My unschooling helpers

I still am possessed with strep. We haven't been doing much because of these drug resistant annoyances. I'm now taking 9 pills a day for the next 10 days and if this doesn't work, its specialist time. The boys have really been doing more on their own. We've stayed home, which they prefer, and we try to take it easy for my sake. I haven't been reading out loud, and I haven't been trying to introduce new things, but I know they are still learning. DS7.10 stunned me the other day when he read the words, "Classic Boxing". He was trying to find something on TV to watch. I didn't expect him to be able to read those kinds of words yet. I guess he can. He also told me he figured out 4, 8's equal 32. I guess he's ready for multiplication. Learning never stops, even if your mom has strep for a month!

Be careful what you ask

Ok, I'm probably not feeling well emotionally so this may have been a bad time to survey my children. I had wanted to ask them questions and then years down the road, I thought it would be fun to read what their answers were when they were at this age. I asked them for their favorites and least favorites. I asked them also what they thought they would be doing in 5 years and what they'd be when they grew up. Now I'm questioning whether I'm giving my children what they need to develop a healthy desire for success. Or maybe more accurately, I'm realizing my dreams for them, are not the dreams they have for themselves!

DS11 wants an "easy" job. He doesn't want to go to college. (That's actually ok with me. I'd rather he go to tech school.) In 5 years, he'll be "delivering mail or helping the librarian." When he grows up, he wants to "be a baker or a builder of houses." He also threw in video game designer. No surprise there. I thought he'd be an accountant because of his gifted number aptitude. I could actually see him being a carpenter. He really likes to build things and he could use his math talents.

DS7.10 wants to be a judge or a food critic. Actually, I think he'd make an excellent lawyer. He is very strong willed and will tell you its black when you know its white. He isn't very easily persuaded so I don't know if this would make a good judge or not. As for food critic, he is such a picky eater now, he'll only eat a few different foods. How could he be a food critic! DH thinks DS7.10 would make a good Pastor. This shocked me because DS7.10 doesn't show his sensitivity outwardly. I always thought, or hoped for, DS7.10 to be an auto mechanic. He used to be into cars and trucks and we need a good trustworthy auto mechanic in the family!

I know I shouldn't get too worked up about this. DH was going to be a truck driver with a shark tank in the back of the trailer. I remember wanting to be a teacher and in a way, I guess I am. Who knows what the Lord has planned for them? I just have to remember they have their own dreams.

Oh yeah, I have a blog here...

I've been busy playing over on Yahoo 360. I can't help it if they make it more fun and easy to connect with others.

For those of you too shy to venture over to My Other Blog, here's what we've been up to. It hasn't all been rosy.

On October 30th, DH entered into indentured slavery. He is trapped on a sinking ship. There is too much work and not enough workers. He is sacrificing to try and keep the paycheck coming. Pray for him with us. He hasn't had a day off since the 30th.

The boys are doing great despite the lack of family time we've had. Amazingly they still have trick or treat candy left and teeth still in their mouths.

I made a deal with DS11 that I won't give him spelling tests if he promises to use spellcheck. This is how I learned how to spell. I spent years in the public school system excelling at most subjects except spelling. Once I began using a keyboard and having the words highlight when I mispelled them, it all clicked. DS11 is spending more time on the computer these days.

Yumi had her operation. She was away for 25 hours but we missed her so much! I think they fell in love with her at the vet too. She returned to us like nothing had happened. Her belly is still naked, but she's stopped licking her incision.

I tried to start our holiday enjoyment by making cinnamon applesauce ornaments. They didn't work out. (Thanks a lot Martha!) I have started to get our house season ready by cleaning and clearing out. It feels good to purge and simplify.

Next week we are hosting a HEARTS party. The kids are collecting books for a family shelter and school supplies for a school in Kabul, Afganistan. Sadly, our turnout will be low. I'm trying to see past this and realize how important it is for even one person to give of their time. I want the boys to learn how rewarding volunteering can be.

Well, that's about all my sore throat will allow me right now. Time for another cup of Elderberry Tea.

Stop me if I get this way...

