Teenagers Not a Poem by me

Not a Poem by Joanne Utke 

I really don't know what this is lol! But I am writing it from my heart and my own mind based on my life experiences. I am not into poems or rhyming so I won't even try it here. Song writers impress me, but I am not among them :) So for whatever this is worth here is my not a poem about Teenagers. After all I was one and I have some. 

Teenagers

teenagers keep you on your feet

they challenge you

they make you worry

just don't hurry

for them to grow up

but when they do 

they may surprise you

remember to support them

listen to them

learn from them

love them

teenagers need lots of love

but not the huggy kissy kind 

they need the kind of love

that lets them know you are there

no matter what happens to them

tell them you love them and

watch their eyes roll back

just ignore that stuff

when they talk to you just listen

don't argue with them too much

listen to their words

don't focus on the words being used

try to figure out the meaning

behind the words

remember when you were a teenager

don't you ever forget that

you could relate to them once

you still could if you tried

above all

teenagers are capable

smart and funny

they are trying to figure out this crazy world

this world that makes little sense

be kind to them

lead them with example

treat them like

an equal

with respect

love and kindness

when they grow up

they will know

and hopefully 

take care of you

when you're old

Thank you! 

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New Year New Life!

 Greetings to however is going to read this :) 

Here is to a New Year, New Day and a New You! 

God bless you and your family! I really need and want to write more often. The truth is I often will get into a writing mood and do a lot more. It is where I need to do the work. Last year I started 15 minute a day writing challenge and got some good content in. Then I get lazy and stop doing it consistently. And sometimes I am not in the right mind set to write down anything lol! 

But I am starting it up the 15 minutes a day writing challenge and for this article I want to focus on a New Year and a New Life! About a year ago I created my new motto. This new one is a lot like my old one that I had since I was a teenager. That one is basically a daily mantra, "today I will be better than I was yesterday!" That is my motto :) 

Over the years I will admit that I failed on this motto at times. I have had some stressful times, personal freak outs, sadness, and times of extreme depression. I am not here to lie to you or sugar coat what I have been through. I have had to learn of tough lessons in my life and this was not without pain! I know you can relate. If not praise God! But let us also praise God for that pain because without it I would not know what I know now, and I would not be the persona that I am today. 

For many others as well as myself the 2020 plandemic fiasco was at times extremely stressful. I don't know about you, but it brought on some feelings of depression for me. This is not to say that other times in my life I have had the same problem. I am also very sorry for those who have lost loved ones I know how stressful that can be. 

But for me the last couple years was at times difficult for me in other ways. It was after all this that I created my new motto to help me and hopefully others to live their best life now. I decided that life is too short to spend any more time on sadness, depression, regret, self-loathing, fear and anger! And I know all of this very well I can admit. Oh, the time in my life that was wasted on all this negative attitude and emotions. 

I decided that I'm done, and I will LIVE MY BEST LIFE NOW! And a new motto was born, LIVING MY BEST LIFE RIGHT NOW! Not later, not tomorrow, not next New Year, but today, and right now! 

Best life now is not about the things we cannot change, but about the things we can change in our own everyday life. I have written a couple articles about this already and I will link them below for you. If we look back at our life, what would we want to change if we could? 

In the past I thought that was certain people in my life, but these thought only brought me more pain and sadness and did not make me a better person. I don't want to elaborate on that because that would not be productive to my message or my best life! Long after I'm gone these words may still be here for those to read as long as no one deletes my blogs. 

I learned a long time ago that regret is evil and only produces depression and sadness. In fact, the devil loves regret. When we regret our past no matter what mistakes we have made, we are saying that God doesn't have a plan for our life, that He doesn't have a purpose for our suffering. This of course if false and the devil loves it when we live by a lie. The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44) and every lie separates us from God.  

But to answer the question, when I look back honestly what I would want to change is my attitude, my thoughts and my feelings. And it just so happens that I, and you are in control of those things always! Never mind the past mistakes that have been made, we can't change that now. If you have hurt someone in the past go to them and apologize, do what you can now to make things better. But we cannot change what we have done in the past, but we can change what we do right now!

And that is where we need to spend our time, energy and efforts. I don't know about you but I waisted too much time in my life being upset about things either out of my control or upset about things that were in my control, but I did nothing to change it. Living our best life now is about empowering ourselves and knowing that our best life starts now! 

It starts with our thoughts, words, and actions! And that is something that we can control right now to give ourselves that gift. No more time wasted when we are living our best life now! 

Anyway, that is my 15 minutes plus much more spent on this. I hope that it was a blessing to you!

 Please let me know what you think. There is more to come! 

Thank you! 

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California Homeschool File Your PSA

  It's Time to File your PSA

  If you want to homeschool in California filed your Private School Affidavit is easy. When you file your PSA you are establishing your home as a private school for your children. This way you can teach what you want and the way you want. If you are like me you don't want the state raising your kids! And this last few years should have told you just how much they are out to get your children. If you know what I am talking about you are my people :)  

Filling a Private School Affidavit is the way to go when it comes to homeschooling in California. The main reason why I think so is because charter homeschool programs are immune to government take over of our children. A PSA offers you the privacy and freedom that you want in a homeschooling program. Unless privacy and freedom is not what you are looking for. 

If you are a concerned citizen then you should be homeschooling your kids taking your family into as much self sufficiency as possible. For me and my family we were with a public charter homeschool program for years. It was ok but I did not like the restrictiveness even though there was some choice. But in 2016 it started getting a little harry with mandatory vaccines laws in CA taking away a personal beliefs exemption. The school we were with did not enforce this will us and we remained on the PBE for some time. But as soon as my son started in high school age and then the plandemic of 2020 I decided it was time to go private. 

Filling Your PSA

The PSA needs to be filed by the 1st - 15th of the month of October every year that you are homeschooling. 

You do need to keep some records yourself such as; vaccination records or your personal beliefs exemption affidavit. In the state of California those who homeschool with a private school affidavit are exempt from laws mandating vaccines. The affidavit is just a note typed up by you stating the law and that your children are exempt from vaccines for school entry. 

You will also need to keep an attendance record for each child. This can be as basic as a printable year calendar which states that child attended every required school day. The state of California requires a minimum of 180 attended school days. 

You will also need to keep record of your CA form exempting your child to a medical example for school entry in the state. It is what the charter wanted so I keep it as well. Keep in mind that the state allows for any child to be exempt from medical examinations for school entry. 

Keep everything in a file the way any school has to do. Then all you need to do is teach from the required subject of math, reading/English, grammar, science, history/social studies, economics/government. Check your state! 

You may teach how you wish what you wish in these subjects. Again, see the California Homeschool Network for the best up to date information. 

For more information on the requirements go here. I recommend that you read and educate yourself on the process that way you are confident in what you are doing. And to file your PSA go here. 

Thank you! 

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