crafty.learning

Teagan 10 Years Old

2012-02-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

When I have said my evening prayer,

And my clothes are folded on the chair,

And mother switches off the light,

I’ll still be nine years old tonight.

But, from the very break of day,

Before the children rise and play.

Before the darkness turns to gold

Tomorrow, I’ll be ten years old.

Ten kisses when I wake,

Ten candles on my cake!

-from Gateways by Wynstone Press

The cake came from a blog called Overwhelmed By Joy. I made it once before but this time my lovely and talented friend Katie made the fondant toppers for us. For all you muggles those are Hedwig the owl with post, the Hogwart's Sorting Hat, a wand, Doby's sock and scarves for each Hogwart's House.

Man and Animal Block I

2012-02-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

We wrapped up our Man and Animal Block last week and I must say it was much more challenging then I thought.
I struggled from time to time in grasping the full picture of what all the Man and Animal study was to encompass. I'm not especially interested in anthroposophy but I wanted to get to the why behind the block. What amazes me most throughout our homeschooling experience is that even if I feel like I'm running blind, she still learns. In fact this block was a real growing one for us.

A hawk swooping in on his unsuspecting prey.

Teagan's Lion Main Lesson Book page. We've really struggled with our MLB work and she was extremely proud of this one.

Candlemas

2012-02-02T11:17:00.001-08:00

Today is Candlemas. It's been called the Christian festival of lights and traditionally all the church candles were blessed on this day.

We started our day reading Luke 2:21-40, Jesus Presented in the Temple. After that we made a big batch of banana bread and dipped candles. It took some trial and error but in the end we had fun, we came up with some ideas to improve the process and we now we have some very interesting candles too!

The little's decided it sounded like more fun to play with their new blocks and Playmobil, so they did. But eventually the beeswax aroma lured them in for at least one candle:)

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

2012-01-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

We went sledding!

Moving at the Speed of Advent

2011-12-19T05:07:00.000-08:00

Like lots of other families we have our favorite traditions that vary from holiday to holiday. It's almost Christmas and I've begun to notice that though our traditions are the same the timing of them has been evolving each year.

Generally by this time of year our halls would be decked, Christmas tree would be lit and cookies baked in anticipation of the big day! But this year both by conscious effort and a sabotaging little stomach bug that has hit nearly everyone in the family, we have very little Christmas decorating done.

This wasn't due to some lack of holiday spirit but more so in a hope to preserve the holiday spirit throughout the whole holiday. Thanks in large part to our advancements in technology and marketing our society has come to believe that the Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving and ends the 26th of December. I remember as a kid thinking that the song the Twelve Days of Christmas referred to the 11 days prior to Christmas. We begin December with constant Christmas sales, 24 hour Christmas music and huge rushes and expectations to get all our decorating and baking and gift giving done by the 25th. But what happened to Advent?

Advent has always been a countdown to Christmas, a time of waiting and anticipating, with it's fun calendars and weekly candles to be lit, yet lately it is also running simultaneous to Christmas. That's kind of like sitting in front of the oven waiting for cookies to bake while eating a box of cookies! By the time the cookies are baked you just can't eat another one. It was the same for us with Christmas. By the time Christmas day came I had heard enough Christmas music, was done sweeping up pine needles and wanted to pack everything up but we had another 11 days to go till Epiphany! So instead of packing it all in I would continue to sweep up the pine needles, water the stupid tree and try not to curse when needles would shower down on me as I reached in with the watering can, and then sweep some more. And yes I am stubbornly holding on the the real tree!

This year we have moved much more slowly. We have pulled a few decorations out to help us get in preparation mode (but the tree will wait till the day or 2 before Christmas). Until then we have been busy cleaning house. We made some wood polish and have been cleaning and polishing our wooden toys and furniture. We have been moving furniture to make room for the festivities and the tree and cleaning out the dust bunnies in the corners.

So today as we begin to regain health and energy from our week long relay of illness we will pull out the steam cleaner and essential oils and refresh this home:)

Norse Myth Resources

2011-11-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

I thought I would list some of the resources we have found for this block. We are having so much fun though that we've extended it for another week.

Our stories have been coming from the D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths. These stories have been a big hit and I love that there is a glossary in the back to help me with the pronunciation of the names:)

I also discovered a nice article on the day in the life of a Viking Family on the BBC website and living in a long house at Archaeology Hebrides.

More on Viking recipes at http://www.ydalir.co.uk/crafts/cook/recipes.htm and http://nvg.org.au/documents/other/vikingrecipes.pdf

And though I usually don't allow my kids computer time I made the exceptions for the Norsk Folke Museum web site. Teagan and I sat for a bit to play with their Panorama views of a farmstead and church.

Our favorites were Farmstead from Telemark, House from Hove in Heddal, Stave Church from Gol in Hallingdal, and The Collections of King Oscar II.
But you can check them all out at http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no/en/Experience/Panorama-views/.

When you need to...

2011-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Complete a project like reorganizing fabric and wool,

From October 25, 2011

Never under estimate the magical captivation of a box, some rice and spoons, forks, bowls and cups:)

From October 25, 2011

Speaking of the Baby...

2011-10-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Poor Otto began his new obedience classes with a bang. There's a puppy playtime before the class and with our last dog we had always taken advantage of the opportunity to let her burn off some energy before class. I thought I would do the same with Otto but unfortunately there was another dog that didn't quite take a liking to him. It didn't take long before they got into a tussle.

At first Otto seemed fine but half way through our lesson I spotted a bit of blood coming through his fur on his front left leg. When we got home I cleaned him up but by the next morning his leg was swelling and he was limping on it.

I was able to get him in to the vet today and they shaved down the area where the punctures are at and cleaned him up again and gave him a shot of penicillin. We came home with lots of meds and one very sad and pathetic puppy. He's being a very cooperative patient though and taking all his pills without much of a struggle and even let me wrap his infected leg in a warm wet towel, per the doctor's orders, and left it be for about 30 minutes.

The saddest part of the day (besides watching him struggle to walk around stare me down with those sad puppy eyes) was when I sent the kids outside to play. Usually he runs from window to back door trying to convince me that they are in danger out there and he must be allowed to supervise but today he just lay in his bed and whimpered:(

His leg is so swollen. That flap of over hang just above his elbow is not normal for him, it's part of the swelling.

Baby Fever

2011-10-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

So for the past week I've been on an intensifying search for a new furbaby. I love our rambunctious German Shepherd and had been wanting to add another dog to the family. With our kids still being little and as much as Otto keeps me on my toes with his size and energy I wanted a much smaller dog.

We have also toyed around with the idea of a rabbit since Teagan has wanted a rabbit of her own for sometime now. But I just don't want to deal with the possibility that I would be the one caring and cleaning up after it when it's shine wore off.

After our cat Oskar died a few years ago Smiley and I both vowed that we would not get anymore cats. We enjoy other people's cats but we're more dog people I suppose. Lately though I've been wanting any furry thing that cuddles.

The other day I went into the Humane Society to see what dogs they had and ended up in the cat department where I fell in love with more then one cat. I even broke Smiley down to agree to adopt one (though if I would have gone through with it I would have brought home two, lol).

As I thought it over I realized that Mazzy, our youngest human baby, is three years old. There's roughly a three year gap between all three of our human children. Could it be that I'm experiencing baby fever?!

I suppose for now I will have to be content with this furbaby... for now:)

Plan B

2011-10-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

It's cold, wet and cloudy out so we will be passing on our farm trip this week and declare today a Love on the House Day and then we shall likely mess it up again with crafting our halloween costumes.

Pictures to follow...

Norse Myths: The First 2 Weeks

2011-10-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

So we have had sort of a slow go at our Norse Myths. At the start of the year I thought it would be great to make our own main lesson books. After our first block we found that too much of a hassle and so by the time I got around to ordering some we were already into our first week and they arrive sometime in our second week.

No matter though we forged ahead without them. Plus it's good to take a break from the story, picture, summary routine that we can easily fall into. We got out our modeling wax and created the first images of our story, Muspelheim, Niflheim and Ginnungagap. Try saying those names 3 times fast;)

We spent the rest of the week reading the creation stories and working on some form drawing. This year the form drawing gets a bit more complicated and we will be working on Celtic knots. But I want to start off small so I picked an old favorite form of Teagan's from a year ago that easily converted into the overlapping technique of 4th grade form drawing and decided it was a good symbol for the 3 brothers, Odin, Hoenir, and Lodur.

We first made the form with play dough (an idea we got from naturenest.wordpress.com). We

While Teagan and I work the two littles tend to occupy themselves with play. On this particular day they were "building" a camp in our shrubs. They had stuffed animals and and all sorts of things hanging from the branches.

Teagan continues with her picture of the Yggdrasil tree. For this block I told her we would work all in cursive (a task she loaths) but that the next block we could go back to print. What I didn't tell her is that our next block will be math, lol.

Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood

2011-10-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this yet you should really take the time to watch it. I thought I knew the extent that children are marketed to in this country but this was a big eye opener.

October Boom and Bust?

2011-10-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

We may be a few weeks late but I think we have finally hit what Donna Simmons calls the September boom and bust.

I soooo needed to read this post by her this evening. Later this weekend I will get to her blog post on planning and try to start fresh next week:)

Detoxing

2011-10-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

After years of thinking about it I have finally done it. Yesterday I started a week long detox.
I bought the kit RAW Cleanse - 7 day - Kitand so far I feel ok.

By the end of the first day I was starting in with a dull headache and by bedtime I was feeling a little achey all over.

This morning I woke up feeling better, still with a bit of a headache but functional;)

Besides taking the supplements that are part of the kit I have cut out coffee, milk, wheat and am trying to stick to a raw diet. That part has been a bit tricky. I did cheat last night with a bit of popcorn but I told myself since I was sprinkling some nutritional yeast on it that it was an ok compromise, lol.

Today I'm going to try to make some kale chips in the dehydrator and hopefully those will satisfy my snacking urge. I've been surprised that I'm not craving much (yet) for things like chocolate or coffee. I suspect the headache is helping to cure those cravings but even with making regular meals for my family while I chomp on raw veggies or slurp down a green juice. The worst part about making dinner last night wasn't because I was denying myself the warm and cheesy mac and cheese, it was simply because I was hungry too and had to wait that much longer to eat since I needed to feed them first. Today I have a decent mix of leftovers stored up in the fridge so hopefully that won't be the case.

