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"I Hate My Job"

2009-08-15T18:52:00.001+12:00

Got this from one of our local restaurants. ROFLMAO. Gotta share....

"My job is so fucking unbelievable. I’ll try to sum it up by first telling you about the folks I work with:
"First, there is this supermodel wanna-be chick. Yeah, okay, she is pretty hot, but damn is she completely useless. The girl is constantly fixing her hair or putting on makeup. She is extremely self-centered and has never once considered the needs or wants of anyone but herself. She is as dumb as a box of rocks, and I still find it surprising that she has enough brain power to continue to breathe.
"The next chick is completely the opposite. She might even be one of the smartest people on the planet. Her career oppertunities are endless, and yet she is here with us. She is a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. I’m not sure she even showers, much less shaves her “womanly” parts. I think she might be a lesbian, because every time we drive by the hardware store, she moans like a cat in heat.
"But the jewel of the crowd has got to be the fucking stoner. And this guy is more than just your average pothead. In fact, he is baked before he comes to work, during work, and I’m sure after work. He probably hasn’t been sober anytime in the last ten years, and he’s only 22. He dresses like a beatnik throwback from the 1960’s, and to make things worse, he brings his big fucking dog to work. Every fucking day I have to look at this huge Great Dane walk around half-stoned from the second-hand smoke. Hell, sometimes I even think it’s trying to talk with its constant bellowing. Also, both of them are constantly hungry, requiring multiple stops to McDonalds and Burger King, every single fucking day.
"Anyway, I drive these fucktards around in my van and we solve mysteries and shit."

HOLY COW!!!

2009-06-23T20:37:00.004+12:00

I just applied to get my Master's!!! DH suggested it 3 days ago -- I discovered that the University of Auckland has a Master's program EXACTLY in my area of study (International Relations and Human Rights) -- I corresponded with the (American) program director -- and tonight I completed the app! The Director said that I should be easily admitted (I have a degree in IR, with an undergrad thesis in Human Rights, so that's kinda a shoe-in), so I'm not even worried about that. PLUS, University here is super cheap, so my Master's will only cost me about NZ$6000 (as opposed to that $100K USC education!!)

OOOh, I'm so excited...if I didn't have the worst cramps on the planet, I'd be jumping up and down!!!

P.S., OK, who's read the Twilight books?? The movie was so bad that I got sucked into the reading the entire series (in three days time) and I have desperately wanted to engage in an Academic discussion of the books, their morality/theology, and why, OH WHY, is it acceptable for authors to forget about grammar/good storyform just because they are writing for teens?? What? Teens don't need to learn how to use "whom" like the rest of us??....errrrrt, must stop oncoming punctuation rant.....And most of all, there should be a law against writers taking interesting plots and butchering them with poorly constructed stories....Now, I'm waiting for the Sookie Stackhouse novels to arrive......

Some days I just want to chuck it all in...(Mini-rrrrant)

2009-05-30T12:04:00.002+12:00

I'm having one of those weeks (thanks to hormones) when I just want to chuck the whole healthy-living, organic-eating, Waldorf homeschooling, supermom crap out the bloody window! I mean, don't we all have these days when we want to stick the kids in the local public school, spend a week getting our house REALLY (and I mean REALLY) clean, actually have all the grocery shopping completed and the meals cooked and the floors clean ALL AT THE SAME TIME??? When we can induldge in our cramps without feeling like a shitty mom because the kids sit in front of Mary Poppins all morning? I mean, I don't remember the last time my toenails were polished, and this coming from a girl who graduated from USC and always had perfect pedicures.

I'm not really going to change any of those things, because truly my life is wonderful and I am blessed to be able to live this way. BUT I do see the ways that I make our lives harder than the norm. And on these days, the thing that comes to mind most, that which Screams In My Ears, is "forget Waldorf!!" I actually really love Waldorf, but it can be so damned hard to be THAT mother. I had a wonderful discussion with a Waldorf advisor this week and she was talking about how important it is for the kids to see parents as the Rock - strong, stable, right, carrying the forms, etc. And I had to look at her and say that, in my experience, that just isn't possible for most homeschoolers. I mean, first off, we give up the second income that pays for the full-time babysitter or nanny; second, as immigrants, we have no grandparents or aunties to help, and DH goes to work. When I fall apart, or lose my cool, or sit crying for days because my grandmother died, my kids are right there with me. There is no school to ship them to, so that they can see Mommy being composed all the time. And today, as Biggie went to put clean FOLDED clothes into dirty clothes basket, I completely frigging lost my temper....because there is an element to homeschooling that turns us into 24hour a day slaves and the happy-happy- singsongness of Waldorf just ain't gonna cut it at all times!

There, I think I'm done. I'm just gonna stop there while the ranting is fresh and completed and I don't start dredging up other things to complain about.

Back to my silent blog.

Great Vaccine Editorial

2009-05-14T06:38:00.004+12:00

Ok, there is an academic part of me that cringes at the tho't of Jim Carrey as author of a noteworthy editorial (because, come on, don't we all remember Dumb and Dumber??). And even worse: this comes from The Huffington Post! All those tho'ts aside, I have become familiar with the work of Generation Rescue because of our office, and want as many people to read this article as possible. To that end, I share....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-carrey/the-judgment-on-vaccines_b_189777.html

The Judgment on Vaccines Is In???
Jim Carrey
Actor
Posted April 22, 2009 10:02 AM (EST)

Recently, I was amazed to hear a commentary by CNN's Campbell Brown on the controversial vaccine issue. After a ruling by the 'special vaccine court' saying the Measles, Mumps, Rubella shot wasn't found to be responsible for the plaintiffs' autism, she and others in the media began making assertions that the judgment was in, and vaccines had been proven safe. No one would be more relieved than Jenny and I if that were true. But with all due respect to Ms. Brown, a ruling against causation in three cases out of more than 5000 hardly proves that other children won't be adversely affected by the MMR, let alone that all vaccines are safe. This is a huge leap of logic by anyone's standards. Not everyone gets cancer from smoking, but cigarettes do cause cancer. After 100 years and many rulings in favor of the tobacco companies, we finally figured that out.

The truth is that no one without a vested interest in the profitability of vaccines has studied all 36 of them in depth. There are more than 100 vaccines in development, and no tests for cumulative effect or vaccine interaction of all 36 vaccines in the current schedule have ever been done. If I'm mistaken, I challenge those who are making such grand pronouncements about vaccine safety to produce those studies.

If we are to believe that the ruling of the 'vaccine court' in these cases mean that all vaccines are safe, then we must also consider the rulings of that same court in the Hannah Polling and Bailey Banks cases, which ruled vaccines were the cause of autism and therefore assume that all vaccines are unsafe. Clearly both are irresponsible assumptions, and neither option is prudent.
In this growing crisis, we cannot afford to blindly trumpet the agenda of the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or vaccine makers. Now more than ever, we must resist the urge to close this book before it's been written. The anecdotal evidence of millions of parents who've seen their totally normal kids regress into sickness and mental isolation after a trip to the pediatrician's office must be seriously considered. The legitimate concern they and many in the scientific community have that environmental toxins, including those found in vaccines, may be causing autism and other disorders (Aspergers, ADD, ADHD), cannot be dissuaded by a show of sympathy and a friendly invitation to look for the 'real' cause of autism anywhere but within the lucrative vaccine program.

With vaccines being the fastest growing division of the pharmaceutical industry, isn't it possible that profits may play a part in the decision-making? That the vaccine program is becoming more of a profit engine than a means of prevention? In a world left reeling from the catastrophic effects of greed, mismanagement and corporate insensitivity, is it so absurd for us to wonder why American children are being given twice as many vaccines on average, compared to the top 30 first world countries?

Paul Offit, the vaccine advocate and profiteer, who helped invent a Rotavirus vaccine is said to have paved the way for his own multi-million dollar windfall while serving on the very council that eventually voted his Rotavirus vaccine onto our children's schedule. On August 21, 2000 a congressional investigation's report titled, "Conflicts in Vaccine Policy," stated:

It has become clear over the course of this investigation that the VRBPAC and the ACIP [the two main advisory boards that determine the vaccine schedule] are dominated by individuals with close working relationships with the vaccine producers. This was never the intent of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires that a diversity of views be represented on advisory committees.

Isn't that enough to raise questions about the process of choosing the vaccine schedule?
With many states like Minnesota now reporting the number at 1 in 80 children affected with autism, can we afford to trust those who serve two masters or their logic that tells us "one size fits all" when it comes to vaccines? Can we afford to ignore vaccines as a possible cause of these rising numbers when they are one of the fastest growing elements in our children's environment? With all the doubt that's left hanging on this topic, how can anyone in the media or medical profession, boldly demand that all parents march out and give their kids 36 of these shots, six at a time in dosage levels equal to that given a 200 pound man? This is a bias of the most dangerous kind.

