Wallpaper

I think I have said that this month is blue month for computer wallpaper, didn't I? Well jump aboard if you haven't already. Here is another great pic from the big exciting world of National Geographic, where their photographers get to travel all over the world to send us images of all the things we don't see staying at home in our lives.



Antarctica's perennially ice-covered Lake Hoare bears the scars of sand and dirt that have worked their way from the surface down into the ice. Soil blows onto the lake from a nearby dry valley, warms in the sun, and melts downward, leaving a bubble column in its trail.

Photograph by Maria Stenzel

Drumming Circle

Yes it is that time of the month again. Where we circle around eachother and create power and strength around ourselves. Well really this month is more about scheduling the next year of drumming circling and... whatever else we women do... Here are a couple pictures that remind me of our group, since I am in the mode of artists right now.



This painting by Monica Steward, entitled Unity, reminds me of the charge I get from these spiritual gatherings of women. We all create this energy and strength around us. The energy we conjour up when we are at circle carries over through my life for days to come. In a home brimming with testosterone like mine is, these circles help to center me.



For a long time, I had forgotten this part of me. Kinda put it away to live "life", so to speak. Whenever I forget to remember the magic that keeps me alive and happy, I get it back when I am back around that spiritual energy. This painting by Kalidou Kassé is entitled Dancers. It inspires that magic back into me to remember that this is the important part of my life. The wild crazy dancing music silly I-don't-care-what-anyone-thinks self.

Pictures

For the trip, the girls and I are in need of a picture of us for the fairy godparent activity. The girls just love this. It may be what they are most excited about! And so, that said, pictures of us girls to come soon.

January Quotes of the Week

If you want happiness for an hour; take a nap. If you want happiness for a day; go fishing. If you want happiness for a month; get married. If you want happiness for a year; inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime; help someone else.

Chinese Proverb

One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams.

Salvador Dali

What's a Happenin?

Today's blog features Salvador Dali.

As does my new Quote of the week... One day it will have to be officially admitted that what we have christened reality is an even greater illusion than the world of dreams. Salvador Dali

So my blog has been void of actual homeschooling stuff. What ARE we doing here all day? Where are my political comments? Why is SHE slacking on the job? You might ask yourself.

We HAVE been real busy. You might blame the lack of blogging to that. Maybe. Girl Scout cookie sales have begun and are taking a lot of my time. I am the leader and cookie mom for two troops. This takes a lot of coordination from my part. Also there is Kalahari to get ready for. What is that?? Only the biggest indoor waterpark in the USofA. We are off to an unschooling gathering. But again, we are saving up for this fun. So unless it is free, we aren't doing it right now. And things are already tight. We have spent a lot of time at home doing fun things there.

Politics? What do I think about our new president? What about his inaugeration speech? What about the new first lady's dress? Haven't we heard all those comments already? I try to stay off straight politics whenever I can. It is like religion, breastfeeding, homeschool vs. public school, etc. It is personal and when you discuss it, it makes people crazy. The D's hate the R's. The R's hate the D's. He's wrong. I'm right. No you are wrong, my way is right. If you believe that one person is the downfall of anything, it can only be you. You are the only one that can make or break anything. That is my political view, and my view on all other controversial issues. So what great things will our NEW prez bring to the table? I can only hope that he brings awareness with him.





I am swapping girls with a friend and that is a nice switcheroo. On Tuesdays I have her daughter. On Thursdays she has one of mine. Both of my girls are friends with her daughter so it is nice for them each to get their special time with her. Also I get some special time with that other daughter that stays home. Today it is Bret. She has asked me to take her to the Thrift Shop to spend some of her money. She has $7.00 minus the dollar she spent at the dollar store the other day plus $5.00 for that damn inflated toothfairy deal she has going on. So $11.00 altogether. Not a bad spread for a seven almost eight year old.

Doing the Laundry

Not about homeschooling?? Maybe not. But ok, when I decided to change my homeschooling approach and found that unschooling matched the goals that I have for my relationship with the kids, I soon found that it is not about school at all really. It is more about living, being happy, and enjoying eachother's presence every day. So I started, and still currently am when I have time and energy, reading up about how unschooling fits into every day living. Right off the bat, my personal struggles are this, housecleaning (chores) and food.

To give to my kids eating whatever they want and letting them find their healthy eating choices from trial and error (ex. crap food will eventally make you feel unhealthy, gorging on food will make you feel sick, and eventually you will stop wanting those things that you felt like you needed because you couldn't have them.) Well there is a little more to it than that. But I soon am finding that my girls literally busting the seams of their pants because they are having a freeforall with their food, first of all we aren't buying enough pants for that! Second of all we are rationing our money to pay some things that we fell way behind on so we are really watching the money we spend on food. It isn't that Bret and I are eating like royalty and the kids have pork and beans. We all are eating more wisely because that is how I am shopping. We simply are not buying 10 bags of chips and gallons of ice cream and nutty buddies and whatever else so that they can have whatever they want to eat all day. So that is my first issue, I guess with the radical changes that I want to eventally make. Maybe in due time I will change this view.

