Letter To Breeanna

Letter to my daughter Breeanna, I hope that your childhood is filled with incredible memories of happiness that you will treasure your whole life. I cherish my incredible journey as your mother. I've enjoyed all the times that you've made me smile and treasured each of your sweet embrace. Breeanna, it's going to be so much fun to teach you how to cook. As you grow, I hope that each day in some way you'll find some small way to contribute to others and that you'll make thankfulness a daily habit. Breeanna, I hope you'll learn to find delight in every moment and never let a good day slip by. I love you so much and I want you to know that on your bad days, you're not alone. I'll there to hold your hand. I love you for all that you are, and all that you will choose to become. The path that you choose to take will mean as much as the destination that you reach. Through it all I hope you remember that you are responsible for creating your own happiness. I hope you'll nurture your imagination and honor your individuality. Of all the girls in the world if I had a choice, I would choose you for my daughter Breeanna. I am so lucky to be your mom. Love, Mommy

Yo Mama

Since last summer Bryan and I have been sharing "Yo Mama" jokes. I accidentally stumbled across it on the app store on my android phone. Because Bryan read to me way too many bad "Yo Mama" jokes, I deleted the app. Now Bryan makes up "Yo Mama" in the car and shares them with me as we drive to various errands. Some of them are hilarious. One day in the future though, I can just imagine the children throwing "Yo Ma" insults at each other to my detriment. The weather this week has been beautiful and perfect in Ohio. Each moment from the rising to the setting sun is savored. Our family made it to the Dayton Art Institute. We started on the basement floor with African art. Breeanna and I studied a wooden door handle from Amcient Sudan that was shaped like the figure of a woman. I sketched it onto paper. The design composed of horizontal lines and X's. It's wonderful to take the time to recreate the shape and design, because in a way, I am doing what the original artist did. It helps me understand their point of creativity by walking in the path that they walked. The next object that we studied in the African Art part of the museum was a brown hunting tunic. Animal teeth and strings tide to it perhaps as a good luck charms and to offer a sort of camouflage. The footstool in the African art section was my favorite item. It had animal legs at the corners and a head at one end. It's very clever and reminds me of a child's rocking horse. Afterwards I immersed myself into learning about African art....Masks, Sculptures, Mediterranean Sea, Sub Sahara Africa and related topics so as to have information to share with the children at our next foray into African Art at the Dayton Art Institute. Friends who have studied art in college said that they understand history through art. I'm still trying to grasp with how history can be understood through art. History is so vast. Bryan, Breeanna and I started this week on our one year journey to improve our short term memory. We are starting with a deck of cards. Our mission is to memorize the entire deck. Day 1: Breeanna could memorize up to six cards. I memorized four cards. Bryan memorized three cards. It's been a little bit of a struggle to get the kids to go along with my wild schemes. 9/28/2013

Cleaveland Elementary School

Breeanna And Olivia At The Dayton Chinese Church

Moonwalk And Finding The Cow At Trader Joe's

Letter To Bryan

Dear Bryan, Thank you for making me feel so special on my birthday! You gave me... entirely from your own earnings: A blue frosted, with sprinkles, birthday cake A $5 coupon to Village Store A $5 gift card to Kroger A birthday card that reassured me that I would still be special even after my special day That is very generous, considering that you get $50 total in yearly income for taking out the trash, taking care of Breeanna and all other work I ask you to do throughout the year. $12.50 of that money goes to your savings account $12.50 goes to your education account for college $12.50 goes to your extracurricular after school programs. At the end of the year you get $12.50 total, in cash to spend however you wish from your allowance. For earning one A in school, you get $5.00. With a possibility of 5 A's per report card, that's a $25 per report card possibility. Four reports cards per year makes it $100 for earning straight A's the entire year. With a complete possible annual income of $112.50 in total cash flow from mommy for the entire year, I'd say, your birthday gift to me was very generous! Thank you for coupon to Village store! I am so excited about that! Santa Claus has given you so many gift cards to Kroger's. So I really appreciate my gift card. It's such a great gift! Thank you Bryan! I love the birthday card that you chose for me! I know that you treasure me everyday and try your best to help out in all that you can. I love being your mom. Of all the boys in the world, if I had my pick one, I would choose you. You are talented, generous, hard working, kind, thoughtful and sweet. You make me smile everyday. I love you with all my heart. Mommy 9/23/2013

