2009

Hello and happy new year! It has been a while, huh?

Although I was all primed to start blogging EVERYDAY, showcasing that my kids were TOTALLY STILL "LEARNING", appeasing and assuaging all my nay-sayers and dissaprovers both real and mostly imagined, life got in the way. Life got in the way of me embarrassing myself, mentally abusing my kids, and losing my mind in a whirlwind of burn-out within weeks if not days.

I went out with my wise Mama-friend who put out there what I knew, knew, knew, (if only my intuition hadnt been so bruised, buried, hidden, inaccessible, feared, neglected) and that was to lightly and delicately suggest A BIG WINTER BREAK
duh
duh
duh
duh

When I arrived at Starbucks I was literally hunched over, as though in a frozen grief, so physical was my stress, so lost and upside down, bass-ackwards was our homelife--great, we've all dropped out of school and now what? NOW WHAT? when you've lost your way and all the paths have clover'ed and spiral around and all paths have failed you for 5 months, things can get pretty scary, and yet her suggestion to just chill for a while seemed radical to me. But I knew it was right.

Immediately, as in the next day, my kids had a doctors appointment that was really stressful, and when we arrived home, we could literally do nothing besides chill out....and you know what? It started a revolution in the home. The kids got sicker, I threw out my back, and we chilled out for A MONTH.

Now, this feels less like some naughty confession now that it has passed, but thats just what I am trying to say: Why must we hide truth, why must we hide What Works, only to allude to it later?

I was at a crossroads. We pulled all the kids out of school, and I found in a mad dash, a TON of cool educational websites. I was ready to pound their souls into the pavement to PROVE something to NOBODY, to make our home a literal Dentention Center--lists, charts, threats, bribes, by golly nobody could ever say this wasnt better than elementary school ever again

But it was ridiculous. It was the most awful , arbitrary, fake, stressful, yucky thing I have ever tried to do to my kids, ever. It was the same as elementary school, except the teacher was meeeeeeeean.

Education is not something you DO TO kids. Knowledge is not something you spray ONTO them. We chilled out at first because we had to, and then because peace and love was the only way we could heal all of what this family has been through in the past 6 months, year, beyond.

Now, we are slowly retrying a "schedule" that really works. For us all. My children have demonstrated to the entire world their capability to pick up whatever little trivia or skill-set that is asked of them. But as well all know, none of that is important, because none of it is meaningful, and none of it lasts. So we are starting over. New Mama (me), new respect for one another, new self respect, no more bribes, coercion, uglyness.

We have joined a homeschool co-op that starts this Friday. I am looking forward to telling you all about it. We go on outings on Thursdays that can count as field trips. Mondays we are saving for our cool websites and as the one day a week we are doing XYand Z that Mama has decided we need to work on. But the rest of the time is for family living, and I mean just that. I am excited to start over for 2009 and come out of the closet as neither an unschooler nor someone who tries to replicate the meaningless pressurized to-do lists of the school system. this is our homeschool, and for the first time in a long time, ANGER is not sitting at our table with us.

I am sorry to be so vague, and I know you might be clamoring for BUT WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY? I know, I know, I know--I search too for those types of 1-2-3 success recipes, but they are fools gold. All I know is that we are happy and kind and reading and writing and yes, on Mondays, they are doing the math website that I found and are above grade level, for what thats worth.

I DO want to post everyday--but I had to out myself first. It isnt going to look like what I know would have impressed certain folks. I am not posting pic after pic of my kid bent over some worksheet. and we do not have the car or money to travel the world looking at pyramids very often, either. But the children are thriving, safe, open, and our vibe is good and warm again. Casey 100% has ceased all weird behavior for now and we are no longer pursuing any type of therapy for him. I got a little flip-type video camera for xmas and as soon as we figure out how, this will become a video blog at times, too--very fun!

I hope my theme for 2009 of honesty and unapologetic-ness will be a place where you can come for laughs, insight, and a glimpse at a very normal family who happens to choose to live extraordinarily out of the box.

For those who would like:
this is our math

this is our library when we have no car (most days i am way too lazy and cold to drive daddy to work)

and what the kids play constantly is: Dominoes! But not line-up-the-numbers, no, building with them. Grand towers. Ramps, tunnels, marble-runs set ups.....they started in early November and have not had one day in which they have not worked on this passion! Also, they are planning on great and grand Rube Goldberg machines such as this one someday soon.

So, I will charge up the rechargable batteries and fire up the camera and the video camera and promise to post more often.