The Stockings I made for the kids

The stockings hung by the chimney with care

Amelie

Ricky

The Stockings I made for the kids

Ricky

Cohen

Reagan

Hadley

Callum

Seeing the Lights

Last night I made chicken pamesan, green beans with garlic and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. We ate together and dad suggested we go for a drive to look at Christmas lights. As a child I remember going to a house about 15 minutes away. It is all beautifully decorated with moving ferris wheels and a lit up Santa's workshop. I mean, literally the yard is FULL of lit up decorations. We brought our dog Skip and our kitten Chloe and talked about the lights. When we got there we decided to get the kids out two at a time to walk along in front of the house to get a better look. In the dark I could see their shadows, hand in hand, looking at this creation. I held Hadley (babe) up so she could see the lights too. We then drove home all excited about this house and vowed to go back every year and maybe even bring hot chocolate next time.

Ok, lets try this again. Everything in this post is true. Lets put a bit of real in it, shall we? lol

I scramble around the kitchen trying to make dinner. The wonderful smells fill the air while the kids whine and argue with each other. One of "those" days! We are going to decorate the inside of our house tonight! The kids are so excited! Well dinner takes longer than expected and as I clean up the kitchen I am thinking of a way to change decorating until tomorrow night. Hey everyone, we are going to make eggnog and read stories together instead! A bunch of groans. Ron has the wonderful idea of driving around to look at lights. Coats, boots and a scramble later and we are all buckled in. We get to the end of the road and Hadley is pretty upset. We head back home to get a warm bottle and head back out again. She is still pretty upset so we pull over 1 minute up the road and I help her poop for about 20 minutes while Amelie looks around our truck for a spare diaper. She is finally ready to go back into her carseat so we head out. As we drive to our destination Cohen is whining that he wishes we stayed home to decorate. I am starting to think the same thing. How much longer? Wahhhh! So Ron says, here comes the lights! The house from my childhood is still there! It is beautiful! The kids are very excited and animately talk about the characters that are lit up and moving. I have this wonderful idea for Ron to take two kids at a time to get a closer look. He groans and doesn't want to but does. We take turns using two coats and I see them in the dark, holding hands, against the lit up yard. I can see that Ron is enjoying himself as well as the children. As Reagan is taking her turn she runs ahead and is beside the road. While carrying Callum, Ron is running with a sore back to catch her. He is annoyed but is fine and comes back to the car. Hold the kitten so she doesn't get out. (She doesn't like car rides!) Don't let Skip out! Here you take this coat and STOP CRYING, you will get a turn! They all see the beautiful display and Ron then farts and we are all gagging and he can't stop laughing. He then says, It is better to give than to recieve! We are all laughing and gagging. We then drive home talking about what we saw and Amelie says, "That is my favorite place in the whole world!" We get them to bed without brushing their teeth or flossing because it is so late. They fall asleep quickly.

Both stories are true. One is a bit more real. Yes, it is nice to share all of the positives with everyone but it is also nice to share what really happens. It shows people that we are all human and we aren't going to have life all handed to us with roses. In ten years we will look back and remember going to that house as a family and the magical feeling of it. I remember going to that house with my family and having hot chocolate that my mom brought. I don't remember everything surrounding it. I doubt my children will either. Sure life can get tough and life can get frustrating but hey, that IS life. Enjoy it and spend it with the ones you love.

Nooks and Crannies

We cry too

I recently had a friend tell me that she likes the non-sugarcoated stories I share.
I thought about that. When I post something real it bothers me just a little bit. I am opening up a window into our lives. A dirty little window. I would love it if my family was always happy, smiling, helpful and well, inhuman. A home where we share, have clean floors and engage in learning activities 24/7. Why do we all try to show others just the positive moments? Is it because we are insecure about the bad moments? Are we afraid of being judged? I think that is it for me. I don't want to be judged. I don't want to be judged about the child whining in the grocery store. I don't want to be judged if my children eat at 8pm because we were too busy with life. I don't want to be judged about my messy house at 4 in the afternoon.
Well guess what. We all have these dirty little windows. We all have secrets we wish not to share and we all have insecurities and negative qualities. Do we hide them or share them to help others feel more human. I was just reading Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul and it had me laughing because I could relate. Isn't that a wonderful feeling? When we can relate to someone else? It makes you feel validated. It makes you feel a little less crazy and a little more normal.
So I am opening my window and you can come and take a peek. Shhhh...it's a secret.

