Moments of Clarity

Every once in a while, there are moments that give your life clarity.  

I'm no different than anyone else when it comes to doubts about my decisions regarding parenting and lifestyle choices.  We live unconventionally here in our home, and while I love it, sometimes glimpses of others' more mainstream methods make me question myself.

Isaac turned 8 on Saturday.  We had a great time at our local Children's Museum playing with friends and then we came home and had pizza for dinner.

Late that night I heard a sobbing sound as Isaac made his way into my room to tell me that he's sad his birthday is over.  He was heartbroken...uncharacteristically so.

Lydia (2 1/2) was in bed with me and she sat up with concern.  "It's okay, Isaac".  But that wasn't good enough for her.  She got out of bed and went around to the other side where he was.  She hugged his leg "Oh, Isaac crying?" "It's okay, Isaac, it's okay" while patting him.  Over and over.  Her love and concern for him was apparent as she took on the nurturing role of an older sibling. 

My heart swelled with joy.

It was just one of those MOMENTS OF CLARITY.  

We're doing something right.  Lydia knows how to comfort because she sees it modeled.  Her siblings' emotions take precedence over hers because that's what she experiences herself.  

I'm sure we'll get plenty of things wrong as we're raising our kids, but if they come out of this process practicing compassion, love and selflessness, we've succeeded.  

Life is about RELATIONSHIPS.  Relationship with God, family and those around you...that is truly living.  That is how you change the world around you; by touching other people hearts and lives, which in turn nurtures your own soul.

Moments when I see their sweet faces look like this. 

They are why I'm here in this moment and time.  Joy is mine.

Regrouping

Where is the year going?  I swear time is flying so fast I can't catch up.  This is only the 2nd blog post I've written in over a month! 

I've thrown myself in more heartily with just "being" with my family.  We've shut the tv off more frequently and hung out together.  I'm enjoying watching my kids' personalities develop and change.  I've spent more time alone with my husband in our bedroom after he gets home from work, just chatting and re-connecting before the rest of the night begins.

I haven't felt the need to be on the computer a whole lot.  While it puts a cramp in my blogging time, it sure makes our family life flow better.  

(this photo is from 4 days ago)

So now I regroup, moving away from the busyness of summer and buckling down for the long cold winter.  The summer is over.  We got our first dusting of snow this week.  While our autumn temps are cool and it's still beautiful outside; winter is coming.  It's time to focus harder on academics and get back into the habit of daily book learning.

 (2 days ago)

The kids and I switched out all their clothing this week, putting away the shorts and tees and bringing in the long johns and fleece.  I still need to go through the winter gear and make sure everyone has a setup that fits them.

(yesterday)

On Monday our new wood stove gets installed.  I'm so looking forward to having a heat source that doesn't depend on the power grid.  I've been so concerned about the idea of our power going out long term when it's -40 and having no way to keep from freezing to death (literally).  Plus, there is something really wonderful about a crackling wood fire.

I hope to be online just a little more, but maybe with a better balance so I don't "check out".  

I really want to show you all the new projects I've done this summer.  I have a redecorated living room, a redesigned master bedroom closet, a stenciled wall and a refreshed laundry room, as well as a really cool industrial style piece I re-did. 

I hope you're all ready for winter, especially my Alaska friends.   

 

Mount St Helens

Yesterday we went up to the Johnson Ridge Observatory at Mount Saint Helens.  It's about a 2 hour drive from here, and it was well worth it.

The beauty is breathtaking and the story of it's 1980 explosion fascinating.  The kids were enthralled the whole time.

 

I was only 2 1/2 years old when the mountain blew, but I remember the aftermath and it's legendary destruction well.  Seeing it as an adult made me appreciate the power of such a volcano, as well as the incredible ability of nature to regenerate.

 

My little family

My sister, Amber and her family

My parents with all 9 of their grandkids

 

 If you ever get a chance to go see Mount St Helens, you really should.  It's awe inspiring.

 

A day of Unschooling

Yesterday was not a good day for me.  I had to go to town and turn in thrown together "work samples" for our home school correspondence program.  It's the first time I've done this here in Alaska and the whole process wasn't that encouraging for me.  They were nice enough, but I can feel the pressure building on "performing".  