Anatomy

Breeanna fought going to Sunbeam this evening. She had know Mrs. Kim for two years as a Moonbeam. It was fun hanging in nursery where toys were plentiful. Advancing to Sunbeam meant leaving behind things and people that she had grown accustomed to. Bryan and I went over fish anatomy in the computer lab now that he's at Harman. No more catching the bus to Cleaveland. Our homeschool time is switching to evenings. I found intense fascination with the anatomy of a fish, which is a subject that Bryan is learning at school. Their lateral line running from head to tail on both sides of a fish can detect water movement and in which direction it's coming from. Their bladder is realy cool because it let's them surface or sink depending on the amount of air in it. Some types of fish do not have a bladder and fall to the bottom if they stop swimming. Their spinal column are made of hollow like birds. I know that birds have hollow bones so as to weigh less. After we went over fish anatomy, Bryan started on The Age of Fable, which is reading for 6th graders on the Ambleside list and is read aloud on Librivox's free online audio book. Ambleside Wiki for Audio Books available for 6th grade. http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Recordings_of_Books_on_the_Ambleside_List_2 The Age of Fable http://librivox.org/bulfinch-age-of-fable/

Northwest Passage

This morning we started on The Moral Compass: Stories for Life's Journey by William Bennett. This book has been so highly recommended by friends as a way of teaching children morals and virtues through stories. I am so delighted to have acquired it, a book of 824 pages for only $0.74 (at Valley Thrift store on Monday, their 25% off day). We read: Hush, Little Baby Cradle Song Sweet and Low What Bradley Owed Nails in the Post Northwest Passage The Hill Here's an excerpt from Northwest Passage by Robert Louis Stevenson: 1. Good Night When the bright lamp is carried in, The sunless hours again begin; O'er all without, in field and lane, the haunted night returns again. Now we behold the embers flee About the fire lit hearth; and see Our faces painted as we pass, Like pictures, on the window glass. Must we go to bed indeed? Well then, Let us arise and go like men, And face the undaunted tread The long black passage up to bed. Farewell, O brother, sister, sire! O pleasant party round the fire! The songs you sing, the tales you tell, Till far tomorrow, fare ye well! I can see why people can fall in love with poetry, and why it has been critical in homeschooling. Poetry develops one's creativity. Poetry extracts beauty from the mundane. Poetry ignites one's passion and love affair with metaphors. 9/17/2013

Sargon

This evening Breeanna and reviewed Cheop's pyramid, the Great Pyramid and went over the Great Sphinx. We moved to the Mesopotamia region of Sumer and I told Breeanna about Sargon. Like Moses, he was found floating in a basket down the river. The king of the city of Josh found Sargon and raised him. Sargon became the king's cup bearer because the king trusted Sargon not to poison his drink. Sargon, though caused the king's army to rise against him so that he could be king. Sargon fought to unite many city states in the Mesopotamia region. He fought in over fifty wars and his people were known as the Akkadians. His form of government is a military dictatorship. When the conquered cities refused to obey his laws, he left behind soldiers to enforce compliance. Breeanna's history study this evening was a struggle as she prefers fairy tales and lots of colorful picture to accompany the books that she listens to. The argument that history is the story of people that lived a long time ago on this Earth just like her, falls upon deaf ears. The threat that she'll fall behind in her understanding of the world compared to her brother, Bryan doesn't fall within her realm of interest. Finally I threatened her with various consequence that my imagination could conceive of at 8pm. Then, and only then did she concede to allow me to read on the tedious subject of history. Her brother was sooooo much easier to deal with. Sigh. 9/16/2013