I've also heard it said that no evidence of a link between vaccines and autism has ever been found. That statement is only true for the CDC, the AAP and the vaccine makers who've been ignoring mountains of scientific information and testimony. There's no evidence of the Lincoln Memorial if you look the other way and refuse to turn around. But if you care to look, it's really quite impressive. For a sample of vaccine injury evidence go to www.generationrescue.org/lincolnmemorial.html.

We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many viruses and toxins can be introduced into the body of a small child. Veterinarians found out years ago that in many cases they were over-immunizing our pets, a syndrome they call Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of the animals, causing myriad physical and neurological disorders. Sound familiar? If you can over-immunize a dog, is it so far out to assume that you can over-immunize a child? These forward thinking vets also decided to remove thimerosal from animal vaccines in 1992, and yet this substance, which is 49% mercury, is still in human vaccines. Don't our children deserve as much consideration as our pets?

I think I'd rather listen to the more sensible voice of Dr. Bernadine Healy, former head of the National Institute of Health, who says:

Listen to the patients and the patients will teach...I think there is an inexcusable issue, and that's the lack of research that's been done here...A parent can legitimately question giving a one-day old baby, or a two-day old baby [the] Hepatitis B vaccine that has no risk for it [and] the mother has no risk for it. That's a heavy-duty vaccine given on day two [of life]. I think those are legitimate questions.

Dr. Healy is also calling for a long overdue study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated. Dr. Frank Engly, a researcher and microbiologist who served on the boards of the CDC, FDA and EPA during the 70s and 80s, warned:

The CDC cannot afford to admit thimerosal is toxic because they have been promoting it for several years...If they would have followed through with our 1982 report, vaccines would have been freed of thimerosal and all this autism as they tell me would not have occurred. But as it is, it all occurred.

In all likelihood the truth about vaccines is that they are both good and bad. While ingredients like aluminum, mercury, ether, formaldehyde and anti-freeze may help preserve and enhance vaccines, they can be toxic as well. The assortment of viruses delivered by multiple immunizations may also be a hazard. I agree with the growing number of voices within the medical and scientific community who believe that vaccines, like every other drug, have risks as well as benefits and that for the sake of profit, American children are being given too many, too soon. One thing is certain. We don't know enough to announce that all vaccines are safe!
If the CDC, the AAP and Ms. Brown insist that our children take twice as many shots as the rest of the western world, we need more independent vaccine research not done by the drug companies selling the vaccines or by organizations under their influence. Studies that cannot be internally suppressed. Answers parents can trust. Perhaps this is what Campbell Brown should be demanding and how the power of the press could better serve the public in the future.

-- Jim Carrey

Random Dirty Humour

2009-04-25T20:08:00.003+12:00

This comes from DH. Just too funny not to share. Beware, totally off-colour. Oh, and in NZ, "fanny" = vagina. (hahaha, fanny pack! don't say that in New Zealand!)

Miss you guys. Take care!

13 of the finest (unintentional) double-entendres ever aired on British TV and radio
1. Ted Walsh - Horse Racing Commentator - 'This is really a lovely horse. I once rode her mother.'
2. New Zealand Rugby Commentator - 'Andrew Mehrtens loves it when Daryl Gibson comes inside of him.'
3. Pat Glenn, weightlifting commentator - 'And this is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning and it was amazing!'
4. Harry Carpenter at the Oxford-Cambridge boat race 1977 - 'Ah, isn't that nice. The wife of the Cambridge President is kissing the Cox of the Oxford crew.'
5. US PGA Commentator - 'One of the reasons Arnie (Arnold Palmer) is playing so well is that, before each tee shot, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them ..... Oh my god !! What have I just said??'
6. Carenza Lewis about finding food in the Middle Ages on 'Time Team Live' said: 'You'd eat beaver if you could get it.'
7. A female news anchor who, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn't, turned to the weatherman and asked, 'So Bob, where's that eight inches you promised me last night?' Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too, because they were laughing so hard
8. Steve Ryder covering the US Masters: 'Ballesteros felt much better today after a 69 yesterday.'
9. Clair Frisby talking about a jumbo hot dog on 'Look North' said: 'There's nothing like a big hot sausage inside you on a cold night like this. '
10 Mike Hallett discussing missed snooker shots on 'Sky Sports': 'Stephen Hendry jumps on Steve Davis's misses every chance he gets.'
11. Michael Buerk on watching Philippa Forrester cuddle up to a male astronomer for warmth during BBC1's UK eclipse coverage remarked: 'They seem cold out there. They're rubbing each other and he's only come in his shorts.'
12. Ken Brown commentating on golfer Nick Faldo and his caddie Fanny Sunneson lining-up shots at the Scottish Open: 'Some weeks Nick likes to use Fanny; other weeks he prefers to do it by himself.'
13. Brian Johnstone - 1976 - commentating on the test match at The Oval "The batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey.

Since this IS a homeschooling blog

2009-02-07T19:49:00.002+13:00

Aaah, quiet time.

My family has gone to the local Lantern Festival and, in a know-thyself kind of way, I abstained; I hate crowds and would have been a miserable old bag.

And since I do actually like blogging, this seemed like a perfect time to indulge in megalomaniacal sharing. But first let me go get a glass of wine (for real)....

Okay, I'm back. I'm drinking a nice Syrah that (no joke) is grown at my neighbour's vineyard. Let's just say, very eclectic neighbourhood!

So, school has been going marvelously this year. While we were in the States, we did next to nothing, so we started back to lessons in early January. DH and I decided that Biggie, despite her lack of toothiness, was in need of some more structured schooltime -- basically, we needed to institute a routine that will allow for formal learning. This has worked really well and has allowed me to meet her at her own learning level, while giving her the structure that her wee phlegmatic self desperately needs. Some days, we do nothing but paint and craft, but we have also finished a math block and a geography block.

This brings me to our curric choices. I really love Alan Whitehead, which puts me in a teeny-tiny minority! Alan recommends a three week block, and explains this with a variety of spiritual and practical reasons. In his "practical" category, he proposes that three weeks is neither too long nor too short, but just right. Hehe. Really, tho', it is short enough that the child who is disinterested can see the light at the end of the tunnel ("only two more weeks and then we're done...") and the child who loves the lesson is fulfilled and not burned out. For the hs'ing parent, it's a manageable timeframe to prep (and if you have designed a main lesson block, you know exactly what I mean!). Frankly, I think every homeschooler should give this a try, because it really works so well.

Next, geography? Well, Alan Whitehead proposes that a child be taught not only language arts and math, but also age appropriate geography and physics. For geography, it is taught from the child out. We completed a block during which we learned how to determine direction from the sun and the stars alone, using your body as a compass; from there, we created a block version of our house and oriented it to the sun; we walked all around our neighbourhood and, using a big piece of mdf and some monopoly houses, we created a diagram of our community. Biggie painted and position houses and roads, the ocean; she glued sand for beaches and built a tiny seesaw for the playground. The Zoo is in our neighbourhood, so we had a "field trip" and talked about how these animals didn't REALLY belong in our neighbourhood :-) !

We will begin a language arts block on Monday, and I have tailored it to Biggie's needs. Specifically, she needs to work on when to use capital versus minuscule letters, she needs to "remember" her spaces between words, and we need to discuss periods at the ends of sentences. For us, language means lots and lots of pictures, so I have created a story about a Roman emperor who needed miniscule letters because people were getting confused, etc. I will be cheating and recreating the pictures from The Waldorf Alphabet (my children have never actually seen this book, so why reinvent the wheel??).

And in March, we will introduce physics. Again, this is NOT physics like high school physics, but story based approach demanding characters use pulleys, levers, planes, floating rafts, etc., to solve a problem. We won't dare try to introduce all of these mechanisms, but will pick just a few (probably one from each realm).

So that's our homeschooling life. Right now, my kids are experiencing baby-nirvana, because we are running a mini-commune. Some Waldorf friends are in their last school term before returning to Germany and they are living in our downstairs flat. This means that all the kids (my two plus their three!) get to play together daily. Our friends go to the local Waldorf school, so they help my children remember how to storytell and play princesses and goblins, and they inspire the girls to fingerknit (and regular knit!) and eat the tomatoes directly off the vines. It is a fine time of life for my littlies, right now.

And now, I shall leave you to knit. I am working on a scrap buster which I have appropriately named "Therapy." Think, unencumbering.

TTFN.

Overheard in my backyard

2009-02-04T22:22:00.002+13:00

Today, in our New Zealand backyard, I overheard the following conversation...