I told DS11 to tell me if I get this way. Yesterday I witnessed a mother IMO, disrespecting her son. She had arrived early for his lesson so she told him to wait alone while she ran to the store. I thought this was harsh. She could have spent those 15 minutes with her son, enjoying his company. She could have ran her errand after his class began. When she returned at the end of the lesson, she opened the door to the men's locker room and started yelling at him to come out now. The poor kid just got out of the water and needed to change! This young man was probably 13? I felt embarrassed for him. When he came out, he was clearly upset. Her schedule was more important to her I guess. I told my son, if I ever get that way, say something! I don't want to be the kind of parent who forgets my child is a human being with feelings, worthy of my respect.

I can try to see this event from the mother's point of view. She probably had tons to do, places to get to. But perhaps she could have better managed her time, or at least laid out her expectations for her son to comply with her schedule. She seemed so rushed. I felt sorry for her. Her stress was also causing stress for her son, effecting their relationship.

I hope I can remember when I'm stressed, to slow down and remember what's really important.

Do I really care?

On one of my homeschooling groups, there is a buzz about an upcoming Dr. Phil show where he slams unschooling/homeschooling. I don't usually watch Dr. Phil and I probably won't watch his show on unschooling. Yesterday though, I did watch a few minutes while on the treadmill. He has this "Dr. Phil house" and he chose the following people to live together; a white supremist, a black woman who hates white people, a thin person who hates fat people, a fat man who hates thin people, a gay person who hates straights, a straight who hates gays, etc. The camera follows their every move. Its so unethical its not funny. Dr. Phil watches the footage and makes comments about the people's behavior. It creates such an unhealthy environment for these people, I can't see how any healing can take place. Dr. Phil obviously wanted to exploit these people. You probably watch more Dr. Phil than I do, but I've seen enough. I'm sure his anti-homeschooling show will be more biased BS.

The truth is I don't care what other people think of my family's lifestyle. I know my children are learning and growing wonderfully. One day they will go out into the world and they will demonstrate their strengths.

I'm so proud of my cub!

I know unschooling is working. DS11 has been enjoying an online game and last night he had a devastating defeat. He had his low moment, taking time to feel and express his disappointment. This morning he got back up on the horse. He began researching online to solve his dilema. Then he developed a plan to test his solution, taking care to protect his assets. It's important for him to know his solution will work and be the best for the situation. He has demonstrated how to use curiosity with caution. I know he has become a problem solver. He overcame a tragic event in his eyes, and decided not to give up. And all of this I learned from watching him play an online virtual role playing game.

The weekend can't come soon enough.

Yesterday we spent all afternoon away from home, enjoying a homeschool gym class and art time with some friends. I introduced the group to Artist Trading Cards and it seemed like everyone liked the idea. After art class is was time for me to run to work, so needless to say, my house isn't getting much attention. Today I was going to catch up, but the only thing that got cleaned was the van, and I wasn't responsible for that. The boys did that for me. I woke up with a touch of something intestinal. I'll spare you the details, but I'm feeling weak and drained. I have to work again tonight so I'm trying to rest up. The boys are keeping busy playing Legos,chess and wiping their noses. (They have colds.) I hope tomorrow we'll all wake up feeling better and kick things into high gear. Maybe the sun will come out too. Hmm, time to find one of my favorite Beatles Songs. I think that will pick me up.

An unschooly day

I love autumn and I love being home to enjoy it. Today we chose to play chess, and carve virtual pumpkins in preparation for carving the real ones closer to Halloween. We also read the first several chapters of THE END, the 13th and final book in the series of Unfortunate Events. DS11 made movies with his video camera, and we watched his old movies and marveled at how big Yumi has gotten. We called grandma to tell her about our weekend. We did crack a textbook, but the two math lessons seemed like common sense to DS11. We just looked them over while eating noodles for lunch. I actually love Mondays. We don't have to leave the house unless we want to. Its so important to take these days to follow our passions.

Questions

As a homeschooler/unschooler, I've always encouraged the boys to ask
questions. Asking questions leads to understanding. Questioning things can also bring needed changes. I've always told them, there is no bad question, but some do seem better than others. For example, yesterday these goodies were asked;

"Mom, how many colors are there?" My answer- "Infinite, I think. When you think about the many different shades you can make. Of course there are colors we can't see as well." I bought watercolor paint so we can practice mixing colors and on our
list goes the book about how our eyes see light waves.