Vulnerability

This morning I had Bryan watching The Power of Vulnerability on TED. TED is a good forum for exploring the realm of psychology. Brene Brown discussed fear, shame, vulnerability, self worth and compassion. She broaches the subject in a far more humorous manner than I could. I might presented it in an academic or preachy manner which would dull the subject and rob it of relevance or interest. I love that Bryan can watch how adults present themselves, how they garner laughter from an audience, how they distill a thought in their mind, and how they understand their world and the language that they bring forth in expressing their experience. After we watched it I asked Bryan "Tell me what she said.", "What did you learn?", "Finish this sentence: It is good to... It is bad to..." I told Bryan that oftentimes we look for the approval of others when really it may be best to seek our own self approval. That is if we progress at a task and achieve greater mastery day by day. http://m.youtube.com/#/home 9/16/2013

From Mom

My dearest sweetest most precious Breeanna, When I think of you my heart simply overflows. You are so sweet and crazy in your own way. You make my life so adventurous and joyful with all the things that you do. Mom

Yellow River

Yesterday I taught Chinese History at the Dayton Christian Chinese Church. I had a group of about eight kindergarten students through second grade. This is our fourth week. We reviewed what we had learned previously about the Yellow River and how rivers can be a source of sustenance for people in providing fresh drinking water and irrigating farm lands. We talked about how water originated from snow fall on mountain tops which melted in the spring and collected into rivers which eventually flowed to the ocean. Some rivers collected into lakes and water from rivers can sink into the ground so that if you dig a well then you can get water. We examined the crops grown in China and the types of farm animals there. We did a hands on bartering exchange and pretended to row our goods up and down river to trade. We talked about China's greatest secret that lead to enormous wealth, silk. One student was chosen to be a moth egg that grew and grew into a caterpillar. Then when it ate and grew to sufficient size then it built a cocoon around it to metamorphisize into a moth. I played the hungry bird that was hungry and tried to eat cocoon the caterpillar had built around it but, choked from all the stringy silk that caterpillar had weaved within the cocoon. I simply spit that silk all of a cocoon right back out. I learned my lesson not to try and eat any more silkworm cocoons. A Chinese empress first discovered the silk threads within the silkworm cocoon and unraveled it to make clothing for her friends and family. Soon the technology spread in China but was a secret to the rest of the world and garnered China wealth for hundreds of years. We later talked about how people along the Yellow River used to hunt animals and gathered fruits until a person discovered that they can make plants grow from seed. People started to farm. We used our hands and arms to show how a seed sprouted into a plant, how the plant grew bigger and bigger. If there was rain then the plant grew more and more but when there was no rain, our plant wilted and we had to get water from the river to water our plant. With water our plant thrived and eventually began to bear fruit. The children plucked the pretend fruits off their pretend plant and had a lovely delicious nutritious pretend snack. People along the Yellow River had differences and disagreements so they had to come up with rules to regulate their community. When they couldn't agree on a rule, they chose an arbiter or a leader to decide for them. Concerns and complaints were brought to the leader, like wolves attacking their chickens and pigs. Our class leader decided to build a tall wall around the community to protect farms from wild animals. Later, some strangers from the north, the Mongols from Mongolia came and wanted to take what they had, their storage of crops and all their animals. Our class leader had to see which person in the community wanted to be a spy and collect information about the enemy. The leader had to see which persons would train in warfare and become soldiers. Then the leader decided how to negotiate peace with their enemies instead of fighting. 9/14/2013

