Wild Dandelions

The Joy of Reading.....

2010-02-28T13:18:00.001-08:00

Whenever we are around kids who attend school, I am always amazed at how reading for them is often a chore, part of their homework, instead of the joyful pursuit that it is for my children (and me!). I will hear parents say things like, "Did you do your 15 minutes of reading yet?" or I will hear children complaining that they have to read! And, I remember being in school.....the books that I didn't chose to read, passages in a reading book that didn't interest me but were supposed to teach me some or another important skill, the books that were required. I still loved to read, but only when I could choose my own book (of course!).

What a different scene in our house! My kids LOVE to read, hear me (or Mike, Maddie, or Amelia) read, and even listen to books on tape in the car. They literally beg me to go to the library! And you should see the scene if I say no. :) Books are a huge part of every day in our lives. So, here are a few pictures of us reading and enjoying books. I once saw this saying,

"So Many Books, So Little Time." I couldn't agree more!

Happy Reading!

Leah has been LOVING dogs lately. She takes out so many dog books each week and has been learning about different breeds and other cool stuff about dogs!

Amelia is enjoying Highlights magazine, which we get each month. It is such a wonderful day when this magazine arrives.

Here are SOME of our returns last week. Maddie and Amelia take out tons of books each week (sometimes biweekly) and they read each and every one.

Some of my favorite books are cookbooks. I love to read them while I am in the kitchen. I also LOVE the day that Mother Earth News comes in the mail!

The Snowy Day....

2010-02-11T05:42:00.001-08:00

I got this random e-mail yesterday titled, "What to do with your kids so that they won't become bored at home in all of this snow." Are you kidding me??? Bored? At home? Home is where my kids long to be....all of the time. In fact, sometimes, I have trouble getting them out the door.

Here is a glimpse of what our home was like during our blizzard yesterday.

While the snow piled up outside, (just look at our gate buried in the snow!)

Amelia had to do the hourly measurement with the yardstick (20+ inches on top of 25 inches!),

while Leah took some self portraits with my camera,

Ben played on his favorite, Club Penguin,

and I tried a new recipe from a favorite cookbook.

Meanwhile, Mike and Amelia worked on her snap circuit kit,

and we found lots of time to play games (Monopoly, Monopoly Jr., Cooties, etc.).

I just love when Leah and Ben take these amazing photographs! Their perspective is perfect!

Ben took some time to create a truck for his dog. I love how he used empty ribbon spools to create the wheels!

And Maddie decided to create a bag to hold all of her tap essentials (after not having a brush and holder with her this week).

And I continuously watch my little lettuce plants grow and dream of the spring day when I am harvesting them for a fresh salad!

Hope your day was filled with passion chasing too! :)

Homemade Holiday

2009-12-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

Our family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, in a very cultural way. Mike grew up Catholic, and I grew up Jewish. Now, we attend a Unitarian Universalist Church, which suites our family and the way that we want to raise our children.

Anyways, celebrating all of these holidays involves lots of gift giving, all at a time when I am trying to simplify our belongings and declutter our home. So, we decided that Hanukkah would be completely homemade. What fun this ended up being! Maddie, in particular, immediately generated a list of people that she needed to make gifts for, thought about what each person would like, and got to work creating! Mike spent his share of time down in the basement working with wood and creating a fabulous work bench for the children (and something for Aunt Jen and Uncle Adam, which they will receive on Sun!), and I spent a lot of time in our new sewing room. I made a fleece blanket, an embroidered bag, and a stuffed animal for each of our children, a quilt for my mom, and other various gifts. There were also home dipped beeswax candles and ornaments, canned applesauce from a local orchard, yummy cookies, scarves, bags, drawings and paintings, bracelets, ...... all in all, a wonderful experience and the beginning of a new tradition.

But, Santa is another story. I worried that he and his elves would bring more of the toys that we are trying to stay away from. I was pleasantly surprised this morning.....his elves did a wonderful job of knowing our family's wishes! It was a quiet Christmas day (no battery operated toys!) filled with new crafts and hobbies....wood working for everyone, more bead work for Maddie, painting for Ben, a snap circuit for Amelia, and lots of dog related things for Leah to fuel her new passion. Thankfully, there was lots of time for sledding too!

It has been a lot of work (and some headaches late at night when my eyes hurt from staring at fabric).....but it was worth it. Our goal of simplicity in the new year has already begun!

My hands guiding my mom's quilt through the machine.

Oh, and a big thank you to my parents....who really listened when I said no more plastic dolls, battery operated cars, etc. Instead, we are seeing the Wizard of Oz tomorrow, the Philadelphia Orchestra in the winter, and The Lion King on Broadway (CAN'T WAIT!!!) in May. Thanks, mom and dad....for listening to my wishes and for all of the thoughtful gifts!

Art 101

2009-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

I love art museums (ok...museums, in general)! So, it really drives me crazy to hear homeschoolers (not unschoolers, mind you) talking about trying to fulfill an art "requirement!" This should not be a task at all, as I see it. It is FUN to visit art museums and to create artwork at home. And, we are so fortunate to live near a really wonderful, small art museum....the Brandywine River Museum. What a beautiful place to spend a morning (and into the afternoon as it turned out...yeah for having no schedule!). Our local museum is filled with fabulous art work, especially from the Wyeths, wonderful childrens' programs, and a beautiful river to hang around after our visit. I mean, really, you can't come to the Brandywine River Museum without hanging out on Miss Gratz and Helen, the resident cow and pig statues that reside outside of the museum and beckon my children to climb on them! :)

A view of the river on this dreary and beautiful November day. One thing that I love is viewing the river in all seasons. In the summer and warm months, we picnic out here (ok, we actually picnic year round, even at times in the snow or rain), in the fall, we view the leaves turning crimson, and in the winter, we see the shadows of the leafless branches in the water. We notice how the current is moving, and we always know if it has rained a lot from the level of the river. We definitely feel at home out here.

My lens was partially covered in this picture, though I think it looks pretty neat this way. Here, all four of my explorers are sitting on Miss Gratz, the cow.

Another beautiful view of the river, with a railroad trestle in the distance.

I feel so lucky to live in the Brandywine Valley! After spending a fun morning at this museum, we took a small detour on the way home through the Brandywine Battlefield, where Washington's troops fought (and lost) a battle against General Howe and the British troops on Sept. 11, 1777. Very cool stuff!

November 12th in Pictures

2009-11-12T19:58:00.001-08:00

Our resident computer expert.....Amelia!

Fashions for Felicity by Maddie!

Lots of Guess Who? playing with Ben and Leah.

A successful trip to the dentist in the morning led to the acquisition of these vampire teeth.

Self-photography by Ben.

Of course, there was also quilt and blanket making, reading, dancing, webkinz playing, jewelry making, healthy eating, and a trip to the library.

All in all, a beautiful day!

Follow Your Passions......

2009-11-11T19:54:00.001-08:00

In our house, we spend our days "Chasing our Passions!" So, here are some of our current passions.....

Mike has started brewing his own beer! His first batch was just bottled and so far it tastes great! We also are fermenting some local apple cider...lots of fun and good gifts for our "Handmade Holiday!"

Books are a passion for all of us in the Rehrman household! Amelia is very passionate about "Katy Kazoo" books, Maddie is enjoying the "Animal Ark" series, Ben and Leah love just about anything that I read to them especially the Arthur books and anything about ducks (for Leah). I am loving "Water for Elephants," and Mike is finally working through (my favorite) Harry Potter series.

We are especially passionate about each other! I LOVE spending each day with my children. What a gift!!!!

I have always been passionate about cooking and eating good and healthy food. Now, I am convinced that to keep the "piggy flu" away, we must feed nothing but healthy food into our bodies! Here is some beautiful swiss chard that I bought from our neighbor, who has a greenhouse. I normally would have this coming from our own garden, but the deer got there before we could! :)

I combine that beautiful swiss chard with ground flax seeds, goji berries, blueberries, cherries, bananas, and anything else that seems yummy and healthy to create a FABULOUS smoothie! Ben, in particular, drinks this ALL DAY! You know what they say? A smoothie a day keeps the doctor away!

Spending time laughing and reading on the sofa. What a way to pass the day!

And I leave you with Ben! He was taking pictures of himself under the blanket for a LONG time! This was the funniest of the bunch. What a spirit that boy has!

So, chase your passions! Let all the wonders of the beautiful world be your teachers! Long live life learners!

Scrabble Time

2009-11-03T19:09:00.001-08:00

Amelia and I like to play Scrabble. It's been amazing, really, to watch Amelia spell. She is a wonderful speller, though she does not love to read (incidentally, she IS a great reader). Let me clarify....she doesn't love to read books (except joke books!). She loves to read anything on the computer! She is WILD about the computer! And, because of this passion, she is wild about spelling and typing (and she is darn good, too).

So, today, when she wanted to play Scrabble, I got excited. It is really fun to play first games like Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land with your children. But, for me, I REALLY enjoy playing games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Mancala, and Sorry! It is so much fun! And, as with everything, the learning that comes with each of these games is extraordinary. Today, Amelia was using a calculator to keep score, doing mental math, using a dictionary, not to mention creating really cool words....her highest scoring word was "Ninja." :)

I'm so glad that my children are not learning dictionary skills by being forced to look up words on a worksheet. Much more fun (and REAL) to play Scrabble!

Autumn

2009-11-03T18:59:00.000-08:00

Walking through the woods at Ashland.......

Climbing our favorite tree....a beautiful, Japanese Maple.

Making yummy, healthy treats to share with friends. Leah's sweet hands.

Carving Jack-O-Lanterns.

Happy Halloween!

A trip to Millers......

