(Not) Back To School

Ah I hate this time of year. I actually in turns hate it AND love it, with seemingly equal intensity.

The positive side first: Fall, and the start of another official "school year," means that once again we are making a huge, conscious decision.... send our kids to an institution, or let them continue learning in freedom. And once again, we choose - with unwavering and resounding certainty - FREEDOM!! So, for another year, we're celebrating. Celebrating that we're free from the confines of school; celebrating in the living, the breathing, the learning, the JOY that comes from unschooling.

On the other side of coin is the celebrating that's going on by the rest of the society, for completely opposite reasons. Everywhere I turn, another mom is gleefully counting down the days till her children start school and get out of the house. It's a popular theme right now on the message board that I moderate. One recent poster said that she thought that moms who aren't looking forward to their kids going to school (and presumably, moms who don't send their kids at all) are "insane." Well, I like having my kids around. I like spending time with them. I like watching them learn, and seeing the world through their eyes. I like that they're free to learn WHAT they want, HOW they want, WHEN they want, instead of being taught whatever some administrator deems appropriate.

If those things make me insane, then by all means, call me crazy.

5 Minute University

And another..

animal joins our clan! This is Woody (so named by the boys because he is the color of wood) Mike caught it with his own two hands, on his first-ever tarantula hunting expedition in the desert. He went with Mitch and our friendly neighborhood reptile expert, and they observed and captured both tarantulas and scorpions. We were both aware of the very real possibility of rattle snakes, so long pants and boots were a must. Mike pulled his trusty LL Bean work boots out of the closet for the first time since we've moved. .. and was greeted by this surprise just minutes into their hike:



Apparently, his soles did not agree with being stored, unused, for so long in Arizona's dry heat, as they literally disintegrated with each step. Thanks to LL Bean's 100% lifetime guarantee, he has a new pair of hiking shoes on the way.

Tagged again

I've been Tagged!

By my friend Mikki:

My roommate and I once: got in a big fight over a bowl of cereal and a plastic spoon

Never in my life have I: liked olives

High school was : a rollercoaster

When I'm nervous : I feel sick to my stomach

My hair : lives in a ponytail

When I was 5 : I had my first crush on a boy named Paul

When I turn my head left : I see a corkboard, a calendar, and pics of my niece Ayla

I should be : doing something more productive

By this time next year : it will be in the 100's again

I have a hard time understanding : why people are so judgemental

You know I like you if : I can open up to you

My ideal breakfast is : cereal, or pancakes with blueberries or strawberries, or waffles, or pastries.... and COFFEE!!!

If you visit my home town : you would be pretty bored

If you spend the night at my house : Paxton will make you meet his rats

My favorite blonde is : Paxton

My favorite brunette is : Mike, Spencer, & Everett

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds : Ack!!! The world has enough flying animals.

I shouldn't have been : so open with certain people in the past

Last night I: watched fireworks at my parents' and came home and fell asleep watching Hidden Palms

A better name for me would be : Clutz

I've been told I look like : a lot of people; I have a generic face I guess

If I could have any car, it would be: a BMW

Ok, now I'm tagging Erika (My Blog Buddy)!

Scout boys

After our morning at the Scout store...

Fun in the Sun

The boys aren't swimmers yet, but I have no doubt that they will learn to swim, like anything else, in their own time and in their own way. In the meantime, they still know how to enjoy a pool! :-)

In other news, last night was our first official Cub Scout pack meeting. It was mostly a planning meeting for the parents, and the boys all gathered outside to play and get acquainted. They all had a blast, and are super excited about the year to come. The meeting went well, and we made a lot of headway in getting things going. Spencer is a Webelo this year, and Paxton is a Tiger. Mike is going to be Spencer's den leader, and I am going to the Membership Chair (although I don't really know what the Membership Chair does yet.. shhhhhh) We're all really looking forward to scouting, and to doing it together.