Paper Doll

For some odd reason, Bryan showed me how fast he could talk this morning as he recited the lyrics of a song in lightning speed. It was truly impressive. I told him he might look into becoming an auctioneer instead of the typical jobs that kids get into. Breeanna played with her paper doll book that I gave her last night as we were getting ready for bed. It so sweet for me to see her play with it. I told her that I had a very long airplane trip when I was little (12 hours from Singapore to Hawaii). The flight attendant gave me a paper doll book. It was the only thing I had to do. Her generosity just melts my heart still when I think back on it. I wish I knew her name. What she did meant the world to me. For morning homeschooling we discussed literal and figurative language, tragedy and comedy in literature, imagery, and simile and metaphor. Bryan was very amused that the Latin for "simile" is "simili"...essentially the same. From our many years of exploring Latin derivations, this never happens. The Latin root is usually always something entirely unrecognizable from its English counterpart. Breeanna and I, during our study of imagery had a fun imagining the sky as a blue hill and the clouds as white sheep on the hill. When the wind stops the sheep stands still. 9/13/2013

Cyclops

We concluded the Trojan War with the death of Hector by a spear through the most vulnerable spot, not protected by strong armor. Achilles found it where the neck meets the collarbone. Thus the death of Patroclus was avenged. Paris, no match with Achilles in hand to hand combat, was a skilled archer. He shot Achilles in the one place he could be hurt, the heel. Thus ended the Iliad. We went on to read of The Odyssey, Odysseus's voyage home to Ithaca and his run in with the Cyclops, Polyphemos. Odysseus, with twelve of his bravest men thought to make off with some of the cyclop's goats, sheep and cheese but became imprisoned in the cyclop's cave. Odysseus drew his sharp sword and rushed to the giant's side, preparing to stab him in the heart while the giant was sleeping, when he stopped: "If I killed him," he thought, "then I condemn myself and my men as well, for we could never move that great boulder from the doorway.". Odysseus gave the giant wine and when the giant drank himself into a stupor, Odysseus and and his men thrust a stake into the giant's single eye. As Odysseus made his escape he continued to taunt the blind giant who broke off a hilltop and hurled it in their direction. "So my fate has come," groaned Polyphemos, "Long ago, a wizard on this island predicted that I would lose my eye at the hands of Odysseus. But I always thought Odysseus would be some giant, powerful and armed--not a puny, scrawny thing." Here I cautioned the children never to underestimate their opponent. People are very resourceful. After Odysseus made his escape, he was overcome with anger and a desire for revenge thus causing the giant to strike out endangering Odysseus, his ship and his crew. I told Bryan and Breeanna when they make decisions out of anger or a desire for revenge, those decisions may not the best decisions. 9/10/2013

Paris

This morning our family examined Homer's Iliad starting with the story of Paris. It was foretold that Paris, son of the king of Troy would bring about its destruction. The king ordered his son to be left at Mount Ida to die. After several days a Shepherd found the baby and took him in as his own. Paris grew strong, handsome and athletic. Things start to go awry for Paris when he attended a wedding party that was also attended by Greek gods and mortals. When Eris, god of discord, an uninvited guest, threw a golden apple upon a table that had the words, "For the fairest." All the goddesses began to claim the prize, each certain she was the fairest.Soon the contest came down to three: Hera, queen of the gods; Athena, the goddess of wisdom; and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. Each vehemently claimed to be the fairest. And since no one could decide, Zeus was called on to choose one as the fairest of all. Zeus knew this was am impossible task. No matter whom he chose, he would be faced with two angry goddesses. So Zeus gave the task of judging to Paris, the handsome young shepherd on Mount Ida. Each of the goddesses promised Paris something if he would choose her:power and wealth; wisest of men and great in war; or the fairest woman in the world for his wife. In the end Paris chose to give the golden apple to Aphrodite. We examined the path not taken. What if Paris had made a different selection? How would his life have unfolded? We examined the character of the Greek gods. They were in some respects like human beings. They needed food, drink and sleep. They married, had children, quarreled, became jealous and vindictive. The Greeks gods never died, could change themselves into various forms and could make themselves invisible. How does this compare to the God of the Hebrews, Islam and Christianity. In Genesis it is said that God made man in his own image. So we conjectured if our God was like man in any other ways. I always put questions out there and let my children decide for themselves the way of the world. 9/4/2013

