Just a little rambling

I always have good intentions when it comes to my blog. I intend to post often but it just doesn't always happen. Life happens and gets in the way of intent sometimes.

First we have been very busy on the school front. We have been playing math games with dice, This is a great way to encourage addition, subtraction multiplication and even division. All you need is a pair of dice per child, a piece of paper and pencil. We often sit around the table and play games so this is not unusual. I use the dice to help the children remember their math facts. The person with the answer first wins the round. One round is addition, the next will be subtraction, then Multiplication, then division. For more complicated rounds we add the total of the dice and then multiply or divide it by the smallest number rolled. We also have been off to the park twice, its a mile walk and then we played ball, walked the track and of course played on the equipment. One of those days my pedimoter said I walked over 6.5 miles!  Another favorite game this past week has been Scrabble Slam. It's the card game scrabble and its quick easy and fun. You play with four letter words changing them with one card. It helps children learn word families and how one letter changes a whole word. Great fun and even my 7 year old likes to play.

There has been a new addition to the family, Lizzy is her name. I will post about her later this week. I have been trying to get good pictures of her but she has been a bit camera shy.  

Of course a good number of us also got sick in the last few weeks. Head colds are never fun and they are always long lasting when you have a large family. I am sure glad I don't have more kids because I can't imagine how long it would take to get everyone healthy. My kids tend to not get sick until the person before them is just about better. So for us if each kid is sick it usually takes about a month before the whole house is healthy again. I know some families get sick and all do it together which I am sure is miserable but hey, at least its all over with quickly!

I have also been trying to sew, but with sick kids and constant interruptions that has not been an easy task. I have many patterns cut out and just waiting for me to get them together, adorable aprons that are calling out to me to finish creating them. I need a designated sewing room... maybe the kids should all bunk up in one bedroom so mom can have a sewing room? nah! the fighting would drive me crazy! :) I know the attic... hmmm somewhere there is bound to be a space for me to create a private little oasis of creativity.

Of course lets not forget the Giveaway! It ends Wednesday night at 12pm EST. So its not to late to share and enter! Remember you can enter more then once. Share a link on your blog, or social networking site and share on my where you shared the giveaway... You will be entered for each share as well as your original entry.
Drawing winners will be announced on Thursday morning! 

Weekly Organic Learning Report

I meant to write this on Friday and post it but, well life happened. I am sure some of you understand that all to well!

As a homeschooling mom who firmly believes that children need to be allowed to follow their own passions and dreams I work hard to see where the spark is and keep them going in that direction. It's not always easy but I do try.

This week has been one of challenge for me. My darling Spitfire has come to me and informed me that she wants more structure. I will admit right here and now that I was really hurt by this. Here I was giving her the freedom to explore everything she wants and do it all how she wants. Only to be told by her that I was doing it wrong! Well Ok, she didn't say it was wrong, only that she wants more "school work". As a few people reminded me that is what Organic learning is all about. Choosing how you learn, and what you learn. She is still following her own path, she just wants it to be more structured. This week I spent a lot of time doing some research just for the Spitfire. I am going to be using some resources online and of course printing some stuff as well as trips to the library. We do a lot of that stuff already but I am going to have to put it together a bit differently so that she can get her needs met.

One resource that was shared with me in a Facebook group is a free site called e-learning for kids this resource has subjects broken down into grade level and kids can work at their own pace. I think this will become the number one tool for the next few weeks for the Spitfire. I am sure that the Cuddle Bug will want to join her because he never likes to be outdone by her. He wants to work just as hard as she does and keeps pace with her in all things.

I also see a lot of printer ink and paper in my near future.

On other Organic Learning fronts, my hands on learner is very interested in blacksmithing. We have found several blacksmiths in our new area and he has composed emails to them to see if someone would be willing to take on an apprentice. He has books on blacksmithing and has watched a few documentaries on metal work. He wants to learn about making swords, so we are looking for this sort of thing now. He is interested in medieval times as well and the sword play there and that is another great resource.

The Bookworm is working on writing. I have given her a little push to finish and try to publish one book this year. She is going to try. She has several novels in partially finished stages and it will be good for her to see it through to the end.

This week I have spent a lot of time in groups and discussions. I have another favorite blogger to add to my growing list of homeschooling bloggers. The Innovative Educator's blogger Lisa is wonderful at providing an interesting perspective as well as tons of helpful links.

And in blogger news, Don't forget to check out my Giveaway! It's not to late to enter! entering is easy, just comment on the blog for the giveaway will give you one entry. Sharing it on your blog, or other social networking site and coming back to share the link with me will give you another entry. Its simple and you get one of the three awesome prizes I made.

Weekly Organic Learning report

Ahh its been a while since we had a weekly report so I thought I would toss one out there this morning.

Moving is always an adventure in learning. You learn what you are made of, either you can't handle doing it all or you are the kind of person who doesn't stop until its all done.