"Mom, how much is a hundred googles?" My answer- "A lot. Actually, if you really want to know, a google is a 1 with one hundred zeros behind it. Now put two zeros behind that."

"Mom,what are the Killing Fields?" My thought- why did I leave the history channel on!! My answer- "Well, the Killing Fields were a genocide, a dark time when thousands of people were killed."

Of course often I'll answer questions with another question. I also like to keep
index cards around so we can write down the questions we don't have answers for right away.

"Mom, why does the top of Wisconsin actually belong to Michigan?" This index card question will remind me to pick up a book on Wisconsin or Michigan history.

I survived the Sleep Over!

My oldest just turned 11 and per his request, we threw a sleep over party. We've done these in the past, and after each one I swear I'm not having another. These parties usually mean 8 boys, in the basement, jacked up on cake and ice cream, playing video games all night long. The first time I tried to get them to settle into their sleeping bags, it was 10:30. I don't know what I was thinking. I sent down my husband at midnight and he rechecked them at 1:30. They were still all going strong. I couldn't make it and I passed out. My husband last checked them at 3:30am and then gave up himself. Although they were all chipper when I fed them cinnamin rolls for breakfast, I'm sure they went home and had crabby afternoons. Thankfully, I didn't receive any angry phone calls from parents. I've told myself, its just once a year.

Chewing more than I can bite

I've started another blog on Yahoo 360. I know I haven't really done too much with this blog. Why start another one? Ask DaVinci. He knew all about starting projects before others were finished. Geniuses tend to do this, don't you think?

We had a gorgeous day out in the fall sunshine. We created a Letterbox event for our homeschool friends at our local park. I just love cool, crisp fall air in my
lungs. I hated coming home to a house that still needs my attention.
The dishes, and laundry will wait right?! The Harvest Moon will be out
tonight!

Here's something else to pick you up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Bear Hugs out to You!!

Morons

I've read this morning that Republican Rep. Frank Lasee wants to arm teachers in schools with guns. I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone! How do these morons get elected? I know they are voted into office by fellow moronians. I just forget, now and then, how many morons I have to coexist with. I really don't understand how people can think this is a good idea. Teachers want to teach. They don't want to be prison guards. Its just another reason why I'm so thankful we homeschool.

2 times 7

"I know what 2, 7 times is mom. Its 14." DS7 announced this fact to me while I was paying for orange juice in lane 3. He was sitting on the
bench,waiting patiently. I asked him how he figured this out. He told
me he counted every other lane all the way down to lane 14. Don't you
love when they figure this stuff out like that!

No one would believe me if I told them

My son is reading the dictionary, his own choice. I was finishing up my
chocolate fix when I looked over and saw him curled up on the couch,
nose in the middle of the dictionary. I know he prefers to read
non-fiction, but the dictionary? Of course I said nothing to him and
left him to his own enjoyment. I'm sure if I had asked him to look up a
definition, he would have bawked. I'm confident taking the unschooling approach of leaving the dictionary stratgically out on the end table was the better way to go.

Recharged

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to have a night away with my husband. We very rarely get this opportunity. We attended my cousin's wedding, and it was just what we needed. Its easy to take for granted the foundation of our family,(our marriage),when we are busy with work and kids. Spending this time together without the usual distractions really renewed and recharged us. I have to make it a priority to plan more getaways for us!

Today it was back to unschooling for the boys and I. Being away from them, even for just one night, made me really grateful to be able to share so much time with them. DS7 and I read a great book, I Spy Shapes In Art by Lucy Micklethwait. She has you use famous works of art to find shapes. DS7 loves the I SPY books and Where's Waldo. This book offered him an addition benefit of reviewing great works of art. DS7 liked the Pop Art the best.

We also spent the afternoon at the park. We looked for hiding places for our Letterboxes and wrote clues. In a few weeks, we are inviting our homeschooling group to help us hunt for them. I love any good reason to be outdoors, especially on a sunny, warm fall day.

I did manage to bake some bread today too. We are trying a Ranch flavored bread because the boys love to dip everything in Ranch dressing. It smells fantastic, but we haven't tasted it yet.

I want to share one more thing today. I read this poem on a box of tea. Its written by Diane Loomans, from Full Esteem Ahead.