Biggie: Do you know how many people watched the American Presidential Election?
Group of 4 friends: No, how many?
Biggie: (with emphasis) TWO THOUSAND!
Group: No way!? That's alot.

I love their little world. Wouldn't it be nice to be young with them?

Why I am not currently blogging. And why that makes me sad.

2009-01-19T18:43:00.007+13:00

I sort of fell of the blogging bandwagon with my trip to the States, out of necessity, lack of time, and so very little that could be shared in a public forum. I understand a bit about why people have private blogs (so that we can use bad language and shout about people we know and just not give a crap about the whole "public" nature of the blogosphere).

Since returning to NZ, just prior to Christmas, I have been TRYING (oh so very hard) to live "in the moment." As cornball as that sounds, I find myself drifting so often that I have been working -- and I mean WORKING -- to just be here. Not to sound snobbish, but I am learning that an active brain -- while truly a gift from God -- is not always the best answer, and it's definitely not the best way to live. I was so supery-dupery tired coming home that I fell into a pretty bad (but thankfully short-lived) depression. So I finally started acting on some of those tho't that had been lurking in this brain for so long.

First, (thank you MOM!), I discovered the most wonderful thing about the iPod (hyperbole 100% deserved): free podcasts. I can learn about anything, for free, thanks to this feature. Coupled with this was a trip to the hippy capital of NZ. That's a whole different story, but suffice to say that I forced us to go to Nelson and see if we want to move. We're not moving and the rest of the story can come later. But while I was in Nelson, I happened upon a marvelous hippy bookstore that had featured on display some Thich Nhat Hahn books which I had been wanting to read. (I have been interested in Buddhism for about a year -- I'm a theology nerd.) In the first book I purchased, about Anger, I encountered the best argument for vegetarianism that I have ever heard. In essence, it was about "happy meat" versus "pissed-off, crappy living conditions meat." It talked about how we ingest the anger and poor energy of poorly treated meat....This was a milestone for me. Not only from the energetic pov, but also because I am a HUGE believer in ethical spending, and I will no longer give money to support inhumane animal conditions. Again, these are all things that I rationally knew prior to the book, but it obviously hit at the right time. Soooo....

I have been contemplating vegetarianism for two years; I kept saying to DH that, despite my O Blood type and love of protein, my body didn't like meat any more. It was this article on meat that finally made the change feasible. So I have (mostly) gone off meat. I will still eat meat if my body feels I need it, or if I get trapped somewhere and it's all that's served, but the only meat I will serve to my family is "happy meat." This has led to some major Mom-as-Chef changes and I am actually spending time preparing well-balanced vegetarian meals and -- thanks to my Buddhist readings-- I am finally accepting that it's okay to prioritise myself. (Like most moms, I have always cooked based on what the kids need, or refused to spend the extra time cooking for me! Now, I am forcing myself to eat, and eat properly. Who knew that could be so empowering?)

Back to some sequential narration.... the free podcast coupled with the book purchased have led to me finally embracing meditation. Again, something I have wanted to do for so long but it just never fell into place. I am now practicing meditation, learning, reading, listening, and feeling a 1000x better. I am a remarkably well-adjusted human being (heehee, and I'm the wife of a chiropractor, which makes that a lol joke), and yet I am suddenly experiencing some potent insight into why I have these last few issues (things like my inability to stick to a routine and my total lack of empathy!!).

Really, the list of life changes just goes on and on. I have decided that I am no longer going to make myself sick (and my children neurotic) in an effort to maintain some Waldorf-homemaker ideal. I am going to hire a housekeeper to come in once in a while and help. I am throwing away stuff and selling things and un-encumbering in any way I need (this is bizarre because we are such minimalists anyway). I am enjoying school and exploring how Biggie needs to learn (more on homeschooling another day). And the only way I am managing this is to NOT spend moments thinking, "That should go on the blog."

Hmmm, but that does make me a bit sad inside because I have blog friends. For instance, I have read Anthromama's blog, well, seemingly forever. I read her before I started homeschooling, and that was eighteen months ago. I see your names on other boards (like Cafe Waldorf!!! *grin*) and I feel like a neighbour who wants to pop around and say hi. So I am reading your blogs, and looking at your photos, seeing what Christmas what like in your part of the world...I'm just lurking for a while.

I'll end by posting a photo of the most beautiful place on earth (that I've seen so far): Golden Bay, New Zealand. Top of the South Island, few residents....too few to support a chiro clinic regrettably. Impossible to get to if you are like me and hate winding canyon roads (oooh, that was bad!). But gorgeous and like-minded. Here ya go:

Trying to be present in RL

2009-01-13T22:37:00.002+13:00

I haven't forgotten my sweet blog, who keeps me company late at nights and when I need to log/journal/share. But at this very moment, I am trying hard to be present in my real-life, and not view everything as a moment to be blogged about (yeah, bad grammar...).

We have enjoyed a happy, sunny Christmas; we have travelled to Nelson, where we spent one week trying to set goals and determine what we actually want out of life (you know, nothing too heavy!), and now we have started back to school (because we really didn't do anything while in America).

I have been reading alot of writings on Buddhism and meditation, and I have finally begun practicing my meditations and not just talking about it. I have been cooking alot of vegetarian meals (to make up for the excessive pre-new year wine intake), and I am in love with my vegetable garden.

All in all, I am happy and calm and making efforts to get past anxiety. I will continue to blog, but I just can't obsess about it right now. Happy New Year to all.

TTFN.

Uggh, sick dog

2008-12-19T07:49:00.002+13:00

Just sharing: woke up at 4am to hideous amounts of dog puke. Woke up at 630am to even more dog puke....in fact, so much that it smelled of poo (have you ever been there as an animal owner? EWWWW!). I'm supposed to have friends over this morning and the whole house smells, errrrr, rather poo-ey, to use Littlie's words. Blech.

School is going great. I have taken Henitsirk's advice and we have been working on math using, not the four gnomes, but Santa's four elves, who each count and stack presents differently. Given that Biggie is not a fan of Creative Math (ie, gnomes), this has worked surprisingly well. Oh, and we used graham crackers yesterday to make gingerbread houses.

But for now, I gotta go clean dog mess.

TTFN.

Spoiled! My early Christmas present

2008-12-14T20:36:00.003+13:00

My mom gave me an iPod Touch. Woohoo! It is even flashier than my husband's, and there is a tiny evil part of me that finds joy/humour in that! Now I am trying to figure out how to use it and, whew, that is tough. Mostly, what I am finding hard is determining what parts of my life I want portable. For instance, I don't want friend and family contact details, and I don't want mobile banking; however, I do really want to use it for homeschooling. I get very distracted when I need the laptop midday, but I can see having my HS day planned in the calendar, with relevant internet bookmarks (projects, ebooks, etc) at hand, as well as websites with project directions for the day, etc.

Do any of you have one of these gadgets? What are your favourite apps (preferably FREE!)? And how the heck can you view Word docs on the iPod (my single biggest challenge so far)? But guess what my first ebook download was: Grimm's, of course. hehehe.

Trying to settle in and get ready for holidays. Tomorrow, we are continuing with the Four Processes*, making these little trees, and hopefully baking some bread. My liver hates me (too much wine!), so I must endeavour to eat/drink better.

(*I needed to cram in some math work and I've embraced the season! Instead of math gnomes, we are meeting Santa's mathematical elves, who much add, subtract, multiply, and divide, to ensure that each girl and boy is remembered on Christmas Day. It's totally workin' for us!! I love homeschooling.)

Back to the gizmo,

TTFN.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

2008-12-08T04:25:00.002+13:00

Aaah, home. It took us over 24 hours of travel time, the poor girls were as strung out as two littlies could be, but we made it safely home to Dad. On the down side, we all came home sick. (I actually had to debate postponing the trip home, but dosed them with so much goldenseal and echinacea that we made it on the planes!!)

Looking back, I would say that my trip to the States was wonderful (altho' on a day-to-day basis, I'm sure there were some stressors): my mom was an absolute pleasure and the girls LOVED her. I am so grateful for their time together. The house is mostly done, but we took some of the pressure off ourselves and determined that the house isn't going to sell until 2009 anyway, so why work ourselves sick. (In fact, we spent the last four weeks of the trip just having fun, with a little work here and there!) I shall have to post photos, but it's 4am and I am just too damn lazy to do that part of the blog right now!