My kids are all in the second category. They are awesome. Even The Spitfire and The Cuddlebug pitched in and packed loads of boxes and brought them to the truck!

As for learning well We have been watching a show on netflix called The Colony. This show was done with test subjects where they were all from different walks of life and the senerio is that there has been catastrophic disaster. These people have had to come together to build a safe place to stay. They have shown us how to build a battery bank and how to recharge it with solar power so far. Its pretty cool and we all have enjoyed it.

We are also building our own bench seats for the kitchen. This has been great for teaching the kids some very practical math skills as well as how to recycle wood used for other projects previously.

We are getting ready to craft some stuff for Christmas gifts as well as Christmas cards for our beloved friends back in California. It is a lovely time of year to be settling into a routine and having our family be together again. The move from Virginia to North Carolina was costly but has been well worth it in family time. We are enjoying the family dinners together again and having quality time with Dad. It is nice to have the ability to spend little moments together everyday.

The routine is slowly forming and I am sure that in the coming weeks our Organic learning will develop into a much richer format soon.

Weekly Organic Learning report

This week so far has been a fun week.

The Spitfire has decided to learn to sew, by hand. I searched through fabric and found some cute printed fabric that someone gave me long ago. This fabric has printed candy canes with giant bows on them. You cut out the pattern and sew it together to make decorations. I think we will make a strand of these and then tie them together to make a garland. Spitfire has finished sewing one together and we are going to stuff it.

There was lots of outside learning the last two weeks. The kids are having a blast playing in the falling leaves.

Sunday was my Bookworm's birthday party and the kids all helped her clean up the fire pit area, gather and chop wood for a bon fire. They were all so excited about doing it on their own. They helped cut down dead and fallen trees and cleaned up the area to have a lovely fire.

We took a trip to the thrift store and found parts and pieces for costumes. The Bookworm is going to sew her own cape for her costume. This is the ultimate in recycling because the pattern is vintage from the 1960's from a stash my mother in law had given me years ago. The fabric is from a bolt I bought years ago that was on clearance. The bolt was 1$ a yard and there was 22 yards on it. So I bought the whole thing. I made a skirt out of it before and still have loads of fabric left so this cape is costing me nothing to make. The Spitfire is going to be a ballerina since we found a costume for a couple of bucks at the thrift store. I did have to buy her slippers but she will wear them for a while still I am sure. The Adventurer has yet to decide what he wants to be, and waffles between not wanting to dress up at all and then of course thinking maybe he will. The Cuddlebug has not come up with a solid costume yet. I told him he was running out of time. He just can't seem to think of what he should be.

I think the fall has been lovely so far. We have learned to make jam and now apple jelly. We are loving watching the leaves change on the trees around us. I personally am loving the cooler weather, it feels crisp and lovely. I am planning a few projects for the next week and hope that I can share some pictures with you all.

Bloging style, life run amok.

I have discovered since my camera is not working that I find it very hard to come here and post a daily blog.

I love to post pictures of what I am talking about. I am certainly a more visual person rather then a just write words about it and describe it all. I just do not really know how to re-invent myself right now so please bear with me and stay tuned.

My camera is still sitting here because I can not find the papers for the warranty information. I know I have it but gosh who knows what happened to it when we moved.

We have been busy around here. Since Spitfire has decided she could read she has been doing it a lot. She reads to me everyday and we are having lots of fun with it. We have all been watching a ton of documentaries too. I simply love netflix for that fact. The documentaries alone make it worth the 7.99 to stream in movies to my wii. Our most recent one was a wonderful one all about the food industry called Ingredients. This film talks about eating locally and in season. It is the best way to eat if you can not grow your own food. I however am convinced that people everywhere no matter where you live CAN grow their own food, it just might take a little creativity. Using planters and green houses instead of just straight in the ground. I think if everyone grew some of their own food the savings would be phenomenal not to mention the taste difference of growing your own food. Learning to eat in season according to where you live is also a really great money saving tool. If you buy locally grown fresh produce you can cut your grocery bill a lot because the local in season food is less expensive then the stuff that is imported from other states, or countries.

We have switched to only fresh baked bread. I have dough that I keep in the refrigerator and use a portion of everyday. Feeding the rest for another day. Then I make a loaf of bread in the morning and we have fresh baked bread for lunches. This has cut our grocery budget a lot too.

I have been crocheting a ton, little things for me. I wrote up a pattern for a pair of fingerless gloves (mitts?) I also created a toe up pair of socks that I totally love. I wish that I could show them to you. I only have one sock finished but the other one is in the works.

I am working on being a better blogger even without pictures. I just am not sure how to get there, so hang in there with me.

When life gets crazy

Have you ever had one of those weeks that was so crazy it takes you all week to actually process it?

That is pretty much what has happened this last week. I still can not process where each of the things that happened.

