An Ode to Lego

You're colorful spread,
you're sizes and shape;
have often turned my sons' rooms into
a jumbled landscape.

A block with two bumps;
so innocent and small,
the simplicity and enticement
bring out the creativity of all.

Your defence mechanism is truly
effective,
for shooting pain in my foot,
makes my stepping selective.

Hours of silence,
creativity and fun,
you have managed to do,
what nothing else had done.

Gotta love Legos.

What I Learned from Spray Paint

• It's always important to be aware of your surroundings.
• Wind speed and direction do, in fact, have relevance in my life.
• You usually want to cover up something when you're painting it.
• Every passerby wants to know what you're covering up.
• If you get too close, things are going to run.
• No matter how hard you try, there will be evidence of the cover up.
• A new coat of paint doesn't always fix the problem.
• Sometimes even your best efforts to make something better, can make them worse.
• The quickest way is not always the best in the long run.

What IS a "Bad day"?

It's about perspective! We've all had days where it seems all we do is go from bad to worse. Mom's have days where we feel that maybe we haven't accomplished what we wanted to, in our home, with our children, in our relationships and in our schooling. IS that what makes a bad day?

I've had days where I felt I hadn't done anything right. I was sure my kids were better off in the care of someone else, this usually passes with a nap and some chocolate. Still, we are under alot of pressure to succeed with our children. We're taught to think of ourselves in terms of how well others around us, under our care, are doing. Did Jr. finish well in school? Did our daughter marry well? Did our sons find jobs? Are they lazy? We often gauge our success by the success or failure of our children. Is this the right perspective?

One question that always plaques my mind, was I prepared to raise, educate and train these children. I believe the answer is yes. Not because my parents educated me, for they did not. My parents were not even the ones who cared for me in most of my formative years. So... would you ask a one legged man to teach you to ride a bike?

What is his perspective? I would assume, my bad days ... are nothing compared to this day. How did he measure success? If the child does not learn to ride today, is it because he has one leg? Is it because the teacher was not prepared? Is it because he did not care enough?

I would think those things unfair, when applied to this situation. Yet, I'm that hard on myself.

Maybe I don't have many bad days after all. Maybe I just have the wrong perspective.

Measure success by where you were last year at this time. Measure the little things. Measure with grace for yourself and for the others in your life. Hmm guess I need to practice that a little more often. My life is good, I don't have the challenges many others have. I'm having a good day.

Spring, When did that happen?

Wake up, Spring where are you? My kids were watching "Franklin" about waiting for spring. I can't wait ... I'm growing seed in tiny pots, watching our geese come in and look for nesting grounds, poking around in the dirty to see what is happening in my yard, checking the composter and dreaming of planting new items in my yard. Spring must be here now. I'm not sure you know when it actually arrives until it's well into spring. The seed packages say "after last frost"... when is that exactly. You have to have several weeks of no frost to be sure it won't return. Then you're past the first chance to plant.

I think waiting for spring planting is like watching my kids grow. Growing children are something we see everyday and yet they suddenly seem to be in a new stage and we missed noticing until we look back and realize "last frost" was last week. A budding young son no longer needs me to spread his jam. A growing young lady, no longer wants the restrictions of being told what to study and when. Change doesn't seem to warn us ahead of time. It'd be nice to always be prepared, but somehow, I think we'd still feel a little off guard.

OH, I do want my children to grow. I want to love every stage of their growing years. I don't want a 40 yr old son who still needs me to cut his meat. I want my daughter to be able to self-regulate her studies. I want them to grow and mature. I want "summer" to come, but for now... I'll enjoy spring!

Choosing Directions

Well it's time to decide what to do for next year already. I feel sure I'm less worried about Homeschooling High School than I was when she was in grade 3. Is it just me? Or does everyone Homeschooler feel there's some special pressure that is supposed to accompany the High School years? I've decided, it's just another year of schooling in our home. Our direction is to find the area most promising, an area of interest, a possible career. We're going to keep reading good quality books. We're comfortable with our Math and Science choices and so we're almost done making the decisions for this next year.

I can't tell you how freeing it is to have the decisions made.

Why do we overwhelm ourselves so often about the future? Worry about every number, grade or subject? Why do we look for things to fret about?

What a great privilege and honor to school our teens at home. I, for one, am happy we've decided to go the less hoop-jumping route and keep doing what we've been doing all along.

Be Still .. Quiet .. Think!

Zen, yoga, spas, meditation, prayer and bath salts. What do they all have in common? We live in high gear all the time. We have to work hard at slowing down, relaxing and taking time for ourselves. Even in our alone time, I notice, people always are plugged into something.

I admit, I can't work out without my Ipod. I like music, I watch TV and electricity is my friend, however, I also realize I don't take time to reflect and review life when my electric friends are with me.

I tell my children that they can't do their best work plugged into an Ipod. I can't either.

Remember when you were really young and you'd sit and day dream? Daydreaming is a lost art. Taking time to re-assess how we dealt with a situation, planning for the future and just old fashion day dreaming .. all lost.

I think we all need a tree to climb, a hammock to lay in or a tub to soak up all our worries and take the time to dream.

It's refreshing, builds creativity and helps us become more balanced.

What Do I Reflect?

Some days I am not a good example to my kids. Lately I was feeling sick and my head hurt; I did not show the best way to deal with life when you're running low. I took the low road... I was crabby.

Children have made me more aware of what face I show the world. Why is it that I'm more likely to "suck it up" and be cheery for the lady at the grocery store than I am for my children and hubby? Is it because they love me that they have to put up with my less than stellar days?