1. Sometimes it is 11pm at night and Ron and I look at each other and ask, "Did you feed the
dog?"
2. When we have company coming we throw the laundry that doesn't fit in the baskets in
garbage bags and hide them in the back washroom. (Laundry is almost all done...GASP)
3. Cohen gets sucked into Lego Star Wars on PS3 and I let him play for hours just to watch him
jump around while he presses the buttons.
4. My kids bathe once a week if they are not gross.
5. At bedtime, I threaten Reagan with not doing the next days activities because I just.can't.
stand one more time out of her bed.
6. Cohen's main food staple is chicken nuggets.

So there you have it. Our home is a normal home with nooks and cranies. It is a home with love, crankiness, laughter, whining, sharing, pushing and just ... family. Family.

Africa

Thank you God for this food

Bear with me as I put my thoughts onto this blog.



Growing up I have always known about Teen Missions. They are an organization who helps people in Africa. They help them with a number of things like food, clean water, teaching and bible. We have family friends who work for Teen Missions so I have always been "exposed" to what happens in Africa. But like so many other people in our society we don't really get it. We see their sad little pictures of half dead being eaten by flies children lying in their parents arms. I say so bluntly because that is really what it is. It doesn't need any sugarcoating for our benefit. That is the reality. A little piece of their reality. We see images of these people and think "How sad" and move on or change the channel or turn the page. How easy it is for us to forget. How easy it is for us to get back to regularly scheduled programming, making dinner, going to work, answering the phone or changing a diaper. For many years I have thought about Africa off and on and thought about how I wished I could help. Send $10 here and there. I did my part! Every little bit helps but was I really doing all that I could?

Recently something happened to me. I am suddenly seeing the world in a different light. Before this something happened to me I envied people of their grand homes, nice cars, large properties and fancy decorations. I wanted I wanted I wanted MORE. Always wanting more. After this something happened I am left still wanting MORE but not for me. I am wanting MORE for THEM. With every little moment in my life I am seeing things with more clarity about the reality of our world. The fascination with celebrities, the biggest and newest and the MORE MORE MORE. How could I have been so blind? It all seems so trivial ... all of these things. All of this useless junk. I feel like my world has been turned upside down and inside out. I am finding that there really does have to be a boundary here. I cannot let this consume me.

A few nights ago I was feeling so incredibly overwhelmed with the needs in Africa. I sat and cried thinking about how I can't save everyone. I can't save that tiny child of 2 from clinging to his mother who is dying of AIDS all alone. I can't save that young girl of 10 from being raped on her 3 mile walk to get dirty water to drink for her family. I can't stop malaria. I can't stop the pain. I can't stop the sorrow. I can't stop the loneliness. I can't stop AIDS. I can't stop the rising number of orphans. I can't do it all. And that is ok. God has that child of 2, that little girl of 10, AIDS suffering, lonely people in His hands and in His heart. He's got them. I will keep this in my heart while I help another child of 7 from the same fate of the 10yo girl. I will help a different 3yo than that 2yo. I CAN still help some even if it is just a drop in a bucket. Is that why we don't help? Because we can't save them all? Or is it because it is so painful to face a reality such as that that we turn away? Is it because we are so consumed in our own greedy lives that we don't step up and do what is right? I guess it is different for everyone.



So this is what this one family is going to do.



We are going to start I CAN.

We are going to start doing all that we can to raise money for a well. This will be the start. The well costs $6600 for a village to have safe, clean drinking water. This will stop that 10yo girl from walking half or more of her day to find water. This will help stop disease.

We will be creating another blog about our journey as a homeschooling family to raise enough money to help some people in Africa.

There will be pictures of the things we do and information about what you can do.

You may want to donate to help or you may even want to start a family project of your own to make a difference.

Thank you for reading my late night post about what has been on my mind.

Here is a link to the lists of things we can buy for people in Africa. I assure you, the money goes directly to what you want it to.

http://www.aidsorphans.org/community-development-projects/
Click on Projects with Eternal Purpose at the top to see the list with pictures.