We were each busy with school stuff, the kids are all learning so much its hard to break it down. Spitfire is loving the freedom of reading on her own and is trying out new books constantly. I have been exploring things with my adventurer. The Bookworm and I have been talking about possible part time jobs and what her options for the future are. She thinks she wants to try college part time and since she is a graduate it will require some tests so we are doing some review and practice for testing as well as talking about what to do for test anxiety.

On Monday my husbands director told him he should apply for this other company that will be taking over part of the policing for the hospital he works for so he did. Then on Tuesday the head of the new company was there and wanted to interview him, she had already reviewed his resume. So he interviewed on Tuesday and by Wednesday night he got a call offering him a full time position as the Supervisor of the whole operation with the potential to become the director for 3 other hospitals. This position sort of just fell into his lap. It means a regular shift with decent pay and benefits. He will also still be working part time for the other hospital, how they do not have a conflict of interest is beyond me. They will work him a few extra hours a day during the transition period for each company.

Now comes the hard part. We currently live 2 hours away from where he works. Obviously we can not afford to stay so far away. So we have to decide how and when we can move. Right now we do not have the expenses to move, it costs a bit of money to pack up your stuff and move it, not to mention the fact that we have to have the money for a deposit and rent. So now comes the crunch time. squeezing every penny until there is nothing left to squeeze.

I am still searching for papers for my warranty for my camera to get it fixed. I know that the warranty covers ANYTHING so it should fix my camera if I can just find the silly papers! ahh the joys of moving cross country!

Faith...

Well to the faithful friends who have hung out waiting for me to come post here I appreciate it!

I finally have my internet back. The camera on the other hand has sat waiting to go to the repair place because in the move I somehow misplaced the important papers for the warranty info. I am not sure yet what to do about it yet.

The past week has been spent doing so many things that I just never seemed to have the time to come over here and blog about it.

We started a free month of netflix and have been watching tons of documentaries. We love them. They are so fun to sit and watch. We learn from them, they spark interesting discussions and are entertaining. I think our favorite so far is one about the civil war.

We did a study on the weather since we have been getting a lot of different weather then we were used to in California. That was an interesting study. We discussed why a lot of weather comes up to where we are and looked at The Weather channel where they show a lot of great break downs of weather.

My son the recycler, builder, adventurer (you choose because they all fit) found some treasures on one of his many hunts. This time it was old coins. So we did some research and discovered that his treasures are worth about 40.00 right now.

This week marks the year anniversary of my beautiful Bookworm almost died. Her appendix ruptured and slowly leaked into her body for almost a week before we finally discovered that's what was going on. She did not have all the typical symptoms of an appendicitis and when we finally took her to the ER she was near death. She had 2 surgeries and was  in the ICU for 11 days and in the hospital for 13 total. It has taken most of the year for her to really recover and she still has some days where she is exhausted even when she hasn't done anything. I am forever grateful for the treatment she received. She had some of the best nurses in the ICU. Her surgeon was amazing! She is now a year into her healing and is working towards a healthy life.

The Spitfire has decided this week that she can read. Yep you read that right... She just decided she could. She walked in and asked me "mom, can I read this book to you?" I said "sure" and we sat here and she read the whole 16 page book to me on her own. I only had to help her with words like The, And, and Was. those pesky sight words can be annoying. As unschoolers we do not force the issue. I had faith that she would learn in her own time and she has done so without any struggle, anger or frustration. She can read many words without any formal instruction. The fact that we are readers in this house probably helped. The fact that we read to them almost every night and they are allowed to look at books whenever they want to for however long they want to is a big help too.

The cuddlebug, not to be outdone by his older sister has declared he will read too. Of course this has not come as easy for him but his eagerness to try is refreshing and I am certain he will excel in his own time and space. Until then I continue to encourage his learning with fun and activities he will enjoy.

I am so glad that I have learned to have faith. Faith comes in so many forms and is needed for so many reasons. I trust that what I am doing for them for school is working even when on the outside it does not always appear that way.

In my in-between time I have been writing a crochet pattern for a pair of finger-less gloves that I made, as well as a pair of toe up socks. I am trying to decide how to publish these. I am not sure I want to just post them free, and what about copy write issues... to many things to think about so I am off to do other things instead.

I think we shall all sit and play a game together today. 

Still no net..

So since the internet is still down and I can not post pictures using this stick I am having to post-pone the Stew and Chili recipes for a bit longer.

Since everyone is talking back to school I thought now might be a good time to talk about "school" in our house.

To say we are eclectic would be a good way to describe it. We do not define ourselves with labels, however most people would consider us "unschoolers"

What is an unschooler? Well there is no real definition that fits the same mold. Easily spotted by a lack of set curriculum and a more child led learning environment.

We rarely use store bought curriculum. I have used work books from time to time and the kids sometimes enjoy them as "fun" when they just want something to do. Yep thats right they consider work books fun.