2009-11-01T04:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday, we took our quarterly (or so) trip to Millers' natural food store....one of my favorite places. It is an Amish run natural food store.....no electricity, gorgeous scenery, lots of horse and buggies.....and super prices on bulk grains, seeds, and dried fruits. Always a wonderful time!

I spent a lot of money! $277 to be exact. But, is this really a lot of money??? It seems so when I am writing the check to pay them (and by the way, I love that I can't use my debit card there). I bought lots of organic flours, seeds, nuts, and dried fruits, not to mention a case of organic bananas (much cheaper than buying bunches and bunches). These ingredients will become our smoothies in the morning, our bread and seed butters for lunch, and delicious stews and soups for winter dinners.

I make almost everything homemade, and I love it! I know exactly what I put in our food and what went into making it and even who had their hands in it (me and my children!). So, it might be a whopping $277 for groceries for one day....but think of the savings as I am buying so very little processed food (we all love tortilla chips and some other staples that I haven't tried making yet). Instead of boxes of cereal (bad for the earth, bad for you!), we make our cereal with cheap organic oats ($.85 a pound!) and lots of nutritious toppings. The savings is there, not to mention our health!

(Warning: I will now step onto my soapbox :)

I have been amazed and astounded lately as I see what some people eat! When Maddie was attending school, she would talk about the children who bring "Lunchables." I fully believe that these "lunches" should be against the law! The list of ingredients is as long as the Constitution and just as confusing! :) I always say to my children, "If you don't know what it means, don't eat it!" We also talk about how all food comes from the sun. If you can't trace it back to the sun, don't eat it!

When we are out and about, I see children eating crackers filled with hydrogenated oils, fast food (heaven help me!), artificially colored stuff (WHY???), and other "food" items that are not nourishing and actually harmful! What happened that we think this is the way to feed our children????

Yesterday, while we were watching the Addams Family at my parents' house (a Halloween special), there were commercials. My children are not used to seeing commercials because the only shows that they ever watch are on public tv or a tape. So, they were mesmerized....and I was feeling very critical. As you watch these commercials, it actually makes you feel like goldfish crackers are a healthy choice to feed to your children (and that Lysol bleach is the best thing to clean your toilets.....it even said that it was "pediatrician recommended".....WHAT???). They really make it convincing! It actually makes me (sort of) understand why some people think that cheerios for breakfast, luncheables for lunch, and frozen dinners for dinner are healthy. I said, sort of.

Ok....I'll get off of my soapbox! This is obviously an area that I feel passionate about!

Here, instead, are some pictures of the WHOLE foods that we purchased at Millers and one of the yummy, healthy foods that I CREATED (key word, I think) when we got home.

Happy, healthy noshing, everyone!

Three of the many bags that we purchased at Millers.....organic, raw pumpkin seeds, organic coconut, and organic sunflower seeds.....YUM!

Delicious granola made from the organic oats, raisins, and seeds from Millers, along with some of Walt's delicious honey!

Always must walk on the wall on the way into Millers. A must! :)

A very bad picture of a very good thing.....raw, organic pumpkin seeds! Delish and nutrish!

HOME school???

2009-10-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

In our family, we usually say that we "unschool" or "learn naturally" or some other term....really, anything other than HOME schooling works for me. To me, as I've posted before, homeschooling implies sitting at a table at home and doing predetermined curriculum. For me, this is NOT the point of keeping my children out of school. I want them to live in this world...to be a part of it...rather than learning about it from textbooks in or out of school! So, here is a little taste of our living and learning from the last week or so. Enjoy!

Looking for Wooly Bear caterpillars in the garden!

We spot a caterpillar!

Doing pumpkin activities with friends!

Hanging out at historical Valley Forge park. We attended a fabulous homeschool day there! We are so lucky to live in this very beautiful and historical area.

Valley Forge!

Climbing on a cannon at Valley Forge!

Leah playing her new "Penny Whistle" that she bought at VF.

Maddie creating a beautiful fairy home in the woods behind our house.

A fairy home created by our wonderful neighbor, Leslee. We helped adorn it with berries from the woods.

I feel so lucky to spend every day with my children! It is a wonderful journey. And, what a contrast to September....a month of missing Maddie daily and wondering what she was up to, a month of carting her back and forth to school and living by the clock, a month of being disgusted by what she was learning and how she was learning it. Enough of the negative! Our life is so positive! I love exploring this beautiful world with my family! Unschooling rocks!

A Little John Holt Inspiration....

2009-10-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

"Among the many things I have learned about children, learned by many, many years of hanging out with them, watching carefully what they do, and thinking about it, is that children are natural learners."

--John Holt "Learning All the Time"

Leah having a ball at the park! I was thinking about all of the parks that we spend time at throughout the year. As a child, we didn't go to a lot of parks, though I have great parents who took us lots of wonderful places. Upon thinking about it more, I realized that we probably didn't do the park thing because we were in school so much of the time. And, the playground at school is the one that I remember most.

I'm so glad that my kids have the joy of comparing parks. Today, when we arrived at our weekly park day, the kids exclaimed, "Oh, this is my FAVORITE park!" Cool!

Maddie writing down all kinds of information related to her "My Little Ponies." It's amazing how much my children write.....I believe because they are never forced to. Today, Maddie and Amelia wrote SO MUCH! And, all of it was important to them. In the words of Maddie today, "If you give her a Bath Make Shur that you do not get too much watar on her" (writing about Fluttershy).

Ben has been creating AMAZING castles lately! They are very beautiful and almost completely (or completely) symmetrical. What a wonderful way to "learn" about this important mathematical concept. And, so much more fun and natural than circling the symmetrical object on a worksheet. Go Ben!

Amelia reading a library book at our kitchen table. Reading is such a natural part of our day. It is also my favorite part of the day. In particular, I love reading before bed (with a flashlight) in my childrens' room. What a magical time and what adventures we go on! In the last month alone, we have been on the prairie for the book, "Skylark," and to England for a special book called, "Mandy." Now, we are traveling back to WWII with Molly, one of the American Girls.

Yesterday, as the kids and I were waiting for Maddie's tap class to be finished, we watched a 1st grader reading to his mom. Actually, he was reading in order to get an assignment done.....30 minutes of reading each night (ok, I was eavesdropping a little....it's a small room, really!). So, the mom was typing something into her cell phone (oh, I can't stand this!) and he was "reading." Can that really be called reading??? Being forced to read something! Reading is wonderful, magical, an adventure....why should it be forced???? UGH!!!! I'm again so glad to have my children away from school, where they force kids to read! (enough of that soap box)

Let's finish with something positive from one of my favs....John Holt!

"Children learn from anything and everything they see. They learn wherever they are, not just in special learning places. They learn much more from things, natural or made, that are real and significant in the world in their own right and not just made in order to help children learn.........We can best help children learn, not by deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they do, answering their questions.....and helping them explore the things they are most interested in."

--John Holt "Learning All the Time"

Rock on, John!

Random Acts of Kindness...pass it on!

2009-10-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

On the Radical Unschooling yahoo group, Dayna Martin mentioned that her family was trying to intentionally practice "Random Acts of Kindness." This inspired me to have a conversation with my young people and see what they thought. They were excited immediately! In the last few days, this has led to so much awareness of the beauty in others and the kindness that so many others bestow upon our family. Here is a partial list of the kindnesses that I have witnessed in the last few days....

*Maddie, Amelia, and Ben wrote letters to Bubbi (my grandmom who is fairly lonely), GG (my other grandmom) and my mom and dad. All were meant to pick up the spirits of those who will receive them!

*Wel brought pumpkins and warm apple cider to park day to share with us all. Thanks, Wel! This inspired Amelia to want to bake cookies to bring to park day next week. Pass it on...

*Leslee, our wonderful next door neighbor, arranged for the children and I to visit her friend, Jenny today. Jenny has chickens, sheep, a greenhouse, and many other wonderful things to share on her homestead. What a wonderful time chasing the black kitten, feeding the chickens, gathering eggs and Nasturtium seeds, touring the greenhouse, seeing the beehives, ......

*Last week, Leslee, who just retired from working in a school, took a few hours to really show the children and me around her property. She took so much time explaining so many wonderful things and we learned so much. She also said that we were welcome to roam around her meadow and woods whenever we wanted. Her passion for nature inspired us to create fairy homes for the rest of the afternoon!

*Amelia is having a bike rally to raise money for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). She created a flyer on the computer and wanted to make copies of it to distribute around our area. The man at the copy store this afternoon made her 50 copies at no charge because he thought it was amazing of her to do this, and he wanted to support her!

*Mike, my wonderful husband, who was always a doubter of unschooling (until Maddie and Amelia actually went to school) left me a fabulous, positive comment on my last post supporting our unschooling ways. Yeah!

Kindness is everywhere! And, when you start to really notice it, life becomes even more beautiful!

We are Back!

2009-10-14T05:04:00.000-07:00

We are back! Back to "unschooling," back to living out our passions day after day, back to living together in joy, back to spending our days together....back to OUR basics.

After sending Maddie and Amelia to school this year, I quickly realized that I had made a mistake. No, I take that back. It wasn't a mistake. I had to see for myself what school would be like for them. Yet, it was full of all the things that I no longer believe in.....learning that is not meaningful, extrinsic rewards, a condescending attitude towards children (not that I ever believed in that), living our day by the clock (when to take and pick up), and a clear lack of FREEDOM, in every sense of the word.

It clearly was not the right place for my children!

So, now we are back to living each day filled with all of the important stuff of life........

Hours at the library finding treasures, followed by lots of reading!