I decided to go through my fabric closet. Of course this was exciting for the kids. I had a pile left for them so I let them pick what they were interested in. They then went off on their own and made up outfits. Amelie has a jeans pant leg on and the rest have cotton. I like how they work together to make each other look stylish. The girls do this often with their dresses. They get all dressed up and come out for a dance show. Will one of them be a fashion designer? Who knows. It doesn't really matter. If I had that thought every time they got into something I would be worn out! lol A couple of days ago Ricky was taking our door knobs off with a screw driver and putting them back on. Locksmith...probably not. Amelie likes to write stories. Writer...probably not. There are hundreds of thousands of jobs that they can have. They will figure it out when the time is right. That is where trust comes in. Trusting them to be able to learn what they need, when they need and how they need. Trusting them to follow their interests. Trusting them to follow their own individual paths. I am their facilitator. I wouldn't want to miss out on these moments for anything. It is who they are and I love it. I love them.

Being yourself

My 2 year old son likes dresses. Pink ones, white ones and orange ones like the one here. He watches his sisters dress up and undress many times a day. Why shouldn't he join in? I don't have to worry about my children being mercilessly teased because they dress how they like. If I am going to be honest I may have an issue with my almost 6yo wearing a dress out. If he insisted I would tell him what reactions he may get and let him decide from there. I want to equip my children in this world but also allow them to self express. Fine line.

Artistic Lunch

I want to remember this

The boys share a room with us. When Cohen goes to bed at night he puts his most valued toy on his bed post. When I go to bed I see the silhouette of his chosen toy. I never want to forget him placing them gently on top. I may understand the book "I'll love you forever" just a bit more now.

Fear

Sisters

Exploration

Hadley on the sidelines

Freedom

We had Homeschool Track and Field Day today. This means heading to the beach in the afternoon with the kids. As I look through the pictures I notice their smiling faces and the freedom they have. You do not see any pictures of me. If you did you would see worry. Anxiety. Serious. I have 6 children. 4 of whom cannot swim yet. 3 of whom who try to. Can you see where this would stem from? I try. I really do. I just don't find the beach relaxing. I remember my grandma (who had 8 children) telling me that whenever they would go to the beach she would be watching like a hawk and counting heads. My grandpa would be laying out in the sun without a care in the world. While I was hovering over my children I looked over at my husband who had the baby in the shade. Here he is relaxed and with a camera. He is taking in all of their smiles. Their silliness. Their exploration. I am only now taking in these images because I did not experience them today. Sometimes I wonder if my grandpa and my husband don't worry because they know that we do. Our children don't worry because they know that we do. After about an hour I did a trade with my husband. I fed Hadley while Ron was with them. Don't get me wrong. My eyes stayed trained on my children but I also got to see them from his point of view. I could see my whole family in the sunshine. I am so thankful that I did switch him because our children got to run. They got to explore without moms worried words. I would like to say that maybe this will change me. It won't. This is my fear. Once they can swim I know I will be able to relax at least a little bit. I will still be counting heads but I do that everywhere. I just have to be sure I have the right balance. I have to believe that every parent has fears. Every parent protects their children with a fierceness no one can match. I just don't want to smother them. I am ok with it at the beach. I tend to be more relaxed elsewhere.

Don't they just look carefree and beautiful? I am happy that I have a husband to capture beautiful moments at the beach.

Our children

Moments in Time

THANK YOU GOD

As I was signing into my account I hear a muffled cry. I look at my children and count. 1.2.3.4.5. Ok one is missing. Callum. I follow the cry and realize that my little 2.5 year old is standing on the porch trying to get IN! I had just brought the dog out and didn't notice my little guy escape. Thankfully, he wouldn't want to venture out to the road. It only takes a second, doesn't it? A fluttering butterfly followed onto the road. A toy run after. Searching for airplanes flying high. In one instant, I could be one less.

A 3yo boy was abducted in British Columbia. He was gone an agonizingly few days. Scores of people searched for this missing boy in hopes of finding him safe. Guess what. He was brought back. Back into the arms of his terrified and grateful parents.

Moments like these help me not take them for granted. Messy hands. Sticky faces. Muddy boot prints across our carpet. Hearing momma for the thousandth time in a minute. Whining about a sibling. These are all moments to be cherished. Most of my life I am with my family. I know that when they are grown I will not have any regrets on how much time I spent with them. Sure from day to day I picture a big, yellow automobile to pull up in front of my house and load them up for the day! 6 glorious hours for cleaning, quilting, reading and SLEEPING!!! Most days though, I feel so grateful and thankful that I GET to spend my days with my giggling, arguing, fascinating children. Really, life can't get much better than this!

