Kat On: Why I write

I love to write. Seriously, it is one of my favorite things to do. In fact, one of the main reasons I started this blog was because I just love writing. There are a few reasons I love writing, so I'll put them in a list. (I love lists too)

1. To Feel Like I Belong

This is a tricky one to explain. I always feel a little on the edge, like there are few places I really "click". One of them is my writing. I love writing something and then people telling me they like it. It always makes me a little nervous every time I post something, because I really want people to like it. The night after I posted my Halloween article I swear I thought I might have a heart attack. 

2. To Express Myself

I know a lot of writing is like this, but this is one of the most important ones to me. Often I'll get an idea, or disagree with something, and I need to tell someone. It sticks in my head until I do something! So I write. I write down my thoughts and then I share them. 

3. I Love It

This is the main reason I write, and the one that takes the least explanation. 

So, there you have it. This is why I write. Write more later! 

                                                                        Peace out!  

Kat On: Halloween

Before I begin, I want to let you know that this is not meant to offend anyone. If you are the kind of person who gets offend easily, you probably should not read this post. 

Halloween! One of the most controversial subjects among Christians. My family has always let us trick-or-treat, and, while I knew some families who didn't, that was never questioned in our family. Recently I saw a blog post go around that basically boiled down to why Halloween was evil and that we should avoid it. While I respect that they have their own opinions, much of the logic was flawed in their reasoning. I am going to sort out their reasoning  and give my own about why Halloween is fine. 

1. Halloween glorifies evil, not God. 

Halloween now days is not what it used to be. While in the past it may of been used to glorify 

evil things, now it really is just about candy. If you polled kids on what they think Halloween 

means, the majority of them would say that it's about getting candy. Granted some of the 

costumes people wear aren't great, but you'll always have bad people no matter what you talk 

about. People do bad things on Valentines day and New Years and other holidays, yet we still 

celebrate them. 

2. If the seed is bad, the fruit will be bad.
Out of all the reasons not to celebrate Halloween, this is the most illogical one yet. First of all, it's a logical fallacy. Genetic fallacy is rejecting something just because of its roots. Halloween is not bad because its roots. Also, even if somethings roots can corrupt it, Christmas should be corrupt too. After all, Christmas started out as Saturnalia, a festival worshiping the Roman god Saturn.  Gradually it became one of the most special to us holidays ever. If we aren't going to hold Christmas's roots against it, why should we hold Halloween's roots against it?

3. Don't dine with demons.
Once again, while in the past Halloween was thought of as a holiday where demons and ghosts walked around the earth, that is not the case now. The only ghost you might see while trick-or-treating is a little kid walking around with a sheet thrown over their head. Not the same thing, is it?

4. Halloween is an excuse to flaunt sexuality. 
This can be true about anything. You could say New Years is an excuse to put on skimpy party clothes and go crazy. Last year I saw a not so appropriate music video on TV at Christmastime. If you are searching for an excuse, you will find one no matter what the holiday. If you are the kind of person who would dress like that, you are going to do Halloween or not. 

5. We play how we practice.
This is true, in a sense. The truth is you set up how you practice and play. My parents never let us really be anything that might scare people. We were never witches or devils, nothing of that sort. We did carve a pumpkin  but just for fun. We trick-or-treated for candy.  You make control what you make of Halloween, whether you make it just about candy, or something more. 

6. Are we causing others to stumble.
While this is a good question to think about, once again it applies to more than Halloween. No matter what you do, make sure you are not causing others to stumble. How you act on Halloween can just as easily cause someone to stumble as how you act on Christmas. This principle, while it should always be taken in to consideration, is not a reason to quit Halloween.

7. Be faithful in small things.
While this is obliviously true, it applies to more than Halloween. Participating in Halloween is in no way unfaithful. Halloween now days is not wrong. 

8. God want to bless us - but not in the way the world blesses. 
This is true, but, if you really think about it, this includes things like Christmas presents and Easter baskets too. Christmas presents were also part of a pagan holiday honoring a god other than the one true God. Should stop giving gifts at Christmastime? Easter baskets were never mentioned in the Bible as part of Easter, only recently have we added them in to Easter along with the Easter Bunny, who is definitely not in the Bible either. Does this mean they should be shunned too? If this really is such a big thing, why aren't people up in arms over these things? 

9. There is sin in the camp. 
True, but in anything you look at this is apparent. Should we avoid books because there are sinful books out there? Anything you look at, TV, movies, games, parties, anything has sinfulness in it somewhere. It may not be super obvious, but it's there. We can't just live with are heads under rocks till' death. We live in a fallen world and have to come to terms with that fact. 