If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again

If I had my child to raise all over again, I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

I really do like when my children develop a passion, but when do you question whether passion has become obession?

Both of my two cubs have gone through the usual boy passions of transporation, construction, arachnids and insects. The older offspring followed his father into a love of role playing video games, but until a few months ago, my younger son was my Uno buddy. Uno branched off into several other great card games, and I was sure I'd have a kindred soul to enjoy my love of games of the non-electric variety. Then one day, I was asked why I didn't enjoy playing video games.

As I thought about my answer, I remembered years ago, BC (before children), I enjoyed playing a video game called, "Zombies Ate My Neighbors." In the game, you run around trying to rescue people and dogs from Zombies, Werewolves, man eating plants, snakeoids, giant ants, chainsaw Texans, ooh aah dolls (think Trilogy of Terror with Karen Black), Martians, mummies and sea monsters. Your only defense to start with, is a squirt gun, but you collect other weapons such as silverware (werewolves and silver don't mix), soda pop (I guess monsters don't like carbonation), magic potions, weed whackers (good for the man eating plants), and shoes that make you run faster. The game really is quite creative as you work your way through the different levels. DH and I have always thought it would make an excellent movie.

As I recalled my joy of playing Zombies Ate My Neighbors, I wondered where this old game had gone to. I found it weeks later looking for something else. It was hidden away in the dark, unfinished part of the basement in a place I would never look for it. I presented the find to my family with great excitement. Little had I known what was yet to come of this discovery.

We hooked up the game and DS7 plugged in. He became passionate about playing. He'd work up a sweat even as he jumped around with the controller in his tight grip. To my amazement, he far surpassed my abilities in rescuing babies, cheerleaders, tourists, soldiers, and Fido. He switched from weapon to weapon, knocking down the undead left and right. DH found cheat codes online so our little Zombies Ate My Neighbors Wizard could move right through the different levels, experiencing bigger and badder monsters. Soon, he didn't use the cheat codes anymore. Then the day finally came when he mastered all 48 levels. I thought the passion would have run its course and he'd be onto the next new thing. I was wrong.

We've been here before. We feed our children's passion, making their passions our own to enjoy the experience with them. At one point in my life I could have named every Thomas the Tank engine train friend, explained how diggers and backhoes work, and amaze you with my spider trivia,(my favorite being, you are never more than 3 feet away from a spider.)

Now for awhile I re-embraced Zombies, but for me, its run its course. I keep waiting for the day DS7 will decide this game is tomorrow's news. I guess that's the hard part about letting your child follow his interests. I feel like he's seen and done everything there is to do with the game. I feel its time for him to move on and grow into another passion. I guess I have to step back and let him figure that out for himself. Its all about his timing, not mine.

Orienteering

Motivation can move you further than you know. We went Orienteering this past Saturday at a beautiful Wisconsin state park, Blue Mounds. In Orienteering you use a topographical map to navigate a course, finding markers along your path. You punch in at each marker and serious competitors like to run the course as quickly as they are able. Our family likes to take our time however, enjoying the scenery. We had hiked the same park a few weeks ago and DS7 almost didn't make it. He had tears in his eyes and his little legs wouldn't take him another step further. This time however, he was out in front for the entire duration of our hike. I think the movitation of finding the markers made it more fun for him.

DS7 has never been a huge fan of hiking despite the fact DH and I have taken him into the woods since his birth. We've been using the hobbies of Orienteering and Letterboxing to make our family hikes more enjoyable for him.

Yumi

This is Yumi. She is now 17 weeks old. She has the gift of purr. No matter how sad you feel, once she climbs onto your lap and starts to purr, your worries melt away and your heart is wrapped around her. She has taught us that love has no limits.

Getting back to our unroutine

I know its not really fall yet according to the earth's positioning, but since back to school time is here, it feels like fall. For us, back to school means back to family. While most of our neighborhood friends are attending school, we get to spend more time together, the boys and me. It feels so wonderful to have them back!

Since returning from our trip up north, we've been getting back to the "unroutine" of unschooling. Rather than follow a schedule, we simply try to fill our days with activities that interest us. Of course there are still distractions like dentist visits and my work schedule. I seem to have a huge mental list of "should do", "would like to do" and "would love to do." Its becoming a question of discipline and balance. I remind myself we need to nourish our souls and take care of our bodies. We can't do it all. We do need down time.