Time

I have been thinking a lot about independence. I see older people whose children are teenagers or older. I cannot fathom being able to take a nap or quilt uninterrupted. Some calls me on the phone and asks if I would like to join them for a coffee/movie/dinner and I can say yes and not worry about the kids. I will sleep through the night. The house will not have more food under the table than on. I can watch my shows and not worry about little eyes watching and being influenced. I get little glimpses of what my life will be. Then I am up in the middle of the night with a little Hadley, nuzzled into my neck. I can feel her little chest going up and down against mine. She whimpers like a puppy in her sleep. Before bed I check on every one of my children to make sure they are there and covered. Cohen has his mouth open while he sleeps. Amelie is spread out and Ricky is curled up in her plethora of stuffed animals. Reagan I tread lightly because she will wake up and want to be up. Callum is out like a log and won't move. Throughout the night most will be out on the couch, spread out all over. Why do we have beds? lol We put blankets out on the couch at night because we know they will end up here. Growing up is bittersweet. While thinking about independence I think about missing this stage. The needing me stage. The look in their eyes that says I am their world. I look forward to who they will become but that can't stop me from seeing who they are. Quilting can wait. The memories cannot.

Touch

One touch says it all. Cohen was playing soccer and got in "trouble" for playing with another little boy instead of playing soccer. I was ok with that but apparently the coach didn't like it. He had to come and sit next to me for a break. I didn't know Ron was taking this picture. He was behind us and took the picture of me holding Cohen's hand. This picture means a lot to me and I will tell you why.
I have SPD. Sensory Processing Disorder. I have a hard time with light touch. I worry often that I am scarring my children by constantly telling them not to touch me or removing their hand/foot off of me. I worry that when Cohen was falling asleep trying to run his fingers softly up and down my arm, I turned him away. When I am reading stories I panic when the kids are surrounding me and touching me. So this picture to me is a relief. I don't even notice how often we touch. I hug easily and kiss so that isn't a problem. It is the light touch. So thank you to my husband for giving me this gift.

Friends

Friends. Socialization. Blah Blah Blah.
This is the socialization that I love. Good friends. Positivity. Encouragement. Compassion.
This is a family of many who visit us often. I have honestly never heard a word of negativity come from one of these children. I am not saying it never happens but I have not witnessed it. When one of my children fall they rush to help them up. When a child is sad they are there and concerned. They have never called my children names or done anything with malicious intent.
They are a strong Christian, homeschooling family with strong morals. When my children play with them I know they look up to them and learn from them. I don't have to worry about what they will be exposed to and I like that.
I have decided recently that our kids will not be watching TV any longer. Yes, they will watch DVD's that we approve of or a kids channel early in the morning. Any other television will no longer be. No more commercials, no more previews and no more sexualization of everything.
I was watching Family Feud the other day and the question was...What would women like to know about their husbands ex-girlfriend? One answer was...Was she good in bed? First I thought, well that was inappropriate. My children should not be thinking about people being good in bed. I did not even consider the fact that they are getting the impression that it is normal for someone to have multiple partners. Isn't that terrible? And we wonder why there are so many pregnant teens with no morals! Why are we shocked? It is spit at them from every angle! TV, school, internet...etc.
Are we sheltering our children? Hell yes! Yes we are! Is that a bad thing? No, I don't believe it is.

Lets see how much I can write before Hadley fusses. That is what life is like with a newborn. Lets see how much I can eat before she needs to be held. Rush Rush Rush. It is to be expected.
I have to remember that. When I look at my house and I am just too tired to use the vacuum, dust or tidy up, it is ok. It is ok that the laundry is not all done. It is ok that my children have watched TV all morning. It is ok that dinner for Cohen last night was dry cheerios and peanut butter.
Hadley has been a fussy little baby the past couple of days. She doesn't want to be put down. This makes for a messy house and undone chores. OH WELL! Sure I say that on here but in my mind I am screaming for a break. I am screaming for a clean house and healthy meals. I am screaming for my boobs back. Ya I said it!
Now don't get me wrong. I love the cuddles, the soft skin and fluffy hair. I love the grunts, whimpers and new smiles. But that isn't what this post is about. It is about the expectations a mom puts on herself with a newborn. No matter how many times I tell myself that the THINGS are not important right now...I still feel like they are important.
BAH - crying baby. One day I will look back and think...why did I care about the stinkin house? Not today. lol

Miss Hadley arrives!

