Spending time with special people...

Grandparents: The kids stayed at Nannie and Grampie's for the night on Saturday night. They had fun helping make dinner, had a spa, then in the morning prepared morning tea for me and Simon as we arrived back to pick them up.

Danielle was busy looking at an awesome pop-up dinosaur book that my mum has. She then wondered if she could make a pop-up book too. Nannie, who has been well-educated on unschooling over the years, didn't fob her off as I was (coffee and muffins were calling my name), and went to see what she could turn up on Google. So they made some pop up cards that seemed to satisfy Danielle's desire to recreate the pop up book. This then inspired Nathan to make his own, and upon getting home, the crafting continued ... all afternoon...

Nannie then sent through a link via email with loads of other pop-up ideas for them to work on.



Monday date-day: Now that the kids are at school, Simon and I have Monday to ourselves. I could say that we don't know what to do with ourselves, but that isn't true.

It's kind of like having a date-day once a week. Or like those weekend days before you had kids.

We potter around doing some morning chores, sort out organising things around the house that need tending to (phone call to bank, another to sort out the broken dishwasher, replacing blown bulbs, odd house maintenance jobs that just aren't important enough to spend time doing but quietly start to bug you (me hehe), garden jobs etc). Then it's close to lunchtime, so we go out for lunch (we've discovered at 2 for 1 gourmet pizza deal at the Mediterranean Food Warehouse on a Monday, or we grab something from the bakery and sit down at the beach for a chat). Being gluten free the rest of the time, it feels a real treat to actually go out for lunch without wondering what is GF or about the cost to feed all of us. Then it's home again to potter until school pick up time. One of us picks the kids up from school and walks Nathan to Keas, and then continue the walk (scooter) home with Danielle.

Although it's the start of the school holidays today (yay! have really been looking forward to having the kids home), that's been our little ritual for the past 6 wks!

Extended family: Now that the kids are at school, I've been helping out my old Nan who has Parkinson's. I've been taking her out once a week to run any errands that she has (bank, shopping, library, etc) as well as checking in with her on an as-needed basis. It's been really pleasant to hang out with her and have more indepth chats and getting to know her on a deeper level. It's quite different than when the kids are around. They are pretty good at entertainment, but it has also meant that the conversations that I had with Nan remained on a superficial level. So, that's been a nice way to fill a few hours a week.

One of those days...

...of the gorgeous, relaxed, simple and down to earth kind.

The kids and I started off reading a chapter of Heidi and then Nathan wanted to re-read our book on early man.

Then out to the garden to give it a good watering (we haven't had rain for quite a few weeks and it's been getting warmer and a LOT of wind to dry out the soil). The new seedlings we popped in the ground over the last week have all settled in nicely. We noticed the other seedlings are beginning to take off, potatoes needed a bit more mounding, the strawberry plants are loaded with fruit and the plums are beginning to turn red. I moved my pumpkin seedlings into a redundant compost pile but had to cover it with netting as the chickens jumped on and kicked them all out again.

Meanwhile Nathan was inspired to build a lean-to hut like he'd seen in our prehistory book.

The chickens moved in right away lol.

The kids moved into the sandpit and Nathan retrieved the baking soda and vinegar to make volcanoes. He showed me something he discovered if he made a paste of baking soda and water and how it would glob off his fingers but keep it's shape.

While reading Heidi earlier on, we read of Heidi running in the meadows with her apron on and collecting flowers. It made me think of Danielle and her love of collecting flowers and things from nature whenever she's outside. So I decided to make her a wee half-apron with pockets on the front to store her treasures and remain hands free. We popped out mid afternoon and went to the local charity shop and found some pillow cases to refashion into the apron. I had the flowery fabric in my stash set aside for her to make another Lazy Days Skirt at some stage (hopefully there'll be enough left) - she's still wearing those two skirts as well so I won't need to make up the other fabrics till next summer. This is where I'm at (just roughly pinned on to check the layout). I will use the floral for the waistband and ties and have a ribbon to put along the tops of both sets of pockets to firm them up.

Here are the flower oils infusing on the windowsill.

I've been doing less of this during the day (sitting at the computer - it's funny what you find on your camera when you weren't expecting it)...and for the past few weeks the kids have been doing zero TV after 9am and haven't missed it a bit.

And the rain has finally arrived to give the ground a decent soak and refill the water tank which is solely used to water the garden.

Another blog

And just because some of my readers weren't aware of it (well, it was kind of hidden and not advertised ;)) but were interested in it, here is my other blog that has been discussing our day to day life and the home education journey we are travelling.

I'm here!

Oh crikey, I am a bad blogger - who's still here reading?

Well, I really have lost the plot on inspiration for writing lately. Not just here, but in all of cyberland.

So, updates again...

I've been refashioning - I've converted an old pair of corduroy pants of Simon's into a new pair of pants for Nathan. Quite cool I think. Then I bought a couple of cheap second-hand merino tops and refashioned one into a long sleeve tunic top for Danielle. It actually also fits Nathan as a regular top (not that he will be wearing it lol), so I know she'll get a couple of years use out of it providing it doesn't fall to bits before then. It's interesting this sewing thing - I have always sewn, well right back to age 11 at least if not earlier and when I became a mum I was really excited about being able to sew children's clothes. Well, I've never gotten around to it! So, I'm pleased that my first two attempts were a success and that the patterns I have chosen are pretty versatile and have a good range of sizes on them. The only downside is that my machine and other paraphenalia needs to live on my dining table while projects are in progress.

