Poetry

Amelie and I were sitting on the porch yesterday and she says she is bored.  My children have never said they are bored.  So we chatted and I suggested poetry.  She wrinkled her nose but then listened.  I told her that in college I used to write poems and really enjoyed it.  She asked me to take out my book of poems and we read through a few.  She is off now on a poetry craze.  She has been writing poems and looking up different rules about poems.  Yes, she is my daughter who never stops.

I am going to share one of my poems that I wrote in college.  I may end up sharing others but I will choose the one.



Only two people on the sidewalk
an old homeless woman
carrying her wardrobe in a paper bag
and a couple of feet behind her walks a respectful man in his 30's.
He is walking a pace faster than she-
so in a short time he will catch up to her.
In one stride he passes her and continues to walk his pace.
Only a foot between them, with her raspy voice-
she calls out to the man.
He holds his breath and turns around expecting her to
ask for some spare change that she will only spend on booze.
After getting his attention she says...
You know, for a second there, it sure looked like we
were walking together, didn't it?


That Unfortunate Soul  (one more)

Wandering aimlessly through broken cities
he covers his unimportant being with sheaths of dirty wear
one eye intact, two ears to hear
frost bit, bug eaten hands
scurry to find the comfort of a satisfied stomach.
The warmth consisting only in his mind
where thoughts of dandelions and colorful jellybeans dance.
Memories are his company
Visions of uneaten bread and windows from the inside
Fire glowing, he laughs with the world
the being with a wisdom of his surroundings, a knowledge of people
Lies on a sidewalk with hope and content.

Slaying past his people, briefcase at hand
Outstanding, beautiful at the sight
Washed clean clothes
accepted by society
Successful at every challenge, every thought created
holding an importance given to him at birth
Stomach full, he laughs at the world
Deadlines holding him in their hands of entrapment
Hurrying through life, never quite there yet
His ignorant mind consisting only of wanted happiness
He screams from the inside, wanting a way out
cring into his unsuccessful hands, he wakes up to another dreadful day.

I used to love writing poetry.

Dancing to Mozart

Yes, we unschool.  I have started going to Charlotte Mason meetings for ideas.  A lot of people think that unschooling is completely letting your child lead and leaving them to their own devices.  This is not true.  Unschooling (or life learning if you want more of a positives spin) means something different to different people.  To us it means not doing any schooling that the kids don't enjoy.  This means that we search high and low to get information into our children.  We very rarely use a text book.  Really the only text book we have is for Math and like I said before, the kids ask to "play" math.  Geography and History are done through reading.  Science is nature and books.  We do the odd experiment too.  We do a tonne of reading from all kinds of books.  Since going to the meetings I have gotten ideas to try with them.  They now have some copy work.  This is quite fun actually.  I write out a sentence and they copy it.  Sometimes I write that they have the best mom ever.  Sometimes I can write that my daughter Ricky is amazing.  These little comments make them smile and this makes me smile. It is those moments that I love.  The creativity and the little bits of love I can throw into their day.  Charlotte Mason believes in studying music, art and living books.  I don't have the exact same philosophy but these women are such a wealth of knowledge and I do take their advice.  We have fun with it.  We look through art books and talk about the work.  We read really good books.  Here in these pictures we are dancing to Mozart.  I turned up a video on the computer and we danced around the kitchen.  We got some CD's from the library and play those while we read stories about Mozart.  I absolutely love how much we have fun with learning!  I am so thankful for the lives we lead.

Our family photo shoot!!

Another year of thanks

Ah yes, the first day of school.  As kids are excitedly packing and repacking their backpacks and supplies and getting ready for school, my kids will be sleeping.  Well most of them.  They are completely oblivious to the first day of school.  While kids are watching for the bus to bump on down the road, my kids will be cuddled up on the couch watching The Lorax.  (Ricky will still be sleeping)  While kids are loading onto the bus and traveling down the streets and then lining up for school, my kids will be eating breakfast and chatting.  (Ricky will probably still be sleeping)  As amazing as homeschooling is, I don't think any bad thoughts about school.  Sure I do believe for us that homeschooling is the better option.  That doesn't mean I think school is evil.  Not everyone is cut out for homeschooling.  Some mornings this year will arrive that I see that bus roll up and I will want to truck all of my crazy kids out there and plunk them on a seat and wave excitedly goodbye and do a the happy dance in an empty house BUT most days I treasure.  I love our lazy days of interaction with one another.  I love our many conversations we have throughout the day.  I love Ricky sleeping in, creative games and plays they create and piles of books.  I love Amelie and Ricky crocheting together and talking and I love being able to stay home and love them, mold them and teach them.
I just love who my children are and who they are becoming.  I thank God all the time that we came upon this journey that is wild and so full of yummy love.  Tomorrow we stay in our PJ's all day and maybe have some fun with math.  The next day we go to the zoo with a bunch of other homeschooling families and just live.  Really, can life get much better?

