Reptile Wrangler

Today the children and I went to the last Reading Program for the summer, we really had a good time. I met Ken and his son Zack, what a wonderful program they put on. He reminds me so much of Steve Irwin. My boy's we're so thrilled to see all the reptiles and learned so much today. Just wanted to share.......



Ken Panse, "Reptile Wrangler"

Ken Panse and his alligator associate smile for the camera. Panse takes his critters — which include show star Igzilla the iguana (far below) and some nonreptiles, such as the tarantula below — to schools and parties.

• What I do: Crikey! Georgia has its own crocodile hunter.

Ken Panse, who bills himself as the "Reptile Wrangler," visits schools, state parks and birthday parties with his menagerie of snakes, turtles, frogs, lizards, iguanas, tarantulas and even an alligator to educate and entertain children and their parents and teachers. He has written a book and is pitching a pilot for a television show.

Panse (pronounced "pans") even looks a bit like the late, celebrated crocodile hunter Steve Irwin.

Panse, 46, loads his critters — that's what he calls them — into cloth sacks and wicker baskets for the trips to the shows.

"There are elements of anticipation, as things rustle in the baskets," he said. "I start small and end up big" — sometimes with his 12-foot albino Burmese python.

Kids love to handle the critters that aren't dangerous, he said. And a favorite party photo is a line of children holding a big snake.

Panse has acquired his critters at animal shows and through wholesalers. He adopted some of them, but most of the time he has to say "no" to offers of unwanted creatures, he said.

Panse has been doing his shows — several of them a week — for about 12 years. He started showing just exotic animals, but, as Georgia's state parks started focusing on native animals, he's added indigenous species — such as timber rattlesnakes, snapping turtles and tree frogs — to his collection.

Panse said he's often asked which is his favorite. "They're all like children to me," he said. "I can't pick one over the other."

But the star of the show is Igzilla, a 12-year-old iguana with orange skin.

public school student get microchiped in RI

I read about this and wanted to post it here, another reason to homeschool.....

Public school students will be micro-chipped in R.I.!! Here is the link, check it out, it's just a short article.------------http://www.naturalnews.com/023445.html Who will be next?

Im Glad this week is OVER!!!

I didn't get to post this week on my blog due to being so sick. I ended up going to my GYN Thursday. I have 3 infections and have to take a lott of medications to get this under control, but Praise God I do feel better. My daughter got up yesterday and now she has a UTI....hmmmm. She is taking antibiotics now too so Im going to try to rest for the rest of the weekend.

Happy Father's Day

To the Love of my Life......"Happy Father's Day, Greg!!!" this is for you!!!

Thing's I wish I'd done differently

When I first began homeschooling I sure would've done things a lott differently now such as:


* You don't have to bring school home. When I started our "official" homeschooling, we had the desk, flag, blackboard, letter strips, etc. I quickly saw and felt how artificial that all was from what we had been doing naturally before "school" started at the age of 5! After that first few weeks, up until now, we continue to learn all over the house! My oldest is 16 and choose not to work at the table, my 12, 11 & 9 yr old like to sit at the table where they can draw and work on projects like notebooking, lapbooking and Story of the World activity papers and maps.

* I don't need to worry about what the kids in school are doing - the freedom to homeschool is the freedom to tailor each child's education, moving at THEIR own pace, NOT the school system's. I spent way too much time during those first few years worrying & comparing our school to the public school. We were fairly relaxed and I knew we were doing it the right way for us, but that didn't keep me from fretting!

* You will make mistakes when purchasing curriculum, and it's okay! With so many options available to us, it is important to prayerfully consider when buying curriculum.. However, there will be times when you purchase books or resources that either don't "fit" your family/child or simply don't get used due to any number of reasons. I've learned over the years to go easy on myself and I've seen how my mistakes have been able to bless others who are looking for that item I have just sitting on my shelf.

* Don't feel guilty when you spend hours reading aloud. I used to get mad at myself for allowing my boys to talk me into reading for hours, therefore not getting to all the "work" that needed to be done. Now, these are my most treasured memories, AND my older children still enjoy listening to me read aloud. Our favorite books these days are from the classics lists from Ambleside Online or Penny Gardner's website.