There are many "styles" out there and we have tried a lot of them. When we first started homeschooling we enrolled our oldest in a charter school. This first charter school was a good school and had classes that met daily but you had to sign up for them. they were different classes and this worked well while we were there. We moved away and I enrolled my children in a another charter school but found that it lacked some of the things I loved about the other one. I also felt that it really was not working for my children. This is about the time I started to study John Holt and Charlotte Mason. Recently many people have taken a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling. I personally skipped right past it although I do find that I use some of the beliefs of CM style as we consider ourselves to be "life learners". My friend over at Golden Acorn Homeschool just posted a fantastic post all about CM style, head on over there to see her post.

As Life learners we tend to incorporate learning into everything we do. Even if it is a trip to the grocery store. Walks outside are nature walks where we study the trees and the animals we see. We see the changes in everyday life and take note of them. This is how we approach everything in life. I do not tell my children "its time to start school" instead we just live. We learn each and everyday through learning. Sometimes we watch movies or play games. sometimes they sit and read books. I have not "taught" my children to read. I have encouraged them to read on their own at their own pace. We read to them everyday and sometimes they ask me how to spell a word and I help them, then they learn how to read the word as well as how to spell it.

So while I sit back watching people frantically "plan" their school year out I find myself wondering exactly what the year has in store for my family and I. We do not plan, or have a set schedule. I do not make them do work everyday. I know some people find that this is an important and it works for them. For me it does not work. I find that my children respond better to having control. If my 8 year old tells me that she wants to learn math today we sit and learn math. If they want to work in work books we do that. If they want to practice handwriting thats ok too. We sometimes do what appears to be nothing but is really a whole lot, like playing on the wii or watching a movie together. I encourage them to experiment new things and we enjoy learning all about things that are not typically taught in school. My oldest teen has done many unit studies on certain places. she has books on Rome, on ancient Greek, as well as hundreds on Ancient Egypt. She loves to paint and is very good.

So a peak at the life of our unschooling might be hard to capture what "looks" like learning. I can promise learning is happening. I notice it over time suddenly my children say something that makes me realize just how much they learned over a period of time. My youngest two can tell you all about why the leaves fall from trees, or how to tell if a tree is an evergreen or not. They also are learning to read on their own and spelling at their own pace. Its what works for us.

Now off to watch a movie while I crochet and enjoy spending time with my kiddos, we have a walk planned for later today.

Summer Random-ness

Well we are all fighting off a summer head cold in this house. Yet that is when my youngest two suddenly decided to grab work books that have been sitting on a shelf since we moved in.

They worked from about 9pm last night until about 10pm when my groggy snot filled head just couldn't focus any longer to help them. They both completed about 30 pages or so in that hours time and just flew through the books. We have not done any formal book work in well over a year. I do keep these types of things on hand for them. But they have had neither desire or drive to bother. This morning they both had "saved" their spots in the books they were working in and both of them continued to do work this morning. Each of them working at about the same pace and just cruising through the books. At one point Spitfire turned to me and asked "how many pages do we have to do?" I just chuckled and said "O as many as you want to do" they had both already done well more then what would normally be "required" if they were sitting and doing book work all day long.

Yesterday my Bookworm and I sat here watching Youtube videos and were completely amazed by this lady doing her LONG (like she sits on it kinda long) hair up in these fancy do's We want to give a couple a try so perhaps later today I will break out the ribbon and get to braiding and sewing our hair, or plating it as it was called in the days gone by.

I have had several people ask to about my shopping bags that I crochet. While out shopping at walmart the other day two ladies asked about them and one was amazed at how much stuff I had in them! Then when I told them that I made them she said I should sell them! I asked her how much she would pay for such an item and she looked at me straight faced and said "ME?!" Well yes lady YOU who seems to think that I could sell them, how much would you pay for them? ahh she never gave me a number but seemed to think others would certainly buy them. So that left me pondering. each bag if I sit and work on it consistently and don't get distracted or goof it up each bag takes about 2.5 hours, so one good movie. Each one takes about 1.5 skiens of cotton yarn depending on the price that is about $3.50 for the materials. IF my time was only worth 5.00 an hour that would bring us in at $12.50, add in the cost for materials and that brings each bag to $16.00 a bag. Would you pay $16.00 for a crocheted bag?

I must say that I am not sure where I would even begin to sell these at. Being new to the area makes it hard to find the little spots where you might find such niches.

On to other things... do any of you use a blog editor other then the one directly on blogger? Do you create your blogs somewhere else and then just simply upload them to blogger? Or are you like me and just create a lovely little blog spur of the moment right here on blogger and send it out into the world?

I think the cold is making me rather loopy as I am rambling a bit more then usual. So I will send this blog into the bloggosphere and let it be what it will.
Enjoy your today's for that is what your memories are made of. 

Fairy Stones

For Fathers day we visited Fairystone State Park I meant to get this blog posted shortly afterwards but then life happened.

