Happy New Year!! I'm hoping the fresh start brings us prosperity.

What's Stranger This Onion Or The Fact I'm Blogging About It?

I'm easily amazed.

I sliced an onion for our lunch. A few hours later I noticed the half we didn't eat, had something  beginning to stick out. As more time went by, the core began to stick out even further. By the end of the day, it looked like this.

It was fascinating to me. I asked my family why they thought the onion was doing this. They all though it must have to do with pressure and moisture leaving the cut onion.

As I studied it even further, I began to wonder if many onions have two cores like this. How exactly do onions grow?

The layers remind me of tree rings. Can you tell the age of an onion based on its layers? Maybe not in years of course, but what triggers the onion to grow another layer? How does the layer count relate to onion size?

What if I push down on one of these columns? (It stopped "growing" out from the onion.)

Can I make this happen again? I don't recall other onions I've sliced doing this all that often, but have I ever taken the time to notice?

It's beautiful to me, something not commonly seen. It doesn't take much to set my mind sailing. Each question I have leads me to more wondering.

How will learning so much about onions help me? I don't know yet. All I know is onions have engaged my attention for the moment. That's part of the beauty of unschooling. I can become an onion expert for the sole reason of, it satisfies my natural curiosity. My onion obsession is all mine!

An Unschooled Reading Success Story

DS14 recently told me, he likes reading huge novels because, "..it feels like I'm on a journey."

He's there, where I wanted him to be. He reads for pleasure and the bigger the book, the more he enjoys it.

When I was his age, someone would have to force me to read a book by making it a required assignment for school. I couldn't really enjoy reading it either, because of the fact the assignment would always have a timed deadline. I would always be thinking, I have to get through this book, not, what can this book give to me?

My son has discovered the dilemma of book lovers- you don't want to finish reading because then its over, but at the same time, you want to see how the story ends! I think this is one reason why he chooses long stories. When he picks up a plus sized book, he doesn't think, "Ugh, this will take me forever to read." He instead thinks, "YES! This is a story that will last me awhile!"

We don't give him time limits. We've instead given him the freedom to read when he wants to, as much as he wants to. He usually chooses to read when the rest of us go to sleep and the house is quiet, although I've caught him unable to put the book down during other times as well. We usually allow him to sleep until he wakes up, knowing he went to bed after reading late. (Plus I strongly feel teenagers need extra sleep.)

The thing I struggle with now is, I have so many books I wish he would read. Isn't this true for all of us book lovers though?

"So many books, too little time!"

I think I will copy another unschooler friend's idea. She has a bookcase designated for books she hopes her family will read eventually. I need a shelf for myself too. I'm constantly thinking I don't have anything to read, only to discover later, I really did.

For the record, my son did not use any reading curriculum to learn to read. He learned to read because we read to him. Simple as that, I kid you not. He would have been considered a late reader because he didn't start reading on his own until around age 8, but within the year, he was reading chapter books. When he was ready, it happened really fast.

We don't require him to write book reports or test his reading comprehension. Informally, he'll simply share with us what's going on in the story and what he thinks of it. Often we'll read the same book so we can share and discuss it together. Through our discussions, its very apparent his comprehension is strong, and he finds inspiration through reading.

His recent "journey" comment also shows me he's enjoying the whole process, not just the result.

I'm going to keep praying. I don't know where I would be without it!

Christmas Notes....

(The photo is the fresh veggie tray I made for our Christmas gatherings.  I copied the idea from a friend, and it went over very nicely. Wish I still had one to munch on now!)

DMIL spoiled us rotten!! We wouldn't have had such a nice Christmas without her. Unfortunately, she isn't feeling well, and she headed home early. We're hoping and praying she'll feel better soon, and hopefully we'll see her next weekend.

DS10 got the one thing he put on his Christmas list, Modern Warfare 2. G-Ma also got him a t-shirt with the game on it. I'm predicting he'll want to wear nothing else but this t-shirt the next few weeks.

DS14 pretty much got everything on his list as well. Of course they've been spending most of their time in the Man Cave, gaming. I expected this, but DH & I have no energy to do anything else, so for now this works.

Last night DH & I did try out our new family present, Wii Resort. We played Frisbee golf and it was a lot of fun. Of course it doesn't take much energy to flick your wrist. LOL!

Christmas Eve was great, having DH's aunt's family over, along with G-Ma, but I was so tired by the end of the night. I suppose getting up at 4:00am caused that.

Christmas Day was awesome too and with my sister hosting my family's gathering, it was wonderful not having to travel more than 3 blocks away. We're used to having to travel during Christmas in order to be able to see extended family.

I'm glad we've had a couple of days after Christmas to recoup. All the partying has left us feeling run down. I'm giving myself one more day of rest, and then I'll try to get back into a routine.

I will not allow post holiday depression to sneak in. We're grilling burgers, spreading out the beach blanket in the living room and watching cheesy horror movies tonight. I want to remember what summer feels like.