Epistemology

Today Bryan and I studied philosophy and its sub-fields: reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Reality (The state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible. A still more broad definition includes everything that has existed, exists, or will exist.) Existence (The nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations. It deals with questions concerning what entities exist or can be said to exist, and how such entities can be grouped, related within a hierarchy, and subdivided according to similarities and differences.) Knowledge (The nature and scope of knowledge and is also referred to as "theory of knowledge". It questions what knowledge is and how it can be acquired, and the extent to which any given subject or entity can be known, focusing on analyzing the nature of knowledge and how it relates to connected notions such as truth, belief, and justification.) Values ( Mainly two kinds of values: ethics and aesthetics. Ethics investigates the concepts of "right" and "good" in individual and social conduct. Aesthetics studies the concepts of "beauty" and "harmony.") Reason (Logic) Mind (Mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e. the relationship of the mind to the body, is commonly seen as one key issue in philosophy of mind, although there are other issues concerning the nature of the mind that do not involve its relation to the physical body, such as how consciousness is possible and the nature of particular mental states.) Language (Logic) After examining these basic premises as falling into the areas of philosophy, we examined epistemology in greater detail. Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, such as the relationships between truth, belief, and theories of justification. Skepticism is the position which questions the possibility of completely justifying any truth. The regress argument, a fundamental problem in epistemology, occurs when, in order to completely prove any statement, its justification itself needs to be supported by another justification. This chain can do three possible options;one option is infinitism, where this chain of justification can go on forever;another option is foundationalism, where the chain of justifications eventually relies on basic beliefs or axioms that are left unproven; the last option, such as in coherentism, is making the chain circular so that a statement is included in its own chain of justification. It was interesting examining the definition of skepticism. I will definitely take note if anyone ever calls me a skeptic. Poor Bryan always has to listen to his mother dwell on things that are in the of her own interests! 8/30/2013

Best Reader Goes To...

Breeanna is listening to Andrew Lang's The Yellow Fairy Book on Librivox's free audio book. http://librivox.org/the-yellow-fairy-book-by-andrew-lang/ Bryan is listening to Anthony Hope's, The Prisoner of Zenda. The book is so well read. It is captivating and has Bryan engrossed. http://librivox.org/the-prisoner-of-zenda-by-anthony-hope/ On our way to the bus stop this morning, I read The Tale of Desperaux to Breeanna trying my best to be as masterful as I could in its presentation. Afterwards I asked Breeanna if I read better than her dad. She said, "No." A crushing blow, although I think, not entirely honest! My estimation of my reading is masterful, brilliant, and sublime! At least I am trying to convince her of that!

I, Too, Am America

Today for morning homeschooling, our family read Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle. Poems were Oh Captain! My Captain! and I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman. Also, I, Too by Lanston Hughes. I, too, sing America I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen. When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody will dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I, too, am America. I am proud to be American, a country that can right its wrongs.

Just A Minute

We had a late night last night, 9:30pm. Breeanna urged me to tuck her into bed. I told her to go ahead. I'd be there in a minute. I packed away the groceries, did the dishes. Thirty minutes went by. Breeanna came to the kitchen wrapped in blanket and sat on my lap. She said in a sleepy tone that she had been waiting for me. I encircled her entirely in my arms and said, "Mommy will be right there." as I sent her back to bed once more. With a tender sleepy voice she said, "OK mommy,' and headed back toward the bedroom. I thought to myself, "I could move mountains for that voice.".