My little cottage here in New Zealand in full Summertime bloom and it was a glorious homecoming. No TV, to commercials, and the girls were right back outside up the tree, in the dirt, making experiments. Thank heavens. We're not even going to attempt "school" for the next couple of weeks because, well, what's the point of trying to resurrect that schedule just before Christmas?? And about Christmas, I have my mom to thank this year: she bought all of the Christmas gifts for everyone, including me (only, I already know what mine are, because I got to pack em *grin*). But really, without her, this Christmas would have been pretty minimal; I simply couldn't have done much in such a short time frame. HeeHee, my mom is now the new-favourite-person of the local Gymboree manager! When she said that we were opposite season and looking for summer wear, the lady went into her back room and brought out all of her clearance in sizes 6 and 7. I actually had to leave the store because my mom was in such a frenzy (thank you Mom!). Too funny. And, my mom bought Steiner-y stuff for us, too, but I won't get into detail until post-holidays.

Now, fellow Waldorfers, I have a school question: Biggie turned seven in September, but still has no wiggly teeth. While I want to stick to the "change of teeth" model, I am worried that at some point, I just need to go ahead with "formal" lessons. What are your experiences? How long past seven do I wait? The truth is, she reads like mad already, so it's really just math that's not happening. Any advice?

Now, that's all I'm going to write just now, as I REALLY want to read your blogs. It's been so long that I am out of touch with everything bloggish.

Thanks for your kind words and support during our travels.

TTFN.

Quick Post: Any seamstresses out there?

2008-11-10T13:46:00.002+13:00

Just found a box of vintage patterns, ranging from Vogue 1950s to campy 1980s. Some are size 6-8-10, but most are are size 12-14. Any of you ladies sew? Let me know and I'll post them to you.

ttfn.

Truly exhausted

2008-10-21T14:28:00.003+13:00

I am so very tired.

To explain, it's not as if this is the only house I need to deal with. In order to get this house sold, I have to make liveable two other houses, one in town and one in the country. The house in the country was built in the mid 1800s, and is structurally sound but an absolute mess. The house has been vacant for seven years, and my mom and I have filled hundreds of rubbish bags and have barely made a dent. Everything from canned food that was so old it didn't even have a a best by date, to panty hose that belonged to my great-grandmother who has been dead for 23 years. I threw away a stack of magazines dated 1983 (oh, not to mention ever Family Circle, Southern Living, and BH&G in all the years since!)

Today, I scrubbed seven year's worth of spider webs from a handful of key windows, I emptied closets, I vaccuumed one room only and (the nice part) I sorted through hundreds of my grandmother's handwritten recipes to those that I remember from childhood (including Chess Pie --hey, we're southern!-- divinity, her sourdough starter recipe, and these wonderful muffins made from Swans Down Cake Flour).

I have also accumulated enough vintage kitchen linens (including aprons, woohoo) that I could open my own shop. Isn't it funny the things that makes us happy? Teatowels....who'da thunk it? Oh, and let's not forget the wooden thread spools, which I have hunted down and pilfered from all the houses!! *grin*

My mom and I have been frantically working to make "my" house (the one I am responsible for selling) presentable enough that a real estate agent can come look tomorrow. The sucky thing (is that word in the thesaurus?) is that the market is in the toilet and this is a high-end house. PLEASE keep your fingers crossed for me, because I really need this house to sell (Universe, didja hear that?)

And I simply must share a small irony: my entire life, my grandmother begged me to stop biting my finger nails. Well, here I am cleaning out all of these houses and for the first time ever my nails are growing. Why? because my hands are so friggin' filthy that I won't put them anywhere near my mouth! hahahaha.

Anyway, I wanna sleep. I bought the paperback of Wicked (suitable reading for the Goodwitch, isn't it??), and I can't even keep myself awake enough to read it! "There's no place like home, there's no place like home......."

TTFN.

Now I just feel sad

2008-10-21T14:23:00.002+13:00

I don't regret standing up for myself, but I am sad for my mom's husband if I have caused him any heartache. I know that he is not well (how can you be at that size), and he now feels uncomfortable in this house with me. Of course, if he wasn't behaving like such a child, he would simply offer his apology for having said something completely inappropriate (and perhaps even acknowledge the sheer amount of work I have done), but No, he has to be a MAN about the whole thing and simply hibernate in the back room and ignore me.

Thank heavens I am female.

And thank you all (females, each and every one!) for the supportive commentary.

I lost my halo today

2008-10-20T16:03:00.003+13:00

Well, today was exciting. Having maintained my saintly composure for over two weeks, today, I let rip on my mother's husband. Now, before you chastise me, let me state that this is the man who has been throwing around racial slurs and watching tv at max effing volume, in his recliner drinking Crown Royal while my mom and I work our butts off. He is 100% supported by my mother, and just loves showin' off his Prada loafers and talkin' like he has anything of his own. The whole time my great-auntie and grandmother were sick, he still sat on his ass and let my mom do all the work. jerk.

So today, he just pushed me too far. We were "out in the country" at the house that has been in my family for generations, a house that my mom and I have spent hours cleaning and he has spent NONE. Our goal is to have them moved out there asap, so we can get the house we're in now ready for viewing (because it's not easy to show a house with him in his bathrobe in front of the TV in the middle of the afternoon). I had just finished cleaning a bedroom for him to use and asked him to please come in and try the bed to see if he could sleep in it. What you need to know is that he weighs 350 lbs and has broken two office chairs since we arrived. The bed I cleaned is put together with steel beams and fairly indestructible. He sat down, said no, that he wasn't going to sleep in this bed, that he was going to sleep in a specific bed because "it's the best damn bed in the house." OK, that specific bed is well over 150 years old, a delicate four poster bed that belonged to my great-grandparents. I pointed out that the bed was covered in clothes (because he's gonna do any work???) and one thing led to another (including me screaming that he was being ungrateful seeing as how he hasn't lifted a friggin' finger to help) and then he goofed: standing in that particular house, he shouted at me to Fuck Off and Get the Hell Out of This House. Oops. Not the right thing to say (not to mention terribly unwise seeing as how he currently resides in a house inherited by moi).

I saw red. Shouting ensued. I told him that he could Get the Hell Out of This House. He stormed off shouting all sorts of obscenities at and about me, proceeding to be a dickhead to my mother, and returned to the house we are all living in. Naturally, we women-folk stayed in the country and continued to work like dogs. He's now staying away from me, but didn't miss an opportunity to bad mouth me to my mother. Again, not terribly wise. (My mom was actually really funny about the whole thing and when I was upset and apologising for making her life more stressful, she just laughed and said that she didn't ask me to mutely put up with his shit.)

So this is my question: what does he think gives him the right to tell me to get out of a house that has been in my family since the Civil War, when he only married my mom ten years ago?? He has absolutely no ownership, legal or emotional, of that house. I am still baffled that he tho't that was acceptable. Fuckwit. AND, why on earth would he badmouth me to my mom? She's been my mom for 34 years; he's her SIXTH husband. duh.

Anyway, the end of the story is that my family has all these houses and my mom is simply going to put him in one of the other houses for the remainder of our visit. Her personal preference would be that he continue to live there, but that's probably not terribly nice.

I do feel bad for causing any additional angst for my mom. She really has enough to deal with sans my fury. It was just one of those moments when I couldn't contain myself.

And how was your day?

TTFN

Will we be okay?

2008-10-11T13:46:00.003+13:00

I need some advice, or at least a few sage words. We have only been in the South for ten days, and already the girls and I are at each other's throats. They are trapped. There are NO playgrounds anywhere, and the land isn't fenced so I can't let them play outside. Plus, it's way hotter than they are used to and Biggie can't stand the mosquitos and fire ants, etc. They simply aren't getting the physical activity that they are used to. This is impairing their ability to sleep (not to mention all the noise in the house 24/7), which is in turn leading to grumpy little children during the day. And the result, one completely stressed out, pissed off Mom. How are we supposed to do this for 2 more months? Will we ever be able to get our old routine back?

The girls are colouring in colouring books, and watching more tv than normal (altho' we have had 3 days with NO tv, thank heavens!). They are bombarded by stuff. I keep thinking, as we given them paper and colouring books, "will they ever remember how to draw properly with block crayons?" Will they still have any sense of wonder after this experience? Hell, will they have healthy HEARTS after two months of southern food?!

To make this worse, I KNOW -- without a doubt -- that this all stems from me. I am unavailable. They are running wild! Of course they are acting up! It's not their fault. So while on one hand I am berating myself for not giving them our normal attention, on the other hand, I am constantly aware that I am here, doing this job, for the future stability of our family. In case you didn't know, I am emptying a house that I have inherited so that I can -- please G-d -- sell it and go home with the money to be 100% debt free and own a house. This is a huge opportunity for my little life in NZ and I am under the gun to get it done asap.

