Spooky

Aley and Arlo have gotten into all things spooky. They ghost hunt with kits made of bizarre household items. Aley's is a case that held girly cookie cutters, with a calculator, balloon pump, calculator, and lip gloss inside. Before I left, I heard her ask Cheyne, "Can you make us some mac and cheese and drive us to the cemetery?"

Yeah.


One night they wanted to tell spooky stories by candle light. Aley's had vampires and cat people. Arlo's was short and sweet. I told the old family favorite "The Golden Arm."
Have I mentioned I love unschooling.....

We Are Back!!!

After a year's hiatus, we have decided as a family to return to our radical unschooling roots. I almost titled this post "Please Do Not Comment on This Post". But I am pretty sure I can handle the flack. Just rest assured this choice is a heartfelt attempt to live and learn authentically as a family in a way that all of us appreciate and enjoy. It is not a reaction to external circumstances, in fact we are a lucky family that, besides the schoolish stuff, has had a positive public school experience. I am also not "trying" to be something. I think in the past, I was trying lots of different things, different ideals, etc. To see which one fit. In the last three months, through prayer, honesty, late night discussions, and soil searching, I came to the astonishing discovery that who I wanted to be was who I already was. And it looks and feels totally different.
Some of the positives? I am really connecting with my kids. All the way, heart to heart. I am enjoying them. I am being a kind, loving mom instead of a frazzled, sort of confused mom. I feel like I have come home. And the kids are so happy and this new wide open feeling in our house is bubbling over. They are warm and courteous with each other in a way thatmakes my heart soar and my throat catch.
What do they do all day? Well, in these first few days-
* play hand after hand of crazy eights
* ditto with round after round of the clue decoder game and The Play's The Thing game. Followed by reading stories from our Shajespeare storybook.
* PLAYYYYYYYED
* Looked up the idiom "eating crow" after our hound dog got one
* visited The Gentry Safari

In other words we are, to paraphrase David Albert, "being, growing, doing, and learning...together."
I hope you can be a supportive ally if you are reading this post. Some guidelines I would suggest for questioning homeschoolers is....don't. Unless you are genuinely interested in homeschooling. The "mommy wars" have done enough. I respect you and your decisions, please trust that as a grown person I can absolutely be trusted to make void, whistic choices for my family. If you know me at all, this should be abundantly clear.

Aley

My third child turned eight on January 1. She is a delight, a storyteller, a Broadway style songstress, a snuggler, and a seeker. She is always teaching herself things, life cycles of chickens, multiplication, the hardness of minerals. She runs in an airy fairy manner, she layers clothes and gives weather reports. Her games with stuffed animals and puppets can go on for hours and rival any soap opera/musical I have ever seen. She is saucy and bossy and bold and yet dreamy and charming and soft. She is a baby whisperer of sorts. Once she had a little bloke so enamored of her that he cried and tried to follow us when we left the park!
She is peaches and cream and fairy tales and sparkly shoes.
Happy birth day Aley. I am so glad you are here.

January

This year I make no resolution. I think this is the year I am going to try to go into covenant with God and just make serious agreements with Him about my life, choices, and plans.
Scary, huh.

But that is where I am. I feel that Cheyne and I are seriously beginning to live the values we have held near and dear for so long. I feel like my kiddos are in a good place, doing well, and growing into incredible folks daily, and I feel that this is going to be a good year.
It all comes down to living simply, investing in relationships, and surrendering my heart to God daily.
I also have to be more open about my struggles and pain. I am very attached to "Who You Think I Am" and "not being the crazy girl". Recently a friend's revelation about observing some recurring depression traits I thought I was masking made me realize how closed off I can be, how unreachable in a way. I don't ever want to be the one with the probolem, or the situation, so I suffer a lot in silence.
So this is the new year, and NOW IS THE TIME.
I am going to live deeply with God and my community.

And open my heart.

And tell the truth.

And love my people.

Christmas in December???!