Cookies

How I know my kids are learning (not being "taught") about compassion, sharing... oh yeah, and fractions:

There were two cookies left in the package on the counter. Mike had gotten them out, but seeing there were only two, didn't take one. Paxton came into the kitchen and immediately said "Ooooooh, can I have a cookie?!" I told him sure, but that there were only two, so there wasn't enough for everyone to have one. He thought about that for a minute, then ran out of the room. He came back half a second later, with Spencer in tow. The both carried pencils and paper, and were seriously discussing how they should divide the two cookies. They worked it all out on paper, while I quietly watched. They eventually came to me with a knife and the two cookies. They asked me to cut one in half and one into quarters. Mike and I could have the halves, they told me, which left a quarter for them and Everett, with one quarter left over. Everett saw my half and wanted that instead of just a quarter, so they traded his quarter and the extra quarter for my half. And we all ate our cookie pieces, and they were good :-)

May days

It's been another quick month, a crazy month, and ultimately (and somewhat surprisely) a GOOD month! Mother's Day weekend was wonderful. We spent that Saturday at the Phoenix Science Center, where we walked through Bodyworlds, and spent a long time playing with the other hands-on exhibits. The following day, the boys gave me the seventh season of Friends for my Mother's Day gift, Mike surprised me with a white oleander for the front yard, they took me out for breakfast at Five and Diner, and we capped off the day with a trip to Sports Authority, where we got the eliptical machine I've been wanting for months.

After weeks of trying not to stress about it, I had my wisdom teeth extracted on the 17th. It went as well as could be expected, and Mike and the boys took exquisitely good care of me... especially those first few days when I was in bed, on painkillers. The following week, while I was still recovering from both the pain in my teeth and being sick to my stomach from the medications, Spencer had his tooth extracted as well. He did AMAZING with it, and had bounced back to his normal Spencer self within a few hours of returning home. Later that week, Mom and Dad officially arrived from New Hampshire, ready to call Arizona home. The boys were estatic to see them, and wasted no time in catching up.

This past weekend was Everett's third birthday party. It was a fun and low-key day, spent mostly hanging out, visiting, and watching the kids amuse themselves by shooting their water guns and running underneath the misters.

Yesterday we spent the last day of the long weekend up at Mom and Dad's new house, enjoying the nice afternoon, playing board games, sitting on the back patio, watching the boys digging in the dirt, and laughing. There was lots of laughing. Life is good.

Highlights of Everett's party:

Oh Yes Oh Yes it's Springtime!!

These pictures are from the Phoenix Nascar race, the last fun thing we did before the crummy second half of April started. We went with our neighbors, hung out with Kevin Harvick's family and friends, and otherwise just enjoyed the atmosphere and watching the cars go around and around.

The sun is starting to shine a little brighter now, and we're starting to make plans and look forward to summer. We just got a family membership to the Arizona Science Center, and I'm really excited to take the boys there soon. We got tickets to see the Body Worlds exhibit, something I've wanted to see since I first heard about it several years ago.

The boys and I signed up for a kids' summer movie program at the local Harkins theatre, where we'll be going once a week for 10 weeks, to watch a different movie. Cool! Spencer and Paxton have signed up for Cub Scouts again too, and will be starting activities over the summer. They are both looking forward to it, but particularly Paxton, who wasn't quite old enough to be an official member when we lived in NH. Finally, the kids decided that they really want to get the new Nintendo Wii. We told them that if they earned the money for half of it, we'd pay for the other half. So they're happily doing odd jobs around the house, and counting down the days until they can buy it.

Adventures in Disneyland

... and California Adventure, and the beach, and Hollywood Boulevard...

Our first really big family vacation since Everett was born, went off not only without a hitch, but was better even than we'd hoped! It was an ambitious undertaking to be sure, with 12 hours of total driving, 2 long days walking around theme parks, and another day of site-seeing around Hollywood. The boys had the time of their lives though, and were troopers throughout... Even Spencer, who had to make the trip with a sore tooth (details to follow in another blog)

We planned to leave bright and early on Thursday morning, but being us, we left late. It was nearly 10:30 by the time we'd dropped the dog off at the kennel and hit the road. We passed the California border after about 2 1/2 hours, and were promptly met with an awesome dust storm. Lunch at IHOP was cold and windy, as was the stop at Walmart for new wiper blades, more sunblock, and candy for the ride. We checked into our hotel in time for dinner, but were too tired from the trip to actually find someplace to eat. Chinese delivery to the rescue.