So how do I make everything alright? There is no one but me to do either of the jobs (parenting or house-selling). I keep saying that it's only two months and it's a worthwhile sacrifice. But then, at the end of another day of tantrums and pissed off little children, I just want to sit and cry. Will life go back to normal despite this bizarre two months? Isn't there anyway to make things better?

On a completely unrelated note, I started a fast three days ago. I am doing the Master Cleanse, which I have done before. This is the first time that I have injected spirituality into my fast. I knew this would be a perfect time for it because, well, other than all the shit food I happily consumed upon returning to the place of my birth (aaaah, ribs and catfish and hot sausage, not to forget ben and jerrys and popeye's disgusting but wonderful biscuits.....), I am just so darned busy that I can happily skip meals.

Before I end, I just have to add that I went into our bedroom a moment ago and my girls are happily laughing and telling stories. Maybe there will be just a little bit of waldorf left in them, after all.

Again, thanks for the support. I was hoping to have lots of wonderful treasures to send along to my American friends, but I am discovering that my great-auntie was terribly fond of polyester ( I even found a polyester quilt, if you can imagine!), and the yarn I have discovered is acrylic. (Not to be a snob, but I just can't stand how it feels on my skin). I have, however, pilfered dozens of wood thread spools, a pair of pinking shears (because they're $50 a pair in NZ!) and a variety of fabric. But really, I'm probably most happy about the Diamond Anniversary Scrabble Game that my mom bought for me at Wal-Mart. What a friggin nerd I am.

TTFN.

OK, who crafts with ties?

2008-10-07T10:45:00.002+13:00

I have at least 100 men's ties, in every style/width/fabric/pattern for the past 50 years. Do any of you craft with ties? I saw some wallets on etsy, but I simply don't have the time nor -- currently -- the inclination to make anything.

If you can use them, chime in and I'll send them to you.

I'll let you know as I discover more hidden treasures.

TTFN.

PS, on the upside to all my bitching, I am sending back to NZ a set of Le Creuset. very cool. xoxo.

I'm tired and dirty

2008-10-04T05:24:00.003+13:00

Please, dear G-d, never let me collect crap.

I am a minimalist for a reason, and this trip home has slapped me in the face with the reason. These women (my great auntie and my grandmother) were Depression-era babies. As a result, if something was "On Sale," they bought it. I have bed linens coming out my ears. Some of them are still in wrappers with the price tag on them. So far, I have catalogued 64 Bradford Exchange plates (because those were really going to appreciate in value!), and that's only about 1/3 of the total. I have more sets of china and crystal than ten families need (and decent patterns, too, not junk). There is a certain irony in the fact that my family collected glassware, and I live so far away that I cannot possibly get it home. Fostoria, anyone? I have every piece ever made in multiple colours. My mom was aghast that I am getting rid of aluminum pots and pans, despite the fact that there are multiple sets of perfectly safe, Alzheimer-free, stainless steel cookware.

On the family front, the girls and I are suffering from lack of normalcy. My mom's husband is a retired cop who is deaf in one ear. We are thusly bombarded by police reality shows played at top volume. Our nerves are shattered. The TVs run 24hours a day, whether people are at home or not. Littlie, I have seen, is highly susceptible to the frenetic energy in the house and she is having a terribly time sleeping. She woke up in the middle of the night saying, "the TV's on, I tho't it was morning."

I'm gonna stop with the kvetching because I feel myself spiralling downhill.

On the very exciting plus side, I got to visit a Whole Foods Market yesterday. While I find the prices of some things way higher than in NZ, it felt wonderful to be in a space where I fit in, even minimally. I am praying that the girls stay well while we are here; I am trying so hard to eat right and have homeopathics, etc, on hand just in case. Oh, food story: I bought what I tho't was plain coconut at the market (just coconut, right?). It was one of the only things I didn't think to read ingredients on. I got home with it to discover that, along with sugar and anticaking powder, it contained Propylene Glycol. Again, how do you people live here? Everything is full of rubbish. Shocking. But wait, I veer into the negative again.

I am now going to tackle all the linens and towels. If you need any, please let me know, but beware: they are total little ol' lady linens with fringe and patterns. i can't decide what is retro enough to be likable and what is just tacky!!! If I had the extra energy, I would take pictures, but that may be too much to manage. I am have crises because every time I empty another drawer I find more syringes and pharmaceuticals.....

Thank you all for the ComBox support. I am actually feeling like I really need it right now.

TTFN.

Day 4/5, and impressions so far

2008-10-02T05:35:00.005+13:00

The girls are asleep beside me as we fly, finally, to New Orleans. Seems like a good time to blog.

Let me preface this post by saying that it may well be rife with foul language. I have had a terrible day and, despite my efforts to be Buddhist about the experiences, I am not going to make the effort to control my potty mouth. Let me also state, right here and now, that I have lived out of the country for ten years....my experiences will be coloured by my Kiwi-brain.

Southwest Airlines are fucking assholes. Did I make myself clear on that one?!!?? Today, when we walked up to the Southwest Counter at Orange Co. Airport, there was a sign up stating that "this line is Exit only, please use other line." As as rule-heeder, I did so, only to be told, quite tersely by the asshole behind the counter that I was in the Exit Line, blah blah blah. naturally, I pointed out the sign (with the full support of those behind me in line) and, only after I repeatedly brought the sign to Asshole #1's attention, did she dare apologise. Then, she told me that my bag (ONE, for three passengers) was 4 lbs overweight and I would have to repack or pay. Nevermind that I officially was not making use of my full luggage allowance (because, you know, I do have to manage two children through the airports and multiple bags mean no free hands for holding.) So I repacked.

Next comes my experience with Security (acronym H.S., gift of George W.) The first guy was a schmuck because I simply wasn't moving fast enough (those kid-attachments, again!) and the second guy started off being snarky with me when I asked what I was supposed to do with the plastic buckets. You see, I am not daft, but in NZ, the security people give you the plastic buckets for your crap and you would never think of just reaching out and grabbing your own. The guy was incredulous that we don't spend every day in American Airports; however, he did become quite helpful when I explained that we live in NZ and don't travel through the States that often.

Everything proceeds fairly okay until Phoenix (I will never go to Phoenix again!). We landed for our connecting flight, walked to the open air shitty food stall (becuase, those kid-things do tend to get hungry!) immediately adjacent to the gate, only to get up and discover that the Public Address system does not carry farther than six feet and -- no fucking way -- we missed our flight. I looked up and said, "Where's the flight to New Orleans?", to which Asshole #2 responded, "That's it taking off. Well, there's nothin' we can do. Can't call the plane back." Fuckin' duh. "The PA system doesn't work in the cafe." Well, as I discovered sitting at our second gate, the PA system is barely audible even if you are within throwing distance. WTF?

Getting reseated for a new flight, I meet Asshole #3, who gives me what must have been the very last boarding pass number available. This really just made more work for her co-workers, who had to reseat someone to provide my daughters and I with three seats together. Remind me never to fucking fly Southwest again, except for the return trip, which I have unfortunately already paid for. I will be calling my insurance company and seeing if any story works to get that changed (can I say a kid puked on the plane because the flight was so horrible, or what?)

But Southwest was not my only joyful Phoenix experience. Let's imagine two small Waldorf kids, totally without semblance of normal life, on crappy (best mom could find) food and not enough sleep. Littlie, aka Madame Choleric, threw a complete fucking hissy fit in the middle of the airport. Full on kicking and screaming. I actually had a man come over to lend moral support (he was a Dad and fire-fighter and he stuck up for me telling her that she had to listen to mom). Somehow, I think I was so upset by the time this started that I handled the incident quite well, meaning, I was okay with her public fit and refused to give in. (What happen'd, just to put in perspective, is that Littlie was being physically aggressive with me -- hitting, pinching, etc. -- and screaming disrespectfully -- and intentionally -- at the top of her lungs.)

So now I am finally on a plane. Which will land in Houston before heading for NOLA. Thank heavens the kids are asleep.

That gives me a little time to share with you my impressions of America thus far. I have one word: FAT. OMG, what has happen'd?? And even worse, what will happen in twenty years when all the fat children grow up and are already suffering health problems. All there is on tv are health and diet ads, or ads for crappy food. Let me share with you our most noteworthy D-Land food experience. I was trying to make a decent choice and ordered PB & J sandwiches. We rec'd this thing called an Uncrustable: a pre-made, prepackaged circle of PB&J with, as the name states, no crust (G-d forbid a child eat crust!). The ingredient list was five inches long -- and ALL CRAP. The portion sizes everywhere were ENORMOUS. Honestly, I have so much admiration for you families who are living simply in America today. I cannot begin to imagine how hard it is to go against this system, in which everything is fat, fast or convenient. All the clothes and toys I saw had characters on them. And what's worse, there is the belief that everyone lives that way. My nephew could only talk about his possessions and his video games/tv. He made snide comments about our lack thereof.

