Musings from DownUnder - Homeschool Blogger

Monet and the Impressionists

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 03:12:00 -0500

Living in NZ means we don't have the great art exhibits that you might find in Europe or the US. But at the moment in Wellington there is an exhibition that is well worth the visit.

http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/exhibitions/monet/TheExhibition.aspx

The kids and I took the day off yesterday and headed down. And what an amazing experience - to see the original paintings, rather than simply looking at a photo in a book which is what we usually do. I made up my mind to seize the opportunity and am so glad we did. On the way we collected my mum and had a great day with her as well.

The collection is from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There are mainly paintings from Monet, plus others who influenced him. A collection like this has not been seen in NZ and is unlikely to be seen here again. The range of colours, the brushstrokes, the amazing ornate frames - all left a lasting "impression" on us.

If you live in NZ and have the remotest chance of getting to Wgtn before mid-May when it finishes, DO!

And we all enjoyed the zoo as well!!

'Some of the books I have read over the past year

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:07:00 -0500

Here is a list of some of the books I have read over the last year, sorry I cannot remember all the authors names, they were library books and I haven't got time to look them all up.

Real Food
150 Healthiest Foods on Earth
Cholesterol and the French Paradox
Nourishing Traditions
We want Real Food
Fast Food Nation
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
Cancer: Cause and Cure

Plus I have studied extensively the "WholeFoods Course" I purchased online.

Notice the Theme?

I have been trying to make changes in our diet, in order to become more healthy and avoid the seemingly inevitable problems that seem to strike as aging occurs. I am starting to realise though, that what has always been promoted as "Healthy Eating", isn't actually healthy. We have been sold some very dangerous lies from people with less than honourable motives. For instance, the whole "Eat Fat, Get Fat" mantra was based on one study in the fifties and has been misproven so many times it is ridiculous how it is still preached.

Slowly but surely we have been making changes, we still have a long way to go, but when I consider what our family was eating a year or two back, it really doesn't compare to how we eat now.

My husband commented the other day how it had become an interest of mine to study these books and try to implement them, and its true, I am finding it incredibly interesting and stimulating.

Here are some of the changes we have implemented so far:

Switched exclusively to raw milk (finding this was a real answer to prayer)
Switched to free-range eggs (finding an economical source was another answer to prayer)
Only use un-refined sea salt, not the white processed stuff
Gone back to saturated fats - butter for baking and spread, lard or dripping for roasting and frying
Eating a good amount of fat with meals, loving the luxury of eating good amount of butter and cream without guilt
Use only homemade stock, not the stock powder I used to use to flavour everything

The Next Changes I would like to Make:

Investigate soaking grains and sprouting
Sorting out breakfasts, getting used to healthier options
Figuring out how to make our own yoghurt - no luck so far!!
Buy a dehydrator to make soaked grain snacks, muesli and nuts.

I guess the changes can be summed up by saying we are going back about a century, to how our great-grandmothers cooked before all the processed muck entered our supermarkets. We eat very "old-fashionedly", like people did before heart disease, cancer and diabetes became prevalent. But the food we eat is full of nutrition, and hasn't had all the goodness taken out of it by modern technology.

Reading

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:01:00 -0500

A (10)
Little Women
Roll of Thunder, Hear my cry
The Saturdays
Summer of the Swans
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

S (13)
I am David
The Diary of Anne Frank
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

J(15)
Tomorrow Series
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Mao's Last Dancer
Red Scarf Girl

Family Read-Aloud
Book of John
SOTW 4 (Older Kids)
A Bear Called Paddington
Ramona the Pest (Both of these to youngest)

Budget Stretching - Using Leftovers

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:10:00 -0500

Here's a hotch-potch of ways we use leftovers in our home. One of my aims is to throw nothing away. I am not quite there yet - but making progress!!

Many meals such as pasta or quiche become lunches for my husband or oldest son, sometimes I try to deliberately make heaps so we can freeze a few meals for them to reheat at work.

Bread - use as french toast, as 'mousetraps', or leave in just-turned-off oven overnight to dry out and make breadcrumbs in food processor.

Rice/Potato - use as lunch next day, fry onions in butter, add rice or potato and whatever else is around, heat through until browned.
- rice is great for breakfast the next day, heated through with milk or cream and dried fruit.

Casseroles - in squares of flaky pastry as 'turnovers'
- mix with baked beans, chilli beans or lentils and tomatoes and reheat, serve on toast or rice
- yummy in toasted sandwiches

Meat - chop sausages and add to baked beans
- chop bacon into small pieces and freeze for use in muffins, savouries etc
- chicken - add to risotto or fried rice, mix with leftover stuffing and gravy and use as turnover filling
- make butter chicken - stirfry veges, remove from pan, add 2 tins indian tomatoes and reduce down, return veges and chicken to pan, add cream and big knob of butter, serve on rice
- layer meat with potatoes, fried onions and cheese in flat dish, pour over cream and extra cheese, bake in slow oven for 1 1/2 hours

Gravies - freeze and use in soups

Veges - heat and mix couple of eggs through for 'scramble'.