Science experiments at the table totally thought up by Amelia! Testing to see what liquids will make pennies shine the most. Ben and Leah are in the background experimenting with their favorite....baking soda and vinegar. Volcano, anyone??? :)

Creating fairy homes in our yard on a beautiful autumn day. Enjoying nature!

Maddie's natural enthusiasm as she is explaining to me about a new project that she wants to try. She read about this in a book.....she is going to send a small stuffed animal to a pen pal in Maine who will then send it on to someone else, all the time writing about the animal's adventures. Cool!

My feet are now back on the ground. I feel confident knowing that I am doing the best thing for my children by keeping them home...... No, not home, but in the world.....EXPLORING our world everyday!

Adam and Jen Get Married!

2009-09-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

My brother has been together with Jen for a long time now.....as long as Maddie and Amelia have been on our Earth! So, it was quite exciting when Adam (finally:) asked her to marry him last summer. They originally were going to get married in Philadelphia, which made sense for many reasons....most of all it is closer to most of the people who would be attending. But, as Adam and Jen always do, they went with their guts and decided to have the wedding on a beautiful farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York! I admire them in so many ways! And, I am inspired by them! Their wedding was so beautiful, creative, intimate, REAL, inspiring, FUN, and especially full of JOY! Here are some of the highlights, though the entire 4 days that we spent celebrating their committment to each other was full of joy....from the rainy rehearsal to the fireworks and bonfire after the wedding to the dancing (and especially the raised chairs during "Hava Nagila"....to the toasts, the beautiful crafty decorations by Jen....the list could continue for quite some time. We will always remember this fabulous time! Thanks, Adam and Jen!!!

My brother, Adam, fishing in the 40 ft. pond on the farm. Adam recently took up fly fishing.....inspiring how he keeps learning and trying new adventures in his life!

The children and I collected these apples (and ate many, many more) from the beautiful, old apple trees on the farm. Ben also fed countless to his favorite, the pigs!

Mike and I are ready for the wedding to begin!

Chowing after the ceremony on yummy cheeses and crackers.

Adam and Jen during the ceremony, high on a hill, with the beautiful Catskill Mountains in the background, standing under the Chuppah that Mike and Jen made (Mike made the structure and Jen the fabulous fabric that adorned the top), declaring their committment to each other. I was especially moved by their REAL words and obvious love for each other. This is the start of another adventure for them. And, for me, it was an inspiration to have as many adventures as I can. After all, life is short. And, life is good!

Ben & Leah Turn 5!

2009-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Guess What Ben got for his birthday? Pure Joy!

Photography by Ben!

2009-07-25T14:02:00.001-07:00

GG turns 90!

2009-07-25T13:52:00.001-07:00

My grandmother, known as GG (great grandmom) by all of her great grandchildren just turned 90! This deserved a huge bash! So, her 3 daughters put together a party. In attendance were those 3 sisters (including my mom), her 11 grandchildren (including me), and her 10 great grandchildren, not to mention assorted friends, girlfriends, fiances, step grandchildren, etc.... WOW! Happy Birthday, grandmom! :)

Grandmom with my Aunt Harriette!

Mike and Maddie!

Amelia with her 2 great grandmoms!

My brother, Adam, with my grandmom!

Leah at the restaurant!

"Where the Road Ends, the Adventure Begins!" Ms. Frizzle

2009-07-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

I love Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus books/videos! They are so much fun, and they teach us all a lot about science...especially me! But, what I especially like, is Ms. Frizzle's attitude about learning and life. The world is her classroom! She sees life and learning as an adventure! She is upbeat and FUN!

Ben is really into "The Friz" these days. Every library day, we end up bringing home lots of these books and videos. This week, we brought home (among others) "Butterfly and the Bog Beast," a book about butterflies and how they camouflage themselves. I love a lot of the things that Ms. Frizzles says ("Take chances. Make mistakes") but my favorite in this book was,

"Looks can be deceiving. Sometimes what is, isn't. Sometimes what isn't, is."

I think that this really describes our day/life as unschoolers perfectly. To an outsider, it looks like my children spend the day just playing and having fun (which, of course, they are) as they are seen lounging on the sofa reading books, creating new inventions in our art room, playing Webkinz and other games on the computer, playing with friends, traveling to the store or a museum, playing board games.....ETC......BUT, what they are doing, besides just enjoying their lives, is learning! It is a part of everything that we do....naturally!

Today, for example, we had a tournament on Webkinz. Maddie kept careful track of everyone's scores and kinzcash on a piece of paper by the computer......writing! Amelia also wrote several e-mail messages to her friend, Lauren, and posted on her blog.....spelling, writing, grammar, computer skills! Maddie read a Highlights article and learned about a festival in India.....social studies! Ben took many cool pictures using my camera and created several new pieces of art work using recycled containers and magnetic strips.....art, photography! I could continue with this list all day! But, on the other hand, I really don't want to. I really want to get to the point where I don't ever think about our day in terms of school subjects. Real life is not divided into subjects!

The other part of the Ms. Frizzle quote states, "Sometimes what is, isn't." I believe this could be applied to schools. It appears that the students are learning.....and they are, to an extent. But, it is forced learning. And, I don't know about you, but when I am forced to learn something that I am not interested in, I usually forget it quickly! Maddie, on the other hand, is very interested in horses. She has read so many books about them and can tell you so much more than I ever knew about horses! True, authentic learning!

Ben has set up my camera on a delay....self photograph by Ben!

Keeping careful track of our progress on Webkinz! Wow, I came in third!

In her favorite spot, in front of the computer, Amelia joyfully blogs, writes letters and plays.

Our July Garden

2009-07-16T18:29:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our garden! Birdhouses that were made by Maddie and Amelia grace the entrance.

Amelia standing by the asparagus and zucchini.

Green bean plants....not quite producing yet.

A beautiful zucc still attached to the lovely flower!

Gorgeous green tomatoes! Ripen already....I want to take a bite! :)

My favorite summer green.....colorful swiss chard! Most delicious raw in a salad or sauteed with garlic.

Swim Lessons

2009-07-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

Maddie does great in groups!

Amelia is already looking fearful.

At our friends' pool.....Amelia rocked it!

Maddie and Amelia started swim lessons this week. I say "started" because, for Amelia, they didn't last long. The young people who are conducting the lessons seem a little more strict than last year, which just doesn't work for Amelia, who is so sensitive. Actually, none of it works for her. She doesn't want to be told what to do, she doesn't like someone strange holding her in the water, and she especially doesn't like to be away from me right now. So, after a very bad mothering moment of basically forcing her to start the lessons on Monday, she came crying to me! My heart went out to my sweet girl! Amelia's needs are hard to meet (much harder than my other children) but I will do all in my power to meet them. Amelia challenges me to be a more patient, kinder mama everyday. And sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't.

So, after Amelia came crying and running over to me, the director came over and said to Amelia .....one more hug for mom and then you come with me. Well, as I knew, Amelia would have nothing to do with that! And, I certainly wasn't going to force her into the situation. What good would that do? So, I politely told the director that Amelia would be back tomorrow perhaps but that her time in the water was done for that day. She started to tell me that she should get back in so as not to have a fear of the water. I assured her (though I felt that it really was none of her business) that Amelia is not afraid of the water but rather the situation.

Today, after talking to Amelia and hearing her wishes to learn to swim in a less controlled, more free situation, I told the director that she would not be continuing with lessons. She then talked to Amelia in a not so respectful way about how she should learn to swim once she gets over her fears......ETC. I again interrupted her to politely tell her that Amelia is not afraid to learn how to swim. But, as might be expected, I don't think that she really heard me.

As I am watching Maddie in the water and sitting on the sidelines with Ben, Amelia, and Leah, I see another swim lesson about to begin. This time it is with 4 year olds. There are 2 boys that absolutely don't want to go into the water and they scream and scream...even after 10 minutes, they are still screaming for their moms. The director takes over because the young women who are teaching the lessons don't know what to do at this point. She carries them both into the water, screaming and kicking! I can't believe that the parents are allowing this to happen! Do they really think that this will be the way that their children learn how to swim? Most likely, this will only result in bad memories of what it is like to learn to swim! Even to this day, I have a bad association with swim lessons....as a young person, I was forced to dive under the water for rings when I was really afraid to. I remember how awful it was!

I'm glad that I was able to listen to my children and respect their learning wishes. Today, after swim lessons, we went to a friends' house to play in their pool. Amelia shined!

Our Joyful Trip to the BEACH!!!

2009-07-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

We spent a wonderful week at Ocean City, NJ with my parents! What a relaxing, fun week in the sun we had! Here are some memories.....

One of our favorite things to do at the beach.....ride the surreys!

I think that this will be Ben and Leah's last year on the front of the surrey! They are just getting too big for it.....sad to see them grow up so much but of course happy too!

Maddie and Amelia and I have a tradition of waking up at 5 am to see the sunrise while at the beach. This was in the lifeguard stand on our beautiful, early morning!

Kite flying....a must at the beach! And, so much fun! This year, we had 3 kites flying high in the sky and Mike's stunt kite as well. Awesome!

A favorite memory of the beach this year was my time spent biking on the boards with Amelia. Here, we are at my favorite Jilly's Arcade playing $.10 skeeball! What fun!

Playing mini golf! Our whole family!

Must keep your head covered in that hot sun! What a cutie!

Amelia is now riding a bike with no training wheels! This made for a fun week for Amelia and mama (who rented a bike while at the beach).

More surrey riding with pop-pop and mom-mom!

Maddie (looking tired by the end of the week) and mom-mom enjoying breakfast at one of our boardwalk favs....OVES!

A fabulous time was had by all!

2009-05-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

For those who think that "homeschooling" has to involve sitting around reading textbooks and completing workbooks, I offer you a different picture.......or pictures............