10. Come out from them and be separate.
This is true no matter the day. The question is, "Can we do this even if we celebrate Halloween?" I believe the answer is yes. Our costumes and actions are what will set us apart. We can let our actions be a light to people on Halloween.

I know that was kind of a lot, but thanks for staying with me. These are just my opinions  and I'd like to hear yours. Comment below and tell me what to think. 

                                                          Peace out!
P.S. I got the reasons from this post: 
http://www.prophezine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=676%3A10-reasons-i-kissed-halloween-goodbye&catid=41%3Atop-headlines

Homework

Now, I know what you're probably thinking. "You're home schooled, all your work is homework." That is mostly true, but when you take online classes or co-op classes there is usually homework involved. I am currently taking an online essay class that my mom is reviewing, and I have a good bit of homework. It shouldn't be that hard, break it down over a few days and get it done by Friday. Easy, right? Wrong. I am a procrastinator by nature, and a whole week quickly becomes four o' clock on Friday and the stuff has to be emailed to her by 5. Yikes! I am currently working on a strategy to fix this, but till then I'm still doing a lot of work on Friday. I hope you have a better strategy for tackling homework.  
                                                                     Peace out! 

How to make introverts more comrfortable

Hi readers! I decided to do a little segment on introverts and how to make them feel more comfortable. I myself am an introvert, and I found a list of 12 ways to make introverts feel more comfortable. These are my thoughts on that list, and some ways I know make me feel more comfortable.

 Some notes before I begin: One, I refer to introverts as group. I might be totally wrong and this stuff applies to just me. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry. I am not a psychologist  and have not really studied introverts. Also, some of this may apply to extroverts. I have no idea if some of this stuff applies to both. 

OK, no more notes. Here's the list.

1. Respect Their Need For Privacy 
I think this one might apply to everyone. Introverts tend to need more privacy though. I know I typically tend keep more stuff private than my extrovert brother. 

2. Never Embarrass Them In Public
An introvert can not laugh it off the way most extroverts can. 

3. Let Them Observe First In New Situations
 Don't pressure them when you introduce them to a new situation. We need time to observe and analyse the situation. 

4. Give Them Time To Think, Don't Demand Instant Answers
If you ask them a question and they don't answer right away don't assume they didn't hear you or are ignoring you. Give us a little time to organize our thoughts before we answer. 

5. Don't Interrupt Them
It's never polite to interrupt anyone, but when you interrupt an introvert they typically are not going to continue to try and talk. They simply don't talk. I am not a talkative person at all, and if you interrupt me I just don't say anything. 

6. Give Them Advance Notice Of Changes Expected In Their Lives
I like to know as far ahead as possible anything that will be changing. 

7. Give Them 15 Minute Warnings To Finish Whatever They Are Doing
We don't like to be rushed, so it helps us if we know exactly how long is left. 

8. Reprimand Them Privately
Please do not fuss at us in front of a lot of people. I was never a kid who was fussed at by teachers, but the few times I was I literally almost cried.

9. Teach Them New Skills Privately
Introverts tend to be very self-conscious, and when learning a new skill it is best to do it privately. 

10. Enable Them To Find One Best Friend With Similar Interests And Abilities
An introvert doesn't need a crowd of people, we need a few close friends. 

11. Don't Push Them To Make Lots Of Friends
We don't need a huge group, and having a bunch of not very close friendships is not how introverts roll.

12. Respect Their Introversion, Don't Try To Turn Them Into Extroverts
This is the most important one. Introverts have trouble being their selves, and if you pressure us to be extroverts it it makes us very uncomfortable. 

Hope this helped you view introverts in a new way. Here are my own do's and don'ts for dealing with introverts. 

Do: Talk to them
Just because I don't talk a lot doesn't mean I don't have anything to say. It helps if you talk directly to them. Then they don't have work to insert themselves into the conversation, you've helped them do that. 

Don't: Think that because they aren't speaking they don't want to talk
This one is basically the same as the one above, but it is an important concept. We want to be included, we just aren't sure how to insert our selves. 

Don't: Let it bother you that we don't talk a lot
Believe it or not, we can sense if it bothers you that we are quiet. There are several people I can think of right off the bat that I feel it bothers them I don't talk much. Give us time, and we will open up. It takes a while for us to get comfortable.

Don't: Tell us we're quiet, especially in front of other people
If you tell me I'm quiet, at best it does nothing, at worst it puts me on the spot and I'm even less likely to talk. Even more important is the part about not calling them out in front of people. I had an instructor who was telling me and my group about an activity we were going to do that involved speaking in front of the whole group. She then proceeded to say, "Even you, Kathryne, I know you're quiet and shy." I was so embarrassed! Now, this group consisted primarily of people I did not know, and I had tried hard that evening to be more outgoing. When she said that, not only did it embarrass me, but it made me feel like she didn't care that I had tried so hard to be less quiet and shy. Needless to say, telling us we are quiet is not a good thing. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about introverts. Comment below and tell me what you think. 
                                                                  Peace out!

