6.28.2011

My Little Education Plan

Check out Owlet for her awesome Unschool Monday posts. So many cool ideas on how to work with your kids so that they can learn for themselves.


-large lot in town with a great yard and a nice old house. lots of space for a food garden, some fruit trees, a natural playscape and some animals.
-rotating roster of tutors and mentors for the students to ask questions and get inspiration from.
-sort of a waldorf style unschooling headquarters...
-i want my children to be able to follow the things that intrest them but have the guidance they need to get a well rounded view on whatever topic it is that they chose.

The thing I worry about with going all full out unschool style is what happens when the kids want to study something specific like, I dunno, solar rocket space powered energy time booster science or astrophysics? I can't help them learn that... and I don't really know where to point them to find it. Or what if they want to study something abstract like interpretive greek theater or philosophy. What happens when the knowledge they seek surpasses my own understanding? 

That is why I like the idea of having a place, a central location, to go to when they need guidance. A place where mentors and other kids can come together and share the projects they are working on and see other kids who are leading their own education. I love the ideas of mentors and tutors. Mentors to help in a specific skill like growing food, raising animals, solar rocket space powered energy time booster science. Tutors to help them follow the path in and out of subjects, to keep the flow from one interest to the next smooth and fun. Say Little A wants to learn about preserving food and all she knows about is how to make blackberry jam (mmm i can't wait to make jam with the kids). I would love someone who can help her delve into how the proccess works in jarring/canning (you know, the science behind the pectin and whatnot). Then maybe flows into dried food and salt perserving and I dunno... other ways to preserve food. Maybe that leads to an interest in mummification which leads to egyptian studies. I have no idea how to help her follow that path. I would love a person who can follow that lead with help finding resources, people, you know- learning type stuff.

I feel like if I were my kids sole source of information they might get a bit of a skewed world view. 

6.25.2011

Happy Home


Soooo.... Huz is home again, yay! Our family has undergone an amazing transformation. I can say with confidence that we have more happy, positive moments and days than negative. We are still broke, still on food stamps but right now, those things don't matter. We are happy. A while ago, I was depressed and lonely. I hadn't yet found my place as a stay-at-home-just-me-and-2-Littles mom. Now things are looking amazing. My kids are both healthy and happy, we play more and I stress less, I fix good food more and clean less (I found a rhythm...). Sure there are still moments when I wish I could sell my kids on e-bay (kidding) but lately it seams they have been few and far between. We are happy and it is amazing.

I read this interesting post on one of my new favorite blogs about being afraid of sharing your happy times, when you are in a content space. She talks about being in a sad space in your own life and then reading about some one else's happiness, how sometimes that can make your world just look more bleak. I sooo know how that is. "Why can't I have what they have?" you know? But just as I think we moms need to be more open about our struggles, we need to share our triumphs and our small smiles also.

We have had so many small smiles, gentle happinesses that have filled our days lately. Huz has been home in and out a lot lately. It is Spring Dance Concert time, Little A is in her first big dance recital and it is my first time being a backstage mom. Little B is so close to walking I am actually about to baby proof my house. for the first time. ever. They have both been playing and laughing together a lot and it warms my heart to see them. Tons of time spent outdoors- the beach, the garden, long walks around town (I have another great Around The Garden post coming). My father's knee replacement went very well and he is home recovering. And Huz's mom's heart surgery went well and she is also recovering. Oh and my dear friend Pipi had her baby at home 2 weeks ago! We are happy!!!! I hope you are happy too and if you are sad like I was, I promise- it will get better! I love you.


My first ever 3 ply.

Baby Zoe's welcome earth side yarn.

My classy way of drinking tea.

Love this Little. I think this is the best picture of Little B ever.

From inside the cupboard "He can't find me Mommy!!!" 


Exact same spot on the beach about a week later. The creek changed course and the waves washed way up the beach and put sand where there hadn't been sand. My youngest brother and some of his friends from college came to visit and they played with the kids in the sand for the whole day. By the time we left they had a pit so deep it held water and you couldn't Little A's head when she was standing in the bottom!

Playing together in the garden.

Dancing with friends in the dressing room at dress rehearsal.


6.11.2011

Around the Garden

This is supposed to be a thursday thing and here it is almost saturday. Oh well.

Farmama does a great ...blog roll?... weekly ritual...? thing every thursday called Around The Farm (or Garden) in which she encourages readers to post weekly pics of their kitchens. kidding. Any way... the kids and I do not yet have our own garden to post pictures of but we have my mom's and I have a new phone that takes great pictures. I have collected a few shots from our little patch of earth to share today... Enjoy.


June rain on the poppies. 

Herb going to seed. I say "herb" because I am awesome and have no idea. I know my mom cooks with it and it is delicious and I know we want it to go to seed so we can grow it again. because it tastes amazing.


Those two little buds might one day be kiwis... But you know, the reproductive system of  kiwis can be very tricky... we came close last year. We almost had really yummy eating grapes too!


The Orchard


My dad totally rocks the welding hot sauce and made my mom this vulture to keep out... what? like road kill or something? Who knows, it doesn't matter, this thing is hot shit. Now that my dad is retired maybe he'll become an artist againg (my theory is that he had to quit art to take over his dad's industrial design buisness. now that he is no longer working for the man (himself) and focuses on art maybe he'll leave me and my family alone about the whole starving artist thing.)

Speaking of starving artist, stay tuned for my first batch of yarn to pop up on etsy!

6.10.2011

6.05.2011

Safe Space Sunday.

Today I would love to hold a safe space for all mothers who are nearing their birthing time. In honor of my dear friend, Pippi, who's EDD is coming up, I want to project positive, loose, earth, birth, woman power into the universe. Tonight, while I spin the rest of the yarn for Littlest Pip, I will focus my thoughts on this soft and gentle birth energy. I hold in my mind a picture of a the perfect, gentle homebirth and I will keep the thought present until the week is out and Pippi's baby has come into the world.

If you have a friend who is getting ready for her birth and would like to hold collective Safe Birth space with me, feel free to leave a comment with as many details as you want.

Blessings

Family. Closer Every Time.

I'm lying in the dark on my new phone, practicing using the swype feature and nursing Little B. Tricky tricky.

I have really been thinking about the way my Little family interacts with the Universe. And the way we e exist as a unit. With the Huz home we have had a way more coherent group. There have been moments of rest and quiet that I never really have gotten to experience before. Having two parents really makes going out in the world easier, no matter what the activity might be. As a family we have been able to do so much more this past two weeks. Trips to the beach, lots of playtime with family and friends, shopping and even some sacred mommy-daughter time.

Little A and I have had few moments together since Little B was born. With Huz home, A and I have gone to the bakery, the market, a walk and for ice cream. Having that time together has really gone a good way toward strengthening my relationship with my daughter. It is amazing how big a difference having Huz here has made. Now he is getting ready to leave again, but I really look forward to watching our family dynamic grow and change and mature.

posted from Bloggeroid

6.04.2011



posted from Bloggeroid

Testing 3 2



posted from Bloggeroid

Testing 2 2

Ok so here i am trying to post from
my new phone. Does it work?

posted from Bloggeroid

6.02.2011

Spinspiration Presents Woolly Wednesday- Spinning in the Sun






Spinning Submarine Mystery Wool Roving (?) on my new Ashford Traditional Wheel. Turns out I have been knitting for about a year and spinning for maybe 4 months (?). I love spinning! It is amazing how relaxing it is when I have a chance to spin for more than a few minutes at a time. While I was spinning, my babies were doing this:




Thanks to my amazing man for these beautiful pics!