I'm really happy with where my kids are at scholastically and personally, so the outside pressure is not welcome.  After yesterday, we're thinking of getting out of the program altogether.  We homeschool to remove ourselves from the outside expectations and I feel like we've welcomed those things back into our life on a smaller scale.

Anyway, I was uncharacteristically emotional (read: hormonal, which is a rare occurrence for me) and so I came back home and crawled back into bed.  Dave asked no questions and offered no criticism.  He just let me talk for a while and then shut the door and left me alone.  I stayed there for the next 5 hours, mostly reading books to shut out the stress I was feeling.

He and the kids played in the living room the whole time. When I came out, they had set up a mini-mall with products to buy and sell.  It was so cute.  

They made their store fronts with chairs and tables, using bristle blocks as their money and decided what types of things they would specialize in.  Dave had helped them come up with a trading system until they'd earned enough "money" to buy things from the other vendors.  

He used his skill of making signs in trade for products for their stores.  

 

Elsa told me she is glad I married Daddy because he's such a wonderful Daddy.  I agree.  I'm a blessed woman.  

For dinner we decided to go get some Thai food from a little place down the road.  The Spicy Thai ran itself out of a travel trailer all summer and had so much success they decided to build a makeshift permanent shelter around the trailer to keep it up through the winter (I love Alaska, I don't think they would have passed "codes" in the lower 48).  This led to a discussion with the kids on the Spicy Thai's business model, pricing and profit margins, customer service, how they could improve the flow of traffic, etc...

That's how unschooling works.  You nurture interests, letting the kids lead and they take it all in.  Learning through Living.  They will remember this day and it's lessons far more than anything they learned from a workbook.      

I will remember this day for those reasons also, but mostly for the nurturing and love I received from each member of my little family.  Acceptance from them with no reproof is immeasurable and I know that I'm blessed.  I hope I can return the favor to them when they're having a off day and they feel as loved as I do. ♥   

This and That

Things have been oddly busy around here.  We're trying to get back into the routine of school as well as prepping for winter.  

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The kids walked down with me to vote in the Alaska primaries

For the last 2 weeks, we've watched both political conventions.  We caught all of the prime time speeches at both the RNC and the DNC as well as many of the ones that weren't during prime time.  

After those were over, I made a list of government words for the older kids to find the definitions for, which led to lots of interesting and complicated conversations (the kind that are usually above my pay grade).  Dictionary time is actually a great car activity we discovered. Adin and Elsa sit together, so it worked out pretty well. 

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It frosted last night and killed most of my flowers.  Sad yes, but we're making the best of it and trying to embrace the fall/winter weather around here.  It's time for sweaters and candles and a fire going in the stove.  And FOOTBALL, lots of football.

(All pictures were taken with my cell camera, so forgive the quality please)

I'm going to switch the kids' wardrobes from summer to winter stuff this week, so it's going to be busy around here (as usual).  

Lydia got a new little outfit from Old Navy this week since she needed a couple of warmer items.  I love this knit dress!

 

We've been deviating from eating primal just a bit, so I've been making homemade bread.  It's SO good.  We use this for morning toast and sometimes as a simple snack with some jam.  Mmmm.

Elsa is doing great with her riding lessons.  We'll take a break from them for the winter, but I'm just so proud of how well she's doing.

  I'm really enjoying my art class.  I spent a few hours doing elementary shapes until I felt competent enough to tackle trying to make a flower and leaves.  I think I'm making progress!  

I can't wait to pull out the paints in the next couple of days and get going on the real art!  It's been fun to give little art assignments to Isaac and Elsa.  Today I got them some canvases so they can do some painting along with me...they're super excited. 

I'll be back this week with another crafty project, some pics of the kids and I watching the flight training exercises and an AMAZING book review (well, the review won't be amazing, but the book is).   

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend. 

Oklahoma Again

From Urban Soul, this hangs on my bedroom wall

Truer words were never spoken...If we could follow those words with 

"If you must go and I cannot, I will be here waiting" 

this would be the motto and lifestyle of the military wife.