Birthday Bash 2011

2011-09-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

It's September and in this house that means a week long birthday bash. Mazzy's was last week Friday and Simon's was this week Friday.

My folks came in to town for round one and we celebrated both birthdays with them.

This week we met up with friends for a hike at Fernwood Botanical Gardens. After all the fun there Simon's friend came over for a sleep over. We went out for one of our favorite breakfast treats, Stone's Old Fashioned Donuts. Tthe boys played so nicely all afternoon that it gave Teagan and me a chance to finally start making our gift for him. We made a roll up map of our neighborhood for his cars and gave him some new Matchbox cars. He was elated:)

Our first two weeks

2011-09-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our first 2 weeks have already passed. Time moves so fast these days and I wanted to share some more of what we've been up to before I blink and it's next year!

The weekend before our lessons had begun the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi held a pow wow nearby. We got to see lots of dances and tons of beautiful native crafts and some not so native;) But a good time was had by all and the children loved watching the performances. It's one thing for us to talk about native people and how they lived and and worked and played but it really makes our learning come alive when we can witness with our own senses. Since the pow wow each one of the kids has attempted their own version of native chanting and dance.

"The human is indissolubly linked with imitation: a human being only becomes human at all by imitating other human beings." -Theodor Adorno

It really tied in nicely with our first block which has been local geography as we had read a lot of Native American legends and stories last year and began our lesson by imagining what our area was like when it was still wilderness and only the native Potawatomi's and Miami's lived here.

I have been using the book Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Yearsand I love that the author recognizes children's developmental need to start with what they know, their home, and then to branch out from there. I highly recommend the book to all elementary educators, at home or school.

So we began our week mapping the layout of our home and drawing pictures or our home and yard. Later played a game of blindfolding Teagan and spun her around before leading her on a tour of the yard. She then had to feel her way around and guess where she was at in the yard. Of course this all led to a fun game of Walk the Plank in the sand pit:)

Eventually we moved out into our neighborhood. We walked about and read all the street signs and later made a map and wrote down some facts about our neighborhood.

We also took a short scenic walk at Notre Dame but plan to get back there to visit the Snite Museum and historic spots on campus.

Farm Day

2011-09-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

We have begun our lessons and are still smoothing out the weekly routine. Last year we had begun visiting a nearby learning farm called Prairie Winds Nature Farm but hadn't gotten too many visits in before winter weathers and colds kept us from attending more. This year we plan to make it a weekly visit. What I love about this farm is that not only can you go a see the animals and tools but we get to handle them too.

We had heard that the sheep shearer was coming today to rid the sheep of their fleecy coat but we imagine our excitement when we arrived and found that a baby hawk had been stranded on the path to the woods. Simon is a huge bird lover and hawks are his favorite so the boy was in heaven:)

The sheep were rounded up and sent into the barn for their haircut. Mazzy and Simon were more interested in chasing chickens and hunting down a little kitten named Sunscreen. Teagan however was right in the pin with the shearer. Lisa (the sheep shearer) was wonderful at explaining to the kids what she was going to do and why. Teagan also go to help load the shorn wool into a bag and just before we left Lisa gave us a quick demonstration of drop spindle yarn spinning.

Our Last Hurray

2011-09-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

Last week the kids and I headed down to Kentucky to visit my Grandma and celebrate her 89th birthday. Along the way The kids got to see the aquarium in Covington KY, meet new cousins and on the way home we stopped in Indy for a stroll through the zoo.

Teagan and her new cousin Ireland

Uncle Ronny watching dinner:)

My cousin Brian, subduing or rilling up the savages

Indianapolis Zoo

American Girling It Up

2011-08-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

We had been gifted about a year ago with an American Girl Doll. We didn't know which one she was and we always sort of guessed that maybe she was one of their look-a-like.

We just recently sent her to the American Girl Doll Hospital. When she came back yesterday (seriously!) there was a certificate that referred to her as Nicki Fleming. When I looked it up we discovered that Nicki is from none other then Denver Colorado:) She lives on a horse ranch and is raising a service dog.

Today we got new clothes:) Teagan had some money from her Auntie and so we went to Etsy.com and she picked out 2 new dresses for Nicki and Rebecca.

An interview with Mazzy

2011-07-25T16:53:00.001-07:00

Today I got a call from the local news to give an interview on the new breastfeeding baby doll that's coming to the USA.

Our Summer So Far...

2011-07-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

This summer we have had :

fun in the sun
splashes at the pool
a bone-thumping 4th of July
poison ivy on a face
a baby bird born in our yard
power outages
a walk through magical fairy gardens
blueberry picking

And the summer isn't over yet:)

2011-07-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

“We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.”

- Minerva McGonagall

Charlotte’s Webpage | Lowell Monke | Orion Magazine

2011-06-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

"To develop normally, any child needs to learn to exert some control over her environment. But the control computers offer children is deceptive, and ultimately dangerous. In the first place, any control children obtain comes at a price: relinquishing the uniquely imaginative and often irrational thought processes that mark childhood. Keep in mind that a computer always has a hidden pedagogue—the programmer—who designed the software and invisibly controls the options available to students at every step of the way. If they try to think “outside the box,” the box either refuses to respond or replies with an error message. The students must first surrender to the computer’s hyper-rational form of “thinking” before they are awarded any control at all.

And then what exactly is awarded? The child pushes a button and the computer draws an X on the screen. The child didn’t draw that X, she essentially “ordered” the computer to do it, and the computer employed an enormous amount of embedded adult skill to complete the task. Most of the time a user forgets this distinction because the machine so quickly and precisely processes commands. But the intensity of the frustration that we experience when the computer suddenly stops following orders (and our tendency to curse at, beg, or sweet talk it) confirms that the subtle difference is not lost on the psyche. "

Excerpt from Charlotte’s Webpage by Lowell Monke | Orion Magazine

A Five Year Old's Idea of Human Anatomy

2011-05-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

A while back when my 5 yr old son had a really bad ear ache I worried that maybe he had stuck some small toy or bit of something in his ear (trust me, with Simon, anything is possible) and as I peeked inside his ear with a flashlight he lifted up his hand to his opposite ear and choking back his tears he asked "Mom, can you see my hand".

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the cuteness of his concern. Today he surprised me again with a similar concern.

When we woke this morning he informed me that he had a tick on his belly and sure enough there was a little blood sucker attached just above his navel. Daddy was still home and between the two of us we were able to remove the parasite. It wasn't easy or very pretty and we worried that we had not gotten the entire thing so I took him into the doctors. It turns out we did get it all and we left with an antibiotic 'sript and a bandaid on his belly.

So when he asked for a drink of water this afternoon, he hesitated and then followed up with the a question, "If I have a drink of right now will any of it come out of the hole on my belly?"

Handwriting

2011-03-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Teagan really dislikes handwriting. I've had some success in sneaking in some practice in the form of form drawing as well as a good transition into cursive. Today however she was feeling particularly challenged and thats usually when we struggle. If something doesn't come fairly easy she gets down on herself and flails and flops. At one point she jokingly told me "This is torture! Why couldn't you have sent me down the river like Moses' mother." (We're doing an Old Testament lock right now, lol)

The girl loves math though and I need to remember to put math last so it can be her incentive to getting through the tortures of handwriting;)

Here is a sample of what we were working on. The is my work and not Teagan's ;) It seems silly to say but I had so much trouble with the pretzel shape. My brain kept interfering with my hand (or vice versa) and I kept trying to go up when I should have been swinging down.

feral knitting

2011-03-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

One common trait of ENFP's is not following directions. Often I find I can't cook things that require exact adherence to the recipe. Even when I try to follow the directions to the "T" it usually is a bust.My knitting is kinda the same. I can follow a simple pattern. I've learned how to knit and purl and a few other techniques that have me running over to knittinghelp.com to refresh my memory. For the most part though I look at a pattern to get the idea and then I tweak.

Right now I am working on a cover for my new nook. I love color and so I'm trying to incorporate a few bright colors and at the same time add more skills to my knitting repertoire. So far I have tried to finish off one of the ends with a bit of ribbed knitting but somehow or another whenever I attempt a ribbed knit I end up purling where I need to knit and knit where I need to purl

“The only mistake in life is the lesson not learned.”
~Albert Einstein
So now I'm moving on to the back piece and trying to use what seemed like a simple enough fair isle technique to add more color to the pouch and so far none have worked.
Today is also Ag Days at the St Joe Fairgrounds, so I will give my fingers a break and gather up the family and head out to check out the barnyard fun:)

ARGH!

2011-03-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today has been on of those days I feel like everything I touch falls apart.

Teagan and I tried an experiment and made our own laundry detergent yesterday but much to our dismay it did not mix up as the we thought it should and it's anyone's guess as to whether or not it will even be usable.

Then today I am without a car but really wanted egg salad sandwiches for lunch so I innocently enough thought I'd just whip together some mayo since we are out. How hard could it be, I've made mayo before. Today a went through an entire dozen of eggs and not a drop of mayo to show for it. On the bright side I think I know at least where I went wrong so as soon as my egg stash is replenished and my blood pressure drops to a healthy level I might try again. I saw an intriguing recipe for bacon fat mayonnaise that I really want to try:)

Afterwards I scrambled around getting kids to tidy the house while I tried to salvage some order in the kitchen and get ready for a 2 o'clock playgroup that was being held at my house. We got it done, and I even made a carafe of tea and a carafe of coffee and waited for our friends to arrive. It only took about 40 minutes of me wondering why everyone was so late when I realized that today is Thursday and our playgroup is on Friday!

So I take a deep breath, pour myself a huge cup of coffee, grab my knitting and relax:) I'll try again tomorrow.

Little Miss Independent

2011-02-24T05:35:00.001-08:00

My Teagan- Playing the Poor Beggar Child.

She just turned 9 this month. I can hardly believe it. NINE.

She is beautiful and loving, creative and careful.

