Homeschooling conferencePicking up from where I left off, I made it down to the homeschooling conference. I was really glad I did even though my sleep is still being disturbed by a nagging cough. I'm pumped up again, and it was the shot in the arm I needed. I really enjoyed Ren Allen's workshops, but I also scored in a workshop by David McKnight, "A Thomas Jefferson Education."
I had never heard of this approach before.It sounds very similar to unschooling in many ways. I ended up buying the book
A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille. What really struck me is Key #7 - "You, not them." The idea is, if you educate yourself, you will inspire your children.
I had been questioning whether we could continue unschooling through the teen years. It has worked beautifully so far, but I am forever deschooling myself. I now realize that my doubts are mine, not their's. I have seen how natural it is to learn. One of the benefits of being a homeschooling parent is you have the oportunity to explore the world right alongside your children. I now get that I must allow my passions to push me further in my own education and naturally I will inspire my children to follow their own.
Wonder Of Physics ShowYesterday I dragged the family to the Wonder Of Physics Show.(What did I just say above about following your own passions? LOL!) Actually I had scored the hot tickets and told them in advance, since I would be away all day on Saturday, it would nice if we could go to the show on Sunday afternoon.
The Wonder Of Physics show has been running for 25 seasons and is presented by Professor Clint Sprott of the UW Madison. We saw multiple demonstrations on motion, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism and light. Being the pyro I guess I am, my favorites were the "Fire Tornado" and "Whoosh Bottle". DS9 liked the "Jumping Rings" and DH and DS12 liked the "exploding soda bottle" best. The show does travel. If you get the chance, I highly recommend it.
Now I need to find a glass bottle with an opening slightly smaller than a hard boiled egg. DS12 wants to repeat the experiment where you drop a piece of burning paper into the bottle, using up the Oxygen, creating a pressure change, allowing for the egg to slip through the bottle neck. Its a classic.
Car repairsThe mechanic called this morning and our car may be ready by Tuesday! Yeah! The bill should be around $150. I feel like we have dodged a huge financial bullet, although there are no guarantees. They are replacing the thermostat because they couldn't see any other problems. I really hope this fixes it.
Painful Childhood momentsLast night DS9 asked what was the most painful moment of my childhood up to age 9. What popped into my head was my fear of night. I hated going to bed. I was full of fear of the dark, fear of things getting me in my sleep. I would cry and cry. To make matters worse, my parents would scream at me, "Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about!" I would get spanked for being afraid of the dark. The people who should have been helping me feel safe and protected were only upset they were losing sleep. For some reason they thought more fear and intimidation would make me stop being afraid of the monsters under the bed. As a parent myself, I vowed never to spank my children and if they are fearful, they are more than welcome to sleep in my room. Once you get them settled in, everyone falls asleep. We all win!
After all this, DS9 proceeded to tell us what his most painful moment was. I braced myself to hear of some horrific parenting mistake I had made, but he instead said it was when he crashed on the driveway scraping away all of his fingernail down to the under skin. That was horrific! Funny how he was thinking physical pain and I was thinking emotional.
Young EntrepreneurDS12 asked if we'd pay him for mowing the lawn once the grass starts growing again. I told him I didn't think so because I get can dad to mow the lawn for free. I suggested he try the neighbors.
I'm really trying to help him realize money doesn't come from your parents. You have to go out into the world and earn it yourself. This is partly why we stopped paying allowances. We also stopped because I wanted the boys to help out with chores simply because we all share this household together.
DS12 told me he doesn't think anyone will pay him because he's only 12. I told him plenty of kids make their own money, one way is a paper route. "Do you know any 12 year olds with a paper route?" I guess he's looking for a mentor. I told him even though I didn't know personally any 12 year paper kids, I know they exist. I suggested he offer to mow the neighbor's lawn a few times for free and see if they will give him a reference. With that reference, he could get other jobs that actually pay.
Eating Not ExercisingSpeaking of the neighbors, the doorbell rings last night and its J from across the street with two giant loaves of cinnamon raisin bread with a jar full of icing to go with it. "We're just heading to the new gym to work out and thought we'd drop off some fresh bread. Its still warm!" Talk about ironic.
Well, I better get off my butt and get on the treadmill. I'm hoping this week it warms up enough to melt the ice and snow. I want to get back outdoors!
maybe for Karen but not for me. Rainy days and Monday's don't always get me down. Today is actually quite nice. 
