http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Livingfree_Learningnaturally/join

Well, here we are, January 3, 2007.  It's been 2 months since I have managed to make time to get on here and blog. Christmas was pretty low key here and yet it was still somewhat stressful. Not sure how long it will take to get ourselves back in the groove; we are still feeling the loss of a great Daddy and husband. He passed away in March of 2005. I think holidays are just going to be hard on our family for awhile.  

All in all, it was a pleasant Christmas. As I said, it was pretty low key. We enjoyed relaxing as a family, with the middle school daughter also joining us at home for the public school Christmas break. She did so well, that I am seriously contemplating bringing her home from public school this coming fall. She is in a special ed program and has done well, but with junior high coming up this next fall AND the fact that we are relocating, I am rethinking her academic and life skill needs. Alissa has some challenging behaviors, but she was very helpful and considerate the 10 days we had her home with us.

Last Sunday, Dani and I went to the local pet shop to pick up food for the Betta fish. While we were there, she noticed the darling Netherland Dwarf bunnies. They are just babies, chocolate in color and are so sweet and cuddly. She held one of the little fellas the entire time we were there; it was the only one who had a speck of white on its nose. So cute...and quite tame....must be used to being handled. Of course she wanted it, and I had to tell her no. But I did make a deal with her, and told her that I would check back after payday and see if that one was still there. The very next day, some unexpected money arrived and I made the call to the store.  Yes, the little one with the white speck was still there, waiting for a home. Boy or girl? Looks to be a girl, I was told.

Dani nearly floated to the pet shop that afternoon as we picked up the little bunny rabbit. I thought Hershey would make a great name, but Dani already had another name in mind: Thumperina....so Thumperina it is, and she has become quite a member of the family already. Fawn (dog) and Smokey (big gray cat) don't seem to be bothered at all by her...but Rosie, the younger black female kitty, who adopted us a few weeks ago, seems to be very  interested...maybe a bit too interested, if you KWIM! Think she believes the bunny is a rodent awaiting to be a "gift for mama". So when Rosie is indoors, Thumperina goes back to her cage. Ahhhh the joys of pets and children...and living in a 2 bedroom apartment with a 2 pet limit! As Dani put it: "I thought America was a free country!"   

Where on earth do the days go?? I can hardly believe that Halloween is past and we are rapidly approaching Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then...the new year...and then...omg does it never end? Of course not! And would we really rather that it ends? Again, absolutely not. I just wish that time could slow down a bit, so I can savor each of the seasons that time brings with it.   

"DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF, IT'S ALL SMALL STUFF!"

UNKNOWN

Ok, I lost the first one, let me try again! If I lose it a second time, you won't be reading this.

So here's how it went the first time through, or something like this anyway:

Against my better judgement, I allowed my kiddos to convince me to go to the local Smithsonian Conservation and Wildlife Park yesterday, in a deluge of cold rain. It is a research center right here in our little town of Front Royal, VA. This is a much anticipated event that is only open to the general public once each year. After all, being native Oregonians, how could we let a little drizzle slow us down? Right....

We arrived nearly 30 mins early to a line of cars ahead of us and a line behind us, and eventually another line of cars beside us. Looks like we weren't the only ones who had this posted on our calendar.  After driving aimlessly in circles (with other cars following us, thinking the Sprinter van was the leader, I guess) we parked the van and began to proceed on our adventure. All the while, my older kids are reminding me that this is what memories are made of. The rain was falling, it was about 50 degrees (if that) and already I had a child complaining that she was cold. NOT a good sign .....AND no hayrides or shuttles being run, due to the inclement weather.....

Our first stop was indoors to visit the endangered Eld's Deer with its huge velvet covered horns (antlers); we learned that he sheds these antlers each year after mating season has ended. We visited the veterinary hospital and saw how surgeries are performed on the animals here at the wildlife park. Our next stop was just around the corner, also under cover. Here we saw a baby Red Panda, just 105 days old. We learned that the Red Panda is from China, but is not really related to Panda bears at all. The baby was adorable and looked like a cross between a racoon and a koala bear, with red fur. Incidentally, there was no line waiting to see the baby Red Panda when we arrived to view him; later I noticed a long line of people standing in the rain, hoping to catch a glimpse.

We made our way through the mud and muck and stopped along the way to the food court for the kids to work on some crafts. They made masks and colored pictures of animals, then we "feasted" on hot dogs, coffee, meat balls catered from Castigglios and french fries...that is everyone, except....remember that cold child from earlier?? And did I mention that we had the 4 year old with us in socks and sandals? (on the trip home we made a stop for new shoes for him!) He and a few of the other kids ran about in the soaking wet grass, running up and down the hillside. Must be nice to be the age where you are still oblivious to the cold.