She is also very independent and just a wee bit dramatic.

And we love her.

The Waldorf community often talks about "the 9 year change" and Rahima Baldwin Darcy's article sums it up quite thoroughly. Read the entire piece at Waldorf in the Home.

Parents of nine year olds often wonder, "What is happening to my child?" Children at this age can become very critical and argumentative, or very moody and withdrawn. Nightmares, irrational fears, headaches and stomachaches often arise. Some children feel as if no one at school likes them, or others become suddenly self-conscious about being rich, poor, or otherwise "different." Parents may be accused of being unfair or of not understanding, as the child rushes off and slams his or her door.

Searching for an explanation for the changes in behavior, parents sometimes blame a new teacher, a recent move, changes in the family such as separation or the birth of a sibling, or simply "growing pains". An understanding of what is actually taking place can help us avoid needless worry and provide the support and guidance that children need during this time.

greetings from the frozen north

2011-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Most everyone has been affected by the current cold weather. Yesterday I smelled a burning plastic aroma and followed it to the basement. After much sniffing around and finally catching a rebellious noise, I pin pointed it coming from the furnace.

I've called all around, gotten some great references but the part that needs replacing is unavailable till Thursday. *sigh*

Our friends have been so great. We've had many offers of warm refuge but if figured it was probably best to stay in the house and keep things as warm and active as possible so the water pipes don't freeze. Between the space heaters and fireplace and layered clothing we have kept pretty comfortable but I can't wait to get the furnace part installed tomorrow!

The kids and I have been recalling our recent reads of Little House on the Prairie and how cold their winters were and they were happy just to have glass in their windows, lol!

Sitting around the fire today gave us some time to just be without any pressure to go anywhere or get much done. Lessons have been pretty stressful lately so it's been a nice break to step back and reevaluate what we are doing and not doing that causes the stress and what we can do to create a happier home. I certainly haven't figured out all the answers not do I expect that I ever will, but the perfectionist inside is certainly going to try. Ha ha ha!

Getting back on track

2011-01-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

I find myself wanting to reach out to my usual online supports for homeschooling and motherhood as I struggle through this week. But I resist because I know exactly what they are going to say because I even know in myself what I need to do. It's the doing that is the hardest part.

I need to

get more sleep
eat better (less sugar)
reduce my coffee intake
wake up before my kids
be better prepared
hold the form

It's a vicious cycle I can get into. After so many years of staying up late it's hard for me to go to bed at night. Smiley is very much a night owl and over the years I've slowly converted but as silly as it sounds, if I'm not the last person to hit the lights and turn everything off then I feel like I'm going to miss something.

Then because I've stayed up late the next morning I'm awoken by children with growing list's of needs, sometimes demands. So I drag myself up, brew some coffee to wake up and shuffle through the morning routine without clarity or a solid plan. My energy is so zapped I can barely get myself going let alone 3 other people besides me! That's when I get overwhelmed and defeated and I zone out. Things pile up and children don't go away so the overwhelm and deep frustration build.

I've never been officially diagnosed with ADD/ADHD but from what I've read I can really relate to the symptoms and have found the coping suggestions really help. That is, they help as long as I practice them;) Weeks like this one, when everything gets tossed out the window we go into survival mode.

This weekend I will do what I can to recharge, plan and get back on track.

Calgon, get me the hell out of here!

2011-01-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today started with a jolt. This whole week has been a struggle. I think we are feeling the early onset of cabin fever and having a very bad reaction to it.

This week lesson plan's have been thrown out the window and we are falling back into an unschooling holding pattern. It's not where I want to be. It feels chaotic and messy but I'm not going to beat myself up for it either. We're rolling with the punches and we can hang our heads and bemoan what we don't have going for us or we can do our best and make it through the muckiness this week has dealt us. Back to my story...

So today I woke up and within my first few steps out of bed I realized a random thought landed on me like a ton of bricks. I had been fortunate in selling my old, water damage Macbook and had just mailed it out on Monday. Today however I realized that I had forgotten to wipe the hard drive clean. As time passed and the shear enormity of the mistake hit me and I began to shake and cry.

Many of my site passwords and usernames are saved on my laptop. Fortunately not the ones for our banking and such are but previous tax returns were as well as my email provider and such. Then another thing occurred to me. All of the photos that were taken from Mazzy's birth were still on there and suddenly all I could imagine was the scene from Chevy Chase's European Vacation, when he looses the video tape and his wife becomes and Italian movie star! I just knew my private birth photos would end up on some billboard in Europe!

I had been praying all morning but thought all hope was lost when I called the Post Office and told them my faux pas. I went in to fill out a form to recall it and by noon today I received a call saying that they had caught up with it and had pulled it and I should receive it in the next few days. PHEW!

It was so stressful it derailed our entire day. Simon and Mazzy were having a difficult day as well and after talking to a few others it sounded like today was a day when dementors must be lurking about close by...

Evernote

2011-01-13T15:21:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of Evernote? I discovered it about a year or two ago and I am so in love with it I recommend it to everyone.

As a homeschooler I find it invaluable in helping me save and organize the wonderful resources I find online. For instance I grab lots of stories from The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project. When I find just the story I was looking for I click on a little elephant icon at the top of my screen and it captures everything on my screen and saves it in my Evernote account. I can change the title, add tags and assign it to one of my many folders.

Right now I have folders for lesson plans, recipes, crafts, articles I found helpful and inspiring I've found while out a and documents I want to have backed up online. But the best part it once I've saved something to my account I can access it by signing in from any computer, my cell phone and my iPod touch.

That feature has proved very handy when I've found a recipe online. I save it then look it up on my iPod so I'm not endangering my laptop to the chaos and tight quarters of my kitchen;)

Oh and documents aren't the only thing you can save on Evernote. You can add photos, videos and audio files. I knowI'm starting to sound like an infomercial for them but I really, really love this resource.

You might know how much I love books but I can't buy them all so when I'm at someone's house or at the book store and I find an interesting read I take a picture with my cell phone so I can look it up at the library or find it on Amazon;)

If you haven't checked it out yet you should. And then you can thank me later :D

Our Winter Wonderland

2011-01-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

I took these this past weekend. We woke up to huge fluffy flakes and within minutes Teagan & Simon were dressed and outside. Teagan started to build the ramp in the drive then temptation drew her over to a taste of freshly fallen snow, so Simon took over the ramp project.

Oh boy, Oh boy, I love the snow!

I thought I was jumping onto a white fluffy bed, how in the heck did I get here?

Thinking, thinking...

I think I can, I think I can.

Hip Hip Hurray! I made it! I'm FREEEEEEE!

Everybody helping daddy!

Windy Weather

2011-01-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

Thought I would post a bit on what we are doing right now with our homeschooling.

We are easing back into lesson with a weather block so after a long walk, watching trees sway and listening to the sound of the wind cutting through the woods, we came home and Teagan and I began the task of copying a Beaufort Scale into her weather journal.

Simon has just begun to show an interest in "doing something" so we made a weather tree poster and each day we cut out colored leaves depending on the weather. Yellow leaves for sunny days, blue leaves for rain... you get the idea;) Actually at just 5, he wasn't so interested in making it as he was the idea of having his own work to do so I cut out the leaves for now but he is ready and willing to do any glueing and get them on the tree:)

We also learned a new poem today which both kids loved and thought themselves very silly.

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.
~Traditional

We have also been working on going through the house and decluttering and organizing to start the new year off best foot forward. We are also int he middle of reading Farmer Boy (which we love) and so Teagan has been trying to interrupt my decluttering with grand ideas of making butter and bread and all sorts of homemade loveliness:) It's tempting not to drop everything and switch gears but we are putting it on our list so that when the house is sorted we can switch our focus to creating.

14 Years!!!

2010-12-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that today is our 14th wedding anniversary! Fourteen Y_E_A_R_S!!!!!!!

Each year we get a little chuckle out of it mostly because we feel like we beat the odds. With the divorce rate what it is and all the expert advice on how to begin and maintain a happy marriage, we've cheated the rule book and just sort of stumbled along. Oblivious of the sharp curves in the road ahead we meet them as they come and work through them together.

Fourteen years ago I was 20 and Smiley had just turned 21. We had first met each other just 6 months prior to the day we said 'I do'.

People thought we were crazy, too young and that our relationship would never last. We still have a long journey ahead of us, God willing, and we plan to get through those bumps just as we have in the past, with patience, sheer stubborness, God's mercy, and lots of humor;)

An Advent Spiral

2010-12-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight the family and I went to an Advent Spiral. What is an Advent Spiral you wonder?

An Advent Spiral is a simple winter festival that is often celebrated in Waldorf communities and schools. I wish I had some photos or video to share but it just didn't feel right to pull out a camera and start clicking away. There are however many photos on Flickr and Picasa of what an Advent Spiral looks like but I will try to describe ours as best I can.

When we arrived last night and walked into the building all the lights were dimmed and music was softly filtering through the hall. Quietly we took off our coats and winter things and greeted our friends. Walking into the pine scented room we found our seats which encircled a large spiral made of evergreen boughs and a single candle burning at the center of the spiral. All sit quietly as the musicians play holiday music. Then one at a time each child takes a turn receiving a candle, walk through the spiral, light their candle from candle at the center and then as they emerge back out of the spiral they place their candle some where along the path.

When everyone has had a turn we then sang a few simple holiday songs and after that we were invited to stay as long as we like to enjoy the moment or exit quietly.

This was our second year attending an Advent Spiral and we really do love it. It's just a nice quiet meditation time:)

why my hair is turning white

2010-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Simon, my middle child and only son. He is delightful and charming and sensitive. He is also determined, energetic and sneaky like a ninja.

I have so many Simon stories people laugh and tell me I should write a book. So someday he may well be my muse too:)

My children, like so many others around the country have become enchanted with the cartoon Avatar the Last Airbender. It's not something I would usually turn on for them but we were really sick and I desperate for a break.

So yesterday I caught Simon getting into the permanent markers to give himself some arrows on his forehead and arms like the Avatar Aang has. Knowing how determined he is once he gets an idea we compromised and let Teagan color some blue arrows on him with her face pencils.