Disney!

Hi readers! I know it's been awhile, but I have been crazy busy! Next week me and my family are going to Disney World! I have been looking forward to this since, like, May. I don't know how I'm gonna make it one more week. I have never been to Disney, and neither has my dad or my siblings or my grandparents. My mom is the only one who has been. We are all riding together, and my dad has made a strict one bag rule. That is not going to work for me. I usually take, like, five bags to the beach. Have any of you been to Disney? If so, what advice to you have? What are the "Must See" attractions? I gotta go make my packing list. I'll write more later. 
                                                         
                                                             Peace out! 

Kat On: Being Bored

So, your're on summer break, enjoying your last moments of freedom, or school ended early, when it strikes. Boredom. Now, you have two options, you could aimlessly scroll through Facebook and Instagram, and check your email for the the 50th time in an hour, or you could get up and do something. You could go outside and ride bikes or jump on the trampoline or even go swimming. You could play a game or make one up yourself. If you can't go outside there is tons of stuff to do inside. Read a book, listen to music, or make a craft. Grab a friend, or even a sibling or two, and hangout. Play some games or make a special treat. And, don't worry if the only people you can hangout with are a lot younger than you. If you do something with them, even if you're just playing with them, you'll be their hero. Plus, they can be just as fun as older kids. So, next time boredom strikes, put down the phone and go do something. Then, come tell me about. Leave a comment and let me know what you find works best to beat boredom. 
                                                                      Peace out!

Fun Friday!!!!

So, I got my class list. I get to do Dissection/Yearbook, Up cycling, and Cooking/Eating. All the same people will be back, and no one new is coming either. I am so exited! We will start the 16th. I am so ready for this. Well, that's all for now, I'll write more later.
                                                                       Peace out!

Kat On: School

I've never been super objective of school, but I'm not exactly thrilled with the start of school either.  I'm kind of in the middle. This year we started really early, Monday of last week, which hopefully means we'll be out by mid-may. Since starting high school I've had a lot of extra work. Like today I had this biology experiment where I had to classify animals into Kingdom, Phylum  Class, and Order using a biological key. There were 15 animals and it took forever! I mean seriously  what kind of sick people design an experiment like that. On the bright side, I start co-op this Friday. What is co-op? Well, my siblings and I are home schooled  which means most of our work is done at home. We go on field trips and do special events with other homeschoolers, including a science group that meets once a week, and then there's co-op. Our co-op is called Fun Friday, and we meet every other Friday. The ages range from birth to 9th grade. The moms sign up to teach what they want to teach and what grade they're going to teach it to. I like it because I can hang out with my friends, and the classes are fun. Last year we had cooking, photography, art, science experiments, and yearbook. Year book was my favorite because I got to do all the writing which was awesome. Tonight I get to find out what classes I have. I'll post then if I'm still up. 
                                                                      Peace out!

Kat On: Sports

One thing you should know about me is that I'm not really a big sports person. Well, unless you count dance as a sport, and even then I'm not really good at. I just love doing it. When I was really little I did cheer leading and soccer. I liked cheer OK, but soccer, let's just say I never went near for fear of being kicked. I like swimming, but not enough to do it on a team. The one sport I've found that I really like (even though I'm still not really good at it) is volleyball. As far as watching sports go, I don't. I'm probably the only person who doesn't look forward to football season. I do have a team that I sorta cheer for though. The Vikings, A: because they're purple, and B: because one time I was watching them and I heard the announcer say they had someone named Rudolph on the team. Yeah, great reasons, I know. So, there you go. That's my take on sports. If you have any questions or thoughts on/about this post comment below.
                                                              Peace out!

All About Me!

Hi readers, I figured I'd tell you a little bit about myself. For starters, I love to read. I'll just about anything I can get my hands on. I also love to write. I've always wanted to be an writer and the best advice I've ever gotten from an author is this: "Just do it. Write anything and everything. Don't think, just do it." That's why I started this blog. To have a place to put my thoughts into words and let everyone read it. Well, I have to go, but check back later for more.

                                                             Peace out!

Welcome To My World

Hi! Kat here. Welcome to my blog. This is where I post my opinions on, well, just about everything. From music to movies to books to anything! If you have anything you want me to give an opinion on just comment and let me know. Also, I'd love to hear your opinions on stuff. Yes, you, the one reading this. Just leave a comment and tell me what you think. I look forward to hearing from all of you awesome readers. 

                                                                        Peace Out!