The other is house cleaning. Left to their own devices, my kids would and do throw their clothes, toys, papers, garbage, wherever they are and never look back. I am not sure why it has gotten like this. I think it is more out of habit than lack of respect. But how to turn that around? I do assign chores on a need be basis. A radical unschooler would say there is no need. Just a want. And maybe this IS so and true. I want to be able to cook food and eat at the table without having to spend hours of my own time washing all the dishes that the kids chose not to wash and cleaning the table that the kids have thrown everything from school work to toys to clothes on. I want my husband to find his toothbrush in the morning without having to search through tons of bathroom mess, because that is frustrating and no way to start a work day. If I were to do it all on my own not only would it never get done but I would have no quality time with the kids. I would literally be a slave to cleaning and cooking. In our house cleanliness saves the time of spending half an hour looking for the car keys before we go somewhere. Order helps me get things done faster. When the kids take something of mine into their bedroom and don't replace it, I could be all day trying to find it, not knowing that the kids took it.

So for now as I figure this life out, I know two things. One is that I love my kids and I want them to lead a healthy and happy life. The second is that I don't want crazy chaos to get them there.

So that brings me to the laundry. I came up with this idea. So far it is working. I bought baskets for everyone and when the laundry comes out of the dryer I immediately sort it into its rightful owner's basket. Then once a week, usually Sunday is a good night because we are all home, we sit down to watch a movie and fold our clothes. Then everyone can put their own clothes away. The kids seem to enjoy this. I am TRYING to find creative solutions to some of these issues! See? I am trying.

Do You Like Avacados??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w38KNDmNVHg Vote for Avacados!!!

Time Comes and Goes

Midnight Sun, Greenland, 1925

Eight exposures on the same photographic plate, made at 20-minute intervals, capture the midnight sun over Littleton Island near Greenland.

Photograph by Donald B. MacMillan
Brought to us by National Geographic

I am reminded that time comes and goes. And these magical fairies of mine will only have this moment once. Must go play now. Bye. Hope you enjoy the picture. Hope it reminds you to go play.

Let's Learn About Seals This Week... Just Because

What Ranks?
Photograph by George Steinmetz

Cape fur seals sun themselves in Namibia's Skeleton Coast Park, where in many areas tourism takes a backseat to nature's needs. To prevent the Cape fur seals from feeling threatened, visitors can view them for no more than an hour at a time a few days a week—if they have strong stomachs, says Chris Leibenberg, a guide with Wilderness Safaris. "You have not experienced true stench in your life until you have stood downwind of 30,000 Cape fur seals on a hot day."

This of course taken from National Geographic online.

Here are some pics from camping this last weekend. I bunked with 21 Girl Scouts from kindergarten to 6th grade. All my 10 were 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. The girls made God's Eyes, finger knitted, completed 4 or 5 badges, took a night hike, "made" a fire then ate it, roasted hot dogs, made s'mores (in the toaster oven, it was raining and we didn't have any dry wood left), danced, partied, made all their own food, cleaned their own messes, and just had a wild time. We got home on Sunday and the girls were bugging me to take them out to sell cookies. Sometimes we sit at home with nothing to do but have a good time relaxing. Other times we are so busy I can barely keep up.

One of the reasons I really wanted to go camping this weekend with the other troop that invited us is so I could be prepared for camping with just my troop next fall. Some of the things I learned... small groups get more done. We spent so much time preparing food, cooking the food, setting it up, lining the girls up buffet style, getting the food, eating, lining up to clean the plates, then cleaning the kitchen after every meal. It took easily 1-1/2 to 2 hours for this process for every meal. This was just a matter of numbers. It took so long with so many girls. Antoher thing I learned is how important it is to have order. The girls stuff was just everywhere. Even I came home with clothes that didn't belong to my kids somehow. I want to impliment a plan for keeping their things in order so we don't have chaos this summer at TAC camp or this fall camping with just our troop. The girls (mine included) are so used to getting dressed and leaving their clothes on the bathroom floor, dropping their jackets on the floor when they walk in the house, leaving their toys everywhere. I will work on that. That might take a couple camping trips to get into gear. Also I started a list of things I need to bring like rope to hang the mess kits, and clothes pins, laundry bags, dish towels, etc. And lastly I have to come prepared and organized. I was just not organized this weekend. There was no set thing they were going to do at a certain time, so when I didn't have activities going on or I was putting an activity together I had 21 girls running wild. And things like when we made omlets, if we had the bacon cooked ahead of time we could have saved ourselves so much time. I need to plan for that. And last, I think if I am going to take the girls camping ourselves like a troop, 10 girls will be the limit for my troops.
That said, the girls had so much fun. We all met tons of new friends. We had the most wonderful hosts that invited us along on their trip. Big thank you to them. They worked really hard to make this trip a success, and I am able to bring so many ideas home from what they taught me. So a HUGE thanks to THAT troop and their leaders for the opportunity to learn from women who have put in so much time into making their troop's experience great (and ours too.)