Unfortunately his bangs hide the arrow so he took matters into his own hands and cut them out of the way...

So today I gave him his arrow and he couldn't be happier:)

Happy Birthday Smiley.

2010-11-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my husbands birthday. He's 35 and exactly 5 months older then I am;) and yet today I am the one who woke up to find threads of white hair clustered near my left temple!

Yes I know this makes me sound narcissistic and shallow but there it is. I am what I am and I never thought I would be graying in my mid thirties!

I mean I suppose I knew there was a possibility, family history and all ( I love you mom:D ). But I really thought I had dodged that bullet. *sigh*. Oh well, it could be worse but it certainly was a shock, that's for sure!

Besides getting a wiser wife for his birthday, Smiley has enjoyed his day. He got some bloody new shoot 'em up, kill 'em dead video game and what time he's had not playing with the kids, taking care of orders for clients or accosting me in the kitchen has been spent getting accustomed to long periods machine gun noise.

So to celebrate his birthday I combined his 2 favorite treats and made a Reese's Cup cheesecake:)

Since I was in the kitchen already I made up a couple loaves of bread. I've been brewing lots of kiefer lately and had a jar that needed to be used up to make room for more. Besides it so nice to be in the kitchen this time of year. I can't wait for the Christmas baking to start. We had so much fun with our gingerbread house last year we're working on more elaborate plans for this year:)

A Quick Catch Up

2010-11-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

How sad is it that I never posted one thing in October?! We have been running on fumes around here lately so we've been keeping our heads above water by focusing on just the essentials;) Hopefully now that Smiley is finishing up his last working weekend we will finally get our feet back on firm ground.

I know he's really enjoyed being back in the kitchen, especially a fine dinning experience like where he has been at but the rest of the Wright's are missing him at home. Plus he will be just in time for the new revised household to do list:)

I picked up a book from the library called Houseworks: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning and Calm the Chaos.

Right off the bat I like it because for one it keeps reminding me to take baby steps at this thing called organization. I am notorious for speeding gunho into a project, loosing steam and resting and during my recharge everything piles up again. Another feature I like about this book is how it avoids the one sizes fits all trap. One of my biggest complaints of systems like the Fly Lady is how so many of the rules are her rules. It might make sense to some to put your shoes on first thing but others like me prefer bare feet or socks for running around the house. Not everyone is going to do a job the same way and not everyone works the same way. Some people need a clear space to work and others need to see all their tools to be more efficient. I'll try to keep posting how we are progressing through this. I'm hoping the practice of journaling will help keep my accountable and motivated;)

In other news we still have a hole in our roof and now that we finally have insurance and contractor on the same page and dealt with the mortgage company has started this new game of Let's Call the Home Owners and Harass Them About Stupid Stuff and Try and Make Then Jump Through Hoops to Get The Checks Cleared. *sigh* Little do they know that I have no patience for hoops because I spent all the patience that I have on the little sneaky ones running around this house.

Would you like to hear a story?

Once upon a time there was a little boy who ate little bites out of fruit and then threw the rest of the fruit away. After many many reminders from his mother she became so angry she grabbed a chain and one of the garden gate locks and locked the refrigerator. Later that afternoon while the mama was working hard to rake yard leaves up and drag them to the front curb she broke the key off in one of the garden gate locks! She searched high and low for the spare key and although she found about 20 other keys of unknown origin, none were the missing spare key. By the time Daddy came home it was too late to make any dinner so while he cut the lock off, mama ran out for some Thai carry out. They had a big delicious meal and they all lived happily ever after. The End.

Our Michaelmas Celebration

2010-09-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

We've still fighting a family head cold but we were able to put together a simple bit of fun.

We started the day with a story from Reg Down called The Most Beautiful Dragon in the Whole World.

My parents travelled down to bring us a piano given by a friend of theirs. While we waited for their arrival we picked the last of our raspberries and collected colorful leaves. We found a a few crafts at the blog Magic Onions.

So we made a beeswax bowl and decorated it with pretty red leaves. While we waited for it to cool we made some cute little wax acorns as well.

September Birthdays

2010-09-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks. We had Mazzy's 2nd birthday first and really crafted it up. I finally finished the cloth baby book I started for her before her 1st birthday and by some miracle I was also able to make her a new baby and fancy cake.

Simon's birthday was one week later and we had a fun little party at a local park with many of his friends and family.

I just had to share...

2010-09-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Years ago I discovered the wonderful feature on Google books that allowed me to download books past their copy right and save it to my computer as a PDF. Wonderful, wonderful feature:)

There is one book in particular that I come back to revisit from time to time- Around the Year with the TRAPP FAMILY by Maria Augusta Trapp.

Each time I open it up I'm surprised to see a section I highlighted a few years back and I just wanted to share it here.

The events that come to mind when we say "Christmas," "Easter," "Pentecost," are so tremendous that their commemoration cannot be celebrated in a single day each. Weeks are needed. First, weeks of preparation, of becoming attuned in body and soul, and then weeks of celebration. This goes back to an age when people still had time--time to live, time to enjoy. In our own day, we face the puzzling fact that the more time-saving gadgets we invent, the more new buttons to push in order to "save hours of work"--the less time we actually have. We have no more time to read books; we can only afford digests. We have no time to walk a quarter of a mile; we have to hop into a car. We have no time to make things by hand; we buy them ready made in the five-and-ten or in the supermarket. This atmosphere of "hurry up, let's go" does not provide the necessary leisure in which to anticipate and celebrate a feast. But as soon as people stop celebrating they really do not live any more--they are being lived, as it were. The alarming question arises: what is being done with all the time that is constantly being saved? We invent more machines and more gadgets, which will relieve us more and more from the work formerly done by our hands, our feet, our brain, and which will carry us in feverishly increasing speed--where? Perhaps to the moon and other planets, but more probably to our final destruction.

Only the Church throws light onto the gloomy prospects of modern man--Holy Mother Church--for she belongs, herself, to a realm that has its past and present in Time, but its future in the World Without End.

like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives...

2010-08-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

HA! Oh man when it rains it pours. Thank God for insurance though (knock on wood (no pun intended)).

Just a few days ago we awoke to a house shaking crash and sudden scream from Simon. The girls had just jumped in bed with us so we all jumped and ran to see if he was hurt. My first thought was that he tried to climb a shelf and it fell on top of him. Fortunately he was fine but quite shaken. He was in the bathroom when a large tree fell on our house. Most of the weigh of it was caught by the garage but the rest of the tree struck the same corner of the home that the bathroom is at. It's now the family joke that he was in the perfect place to have the shit scared out of him;)

After we made sure that he was unharmed and assessed the damage we called around to get the ball rolling to have the tree removed. Wednesday they came and cut parts of it away and then today the big crane came to remove the rest of it. The kids had a great time watching the "big show" and we were even interviewed by the local news about how our summer weather can cause trees to fall from dehydration.

http://www.wndu.com/hometop/headlines/100573719.html

Happy Breastfeeding Month!

2010-08-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

organize. organize. organize.

2010-08-03T12:26:00.001-07:00

We have less then a month till we start up our lessons again. I'm fighting my perfectionist tendencies once again, lol.

I have all my curriculum books now but still have a few supplies to get yet. I fixed up the children's art easel and brought that back to the dinning room. I've also made a new and bigger chalkboard from a piece of board sitting in the basement and chalkboard paint. I'm excited to have the bigger space, I really enjoyed making the chalkboard drawings last year but never seemed to have enough space:)

I still have our craft shelves to organize and figure out some good activities to keep the little ones busy during our lessons.

I'm also hoping to get my kitchen and recipes organized so I can stay ahead of the meal planning so we're not living on scrabble eggs and PB&J's! My old recipe binder is busting at the seems. I need to slim down the recipes I've never tried and am not likely to try soon. I also need to weed through the numerous versions of brownie recipes and other foods of which I have many duplicate recipes. I found 2 different systems that I really like.

The first one is modifying a Moleskin notebook into a recipe book- here. It looks like a lot of work but I think it would be a good way to collect favorite family recipes.

The second seems easier to put together and keep organized- here. I would change up the style but the idea seems like it would be handy and easy to put together.

I'm also working on a system to better keep up with our chores. I simply cannot do the uber structured methods that spout a lot of Thou Shalt's, I just can't get motivated by dictorial rules :P And then I wonder why I end up 'reinventing the wheel' lol.

homeschool hunting

2010-07-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's time again! It's hard to believe the summer is almost over and even harder to believe how ready I am for summer to be over.

We have had so much fun with our down time but I can feel the growing need to get back to more structure.

So now is the time that all my homeschool books are coming in and I'm squirreling away moments to read the books, map out our year and eventually focus it all down to daily activities.

I feel like there is so much to do and I'm trying to remind myself that babysteps are the key to changing habits and achieving goals but the visionary in me already has a huge list of all the things I want to accomplish and I want to do them now! lol.

The kids and I went to GR this past week and caught up with lots of friends and family. We went to the Ionia Fair and saw my niece compete with her horse Star. She took 5th and 8th place in English riding, this being her first year in this style of riding. She also won the Citizenship Award and we all couldn't be more proud:)

When we got home there was a shipment waiting for me on my desk. Our third grade curriculum has arrived! I tore into it and quickly gleaned through all the books and today I had more opportunity to take a closer look at some of the main resources and I couldn't be happier with our selection.

This will be our 4th year of homeschooling and every year I have switched companies that I have gotten my curriculum from. For kindy I bought Enki, but it was so much reading and it felt so dogmatic that I never really used it as it was intended. The music, stories and movement activities where great but overall it was just too much!

For 1st grade I used Christopherus. It was good but there wasn't enough variety. It just didn't motivate me to get creative. By 2nd grade I just decided to patch together various independent resources. That was fine but it was frustrating to try to recall which book I had read that great lesson idea from and figuring out how to turn plans for multiple children into a workable lesson for a single child.

This year we took the plunge and went with Live Education. I'm so happy with it that so far my only regret is not being able to pick up the 1st and 2nd grade packages too for the some of the resource books they contain that would still be beneficial for review. I definitely want to talk more about LE and 3rd grade in Waldorf but that will have to be saved for future dates to come:)

bedtime prayer

2010-06-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is the prayer we usually say at bed time but a few nights ago Simon began singing it to the tune of the ABC song. Not surprisingly Teagan has been tweaking it over the past few days and this is the latest version.