Friday morning we DID leave bright and early, and caught the shuttle bus to Disneyland. Our package from AAA came with many little perks, with being able to ride the bus to the parks for free just one of them. Our first stop was the character breakfast, where Everett was thrilled to see many of his favorites. After breakfast we headed to the Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3D show, which was the only bust of the entire trip. Ironically Everett found it hysterical, but Spencer and Paxton were freaked out, so we left early. We ended up having to hang around outside the theatre anyway, as Paxton realized he'd left his hat inside. 10 minutes later, hat in hand, and nerves calmed, we were ready to explore the rest of the park. The big boys' favorites were Autopia (a drive-your-own-car ride) and Astroblasters (where you get to shoot at bad guys for points) We all loved the canoe ride, Everett was in awe of It's a Small World, and Toontown was fun for everyone. Everett was beside himself with excitement at meeting Mickey Mouse, and he was not disappointed. He rode his first rollercoaster in Toontown too, which was met with mixed reviews. Shouts of "That was cool!!!" were later changed to "That was fun, but, I don't want to go on a rollercoaster again" Spencer and Paxton loved the rollercoaster, and it only whetted their appetite for more. Dinner that first night was at the Rainforest Cafe, and we went back to the park afterwards because we'd promised the boys souvenirs. Spencer and Paxton chose light sabers, and Everett got a little Mickey Mouse cell phone and an astro blaster, a very noisy, light-up, gun of sorts. He then proceeded to "shoot" everyone we passed, and thankfully all but one passerbys were good sports about it.

Saturday we hit the other theme park, California Adventure. Paxton had wanted to get his face painted the day before, so that was our first stop. We had preferred seating at Turtle Talk with Crush, a great interactive show which amused the kids and had me wondering how it all worked behind the scenes. Most of our morning was spent in the Bug's Life area, which was full of rides for kids as small as Everett, and with almost no wait! We went on everything they had to offer, then headed over to some of the taller-people rides where we took turns with the big boys. Ev was bummed that he had to sit out some of the attractions, but felt better after an icecream break :) I went on Soarin Over California by myself, and Mike was dying to go on the huge, highspeed coaster with loops... but it was shut down by technical difficulties by the time we got around to it. We finished off our day back at Disney, where we all rode Autopia and Astro Blasters one last time, explored Innoventions, enjoyed funnel cakes and cotton candy and lollipops, and watched the parade on the way out. Everett waved to Mickey, high on a float, and was certain that Mickey's return wave was just for him. We ended another busy day by RUNNING to catch the shuttle bus that had just arrived (we didn't want to wait the 20 minutes for the next one) and headed back to the hotel. We then proceeded to drive around for an hour looking for internet - for some reason we couldn't get it to work in the hotel- and finally found a connection outside a gas station. We got directions to where we needed to go in the morning, picked up a couple of pizzas to eat in the hotel, and called it a day.

On Sunday, the last day of our trip, we went hobnobbing with the stars. Hollywood was someplace that I'd always wanted to see, but assumed that it was the kind of place that you only needed to see ONCE. I was right. It was a neat thing to do, and a fun place to walk around, but CRAZY with tourists, especially as it got later in the day. We had breakfast at Starbucks, then browsed all the stars on the sidewalk, looking for our favorite names. We walked through the Hollywood Wax Museum, and spent a long time in the museum of the Guiness Book of World Records. We ended our Hollywood tour outside the famous Mann's Chinese Theatre. It was cool to see all the hand and footprints, and take a few pictures, but the crowds were insane by then so we didn't stay too long. Off we went to explore some more on our own. We drove up Mullholland Ave, a twisting, hairpin road which had amazing views of the Hollywood hills, and then turned around and came back down. We lost our way temporarily, and finally ended up at a Ralph's Supermarket, where we bought a map and made our way to Sunset. Driving down Sunset was really cool for someone like me, and the boys were unbelievably patient with their crazy mom who was getting all excited about passing things like The Viper Room (where River Phoenix died), the Laugh Factory where Dane Cook was performing, the Beverly Hills sign, and countless cars that cost more than our house. Our final stop? The beach, where we got our very first up-close-and-personal encounter with the Pacific Ocean. Very cool to realize that we'd finally officially been coast to coast. We watched the boys play (and of course took more pictures) and reluctantly headed home.