Save every scrap of food, I usually put them in plastic container until frozen, then turn out into big zip lock bag that just sits in the freezer. If this bag starts to overflow, remove contents and heat together. If thick serve on toast, rice or mashed potatoes, if thin serve as soup. This will be a unique - never to be repeated - FREE meal.

A Promise

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:47:00 -0600

Isaiah 54: 13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

I love this verse, it is a great one for comforting the homeschooling mother who feels overwhelmed.

It is not about US, it is about what HE is doing in the lives and hearts of our children.

A New Year Underway

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:06:00 -0600

Well, it has begun - our new academic year!! As usual I didn't get all the planning and organising done that I had intended. I was feeling a bit down about it, and had a chat on the phone to a friend. She had done the opposite - planned adequately and had everything mapped out. She said it only set her up for failure!!

When I look back on my homeschooling 'career', it seems to be a constant swing between the 'academic attack', when we try to get serious and determined, usually becoming miserable, and a very slack 'take it as it comes' approach. Where is the elusive balance? I certainly haven't found it.

Son number one is settling in to his carpentry course. He is enjoying being part of a large institution. "Mum, it is so cool - so many people go there!!" I am not sure he enjoys the red-tape of the regulations and safety protocols he has been covering so far. And he has had to actually take tests! Nothing like a new experience to challenge him. He certainly is keen and motivated though. He is normally a late riser, but has been up and about and out the door to be there at 8a.m. Makes his lunch the evening before. Apparently he is one of the first to arrive. Hopefully that lasts.

His schedule is Mon-Wed 8-5 at the class, half time doing theory and half in the workshop. As a group they will build two houses through the year. On Thurs he will work for a builder in the city, and Fri and Sat he will be at the hardware store at his usual job.

I am relieved to have him pursue this. He is the sort of person who is self-motivated and this suits him down to the ground.

The rest of us - thats another story. I have every intention of posting more often, we will see!!

A New Year - and a Major Change

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:03:00 -0600

Well, Christmas is over for another year and New Year has come and gone. We have a summer break at the moment and will probably begin homeschooling once more beginning of Feb.

So its time to turn my heart and thoughts to a new year of academics. These are some thoughts I have at the moment of my intentions.

Keep to the basics - ensure the foundations or reading, writing and maths are good and strong.

Study skills - put the emphasis on How to learn, rather than What to learn.

Common everyday skills such as form filling, typing.

Spiritual - might look at the major doctrines of the bible.

Relationships first, having fun together.

Thats about the extent of my planning so far. No doubt I will become more organised over the next few weeks.

And our MAJOR CHANGE for the year - for the first time since beginning homeschooling our numbers are going down!!

Son number one is off to "UCOL" (stands for Universal College of Learning), which is our local tertiary institution. He has wanted to do building for the past few years and he is doing a year long 'pre-apprenticeship' course.

It looks really good. He has the sort of personality to really 'go for it' if it means something to him. It has been hard motivating him at home academically, like pushing a bus uphill, unless he feels it is of some benefit. Yet if he is interested in something he just goes for it - such as his wargame hobby and lately his fly-fishing. So he will do well I think. The course is Mon-Thurs 8-4.30, half day in class and half day in workshop. Two weeks of this and two weeks on a building site, alternating. A real hands on course which will suit him well. We have met some of the tutors and they are incredibly supportive, and have plans in place to make sure everyone is supported and they provide extra academic tutoring if necessary. He plans to work Fridays and Saturday in his current job. When the course is finished he will have about 75% of the theory towards a building apprenticeship. And even if he doesn't do an apprenticeship the skills he learns will be invaluable in life anyway.

It has been so good to see him 'own his education', to save up to pay for it and have the determination to not get a student loan.

So he is excited, we are excited for him. A little nervous about how he will cope having never been part of an 'institution' before, a little relieved that I won't have to plan academically for him, and a little sad that this stage is upon us so quick - he is just 16. And most of all there is an overwhelming sense of grace, that in God's strength, somehow, we didn't give up homeschooling, but were kept on the path we started.

Sewing

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:52:00 -0600

I used to do a reasonable amount of sewing, but haven't for a number of years. My machine was getting old and just trying to get it to behave was so frustrating it just wasn't a pleasure.

So it was a bit strange for me to start feeling the 'sewing urge' recently. And when I saw our local fabric store had half price on all goods for the month of January the urge got really big. I discussed a new machine with my husband and started researching. He wasn't too sure about a new machine considering I hadn't used the old one for so long, and suggested getting it fixed up. So thats what I did, took it to a lovely man just around the corner and had it completely overhauled. Cost a fraction of the price of a new machine. And the lovely man said it was a great machine and more reliable than some of the more modern varieties.