Parts of her tune are borrowed from common hymns we sing at church. Some of you may recognize it;)

making lunch

2010-06-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

We've just got home from a fast food laden road trip and the garden is blooming, so I went out shopping:) Ya know, just doing my part to help the economy;) ;P

I've been so spoiled for so many years not having to bother with daily school lunches or my husband's lunch since he would usually eat at work. But the time has come to take the domestic leap and begin to prepare lunches. da da da dum.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to provide him with a healthy alternative to what he has been eating and it will definitely save us some greens;) but I went searching through the world wide web to help get me inspired and rediscovered The Nourishing Gourmet.

After I loaded up on meal and snack ideas the kids and I went shopping and bought this lunch kit for Smiley:

Does it make me a dork that I loved the fact that it matches his water bottle???

Tonight Smiley and I packed his first lunch:) I feel a little nostalgic, like maybe I should take his picture tomorrow before he leaves for work :D

Tomorrow's meal will be:

Carrots

Sliced Pepper

Cheese

Guacamole & Salsa

Corn Chips

Banana

home again, home again jiggity jig

2010-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took off this past week with my parents for a family reunion in Kentucky. We camped in their travel trailer and besides the extended family that we visited with we also got to spend lots of time at my grandma's house, picking raspberries, riding bikes, catching butterflies and building forts.

While we were there we took a day to visit the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. The kids had a great time. and there.

There was lots of dinosaur stuff so Simon was both excited and cautious of the large animatronics:) There were also some live animals, scale models of Noah's Ark, fossils and large models of various dinosaurs.

Compared to most museums this was a small one but that can be a good thing for the little ones plus it was nice to finally visit a place that not only reflected but also supported our belief in Genesis.

There was really so much information that made up for any lack in volume of exhibits. Most of it I didn't even get to read but some of it I had recognized from reading over at Answers in Genesis.

The botanical garden is gorgeous. There were waterfalls and a stream that ran into a pond filled with fish and turtles. A large arched wooden bridge and a suspension bridge crossing waters at different areas and white peacocks strolling through the grounds! Unfortunately a sudden and fierce downpour cut our outdoor tour short but it would definitely be worth another visit.

Teagan adding drama to the shot!

Aunt Carmen with Simon

All in all the museum trip was a success though there were a few things I must vent about a little.

When we first entered the museum there was a short video presentation called Men in White. From the first mention of it I had a gut feeling it was not going to be "my cup of tea". But not wanting it to be made into an issue I made some enquiries into video to decide if it was something that would be appropriate for my sensitive viewers. I decided to give it a go though Mazzy, Simon and I sat on the end incase we needed a quick get away;)

Although the film did have some very interesting information, it was dumbed down by what they thought would be entertainment.

I'm not sure where this all started but at some point in the Evangelical wing of the Church, someone started this notion that Christianity and Christian teachings and philosophies need to be turned into some sort of slapstick caricature of the real thing. The characters are so exaggerated and manufactured, I am completely turned off. I feel it insults not only the intelligence of the people they are trying to reach but it also insults the intelligence of the people or in this case angels, they are trying to portray. Plus, I'm sure it must strike a nerve with many who have had bad experiences and eventually walked away from the Church due to the insincerity and hypocritical behavior they witnessed within it's community.

Some how I suspect a lot of this is related to the new "Church Growth Movement" that is focused on making changes with the sole intent on drawing more members in. Call me old school but it seems to me if we confess what is true and are faithful to His Word then God will take care of the rest;)

My last point of irritation with the exhibits is that the area where they did decide to "get real" was the part that explored the entrance of sin into the world. I know a lot of people think that even young children need to be made aware of the corruption in our world so that they can learn to be activists. I understand the desire to prepare children for the world beyond home, I just want my children to experience a childhood of joy and wonder, free from the stress and horrors out there so they can first learn to see the beauty. When they are older and begin to see more of the world I feel they will have a natural desire to protect that beauty. Fortunately it wasn't supper intense and only made up a very small part of the tour so we were able to quickly walk past it and moved on to the rest of the displays.

On a happy note I was please to see that all the cups and utensils in the cafe were made from recycled materials. Creationists sometimes get a bad rap, since we don't agree with the mass marketed notion of global warming, as being insensitive to the care of managing of our environment. The reality is that Christianity does teach that proper stewardship of this world God has given us is a very important responsibility. Although we believe that this world is a fallen world and therefore doomed to extinction at some point unknown to us, we are still charged with the duty to use our resources wisely and with care.

I know that many of my friends do not agree with my beliefs and I do not write such things to spark debate. I realize I wondered way off path from my original intent of sharing our vacation with everyone who reads this blog. Often my posts do tend to be a bit of therapy for me as a process my own thoughts and experiences we meet on our path. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings with an open mind:)

woo-hoo summer!

2010-06-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Well we are now officially done our lessons for the year. The weather had been absolutely gorgeous (until recently) and the pool is now open so we are taking advantage of that as much as possible.

We have a busy summer planned- swimming lessons, gardening (both our own and a shared project), a few road trips throughout the season. I'm also hoping to squeeze in a few things we didn't get around to this past year, such as foreign language and music.

I've been so indecisive over what language to focus on for now. I really wanted to introduce them to German but I would be basically starting from scratch and I at least have a very elementary footing in French so I'm sticking with that and hopefully while in these early years still I can keep my learning ahead of theirs;) I've gotten a few resources from a friend and am working on ways to bring the language to them in play and song.

We also had our recorders dismantles and quietly disposed of by small but powerful forces and I'm looking now for a penny whistle set from Home (Music) Making.

Another great resource we tend to use every now and then is Mama Lisa's World, a wonderful mixture of foreign language and music and verses!

Teagan, ever the introvert, loves to spend lots as much time as she may doing quiet activities like weaving potholders, playing with paper dolls and listening to audiobooks. She has big plans this summer to start a potholder making business. She is very excited too for swim lessons this summer and has been breaking in the new rollerblades she got this past birthday.

Simon has been staying active on his bike. In fact the bike is not yet a year old and already a pedal had broken and recently the chain has begun to derail. Between that and his recent growth spurt I think we better start looking for another bike for him!

Besides his growing interest in all things creeping and crawling he has become very attached to certain items suck as his small but growing collection baseball caps and team t-shirts. We had to warn him though not to wear his Cubs t-shirt and his White Sox hat at the same time;)

Mazzy is Mazzy but ever changing. She is still pretty easygoing and ever happy child. She is also growing at a dizzying pace. She's piecing more and more words together, pointing and naming things like toes, nose, shoes and Otto:) She's also giving her sibling's a run for their money with her sharp eyes, speed, resourcefulness and a shriek that quickly convinces them to find some way to share with her.

nouns

2010-05-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should actually post something here about our current homeschooling status;)

Today we learned about nouns. I'm not ashamed to say I completely copied Lively Language Art Lessons at Serendipity.

Yesterday we read from the Merry-Go-Round: A Book About Nouns. We talked about nouns and tried to name as many as we could and in the process discovered that our world is filled with nouns:)

Today we read through the book again and wrote out the sentence from the chalkboard drawing above (that's my drawing and Teagan copies it into her Main Lesson Book). Then we sat down together and read The Little Red Hen. I had printed the story out a while ago from The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project, after she read the story we went through the book and circled all the nouns we could find in green. By this time Simon and Mazzy were playing in the back yard so we joined them and acted out The Little Red Hen opera style.

Over all it was a successful day. By successful I mean our lesson was completed, everyone was happy and I had no emergency messes to clean up (like broken glass!) and there were few interruptions. Best of all Teagan did her work , we had fun and there were no heavy sighs and eye rolls:)

save the world with subtle butts!

2010-05-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started leafing through a catalog that comes to the house occasionally and discovered a most hilarious invention:At first glance this little product might seem rather silly but think of the possibilities! Not only could this neutralize oder's but with a bit of tweaking we could soon have a Subtle Butt product that converts carbon dioxide and methane gas into harmless oxygen. Finally, and end to global warming we can all agree on.

But that's not all! What if it came in various aromatic options? You could save that planet and finally be able to honestly boast that your sh*t does in fact smell like roses! ;)

My Mother's Day

2010-05-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's been sooo long since I posted anything on the ol' blog. We had a few months there where all the electronics seemed to be going on strike. The dryer died, the van was acting up and my hard drive went caput! A stove top burner exploded and another works only when it feels like it. A baby dropped my cell phone (which gave me the perfect excuse to get the new Blackberry Curve (in purple of course)) so it hasn't been all bad;)

We got a new dryer, I still curse out the stove on a regular basis but we are fed, and we discovered the cause of the vehicle issues (dirty, rotten dealership mechanics). Apple covered all my computer repairs since the hard drive was faulty. Everything seemed to be on an up swing. My birthday was great, perfect even, and then came Mother's Day.

Smiley had taken off Sunday- wonderful! I assumed that he was then planning to go to church with us but after some Saturday night drama with a coworker he was home so late that I could see it wasn't going to happen. After getting everyone dressed and fed and out the door we discovered some interior lights were left on the van. Dead van.

Then the same individual who Smiley had helped out the night before, failed to show up for his shift so Smiley was called in. We ended up dropping him off and going on to church and made it just in time for communion. I always feel a bit guilty when this happens, like party guest who shows up only for the meal.

The rest of the day went on like any other day. I made dinner, Smiley had office work to do. Teagan did make me some lovely gifts and we got some gardening done.

After the usual bedtime tango everyone was off to Nod. About 3AM, Simon woke up vomiting:( We stripped the bed sheets. He got sick again. We mopped the floor. He got sick again. Then he finally settled down for the night. Unfortunately he is still a little under the weather but improved from last night.

