The Beginning of a NEW (Home)School Year....is just so beautiful

We started school on Monday (August 20,2012). Yes, we are still Homeschooling. Amazing how refreshed and excited we all 3 feel. Loooongggg summer break full of great vacations and family fun has definitely recharged each of us. New Texts, New Subjects, New Notebooks, New Pencils and New Folders...... yes, it's definitely the little things in life that make us smile :)

 Karan is now in 10th grade and is taking 2 AP classes (Psychology and U.S. Govt.)! This will surely be a challenging year for him, but as always, he is ready! In addition to the 2 AP classes, he is doing Geometry, English Literature, Spanish 3, Latin 3, Human Anatomy & Physiology, and Chemistry :) Those are just his Core classes! He will continue Piano, do an Art Appreciation course, finish Driver's Ed. and continue Bhangra (Indian Folk Dance) and Boy Scouts. This year he has joined Om Squad, which is a High School youth group at our local Hindu Temple and he will also volunteer at the local food bank regularly :) WHEW! I'm exhausted....lol :) Wish him Luck!!

Shalu is now in 5th grade. She is no longer my little girl who spends most of her time practicing addition facts and handwriting! :( She is now doing a Grammar curriculum, Writing, Vocabulary, Math, Chemistry, History, Geography and Spanish. She will continue her Art and Piano classes, as well as Bharatnatyam (Classical Indian Dance) and Girl Scouts. She will also volunteer at the Food Bank on most weekends with Karan :) 

The above is what their regular schedule consists of. This does not take into account other classes and field trips we will sign up for as the year passes. Oooohhhh, the joys of homeschooling :) 

Can't wait to see all that this year will bring in to our lives..... We await the busy and cherished moments....The moments which will become memories..... Very Precious Memories! :)))

Hurting while Trying to be Accepted and Loved

     Yesterday afternoon I was at work going on my lunch break. I got my lunch ready, sat down and just wanted to to relax and enjoy some peace & quiet for the next 30 minutes. I opened Face Book on my phone, as I usually do during each of my breaks. The 1st status that shows up in my News Feed was my brother's which read as follows: "Wow. What is wrong with the world. Thoughts and prayers for the Sikh Community in the Milwaukee Area." I got such an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach! I continued to scroll down and the next 12-15 (approximately) statuses were all about this Shooting in Milwaukee! I was so shocked! There were no details in anyone's status. Each status was basically offering thoughts and prayers to the victims and their loved ones. I have family in Milwaukee so for a few seconds I was worried about them too, until I saw their statuses-Then I knew they were all fine. Still I was so shaken by this news. I finally google'd this "shooting" and read the news!! Immediately my eyes teared up. Oh, it was heart breaking. So So Heart breaking!

     I wish there was a way to stop all this pain and suffering and hatred and IGNORANCE!! When will enough be enough?? Why do some people think they are better than others? Why does the color of our skin or the way we worship or who we worship or what language we speak or what we wear on our heads matter? How does this make us any better or worse than anyone else? Why can't we all be accepted and loved and respected? When will people know and understand and accept the fact that we all have hearts, we all have tears, we all love to laugh, we all have souls, We even BLEED the same blood..... WE ARE ALL THE SAME! We are all one!

  

     Hate Crime?? Terrorism?? Racist? Swastika? Neo-Nazi? OMG!!!! Do you know how much it hurts to read and hear all this in today's time? In America-- Our own home!  I seriously just can't comprehend all of this!

People--Please educate, educate, educate!!! Educate yourselves. Educate us. Educate our children. Educate your children. Educate our neighbors and your neighbors. Educate your friends and our friends. Educate everyone. Everyone should be LOVED and RESPECTED and ACCEPTED! Read books. Take classes. Go Places. Attend Cultural Festivals. Eat the Food. Rent Movies. Make Friends. Volunteer at a Charity and Shelters and Food Banks. Open up your eyes and open up your hearts! Share this with your children....Share this with OUR children...Share it with our future. Only WE can make this place a place worth living, a place worth staying, and a place worth loving...

~~Our Thoughts and Prayers are with each of the victims of this absolutely relentless Tragedy. For each of them is a Hero to us! ~~

May you Rest In Peace:

Satwant Singh Kaleka, 62
Prakash Singh, 39
Paramjit Kaur, 41
Suveg Singh Khatra, 84
Ranjit Singh, 45
Sita Singh, 43