Its hard to allow for down time though when you know time goes by so quickly. Because of this, I find myself gravitating to the "would love to do" list. The lawn needs mowing but isn't it fun to watch our Yumi play in the grass? She won't be a kitten forever. We really should clean up and organize our bedrooms, but the sun is shining and its 70 degrees! All too soon it will be below zero and dark.

I'm the type of person who would rather live life like its our last day. The beauty of unschooling allows us to learn from this full lifestyle. I just have to let go sometimes of the doubts, walk in the grass in my barefeet, look up at the clouds and take a deep breath.

Countdown to the Road Trip

Only 3 more days until we pack the car and we're off, over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go! DH can't take off from work, but since I'm off while the pool is drained and resurfaced, I'm taking the boys to the north woods. I'm looking forward to getting away from our summer doorbell, but I'll miss DH tons! I wonder if the boys will go through friend withdrawal or be too distracted to notice.

I hope they enjoy exploring the woods around Grandpa's house and fishing on his boat. I hope the drive goes well. It will be a long ride for us. I'm packing the books on CD and portable DVD player.

I need this trip to reconnect with my boys. They've spent so much time playing with PS friends. When we get back, they'll have one last weekend and then school starts. That means our Heavensville Homeschool can get back to longer days rather than shorter ones. I've always viewed our homeschool being 24/7, 365 days a year. Learning doesn't just happen between the hours of 8-3:30, Monday through Friday. But our style of learning at home changes when friends are over. There's a group dynamic. When its just us, the peer pressure influence is gone and the boys have more freedom in their choices. I'm looking forward to getting back to that.

Give a Little Bit

I've recently been feeling down because of the lack of humanity on this planet. I'm going to pull myself out of it by singing this song today. I'm going to sing it all day long. Join me!

"Give A Little Bit" by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be suprised

So I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
Now's the time that we need to share
So send a smile, we're on our way back home
ooh yea yea
We gotta feel it
Yea yea yea yea...
Ooo
Don't you need to feel at home
Ooo you gotta feel it
Yea you gotta want to
OO you gotta sing, we've come along way tonight

So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time we need to share
So send a smile, we're on our way back home
Yea come along too
Yea we gotta feel it
Cause I need to feel at home
Come along too
Such a long ride
oo come a long way
Such a long ride
Come a long way
Sing it tonight

Sleep, beautiful sleep...

This past weekend, we took a road trip to Grandma's and Uncle Chip's. Sleeping away from home is always a challenge for us because we are such creatures of habit. We need a fan and our own pillows and blankets, our soft mattresses, etc. We had a wonderful time visiting everyone, but we were sleep deprived.

Upon returning home, DS10 and I had to head right back out to spend the night at the hospital. DS10 needed to have a sleep study done. This was an experience I do not wish to repeat. It seemed like they had 100 wires hooked into my son. The ones on his head were glued on and in the morning had to be disolved off. In his sleep he kept pulling off the oxygen tube until they taped it to his face. I was balled up on a cot next to his bed and every time a wire came off I was awakened by them coming in to hook it back up. Niether one of us could have gotten much sleep.

Monday night I was so grateful to be back in my nest! I slept long and deep and realized what a gift a comfortable bed is.

Hi Maija!

I've just been reminded by my favorite SIL that I've neglected this blog once again. Summertime does pull me away from the computer. This isn't a bad thing however really. Here's what we've been up to since recovering from Strep throat:

Garage Sale!! We hid away from the heat in our basement going through container after container of toys. This sure did cure my "afluenza." The boys made close to $100.00 and I freed up several containers for storage. My long term goal is to bring organization to our basement.

We've also been working on a project for H.E.A.R.T.S- Homeschoolers Educating And Reaching out Through Service. We've been turning in cans for money to buy school supplies for needy families. We don't use many school supplies ourselves as unschoolers. We seem to be able to reuse what we have.