Sidebar: I actually suffered a very heartbreaking experience because I showed my sister our Steiner dolls and she laughed at them and made fun of me for having made the dolly clothes myself. I had an argument with my mom because I stated that the living room tv (as opposed to the 3 other tv's in the house) would not be on all day long or else I would go check into a hotel.

Back to the topic at hand....I look around me and I ask if America can be saved. Other than this handful of bloggers, are there any families out there trying to raise healthy, happy creative children? I stood in the lines at D-Land and was astonished at how the Gang culture has taken hold; and I was saddened for the parents who may be trying to raise children away from those influences. I especially felt this for the ethnic communities because, for every 9 families sportin' rap/gang gear, there would be one family nicely dressed, with seemingly well-raised children. I can't imagine how hard it must be for them to keep their children away from such a life. Not to be corny, but it actually brings tears to my eyes.

I want to take a minute and go back to the stories about my mom and sister. Every time I come home, I realise how far DH and I have come in the past ten years; the downside is that we are neither understood nor really respected by our family for those choices. My family still condescends and uses the "you came out all right" rationale. And I keep asking (silently, of course) "Don't you see how happy and healthy and clever my children are?" I just don't understand why these people who are so close to us can't look at our children and see that we have made good decisions. I saw a twelve year old girl smoking in the presence of her father (I assume!). And yet, I get shit from someone because of our handmade dollies (while her son drinks diet coke!).

I am trying so very hard to practice being non-judgemental. I keep saying that each person has their own path. But I am truly saddened by the future of America, and I am hopeful for the wee pockets of families who are making the sacrifices to keep their families healthy in mind, body and spirit. If you ladies ever want to come visit, I'll gladly put you up....and help you find a job, and a school, and anything else you need. I have a new appreciation for New Zealand, and I really miss our climbing tree!

TTFN.

You are what you eat

2008-09-21T13:54:00.001+12:00

Thank you Anthromama for this fine blog topic. I am at my wit's end -- for more reasons than I can begin to enumerate -- and this is a worthwhile amusement.

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Below is a list of 100 things that every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/ linking to your results.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. ~~Black pudding~~
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
~~25. Brawn, or head cheese~~
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
~~42. Whole insects~~
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
~~46. Fugu~~
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
~~59. Poutine~~
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
~~62. Sweetbreads~~
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
~~68. Haggis~~
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
~~75. Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Wow, I guess that's not bad: I scored 59 out of 100 for what I have eaten; there are quite a few things that sound terrific, but yet to encounter; and there aren't that many things I won't try, but I'm not an offal kind of person so that ruled out a few items right off the bat.

I think that DH and I have benefitted from travelling. Here in NZ, we are fortunate to have outstanding Thai and Indian cuisine (did you know Curry is the most popular take-out food in the UK?). It simply does not compare to the mediocre versions we tasted in America. I was disappointed not to be able to say Yes to the 3-star Michelin restaurant. I just looked up our best tasting dinner ever and the restaurant (The Water Grill in Los Angeles) just rec'd one star.

Of course, before I crow too loudly, I should mention that my waistline has suffered for our food indulgences...., alas, ya win some ya lose some.

Gotta go do stuff to get my family on a plane in only 4 days.

TTFN.

Success! The Birthday Party

2008-09-13T20:07:00.001+12:00

First, let me admit with shame that -- when it comes to birthday parties -- I have often been that over-doer of a parent, the one who spends too much and has too many people and it's all so big that we don't even have a chance to visit with our friends. Some of this has been as a result of the business, and a need to invite patients who have known the girls since birth; some of this has been my inability to choose just which friends to invite; and some of this has been because my husband and daughter share a birthday and I can never pick just one person as the birthday kid.

But this year, I managed to create a terrific party, if I may say so myself. :-) In attendance were 15 children representing only 7 families (including our own), and 10 adults. Guests arrived while Biggie, Littlie and Dad were a-wandering, and they hid as the birthday girl approached. Boy, was she surprised! Soon thereafter, the fairy arrived to entertain the munchkins for one hour. That was all a bit of a blur as I was trying to play hostess.

Then the fairy left and fun began. Instead of just handing out favour bags, the kids had to solve clues to find their favours. This was designed as a rainbow, apt for a seventh birthday, and these were the findings:

Each item was wrapped in a silk and contained a clue for the next item. I worked to be frugal with this party -- especially given my recent ticket purchases! -- and I really pat myself on the back for being able to come up with alot of stuff from items on hand. The blue bags were burlap from some random project of pre-kid years. The little books are from origami paper that's been hiding on the craft shelf. The silk ribbons were made from our food-colour dyed silk fabric and beads and skewers on hand. The matchbooks were in the house, as was the scrapbook paper which covered them. My two expenses were the agate slices and peacock feathers. They certainly didn't cost a ton compared to traditional plastic doodads (I spent about $40 and have extras left over), and when these parcels were discovered, the children were ooohing and aaahing galore. 100% worth it!

As for the food, for the first time I felt like I had the right amount: fruit plate, pita/veggies and dip, sushi, popcorn, and some lovely sandwiches brought by a friend. Instead of one big cake to cut and distribute, we served dozens of these wee cakes. Biggie had recently picked this pan from the store and fell in love with it, and it proved to be most convenient since all the little hands could just reach for their "piece" instead of my having to use a thousand napkins and such. Pluuuus, the cakes were a nice accompaniment to the chocolate fondue and strawberries that were meant to be for the grown ups but were devoured by wee munchkins.

All in all, we tho't the party an absolute success, and I would be remiss if I failed to mention two important factors. First, the house: it made all the difference! The kids were able to play outside and run and tumble and just be free to be children. We haven't had that option for many years and I am grateful for this opportunity to host Biggie's friends. Second, and far more important, the quality of the families: 15 children and all happy, cooperative playing. No clique-ish-nesh (new word for the occasion), no nastiness, just alot of nice-ness. The older kids were tolerant and generous with the little teeny ones (some of the younger siblings were just toddlers). How fortunate we are to live/think the way we do! For all the days that I am sad for our minority status, today was a day that I was reminded that our way of life produces kind, happy children.

Today was a day that I felt very happy to be a Waldorf mom. Happy Birthday, Biggie!

Feeling our Weirdness

2008-09-11T21:54:00.002+12:00

I have a thousand things to share, all delayed as a result of no internet connection for the past week. I'll get to those things tomorrow, but for now I had to take a moment and talk about our evening's entertainment.

We attended the local public elementary school's play, supporting a friend who was in the play. Minutes into it, I realised just how different we are, and how our way of looking at the world has changed in the past year. As I watched those beautiful wee children dancing hiphop (suitably attired, of course, in sideways caps and big gold medallions) and rapping about humans polluting the oceans (no shit, the play was a statement about abusing the planet), all I could think was, "Where is the beauty in this?" There was nothing nourishing, nothing touching; it was cold hard facts and lots of loud stereo music. I was actually heartsore upon leaving because these lovely little children are being taught by people who have no idea what children really need. I tho't back to our little Waldorf stories and dramas and the philosophy of education as it relates to soul development....I saw how education of the brain has been removed from any sense of caring for the whole person.

I must say, loud and clear, I fault neither the parents nor the children. I praise those littlies for doing a terrific job at exactly what they were instructed to do. But I am sad that instead of being surrounded by warmth, love and beauty, these kids are being taught like automatons, soulless information machines. I left feeling 100% okay with my choices AND, knowing that the play was written by one of the elementary school teachers, I felt a confidence in my story telling skills as never before. Oh yeah, and I prayed that my kids took in very little of what they had seen.....I don't think I could work breakdancing into our circle time.

Now, I have Biggie's birthday party in two days, so I need to go finish those tasks. I'll tell you all about it asap, but for now, I am patting myself on the back for 1) not spending too much money (yep, I'm notorious for too-big parties), and 2) creating a special quest for the guests, who'll find lots of handmade and natural treasures hiding in our garden. (Funny story: I walked into the crappy two dollar store the other day looking for balloons and the smell of plastic almost made me gag. Hehehe, a sign of change, I am sure.)

Off to construct.

TTFN.

Thank you Republicans

2008-08-30T19:39:00.003+12:00

Ignoring your crappy representation of the past decade, and the fact that you have completely jettisoned the philosophical underpinnings of your party (can you say Laissez Faire? Foreign Policy?), in your recent utterly-transparent efforts to manipulate minority voters (ahem, Sara Palin, cough cough), you have done ONE GOOD THING! You have ensured radical change for the American Executive Branch. No matter who gets elected, America will now see minority representation at the highest levels of government.