So it wasn't the holiday I had hopes for but I am thankful for my family and their attempts and intentions to make it a wonderful day. It was also an excellent reminder that a mother's job is never done. There is no day off. Yet with as messy as the job can get, the benefits are worth more then gold:)

2010-02-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got a new dryer and today the kids have had the pleasure of playing with the empty box.
It reminds me of a favorite book of mine from my childhood called Kristina Katrina and the Box- http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0698116763/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1267030681&sr=8-1
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

2010-01-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

2010-01-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

People laugh sometimes when I pull out my large Nikon D50 but not only does it take better pictures then the smaller and sleeker digital cameras out there but it's a lot hardier too.
Yesterday we lost our Nikon Coolpix L3 to an inquisitive child.
I can see the interest in it. it's so small and shiny and the big draw, the fascinating lens that zooms in and out at the touch of a button. I wonder what would happen if I held that lens down when it was trying to zoom out?
Well what we discovered is that it breaks the lens and that, according to the local camera shop, it's not cost effective to get it fixed. So now, what do we do with this useless electronic? I assume there is some sore of recycling option out there.
Interestingly enough, when I called the camera shop this morning the salesman told me there was another customer standing in the store who had the same sort of investigation happen at his house. God bless all the parents of all inquisitive children and their knowledge seeking children:)

They are ALIVE!!!!

2010-01-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

After about a week of coughing and congestions and the dizzying effects of medication the Wright family is finally crawling out of our crypt and returning to daily life as usual.
We are still coughing and keeping our distance but are finally kicking the meds, fumigating the house and making lots and lots of warming comfort foods like soups and chili.
We have replenished the cupboards this morning with lots of fresh fruit and veggies and since it has been my experience that healing occurs much faster when peppered with a bit of junk food we have Doritos and chocolate too!
Hopefully by next week we will be back to our normal activities and ready to enjoy the gorgeous winter wonderland:)

Goodbye 2009

2009-12-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

As December comes to a close I am getting prepared to start our lessons again. As I said before we have taken the entire month off to prepare for Christmas. Part of our time was spent resting and getting over winter bugs but the better part of the time was spent making gifts and baking cookies, decorating the house, singing songs and reading our favorite holiday stories.
One of our most beloved story books is The Good Little Christmas Tree.

We also discovered a new favorite holiday song cd, Sing Away the Cold Winter. We've been singing songs from it for much of the month. Some of it is traditional holiday music (most of it is Christmas but there are a few Hanukkah songs as well) and there are some fun and silly songs on there as well.

I must say this past Advent has been one of the best. I may not have gotten to everything I wanted to do (when do I? ha ha!). But while people around me were grumbling about getting Christmas done and over I couldn't share that sentiment and I didn't want to. I suppose by keeping our holiday simple and small we were fairly removed from the hustle and bustle going on around us. Of course now that regular life is peeking around the corner at me I'm so thankful for the rest and peace of the season and I feel inspired to jump back into our usual rhythm.

The last few nights I've been mapping out lessons for the next few weeks and tonight a took some time to make gnomes for our up and coming math block.
I found lots of beautiful examples of math gnomes on flicker and other sites but so many of them were all felt and since I battle dog hair daily I though the less wool the better. Plus my mom had given me the little peg people at Christmas and it took just a few hours to paint them up, sew their hats and glue them on.

A happy and safe New Year to all:)

Christmas Newsletter 2009

2009-12-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas Newsletter

i love themes

2009-12-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

It just makes it easier to decide what to give tot he kids when I have a theme. So this year for Christmas everyone is getting dolls. Yes everyone.
Teagan is getting her first ever American Girl Doll and a wooden highchair I spruced up from a garage sale earlier this summer. Mazzy is getting a stroller (I'm still making but I'll post pics when it's done). Simon is getting some knight's to go with his castle. Within the doll theme I also have a knight theme for Simon. Tonight I finished a tunic for him and have a knitted crown I made this summer on our drive to Utah. Teagan is working on a belt/sheath. The sword in the picture was made by Smiley last year and hopefully we will get a matching shield made to complete the ensemble:)

St. Nicholas Day

2009-12-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here I am on the eve of St Nicholas Day and quite honestly it seems to have snuck up on me. I had hoped to spread out the Christmas goodies and have gifts from St. Nick for them tomorrow.
We read a little story from the St. Nicholas Center website.
A few other resources I like to look through this time of year are Prayers and Customs of Advent and Christmas and an online version of a book written by Maria Trapp called Around the Year With the Trapp Family.
It's so easy to get caught up in the hussle of the holidays and I hope all our family and friends are finding peace and joy both now and through out this season!

tis the season for crafting!

2009-11-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy crafting and preparing for the holidays. I wanted to share some of our latest productions. The first picture is a bedroom set Teagan made for her doll house. She made the bed and closet and book on the headboard from a kleenex box and cut a bit of corduroy for the comforter.

I had a cashmere sweater that was a thrift store find and made 2 pairs of pants for Mazzy. They came together so fast and were surprisingly easy to make.

We also made walnut candle boats. We poured a bit of wax into the walnut shells to set the wick into. Then we poured the remainder of our wax and voila! Natural floating candles:)

We are wrapping up our language arts block this week and this month we will be focusing on crafts, Saints such as St. Nicholas and St Lucia, and preparing for Advent.

Our first time celebrating Martinmas

2009-11-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

We've been bogged down for the last 3 weeks with cold bugs and are finally getting back into the swing of things just in time for Martinmas. Yesterday I told Teagan the simple story of St. Martin sharing his cloak to a beggar he found freezing in the cold winter weather. As the story goes he later had a dream that night he was in Heaven and Jesus was wearing that cloak. Jesus told Martin that He was that beggar in the cold. We then decided it would be a good time to go through our clothes and things and see where we could somethings to take down to the homeless shelter. We also did some form drawing and started learning a new song on the recorder.
This week will continue to learn a song to sing I found at Under Her Starry Mantle.

At the end of the week we shall make our own lanterns and have lantern walk.

check it out!

2009-11-10T05:35:00.000-08:00

"Inner Work and Planning" workshop by Melisa on The Waldorf Connection
tomorrow night... register here...

http://thewaldorfconnection.com

from simon's perspective

2009-10-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

The following photos are from Simon:

Pink Floyd as an Education Model

2009-10-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend the kids (T&S) went to spend the weekend with my mom and dad. Smiley and I have been taking it easy and using this time as a mental health break;)
Tonight being our last night before we go get them tomorrow we sat down and watched Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon.
We both have a deep appreciation for the musicians and their craft but what exactly does classic rock band have to do with education? Ah ha! I do have a point;)
The first thing that struck me about the group was that they looked like regular men. I might see one of them at the park, reading a paper and drinking his black coffee and would never guess that they were part of such an inspiring pioneer of music. They were real- not some mask of aging rockstars who never matured, never grew.
During the interviews the various members of the band recalled with great clarity their inspiration and the creative process which formed the album, Dark Side of the Moon. As they replayed bits of songs it was clear that these songs, both the music and the lyrics were not just words and sounds to them, it was part of them. I've seen interviews with other musicians who had trouble remembering the words to their platinum songs less then a decade after their road to fame and it made me think of (...here comes the connection...) our current education model.
I believe that true education becomes part of the student. I don't just mean children here because we are all students, all learning, everyday. It seems as though over time mainstream education has morphed into a system of feeding lots of info for students to regurgitate for tests and then move on to more info without much of it sticking. In other words, we memorize the words to the song, rake in the money and move on to the next billboard hit.
One of my goals in educating my children is to help them dig deep into the marrow of whatever it is that we are studying. It's not drilling it into them, it's creating a space where they can explore and test their metal so that what they learn becomes part of them.
Roger Waters also talked about his mother and her notion that childhood and education were to prepare oneself for "a life that would start later". But while much of our education does prepare us for our future we also need to make sure that the education nourishes the child now and meets them where they are at. That includes development, both physical and emotional but also to where their interests are at. That's not to say we only cover subject the child is interested in but we breath life and creativity into the lesson. As homeschoolers we have the unique opportunity to tailor our lessons to each child's personality and temperament. By presenting it with imagination and wonder we speak the child's language and they can then take it in and absorbing what they need to grow.
I've probably lost whoever is reading my randomness by now and it is late so I must shut down both my brains (my laptop and the grey matter between my ears). So there was a little peek into the cobwebs of my mind;)

interesting bits on waldorf education

2009-10-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Occassionally I get a few questions about Waldorf. Many people have heard of it but few are familiar with it. I wanted to start this blog not only to archive our homeschool journey but also to share information along the way.
I added a few links to the right hand column to articles about reading (that seems to be very popular subject when you have a late reader;) ). As I discover more and have more time to write I will add more.
The following was originally posted at Why Waldorf Works:

According to a recent study of Waldorf graduates:

94% attended college or university
47% chose humanities or arts as a major
42% chose sciences or math as a major
89% are highly satisfied in choice of occupation
91% are active in lifelong education
92% placed a high value on critical thinking
90% highly values tolerance of other viewpoints

"We love Waldorf kids. We reject some students with 1600s on their SATs and accept others based on other factors, like the creative ability Waldorf students demonstrate."
—Donna Badrig, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions for Columbia University

Nature Study Conference at the Ebehart Camp

2009-10-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Need some fresh ideas to tech your kids about nature?
Check out this local conference for educators at http://teachingwithnature.wordpress.com/

last days of summer

2009-10-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

I forgot I hadn't posted any pics of Simon's birthday so here they are and a few from the last of our warm summer days here in the Bend.

big muscles

2009-10-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today the kids and I moved 1/2 ton pile of gravel from the driveway to the dog kennel. Funny it doesn't look like a lot sitting in the driveway but we really worked up a sweat getting it done. It was interesting too at how willing the kids were to help with the task even though it was harder work then say picking up toys or wiping off the table after a meal. I can't blame them though. I get the same way when I think of doing the dishes or laundry multiple times a day but I look forward to exerting some energy at mowing the lawn or shoveling gravel. Maybe it has something to do with the change in muscles that are used or the extra power needed sort of wakes us up or maybe it's just the fact that when this job is done, it's done. At least for the next year or so, unlike laundry and dishes that are ALWAYS there!

simon's 4th birthday

2009-09-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Looking for a better home for Pearl

2009-09-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

Description: Pearl is a sweetheart of a dog, our family is just not active enough for her:(
She's had basic obedience training and basic agility when we first got her and she did really well. She has a good recall, sit and walks well on a leash. For the past 3 years she has lived with small children, another dog and cat. She does well with all. Really her only faults are separation anxiety (but that would likely improve if she got the exercise she deserves) and she likes to counter surf;)
If you would like to find out more about her please email me or call.