Dinner was early, and the ride home was uneventful (yet long) The kids slept most of the way home, and we pulled into our driveway at 10:30 at night. It was an incredible trip.

Baby makes three

Three rats that is! This is Zoey, the newest addition to our family. She was a spur-of-the-moment decision, brought on by the fact that we just fell in love with her! We weren't planning on getting another rat - and the timing isn't ideal - but she is seamlessly blending right in.

Dinosaurs, marbles, and Ebay

The past couple of weeks have flown by with a rush of visitors, salesmen, repairmen, and doctor's appointments. In between, we've been organizing the toy room, unpacking long forgotten boxes, and working on new projects. Spencer built a dinosaur, we spent hours playing Marble Works, and as of last Sunday we have gone into business. After giving away countless tins of my lip balm over the past year, I decided to try my hand in selling them on Ebay. I mostly made them myself, and the boys have been excited to help with packing, labeling, and addressing. They especially like the shrink-wrapping part, which we have yet to fully get the hang of.

The Real World

I get a lot of emails from friends and aquaintances curious about homeschooling. Not too long ago, I got a bunch of questions from a very sweet woman on one of my message boards. One of them was this.. "If kids don't go to school, how can they learn about the real world?" Which is odd to me, because exactly which world are Mike and I (and by extension the kids) living in if not the real world? This is the real world, this is life, and the kids are completely immersed in it.

I was thinking about this again yesterday because yesterday was payday. Payday comes twice a month, and twice a month I sit in the morning with my coffee and pay the bills. Yesterday, Spencer and Paxton asked if they could help. So we paid the bills together, and chatted about budgets and utilities and how our mortgage comes down faster if we pay a little extra each month... how important it is to keep the checkbook balanced... how the internet has made bill-paying easier... what happens if you don't pay your bills.

I don't know, I don't think it gets more "real world" than that.

Everett's greatest hits

We tried a couple of times to get a video of Everett singing, and the one that Paxton took turned out the cutest!

Happy Spring

My parents left for New Hampshire last night, after a 9 day visit. It was great to see them as always, and even more great this time because no one was sick. The boys were sick to various degrees the last time both sets of grandparents visited, so this past week was a happy change of pace. It was all about having fun and enjoying the warm (and at times, hot) Phoenix sunshine!

Saturday, we all caught up and hung out here. We set up the bouncy house, the boys played with Spencer's new bow and arrow, and we cooked on the grill. Sunday was more of the same, except the location changed to Sandi's house. On Monday we went out for lunch, and the boys were happy to show Mom and Dad their newly found favorite playground on the way home.

Thursday was the zoo, which is always fun, followed by another dinner out. On Friday, we headed up to Camp Verde, to Mom and Dad's new house. It's about an hour away, the same distance we were in New Hampshire. But it's a BEAUTIFUL ride, and I can never make it without commenting on how incredibly gorgeous this state is! The boys spent the afternoon and evening with Mom and Dad... shooting a foam shooter, baking cookies, playing hide and go seek, and being pool sharks in the club house... while Mike and I went to Sedona for dinner and a movie. Talk about gorgeous! Sedona is fast becoming one of my favorite places.

Saturday we hung out here and watched a movie, and on Sunday we went north again, to go to church in Camp Verde. People were nice and the service was great... but the best part was that the kids decided, very happily, to go to kids' church, and had a wonderful time. Even Everett surprised us by going off to the nursery when a sweet woman came up and asked him (and us) if he wanted to go play. I would never leave my kids just because it was what I was expected to do, but given the choice they wanted to. They wanted to, and they had a blast.

Here are some pics from the week:


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Castle building

Tattoo Boy

The boys got a bunch of temporary tattoos for Valentine's Day. The big boys enjoy them, and are currently wearing 2 or 3 apiece, but Everett is in LOVE with them. He had on 6 for his doctor's appointment yesterday (a checkup, that was easy as could be), and he came home and put on at least a half dozen more. He looks so cute I of course had to take pictures!

In addition to all the tattoo-wearing, the boys have been busy playing with Spencer's new birthday presents. The first thing to be put together was his lego loader, followed the next day by his castle-building kit. Last night he spent a good hour at the Discovery Store's website trying to decide what to spend his gift certificate. He ultimately decided on a remote control helicopter.