So instead I will post today all about Fairy Stone and the legend behind it. I personally find the legend to be a fascinating tale. It is a legend told to the Cherokee and shared as such. I love this legend because of its origins. My husband is Cherokee and we have done extensive study on the Cherokee. There is more to learn about our heritage though because of the vast knowledge base here on the east coast.

Here are a few pictures of the State Park Lake.

Looking up from the lake

To the right of us

looking at the lake from our spot on the lawn

A few of my kiddos down there in the lake

Now we didn't hunt for fairy stones here, instead we drove down the road a little way and stopped here

This would be my spitfire. I love this girl. 

         We did lots of crawling around in the dirt and looking at rocks. 

Our resident experts are our neighbors who have lived here a long time. They were kind enough to show us what to look for. 

This adorable kid found them every time he looked down! 

Here are the ones I found, It is not so easy to take pictures of them but I gave it my best shot. 

See the cross in the center of the largest stone? That is a Fairy Stone!

Now onto the legend. I was able to google and find a great document on the web that tells the whole story, You can find it here.

                                The Cherokee Indian Legend of the Stone Crosses  

 Early one day long ago from time out of memory the people of a Cherokee town awoke and faced east to say their morning prayers to the Creator in heaven (Ca-lun-la-ti). In the distance could be heard the cry of an owl, a sign of death and bad luck. The eastern sky began turning many colors, and it looked as if a storm was about to take place. Indians from other villages joined them and there was a feeling of sadness. 

Soon, the Little People (Yun-wi T-suns-di) who lived deep in the forest appeared to the Cherokee (Dwarfs or fairies with long black hair;) they were only two feet tall and often brought messages to the people. They spoke first to the tribal elders and then to everyone who had assembled in the town  They told a story of both greatness and sadness. Many Years ago, a new star (no-t-lu-si) had appeared in the eastern sky beyond the big salt water. A special boy-child had been born to a tribe chosen by the creator He had grown into a man of wisdom and had taught his people the ways of the Creator and the straight white path of peace. He was a man of kindness and brought strong medicine (nu-wa-ti) to his people. Although he taught purity and harmony with the creator, he had many enemies who would not hear his message of peace They would not believe that his medicine made sick people well. Thus, on this day, they would torture and kill this wise man, and he would walk towards the nightland (death).  

 As the sky grew dark, the Indians sang a death song to honor this beloved man of peace whom they called the Son of the Creator. All of the animal nations of the forests soon came and stood by them, Because of their sorrow, the Cherokee began to cry. Their tears soon covered the ground. When their weeping had ended, they looked down and saw that their tears had been changed into small stone crosses. For the Indians, the cross design had always represented the cardinal points or the four directions. Now it had a new religious meaning. 

The Creator (E-do-da) had heard their prayers and songs and had given them a gift. The Cherokee kept these stone crosses and always honored them.  Many Cherokee Indians still possess these stone crosses and treasure them. It is a blessing from the Creator to find one of these sacred objects. Today, these stone crosses are found in the old Cherokee meeting Place in Virginia that is called Fairy Stone State Park.  

 The Cherokee Nation in the 18th century (1700's) claimed most of the land in what is today Southwest Virginia. The western part of Patrick County, Virginia belonged to the Cherokee at this time. In the Treaty of Hard Labor signed on October 14, 1763, The Cherokee Nation gave up their land from the top of the Blue Ridge to the Holston River.  To the eastern Indians of the United States, the Little people were the fairies or dwarfs that lived in caves and under streams in the forests. They were about two feet tall, had long black hair, and spoke Indian languages. Loving music and dancing, it was believed that they taught the Indians about medicine. 

 The Little People were usually friendly towards humans and could be helpful and kind. It is said that they often found lost children in the woods and returned them to their parents. They also helped people by working in their cornfields all night, guarding their houses, and watching over their families. The Little People loved to eat cornbread and strawberries, and the Indian, would set food out for them. They could be mischievous and if angered, they would throw rocks at you.  

 The Chiltoskey family of Cherokee North Carolina has preserved this Cherokee Legend of the stone crosses

 I want to thank the Chiltoskey family for preserving this legend and sharing it so that it may continue to be passed down from family to family as is the traditional Cherokee way. 

I hope that if you are ever given the chance to visit Fairy Stone state park you take a moment to enjoy the beauty around you, and to hunt up a legend or two to bless you. 

While looking down for Fairy Stones I felt the urge to look up and this is the beauty I found. 

Ch Ch Ch Changes....

Life sure throws changes at you unexpectedly sometimes.

A few months ago we thought we were moving to Hawaii. We started getting everything ready, including the dogs. Then all of a sudden the rug got pulled from under our feet. The funding was gone. They couldn't bring us out there.

This could have been devastating. We are living with a friend and had no prospects for jobs here which was why we were going back on active duty.