"Unschooling," by the Rehrman family............

Sewing clothes for a Webkinz puppy

Blogging, pen pal writing, and of course, Webkinz!
Watching a "Ms.Frizzle" video
A little more Webkinz.....
Reading while waiting for breakfast Creating.....
Mixing up the OJ while Leah looks in
Bubbles by Ben...all before breakfast
Mixing up the raisin bread

Of course, there was also running in the yard, gardening, instrument playing, making and eating ice-cream (so cool!), making pizza dough which was then cooked on the grill for dinner, cutting lettuce for dinner, watering, playing Sorry, taking stuffed animals camping, making a mud garden (and then of course cleaning off with the hose), reading, .......whew, I''m making myself tired just thinking about it. Time for bed..... :)

Freedom!

2009-05-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

"I'm free to do what I want any old time
I'm free to do what I want any old time"

rolling stones

This song, though I don't even really enjoy it on the radio, keeps popping into my head. And, I know why. We are so free in this life that we live. I remember this feeling when I had to stay home from school growing up. Oh my gosh....a whole world exists outside of school.....people go shopping, cars are on the road, there are shows on the tv! I really liked school but I couldn't wait to become a part of what goes on outside of the school during school hours. Then I became a teacher. I was still within those four walls for the majority of the day. I would be envious of my husband who could leave his job to have lunch out. It was not until I became pregnant with Maddie and Amelia that I discovered the world outside of the school!

And now, we have FREEDOM every day! Tomorrow, we will explore the Philadelphia Art Museum. Today, we went to buy seeds for our garden at Agway. We wake up when we want and go to bed the same. We bake, read, play games, create art work, invent, make believe.....all because we want to....not because someone has told us that it is time to.

A woman at Ben and Leah's soccer practice was telling me how she received a letter from her daughter's school due to some absences. The letter threatened to take her to court because of the missed school days. WHAT??? I do not want someone else telling me what to do with my children. I am so glad that we are not a part of that game.

There's a land that I see where the children are free
And I say it ain't far to this land from where we are
Take my hand, come with me, where the children are free
Come with me, take my hand, and we'll live

from Free to Be YOu and Me

Real Work/Real Tools

2009-05-18T19:08:00.001-07:00

Ben loves to cook these days! Tonight, he was making pancakes for dinner. Mike walked in the house while Ben was pouring batter into the pan and urgently said, "Ben, be careful. Back away from the stove; it is hot!" I assured him that Ben is fine! More than fine, really. He knows that the stove is hot and he is careful. He is confident and trusts himself because I trust him.

A few weeks ago, I put our play kitchen down the basement.....I couldn't get rid of it entirely...too many memories. All of my children used to like to play with it. But, it hasn't been used for some time now. Part of it might be their ages, but I think that part of it is that they are allowed to use our real kitchen. Almost daily, one or more of my children can be found using the stove, baking bread or pizza dough, running the mixer (the best job around), using real ingredients to create real food....the real deal!

And, oh, what fun we have!

2009-05-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

"It is the simplest, most natural of acts, akin to breathing and walking upright. We sit down at the dinner table, pick up a fork, and take a juicy bite, oblivious to the double helping of global ramifications on our plate. Our beef comes from Iowa, fed by Nebraska corn. Our grapes come from Chile, our bananas from Honduras, our olive oil from Sicily, our apple juice - not from Washington State but all the way from China. Modern society has relieved us of the burden of growing, harvesting, even preparing our daily bread, in exchange for the burden of simply paying for it. Only when prices rise do we take notice. And the consequences of our inattention are profound."

Joel K. Bourne, Jr

This is the beginning of an article that was in the latest issue of National Geographic. It really hit home for me. The article might be the subject of another blog post for me because it was heart wrenching with many profound pictures, including one that is haunting me of a young child, obviously starving. He and his mother live (if you can use that term) in Ethiopia, and he is starving because his mother is being fed sorghum porridge at a refugee camp and it is not enough fat and protein for her to produce breast milk for her baby. It makes me want to scream, the inequality in this world. But, as I said, another time.....

Today, I want to write about our food and where it comes from. As for me, I want the "burden" of knowing where my food comes from. And, I want it to come from my backyard....and if not, I want it to come from a local, organic source. Food is what nourishes us. It is the source of our well being. So, today, with that said, I want to share my Sat. trip to a local, organic Amish farm. I was so excited to go to the stand that I usually frequent during the growing season. This, though, was the first time EVER that I didn't need to buy any produce because everything that they had that I wanted was already growing in my backyard, in soil that I placed there, that I know is healthy. It was grown with love and respect. And it will be eaten with the same consideration.....

Though a foggy morning, our beautiful landscape here in Pennsylvania is a feast for the eyes.
The only thing that I did buy at the farm stand was local cheese and eggs. Oh, and we had a nice chat with the Amish farmer. We plan to buy some of his organically grown straw to use as a mulch in our garden.

Now, here is a glimpse at what is growing in our backyard garden.....

Broccoli...so far so good. Last year's crop was eaten before we could eat it. Hope that groundhog enjoyed it!
Newly planted strawberry plants. Hopefully next year, we will have a lot of these wonderful berries!
Yummy asparagus! The first veggie of the season. Maddie's peas are so tall!
Amelia's lettuce is ready for cutting.
I love mint!!!!
Beautiful blueberries! If the birds don't get them, Ben will!
Spinach. So beautiful.....
Leah's dinosaur kale. She is very proud of her crop!
Ben walking towards home after a visit to the garden with me to take these pictures.
And, of course, the beautiful, wild dandelion!

Happy Webkinz Day!

2009-05-15T18:33:00.001-07:00

The other day, Ben said that we should celebrate, "Webkinz Day." He also wanted to make cupcakes.....all in honor of our newest Webkinz, Cinnamon Sugar, the sweet dog that the children gave me for Mother's Day.

So, today was the day!

But first, we had time for.......

Monopoly Playing....Amelia is a whiz as the banker! And, she is whipping my tail....so far. Our games usually last quite a few days. As of now, it is looking bad for me!

Riding in the car to our monthly "Unskate." During the ride, Amelia (who is our resident Tinker Bell) tinked with my camera and figured out why the pictures weren't turning out right. (By the way, Ben and Leah LOVE to tinker with the menu key!).
Roller Skating Fun! (And some time falling too!)

Amelia and her friend, Natalie helping each other out!

Back at home......

The Mommy and Ben Bakery produced these beauties (vegan too!)

A special Webkinz meeting to end the day! Every pet stated their favorite thing to do on Webkinz. "Zacky's Quest," says me!
Good night and Happy Webkinz Day!

May 13th, in words only

2009-05-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Not feeling too well today, a cold and very little sleep....stayed home from Open Connections....and spent time......
playing Monopoly, reading stories, watching "The Heffalump Movie," playing Webkinz and Bella Sara (a new love), making new paper fashions for Kit and Samantha (American Girl Dolls) and then having them leap through time to play together, eating the last of the Carrot Raisin muffins that Leah and I made yesterday (excellent recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance), taking a well needed nap....
Hopefully, we'll all feel better tomorrow.

Beautiful lyrics from "The Heffalump Movie"
Little Mister Roo
From "Pooh's Heffalump Movie"
Composed by Carly Simon

Little Mister Roo
Reaching for the moon
So many things you've got to do
And no time for dreaming

Little Mister Roo
Let the stars shine over you
Don't grow up too fast too soon
Save some time for dreaming
Settle in, settle down
Let me see that sleepy yawn on your face
Close your eyes
I will love you completely
And always

Little Mister Roo
The moon shines silver over you
No one knows you like I do
And little Mister Roo
Reaching for the moon
Don't grow up too fast
Too soon

Confidence

2009-05-10T19:06:00.001-07:00

My "word of the year" was confidence. I wished to be more confident especially in regards to the education of my children. I feel so certain, at times, of my choice to unschool. Yet, at other times, I am unsure of what I am doing and wondering if I am doing the best thing for all of them.

Well, again today, the universe helped me out on my quest for confidence. We were celebrating Mother's Day at my mom and dad's house with all of my extended family...how wonderful! My fantastic Aunt Harriette was telling a tale about my cousin's son, Cole. He attends kindergarten. Apparently there is a reward system where they get a certain number of cubes and then they lose them for not being their best. So, at home, he has done the same thing for his mom, taking away cubes when she doesn't act her best, according to him. This is cute, I agree. But...and this is a big BUT, I do not think it is cute that we are treating our children like Pavlov's dogs. I am so glad that my children are not learning to conform to a teacher's wishes....like keeping quiet, raising your hand, standing in a straight line, etc. There are much better lessons, I think, for them to learn!

Then, I was talking to a dear friend of our family, Beni. She is a foreign language teacher in NJ, who teaches elementary age children. I casually asked how her school year is going. She replied that right now they are in the middle of standardized testing. And, it wasn't going well for the children that she was assigned to because they don't speak good English! How can we expect children who don't speak the language to do well on a test written in that language and geared towards that culture? That is ridiculous! Furthermore, I do not wish my children to spend time learning how to take standardized tests, which in our district they start in FIRST GRADE! Give me a break! What is the use of this?

Beni continued by telling me a story of a fight that took place in her classroom, between 3rd graders! A fist fight! No wonder....the children have to rebel against this system that is outdated, unfair, at times boring, and always focused on the wrong outcome, as I see it.