We installed a basketball hoop and we're all enjoying it. I had to convince DH to allow us to spoil him with this gift for Father's Day. He didn't want us to spend that much on him, but when I pointed out its use for "homeschool P.E", he reconsidered. It was more of a project putting together and cementing it in than I thought it was going to be, but being unschoolers we figured it out. Of course having a DH with an engineering background helped! Now the family hangs out on the driveway when dad gets home from work. I have yet to win at Horse.

Our DK (dear kitten) is quickly becoming a DC (dear cat). She is turning out to be a brute. Her favorite kitty fight club move lately is a head lock on poor old Kita. I'm feeling guilty now for exposing my senior citizen cat to a young wild thing. Kita has lost weight though which she needed to do.

As far as my soap box, I'm upset the circus is coming to town. I don't believe animals should be chained up and whipped for our entertainment. This circus even has an elephant which breaks my heart.

I'm also upset about spanking. Its the anniversary of my life changing moment at the WI State Fair. Years ago I witnessed a man beat his son at the fair and it awoke in me a desire to stop child abuse. Last week I witnessed a mother spank her naked daughter's butt because she wouldn't put on her swimsuit. It broke my heart. I'm ready for an anti-spanking law.

Many people say child abuse education is the key, not laws. I've been asked, "As a homeschooler, how can you say you want the government making parenting decisions for you?" The way I see it, education and child abuse are two separate things. Law currently prohibits us from spanking the obnoxious person in front of us. You'd be arrested and made to register as a sex offender if you spanked anyone under the age of 18, unless of course, they are on your tax return.

Parents have the right to establish their own discipline, but slapping your kid across the face or the butt is not discipline. I'm so sick of Right Wingers trying to use the Bible to justify it. They need to learn Hebrew and learn the true definition of "the rod."

As a Christian myself, I prayed about how to help my DS behave. He was strong willed and time outs didn't seem to phase him. After prayer, God didn't lead me to spank him. God told me to give my son a mission, a job, a responsibility. Redirection really does work. DS went from troublemaker toddler to responsible helper. He thrived on the direction and it gave him self esteem.

Well, I suppose this is plenty of blogging for now. I'll get down from the soap box and actually pick up a literal box of soap to wash clothes. Peace and blessings!

Happy 4th of July!

I am spending the holiday in pain. I don't understand why, but I'm always getting sick on the weekends. I now have strep throat. It erupted over the weekend and I had to wait until Monday to see the doctor. He took one look and wrote the prescription, doing the culture was "a technically", he said. Before I was home from the office, they had called and said it tested positive. Now I'm waiting for the rest of my family to fall ill.

Sometimes I think God allows me to get sick so I appreciate my health more. Its so easy to fall into a rut. When you are brought down by disease, you really appreciate how being healthy allows you to get the most out of life. When I was unable to sleep and my tonsils were so swollen even breathing was a chore, I remember telling God, "Please heal me and I'll never complain about cleaning my home again. I'll do it with joy because I will have the health to accomplish it." Believe me I'm very thankful for the blessing of Azithromycin!

We're back!

I lost all my bookmarks, including the bookmark I had for this blog! I know I should have saved them in another spot. I know I should have written them down. Now I have the joy of searching for all my favorite sites all over again. On a positive note, I guess it took care of all the old bookmarks I really wasn't visiting anymore. I've obviously found my blog again, so its not the end of my cyber world.

We have a new addition to the family! We brought home a 7 week old kitty a few days ago. We think we'll name her Yoko, after the Rosemary Wells character. She is gray and her personally is so sweet! She had me wrapped around her little paws very quickly. She really enjoys the boys and prefers to hang out around them. So far our other cat, Kita, is tolerating her but they are not snuggle buddies yet. I wasn't sure we'd get another cat after losing Jones, but I've had dreams where we welcomed home a new kitten. Then a few weeks ago, DS10 said to me, "Mom, I think it would help my anxieties if I had a kitten who would snuggle with me." Kita never has been very affectionate with anyone else but me. Yoko seems to love to snuggle already. Any second thoughts I had quickly melted away the first time she fell asleep on my chest.

Summer sick day

It didn't take very long. School's been out for 5 days. We had our first school friend visits at the end of last week, and now we have sore throats and runny noses. We dodge many of these viruses by being homeschoolers, but now that we are mingling again its caught up to us. Of course we could have picked up this virus anywhere. We really aren't hermits, but it just always seems to cooincide with visits from the neighborhood gang. I know I was just worrying about losing my children to their friends over the summer. Be careful for what you wish for! At least we'll get to our summer reading now.