I'm finally picking tomatoes and corn! Yummo! Not a lot, but just a nice daily amount to go down and pick a couple of cobs and a couple of tomatoes to eat fresh that day. The courgettes are pacing themselves very nicely too - and just as well - they're not a favourite vegetable, so I couldn't handle having to consume through 3 or 4 a day. One every day or two is perfect.

I have plenty of pumpkins growing - some even hanging up high in my corn stalks (some of which have reached 6-7ft hight) and others dragging down some tomato vines. I can't bear to separate them off for fear of snapping something, so will just need to go with it and plan differently next year.

I really must get thinking about my winter crops. My garden has been fairly neglected over the past 6wks. We haven't had a lot of rain (in fact last night we had a little rain that broke a dry spell of at least a month) so I've just been watering every few days, but doing not much else while waiting for things to ripen. So, must get out my garden planner and get onto it.

My ginger beer Christmas gift was a success, so I've promised a new batch, so need to get onto that as well. I feel another batch for ourselves too - that's right, haven't even been making ginger beer even though it would be mighty fine during these hot summer days.

I've been doing more thinking on the whole home educating front - I'm really starting to feel the crunch of that decision with this year being the year that Nathan would be starting school and all his friends will be heading off there too (different schools, so none that he would be going to). I have felt the need to get my bum into gear and creating further networks to provide a support group for when the time comes. Some things won't change, but others will. I'm just nervous I guess with what feels like an enormous decision.

I've also been feeling like fraud with the whole consumerism thing - I've been buying up large (a mix of used and new) and loving it. I've really missed the whole buying thing which I didn't do a lot of (nor really felt the need at the time) last year. That's the problem with having had Christmas, then going away camping with lots of other people and being exposed to lots of *stuff* that I now *really* need! Fortunately that's now slowed up.

My mind has been consumed with Danielle and her delayed speech and feeling a bit sorry for myself, but I can see her coming along nicely, albeit slowly.

So...the days are getting shorter, summer feels like it's coming to a close (even though we get really lovely warm weather right through till April and daylight savings doesn't end till the end of March) and I feel on the verge of many new exciting things.

It's all coming together

The other day I was woken with Danielle calling out at 5.30am - after a quick retuck, I went back to bed - but being that time of morning, I find it difficult to go back to sleep. So it became thinking time.

It's weird, so many random thoughts were going through my head, but also, everything just felt so clear and trouble free.

I just felt really at peace with where my life is at. I have always seen myself as a positive person who sees the bright side of things, I don't often feel dragged down by issues in life, I'm not a worrier when I can't do anything to change that at the time (if I have a worry, I immediately like to work to eliminate it by taking whatever action I can). So, what made life feel so good on that particular morning?

It's really been building over the past few weeks, mostly through my interactions on several message boards and my growing confidence in myself and perhaps a slightly reckless sense of not worrying about what others think of me when I disclose a bit more of myself or my true thoughts - even blogging here has been quite liberating for me, for someone who is very guarded about exposing the real me to all. I think, until the past 3-4mths, not one person (bar Simon) knew the me that I am *now*.

BUT, there have been changes!

I have had so many meaningful conversations with friends and family in the past week it's been amazing and feels...so good! Wow, to actually be myself and not feel afraid, or hesitant, or weird, or whatever. It's not even about *not caring* what others think, but just having a knowing that I am OK as I am.

Then, a few days back, Rach (Hi!) blogged about community and it *really* spoke to me and provided the piece in the puzzle that has been missing for me. For me to be feel authentic and close to someone there needs to be a transparent humility. Wow, such a simple concept, but so so true going on the few conversations I've been leaping into without defensiveness or hiding parts of myself or my thoughts. (I witnessed and understood humility for the first time about 15yrs ago between two women friends and was struck with the honesty and oneness that that brought them),

So why does my life feel like it's all of a sudden come together? Well, I've actually made the decision to homeschool the children as blogged a week or so back, I've realised my role of SAHM is perfect for me (no nagging question of "what will I do when the kids are older"), that the simple life really *is* the way forward for our family and I feel on the right path.

Natural learning...

I've been drawn towards wanting to unschool for over a year now, and it's a topic that has been on the burner and off again as far as my commitment to it. Why is it so hard for me to say once and for all "Yes, this is what we are doing!"?

In my heart and mind I am sold, but something is holding me back that I can't quite tap into.

I belong to a few yahoo groups, I have read many websites dedicated to unschooling, a few parenting books that I really relate to are written by unschoolers (and I have a list of books I want to purchase) - I think when it comes down to it, I don't actually *know* any home/unschoolers. I feel I need some real life role models to observe and get support from, someone to pick their brains on all those little things that niggle away at me, people that I am comfortable with and can relate to.

So, it's time to get off my bum and get in touch with the local homeschooling group again and get past my fear of the unknown!