As I mentioned before, my list could go on and on. It's good to reflect on these things every now and then. I am so thankful to have the chance to be with my children through all the phases of their young lives. One thing is for sure - our homeschooling journey has not been boring. Each year brings new opportunities and challenges! I am so thankful we can learn together and grow together as a family!

One of those days...

Yesterday I went to the garage and picked up our SUV and I almost got all the way home and I broke down right in the middle of the highway....thankfully my oldest dd was behind me or I would have had to walk home.
This is the 4th or 5th time we have had to have repairs done on our Suburban, I'm thinking maybe it's time to get rid of it and get a more dependable SUV!!!
It's so hot here, it was still 98 degrees at 8 pm tonight. Hubby is an ac technician and he has been really busy with all the hot weather. we bought the kids a slip n slide today until we can buy them a pool next month. None of our tax rebate chacks have come in yet?
I'm praying this is not a joke? Well I have to hit the sack, we have church tomorrow, we are visiting a new church about an hour away and praying it will be what we're looking for?

My 2 sweeties

This morning I got up and my 2 boy's Zack and Noah made me breakfast. They made me a big heart pancake and they fried bacon, set the table and it was so sweet!!! Thanks Zack & Noah I love you guy's!!!

Homeschooling labeled 'Anarchy' in CA

Im not surprised, read the recent article on Obama below...America WAKE UP!!!


Home schooling labeled 'anarchy'


The response of California's teachers' union to pro-family attempts to protect home schooling in that state has outraged one attorney who is working on the case.

Numerous organizations on both sides of the issue have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the appeal of a California court's ruling that parents have no right to home school their children. But one reaction in particular caught the attention of pro-family attorney Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute.

"The California Teachers Association ... decided to file an amicus brief arguing before the court that parents should have no right over the education of their children, should not have a right to home school, and that these children should be literally forced to be put back into the public schools -- even though parents object," the attorney explains.

Dacus did a double-take when he read one specific charge made by the teachers' union. "In their brief, the teachers' union said that to allow parents to be able to home school without being credentialed teachers could result in 'educational anarchy,'" he shares.

That argument, he says, discounts reality. "This is ignoring the facts that home schooling is widespread in California," he exclaims. "Over 200,000 children are being home schooled right now in California -- and they score higher academically than not only public school children, but also children in traditional private schools. If there's anarchy, the anarchy is in public schools."

Both the state superintendent of public instruction and the California Department of Education have filed briefs supporting the legality of home schooling. A brief filed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown argues that home schooling is perfectly legal under California law and states that the practice "has a long and positive history in California and across the nation." The California Court of Appeal intends to hear oral arguments in the case sometime this month.

Does it shock me?

I go this in my email today, well Im not surprised!!! I am not prejudice but as a christian I cannot vote for someone whether their black or white when they are for abortion!!!


Mega Church pastor praises Obama nomination
Allie Martin - OneNewsNow - 6/5/2008

T.D. Jakes , Senator Barack Obama is receiving praise from a well-known mega church pastor. The pastor is praising Obama for clinching the Democratic presidential nomination.
In a commentary published on CNN.com, Pastor T.D. Jakes, of the Dallas mega church Potter's House, said he got goose bumps as he watched Senator Obama's (D-Illinois) victory speech Tuesday night with his son.

Jakes went on to congratulate Obama on what he calls an historic accomplishment and a victory for democracy. However, Pastor Jakes did not mention Obama's support for abortion, or his support for record-breaking tax hikes.

Instead, Jakes lauded Obama's victory as not only a victory for African Americans, but also a victory for democracy – one that proves the country provides possibilities for all people. Pastor Jakes also congratulated Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) for "proving that femininity is not a liability."

Jakes said in his commentary that it was his hope and prayer that the country does not sink back into political pettiness as the presidential campaign continues.

Summer Reading

The kids and I went to the library last week and we signed up for their summer reading program . Most libraries have this over the summer, so I put down 15 books for Zack and Micki and 10 for Noah to read over the summer and they will get a prize.
I was so surprised that Noah has started to love books and he has read about 3 or 4 the past few days. He is dyslexic so that is a great start for him....Im very proud of them, they are kinda bored due to we don't have a pool yet. Last summer my daughter's dog chewed a hole in ours, it was the size of a small watermelon so I'm hoping we will get our rebate check soon and we can go get a pool and finish up our homeschool shopping.