Do you think it is totaled?

Dave got in a car accident on the 101 last Thursday morning during rush hour. He rear-ended a Dodge Ram, so needless to say it missed the bumper and went straight for the good stuff. Thankfully Dave is okay and went to work the next day and on Saturday too. The work doesn't slow or go away when you are a lawyer, it just continues to pile up like weeds. Actually he even worked from home the day of the accident too. Crazy! We really need to evaluate the worth of his salary compared to the time, pressure and stress involved with his job.

Geico is still figuring everything out, but we're pretty sure it is a total loss.

Here are some pictures:

Nathan's first photo shoot

Nathan's first attempt at using a camera. Peek-a-Dave!

So it takes a picture through this thing?

Nice feet!

Good job taking a picture of Daddy!

Disney Movie Club junk mail.

Tunnel of Death in Russia

Dave's parents live in Ukraine and experience crazy roads like this all year round. In the winter it might be due to ice and any other time it is likely due to the extreme amounts of alcohol in their blood. No restrictions on alcohol sales or consumption limits.



YouTube video from: ChrisGronski-- The 3,150 m long Lefortovo Tunnel in Russia is the longest 'in-city' tunnel in all of Europe. There is a river running over it and water leaks at some points. When the temperature reaches minus 38 degrees like it did last winter, the road freezes and the result is the attached video taken during a single day with the tunnel camera. Congratulations to the driver of the dual bus!!

State rights vs Parental rights

On February 28, 2008, the California Court of Appeals issued a ruling in a juvenile court proceeding that declared that almost all forms of homeschooling in California are in violation of state law. (Private tutoring by certified teachers remains an option.) Moreover, the court ruled that parents possess no constitutional right to home school their children.

Are we to have the government or state control what happens to our children? Should we just hand our children over to the state because apparently they know what is best for our children? Yeah, we see in Russia and other countries where the state does such an incredible job with its youth. YEAH RIGHT! The best environment in which to raise children is a home with a father and mother working together as they keep their children's best interest in mind.

It doesn't take a village to raise a child! What it does take is work, sacrifice, dedication and love from both a father and mother, not to mention the divine help (grace) needed from Jesus Christ. Of course this is the ideal pattern, but we know that children in one-parent homes can thrive also with the help of family and a strong support network.

I do not like the notion that the government knows what is best, especially when it comes to education, religion, or any other right a parent has in the upbringing of their children. Some of you might not know that I was homeschooled and I still cannot figure out how my mom survived it. A vision into the Hunsaker home... My mom trying to teach three boys (14, 10, 8) and two girls (16, 12) math, english, religion, government, science, etc., as we sat together at one table in our home. To put it lightly we were stubborn, selfish, disrespectful snots, but some how it ended up working in various ways as she and my dad sacrificed much on our behalf. How they came out sane from it all is another long and thought-provoking post that no one wants to write! Although some times we feel they are insane from raising six sons and three daughters!

Sorry this post is all over the place. Enjoy!

I found this gem of a picture. Can you spot me? Just kidding! What a great picture though!

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I actually took this quiz and the results are somewhat true. I feel that I lack patience, although I will put up with quite a bit before exploding and then those around me wonder what the hecks wrong with her, hmmmm... maybe I just need a good night's sleep. There is something about lack of sleep that puts me into the zombie-crazy zone.


You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

California Court Robs Parents of Choice

Just as a new California law that would essentially indoctrinate children at school about homosexuality is being implemented and many parents are wondering how to protect their children's moral sense, a new wrinkle appears. The opportunity to pull a child out of government education to home school may be blocked in California.

A California Court of Appeals has ruled that unless they have a teaching certificate, parents have no legal right to home school their children. Parents may be criminally prosecuted for failing to comply. The ruling may impact California's 166,000 home schooled children and bar an avenue of choice for those who do not want their children's morality undermined at school.

Also sabotaged is parental rights and choice in choosing the education of their children.

The message is if you don't like what's happening at school and you are sick at heart about exposing your children to it-tough.

Shock waves are reverberating across the state.

The decision came from the 2^nd Appellate Court in Los Angeles in the case of Philip and Mary Long, and the Court said We find no reason to strike down the Legislature's evaluation of what constitutes an adequate education scheme sufficient to promote the 'general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence. We agree ... 'the educational program of the State of California was designed to promote the general welfare of all the people and was not designed to accommodate the personal ideas of any individual in the field of education.'"

Specifically, the appeals court said, the trial court had found that "keeping the children at home deprived them of situations where (1) they could interact with people outside the family, (2) there are people who could provide help if something is amiss in the children's lives, and (3) they could develop emotionally in a broader world than the parents' 'cloistered' setting."

Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, said the ruling would effectively ban homeschooling in the state.

"California is now on the path to being the only state to deny the vast majority of homeschooling parents their fundamental right to teach their own children at home," he said in a statement.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called the move by the courts "outrageous" and said that "parents should have the right to decide what's best for their children. "If the courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will."

I'll post my opinion on this some time soon but wanted everyone to be aware of this issue.

Recovering from a flu bug

Hello blog readers! I have been MIA because of an awful flu bug. I plan on updating my web album soon with pictures from February. We hope to recover soon and be back to full health and strength. Being pregnant and sick is not fun at all. I have another ultrasound tomorrow so we'll see how Liberty is doing then. The name Liberty has sort of stuck with us so it will probably end up being her name unless we are struck in the head with something else. I hope to deliver her some time around the 4th of July.

I hate not knowing the side effects on a fetus from taking drugs while sick. I have a bad cough that keeps me up much of the night and I am now resorting to natural cough remedies that I can make in my own kitchen. Here is one of them:

1 t honey
1 T lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
add mixture to a little bit of water and drink immediately.

OR

For those of us who just like it sour, 1/2 lemon, squeezed fresh, with some water and drink immediately. I haven't tried this yet because I don't have any lemons but I'm going to brave the local Sprouts grocery store and find some.

I did concoct this remedy this morning:

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (used white balsamic)
  
• 2 Tablespoons water
  Mix and take by the teaspoon.

WHOA: Be careful with remedy above. I just took it again and this time it was harsh! Yikes, I hope my senses are awakened after that crazy teaspoon!

I will let you all know if this works well for me tonight. I don't think I've got a solid night's rest since early last week. For those stay at home moms out there, you know how this can make you crazy and insane, especially if you have young children surrounding you throughout the day. Oh the joys of motherhood.

I have come to realize that I better be grateful for a healthy body 95% of the year. How amazing our bodies are when they are healthy and strong, not to mention how easy it really is to get things accomplished when we are feeling well.

More exciting news to come.