My News Interview

My sister found my news interview on the station's website. If you're interested, I thought I'd post the link here. Once you are on the NBC15 news Morning Show page, scroll along the video titles on the right side of the page and click on "Swim West Interview 12/24."

I want to point out, 10 seconds before the LIVE interview, she leaned over to me and said, "Tell me what this is about. I have no idea."

Apparently no one had told her what to ask me. Days before the interview, the producers sent us questions and we sent back answers. I was prepared for something entirely different!!

My husband thinks it still went well, but I have trouble watching it!! LOL!! My heart still races when I think about it! I feel badly I couldn't get in the information my boss was probably hoping for, but it really wasn't my fault the news lady didn't know the prepared questions.

I thought those of you whom I've never had the chance to meet in person, may like to know what I sound like. :) 

http://www.nbc15.com/morningshow

Merry Christmas!!! Hoping everyone has the chance to share peace, love, health and happiness with their loved ones!

~I'm trying not to freak out about the potential ice storm approaching. I'd rather deal with a foot of snow than a layer of ice. The timing couldn't be worse.

Random Ramble................................

Worked at home today, all day. After months of working 5 days a week, it was wonderful to not have to drive in, yet I kept feeling like I didn't belong at home.

DS10.11 is going crazy with impatience. Christmas can't come fast enough. I'm sure he's waiting for one present in particular, and then we'll never see or hear from him until he decides to eat.

Yumi is having trouble keeping to her diet. She's only allowed 1/2 cup a day because she needs to lose a few kitty pounds. We can't feed her diet food because she's allergic to corn. We feed her a grain free kibble, 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup at night. For some reason, she's been devouring it so quickly. I don't get it. She's been hunting for more food and we find her in places she shouldn't be.

I made soft ginger reindeer cookies. I noticed one pretzel antler missing and worried it was the cat. Thankfully DS10.11 confessed, and I didn't have to throw the batch away thinking the cat had possibily licked them all!

Better Late than Never Christmas cards should go out tomorrow. I tried to send cards to only loved ones we won't see the next few weeks. (I'll be so glad when survival unemployment mode is over.)

I have to pick up a few last minute gifts tomorrow, and my paycheck. In reserve order.

I can't believe they are forcasting rain for Christmas Eve and snow for Christmas Day. To me that translates to ICE!!

DS14 told me why watches are made with quartz. Turns out the vibrations from quartz have the amazing abilitily to keep accurate time.

Surprised Russell didn't win, yet completely understand why Natalie did. Next season's twist sounds really interesting- Villians vs. Heroes

I really shouldn't wait for the end of the day to drink water, but I get so busy during the day, I forget to drink.

Chocolate covered pretzles had to be invented by a woman. Whoever she was, I thank her immensely!!

I forgot to tell Santa I need chocolate covered cranberries too.

My mind is now wandering in a dangerous chocolate direction. I better go find a better distraction.

Make Love, Not War.....

We've just realized. We have root beer and vanilla ice cream in the Sleepyhouse. Who wants a root beer float?

I Don't Feel Ready Yet...

If my house were clean, I'm sure I'd feel better. I probably will spend the better part of tomorrow cleaning. Its my only day I won't have to work up until Christmas Eve. Tempted by the potential for an increase on my paycheck, I've decided, like a moron, to cover a co-worker's shift on Sunday. Didn't I just tell myself I'd work on better late than never Christmas cards?

Since I began working at the pool, I'm used to taking off the last two weeks while we are in between lesson semesters. It always meant I could relax at the end of the year and enjoy the holidays. This year however, being in unemployment survival mode, I'm choosing to pick up extra shifts through the end of the year. I'll take off Christmas Eve through the weekend, but I've created a pile of projects to keep me busy otherwise.

Of course as we get closer to family arriving, I'm realizing, I shouldn't have agreed to this. I would feel better if I had more time to clean, bake and get into party mode. Although I tend to want to go overboard, so perhaps scaling back my preparation time is a good thing after all. I need to remember I have a house full of men who can help me clean too!

Christmas Eve, I'll be getting up earlier than any human should, and preparing to go on the local news. If you pick up NBC 15 out of Madison, you'll see me being interviewed regarding our family swim food drive. My boss couldn't make it and our marketing person didn't feel comfortable going on camera.

I'm doing it, because frankly, when it comes down to it, I don't care how fat and old I'll look on camera. I just want people to bring food donations for the food pantry!!!  I've come to really understand why so many families have to rely on food pantries.

I'm asking my husband to go with me, and I think the boys should go too because I could then turn the opportunity into a homeschooling "field trip."

"Let's check out a TV station kids!"

I'm sure they are not going to want to get up that early, and plus someone has to stay home and tape it. DH is already predicting it will be the most requested video during our Christmas visits with extended family.

... MUST FOCUS ON THE GREATER GOOD!

... MUST FOCUS ON THE FACT THIS HUMILIATION IS FOR CHARITY...

I probably shouldn't bring my kids because they are already hoping something crazy happens and the clip ends up on You Tube. I could just see them trying to make me laugh off camera or something worse.