I proclaimed, after all of her stories, that this is why my children are not at school. She said that she thought that was fine, as long as they were still young. But, in her opinion, they should be in school when they get older. I said that I disagreed and asked her why she thought so. She thinks that they have so many more opportunities by being in school, so I asked her specifically what she meant. She mentioned theater, music, art, etc. I told her that we get all of these things outside of school and will continue to follow Maddie, Amelia, Leah, and Ben's passions, wherever they take us. I then asked my dad to put on the tape of Maddie's recent theater performance. She was a part of a wonderful group, KATS (Kennett Amateur Theater) and loved every minute of it! She intends to perform again in their annual show next Jan. The whole family was amazed at Maddie's performance and that she had been a part of this wonderful theater group. I felt so proud again as I watched her up on stage, the smallest one in the children's chorus. How brave she was and is! And, how wonderful that we realize that you can follow your passions in many other avenues besides school! There is a whole world out there ready to explore, beyond any four walls!

So, for the moment at least, my confidence has been restored. I'm excited to start the week with my children, ready to explore! It will be a week full of friends, books, Webkinz, family times, ballet, soccer, art, pinata making, baking, gardening, park playing, fairy finding, ....... awesome!

Exploring Fridays!

2009-05-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

One of the great advantages to HOMEschooling (or exploring, as I definitely prefer) is not always staying at HOME. I love to go exploring with my children! Often we can be found at local museums (and those in Philadelphia), parks, stores (our current favorites being an Amish natural food store, Millers, and the Amish fabric store, Zooks), local festivals, libraries, book club, park day, ballet class, soccer games, .....

Friday is also one of our favorite days to explore because my mom takes off of work to spend the day with us. It is often a fun day to travel somewhere new....or loved. Yesterday, we went to the "Please Touch Museum" in Philadelphia. We used to go there a lot but they have since changed locations and it is AMAZING! It is quite the place to explore and love being a young person! Everything is geared towards young people....little sinks that children can actually reach, real tools to explore (a shoe store with shoes, measuring devices like you find at the store, the same stools that are used at the mall), fun shows, water play, and even an inside carousel!

As we were watching the pirate puppet show, Ben was getting tired of sitting and he turned and said to me, "Can we go exploring again?"

Yes, Ben. Absolutely!

New Title: Wild Dandelions

2009-05-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

I decided to change the name of my blog. This time of the year is always full of beautiful dandelions. We LOVE them! They are so beautiful, especially when you see a field full of their yellow faces. They make lovely jewelry. They are yummy to eat. And, I use them as an indicator. If they are present in abundance, I can tell that no chemicals have been applied to someone's yard that we are visiting or to a local park's grassy areas.

Last week, we visited our local park and there were thousands and thousands of dandelions. We had a ball picking them, making bouquets and jewelry, and even finding fairies on them. Anyways, I was so happy to spend our lovely morning in the company of these wild flowers, that we decided to visit the township office and thank them for not putting down anything to kill the dandelions. The woman who heard our "thank you" replied that they never had so many dandelions and they were contemplating what to do about them. I quickly replied that the mamas are happy to see them and the children are all loving them....PLEASE leave them alone! :) (If they decide to do otherwise, they will find a lot of mamas organized by me at their township building ready for a dandelion fight!):)

So, I've decided to change my blog name to reflect our love, passionate LOVE, of our favorite wild flower....the dandelion. I hope that my family can remain as wild and free as the beautiful dandelion!

Why?

2009-05-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

WHY??? Why do I hear, quite frequently this time of the year, homeschooling moms (our social circles are largely made up of HOMESCHOOLING rather then UNSCHOOLING families) getting excited about the summer when they can lounge around, play games, read books with their children that haven't been dictated by a curriculum? Aren't they home all day??? Why don't they see the freedom that is inherent in being at home? How much school work could they possibly need to do???

WHY??? Why do some HOMESCHOOLING parents tell their children what books to read rather than letting them pick their own books? What is better than visiting the library and choosing your own books...still a thrill for me after all of these years!

WHY??? Why does everyone that I meet have to ask my children why they are not in school? And why can't I explain to them in a neat, concise, quick way that I don't HOMESCHOOL but EXPLORE, LIVE LIFE, PLAY, .......UNSCHOOL? Instead, my daughters answer that they are homeschooled and I imagine the questioner picturing my children neatly lined up at a table doing workbooks, when they are actually crowded around our computer excited about their Webkinz, playing games, putting on shows, creating recipes in the kitchen, gardening, reading under a blanket on the sofa for hours, .......

WHY??? Why do I have to keep questioning what I am doing in terms of my children's education? I know what I believe and I feel strongly about it, but off and on throughout the year, I doubt myself. I wonder if I am doing the best thing for my children. I wonder if they might regret not having attended school someday. I wonder if they will have enough friends. I wonder.... I want to stop wondering and feel the confidence that I feel RIGHT NOW. :)

"What children need is not new and better curricula but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, road maps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to go (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out."

~John Holt~ Teach Your Own

WE LOVE PICNICS!

2009-05-05T18:43:00.001-07:00

Our car is notoriously messy! But for good reason. We go lots of places.....and if there is no better place to picnic or if it is winter or if it is raining or if we are late (you get the idea), we picnic in the car. So, it is generally full of crumbs and other picnic fallout.......

Last week, our car had to be in the shop for a few day and the mechanic had to take out our car seats. I warned him that it would be quite messy. He said, "Oh, don't we all have kids?"

When he called me later in the day to tell me about our car, he said, "Oh my gosh! You weren't kidding about the mess!" And, he vacuumed up our mess! How sweet! (We intend to take some treats over there as a THANK YOU).

Well, today, we got into our unusually clean car. We had one doctor appointment for Ben (a trip to the homeopathic dr. for his bad eczema) and then we had some time before all of the children had their cleanings at the dentist. So, we stopped at this really cool book store.....huge old stone building, tons of little rooms crammed with old books, little wooden chairs to sit in, the smell of wood burning throughout.....awesome! But, before we went in to explore, we had a picnic. And, guess what? It was too wet to eat on the grass outside of the beautiful bookstore.

When Mike took Ben and Leah to soccer tonight, he said, "What did you do? Did you smash crackers into the rug of the car so that it would feel more like usual?" Ha! Ha!

So, here are some pictures of our car picnic and also playing in the wet grass afterwards. I am so glad to spend my days exploring our neck of the woods with my four children! What a gift....

This face is for you, Uncle Adam and Aunt Jen!

The whole gang in our increasingly crumby car!

Cinco de Mayo.....and my self directed children!

2009-05-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

Ben playing Webkinz......their biggest passion of late.
My pinata making mess.....good, creative time for me.
Ben was excited.....at first.
A new passion for Amelia and me....chess!

I had mentioned to my children that tomorrow would be "Cinco de Mayo," and I very briefly described what that holiday is. Then I had a brilliant idea (or so I thought).....we could make pinatas! Maddie and Amelia and I had done this several years ago and I also had done this with students when I taught Spanish many moons ago. I enjoy it a lot! I then thought we could have a "fiesta" with some friends where we would break the pinatas, have some Mexican food, and speak a little Espanol. All good so far. The kids were into the idea and excited to have the fiesta.

This was over the weekend. So, I bought some cheap white flour (no need to use organic for pinatas, I think) and brought out the balloons. I was ready.

Today, after our weekly book club, I thought we could begin. I mixed up the papier mache because Maddie and Amelia were busy on Webkinz and Ben and Leah were watching a "Maisie" video that they picked up at the library this morning. After the video, Ben and Leah came running in excited to begin. We blew up the balloons (Leah's lungs are powerful!) and then I showed them what we would be doing. No way! They were outta there like a flash! Too messy, I guess or maybe Webkinz held more appeal. Well, I really enjoy the feeling of using papier mache so I started myself and just enjoyed the time alone.

After they were done with Webkinz, I thought that Maddie and Amelia would be excited to join me. Well, again, I was wrong. Maddie was interested and covered one balloon. Amelia was only interested in playing chess, which Mike had taught her yesterday and she taught me today (no, I never learned how to play......it always bothers me and I'm so glad that Amelia was able to finally teach me today!). So, I enjoyed covering the remaining balloons alone and then joined Amelia for a game of chess.

As always, the children are teaching me. They have their own ideas about what they want to do. I am always being reminded of this...you'd think I'd learn this particular lesson by now! When they are excited about something, they are so motivated.....these days, Webkinz comes to mind. But, today, they were also excited about chess (Ben and Amelia and me), making My Little Pony clothes (Maddie), playing with marbles (Leah), reading books from the library (everyone!), photography (Ben and me)........

p.s. Though they didn't want to make pinatas today, I feel fairly certain that they will still enjoy decorating the finished pinatas, inviting over some friends, breaking open the pinatas and running for candy, and sharing in some bunuelos and chocolate (which they will most definitely help make!). :)

Brothers and Sisters......

2009-05-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

"Sisters and brothers, brothers and sisters
Ain't we, everyone
Brothers and sisters, sisters and brothers
Every father's daughter, every mother's son"

from Free to Be You and Me

This is one of our favorite songs from "Free To Be You and Me." But lately, its been a lot of fighting and talking meanly to our sisters and brother. It's so hard to see them fighting....mostly my two 7 year old daughters. They are best buds some days/moments and really talking meanly to each other the next day/moment. I am feeling very upset by this at times.

It is especially hard because I wish that I had a sister! A lifelong friend. Someone to talk to when it seems that no one else is around. My mom has two sisters, and she is spending this weekend at the beach with one of them....how lucky she is to have this companionship and connection.....for life!

I have one brother, Adam. He is 6 years younger than me, celebrating his birthday today....Happy 30th birthday, Adam! He is a great guy, but we really didn't have a lot in common growing up. He is so much younger than me. I wanted to give my children what I didn't have....lots of children around the same age. And so we did. Two 7 year olds and two 4.5 year olds. I wish for them a lifetime of friendship together!

