Bad Word Tax, which you may need to do when the children start saying things that you do.
The Bad Word Tax works like this: if I swear, and a child hears me, I must pay that child a predetermined amount (it starts at a quarter and goes up from there depending on frequency and intensity). It also works the other way. If a child swears, inadvertently or otherwise, they must pay the grown-up. Note: leniency is given if they have never heard a particular word before and need to know if it qualifies. Repeated asking of the same word, however, is given the “3 strikes you’re out” ruling. As in the following:
“Is _____ a bad word? Because if _____ is a bad word, I won’t say it. You’ll never hear me say _____ at all.”
Within two weeks, not a bad word was to be heard anywhere within the house. Or outside. 
A couple of summers ago, we went to a family wedding. Since this was the Catholic side, they could swear a pretty blue streak. (no offense to other Catholics, but I find lapsed one swear really well) Almost all the adults, I found, were being extremely careful not to swear around my kids. First, why was it okay to swear around the *other* kids there? And second, well… I forget my point… anyway, the kids had explained right away the concept of the Bad Word Tax, and a couple people thought it was funny to hold others to it. Each of my kids made over $3 at the reception. At one point, one guy gave Addison a toonie ($2 coin) and told him to leave him alone for the rest of the night. They also got very adept at sneaking up behind people in conversational groups. They wait until someone said a Bad Word, then make their presence known and charge them.
I’m so proud of their entrepreneurial spirit.
Follow me