Food

Seriously, what's the big deal?
Why is it so important for our children to finish everything on their plate?  It makes no sense to me.
Yesterday my daughter didn't want to finish her watermelon.  I told her that we would put it aside and if she wanted more it would be there.  I heard a comment that I let my children off the hook to easily.  What?  That's silly.  If I am eating and I begin to not enjoy what I am eating, I will give it over to someone else.  I don't not feel the need to finish.  Why do parents feel the need to control their children so much?  Will they grow up to not finish what is on their plate?  GASP!  Will they starve to death?  Please.  They need to finish what they start?  Why?  Because we as adults always do?  I have never made my children finish their food.  When they are done, they are done.  Not a big deal.  There are many more important things to worry about than if my daughter eats a few more bites of her watermelon.  Really, our children will not turn out to be non eating, filthy, non polite monsters if we don't control every little moment of their lives.  People amaze me.

They're getting older...no more veggies kids!!! :)

I am feeling very blessed.  Look at these amazing children!  The first few pictures are of a pond at our park.  Well it is really a field that flooded but whatever.  Thousands and thousands of toads were mating about a month ago and our kids found them.  To the excitement of the toads I am sure ;)  the kids had a blast.  Yes we came home with muddy clothes and slimy hands but oh what a wonderful time we had!  Amelie wanted a picture of herself kissing a toad and then make it seem like the toad turned into Cohen.  Then we have Ricky with a toad, Reagan holding out a toad to show us, Hadley being cute in a swing and Callum being a soccer star.  I haven't worked on pictures of Hadley and Callum in the pond so I put other pictures in.
When I look at my children and who they are becoming, I am so grateful for our decision to homeschool.  More and more I am noticing their differences and the benefits.  They are just really great kids.  I am their mom and moms say this, I know.  Thank God I listened to my heart and went against the naysayers and we raised our children the way they were meant to be raised.
Oh and YAY, I know how to upload pictures on this computer now.

Still here...

Hello all,
We are just figuring out how to put pictures onto our computer.  Yes, this is our life.  Things take a long time.  The important things get done.
The kids are in soccer again.  I can't wait to post pictures of it.  They are all doing so well and enjoying themselves.  Callum is the new soccer guy in the family.  He takes it quite seriously.  He is now sleeping through the night and staying dry.  People say that we will miss the diaper stage but I don't believe we will.  It has been 9.5 yrs in diapers for us and 8 yrs with 2 in diapers.  We are ready.  Hadley Jude is the last little peanut.
You worry and worry and worry that they won't potty train, that they won't sleep through the night, that they will be ruined by your frustrations.  You worry about what they eat and how they behave.  Will they read and know their letters?  How is their socialization?  I am not worried about how they socialize but I am more worried about how they will be perceived by other kids in a town that is schooled.  Lets face it, we are watched.  Kids in school do have a different way of being.  It isn't bad, just different.  They learn pretty quickly what is ok and what is not in the socialization circle of life.  It is not ok for another kid to come up and tell them what they are saying is wrong.  I taught Amelie this this month.  When kids are using inappropriate language they don't need to be told.  Yes I am happy that my child is not following suit but I also don't want her targeted.   I have taught her to just walk away and play with someone else.  I would much rather navigate through this than the alternative.  So I worry about that.  I have to remind myself that they all talk, walk, use the toilet, sleep through the night, lose the soother, are healthy and happy.  It all happens and they are great.  I need to focus on being grateful more than worry.  I have been telling myself this for 9 years.  Hopefully I will listen soon.