(You know what I think would be cool? Condoleeza Rice as a presidential candidate. I think Ol' Boy America would simply abstain from voting...and that's not a bad thing!!)

poor, but in control

2008-08-26T21:38:00.002+12:00

Well, not destitute, but my wallet is quite a bit lighter, as are my worries.

Today, I booked tickets to the States, domestic tix within the States, and four hotel days to visit DH's family and do Disneyland. We'll be doing that leg of the trip prior to arriving in New Orleans. This was partly a ploy because this way I can say that we can't purchase too much stuff because we have to carry it all the was to New Orleans and back, AND because we don't want to spend all our spending money at the beginning of the trip and not have any for fun stuff later. Yeah, I am manipulating my children, but Mouschwitz doesn't need our money and we don't need that stuff----but we loooove the experience (totally unWaldorfy, I know).

I haven't been much of a mom this past week, so I have also tried to do more of our normal things. We went to eurythmy today and the class was FULL, and almost entirely of homeschoolers! I met a lady whom I had spoken with via email -- a new Waldorf mom in the area -- and she has two little girls very close in age to my own. AND, the girls all got along (Oh, thank you G-d!). On the downside, we visited our old teacher in her new kindy classroom and, upon departure, the weeny one cried because she wanted to be in THAT class. oh well, ya win some...

Now I want to go check out etsy and find a couple little treasures to have waiting for us when we arrive.

TTFN.

Just a little bit to do....hahaha.

2008-08-22T20:44:00.003+12:00

Alrighty, then. My grandmother has passed away. What that means is that I am now the trustee for a property in the US, but there is a slight hitch: I live in NZ! My kids deserve a round of applause because I spent hours on the phone this morning going between American advisors and NZ advisors to ensure that I don't get taxed up the wazoo and that all the legalities between countries is handled before I come to America.

Oh, did I fail to mention that? Yes, I get to fly home. That's normally easy enough and we've done it loads of times before, but this time, I have three US passports expiring in December, one NZ passport expiring in January, and in order to get the most for my money, I need to go ahead and get DH's and my Kiwi citizenship done before we get his new passport, so that we don't have to get his passport "marked" by immigration twice! BUT, (hahahaha, this is why my brain is fried) I have to hand over MY passport to NZ immigration in order to get citizenship and I need to be able to hop on a plane and fly home at any given moment. OMG!!!!

I have no idea how long I will be in the States and I can't even buy a ticket because my mom could call tomorrow and say that she needs me home sooner than expected. (Right now, she's saying October.) AND, I can't even purchase a round trip ticket because I don't know how long I am going to be needed!!!

Wow, brain= mush. This is when people play Tetris, or something.

I'm gonna go see what you ladies have been up to.

TTFN.

This one's gonna be long

2008-08-20T21:44:00.001+12:00

This post is a reminder that I blog for myself. I apologise in advance.

Last Friday was my tenth wedding anniversary. I would like to share all the terrific-ness of my courtship and engagement, but I just don't have it in my right now.

To celebrate, my husband took us to Queenstown; for Americans, we went skiing at the Remarkables, where they filmed the snow scenes in LotR (I think). The kids had never skied before and they were, well, Remarkable. Biggie skied for four hours straight and came home with very chapped lips ('cause dumdums mom and dad forgot the chapstick!). Littlie loved it and was so good spirited. DH knows how to ski, which proved to be a good thing because.....Mom (that's me) DID NOT LIKE IT. I was a bit disappointed because I had visions of being such a sophisticate on my skis. Alas, I found the rental boots to be TOO DAMN uncomfortable and the skis were heavy. Sorry, I just don't like being uncomfortable. I've therefore decided to try snowboarding because a) their boots look way more comfy, b) the adults were all enjoying themselves even as they fell over, and c) what's the point in being married to a chiropractor if you can't indulge in some moderately unhealthy pastimes (snowboarders totally tweak their backs). I also spent the entire four days suffering from nausea, much like being pregnant. Since I know pregnancy isn't the cause, I am attributing my illness to Queenstown's heavy fog of diesel smoke, a stench that has never set well with my belly.

Next, we were lucky to leave Queenstown because every other flight was being cancelled due to fog. And, G-d bless him, DH didn't know that the flight that eventually took us out of QT was a little plane (four seats across) and I spent the entire trip with my head down trying not to vomit on Biggie. Then there was the extra delay at the airport, finally getting home at 11pm with exhausted munchkins, and waking up on Tuesday with the beginnings of a cold.

OOOOOOh, but that's not all.

Tuesday morning, I called my mom to let her know that we returned home safely only to discover that my grandmother died on our departure date and had been buried Tuesday morning. Whoa. Hard start to the week.

Now, before you bust out the hankies on my behalf, I need to talk frankly in a way that may offend. I have spent two days crying over the loss of a life, and over the loss of the last connection to my grandfather, who (whom?) I loved very much. My grandmother is really the last of our family ties to the South, a culture which is a part of me, despite all the ways I hate the South. But what's so sad is that the family is just relieved. My grandmother, even at her healthiest, was not kind. She was never a good mother to my mom and said some pretty hateful things to my sister. She was an old Southern woman, she was judgmental and hurtful. She has been ill for many years now, but her religion wouldn't allow her to simply say, "I'm done." My mother cared for her for a very long time and in exchange, all she rec'd was meanness. So while my grandmother may have been kind to me (in fact, I was the only family member she was nice to, and only because we had finally learned not to tell her the WHOLE truth about things), I don't doubt that she took years off my mother's life. That having been said, it was a terrible shock to be confronted by both death and burial at the same time.

So perhaps, having talked about that a wee bit, I can find a happier place in my head by forcing myself to share a nice story, about my wonderful husband.

Late in the afternoon on February 14th, 1997, I rec'd a phone call from a friend asking if I wanted to go out on a blind date with a boy she had been trying to set me up with. (forgive the crappy grammar, I'm just not of a mind to fix it). I said, "no friggin way," it was too late in the day and it would take me too long to get home, get changed and get to her house. So after much finagling, the date happened the next night. She and her boyfriend, and this random guy and I went to sushi in Long Beach CA. I was sick as a dog, with black hair (random hair experiment...not attractive on me) and I had never eaten sushi before. But because I didn't want to look ungracious, I dug in. (I was later told that they only reason there was a second date is because I tried the sake!!!)

The guy was nice enough and I remember saying that there was just no reason to say "no" when he asked me out again. In fact, he was too good to be true and I remember asking on our third date if he was gay (this, after he said he really loved musicals!!!!hahahaha). And, again, more dates and just no reason to say no....

Just before Christmas of that year, we went to sushi at the same place (owned by a family friend) and mid-way through the evening, the sushi chef passed to my fella an ornate sushi sculpture, with flowing rivers of rice noodles and rocks of cucumber, etc. And my guy started telling a story about love and togetherness (with my -- much to my later embarrassment -- heckling him all the while) and then, in the middle of one of the cucumbers, was my ring. I discovered that everyone in the restaurant but me knew what was to transpire that night and that people even stayed in order to see it. And, vain self that I am, I remember that I looked horrible because I had been cramming to take a GRE. Obviously, I said yes.

We did a ton of research and decided on a "planned elopement" in Vegas. We told everyone when we were going and invited them to join us if they wished. We were married at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel on August 15th, 1998. Two weeks later, my mom eloped at that very same chapel; soon thereafter, my sister married there; and we discovered that DH's mom and stepdad had married at that very same place many many years before.

On the following Monday, having skipped the big wedding, we hosted a sumptuous dinner at our favourite restaurant (family members still rave that it was the best meal they've ever eaten *grin*). And six months later we sold everything we owned and left America.

Neither of us still talk to the people who set us up, but I am grateful everyday for that friendship. For all the million little reasons that I adore my husband, right down to him being willing to ask me out a second time, despite the fact that I smoked and drank Diet Coke and had goth black hair. For every goofiness and eccentricity that he tolerates. For daily trips to Wendy's when I was pregnant and there was nothing else to eat at 3pm. For being supportive when I am a bitch, or when I tell him that I've just pulled the girls out of school and we'll be homeschooling. For thinking that I was hot, even when I was so pregnant I couldn't turn over in bed. For just being such a wonderful man. I am grateful. (PS, this IS a Halloween photo...really....I promise!)

A quick note on the homeschooling front

2008-08-05T21:08:00.003+12:00

Despite my lack of routine thanks to the little parasites, I am proud of some of our homeschooling work. A few weeks back, I decided that I would take one handwork "theme" and work with it each day of the week, this sort of afternoon direction being necessary as we have been trapped inside by foul weather. This idea has worked so well that I tho't I would share, altho' it's not as if these ideas are by any means new and original.