Then another friend said to me that she had a place for me. A place of my own. And that we could all come live there until we got things settled. Then my Marine put in for civi jobs (a regular old job for those not in the military) and less then a week later he has a second oral interview over the phone while we travel east.

Thats right, we are moving! Far from our home land of California, almost as far away as you can get in the United States.

We are moving to Virginia!

So in the next couple of weeks blogs maybe spuratic and Starting the 8th of April I will be blogging about our journey across the United States. We are taking a Southern route and will see California, Arizona, New Mexico, the top of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and then into Virginia.

It will be a grand adventure, especially for us Unschoolers!!

A little Tip

I have been homeschooling for many many many years now, but sometimes I feel as if its all still new. Like I am a novice and still don't know all the 'rules' ha ha. Being that we unschool that is pretty funny in an ironic sort of way.

So recently I thought of a way to save me hundreds of dollars a year. I am certain that I am not alone in the amount of money I spend on printer paper, and ink, not to mention the time, and energy I spend searching for, downloading and printing worksheets for my youngest two.

So what is this money saving tip you ask?

First I print one sheet instead of multiple sheets of the same thing. (I have two children in the same grade) I print them up and put them in a protective clear cover. Like these...

Then I bought some wet erase markers, this is essential because you don't want them to smudge their work, but you don't want it to be permanent either. I made sure to buy fine point markers so that the tip was sharp.

I have used plain writing practice paper inserted into a sleeve. Or math fact's practice sheets, Mazes, clock practice, the possibilities are endless. I print out one sheet of each thing and then one child can do one thing and practice. when they are done they use a spray bottle i mixed up with vinegar and water to wash the sheets off. A little piece of felt is left with the markers and spray bottle and then they get to practice over and over.

Unschooling does not mean Unruley

I find myself at odds with the concept that because you unschool you don't discipline your kids, have rules for them at all, or that your children shouldn't be taught appropriate behavior for certain situations.

I think its probably one of the biggest misconceptions among people who do not unschool, and maybe even some that do.

I believe that children need guidance. Unschooling does not mean that I do not guide them. It means that they get to have a say in their lives. It means that while I may guide them in certain areas I also am teaching them how to make those choices safely, and wisely.

For example: My children are taught to speak respectfully to adults, even in their disagreement. They are reprimanded if they do not. I expect them to be able to speak to adults with respect. I also expect that if they disagree with an adult to do so respectfully. Their opinions and thoughts are valid. They have the right to disagree with adults. They just must do it with integrity and respect.

My children were taught from an early age that in certain situations they have to behave a certain way. This in my opinion is an important tool for the rest of your life. You would never walk into a court room and run screaming and jumping around like it was a rock concert. In turn you wouldn't go to a rock concert and act like you were at a funeral. So when I take my children out to dinner, or to a movie or to the grocery store I expect certain behavior. I expect when I take my 4 children to dinner somewhere that they can sit and entertain themselves until their food arrives, that they can participate in conversation and that they can use manners while at the table. I do not expect that they will scream, throw tantrums, or run around the establishment as if they were never taught what was appropriate behavior for the situation. If they feel they just can not contain their energy they can ask to go outside for a few minutes. I started this rule as toddlers. If they were just to amped up then I would take them outside. They are not allowed to disrupt other diners simply because they can not behave with situational behavior. When taking my children to the grocery store they were taught that it is not ok to run screaming through the store or to beg me for junk. Instead they were taught that in the grocery store they should help decide what types of foods are on sale and plan meals for the week. They were taught to walk through the store out of courtesy for others.

As an Unschooling mom of 4 kids I think instructing my children on what type of behavior is appropriate for what situation is one of the most important life skills I can help them with. I know that some will say that that is stifling their nature but I disagree. I think that children who have been taught what is appropriate in each situation are appreciated by people around them. I think it also gives the child more confidence. They know what is accepted and that means they will have less feelings of inadequacy.

Rules do not have to be arbitrary. I do not believe in having a lot of rules and dictating to children what I think they should do. I do however believe that some guidelines help children to learn what is acceptable. I think its important to set those guidelines in place early and teach them from a young age. I also think its important to be consistent and to have love and compassion be your guide in what is best for the 'rules' you set.

whats in a grade?

Why is a grade so important?

I find myself wondering why children and adults alike put so much stock in a letter, or a number.

For some reason our society believes that we have to classify everyone. The question most often asked by adults to my children is "What grade are you in?" because a number grade must be identified with a child in order to measure their intelligence, their age, and their ability to complete tasks? I simply do not understand the need to identify children with a grade level. My children have been taught to answer this question with "Well officially i am in ____ grade." This always gets a few eyebrows raised. One person once asked "what kind of grades do your children get on their report cards?" I looked a bit quizzically at first then just laughed and answered "straight A's of course"

I mean really? they are unschooled. We do not have report cards, nor do we have assigned grade levels. My children focus on areas of interest and we work everything else into the study. Sometimes they sit and play video games for hours, yes hours! sometimes they read books for hours. Sometimes we play board games all day long. and sometimes we pack up the car and take a road trip somewhere. Sometimes we play multiplication games when counting the rocks on the road, or late at night when someone cant sleep. Sometimes we don't look like we are learning at all, in fact most times I would say it doesn't look like learning from the outside. Then someone from the outside asks one of my kids something silly to judge weather or not I am doing a good job teaching them anything and they know it. We never focused on it but they know it. It makes me feel good knowing that they are learning things without having to spend hours a day focused on it and bored by the tediousness of it all.