So, what to do about the fighting....????? Well, today something occurred to me. My children are almost always together, as we "homeschool" (or "explore" as I prefer to say). This is a gift. Though it does lead to fighting at times. So, in all, I am grateful that our lives are spent exploring this beautiful world together, instead of in different classrooms in a school all day. I'm glad that they create shows together, swing together, find fairies in our yard together, eat meals together, travel in the car together, play in the park together....and yes, fight together.

I'll take the "TOGETHER" with a little fighting over lives spent apart any day!

Sisters and brother.....and Webkinz pose for the camera!
Amelia and Leah, during a loving moment last week.
Ben and Amelia on an Easter hayride a few weeks ago. Exploring our world together on a weekday in the Spring...perfect!

May 1st

2009-05-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

No pictures to share, but our May Day was full of good stuff......

cleaning up the playroom....it feels so good to be organized and neat (at least for me), reading some books that we haven't seen in awhile (If You Give A Moose a Muffin), eating our own asparagus for lunch, watching men cut down a few dead trees in our side yard, listening to the Spring rain fall outside of our open windows, watching the world turn green before our very eyes, playing Jenga and Connect 4, creating nature creatures out of treasures collected from our yard, playing tons of Webkinz, talking to friends on the phone (both myself and my children), cutting lettuce from the garden for dinner, eating pizza with mom-mom and pop-pop, flying down a wet, grassy hill on trikes (wheeeeee!), reading stories by flashlight.....and finally, night-night (and time for mama to blog and daddy to tinker in the basement).

Happy May! :)

2009-04-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

"Living is learning and when kids are living fully and energetically and happily they are learning a lot, even if we don't always know what it is. "

~John Holt ~ in a letter to Joan Pitkin, October 22, 1971
From: "A Life Worth Living, Selected Letters of John Holt",
Edited by Susannah Sheffer

Our lives have been all about Webkinz lately! All four of my children are crazy about it! We only have one computer but they literally spend hours in front of it. Sometimes, I worry about this. I call myself an "unschooler," but I still worry what my children are "learning" from Webkinz. How could it be good, I sometimes think, to be in front of a computer screen on a beautiful Spring day?
Well, why not? They are so PASSIONATE about this game! They are excited everyday to see how they will do in their favorite game (spelling, math, reading, hand eye coordination.....says my old worried self who tries NOT to see school subjects in our day). They can't wait to see if they can afford a new style of bed for their Webkinz room (again, math, budgeting). They cheer each other on, we have family tournaments, they watch mommy play her favorite, "Zacky's Quest," which reminds me of "Frogger" from back in the day. It is all GOOD! It is so much FUN! And, it is their current passion! Besides, they still had fun today running outside in the beautiful sunshine.....after they each had their turn on the "Wheel of Wow!"

April Showers.....

2009-04-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

April showers bring.....

the yeasty smell of rising raisin bread,
book club,
working with clay,
lots of Monopoly playing,
fresh Spinach from our garden,
beautiful daffodils,
and watering future tomato and pepper plants.

Our Kitchen Table

2009-04-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of our kitchen table. The place that we come back to time and time again throughout the day. It is where we begin our day, to nourish our bodies. We often nourish our minds as well, as we play games, draw, paint, create, bake, talk over tea,..... It is where we hold hands every night and give thanks for our food and the time that we can spend together.

As we sat together a few minutes ago, eating grilled cheese and planning a future family business, I thought how lucky I am to share all of my meals with all of my children.

What a gift, I think.

I have missed this.......

2009-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I've written on my blog. I really haven't felt like it. Lots of little illnesses, nothing serious thank goodness, but difficult just the same. Well, I'm back and loving it! What fun to document our day with photographs and words. And, I am grateful for this day.....

A morning hug from Ben, still warm from his bed and smelling of sweet sleep.
A relaxing morning to stay in pjs and snuggle on the sofa.
Our busy breakfast table...Guess Who?, Mancala, and bread kneading.
I'm so glad that our bread machine isn't working. And, I am grateful for the yummiest raisin bread ever! Thanks for making it, Maddie! It was the best, warm with butter and honey!
Chef Leah felt like baking too! Yummy brownies in her own bakeware.
Beautiful daffodils from our yard!
This is my grandmom's old record player along with records passed down to us. What fun! The kids loved using it and listening to the oldies but goodies like "Grease," "Saturday Night Fever," .......
An afternoon spent running and playing and telling secrets with good friends at the park!
And, a check on my little lettuce and kale plants who were getting some sun today!

A perfect day!

Namaste

2009-03-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

In India, when we meet and greet and we say "Namaste", which means: I honor
the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you
of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if
you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one
of us. ~Ram Dass

Who Has Time for School?

2009-03-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

With a morning spent playing with friends.....American girls, pirate play, and muffin eating too....and an afternoon full of....

chemistry experimenting with red cabbage juice indicator,
(acid, base, neutral???)
making cool salt painted dragons,
experimenting with ink spots dabbed on coffee filters,
and of course lots of computer time for Amelia (blogging and Webkinz).

All in all, a day well spent! :)

Our Day in Pictures....

2009-03-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Pea Soup. I love to make soup! Simmering all day, smelling delicious, warming our insides......
Dollmaking by Maddie. A present for Leah....
Making Hamantaschen to celebrate PURIM!

Straws are always FUN!
The keyboard was in use ALL DAY!
Maddie started her day by making her favorite.....shakes! Blueberry Banana today.
Delicious coffee in one of my favorite mugs, handmade by Amelia.
Playing "Three Billy Goats" around the breakfast table. "Trit trot, trit trot, Who is crossing over my bridge?"

Learning In Our Own Way!

2009-03-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight at dinner, Amelia was noticing what a good speller she is. It's true! She is a strong reader, though not as strong as Maddie, and yet, her spelling skills shine! Why? It is obvious to me that it comes from hours spent on the computer! She loves to work on her blog, To Amelia,

Webkinz, Spanish sites, ....... Mostly, she just LOVES the computer. And, she is quite skilled at using it (much more so than her mama). Now, if she were in school and forced to learn spelling words each week, I can only imagine how that would go with her (grumble, grumble, do I have to???). But, on her own, she has figured out so much, doing exactly what she loves and has chosen to do!

TRUST! I trust that, although I don't always like her on the computer for hours at a time, there is a reason for it. And the reason is that she LOVES it, she is of course learning from it, and this is HER LIFE! She need to choose her path.

I seem to be focusing on Amelia a lot lately. So, let me also mention a Maddie untraditional learning moment! Maddie was making her Felicity American Girl doll (from Colonial times) bend backwards. She said, "Felicity couldn't really do this." I replied, "No, that would be hard for anyone to do." "No, Mommy, it's because she wore stays and they wouldn't allow her to bend in that way." Of course, Maddie, what was I thinking??? :)

Trust...

2009-03-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Trust is so much a part of this unschooling life that we live. I trust that my children will learn what they need to learn, without imposing on them what I think they should learn. This can be easier said than done for me. I am "deschooling" myself!

Leah, who is 4, would not go poopy on the potty. She has been potty trained (pee pee) for quite some time....years. But, when she has to make poopy, she asks for a diaper, does her business, and then asks to be immediately changed. At first, Mike protested. But, I convinced him to trust her, that she was doing what she needed to do. So, much time has passed, and Leah has showed no signs of wanting to go poopy on the potty. Then, the other day, she just did it! She was ready. There was no struggle, no anxiety, just peace on the potty. Trust.

Amelia is another example. Before I started on this unschooling journey, I tried to "teach" my 2 oldest daughters to read. Well, it did NOT work for Amelia. She wanted nothing to do with it (and rightfully so as she was clearly not ready). So, I backed off. Completely. I continued to read to her, take her to the library, love books..... Now, she reads like a pro. It still is not her first choice of an activity to do (very different than her twin sister, Maddie, who would read 22 out of 24 hours of the day!). But, she can do it and do it well! Trust.

I can't say that TRUST always comes easy for me. But, I'm learning. Or unlearning all of those years that people told me what I should be learning and when.

Trust.

Spring is in the air....

2009-03-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

Thinning my lettuce plants led to a yummy dinner salad. Our first fresh greens of the new year!

Here are the plants that did not make it into our salad....getting SUN!

A "before" picture of our raised beds, looking bleak and empty! Soon to be full of LIFE!
Ben was full of JOY and mud as our beautiful day progressed!
Much of Saturday was spent in a tree!
Maddie is collecting onion grass to chew on. Maddie and Amelia made a salad of it but then decided that they didn't like the taste that much!
I remember that feeling of leaning back on a swing! Pure JOY!

Nothing better than muddy feet.
Spring is finally almost here!

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T20:06:00.001-08:00

We began our "Snow Day" by playing outside! Maddie ventured out first.
Leah is getting bundled up!
Hello, Ben!

Then, we collected snow and made "Snow Toffee!" Yummy!
We played tons of Mancala! Love this game of strategy and fun!
Ben found time to do his favorite...play dough!
Maddie created this very cool fairy home out of clay! Very creative!
And, Mommy made homemade soup and banana bread!
What a beautiful day!!!!

Local is Best!

2009-02-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

What could be better than driving through the rolling countryside for 10 minutes to buy local honey from a kind man at his beautiful farm? Nothing! That is just what I was doing this morning. I used to buy "Walt's Swarmbustin Honey"

at our local dairy or natural food store, but then I noticed that Walt's address is West Grove, the same as ours. I gave him a call and have been to his farm twice to pick out my own honey. Much better than a store! I have had the chance to chat with Walt, see where he produces his honey, and become a part of my honey experience! Most importantly, my children and I can enjoy Walt's Fall Wildflower honey (the best!) on our fresh bread in the morning! YES!