I don't need 15 minutes of fame via a viral video. Really, I don't. I'm not going to scream if a lizard jumps on me or puke my guts out. Its going to be a boring lady, who needs a haircut and a little more makeup, talking about how you can swim for free if you bring in two non-perishable food donations.

It's not like its my first time on TV. I was on Bozo's Circus and even got to play Bozo's Buckets! Thankfully VCR's weren't around back then!!

Rosemary White Bean Soup -aka Dawn's Kicking Cancer Out Soup

Description:
I adapted this recipe from the book, What To Eat During Cancer Treatment by the American Cancer Society. I make a batch and shared it with my favorite neighbors. It is really delicious and so easy!

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped (I really like garlic.)
4 C no sodium chicken stock
4 cans of Great Northern beans, size 15 oz, rinsed and drained
1-2 t dried Rosemary
pepper to taste

Directions:
In your soup pot, heat the oil. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Add the garlic and chicken stock and 3 cans of beans. Add the Rosemary and a few dashes of pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Puree half of the soup in a blender, and then add it back to the pot with the last can of beans.

I prefer to leave the soup with some veggies and beans intact, for added color and texture, but you could just decide to puree the whole batch of soup if that's what you'd prefer.

I had to get out....

I was beginning to get cabin fever and feeling stuck in a rut. So after my morning shift, I came home, woke the teenager and announced we were all going sledding. It was awesome outside, 34 degrees and romantically foggy.

To my delight, DH joined us and to my amazement, no one got hurt! We had the hill to ourselves, and we all raced down several times.

I discovered a great way to avoid a back injury is to ride down feet first, on your belly. This worked great for me until the sled turned 180 degrees, and I ended up going down the hill face first! How I avoided a white wash, I don't know.

The sledding turned a bit commando when we discovered it was great fun to throw snowballs at who ever was riding down the hill at the moment. You think it would be easy, but you have to account for speed and distance when you pitch.

After sledding we came home and made snow creatures, using natural materials we could find in the yard. The snow was perfectly packy, yet heavy.

All the fresh air and exercise felt great. Now I think I'll throw some chicken in the crock pot for supper and try and have a relaxing afternoon.

"A child whose life is full of the threat and fear of punishment is locked into babyhood. There is no way for him to grow up, to learn to take responsibility for his life and acts. Most important of all, we should not assume that having to yield to the threat of our superior force is good for the child's character. It ...is never good for anyone's character." - John Holt

Thoughts From My Unschooling Heart....

Fridays are Fresh Days!!!! I can use this weekend to turn things around. I'm hoping it climbs to double digits, and then we can start to enjoy all this snow we have. I would love to take the boys sledding, build snow forts and snow people. It wasn't fair we got 18 inches of snow followed by single digit temperatures.

I have to reconnect with my family.  Working these extra hours, I feel like I'm missing out. I know they've been supervised by DH, but I have no idea what the boys have been learning. This has been an adjustment for me.  When I was home with them more, I was privileged to share in their daily questioning more. Now Dad is facilitating their way to answers.

As Unschoolers, we don't use lessons plans and assignments. At any given moment inspiration could strike and take them in any direction. If I'm not around, I won't be able to see where they are going. I know DH has been here for them, but now I feel the need to play catch up this weekend.

I think when you decide to unschool, you have to make a commitment to take a huge interest in what interests your children. You have to share the experiences with them, otherwise you won't know what they have learned.

If we did "school" at home, I suppose it would be easy for me, being absent, to use the little time I am around to peek at workbook pages and completed assignments to see progress, but that reality depresses me. I'd rather go directly to my children than rely on any paperwork's interpretation. Notebook paper has no soul.

For now, I should take comfort in the fact DH is home, and this is a blessing. As the boys transition into young men having more access to their father is perfect timing. I need to relinquish my role because they don't need to be "mothered" so much anymore.

I just can't help but feel this last minute panic, "Wait! Don't grow up so fast!! I have more to tell you!!!"

I can't believe its Thursday today. The blizzard seems to have taken away two days from me. It will be great to see our friends, and its wonderful knowing I'm two shifts away from the weekend!

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Description:
I may have written about this recipe when I made them into reindeer using pretzels and M&M candies, but I wanted to have this recipe where I can easily find it, because its a family favorite around Christmas time.

For more fun, you can shape the dough into ovals and use candy and pretzels to make reindeer, but this year DH requested simple icing and DS14 said circles with M&Ms were fine. We were out of pretzels.

Ingredients:
1 C butter
1 C sugar
2/3 C molasses
2 eggs
2 t baking soda
1 t ginger
1 t nutmeg
4 C flour

M&Ms and icing to decorate

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Cream butter and sugar together. Add molasses. Beat in eggs. Stir together baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and flour. Mix the dry with the wet. Form dough balls and flatten with your hand.

If using M&M's, press into the dough before baking.

Bake for 12-14 minutes

Snowed in and loving it!