For more information regarding this pet please click on the link below or copy and paste it into your browser.
http://www.petfinder.com/classifieds/emailfriend.cgi?clsid=134677&action=view_ad

experiencing magic

2009-09-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

I just love that look on a kid's face when they see something for the first time. Eyes wide, mouth slightly opened and for one moment, one shining moment they are speechless. It doesn't last long- the silence that is, but the sense of wonder and awe can continue a lot longer if we let it.

So many times we adults feel the need to explain the hows and whys of the phenomenon. I think we worry that if we don't impart this knowledge that we have right now, we may not get a second chance. However there are always opportunities to share what we know but once the bubble is popped and the magic is broken there is no going back.

It's like today's movies. Most dvd's of any adventurous tale usually comes with a section showing how they made the movie and how the special effects were achieved. I'm intrigued as much as the next person with how that all happens but at the same time it sort of spoils the magic of the creation. It's the same way with children and science. Let them experience the wonder at God's creation. Let them take it in with all their senses. Let them feel the rain on their face, listen to the leaves crunch under their feet and watch ants gather food, without explanation or chatter. Just let them observe and have their own thoughts.

In a world where information is everywhere I try to remind myself that not knowing is ok too. The time will come when it is suitable and appropriate to delve deeper into these experiences and learn facts but for now, enjoy the wonder.

Happy first day of Autumn to all!

Our Last First Birthday

2009-09-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

getting back in the game

2009-09-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been keeping up on posting to the blog. We've had a long summer and our getting back to our fall rhythm. Lessons have started but we are still working on tweaking our living and learning spaces (because really they are one and the same *wink*).
I hope that as we get more settled I will be back to posting more regularly.
I also just got a new battery charger for my camera, since the old one ran away, and hope to have many more pictures to post as well.
Take care and God Bless.

mazzy walking

2009-08-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Oops I forgot to post this for the non Facebook friends and family;) I do love you I do:D

mazzy walking from craftymama on Vimeo.

use your words...

2009-08-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to forward this post from another blogger. It's something we have been running into in our own home and her words were so spot on I wanted to pass this on.

http://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/08/19/using-our-words-like-pearls/

Hope you all are enjoying the last few sips of summer:)

2009-08-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well the start of our lessons is coming upon us at the Wright home. Materials have been purchased and shelves restocked. Lessons are being mapped out and plans are taking shape.

This past summer has been a blast. The evidence is how little I've had a chance to keep this blog updated;)

We started out the summer with a job change and trip out west. We enjoyed visiting family and friends, spending hot days at the pool and camping with 3 kids and 2 dogs.

We also experienced the various joys of a broken arm, the frustrations and thrills of riding without training wheels and the discovery first steps.

Yet we are excited for the change of seasons and rhythm. One thing new this year is that Teagan has recently begun Taekwondo training. She has a great time at the frequent lessons and we really like all of her instructors. I'm even hoping to join a weekly kick boxing class there. So watch out! ;)

Simon will soon be turning four and he's changed so much over the past few months. While he still keeps things unpredictable around here he has a very sweet and loving side that has been a true blessing to witness. He's developing a tuely affectionate relationship with his sisters, especially with Mazzy. He's quite her court jester:)

I know everyone always says it's hard to believe that time has flown by so fast but it truely is! Mazzy will be 1 next month. She's recently taken her first steps and spent much of today practicing her new skill. She captivates everyone with her bright eyes and smile. I've gotten so used to complete strangers stopping to smile and talk:)

This year Teagan will be in the second grade. In the Waldorf Curriculum 2nd Grade is the year of Fables and Saint Stories. Math and Language Arts are rotated on blocks while handwork, science & social studies, art, music and foreign language are woven in throughout the day. The following is from http://primary-school-curriculum.suite101.com.

The typical learning sequence starts with the teacher telling the class a story such as "Androcles and the Lion" from Aesop’s Fables or the story of Saint Francis of Assisi taming a wolf. Next day, the children act out or retell the story. Then the class works as a group to come up with sentences about the story, which the teacher writes on the board. The children copy the sentences from the board into their blank Main Lesson books. Finally, the children read aloud the sentences they’ve written.

The children also memorize poetry, write it in their Main Lesson books, and read the poems out loud. Toward the end of second grade, the class may break into groups to practice reading from Easy Reader books. Those who still aren’t reading well aren’t pressured to learn faster. Many children only become really comfortable with reading in third grade, when reading practice intensifies.

The class also works on writing. They may learn the lower case letters if they didn’t already cover this in first grade, and begin punctuating their sentences. They often start learning cursive writing.

This year is sure to bring it's own set of struggles and successes, and we are excited to continue the journey. So if you should happen to think of us please consider saying a little prayer on our behalf;) Thank you.

my father's glory

2009-08-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

I had it saved on my netflix instant watch list for some time and I finally got a chance to watch it yesterday afternoon and loved it.

It was funny and lighthearted- exactly what the dr ordered:) I especially loved the scene when as a very young boy the main character has learned to read while going to work with his father, an elementary school teacher. When his father brings him home and shares the news with the child's mother and aunt they hover over him with questions like, does your head ache?, do your eyes hurt? And they insist that his brain might be damaged from the early reading. When the father tries to insist otherwise the aunt picks up the boy in a protective embrace and says "Just let him be a child" lol. Later they do say that he may start attending school when he is 6;)

The rest of the movie is centered around the growing boy's childhood memories, his very innocent and cute theory of how babies are born and the summer vacation when he shifts from seeing his father as an all knowing super hero to a flawed yet admirable human.

breastfeeding offensive

2009-08-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

the following is a reposting from http://www.cafemom.com

I'm thankful for not having boobs thrown in my face all the time by offensive and indecent breastfeeding mothers like the ones below:

Wait...Well, this is a bad example. Let's try again.

Hmm...Just a minute. I'm sure I can find better ones than these...

Eh, still not offensive enough. I'll check one more time.

That is better. LOOK AT THAT! I see about a half inch of boob. DISGUSTING.

UGH. Look at that indecency! She must be from some third world country to be exposed like that!

Now that's just...There are no words to descripe how inappropriate that is. Something needs to be done!

But why stop at breasfeeding women? There are boobs everywhere. Beware! If you thought the above photos were offensive, you WILL DEFINITELY be offended by the photos below.

Not this one, though. This one was in plain view on news stands and in mail boxes in 19 countries world wide!

Not this one, either. This one actually won an award!

Oh, and I guess this one is fine too. Everyone knows you can't sell jeans without someone being topless.

Or beer, for that matter.

Or sunglasses.

Or movie tickets.

Or CDs...

You know what? Maybe I'm crazy, but I think that someone mixed up some photos here. The first batch are offensive, but the second batch are just fine and dandy???

People who live in glass bras:

Shouldn't throw stones:

If you think women have the right to breastfeed their children no matter where they are, please repost this...comment vote it popular whatever . Support breastfed babies and their right to eat in public!

This was the number one post on CafeMOM today, posted by LilGirlLost. I have reposted it on SmartBirth. Please post it everywhere. It drove me nuts when people would expect mothers to go sit in a closet-like room to nurse, when there were billboards with bare chests in the same mall.

a test.

2009-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm just rying to see if I can get this to post on fb :)

wildlife photos

2009-07-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

our 4th of july

2009-07-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

So far our summer has been great. Very busy but great.
We celebrated the 4th of July this year at a nearby campground, Potato Creek. We saw some old friends made some new ones, played in the lake and roasted lots of s'mores :)

But on the last full day there Simon was showing off his stunt jumping and landed hard on his arm and back side. After we got home on Sunday I took him to the ER and it turns out he broke his arm. Today we went in for the cast and he'll have that on for at least another 3 weeks before he gets it checked again.

something I never thought I would have to say...

2009-07-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

"honey, slow down and be careful, remember that your arm is broken!"

you spin me right round baby!

2009-06-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

today a friend from our homeschool group just blessed our family with a spinning wheel, carders and a huge basket of raw wool. The wheel needs a little maintenance but otherwise is in beautiful condition.
Teagan is the most excited since we recently finished reading The Princess and Curdie. There is a great great grandmother in the story who spins a magic thread for the Princess.

We just ordered a maitance kit and hope to have much fun with it. I found a spinning site, http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/.

Cat hair scarves for everyone!!! LOL:D

our trip

2009-06-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a long 2 weeks and we happy to be home and see our pets and sleep in our own beds and decompress...

We started out early Monday, the 8th and made our way to Mt. Rushmore. Despite the cold rain and children with upset bellies we camped out and toured MR then headed to Utah a day early.

Due to the rain and leaking tent we heading in to Utah a day early and stayed with Smiley's sister in Orem. After such long drives and one night stays we were happy to finally check into the rental house in Lehi the next day and unpack. We had a great room with a private bath and balcony and the kids even discovered a small bonus room which they used as a playroom and sleeping quarters.

While in Lehi we toured a new LDS Temple, Oquirrh Mountain. We attended our neice's wedding and spent many hours relaxing in the hot tub:) Smiley was kind enough to cater a big meal for the family the next day.

After we departed from family and fun in Utah we headed down thr Rockie Mountains and stayed for a day in Carbondale CO with Smiley's mom and stepdad. Teagan and I got to catch up with old friends who live there now. We toured the local Waldorff School and the met up with the family at the Glenwood Hot Springs. Ahhhhh....

We're happy to be home and can't wait to catch up with all of our friends we missed while we were gone. Thanks for all the prayers for our safe travels:)

<3 Anita, Smiley, Teagan, Simon & Mazzy

2009-05-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

-Otto the dog got the side gate open and guess where he ended up at? the corner liquor store. silly dog! no alcohol sales on Sunday;)

2009-05-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

is wondering why the boy is so quiet...

so long sysco

2009-05-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

The day started like many others: get up, make breakfast, clean, play, lesson, lunch. Oh yeah, we were on a roll and then Smiley called. "I got good news and bad news, which do you want first?" he said. I almost always ask for the bad news first. It's like eating dessert after the meal. I want the last taste or experience to be sweet and happy.