I was explaining how we do school to a friend and school teacher and he looks at me and says O so its like college only all the time, they get to study at their grade level and choose the subjects that interest them, cool! so I guess that explains it. Only unlike college the grade doesn't matter because after school is finished the important things in your working life are your integrity, your ability to do a job and do it well, your ability to focus on the task at hand, not any of that is based on grades. To be happy in life is more important then to get good grades.

This concludes my rambling for today.

Interview with Katrina

I have been blessed to know Katrina for many years now. We met on Myspace about 4 years ago, maybe even 5! I was then searching how to deal with my own abilities. I met Katrina and instantly felt a connection. She is a kind woman with so much knowledge to share.

Katrina is an author who has written a few books, and has plans for more. I asked my friend if she would do an interview with me and she kindly said she would. I know many young people who are interested in the art of writing and even in getting published. So hopefully this interview might help them.

Crystal: When did you first decide you wanted to be an Author? 

Katrina: When I was a child I would write stories. I also loved to read.

Crystal: How long did it take to publish your first book after you had completed it?

Katrina: The first book I wrote was Ancient Echoes, I worked on that one off and on for over 3 years, but could not get a publisher that liked it. 

My Beginners Guide to Psychic Development was accepted the day after I submitted it. I sent it off to 3 publishers. The first one said they didn’t take text books, the second wanted a month to read it and the third offered me a contract.

Crystal: What made you want to write Beginner's Guide To Psychic Development?

Katrina: After the rejections of my first book I really wanted an acceptance, so I thought I would write something I knew and perhaps others could use the information.
I wrote The Beginners Guide to Psychic Development in three months. It is essentially my beginning class that I have taught for over 30 years. 

Crystal: Do you have another Psychic guide in the works?

Katrina: I have been working on another one off and on, it is called Sacred Fire of Twin-flames, I will get it done one day.

Crystal: What are some of your favorite things to write about?

Katrina: I write whatever comes into my head. At the moment I am writing a detective book. It was a dream that continued for a week. The entire story is in my head, the hard part is getting it written.

Crystal: If someone wanted to become a published author what would your suggestions be to them? 

Katrina: Write what you love or what you know. I would suggest in this day and age to try their hand at self publishing. My first book was published by a publisher and I make next to nothing on the sales, my second book I went with self publishing and I make so much more. Of course you have to do your own PR no matter which way you go.

Remember to write out of love, because no-one gets rich from writing books, unless you are Stephen King or write Harry Potter.



I would like to thank Katrina for taking the time to answer my questions.

If you would like to read Katrina's books you can find "Beginner's guide to Psychic Developement" at the link. This book is a guide to develop your own abilities. It is written in an easy to understand way for anyone looking to grow in their own abilities.

Katrina's other book "Ancient Echoes" can be found here. Ancient Echoes is a paranormal romance fantasy book. There is some sexual content as well as violence. The book has great detail and draws you in. You can read an excerpt of the book at the link I posted.



I would also like to say that in the very near future I will be doing a free give away for a copy of one of these books so please stay tuned...

Military Museum

Recently we went on a field trip to Old Sacramento. If you ever visit the state capitol of California I urge you to explore the area of Old Sacramento here is a link to the last blog I did about Old Sac.

Todays blog is all about the Military Museum in Old Sac. This museum is a tribute to all branches of the military, not just one branch.

There is a wall just inside the door to the left that is a tribute to all the fallen military members who lived in California since the Gulf War started. This is a sobering view of our war.

We started our self guided tour going to the right of the room and working by each display. They have the display's well lit and filled with informative cards.

There are display cases on each war and what the military looked like in that era.

There is a new display that shows women in the military as well

There is even a display that shows the music of different era's and how it rallied troops.

Field Trippin'

We recently went on an adventure to the northern coastal town of Eureka California. My husband is from there and we went to visit our family before we make the trek across the ocean to our new home. While we were there we took the opportunity to explore some of the natural wonders that are in this area of the state.

We visited Patrick's Point where we followed the trails down to Agate Beach, only to discover that it was to darn cold, far to windy and a bit dangerous with the tide coming in to actually look for Agates on the beach. The hike down was pretty, and very educational.

Then we went over and checked out the Yu'rok Tribe's village that is located at Patrick's Point. Talk about awe inspiring!