We trudged on to see Red Maned wolves and ducks and more. Now we were experiencing a torrential rainfall, and most of us decided to take cover inside the auditorium where it was warm and dry and educational videos were being shown. I knew that once Dani got inside there, it was all over: we wouldn't be budging again! Alissa, 13, wanted to do more crafts, so she was given instructions to go ONLY to the craft tents across from the auditorium and then back to us at the auditorium. Forty minutes later when everyone was significantly dried out and weary from hiking for more than 3 hours, Alissa was no where to be found. It seemed the rain was falling harder than ever, as I trudged about looking for her to no avail. Mike, son in law, had loaded up the rest and was driving about the grounds, also looking for her. I finally reported her missing to the information center and within minutes they radioed to us that they had found her.....right across the way, where she was supposed to have been all along; but I KNOW she wasn't there the entire time...she was probably looking for more craft tents. As you can imagine, she was also soaking wet! And had no idea that anyone would be looking for her....

Total cost of this adventure: $25 entrance

                             $10 food

Memories made:             Priceless

 TODAY'S WEATHER: 73 DEGREES WITH SUNSHINE! (sigh, that's right, the day after!)

MEOW!

Wow! Dani really surprised me today. We have been talking about making deviled eggs over the past few days, but I just never seem to work it into my schedule. Today I was up a little earlier and decided to boil some eggs before Dani woke up and then I laid down on the couch while they cooled. When Dani woke up she asked me "What are those eggs for?" and half asleep, I replied "deviled eggs", and then promptly dozed off again. The next thing I knew, Dani was standing over me with what looked and smelled like deviled eggs; she popped one in my mouth, and by golly, it even tasted  like a deviled egg! Sure enough, she had done it all, from slicing the eggs in half, to mixing the correct ingredients (and the correct amounts!), filling the egg halves and then actually finding and sprinkling on the paprika "just like grandma in Oregon does!" What a girl!                                                        

                   Way to go, Danielle!

Ok, I have decided to relent just a tad bit. We are eclectic homeschoolers, leaning mostly toward unschooling, however even I feel the need to at least have something to show for our efforts if ever I am asked to do so. So...I have devised this flexible weekly schedule which outlines what we try to accomplish on a daily basis. Still we recognize that rules are made to be broken, and real life doesn't always happen on schedule.

MONDAY - Physical Education and Socialization

On Mondays we get together with other local homeschoolers for Park Day from 12-4 PM on a drop in basis. When the weather isn't nice we will meet indoors somewhere for games and exercise.

TUESDAY - Reading and Language Arts

Tuesdays we attend story time at the local bookstore which adjoins our favorite coffee shop. Language Arts workbooks are available to Danielle when she returns home from story time.

WEDNESDAY - Math and History

Dani will engage in Touch Math workbooks and using manipulatives for math practice. Touch Math is fun and easy. Check it out at www.touchmath.com. She will read and have read to her, non fiction books pertaining to the history of the United States and the state of Virginia. Currently we are reading from a series of age appropriate Scholastic paperbacks dealing with the Civil War. Dani will have most of her afternoon free to do as she pleases on Wednesdays.

THURSDAY - Spelling, Spanish, and Arts and Crafts

Dani attends Kids Day Out  which is a local charter program for homeschoolers, four years and up. She takes 3 different classes, each being one hour in length, during the 8 week session. This session is Spelling, Spanish, and Arts and Crafts. Of course the Arts and Crafts is her very favorite! Our afternoons on Thursdays tend to be busy and that is the day that my married daughter and I also hang out at the local book stores, yarn shops and Daily Grind! The kids of course enjoy running around with us after Kids Day Out.

FRIDAY - I am going to try and hold Fridays open as a free day. We might do field trips, we may just lay around at home and read. We may go to the library. Dani's favorite books to read from right now continue to be the Junie B. Jones series, and also Amelia Bedelia. We are still reading Charlotte's Web; I read and she follows along. When the neighborhood children get home from school, she loves to hop on her bike and join them... of course, that is every day, not just Fridays.

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. "
                                               ~Fred Rogers~

Although Mr Rogers, from the Neighborhood, sometimes took a bad rap, he has always been my  kind of man. And I'd like to think, he's a man that my kiddos would have loved having in their lives. Well, as a matter of fact, they do love having that man in their lives! Oh, what magic there is in  technology and the existence of lives (and loves) even after death. Although he has been gone nearly 3 years, Mr Rogers was, and still is, the epitomy of a true "gentle man". He honored and cherished diversity, accepted each and every one of us, exactly as we are, and he encouraged us to do the same. He spoke with a gentle strength and wisdom which made us feel that, at least in his neighborhood, we were safe and all was well.  