So already Cheyne and I are discussing ways of having a simpler,more faith and community oriented Christmas. A few ground rules we have come up with are
1) We are only buying gifts for the kiddos.
2) These will be bought locally,made by Cheyne,or handmade. (Aley is getting a Waldorf doll from Etsy for her birthday on January 1,but her big present for Christmas will be a large cabinet built by Cheyne,with a built in doll bed and wardrobe as well as highchair, and plenty of room for her other stuffed animals to play and sleep there.We have similar ideas for the other kids.)
3) We are going to try to do our own Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, as well as planning a winter solstice potluck ,advent celebrations, and the super awesome Vintage Christmas party. We are turning off the guilt and realizing that what we create out of the holiday seasons will impact generations of our family,so we want t to be relaxed,joyful,and spiritual.
Our kids are super excited! One idea I have for Sol and Ivy is to buy a really cool science book and then get all the materials needed ready and labeled in ziploc bags. And a tool set for Sol. Maybe a knitting kit for Ivy from Hand Held.
Simple, but way more exciting and fulfilling.

A walk in the woods...

I cannot over estimate how important my walks with my children are to all of our educations. Arlo will come running up to me with a flower, shouting, "This has pollen." When I ask Ivy what she is thankful for, she says, "woman's rights. Because life was hard for women back when Laura Ingalls lived, they had to get married very young and couldn't vote." Aley sings and swirls and dances. And Sol reminds me over and over that he really does still believe in trolls. (something I am so grateful for, as adolescence is peering around the corner, ready to slip him into it's fog)
Something loosens in all of us, Arlo ecstatically helps the older kiddos gather "finds" for the season's able. We all just chat and look around, and try to get a glimpse of the neighbor's cows. Yesterday, when we walked to the pond, Arlo sat in my lap as we watched the leaves fall , and I told him the story of the three bears. It is a time without clocks, or reason, or any purpose outside of the woods. And this is as it should be.
What we are aiming for, Cheyne and I, really fumbling around for, starting and stopping at, but genuinely hoping to achieve a life of simplicity and contentment and wonder for our kids. The trickiest part, folks, is striving towards those things ourselves, really savoring our walks, our books, the fire in the fireplace, the crispness of an apple, the camaraderie of community. All free. All better than any gizmo or whirlygig out there.
It's seeing the forest AND the trees.
And loving every minute of it.

Seasonal Treasures

So, Arlo was a little too young for kindergarten. He had an awesome teacher, and had no trouble academically....he just wanted to play. (I know, a shocking development in a just - turned- five boy!!) So we have been studying together at home, me relying on my trusty Montessori language skills and some fancy storebought workbooks. (He loooves workbooks!) and just talking and walking in the woods. One day a week he attends Homegrown Playschool, a Waldorf inspired, multi age preschool where he hears fairy tales, stories of the saints, and helps create a winter garden. For example, last week they learned about Saint Francis, made bird feeders to take care of the animals, and helped dig a winter garden. They also learn seasonal songs and benefit greatly from the spiritual aspect of Waldorf. A bonus is that Playschool is at his best friend Ethan's house!

When we walk, which we do at least twice a day, I tell seasonal stories about the earth, usually VERY simple. We talk about the leaves changing, look at the moss, listen for the birds nearby. Today we gathered flowers, some red leaves, acorns, empty seed pods, a crow feather, and a blue plastic ball. Why the ball? Arlo explained it to me: "it was Oma's and fell off her necklace."

Me:" So it is special to you..."

Arlo: "Yup."

Fall reminds me that everything that ends must begin again. But it has to end to do so. We struggle with difficult feelings during this time. There is Dia de Las Muertas and All Soul's Day. There is remembering, composting, turning over, letting go, and preparing for the future. It can be pensive, although candle light and snuggling, and community are all tools to make the darkness easier to sustain.

I am loving this time with Arlo. The wisdom of cycles and seasons is best with someone who literally freaks out over red leaves!