I believe these years at home are a training ground, a safe place, to learn the appropriate way to deal with life's ups and downs. So my example to my children everyday should be a lesson.

I will need to be more diligent to remember they do copy what they see, hear and practice.

"A Mother's Heart is a Child's Classroom." -unknown-

Lighting Up

Have you ever had the joy of a glow stick?

When you get them.. they're straight, stiff and perfect. They also don't do much... maybe you could use if for a back scratcher.

To make the glow stick fun ... it has to be flexible.

You have to bend it ... alot. Breaking the glass inside to release the chemicals that make it light up, means bending and shaking... loads of fun.

Now you can make all kinds of things with your glow stick... let your imagination fly.

I realized... schooling my kids is like that. I get them all straight and perfect ... but they don't have much to offer. Schooling takes bending, shaking and a little breaking... then they light up.

All kinds of possibilities for their future come clear to them. I see their imagination, creativity and understanding come to light.

Plus.. they're way more fun.

Let them glow!!!

Never Leave Nails Unsupervised

When I was busy using the chop saw to cut the rotten parts out of my pile of old barn wood, my sons and some neighbour hood friends... became inspired and ... well... carpentry broke out. I gave them our two hammers and a handful of nails and went back to work. That's where I went wrong. I was feeling so good about the fact that they were conducting their own shop class in the summer, and they were being creative ... industrious ... physical ... and nothing electric was involved. Right proud of my kids.
I went inside ... the boys kept working... hours later while cleaning the bathroom I realized I STILL heard hammers pounding and the math clicked in.... I didn't give them THAT many nails.
Apparently .. they took note of where I got the nails from and helped themselves to more....

Now we have a raft that would do well to stay away from magnets. There are upwards of ten nails in each board in someplaces. Many of the nails don't even attach one board to another... there are 3 different species of nails and even one attempt to nail in a screw.

BUT ... if there was ever a flood my son has assured me.. "we'll be safe".
Posted by JungleGirl at 3:25 PM

Learning from the every day

Things I learned from a Chop Saw
I have this way of talking with God about life.. he talks to me through everyday work and mostly my kids. I'm often surprised how much I learn from just thinking about life as an item or an event. Here's what I learned from the chop saw and barnwood:

1. Always be aware of what your hands are doing
2. Often you have to sacrifice something good to get rid of the rotten bits.
3. When you cut the rotten bits out of your life, you end up with a pile of things you got to get rid of, there's always the question of how?
4. People often feel the need to stop, watch and comment when you're trying to rid yourself of rot.
5. People have various opinions about what is worth saving and what is just not worth the effort.
6. Saving money usually takes alot of work
7. Our bodies do best when we work them, and fall apart when we don't.
8. If you don't plug in, it doesn't work very well.
9. What a speck in your eye feels like.. and you'd never get to the point of a log...

What am I worth?

Maybe it's the cold grey skies, or the tax guy telling me I'm not worth anything, or that small voice that sometimes tells me the lie that if I stay at home with my children and don't earn money... somehow my worth is less. It's popular to be labeled by what you're "worth"... especially when you're preparing the taxes.

I'm past 40 and this often brings me to reflect on how I'm doing in my life. So what am I worth? I stay at home with my 3 kids, I teach them basics of life and their education comes from me. How does that add up to worth?


I can't imagine a better job, I can imagine better pay! These days are paid in wet, sloppy kisses, millions of drawings of castles and pirates, a warm, small hand slipped in mine, nature walks, complete exposure to real life and a dose of bodialy function jokes. It's pretty good pay till the tax forms need to be filled out.

I'm worth more than my "bottom line", thank God for that. I am investing in my children's future. I'm giving quality and quantity time. I can see the light in their eyes as they finally understand a concept and I was part of that. I teach them about nature, it's benefits, to respect it and all the lessons it holds for all who take time to look. I am the stable, foundational force that my family grows on... I am worth... alot.

It may seem elementary but ... somedays moms who stay at home .. we forget what we are worth ... so I'm taking time out from a mid life crisis to remind myself. My children's lives, my husband's life would be completely different (and I think lacking) with out me.. that's my worth.

At Home: Everyone is learning.

Our journey in Home Education has been one of many changes, many tears, many laughs and many discoveries. I wouldn't change it for anything. Somedays I feel like we're "Swiss Family Robinson" and we have to re-invent everything. Somedays I feel like we're at the zoo and everyone is a little wild, and waiting to be fed. Somedays I'm sure I've birthed the next Einstien and someday the world will thank me. Most days, I'm just mom .. the one everyone needs in order to function. Somedays... I want to change my name to Dad ... since he doesn't get interupted as often.

The amazing thing is that I am the one who has learned so much. Oh, they learn too but I have learned to develop my own character and education as I've prepped and taught my kids. The light of understanding is not just for those who require the knowledge to prepare them for life, but it is also for us who... realize education never was about the teacher... it's about taking responsiblity to love the process of learning. Education never ends.

Recently my son asked "what do beggers do with our arms? Who wants a bloody stump?" I felt that strange buzzing in my head when I'm really trying to get on the same frequency as this child's thinking ... but no .. nothing. Somewhere I'd lost the connection.

"What ARE we talking about?"

"You know, what do they do with the arms? When they say 'Arms for the poor'?"

ohhhhhh

This was followed by a discussion about a new part of his vocabulary; alms.

When did I have the time to wonder?
When did I sit in silence and consider such weighty matters?

There is nothing like a child to open our world to new horizions...
these are the days of learning
these are the days when I realize my educaiton lacked
at no fault of my teachers
for my teachers are my children
my husband
my trials
my garden
my life at home.