My goal is to help raise children, my own, and those of others, to grow into  adults who are gentle and kind, tolerant and strong and who possess a wisdom unlike that which formalized education attempts to provide. Rather, I will strive to help them to obtain wisdom for a lifetime that will give them the assurance that they are safe, strong and secure outside of the Neighborhood, locally, as well as globally. 

"We are all here for a spell; get all the good laughs you can." 
                                        ~Will Rogers~

Today Dani and I decided to purchase a couple of freshwater snails for our triops. And while we were there we rediscovered the Betta fishes that we have tried our hands at raising a few times over the years. And then we found pretty gravel that would dress up our little tanks....and well, you know how it goes...we ended up purchasing another little Betta kit, complete with gravel and plants and of course, the most beautiful Betta fish of all. Then we got a couple of snails, one for each little bowl and went home and promptly set to work. First Dani named the fish Jerusalem; yes, that's right. She named the fish after her little foster brother who still lives in Oregon. I delicately suggested that may not be such a great idea, considering the demise our previous fish have fallen to. But no problem, she tells me: if the fish dies then she will call the dead fish Angel....ok, so Jerusalem now has a nice fresh bowl of water with decorative gravel, a plant and a nice big snail to keep things clean. But wait! Jerusalem begins attacking the snail (whose name is Gary); mercilessly the fish continues to butt Gary and thrash about in the water. To the rescue! We have now removed Gary from Jerusalem's bowl.

In the meantime, we have added decorative gravel to the triops' container. Truthfully, it is I who added the gravel and .... gulp .... now there is only one triop to be found.   But I must add, he is a very happy and hearty little fella! We have put in fresh greenery because as one knows, the greenery will add oxygen to the water. This lone triop is now known as Rocky and it looks like Rocky may be looking for his sibling .... nah .... he's just checking out his new surroundings. Dani wants to sleep in the living room tonite.... so she can keep an eye on her freshwater pals.

It's Sunday night. Things are beginning to quiet down at our house. Dani is lying on the floor, drawing kitty cats while she watches the Adventures of Zak and Cody on Disney channel. Alissa is sitting quietly on the couch, drawing flower designs and asking if they would make good tatoos "someday". (She is also writing a love note to her first boyfriend, but she isn't aware that I am aware) Smokey the cat is lying in front of the open sliding glass door; Fawn the dog is lying at my feet. I am hoping that Crystalee will be arriving home soon. She and some friends travelled to PA today for a Christian rock concert. And me, well, I am settling down to some uninterrupted computer time before heading on to bed. Tomorrow is Park Day with our local homeschooling group, so we will join them there, weather permitting.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."          

                    ~Ghandi~

While Dani was eating a fresh plum she got the bright idea of trying to start a sprout from the plum pit. Without any assistance from me, she wrapped the pit in a wet paper towel and then placed it in a plastic sandwich bag. She found 2 suction cup hangers and stuck them to the sliding glass doors, then hung the plastic bag from the hooks. She never seizes to amaze me with her spontaneity and ingenuity! As she told me, "the seed needs sunshine and water!"  I will let you know how the plum sprout progresses.

TRIOPS UPDATE

We now have 3, barely visible to the eye, newly hatched Triops. (See earlier posts to read more about triops) We have added some fresh bottled spring water to the little bowl they are in and will start feeding them in just another few days. We learned from our last batch that is very easy to over feed them. (That is how our first batch met their demise) They are still surviving off of their hatching materials and I think we may put in a sprig of greenery once we start feeding them "real" food. And maybe a tiny snail to help keep the algae off the bowl, this time.

Famous Homeschoolers, Unschoolers, Lifeschoolers (highschool dropouts
who went on to educate themselves through experience) and some who
wish they were.

* Ansel Adams
* Joan of Arc
* Roseanne
* Irving Berlin
* Rosamond Bernier
* Claude Berri
* William Blake
* Art Blakey
* John Boorman
* Pearl Buck
* Liz Claiborne
* Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
* Buffalo Bill Cody
* Noel Coward
* Johnny Depp
* Charles Dickens
* Bo Diddley
* Thomas Edison
* Benjamin Franklin
* Henry Ford
* George Gershwin
* Whoopi Goldberg
* Samuel Gompers
* Maxim Jones
* Cyndi Lauper
* William Lear
* Abraham Lincoln
* Jack London
* Beryl Markham
* Liza Minelli
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
* Sean O'Casey
* Florence Nightengale
* Beatrix Potter
* David Puttnam
* Keith Richards
* Clement W. Stone
* Randy Travis
* Frank Lloyd Wright
* Orville and Wilbur Wright
* Brigham Young

Also, according to Grace Llewellyn's book (The Teenage Liberation
Handbook), from which the previous list was taken, "…One third of the
men who signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of
Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States had no more
than a few months of schooling up their sleeves (Llewellyn, p.349.)"