So we are into it. Today the boys were all out and my daughter and I made ourselves an apron each - cost of material $4 each, with lots of leftovers. I have some material for two skirts as well - about $8 each, I have been looking online and found how to make a pattern for a six gore skirt so will probably make one up like that and see how it goes.

I am hoping to find a bit of success and learn some new dressmaking techniques, being conscious of the fact that I will not always have my children around so a few productive hobbies will be useful in the future.

Best bit though - is Mum/daughter time, of course. And seeing my daughter have fun being creative.

A piece of writing

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:36:00 -0500

This is a piece my 15 year old son handed me this morning. I don't do a lot of writing with the children, it is not an area I am comfortable with teaching. But I have been asking him to give me a piece about a page long each two weeks in varying formats. He hasn't yet fixed up his spelling and punctuation errors, but I think he did a good job for a reluctant writer.

1666

Alas, the sky is lit with flames. Smoke lingers in my nostrils, leaving a foul taste on my tongue. The horizon is hazy, hidden by thick cloud blackened because of the ash. London is burning. Babes cry, the faint sound of water sloshing in buckets echoes around my room. Across the river buildings are being ravaged by a ferocious fire. The wind blows the smoke across to us, billowing up into huge clouds reflecting the hellish atmosphere below them.

Our city is being destroyed. It’s peoples are in pandemonium, many are left homeless carrying their most valued possessions on their backs. Many cripples didn’t make it from the flames, as they fell over and got crushed by the ensuing crowds, those who survived the stampede certainly did not survive the flames.

Is this the judgment of God? First we are plundered by the plague, two hundred thousand dead. Now this great fire is leaving our city in ashes. Now London bridge is alight, it’s timbers buried in fire fall into the water. Not even our grand river can stop this frenzy. Wardens and able-bodied civilians rush to and fro with water buckets to try and suppress the fire. It looks as though their efforts are in vain as the flames roar with great anger. The wind blows burning embers into the air spreading the fire further, setting off smaller fires which will soon add to the raging monster full of wrath.

Will this hell end?

A few days later…

The fire has left.

Its mark has not.

Smoke still lingers, it blows with the wind against my face and its scent catches in my hair. Our once fine city is nothing but ashes. London, once capitol of the world now left in destruction. It will take many years to rebuild our city to a shade of it’s former glory. The rich are mixed in with the poor, nothing distinguishes them from each other. For all have been made poor, our only possession is poverty. Our grand buildings have been razed to the ground. The stench of burnt animals caught by the flames is the dominant smell, and it is repulsive. It has caused the contents of my stomach to leave through the doorway of my mouth.

From one small ember, to a raging fire. From a grand city now nothing but ashes. Once center of the world, now no more important than the soil upon it once stood. Once England’s glory, now a mere tragedy.

The Art Class

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:03:00 -0500

It seemed like a good idea at the time - back in January. When the local night school was taking bookings for the year, I thought it would be good to sign up for the watercolours class. Back then I was getting into drawing a bit and wanted to expand my horizons. The July start date was a long way off. But as July approached I felt less and less inspired. Going to a class with a group of strangers is a long way out of my comfort zone.

Well the start rolled around and guess what? Everyone was in the same boat, we are all out of our comfort zone, few people already knew each other. And there are enough extroverts in the group to keep the introverts comfortable. There is also a wide range of talent - from the woman who does a lot of oil paintings wanting to try watercolours, through those of us who have dabbled a bit with drawing, to the woman who got kicked out of art class in high school because she couldn't draw an elephant for a 'Welcome to India' poster.

I am really enjoying the class. It is nice to leave the house each Tuesday evening to do something creative. The colours are wonderful, so delicate and unpredictable. It is fun to see the white page being transformed. I don't know what anyone else thinks of my artwork, and I can honestly say I don't care. There is something refreshing about the colours, and adding a touch of beauty to life. I have got the basic paints and papers and brushes etc now, so its up to me how I go about learning and developing.

It is interesting that few in the class had done art classes at school. (Most of the class would be 40-50). Back then, there were those who were arty and those that weren't. No one said that any one can learn some basic drawing techniques, and have a bit of fun with colour and materials. There are some in the class who remember looking into the art class room in wonder and wishing they could enter that magical place, where only the few could go. Isn't it sad that we had to wait until we were middle aged until we could develop that side of ourselves.

Maybe thats the important thing I can gain from the class, and pass on to my children. To not say that we are too old to learn something. To try it anyway and enjoy the process. To let them explore the world they may be interested in - whether art or music or sport - and not give them the message that it is too hard and mysterious.