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Morning. I was fearful that the children would be under dressed as we walked out the door. You never know what the weather would be from one day to the next in Ohio. We read excerpts from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and then, Maya Angelou's biography, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou described the difficulty near impossibility of getting ahead for a black person of her time. I love her grandmother's morning prayer, "Our Father, thank you for letting me see this new day. Thank you that you didn't allow the bed I lay on last night to be my cooling board. Guide my feet this day along the straight and narrow and help me put a bridle upon my tongue. Bless this house and everyone in it. Thank you. Amen.". Angelou said during her time in Stamps, she met and fell in love with William Shakespeare because he said, "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes..." which was a state she felt herself most familiar. Bryan and Breeanna humored me by attempting to follow along in my reading of the troubled lives of people long ago until I continued to ply them with Kennedy's Inaugural Address, at which point they rebelled with various interruptions. Their punishment was minutes of jumping up and down: 1 minute for interrupting my reading, another for whining about the justification for the interruption and another for talking back, 3 in all. The school bus arrived and saved them from the full execution of their punishment.

Taste Of The Greene

Breeanna, Hat Model

Animal Farm

We explored Animal Farm this morning on our walk to the bus stop. Stories of animals are really stories of people. After coming across that concept I viewed the unfolding of Animal Farm in a different light. I loved how each animal settled themselves in their own way to get ready to listen to a presentation by the pig. I loved the logic of the pig as he denounced humans. Afterwards we got into The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. I read it with almost utter perfection which surprised me. My goal in reading always is to convey meaning. The materials that I present to the children are at times difficult to make sense of so I am proud of myself when I can convey it in a way that is understandable. Bryan listened so carefully as I read the Raven as if he is truly understanding the skill an artistry that went into the writing of it. When I am able to captivate in such a way, it is as if I am presenting something of beauty for him to appreciate...something about the world that he never knew existed before.

Swim Class

Tom Sawyer

This morning the alarm rang at 6am. I turned on the radio next to Breeanna's bed. By 7am Breeanna was dancing and drawing rainbows and hearts with her pastels. I think I've discovered a method of getting kids out of bed in the morning. We read a Native American story about coyote and an excerpt from Tom Sawyer. The children fought over their allotment of real estate on the beach towel that I brought to the bus stop for them to sit on. We finally decided that Breeanna could have the entire towel today and Bryan could have the entire towel tomorrow. The children on the bus are getting used to my cheerful waving at them as the bus pulls away and are actually smiling and waving back at me! It's a beautiful morning.

Oliver Twist

Today we read excerpts from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and six poems before the bus arrived. I was quite theatrical and hope that I didn't waken people asleep in their houses. It was a lovely morning and we heard many chirping away. I told Bryan that a bird sound must be a sort of language. If he was a bird, from sound alone must he visualize what it must be. If he was a bird, he must know from hearing the bird sound alone whether it would be a predator and whether he needs to flee.

First Day Of School

First Day of School: Bryan and Breeanna are riding the bus to Cleaveland school. Pick up at 8:30am but we got there a whole hour before. Why? To a section from What Your Child Needs to know in the Sixth Grade. We read a condensed five page version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet then I read with as much flare as I can muster, Edgar Allen Poe's, The Raven. I told my ex-husband of our morning activity and he thought it rather strange. I am very pleased to be strange.

Dissecting Mark Anthony's Speech

My children were captivated this morning on our walk to the bus stop by our discussion of Mark Anthony's call to action to the Roman people at Julius Caesar's funeral. We analyzed the showmanship and strategy involved as Mark Anthony's speech unfolded. It's great to see Bryan paying such close attention. 8/22/2013

Mango Banana Smoothie

Betty's Original Mango Banana Breakfast Smoothie Ocean Spray Blueberry Punch (1 cup) Water (1 cup) Sunflower Seed Butter (3 tbs) Bananas (2 whole) Mango (1/2 - 1 cup) Kale (2 tbs) Spinach (1tbs) This recipe is soooo delicious because the bananas and mangos provide sweet. The Sunflower Seed butter can substitute with Peanut Butter and provides protein. The Blueberry Punch provides another sweet. The frozen Kale and Frozen Spinach provides a pinch of nutrition without overwhelming the overall taste. Overall, I think my creation is a keeper.