I decided to write about this fun experience as I think about buying our food locally. I have always been interested in buying at farmer's markets and local farms, but now it has become a passion of mine. For the last 6 years, I have bought a lot of our produce from a local Amish family, Mary and Abner Stoltzfus. It is truly wonderful to wait while Mary goes and picks the vegetables that I have requested. Strawberries still warm from the June sunshine can't be beat!

In our new home, we now have Mother Earth organic mushroom farm right around the corner. I often pick up a box of fresh, organic mushrooms grown a few miles from our home.

But, of course, the most local food is that which we produce ourselves! Organic gardening has been a great joy for me. NOTHING beats seeing my children picking food from our garden and eating it on the spot! Maddie grew and ate so many tomatoes last year, along with beautiful flowers which she would cut and bring into our home, as well as gift to others. Ben could not get enough peas and is currently counting down the days until he can plant his own (finally almost here!). Leah grew her own carrots last year, which she really enjoyed harvesting. It is so much fun to pull up a carrot and see how big it is! And Amelia grew so many cherry tomatoes that some rotted on the plant because we had trouble finding them in the jungle that it became! For me, this is IT! The absolute best! I felt overwhelmed with joy when I could fill a basket with what would be our dinner right from my garden. This year, I will add potatoes, onions, and strawberries to our list of food that we grow. So, the list will include peas, spinach, lettuce, chard, kale, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, basil, onions, garlic, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, squash, pumpkins, corn, broccoli, ....and maybe some more! So far, I have little broccoli, lettuce, and kale seedlings growing in our spare room. Fabulous to see this beginning of the growing season right in our home!

As a sticker on the back of my car says, "Buy Fresh, Buy Local!"

Labrynth Reflections....

2009-02-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

Today, Maddie, Amelia, Leah, Ben, my mom and I went to the DE Museum of Art and walked the labrynth that is outside. It was about 60 degrees...fabulous for February in Pennsylvania! Ben and Leah RAN around the beautiful rock maze trying to get to the center. Maddie was concentrating on finding the center in a more peaceful way. Amelia walked with me, and I told her that I was going to walk very slowly and try to concentrate on how I breathe so that I could relax. While it was not completely RELAXING ("Ben, be careful with that stick, please!"), it was a fun time and gave me some thinking time.

I started thinking about the beautiful weather outside today and how I'm glad that my children could enjoy it! I'm so glad that they are not inside, staring out a window in a classroom, wishing it was time to play. Instead, they can PLAY, whenever, wherever, and for as long as they wish! I feel so glad that they were laughing at each other and planning what they would do when they got home this afternoon....and that they left the museum with their arms wrapped around each other.

I am so grateful that I have found my place in unschooling! Finally, it all feels right to me. Last year, I worried about what I was doing (and not doing) and contemplated sending them to school often. It felt like a roller coaster ride of uncertainty. This year, by contrast, I feel confident about my decisions. I feel so sure that I am doing the right thing for my children at this time in our lives. And, I feel so grateful to share each beautiful day exploring our world with my children!

Passions!

2009-02-25T03:55:00.000-08:00

I am a part of a wonderful online community, Radical Unschoolers. I have learned so much by reading what all of these very enlightened women have to say every day. Recently, Dayna Martin at Sparkling Martins and Unschooling America, said something that really stuck with me. She said that she helps her children with their passions, whatever they may be. She went on to address that some people might feel uncomfortable supporting a child who is engaged in video games all day long, but if that is their current passion, she feels strongly about supporting it in any way that she can. I love this! I am trying to also practice this in our family. Right now, each of my children has many passions! An easy example, however, is Amelia. She is very interested in learning Spanish (along with My Little Ponies, princesses, fairies, ballet, reading, woodworking, .....). So, to help fuel her passion, she took many Spanish books out of the library; I helped her find the section of books that are completely in Spanish. She also selected 3 videos and a cassette tape about learning Spanish. Yesterday, she searched the web for Spanish recipes and then made one....yummy Spanish baked apples! I helped her order a CD from Amazon to help her learn more Spanish. Tonight, I am taking her to a program at our local library for people who are practicing their Spanish. It feels wonderful to support Amelia (and my other children) in their passions everyday!

Swashbuckling Fun Time!!!

2009-02-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

......a phrase Ben yelled as he and Leah ran into the bathroom to play with bath toys in the sink! Glorious fun, apparently!!! I love it.....

And, what a day of swashbuckling fun it was! Book club with friends, a trip to the library, cutting snowflakes from paper, tons of computer time, reading about a million library books snuggled on the sofa under a warm afghan, watering our new seedlings (can't wait for Spring!), watching a dance performance that Maddie and Amelia worked on all afternoon, sewing napkins with Amelia, .........

Swashbuckling Fun!!!

Some thoughts on learning.....

2009-02-22T10:02:00.001-08:00

Today, while at church (the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark...a wonderful place to explore new ideas, accept ALL people, and celebrate this beautiful Earth that we all live on!), I saw a great poster. It read, "Learning that is enjoyable will be remembered always." So true.....

It made me think of all of the learning that we don't choose and we don't enjoy, and therefore, we don't remember. What do we get from such forced "lessons?" Not much, except a negative attitude. It reminds me of a dear friend of our family, Beni. She teaches Spanish at an elementary school. She is always talking about how the children don't REMEMBER anything! This seems obvious to me. Why should they remember something that they didn't choose to learn?

Our daughter, Amelia, is the opposite of this. She has taken to Spanish lately. She WANTS to learn the language, so she is! She can now count to 39 and say various phrases. I imagine that if I had said to her, "OK, we are going to sit down and learn our Spanish lessons now," that she wouldn't be very interested at all. (In fact, that was my original approach to reading, and boy did that backfire! Though it really did lead me to my current unschooling approach, so not a bad thing after all.....SERENDIPITY!)

I love this unschooling life that we live! It gives my children the chance to CHOOSE what they do on a daily basis. And, in doing so, I know that they are learning that LIFE IS LEARNING!

Learning is fun and natural, not forced and artificial. Learning rocks!

A New Experience....

2009-02-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today, for the first time, we went roller skating!!! What fun!!! It was the homeschoolers' "unskate" at the roller rink. Ben, Leah, Maddie, and Amelia, along with their sweet friend Kerry, had so much fun! I was truly amazed by their confidence and their willingness to try and try and try and .....try again. Even after falling SO MANY TIMES, they stood up laughing and tried again! What spirit! By the end of our 2 hours, Amelia was off on her own around the rink. Maddie was not far behind. Leah and Ben were also gaining confidence and trying it on their own.

I wish that I had pictures to post along with this message, but I forgot my camera! Instead, you will have to visualize the smiles that come from having an afternoon of pure FUN!!!

Our Beautiful Day......

2009-02-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

I want to celebrate our day...full of fun, learning, laughing, loving, exploring this beautiful world that we live in!

Today, we raised about $46.00 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation towards eventually CURING my dear daughter, Amelia, of this dreadful disease. (We have so much hope now that Obama is president! I am definitely a "mama for Obama!!!). All of my children spent time yesterday making beautiful bookmarks to sell, and I baked yummy chocolate chip muffins. And, the people who came to the Rachel Kohl Library and saw us selling things were so very generous!

While Ben, Leah, Amelia, and I were having our diabetes sale, Maddie was enjoying her day at Open Connections. Please visit their website to see how wonderful this place is. In a nutshell, it is a place that honors young people and treats them with the respect that they deserve. It is also full of wonderful activities to explore! And, it is FUN!!! While there, she used a hammer to turn chalk into colored dust, added water, and created a new medium to paint with...cool! When we all finally arrived home late this afternoon, Ben, Leah, and Maddie had to try it for themselves!

To end our day, Amelia was on the computer for about 2 hours! This would have upset me a few months ago, but I now realize that this is her passion! And, I always want to support my children's passions. She spent this time adding to her blog, To Amelia.

She wrote a story, posted comments to friends' blogs (which she inspired), and even wrote to her pen pal who also has diabetes. I admit that I used to try to force my children to write, though I would usually try to disguise my attempts by having them write letters or some other "authentic" piece of writing. Now, with no attempts on my part, Amelia is writing like crazy! She just had to do it on her own, in her own way, and because SHE decided to do it. No more will I try to control my children's activities. They know exactly what they need to be doing. I trust this and will support them in all of their explorations!

EXPLORERS...

2009-02-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

In our family, we have been having the discussion of what to call ourselves (as I had explained in a previous post). I really have a problem saying we "homeschool," when what we do differs greatly from other homeschool families that I know. Tonight, Amelia came up with the best idea! She said that what we do is "EXPLORE." I couldn't agree more! She went on to say that she explores the computer, she explores her camera (she is my technology girl!). I added that we explore museums, parks, the sewing machine, the art supplies, our kitchen, friend's houses, etc......

Let's go exploring....

The Beauty of February Days...

2009-02-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day! I feel immense gratitude that I have found the path that I am on. I LOVE that I can set out with my children any morning that I choose and go wherever I want. Our schedule is OURS!

This morning, we went to the Chadds Ford Historical Society for a program honoring our presidents. It was a really fun time! Lots of colonial costumes and games. Also, there were lots of other homeschool families that we know there, which was great fun for my children! It's funny....the day was for all families (as children have off of school today for President's Day), but the place was only filled with homeschooled children. I was thinking about it, and I'm sure that it must be because if you attend school all week and then have a day off, you probably just want to chill at home! I'm so glad that chilling is part of everyday for us!

