madameblogalot

In preparing to have a teenaged boy begin driving, we know that our insurance costs will soon go up. We have been looking for ways to save on our insurance during this time. For example, we know that if he takes the driving course through an accredited school he will get an insurance discount. We have also learned about the discount for those who get certified in the drug and alcohol driving awareness course. We also found that there is a good grades discount as well! These will all be helpful to us.

I just learned today that the certification for the drug and alocohol awareness course offered through a local driving school are available to all drivers! This means anyone can go through the course and pay the $25 to get certification, and they will be eligible to save on insurance too!

My husband and my son often talk a good deal of “smack” to each other. I get tired of it pretty quickly. Tonight, I told them “Boys, your testosterone is getting the better of you.”  My son immediately responded with “Well, at least we are ALWAYS like this…at least we’re consistent!”

Between his and my husband’s laughter, I could not help but laugh!

Yesterday, Los Angeles city council voted for a Plastic Bag Tax of .25 cents on every shopper who requests to use plastic bags. If this fails, the council will look at banning plastic bags by 2010.

In 2002, Ireland instituted a similar PlasTax . Consumption of plastic bags went down 90% and litter was drastically reduced. Over $9 million dollars was raised from the tax and put into a “green” fund to help the environment.

The purpose however is not to raise money, but to raise awareness of how much we consume and harm our earth each day without even thinking about it. I like the idea. I know it is hard to get into the habit of bringing shopping bags to the store. I forget at times too, especially if it’s not the grocery store. Each time I go grocery shopping, I am seeing more and more customers bringing their own bags. I do believe every little bit helps and maybe one day our kids will be the ones who live it as a lifestyle.

My son started his driver’s ed. class this week. We have decided to put him in a driving school rather than teach him ourselves. (Pretty funny from a homeschool mom!) But since he is no longer homeschooled, we wanted him to be able to complete the course in the summer during school break.

The owner of the driving school is a track coach at another high school and lots of the kids already know him. This put me a little at ease, knowing he has a good rapport with many kids and is used to working with teens. Of course I have my hesitations as well, but overall we are hoping this is a good experience for our son.

The funny thing is that very many of our friends are teaching their kids to drive rather than sending them to a school. The driving school is a lot more expensive, at least double. But I don’t have to keep up with any paperwork, it is a much quicker course, and I think it will be good for him to drive with some other teachers besides just my husband and myself.

Next Monday, my son will be eligible to go and get his permit.  Beware the student driver!

My daughter has been pet sitting for a family while they are out of town. But last night she wanted to spend the night with a friend. I told her sure, that I would take care of everything, no problem. So this morning I finished my workout just in time to head over and take care of everything.

As I turned the corner, I saw white strips of toilet paper hanging down from their tree. And over their hedges. Then I saw the whip cream and Vaseline all over the youngest daughter’s car. And the eggs. There were also opened bottles of bleach. I’m not sure what they did with that, poured it over the concrete I think. I went back home to get my husband to help me. He came and we pulled the TP down. It was no problem, so he went on to work. I worked on rinsing off the car. Then I had to take care of the eggs.

There were eggs on the driveway and the garage door, but not too many. I got them cleaned up, though the driveway was still pretty sticky. As I was getting ready to head home, I noticed the front door and entry way. It was egged. I hosed it down and wiped down the walls, but it was still pretty bad. I went home to get some soap and a scrubber. That helped a lot. The egg came up pretty well then, so I used it on the driveway and sidewalk too. As I headed out, I noticed the eggs on the roof. So I got the hose back out and at least sprayed it, as I did not know what else to do about that.

It was a pretty unpleasant project I had awaiting me this morning.

I have been so disgusted by all the candidates running for president this year. I have been really scared by the outlook of the prospects. Why, I think maybe my dog Sheba could do just as good a job as some of those out there on the ticket! Of course, I say this facetiously, but I guess someone must have overheard and taken it a bit too far!

I am still trying to finish Les Miserables. It seems now as if I am force feeding myself. It seems never ending. I don’t know if this is because I had just read Tale of Two Cities before getting back to this one. I am not enjoying the writing style in this book so much and now that I am back to the revolution scene, it makes me think that France was in a constant state of revolution for some time. (I have no background in French history!) But I literally feel as if I’ve been eating a meal that I wanted, that I ordered, and now, I am sick of it. I am choking on it, forcing myself to finish it…I certainly hope this one ends up being worth the read, as was Two Cities.

“See-Do”

This was the theme at the camp from which we just returned. The camp was for children who just finished 3rd-6th grades. “See Do” was all about “see the need, do the deed” and is very appropriate for anyone of any age. The kids were taught about how to see the need as well as how to do the deed. All of these lessons were based upon lessons taken from the Bible.

Today as I was reading Les Miserables, I came across a passage that seemed to be following this same theme, and I think it can apply to anyone of any religion.  It is at the moment when Marius is confronted with the destitution of his neighbors.  The passage is rather long, but worth reading.

“Marius almost reproached himself with the fact that he had been so absorbed in his reveries and passion that he had not until now cast a glance upon his neighbors. Paying their rent was a mechanical impulse; everybody would have had that impulse, but he, Marius, should have done better.  What! A mere wall separated him from these abandoned beings, who lived by groping in the night without the pale of the living; he came in contact with them, he was in some sort the last link of the human race which they touched, he heard them live or rather breathe beside him, and he took no notice of them! Every day at every moment, he heard them through the wall, walking, going, coming, talking, and he did not lend his ear! And in these words there were groans, and he did not even listen, his thoughts were elsewhere, upon dreams, upon impossible glimmerings, upon loves in the sky, upon infatuations; and all the while human beings, his brothers in Jesus Christ, his brothers in the people, were suffering death agonies beside him!  Agonizing uselessly. He even caused a portion of their suffering, and aggravated it. For had they had another neighbor, a less chimerical man, it was clear that their poverty would have been noticed, their signals of distress would have been seen,  and long ago perhaps they would have been gathered up and saved! Undoubtedly they seemed depraved, very corrupt, very vile, very hateful, even, but those are rare who fall without becoming degraded; there is a point, moreover, at which the unfortunate and the infamous are associated and confounded in a single word, a fatal word, les miserables; whose fault is it? And then, is it not when the fall is the lowest that charity ought to be greatest?”

See. Do.