We signed up to particiate in the library's reading reward program. I know of the dangers of using rewards for motivation, but when it comes to reading, the boys are still reading for pleasure. When it comes to chores and their desire for more spending money, its too late to expect self motivation. Most of us work at jobs which are only a paycheck for us. In my perfect world, my children will be able to support themselves doing something they love. If this doesn't happen however, I still want them to appreciate good work ethic.

Summer's In Full Swing

Nothing like a night of baseball to give you that summertime feeling. We recently had a wonderful evening of cheering on the Mallards! The boys received promotional duck billed caps and ate ball park food. I really prefer these minor league games to the big ones. For one thing, its way less expensive! But the best part is the extra fun in between innings.

The other sign its summer around here is the extra company on our doorstep. I really don't mind that our house is the hangout for the neighborhood gang, but I do end up missing having the boys to myself. I'm fully stocked on lemondade and popcorn and for the next few weeks, I'll take the backseat and let boys be boys. Summer tends to blow through rather quickly.

We have Weevils!!

Today in our botany study, we read about oak trees making acorns. We learned that inside many of these acorns are Acorn Weevil larva. We have a collection of acorns from our many nature hikes, so DS7 decided to look for weevils. It didn't take long to find one! So now the acorn collection must be kept in the garage instead of the bedroom!! I knew acorns were abundant, but I didn't know that oak trees only produce a masting once every five years. I also did not know that an oak tree must be 20 years old before it produces acorns. Learning with your children is so rewarding!

To catch up you

Times flies when your having fun! We've had a busy past couple of days.

The boys have been taking full advantage of their surroundings. From building projects using left over wood from the construction site next to our home, to becoming foster parents to an abandoned Mourning Dove egg. We've been too busy to notice we've ended one "school" year and started a new one.

In our state, we are responsible for "875 hours of instruction" and an attendance record. To satify this requirement, I keep a calendar from June to May, marking the boys "P" for each day they are "present" in our "home based private educational program." I've unceremonally filed away last year's calendar and started marking our new one. To my children, nothing's changed. Each day brings life's lessons.

As the "adminstrator" of our "home based private educational program", I can't help but reflect on the past year and wonder where next year will take us. I used to go about this very formally, drafting up progress reports and lesson plans. But so much of their education was taking place outside of my expectations. You just simply can't plan life. Nothing goes exactly as planned and its not suppose to, that is the point. We play out each day with the hand we've been dealt.

Each day in our homeschool feels like a fresh start to me. I don't bother worrying about what we haven't accomplished, because we have so much to look forward to. Some homeschoolers experience burnout, but I can't see this happening for us. We follow our own natural rhythym. My children learn at the pace God has planned for them. Trusting in that has freed me of any fears.

Mean People Suck

I'm sure you've seen this bumper sticker. Now I know why its out there. I don't know why, but I've been running into more than my share of mean people lately. I'm losing faith in humanity big time.

Yesterday DS10 had his MRI, and I was butting heads with the "anti-Dawn". The first nurse we were greeted by, who happened to share my name, was giving me attitude about our decision to not sedate our son for the MRI. I knew DS10 was mature enough to understand the importance of the medical scan and he follows directions. After the hour long scan, the MRI tech, (who was warm and friendly), said DS10 did better than most adults at staying still! Of course the anti-Dawn had to get her two cents in and make a comment, but I felt justified. I know my children better than any professional.

Later that day we were suppose to see the neurologist, but the clinic had changed our appointment on us and failed to notify us. DH had taken the day off from work, so needless to say, this was annoying. They could have said, "We're sorry. We made a mistake," but this never came out of anyone's lips. Instead we got to hear, "We always notify people if we change appointments." We however did not receive any notice so obviously, someone dropped the ball. I needed to hear a simple, "we're sorry," but heaven forbid anyone admits fault.

My other mean people experience this week was at my part time job. We had a tornado warning and had to evacuate the pool. I was surprised to find out parents were angry about the interruption during the swim lesson. You would think their child's safety would have been their first concern. This truly shocked me, and I couldn't understand why people were blaming me for the weather!