New meaningless Schoolboard Quote across the street

Where are the pictures you say? I am usually filling the blog with colorful pictures of our daily happenings. Bret is holding my camera hostage in his car. But he will be bringing it in tomorrow morning for me, bright and early. Little Bret has her co op in the morning, then we are off to go camping with the troops. Me and 15 other tinnie bopper girls locked in a lodge together. Can it possibly be a good thing?? Well anyway, I won't be around for a few days.

So if you are waiting for lots of colorful bloggings, you will have to wait. OOOOOH but, although I don't have the camera today, the school across the street has another new meaningless schoolboard quote posted on their billboard outside!!!

Drumroll please!!!!

"A book worth reading, is a book worth buying."

I will take a picture of it if I can in the next week or so. They got this BRAND SPANKIN new schoolboard and this is how they pay the PTA back? Really. I would be insulted if I helped pay for this school board being used in such a useless way. Inspire someone, won't you.

Last month's was... "Before you can do anything, first you must dream." Really?

Now I must come up with an equally useless schoolboard quote for my blog. Give me some time. I will have to work at this one. Keep checking back. I will update it soon!

And I like the school too. Last year, I volunteered to be a mentor. I wanted to do it again, but my boys aren't available to keep an eye out for the girls during the day anymore. It is nothing against the school. But really, who is letting someone post these things? There are thousands of perfectly inspiring quotes to choose from out there... Mother Teresa, Einstein, Thoreau, etc. Let someone else make up the quote please. PLEASE!

Drawing and Learning

OOOOh I found this last picture I am going to post today. Just because it fits in with me and Marley. The other day we were drawing. I was getting tired of drawing houses, flowers, and beautiful little princess girls and one of Marley's throw-aways looked like a volcano. So I turned it into a volcano and we talked about what a volcano was. Then I got the idea to draw a geyser and we all talked about what those were and how they got there too. Now that I think about it, I might check out what fun books I can come up with from the library with great pictures of geysers. But anyway in the mean time, I found this great picture also. It is also from National Geographic.

Water Ballet

I had to add this picture. It IS truly water ballet to me. I have just been staring at it and admiring it from all different angles. Wow. Who knew water droplets could be such works of art. This photograph is by Wei-i Lee. It is called Synchronized Liquid Art. It comes as one of the finalists from National Geographic's Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest. Here is a comment from "Jim". Jim's Comments
What a delicate, instantaneous water ballet! Glasslike, mirrored and highlighted for our inspection and delight, so that we might marvel in detail at their momentary perfection. Two sets of two drops really, one set falling into a clear pool, the next set arriving just in time to be pierced like jeweled crowns. Visually delicious.

To see more go here...
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/energizer/?fs=travel.nationalgeographic.com

The Picture is blue "ish" and this is blue desktop wallpaper month. So use it if you like it. Make your desktop blue for fun. There are so many fabulous blue pictures out there waiting to be wallpapered to your desktop!!!

Girl Scouts

Well it is January now, time to start thinking about the rest of the school year of scouts. Since next month is Thinking Day we will spend a week putting together our project for Thinking Day. There are only 4 troops in our service unit, and two of them are mine, so no HUGE deal, but still it must be done. Before that of course, we are heading out to the lodge to go camping next week. All but one have rsvp'd in the older troop, and three are going from my younger troop. We are connecting with a third troop and heading for our first troop camping trip. Actually it is great to have the opportunity to go camping with a troop that has done this many times. It will prepare me for next year when we schedule our fall camping trip by ourselves. After this trip is behind me I can start working the girls toward their last keys. The older girls will only have February, March, and April to complete the book if they are to start earning their bridging patch for Juniors in May. This means we need to start thinking about our service project soon. This week... well we will be talking about our trip, picking a country for Thinking Day, maybe making some sit-upons for the trip.

One more thing... Girl Scout cookie orders start Friday. Place your orders now and be the first to get your delicious, once-a-year special Girl Scout Cookies!!!

Sleeping Habits

I am blogging about sleeping habits today evidentally. So I mention the girls now on this blog. I have found Brenda and Bret all snug together in Brenda's bed the last couple weeks. I wonder what that is all about. Is it the cold? Or something else? Maybe..... maybe they love eachother after all. And are keeping eachother company. Could it be????? My kids love eachother?? Some days it seems impossible to imagine, other days it is as obvious as the brown snowless grass on our small patch of noncement.

Which is your favorite apple??

Bret comes to me and says, "Which is your favorite apple? I like Green for the Sour and Red for the Juicy." I don't think we have ever discussed apple flavors and textures before.