I just heard on the radio this morning that Andrea Yates, the woman who drowned her five children, was homeschooling. Every time I hear homeschooling in connection with something negative, I get a feeling akin to the one I get when I hear about an awful crime and find out that the suspect is black. Although part of me enjoys taking a path that isn't well-traveled, I sometimes wish that homeschooling would become so commonplace that we would see many more positive representatives of it. I live in a state that is homeschooler-friendly so everyone I meet seems to know a cousin or a neighbor who is doing it. Unfortunately, they also have stories about how weird that cousin or neighbor is and how they aren't convinced that the children are learning anything. Most homeschoolers don't like it when their kids are "tested" on the spot because they feel that a child's ability to parrot back memorized facts doesn't necessarily mean that they are learning anything; I, on the other hand, welcome it. If having M rattle off her addition facts or recite a Langston Hughes poem in church will convince people that learning at home is benefitting her, then I'm fine with it.

Every month I seem to find a new subject with a detailed website devoted to it. This month it is string figures. I was flipping through the Dover Publications catalog and spotted a book on how to play string games like cat's cradle that was published by the International String Figure Association. Who knew that string games were in danger of becoming extinct? On a lark I went to Google and searched for the association and found their web page. One of the links there led me to World-Wide Webs. This is an extensive site with clear photos and directions for creating all sorts of string figures. There are way more figures featured there than the few I learned as a kid. If you want to give your child something to do when the GameBoy batteries run down, give her a length of string and direct her to this site.

I have been a giant anger ball this week for no good reason. I am just on edge and ready to snap. Luckily I am spending the weekend away from home with my best friend Rabbit. ABM suggested that I stay over for two nights instead of one; perhaps he noticed before I did that I needed a break. I just want to stop being a mommy for a while. I am so tired of feeding, bathing, and listening to whiny children.

There are times when I am unsure that I am following the correct path with our homeschooling. Then I take a closer look at my children and realize that we are moving along smoothly. When ABM had to take me to the doctor recently, M amused herself in the car by using subtraction to figure out the birth years of various relatives. This was great practice in borrowing and carrying, one of her weakness. I'm also excited about C1, who hasn't entered kindergarten yet but read her first small book this week. C2 isn't quite at the same level as her twin, but she is so enthusiastic about learning that it is a joy to teach her.

This is not turning out to be a banner year for birthdays in our house. My birthday passed with barely a nod, but I didn't say anything because I have had a rough time remembering ABM's birthday in the past (a major sore spot between us). The twins' birthday was marred by my brother-in-law's court appearance that took all day. ABM had to take him to court in another county, and by the time they got home it was too late to take the twins for their traditional trip to Wal-Mart for new outfits and pictures. C1 has a good memory so I am sure we will hear about that day for a long time.

Today is M's birthday and it hasn't turned out much better. She invited three girls over for her first slumber party. Unfortunately, the ages of the children varied and it showed in their maturity levels. Two of the girls, who had never met before this weekend, took an instant dislike to each other. The rest of the kids sided with one girl so I spent most of my time making sure that there was no teasing and that the other girl didn't get left out of the games. Add in the fact that the kids didn't settle down until 1a and woke up again at 7a, and I was cranky by 4p. ABM was gone most of the day and didn't witness any of this so when I said I was ready for all the kids to go home at 6p instead of staying another night, he thought I was being selfish. Whether from the lack of sleep or the disagreement with ABM, I have been near tears all afternoon. I've decided to hide out in my bedroom for the rest of the evening so I don't ruin it for M.

The afro is gone. ABM relaxed my hair for me last night. He did such a good job that my head seemed naked when I was rinsing my hair out. It has been over two years since I have had flat hair; I almost felt like I was going bald. Everyone at work has shown approval of my new 'do, but my enjoyment is bittersweet. One of my coworkers, who died in December, was always trying to get me to "femme" myself up a bit. He said a relaxer and a MAC lipstick would be all I needed to bring out my natural beauty. I kept teasing him and telling him that one day I would take his advice. Unfortunately, I waited a bit too late. Get a good look, S; the MAC lipstick is next.

To most people I wouldn't be considered an older mother; after all, I had my first kid at age 26. Everything is relative, however, and I fell squarely into the older mother category last night. I accompanied my eldest daughter, M, to a skating party last night where all the kids were in her age group (8 - 9 years old) but I was the oldest mother present. This was a birthday party for the daughter of one of my co-workers, FiFi. Now FiFi just turned 24 and most of the other mothers were about the same age. None of them are that far removed from their skating days. They were flying around the rink so fast it was like watching roller derby. FiFi even got out there with the teenagers and played Power Tag! I, on the other hand, haven't skated since Michael Jackson had his original nose and "Rock With You" was getting regular airplay. "Wobbly" would be a kind word for my performance on the floor. Fortunately, I only fell once and no one in my group saw me. A J. Lo song came on and I forgot that I was on skates and started dancing; down I went on my ample tush. I will be feeling that for the next few days.

I am baring one of my shameful secrets to you, my friends and readers. I have a thing for men in kilts. Something about a pair of slightly hairy, muscular calves peeking out from under a pleated skirt gets my motor running. Currently I get my kilt fix on Fridays when I watch TechTV. One of the presenters on "The Screensavers", Patrick Norton, wears what is called a Utilikilt. I guess it is his version of Casual Friday, and I eat it up! Of course, I have a strange attraction to him any day of the week, but Fridays are the icing on the cake.

"I hate my hair!" That is a common refrain in households all over the country, and it is no different around here. Unlike my sisters, I had zero interest in the Barbie styling heads my mother would buy us for Christmas. I never developed the knack to style my hair attractively. Spending $75 or more and the better part of a Saturday afternoon in a beauty salon has never been my idea of fun, either. Two years ago, I cut all my hair off into a short afro thinking that it would be a good low-maintenance hairdo. It is easy to manage, but I don't feel feminine. For a while I tried to embrace my nappiness and let my hair do what it wants to do, but the only time it looks good is when it is soaking wet. I bought a relaxer and planned to put it in on Saturday, but now I am having second thoughts. What if it looks worse and then I have to pay someone to fix my mess? What if the results are so bad that I have to wear a wig? This is one area where I envy men. ABM can shave his head bald and be sexy.