Serendipity

2009-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

I was recently tagged by April at Flow of Love to participate in the 4-4-4 meme. It goes like this...

“go into your photo archive, pick the 4th folder in the archive, select the 4th picture in the folder, and write about it. Then tag 4 other people to do the same”
I am going to tag my daughter, Amelia, at her blog, To Amelia

This is a picture from a few years ago when Maddie and Amelia were at preschool. We were getting ready to go to a holiday concert that they were participating in. This was a very important year for us (as they all are!). It was when I decided to keep them home the following year instead of sending them to kindergarten. I had every intention of sending them prior to this year. But, as I saw what they were "learning" in preschool and also what I saw when I visited the local kindergarten, my decision was fairly easy (except convincing my husband that this was the right thing to do!). For me, my visit to the kindergarten class was a perfect example of "Serendipity." My reason for going was to see what their class would be like the following year, and when I left, I knew that I would homeschool them. Unschooling came later, but that's another story....

Ben and Leah's Half Birthday! Happy 4 1/2....

2009-02-13T19:28:00.002-08:00

In our family, we celebrate half birthdays. That is because Maddie and Amelia's half birthday is on July 4th. Ben and Leah's half birthday is the same as Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin's birthdays! So, my little ones baked a cake! (That is all that the celebration entails...no presents, no singing....but baking is always good!).
YUMMY!!!

Ben's Photography....

2009-02-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

Ben loves exploring my camera. He takes such interesting pictures. I love his perspective and especially his photos of himself! Here are a few that he took this week....

A visit to a museum...a lesson for mama....

2009-02-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

It is so easy to believe something, and quite another thing to actually live by it......

We went to a Natural History Museum today. It is a wonderful gem in Lancaster, PA...the North Museum. I really love it there (and most museums, in fact). I love to explore the different displays and try to learn as much as I can about things. Of course, some displays are naturally more interesting to me than others. I'm very interested in dinosaurs and the Arctic but less interested in the florescent room (a strange room with florescent lights....check out my teeth!). So, I was excited to show all of these exhibits to my 4 children, thinking that they too would find them very interesting and LEARN something from them. I was a bit disappointed, then, when the kids raced past all of the "cool" exhibits, especially those that I was trying to EXPLAIN to them ("Look, guys, the skull of homo sapien....it's evolution!!!").

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Look! A computer...," Amelia answered.

They all made a beeline for some sort of monitor that they could manipulate. For Ben, it was a show about whales that live in the Arctic. He was able to move the mouse to choose what whale to spotlight. It was really neat, and he especially liked the Narwhal whale and its large tusk. Leah was watching a video about polar bears and their cubs (so cute!). Maddie was doing an arctic quiz on a different computer, and Amelia was viewing icebergs on yet another manipulative display.

I was pretty upset that all they seemed to care about was the technology, but I tried to go with the flow. At one point, I was trying to show Amelia the replica of the planets which is set up so cool with their distance from the sun and size in scale when my mom said to her, "Look. Mommy is trying to teach you about something." Oh No! What was I doing? I was, yet again, projecting my ideas onto my children. Amelia didn't want to be shown anything; she wanted to EXPLORE! I need to let them lead the way!!! After all, I don't enjoy learning about things that don't interest me (certain required college courses come to mind here).

I am working towards shifting my thoughts away from "What are they learning?" to "Everyone is always learning, all of the time!" This is definitely a belief of mine. Yet, having gone through the system and being surrounded by that same system, it is easy to doubt yourself and your young people. But, I will continue to work towards TRUST! Trust that they are learning exactly what they need to be, Trust that they will make their own path through life, and Trust that they will continue to love learning in its many different forms.

In the words of John Holt, "....teaching that has not been asked for will not result in learning, but will impede learning." I believe this completely....it's remembering it that sometimes can be hard. Thank you, Maddie, Amelia, Leah, and Ben, for reminding me!

My Sweetie.....

2009-02-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

This is our sweetie, Leah! She wanted this picture to be posted. Here you go, Leah....

Doll Making

2009-02-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

Maddie, Amelia, and Leah (and their sweet friend who was visiting for the afternoon) were busy today making dolls. What fun to create using art supplies of their choice. I love seeing what they come up with on their own! Here are a few of their beautiful creations.

The Many Faces of a Cardboard Box....

2009-02-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

Back in Dec., Ben (age 4) wanted to make a fire engine. So, we brought up a big, cardboard box from the basement. Ben painted it red, and he and Leah (his twin sister) added Christmas cards to make it festive! Well, since then, this has become a prized possession! Ben has made his box into a snow plow, a house for his stuffed animals, a fire engine again, and many other creative play places. In fact, when people come over to visit, we usually put the box away, because Ben does not want to share this sacred space with others!

Today, Ben and I made the box into a 2 story room for his stuffed dog, complete with an attached string for pulling his dog to the 2nd floor! Very creative and FUN!!! Who needs expensive play things? Give me a box!!!

Spring Whispers!

2009-02-09T17:10:00.001-08:00

I love this....Spring Whispers! The term was created by my daughter, Amelia, using our new magnetic poetry words for the fridge. What fun!!! Amelia spent much of her afternoon creating a long poem using so many of the words. In doing this, besides just HAVING FUN, she was being so creative, reading, spelling, creating poetry, etc.....

I also just love the term, Spring Whispers. It seems to me that Spring is doing this very thing, as we get a warm "teaser" day followed by days that are cold. Soon, I know, Spring will be beautifully loud with blooming tulips, daffodils, and tasty, new spinach leaves, but for now, we'll enjoy every small whisper that comes our way!

A Question of Semantics

2009-02-05T04:40:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling lately with the word, "Homeschooling." To me, it implies that our family is at home hitting the books instead of doing the same thing at school. This is the furthest thing from the truth! Actually, we do "hit the books," but they are usually library books of my young people's choosing. :)

It happens often when we are out and about, as we so often are. Someone will ask how old Maddie and Amelia are and then say, "Is there no school today?" They reply, "We homeschool." That is met with different replies depending on the person, but generally it is something like, "Oh, your mom is your teacher." (No, the world is their teacher. They LIVE!) Or, "You must have been a teacher in order to know how to teach your children." (Yes, I was a teacher, but it has nothing to do with what goes on in our daily lives). Or, "I could never do that! You must be so patient." (No, I'm not always patient, but I do LOVE being with my children and I am GRATEFUL that we can spend our days together!).

I would love to think of another term besides "homeschooling" or even "unschooling." Unschooling is fine to say in the homeschooling crowd; they know sort of what you mean. The outside world has no idea who John Holt is or what I mean by "life learning."

So, if anybody has any advice, I'd love to hear it! For now, we will continue to muddle through the questions....and enjoy our life of learning together!

Our beautiful, creative day....

2009-02-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

Publishing time for Amelia's book!

Amelia is creating a book about her type 1 diabetes.

Maddie is our family's fashion designer. Here she creates clothes for her princess!

Ben is creating another masterpiece on Paint Shop!

Leah is sewing her own pants, that is the holes in the pants! (I wanted to use these very worn pants to make a quilt, but she insisted that they could be saved...so she saved them!).

2009-02-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

Baking with my kids is so much fun! Here we are making biscuits. I always wonder about people who buy the Pillsbury biscuits in the market (no offense, if it is you). It is so easy and fun to make biscuits from scratch! Really, it was only an hour from start to finish...and best of all I know exactly what did and did not go into our food! YUMMY!

Great Quote by John Holt

2009-02-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

"To parents I say, above all else, don't let your home become some terrible miniature copy of the school. No lesson plans! No quizzes! No tests! No report cards! Even leaving your kids alone would be better; at least they could figure out some things on their own. Live together, as well as you can; enjoy life together, as much as you can."

John Holt

This is exactly what I believe. And yet, it is hard not to get caught up in our society's belief that a school is where you learn. At least for me. I plan to come back to this quote when things get rough around here or when another homeschool mom says, "What exactly do you do if you don't do 'schoolwork'?" It is just about this time that I need to take another Holt book out of the library......

Amelia and Addy

2009-02-02T13:48:00.001-08:00

My beautiful daughter, Amelia, received this beautiful doll from Santa! She wanted me to post this picture and I was happy to do so!

Creative Overflow!

2009-02-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

A friend posted on her blog about the "messes" that children make while being creative after we had a conversation about how to handle our feelings toward such "messes." She took photos and challenged people to call these "messes" by another, more enlightened, positive name. So, April, here it goes....I'll call it "Creative Overflow!" And, here are some pictures of my young people's "Creative Overflow...."

Unschooled Kids...

2009-01-27T19:39:00.001-08:00

My 7 year olds, who were getting ready for bed (at 10:30....yeah for homeschooling and living on OUR schedule), were talking about a book that Amelia got out of the library. Maddie said, "She got an F on her spelling test. I don't know what that means but its something bad." Amelia responded, "Maybe it means 'fighting."

I LOVE that they don't know what an "F" is. I hope that they never do! :)

Joyous Trips to the Library!

2009-01-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we took our weekly trip to the library. Actually, we often go to the library more than once a week, but we always go on Mondays! My children love to read, as do I. In fact, we go to the library after the book club that we started for local homeschooled children. It is so exciting to go to the library and especially to come home with all of our great finds! Yesterday, as always, the 30+ books that we took out were strewn around the house as we all explored them. Maddie, one of my 7 year olds, took out 12 chapter books alone! She spent the majority of the afternoon laying on the sofa reading, as she does every Monday afternoon. Amelia, my other 7 year old, and Ben and Leah, my twin 4 year olds, created a library, using homemade library cards, the cash register, and lots of library books. I feel so priviledged to spend a weekday with my children in this way! Joyously learning and living together!