So the bad news was, he was laid off by Sysco:( But before I could start to hyperventilate he threw in the good news which was he's already found another job. The truth is another company has been trying to woo him away from Sysco for a little while now. He talked to them and they are still very interested and set up an interview. They have assured him that it's a sure thing and the interview is just a formality.

At first I was pretty stressed. I mean we have had discussions about how his position is sort of a fringe benefit for Sysco customers. While what he does can and often does lead to larger deals for the sales people he is not a sales person and does not directly generate sales and in today's economy everyone is trying to cut back. They did give him the opportunity to sell our home immediately and move back to GR but all at our expense. Now having had much of the day to play out scenarios in my head and analyze the deal from every direction I am starting to see the blessing in this situation.

So as it turns out it will be a bit of a pay increase, he may get to get a new car (which he really needs after all the troubles his has been giving him) and we should be able to pay off some debt with his severance and we still get to go on our vacation we had planned for next month:D AND we get to stay here in our home where we have made so many great friends;)

Sysco has been kind enough to keep him on till the end of the month to buy him some time for job hunting so by June 1 he will be making the switch. I am using the time however to get everyone to the dr's for various appointments before we loose this great coverage from Sysco;)

origins of food

2009-04-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've had a few conversations lately with random folks about whole foods. It never fails to amaze me how disconnected many people are to the origins of the food and how many meals or snacks are made without the convenience of kits or prepared "foods".

The conversation started with a woman from Venezuela. She told me how shocked she was the first time she stepped into an American grocery store and saw an entire isle dedicated to breakfast cereal! It's no wonder so many people in America are so challenged by making a meal from scratch. Gone are the days of walking into a store to get simple ingredients. No, now we have 10 different kinds of flour, 5 different brands of eggs, and not only multiple sources for milk but every variable from skim to whole, pasteurized to ultra pasteurized, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, organic, and non homogenized or even (yuck!) soy;)

Now I realize that we Americans love our freedom to choose, but seriously, it's getting harder and harder to make a quick stop at the store because it takes forever just to weed through all the superfluous crap to find the simple basics! I guess that's probably one of the many reasons why I hate grocery shopping.

But back to my original thought, I've been reading a book Seven Times The Sun by Shea Darian. It has lots of ideas for marking your day with rituals and one of the ideas I read about last night was a meal time activity the author called a food journey. She suggests that you trace the journey of one food on the table and talk about where and how it grows, who grew it, maybe it came from your own garden. How did it get to the store and who prepared it for eating? I think the more kids (or adults for that matter) know about their food the less daunting food preparation can be.

breakfast of champions

2009-04-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

this morning as I snuggled with Mazzy in bed for a few more minutes I hear Teagan say "SIMON! No, put it back. MOMMMM SIMON GOT INTO THE CAKE!!!!"
So I pop up to go figure out how in the world he got past the fridge lock to get to the cake but he was already coming up the stairs with 2 smiley face plates each with a delicious piece of chocolate birthday cake. How could I refuse? lol.
Even as we sat there nibbling on our cake he kept breaking off bits of his own to share with me:) He's such a generous guy.

teaganisms

2009-04-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

Teagan has been struggling with carnivore remorse a bit lately and even went veggie for a week or more recently. She's back to eating meat again and as we talk often about how thankful we are to God for our daily blessings we also thank the animals for their gift;)
This morning at breakfast we said our usual mealtime grace and then Teagan told us she wanted to add another prayer which was "Dear God, please thank the animals in heaven for our food" :)

Good Friday

2009-04-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things we have been doing to prepare for the season. We planted grass seed a few weeks ago for the Family Easter basket. Last night I did the chalkboard drawing for Good Friday. This afternoon we read The Story of Easter and the went to a small portion of a local church service.

After we got home and settled again we read a part of Jesus' trial and crucifixion from Teagan's Bible and then made 3 crosses from dowels and string.

I plan to dye Easter eggs tomorrow and make some hot cross buns somewhere in between. We have been practicing the song Hot Cross Buns on our recorders so I thought it would be a nice to get around to making some as well.

i see the light!

2009-04-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" is shinning bright:)
Simon's last blood test for lead was a 9. He's scheduled for one more test in June and if that results in a score below 10 we will be down with the regular blood testing:)
We also received the results of our final home inspection and lead testing, we passed!!
Thank you to every one for your prayers and concern:)

Woo Hooo

2009-04-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

I was just milling over two things which in the last 10 minutes have been solved.

I had purchased a very expensive curriculum package over a year ago but never really got into it. It's been sitting on my shelves and meanwhile...

I just purchased my first grain mill and have been counting down till I could get a Bosch Universal Mixer. And just 10 minutes ago someone posted to one of my homeschool lists a request to trade the kind of curriculum I have for a the Bosch mixer. Yea!!!

the magic word?

2009-03-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is just a small pet peeve of mine. It doesn't happen very often but on a fairly regular bases I'll hear an adult tell a child "Say please..."
I guess to me it calls forward visions of a small dog dancing for a treat. I don't really mind if my child says please when asking for something. What is important to me is that they ask politely. If they can say "could you help me zip my coat?" or "will you get me a drink of water" in a manner that is sincere and respectful then I'm happy. We do talk about how many people like to hear please and thank you to feel appreciated but the way we treat others is much more then the sum of our words;)

what a day, what a day

2009-03-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

It all started innocently enough when we (me and 3 children ) actually got to church on time (yah!!) but then by the time it was over I was frazzled and shaking.
Simon was pulling his usual stunts. hyper chatter box that he can be, especially on Sunday morning, I though it might help to give him a job. As the collection plate was passing I pulled out our money to go towards the donuts that we have during fellowship, after the service. I told Simon that he could hold the money and put it in the basket when we went downstairs.
Minutes later we were up taking communion and Simon pulls the bill from his pocket, waving at the Pastors, trying to tell them about this money Beethoven found (see the worlds dummest movie Beethoven 5 for more info). I try to discreetly get him to put the funds back in his pocket and the little darling wriggles away at the same time that Miss Mazzy wiggles in my other arm and nearly tumbles head first out of my arms!!! I did catch her and managed to grab hold of Simon before he could sprint off. By the time we got back to our little rubber room in the back I was shaking and emotional.
Thankfully a wonderful young lady came to my rescue and took Mazzy so that I could escort the lad down to the nursery and proceed on to about 30 minutes of Bible study. That little bit of time she bought me before Mazzy needed to nurse did wonders for me.
Smiley and I talked the other evening about stepping in to give each other a break. It surprised me a little to find out that he like it was my way of saying "I don't think you can handle this, here, let me do it for you" and I was just loking at it as self care. I wish I had more opportunities were someone would/could step in and say "It looks like you need a break, go take a walk, have a snack or whatever, so you can get back to center".
So we decided that we need to have a code. Instead of coming in and saying "let me do this" or "I'll take over", using a phrase like "can I give you a break?" seems to lack the implication that the other is inferior or unable to handle the situation. Maybe our egos get in the way but I was really glad we had that talk. Even after the trying start to the day we were able to spend much of the afternoon loafing about the library and then stopped at a park on the way home to soak up some of the fine weather before we had dinner and a family movie:)

life lately in photos

2009-03-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

hello again

2009-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been much into blogging lately as I either have not had the time or when I do have the time I sit staring at a blank screen wondering what to even say. But I thought it was time for a thorough update, so here we go:)

Smiley has kept every busy both with work and home. Clients at work are keeping him on his toes and his creative skills sharp. Of course when he comes home he relishes physical tasks like ripping out the bathroom sink, stumping the children in yet another game of hide & go seek and shoveling yet another layer of snow. We enjoy the winter but we are ready to turn our thoughts on spring projects like dog proofing the back yard;) But for now we are just trying to get throught the current construction. We are finally getting around to having our windows and replaced. we

I've been busy with the usual, kids, home and family and friends. It's hard to imagine that we are over halfway through our first year of homeschooling. All in all it's going pretty well. I'm still figuring out how to juggle 3 individual needs, somehow I suspect that is a life long exercise;) At this stage we are holding our balance at following a waldorf inspired curriculum with an unschooling attitude. For those of you who are reading and thinking "what is she babbling about now?" it means we'll get there when we get there;) And we are comfortable with that. We have gotten to know quite a few other families through our local homeschooling group and we are so blessed to be connected with such an extraordinary and eclectic bunch. Teagan is making friends with so many kids at various age levels including her own and Simon finally has some boys to play with!!! It's been a great outlet and touch stone for us all.

Earlier this month Teagan celebrated her 7th birthday. Since it was the same day as construction starting on the house we quickly opened gifts and then I took them out to the South Bend Chocolate Company for lunch and after that we toured the stables where she will begin riding lessons. As you can imagine she is uber excited. She asks every day if she can take a treat out to Lady.

Simon has recently discovered Star Wars and all the weapons and terminology that comes with that. He loves music and is often found humming the theme music to one of his three favorites, Star Wars, Narnia or Harry Potter. It's pretty humorous as well to listen to him mimick the sound effects from the light sabers clashing, Darth Vader breathing or sound a spell makes when leaving Harry's wand. He asks me to remind him of different songs when he can't quite remember how they go and so far the only one I really struggle with is the music played whenever Darth Vader enters a scene. I can hear it in my head but some how it comes out as a techno beat when I try to hum it.

Mazzy is ever growing. She's now 5 months and as happy as ever. We are starting to see some signs of teething begin but for the most part she remains a super content baby. She's also become a major flipper and will almost immediately tun to her stomach when ever laid down on her back.

Untitled from craftymama on Vimeo.

Untitled from craftymama on Vimeo.

she's is 7 years old today

2009-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

This little girl
was born to
gather roses,
wild roses.
This little girl was born to
glean the rice,
wild rice
This little girl was born
to pick strawberries,
blueberries, elderberries.
All the wild berries
This little girl
was born to
gather roses, wild roses.

("She Will Gather Roses," Tsimshian lullaby)