People have lost their compassion. Or maybe they never had it to start with. I'm always amazed at how clerks rarely look you in the eye. Occasionaly I've run into people who haven't lost the art of pleasantry, and it causes me to step back for a second because the action is so unfamilar!

I know I need to look harder for the good in people. I'm just bummed out that I have to look for it. It should be something that shines from all of us.

Out of the box

We spent last weekend at an antique flea market. When DH and I led our BC life (before children), we loved to go antiquing even though we couldn't afford anything. Now that the kids are older, we thought it would safe to visit the flea market once again. We still can't afford anything, but at least we didn't have to worry about a baby stroller knocking over something we couldn't pay for!

As I was walking around, I realized none of this stuff could be bought at Target. We were out of the Big Box store mode. My children could see things from years past. It became a historical field trip! They each found a personal treasure for only $1.00, and I have to consider the added value of the environment.

Their grandmother bought an antique goose crate she'll use as an end table. You're definitely not going to find that at Target! It's really cool and an awesome example of living and thinking out of the box.

Over the Hedge

We saw Over the Hedge last night for "Family Fun Night" Friday. It was a really cute movie with an underlying editoral on how we humans worship food. Of course it didn't stop us from gorging on movie popcorn. I must stop my food worship!

DH has been losing so much weight, he's leaving me in the dust. He's on the treadmill at least an hour each day. DS7 has been out enjoying the sunshine riding his bike. DS10 and I have to get off our butts. Yesterday I told DS10 to go outside and he asked me if I had been on the treadmill yet. He was so right on target to throw that in my face. Of course at the time, I was left speechless with guilt.

This was just another reminder of how I must continue to unschool myself. I can't ask my children to learn and grow if I'm not willing to. For some reason, Thursday night I had a rare panic moment about whether I was doing the right thing homeschooling my children. This happens mostly when I'm lacking confidence. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to help my children become self sufficent, self motivated, independent adults. I know my children are 10 and 7, but for some reason, it feels like they will be 20 tomorrow.

I suppose this is because lately DS10 is talking about getting his own apartment. He used to tell me he'd live with us forever. Now he wants his own apartment. He's trying to figure out how he's going to pay for his necessities. He was pretty pysched to learn for the price of a french fry at McDonalds, he could buy a huge bag of potatoes. "All I need is a microwave mom, and I can live on baked potatoes!" I guess I shoudn't worry about my children's resourcefullness so much.

Another use for Legos

Legos have got to be the best toy out there. Their uses are endless. Today DS10 created an elaborate jungle gym for our pet mice. He had wanted to purchase hamster tubes at the store, but I've been putting him off. Tired of waiting, he constructed something way better than any hamster tube. He used toilet paper rolls and Legos and now these mice have quite the fort.

Each year we try to bring some type of living creature into our homeschool. A few years ago it was Painted Ladies and last year we tried growing a tadpole into a frog. This year we chose 3 mice, Cheddar, Chocolate and Chahiro. The bedding is recycled paper product so my allergies aren't affected. The mice are vegetarian eating grains, nuts and fresh fruit and veggies. I thought I would be a bit creeped out, but they actually are quite cute. You get used to grabbing their tails when you have to clean out the tank.

Today DS10 asked, "These mice are spoiled aren't they?" Yes, of course they are spoiled. These mice were once living at the pet store waiting to be bought for the purpose of filling a snake's stomach. As fate would have it, they found their way into our Heavensville Homeschool and the heart of a 10 year old willing to make their housing dreams come true.

Why "Heavensville"

When we first moved to Evansville, our little cousin called it "Heavensville." The Grove has really proven to be our little slice of heaven. Homeschooling has kept our family together to grow and learn in an environment of unconditional love. I can't imagine heaven being much better than being surrounded by the people you love the most.

Every family homeschools differently. You try it all and use what works best given your needs. Some may say our family uses a "relaxed" or "unschooling" approach, but those labels don't really fit. When I hear "relax" I think couch potato. Although we do a fair share of learning on the couch, we seem to be constantly moving about. This blog will serve as a record of our adventures in life learning.

Unschoolers sometimes call themselves life learners, learning from daily life experiences. This blog for me is true unschooling. I'm learning as I go, hands on the keyboard!