Meet Hadley Jude! She was born on May 24th at a whopping 10lbs. This "little" person is the reason why I haven't been posting as regularly. First the morning sickness, then the pain from carrying a 6th baby and now she is here. Need I explain why I wouldn't have time to post now? lol. Hadley is the last to grace our family. I feel so incredibly blessed to have our 6 children and our wonderful marriage.
Birth Story:
At 4am I called the midwife because I was having contractions 4-5 min apart but only 15 min in length. I know myself so called. She told me to hold off (snicker) and see what happens. It is early labour. A half hour later I called again and they were 1 min in length. She said to meet her at the hospital. We called my mom and she left with my dad to meet us there. My brother Kaille came to watch the kids. Half way there I yelled for Ron to call an ambulance because I felt pressure. We pulled over and I hopped in the ambulance. (I don't need to go into details about peeing on the side of the intersection or hugging the paramedic and biting Ron during a particularly strong contraction. (Snicker again) Horrible ride with bumps and me yelling at the male attendant to rub my back and hold my hand. I get there and I am 8-9cm dilated. At this point I am crying for an epidural. I know that I could have had her easily but I had such fear from Cohen's birth going natural that I wasn't allowing it to happen. I was laying on the bed and vocalizing through the contractions. They were right on top of each other for a while. Part of me thinks I should have just stood up and given birth but I didn't. I ended up with the epi (heaven) and I relaxed. The neat part about the birth is she birthed herself. I didn't have to push. She literally came out on her own. She would come out a bit...go back in a bit. Apparently it was pretty amazing to watch.
She is another easy baby. (Thank goodness) Of course she wakes through the night and doesn't always go back to sleep for a while but she is calm and content.
She fits so nicely into our family. You can tell we were made for each other!

Easter

This Easter morning I felt very grateful. I had 5 young children excitedly rushing out to see what the Easter Bunny brought. First they gather at the doorway so they can come out together. Usually this involves Ron getting his coffee and camera ready and the kids busting at the seams. They gather jelly beans leading from each of their beds on the floor. This is how they know the bunny came of course! You can see Reagan here gathering hers up. She is a little Ricky. She meticulously collects each and every one and sneaks them throughout the morning. The Easter Bunny brings things like cheese strings, juice boxes, raisins and yogurt drinks. Our children are very excited by this because they never get pre-packaged foods. They usually get a whole jar of applesauce that they then get in bowls. Cheese is cut. Raisins are bought in bulk. They also got some chocolate eggs in their baskets and searched the house for more.
I love holidays with them. It reminds me of how close we are. It is tradition. I love to look over at my husband and him look back at me and we smile. Memories. I don't look forward to the day that we all sleep in or when they are gone. I treasure these times and never want them to end.
We also watch the Easter Story about Jesus dying on the cross and what that means for us and all. We go to church and then head on over to grandma and grandpa's where they spoil them with chocolate and candy.
We are very lucky to have family and love.

We are switching computers tomorrow so pictures will be posted. Yay!

So I went to a homeschooling conference this past weekend. It felt good to get away and enjoy some me time. I went with some girlfriends and slept out. It was definitely refreshing!

I want to write a post about a seminar I attended while there. This isn't the time. It moved me so much that I feel completely changed. I am looking at life differently and looking at who is in my life differently. Before I went I was feeling worn out, annoyed and watching the time and waiting for bedtime. Sure I am pregnant and I was sick but it was more the negative feelings. Lets face it. Parenting is exhausting not only physically but emotionally. This speaker hit me to my core.
I may not post about the details at this time but I will send you to her blog and tell you the name of her book. You will not be disappointed.
The blog is aholyexperience.com and her book is called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.
I sat there enthralled and crying. I was among many.

Now I am home and enjoying my children once again. Yes it is quite possible to enjoy our children when 33 wks pregnant. It is still possible to enjoy children when your body aches and all you want to do is close your eyes and not wake up for a week. It is still possible to enjoy children when you are weary and unsure. Just look at them. How could you not?

I am heading off to sleep now. I want to enjoy my children in the morning. :)

I love evenings like these

Evenings when Ron is home. When he is playful and fun. When we are gathered around the dinner table laughing and joking. When we have pie for dessert. When I get a nap. When we read together and enjoy each other. When we say prayers. When they are healthy and happy. I love evenings like these.

I am very anxious for Spring to arrive. We have a small house so when the kids need to burn some energy it can get loud in here. I feel bad constantly telling them Shhhh.