Then we wandered off to explore the hike up to Ceremony Rock. Being deathly afraid of heights I did not actually venture all the way to the top, however I did find a nice level spot with a bit of a view where I felt safe.

looking up

the view from between two rocks on level ground.

On our way home we drove through the Avenue of the Giants. This is a beautiful drive if you have time to take a leasure stroll I strongly suggest it. The entire drive is about 24 miles of winding through the famous Giant redwoods of Northern California.

view of the road from my sun roof

view looking up from the sun roof

We also pulled over and hiked through the forest and studied some of the fallen trees. These ancient redwoods sometimes fall and are left to decompose on their own. This decomposition gives life to organisms in the forest and is the way its supposed to be. The kids had a blast exploring the redwoods on foot. There is something amazing being among trees so tall, they make you realize just how small you really are in this world.

The family walking across a redwood bridge (aka fallen tree)

M & I (proof I am not always behind the camera)

We found a Drive through tree and some tree houses.

driving up to the drive through tree

a little closer

inside the tree looking up through the sun roof

The kids loved going to the top of this one

you cant get to the top of this one but it was fun looking inside. 

On the way home the kids slept, and slept, and slept. It was certainly a trip to remember!

Kids are so cool!

With all my public schooling friends on the east coast, in the midwest, and well anywhere that is being pounded by snow complaining about how many days off their kids have had and how they just can't wait to send them back to school I am reminded just how much I love my kids! I love spending time with them. I love just hanging out with them. I love just being in the same room with them and listening to how they work things out.

By no means are my kids perfect but man they are cool! I love getting to hang out with them. I love listening to them. They are interesting people who have learned to form intelligent opinions about the world around them. They are fun to listen to and fun to talk to.

Why is it that so many parents out there do not think that their own kids or anyone else's kids are cool? Why is it dreaded when they become teens?

I have two teens. A 13 almost 14 year old and a 16 year old. They are both really cool kids. The 13 year old is embarrassed by us in public a lot but thats pretty normal. He can build all sorts of things and he loves to take things apart and see how they work. He is interesting to talk things over with and think about how things work with. He is so cool. My 16 year old ahh she is a blessing to me in so many ways. She is a sweet girl, A girl who knows how to take care of herself. She wants my advice and loves to draw. She is artistic and like most artists often is to hard on herself. She is an avid reader and in her spare time likes to cuddle with me on the couch. I just don't see whats so bad about teens.

With the way people talked I always feared my kids becoming teens. I can't be sure if its just that mine have some special touch, or if I just did something so right that they did not become what everyone else fears. I can't tell you where I went right because I don't even know. I just know that I enjoy getting to be the mom to these kids. O yes there are days they drive me crazy. There are days when I don't want to answer the million and 1 questions they have to ask. there are days I don't feel good and wish they had somewhere else to go. But those days are less then the days that I LOVE being with them.

I wish more parents loved spending time with their kids. I wish more parents could see just how awesome their kids are! If you are a parent please go and spend time with your kids, do something crazy together. take something apart, build something back up, do a puzzle, play some cards, laugh hard enough to almost tinkle your pants together. LOVE one another.

Field Trip Thursday...

Last Thursday was a beautiful day. We decided it was a fantastic Sunny day in california and the kids could really use a field trip. So with our tanks full of gas we hopped in the car and drove the 30 minutes to Old Sacramento.

For a homeschooling family Old Sac is a wonderful place to explore! There are several museums there as well as original buildings that date back to the gold rush.

We talked about the Pony Express. This happens to be the last stop the Pony Express made in its cross country venture to bring the mail. There are wonderful statues and Plaques in Old Sac that tell part of the tails. This of course interested some more then others.

My family hanin out with the rider. 

An image of a Pony Express rider

We took a ride in the horse and carriage and talked about how the modes of transportation 100+ years ago.

This building was the first wells fargo bank in Sacramento. It is no longer a bank but the building is still there with the signs up so that you can see what it looked like decades ago.

The whole Old Sac area is fun to walk around, even though its just full of shops. There are some great little eateries there as well as several museums. We went into the Military Museum which dates back to the first skirmishes ever fought in California in the Spanish American war. I will blog all about that on another day and include several of the pictures I took inside that museum.

we visited the old school house as well and really enjoyed talking with the historian inside. She talked about how school back then was a lot like homeschooling because you had more then one age group and the older children always helped the younger children get through their studies. 

We walked down to the American River and talked about how it served as a way for goods to be sent up river to Sacramento from San Francisco during this time. We also talked about what type of animals might live in the river when we found this guy 

Sunning himself

loving the sunshine

and the attention we were paying him.

We stayed and had a wonderful dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. and watched the sunset over the American River.

We learned more in one day then we could have learned in a month of studies. We had a blast and enjoyed some of our local attractions. We will likely miss some of these things when we relocate but I am positive we will find some new interesting history to enjoy in our new location as well.

Stay tuned for the blog about the Military Museum and some of what we learned while we were there.