Our family has not had to face a 1 yr or even 6 month deployment, thank goodness, but any deployments or TDY's are tough on the kids and my husband and I.  

My husband has been home from his last deployment for a little over a month and been TDY for a week of that time.  So, when we were told he had an opportunity to go to Oklahoma for upgrade training starting next week, we started praying about it.

Instead of being separated for another stretch, we have chosen to go with him.  We can't afford to fly all of us down there, so another LONG, LONG, LONG drive down the Alcan Hwy is the way it will be.  With just 4 days to pack (all on my lonesome since Dave is TDY right now), it's been a little crazy, but I picked up the u-haul trailer today (got to have that, our car is full of kids) and we're loading up to drive nearly 3,700 miles in 8 days.  

This is when I LOVE that we homeschool and don't follow a set schedule.  Not much fazes the kids, they're just happy we get to stay together.  

So the decorating plans will be non-existent for the next 2 months as we enjoy lots of driving and scenery across Canada and the U.S.  I will be posting some wildlife pics (hoping for a bear this time!) and hopefully blogging about the fun times we're having along the way.

Us in 2010 on our way to Alaska
 

See you on the other side!

  

First day with "Paths of Settlement"

I haven't been able to blog much at all this week.  My sleep schedule has been patchy, so I'm tired.  Lydia is breaking in her eye-teeth, which are tough, and so my time with her is consuming.  I'm also trying to stay current on my bible reading and bible study...priorities, right?

We finally got our new curriculum and were able to start on it today.  I'm very impressed with the layout and instructions.  Though it encompassed most of my day, we all had fun together.  I like how I can include Isaac and Ephraim into our school time when I read aloud, so they're taking much of our subject in.  I loved that Adin and Elsa are learning about the same thing, and I just need to adjust how much writing and reading is appropriate for each one's skill level.

(Our cleaned out and organized learning cabinet)

 

The top shelf is Adin and Elsa's work.  The second shelf is Isaac and Ephraim's stuff.  The 2 bottom shelves are their craft and coloring stuff.

This style of learning is helpful for me since I'm able to witness their abilities in a very intimate way. They both really impressed me with their read aloud competence, and I appreciated how patient they were with me as I learned how to be the actual teacher vs being a facilitator.

 

While the older kids were working on their independent reading and math, I was able to take time to work with Isaac and Ephraim.  They love the special focus on just them.

We started the day at about noon, which I know seems "tardy", but with my being up so late with Lydia most nights (like 3-4am), I'm not very functional until that time. The kids don't mind, and well, that's just how things roll around here.

Lydia nursed while I read aloud to the kids; played on the floor and with Isaac during during their writing and geography time, and then for the last 2 hours, she hung out on my hip or in the wrap, where she also slept

Though today her nap only lasted about 15 minutes.

 

 Overall, I would say this is going to be a great fit for our family.  I'm loving how in tune with the kids I felt today.  Though I don't have as much free time, I feel that they're getting a more comprehensive experience in learning.

To see my post on where to get the curriculum we're doing right now, click HERE



Linking to:
 Weekly Wrapup @ Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

New Curriculum is on it's way!

We've been using A.C.E. for the last 2 years of homeschooling.  The kids like it, but I wasn't feeling like it was cohesive enough or immersing them in any subject long enough to pique their interest.

I lean towards wanting to unschool, meaning that you just let them be, and offer lots of opportunity for them to explore whatever subject matter they're interested in.  In the end, it's been shown that kids get a comprehensive education, just not the way we traditionally imagine it.  But I also want a little structure too, or I think I'd be worrying all the time about where they were academically.  

I am very relaxed in my homeschooling approach.  I want it to be fun, and I also think that they learn best when left to their own devices.  So we "do school", but most of the day is theirs to explore things on their own.  It's amazing how much more they know about nature than I do, because they're fascinated by all things animals.  In so many ways, they are smarter than me; and I love it.

Math has been a struggle since we started homeschooling, so lately I've gotten serious about finding something that I thought they'd like better. 
"Teaching Textbooks" was recommended to me by multiple sources here in Alaska, so I decided to give it a shot.  We've been doing for a week and the kids are loving it.  It's so nice to not have tears at math time.  They look forward to it now.  I hope that continues.

