Girl Scouts

Although i love the program in recent years I have decided that feminism has taken the organization we are under to an extreme. Our family wrestles with this to the point of not participating anymore. My husband cannot be an active member in the troop as he is male. It was important to us to give our daughter the experience that our son has had in scouts which is virtually impossible by all the rules set forth in recent decisions. He has been told he should not be outdoor trained by a council representative because it is harder for them to find a place to put him. Men have to be in a separate area (with a restroom) for him to participate in a "camp out" by camp out i do not mean "pitch a tent" i mean attend camp at one of the girl scout campgrounds or an approved campground facility. When I found that out I was thinking- are you kidding, come on, what a waste of my time- really! I have since decided to consider camping as a girl scout as "wimpy" camping (or more choice words of derogatory grammar)! He is not allowed to be a first aid-CPR certified number in our troop because of his gender. Nothing about this seems practical as in a typical situation... you are trying to find ways a father can be active in a daughter's life and the one thing that they can do (and with less bellyaching than most of the mom's I come in contact with) and well I might add you take away from them! Augh! Sensibility is lacking here-does anyone else see that- Hello!

Schools these days

So we have recently resorted to doing a lot of research about school. We have a child, Thorsten, who exhibits both adhd(inactive) and gifted personality traits making it very hard to deal with his academic needs. He has been tested for GT and received our notification that it was not educationally appropriate for placement. I know, first question what does that mean? That is not an answer! So we decided to follow up on seeing a Psychiatrist... Not a pretty site either. Thorsten was very upset about this, offended by the idea of taking medication, frustrated about something being wrong with him. How hard it is to explain. He so smart but he struggles with his focus and the apathy of teachers. He is the kid who wants to be able to reinvent the wheel everytime he learns something. I think that is great except in conventional learning. I honestly think that public schools should compete for our children. They see no threat in homeschooled children which I think is wrong. The best schools should get our money and the job of providing our family an educational experience. Not put the kid in a district that does not want to work with the family on providing for a kid who expects so much out of his education.

This is Eliese Toryn, 8 years old, at the playground near the Estes park area in Colorado. She is a girly-girl and a tom boy all rolled into one! Loves a dress and a tent at the same time! She is head strong and independent, just like her mother!

Thorsten, soon to be 12 years old, from a summer trip to Colorado. Thorsten loves school and being a boy scout and legos. He has the biggest collection of any kid I know.

This is Blythe Rhianna, she just turned 1 year old. Blythe is such a happy baby we are totally blessed to have such a sweet baby to keep life interesting! She is a momma's girl and loves to be outside, full of curiosity, happiness, and cuddles!

Meet the family

Mark, Natasha, Thorsten, Eliese, and Blythe Winter 2009. This is the most recent family picture we have. It is a year old now will have to get some more photos soon.