Today it was raining. Melting the snow away. I just can't wait to see the kids outside in the sun collecting bugs and flowers for their mom. Jumping in puddles and making mud pies. Screaming and running around the yard. Vitamin D.

I find that when I am either pregnant or during the Winter I feel guilty. Don't get me wrong, I love homeschooling and don't even a little bit want to send them to school. Not even a tiny bit on the worst days. I just feel bad because they are locked inside with a hormonal mom. haha
When they are outside on a sunny day all the guilt fades. I see my children in a new light. On any given day my children are happy and thriving. Which is amazing being inside for so long. They do get out but not nearly as much as spring, summer or fall. I NEVER hear the words, "I am bored." Never. To be honest, I am not sure why. I am not one to constantly having them do activities. I don't lay out art projects with details on how to do them. I very rarely bake and include them. Our days pretty much consist of them doing their own thing. Amelie is one to write stories, sew, make comics, make up experiments or inventions. Ricky and Cohen enjoy playing with each other. Make believe, playing with toys and just plain having fun. Reagan and Callum like to play but not so much with each other yet. Roo can be dominating. I have noticed recently that Cohen and Callum are playing together. It is nice to see.
The main thing that I need to work on as a parent is getting more involved with them at a playing level. I read a million books a day, I snuggle and I take care of them. What I don't do is play. I want to train myself to like it. I really do. It is hard to get involved when they are so independent. They don't approach me and ask what they can do. Now if I notice they are bothering each other I take the cue and set the box of legos out and let them build. An activity. I feel that I need to get on their level more. That is my biggest struggle.
I will be posting more pictures again soon. Ron has to clear the camera so I can snap away again.
Night all!

SNOW and lots of it!

We have so much that we have been doing and I haven't been posting. I have had the flu and I am trying to recuperate. I have been tired and feeling sick for a bit now.
I am 25 wks pregnant now. Our little girl is getting stronger and the lovely kicks to the bladder have started!
The kids are wonderful.
Amelie has been doing some creative writing which is nice. I can see the progress as she writes. Ron is reading Narnia with her at night. It is wonderful to see them bond they way they are.
Ricky is still our sweet Ricky. She is so very compassionate and plays nicely with all of her siblings. She has a great attention to detail while doing her art. She is still pretty quiet and likes to be close to mom when we go out. I like how we have never pushed their independence.
Cohen has gotten very silly and loud. He used to play quietly for hours. Not anymore! It is great to see his personality coming out. He still won't eat most foods but again, I am very happy that we haven't pushed unwanted foods at him.
Reagan is still our fireball. I find if we give her more attention throughout the day she is much happier. I think we got in the routine of getting frustrated with her automatically because she could be hard to take. It has gotten much better. She is the sweetest little thing. She constantly gives hugs and kisses to all.
Callum is starting to talk a bit more. It is nice when they are at a stage that they can communicate what they want or need. He is still very quiet and patient but becoming a bit more assertive. He is mauled by his siblings.
Ron will be emptying the pictures from the camera so I can take a bunch more to upload. I have some scrumptious pictures but I am just too tired to upload tonight!
I hope all of my fellow homeschoolers out there are doing well and loving what they are doing.

Most of us panic. We love our children. We are not following the crowd and sending them to school. We are not following the homeschooling crowd either. We are the less known group of unschoolers. I panic.
Amelie (8 now) was writing a story on the computer. She was asking me how to spell a bunch of words. I had a vision of her as an adult writing on forums or at a job and not being able to spell. Appel is not acceptable. Neither is flote. Spelling is one thing that bothers me if it is horrible. So should I place this insecurity on my children. I did. I printed up spelling lists appropriate for their ages. The girls were excited about this. They each had a piece of paper and pencil and wrote down the words I gave them. Amelie got an average of 8 or 9 out of 10 and Ricky got them right. (Amelie's weren't spelled the same as they sounded) I took a sigh of relief and I have continued to leave them alone to learn. Every once in a while I do this. I wonder if other unschooling parents do this. I just sometimes need the reassurance that my children will be able to be who they want as an adult. I don't want them to grow up and not have the opportunities that everyone else has.
But that is all relative, isn't it?
I believe they will have more opportunities to be who they want. They will have time and freedom to explore their interests and desires. They have room to fail and room to soar. They have the opportunity to not allow outside influences to shadow how they view life.
This doesn't mean that their crazy mother won't throw a few spelling quizzes at them though.