January is usually when we start our new school year and finish up last years work.  I was going to order A.C.E. again for all the other subjects, but then I saw this review from Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers (LOVE her blog)  Based on her review and some research, I decided to try out a new program.

A Trail Guide to Learning by Geography Matters

  

I love that Adin and Elsa will be learning the exact same thing all the time (this will mean lots of conversations while in the car, let me tell you), but the homework is adjusted for their ages.  I've been fascinated with the Charlotte Mason style of learning for a while, but struggled with the lack of direction it would provide for me to teach the kids.  This curriculum will provide direction for me and a classical style education for them, while immersing them in history.

I am so excited to get going.  I'll let you know after a few weeks of work how it's going. 

Kids are teachers too

One of the benefits of how little outside interaction we have right now is that my kids are forced to find their entertainment in one another.  They were very good friends before we moved, but I would say that they're best friends now.  I see a level of continuity, attachment, and devotion that I haven't seen until the last month.  Adin used to be a little more detached from what the other 3 were doing, but now he joins in with their play a lot more often.

Adin's obsession with facts of any kind (right now it's the Titanic) consistently rubs off on the other kids.  Funny little convo I heard this morning while I was cleaning up my room:

Ephraim: Look at my new monkey shirt!

Isaac: Adin, did you see Ephraim's monkey shirt?

Adin: Hmmm, I think that's a.....gibbon.  Yes, that's a gibbon, Elsa.  So it's not a monkey, it's an Ape.

Elsa: Ephraim, you have a new Ape shirt!

Ephraim: Yeah, I have Ape shirt!

And so it goes all the time around here.  I love their love for each other and how in tune they all are.

These pics I captured last week.  Elsa is helping Isaac with his "schoolwork". Adin is freestyle reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories to Ephraim.  This happens a lot in our house, but it was fun to catch them in action

 I wish this one would have come out clearer

I love seeing them like this.  Just one of those "moments" for me.  Beautiful.

Differences

Tonight the kids were playing with the Leap Frog fridge phonics game.  Dave asked Isaac (5 yrs old) what the letter in the box was.  Isaac looked at him blankly "I don't know".  Then Ephraim (2.5 yrs old) pipes up with "that's an S!" 

Now, if I only had Ephraim, I would think we were doing a great job raising a brilliant child.  He'll be 3 in April and can now

• count to 26 verbally (only missing 18-21)
• use tactiles to count to 10
• can recognize and sound out the alphabet
• knows all his primary colors
• recognize about 1/2 his shapes

But, I have Isaac, who can only do the tactile counting to 10 thing and knows his colors.  He kind of wants to try and learn those other things, but pretending and playing is just too big of a draw.  Occasionally, he will sit down and practice writing his letters, but he doesn't have any idea which letters he's writing. 

If I only had Isaac, I would think I was failing as a homeschooling parent.  But I know I'm not, and I'm honestly not worried.  The beauty of homeschooling is the ability to take kids as they are.  There is no pressure on me to have my kids meet a "norm", unless I allow my fears of failure to consume me.

I thought this article was thought provoking and even confirming of some of my relaxed methods.  It's just another example that taking a step back and simply allowing kids to explore and learn at their own levels can be a valuable and stressless tool to parenting. 
Children teach themselves to read

Besides, Isaac is teaching Ephraim important life lessons.  Like how to wear your "babies" properly and lovingly

The right way to battle with the light sabers (and look cool doing it!) 

He's teaching him how much fun it is to dress up, make believe and to live life with joy.  Ephraim loves to spend time with his big brother and imitate him.  Lately when I hear a certain laugh or cackle or "battle cry", I think it's Isaac, but I realize it's Ephraim instead, haha.

Maybe eventually, Ephraim's interest in the alphabet will rub off on Isaac during their play.  Even if it doesn't though, I will do my best to accept my kids as they are, with their strengths AND weaknesses.  I will nurture their interests, provide opportunities to learn, and then do my best to not push them to develop skills before they're ready because I'm afraid of what others are thinking or what their kids are doing.  I will be proud of them no matter what.  And I will enjoy being their Mommy, because THAT is the greatest gift in the world.