1&2

Total 1&2 Part 1 Betty's Last Lecture I'm not anywhere near death. I am 46 and have probably 54 more years to live. I am the mother of two children and divorced from my husband. I really try not feel sorry for myself, having no reason, as death is not imminent in my life like in Randy Pausch's case. So how to spend my the time yet unfathomable as to its end? I embrace every moment with my children and do everything possible to prepare them for the day that they must forge their lives without me. My mental debate is that in knowing that my life could be swept away from me from disease or accident, how to teach my children the habits of thought and action that would help them live their lives without me. The children are too young now to see how my efforts will help shape their lives in the future. Like any parent I want to teach my children right from wrong, what I feel is important and how to deal with the difficulties life will bring. Parents want children to know stories from their own lives perhaps as a way to teach them how to live theirs and mistakes to avoid. My desire to do that lead me to follow Randy Pausch's format of a last lecture. This writing will never be presented to anyone as a graduation lecture at any academic institution. There truly is no audience other than my children and my friends. If I were an illustrator, I would have drawn a book for them. If I were a carpenter I would build a home for them, but I am a writer so like the story of Joseph and His Overcoat, I"m writing them a story. Betty's Last Lecture #1. An examined life. When I consider my demise and ruminate on what matters most to me, what wisdom would I impart to my children if I knew it was my last chance? What would I want as my legacy? I could share perhaps about my personal and professional journey. I have a great urge to leave some words that would serve as guide posts to my children. This is my insurance policy against unforeseen accidents that may cut short my life. What makes me unique that would define my 46 years of life? I never envisioned a dream for my life so there was no dream to fulfill. My childhood was very constricted. My life with my children is a struggle against that. I wanted for my children an examined life. I wanted for them to form aspirations from their childhood. #2. The Cards I Was Dealt & The Hand I Played Life snuck up on me. I was always unprepared: to the girls who called me names in middle school, to the subject that I wanted to study in college, to the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn't know I was supposed to look for a possible husband in college. After graduation, eligible men thinned out. I finally married at twenty nine. At thirty four I had my first child, Bryan. All my insecurities flooded upon me as I realized that I, now am responsible for another human being, how he would turn out, how he would think about himself, how he would relate to those around him. Not trusting my instincts which seemed not to have served me well in the past, I read book after book on how to raise a child. Day in and day out my nose was between the covers of a book. I read the latest research, rat experiments, nutrition, language acquisition, fine motor skills, gross motor skill, brain development. Five years later, I counted a total of over one hundred books read. My child is going to know what to say when a middle schooler calls him name a name. My child is going to know what he wants to be when he grows up. #3. My Childhood My great grandfather was a very wealthy land owner in North Vietnam. It was said that he owned land so vast that birds had to rest in their flight to cover the entire extent of his land. It was the time when Ho Chi Minh was gathering power. Communist ideology believed in the distribution of wealth amongst the poor. How? By taking. My great grandfather and two of his sons were killed. My grandfather fled to the coast of Vietnam with Communist soldiers in hot pursuit. For three days and three nights my grandfather, his wife and their seven children made their way through the tropical jungle of Vietnam. My uncle told me they were rescued by an American Red Cross ship that took them to South Vietnam where they started a new life.