Mike and I have both been called to jury duty, which has prompted lots of questions about what that means and how the system works. Last night I gave them an illustration using Everett as a defendant, the two of them and myself as the jury, Mike as the judge, and our pets as witnesses. It made them laugh, and gave them a good understanding at the same time.

Spencer

Ten years ago today, I met my first beautiful baby boy. An entire decade! I will never forget the way I felt the moment he was born… looking at that perfect little face, the tiny little body that had yet to grow into its own skin, the full head of black hair.. oh that hair. He was truly the most amazing creature I’d ever seen. My life changed that day, and all the clichés I’d read about in books were about to come true. Nothing I’d done up to that point (and nothing I’ve done since) even held a candle to the importance of bringing up my children.

The past ten years with Spencer have been indescribable. He is growing into a boy that I not only (obviously) love with every ounce of my being, but also admire. Spencer loves life. He lives in the moment, he makes friends wherever he goes, he wears his heart on his sleeve. He is pure and kind and never afraid to be exactly who he is. A kid who loves his family and his friends above all else, and a kid who wants everyone around him to be as happy as he is.

Happy 10th birthday Spencer!! We love you a million, billion, zillion.

Party party party

Spencer's 10th birthday party was yesterday, and the whole thing went off without a hitch! Spencer was beside himself with excitement for the past several weeks, and he wasn't disappointed.

It was a gorgeous day for a party, and the weather made us thankful - again - that we live in Arizona, where even the February birthday parties can be outside.

There were 12 kids all together, both old friends and new. They started out by jumping (and sliding, and climbing and wrestling and laughing) in the bouncy house, stopping only long enough to re-hydrate and rest their legs. The house started to tip a couple of times when things got a bit wild, but it only proved to make everyone laugh, pile out to re-group, and start jumping again. Spencer gave them all tours of our new house, and was proud to show off his room, his toys, and his remote control vehicles. He was a wonderful and gracious host, making sure he paid attention to everyone.

He got a lot of neat gifts, and was genuinely surprised that we'd actually gotten him something that he hadn't known about. The present-opening gave me one of my proudest moments of the day, when one of the other mothers commented on how attentive and appreciative he was as he opened them... asking who they were from, reading all the cards... instead of a flurry of ripping and setting aside.

Several of the kids tried out Spencer's new playstation game, they met the rats, they snacked as they wandered in and out of the house.

Spencer chose cupcakes instead of cake, which gave us the chance to make two kinds - confetti for the kids, and good old yellow with chocolate frosting for anyone who wanted something a little less sweet. The candles kept blowing out, and prompted a second chorus of "Happy Birthday" so they could be re-lit.

We did the pinata at the end, and Mike and I agreed that it was the best pinata experience we've ever had. It broke open in increments, raining small bits of candy each time, so everyone had a chance to both hit and to get plenty of candy. The boys' friend Clayton was the last one up to bat, and predictably creamed it, splitting it completely open, and littering the patio with candies. The kids scrambled to fill up their treat bags, and a few of the boys continued to hit the pinata, even as it lay on the ground, just for fun.

Everyone stayed around 3 hours, and Sandi, Mitch and the kids stayed later to join us for some grilled burgers for dinner. Everett and Anabelle were finally able to get some uninterupted jumping time in the bouncy house, after being a little freaked out by the high activity of the older kids. It was a good day, a fun day, a tiring day. Spencer went to sleep with a smile on his face, and for a special treat camped out on the living room floor with Daddy.


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New parks, new friends, new valentines

Friday we checked out both a new park and a new homeschool group. I was nervous, Spencer wasn't sure if he wanted to go, and we nearly backed out at the last minute. I'm so glad we didn't!

The park is right down the street, and it is a GREAT park. The boys made instant best friends, as they usually do, and were quickly wrapped up in games of tag and hide-and-go-seek. I wasn't sure if it was the right group for me at first - and quite honestly I'm still not - but the boys loved it and made a unanimous decision that they wanted to go back. We signed up for both the group and for their Valentine's Party for this Friday. It's a very active group, with lots of families and lots of activities, so I'm sure it will give us more than enough opportunities to keep ourselves busy this spring.