The Hand I Was Dealt

Part 2 Betty's Last Lecture, Cont. 2. The Cards I Was Dealt & The Hand I Played Life snuck up on me. I was always unprepared: to the girls who called me names in middle school, to the subject that I wanted to study in college, to the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn't know I was supposed to look for a possible husband in college. After graduation, eligible men thinned out. I finally married at twenty nine. At thirty four I had my first child, Bryan. All my insecurities flooded upon me as I realized that I, now am responsible for another human being, how he would turn out, how he would think about himself, how he would relate to those around him. Not trusting my instincts which seemed not to have served me well in the past, I read book after book on how to raise a child. Day in and day out my nose was between the covers of a book. I read the latest research, rat experiments, nutrition, language acquisition, fine motor skills, gross motor skill, brain development. Five years later, I counted a total of over one hundred books read. My child is going to know what to say when a middle schooler calls him name a name. My child is going to know what he wants to be when he grows up. 3. My Childhood My great grandfather was a very wealthy land owner in North Vietnam. It was said that he owned land so vast that birds had to rest in their flight to cover the entire extent of his land. It was the time when Ho Chi Minh was gathering power. Communist ideology believed in the distribution of wealth amongst the poor. How? By taking. My great grandfather and two of his sons were killed. My grandfather fled to the coast of Vietnam with Communist soldiers in hot pursuit. For three days and three nights my grandfather, his wife and their seven children made their way through the tropical jungle of Vietnam. My uncle told me they were rescued by an American Red Cross ship that took them to South Vietnam where they started a new life.

An Examined Life

Betty's Last Lecture I'm not anywhere near death. I am 46 and have probably 54 more years to live. I am the mother of two children and divorced from my husband. I really try not feel sorry for myself, having no reason, as death is not imminent in my life like in Randy Pausch's case. So how to spend my the time yet unfathomable as to its end? I embrace every moment with my children and do everything possible to prepare them for the day that they must forge their lives without me. My mental debate with myself is that in knowing that my life could be swept away from me from disease or accident, how to teach my children the habits of thought and action that would help them live their lives without me. The children are too young now to see how my efforts will help shape their lives in the future. Like any parent I want to teach my children right from wrong, what I feel is important and how to deal with the difficulties life will bring. Parents want children to know stories from their own lives perhaps as a way to teach them how to live theirs. My desire to do that lead me to follow Randy Pausch's format of a last lecture. This will never be presented to anyone as a graduation lecture at any academic university. There truly is no audience other than my children and my friends. If I were an illustrator, I would have drawn a book for them. If I were a poet, I would write a poem for them, but I am only an aspiring writer so I"m writing. Betty's Last Lecture 1. An examined life. When I consider my demise and ruminate on what matters most to me, what wisdom would I impart to my children if I knew it was my last chance? What would I want as my legacy? I could share perhaps about my personal and professional journey. I have a great urge to leave some words that would serve as guide posts to my children. This is my insurance policy against unforeseen accidents that may cut short my life. What makes me unique that would define my 46 years of life? I never envisioned a dream for my life so there was no dream to fulfill. My childhood was very constricted. My life with my children is a struggle against that. I wanted for my children an examined life. I wanted for them to form aspirations from their childhood.

Breeanna Luxuriating In A Candle Lite Bath

Breeanna Loves Taking A Bath

Breeanna and Julia

Breeanna at Donut Shop

Breeanna and Anna at Caleb's Birthday Party

Caleb's Birthday Party at Leap Frog

Lego League

Campout

 Possum Creek Camp out Troop 236 I was walking from the outhouse back to camp trying to come up with ten things that I love about camping. Number one on the list would be: A warm home to go to, the next day. A soft bed that I am learning to miss so much. I wouldn't have missed it at all if I hadn't had to sleep on the ground. There truly is a lot to love about camping. The reddish light cast against the still leafless trees at sunset. Some bird tweeted in the distance. I struggled in my mind for a name to go with the tweet. Cardinal. (Territorial, red bird). All of a sudden I felt smart...well a little smarter than if I were washing the dishes or vacuuming... in the warm home that I alluded to earlier....I guess that's my number two reason why I love camping. 

Breeanna at PYC

Five Rivers Metro Parks

Joshua, Bryan, Lauren, Breeanna and Chris at the Schuster Center celebrating Five Rivers Metro Parks 50th Anniversary

Breeanna At Martial Arts

Breeanna in time out for being too helpful at Martial Arts

Breeanna and Lu Lu