First week as Wax. We rolled beeswax candles. We decorated dipped candles with coloured wax cut outs (stockmar). We used our block crayons on hot paper to feel the difference, and then ironed our drawings onto undershirts (Biggie tho't this was the best). We had already made crayons using wax remnants, or else this would have been included as well.

Second week was wool. Day One: Unwound skeins into hanks. 2: Soaked in vinegar and water overnight. 3: Selected preferred colour of Wilton's dye paste and brought yarn to boil/simmer until water turned clear (wow, that was amazing to me. I had no idea that the yarn would literally eat the dye). Left yarn in pot to cool. Note, Wilton's peach, despite it's colour coding, turned out the same colour as their true red. 4: Remove from pot and rinse until water runs clear. Unfortunately, couldn't get the vinegar smell out of the yarn. Any ideas? Left to dry. 5/6: wind into balls.

This is the third week and we are Sewing. Specifically, we are making pouches for the gnomes to take with them underground and carry their stones and gems. What made me laugh about this project is that it came about while I was undertaking the Waldorf-mom task of working on something that she needs to do, not something that she is doing simply so the kids see her doing it (sorry, bad sentence, the eucalyptus smell coming from my hair is affecting my brain). This weekend, I sat down to stitch a few items that Needed to be Done. This turned into forty minutes of threading my girls' needles, etc. There wasn't a ghost of a chance that I was going to accomplish that Needed task. Whatever.

These weeks are helping me learn more about the girls' threshold for work. I am encouraging Biggie to stay a little longer at her tasks and be more precise in her work. I am also having to watch my tendency to get exasperated with the same "mistake" (learning mistake, I know) over and over, such as pulling the needle off the thread. Heehee, makes me wonder who is really being homeschooled?

Oh, before I post, the lice have been responsible for one very wonderful change in our house (other than Littlie now agreeing to put her hair back everyday). I finally embraced ad hoc storytelling, as necessitated by many hours of nitpicking. This is a whole post of its own, but I will say for now, if you haven't tried making up your own stories, please, please, please give it a try. The girls are in love with this story. [of course, there are many elements drawn from fantasy novels and, as I told DH, just think, when the day comes that my girls read Eragon, they will already know that dragon eggs are blue because that's how Mom's story went!!]

OK, time to put the computer away.

TTFN.

To have or not to have????

2008-08-05T20:59:00.002+12:00

Aaaargh, I don't know what is worse: thinking that you have lice and not finding any or not thinking that you have 'em and then finding one. Today, as I sat in my bedroom (read: no kid-hair zone), I looked down and saw a dead louse on my hand. So what was my immediate response? Run into the bathroom, grab a nit comb (clean) and run it through the front of my hair....ONLY to see (I guess) a pin-sized bug on the comb. Well, tears, tantrum, etc. -- you see, my hair is the only part of my body that I truly love. I was really upset. But try as I might, I couldn't repeat the experiment. I could find no evidence of nits or bugs anywhere on my head (which of course convinces me that they are there, but hiding!). DH brought home some (mostly-natural, but not-too-bad) lice "stuff" and I saturated my hair with it (mind you, my hair is so thick that the amount in the bottle just b.a.r.e.l.y covered my hair) Still, no evidence of bugginess. I checked every hair that came out while rinsing and no nits.

Now, either I did this all for nothing, or there is bug-ness resident but undiscernible. As I stood in the shower, I tried to get myself to accept that they are just bugs -- in fact, other than the secondary infections that come from scratching, they are totally harmless. We're gonna probably experience them again and they aren't a size of poor hygiene or ill-health. In other words, I wanted to make myself OK with lice....and I just couldn't do it. uggh.

TTFN.

And how was your day?!

2008-07-30T15:54:00.002+12:00

Better than mine, I'm certain. Today, I spent hours and hours PICKING NITS (and a few lice) out of my youngest daughter's hair. To which I say effing NZ. (Sorry Kiwis.) Lice is epidemic in NZ, as they must be for my HOMESCHOOLED!!!! children to get 'em. I grew up in California, where children were sent home from school and told not to come back until their heads were clear. In NZ, teachers aren't even allowed to perform head checks! WTF! Plus, I have long hair and my biggest fear is that I will get Lice and who the hell is going to pick 'em out of MY hair.

And, of course, because we are hippies, I refuse to simply douse my children with toxic shampoo, so instead, I covered their hair in a mix of coconut oil and tea tree and proceeded to pick the nits out one-by-one. I will have to do the same thing every day for heaven knows how long. And Littlie is so pissed off at me she doesn't even want to talk to me.....ugh. I think I deserve a glass of wine.

Off to pour. TTFN.

Tie my hands behind my back...quick

2008-07-28T21:27:00.002+12:00

Oh, no. I am becoming a fabric junkie. Well, actually, I am currently a window-shopping fabric junkie! I have started stashing fabric, but my minimalist side can't mesh with my "buy-now-while-it's-on-sale" side. AND, to make matters worse, I am justifying everything as "for Christmas crafting." Gads. The truth of it is, I love the gorgeous fabrics now on the market, but once I get them, I am so afraid of screwing the piece up that I just leave it in it's wrapping until, one day, the perfect use will come along.

I've spent an hour on Sew, Mama, Sew! Been there? Go see. Hide your wallet first.

I am now going to force myself to close the computer and watch DH play his latest online roleplaying game (if you're a game widow, you will know "MMORPG." This one's called Age of Conan).

TTFN.

Frenetic

2008-07-24T21:19:00.001+12:00

First, if this post is riddled with errors, it's Microsoft's fault, not mine. I am trying Windows Live Writer because I don't like composing via the Blogger interface.

I haven't been posting much lately and I have come to realise that my lack of blogtime is symptomatic of a greater "problem" (and I use that term loosely) that has developed over the course of my homeschooling year. I am Productive! This has been very, well, productive; however, the dark side of this is a habitual need to Be Productive. So what am I saying? Well, I have reached a point where it is hard to simply be. During the day, with the girls, I hardly sit down; and if I do, then I always have something in my hands (you know, that Active Kindy Teacher Waldorf thing). I have knitted myself to a standstill because my eyes are strained. If I am not engaged in handwork, then it's art or music or menu-planning, or office work, or ANYTHING but simply relaxing. At by nightfall, I am ready to sit and read, but oh no, can't read rubbish! Must read useful, potentially life altering internet posts, or somesuch inner work book, or Ravelry so that I can find the next big handwork project for me. Somehow, even the things that I enjoy are becoming part of this merry-go-round. I can't help but wonder if this is simply a phase in the Homeschooling experience that all of us must address...."ahh, This too shall pass."

So what does this have to do with blogging? Well, blogging is something solely for me and therefore introspective and not terribly Productive. I have put it on the backburner because my frenetic tho'ts couldn't be reigned in well enough to share with anyone else (I keep thinkin', Why isn't there the internet version of the Vulcan Mind Meld....oh dear lord help me, I just made a Star Trek reference!) But tonight, I have declared that this blogpost is my Meditative Act for the day (what is up with all the Caps? I am feeling German!) and I shall endeavour to give my focus to this one single task.

Here goes:

First things first. For Mamma Mountain Pulse, the hair shampoo is here.

On the homeschooling front, the kids are bursting with creativity. Unfortunately, this came about because I stopped interfering in any of their play (even to the extent that I have been cleaning their rooms so that they could keep storytelling, or whatever) and I have no idea how I will ever bring them back to form. Funny thing is that Biggie, who very much needed to rediscover her creative self, is progressing marvelously in art and music and role-playing. I have had to step back and assess the need for "school" right now as I think she is investing her time exactly where it's needed. I am seeing many aspects of her personality that need Will exercises -- which brings me to the question of first grade readiness. Man, this is a hard one with an academically gifted child! She will be seven in September, she can ride a bike with no training wheels, and tie her shoes, and do so many things that point to readiness for formal learning, and yet she has not had even one loose tooth. I just keep telling myself that these children are learning so much at play that there is no need to even worry...and then the next day I have to tell myself that ALL OVER AGAIN to reassure myself of the rightness of my choices! I do also keep reminding myself that she is an avid reader and so the big thing - literacy - is all ready sorted out.

Which leads me to my current source of amusement: Biggie's potty reading is Edward Lear! I put his Collected Works in the loo, simply because I think the limericks are funny, and the next thing I knew, she was laughing from the toilet and singing "The Owl and the Pussycat" (mind you, she had to point out that the poem has two more verses than the song that we always sing! harrumph.)

Next? Well, our Tenth Anniversary is rapidly approaching and my husband has surprised us with a trip to the snow. Woohoo. Been in NZ for almost ten years and the girls and I have yet to visit Queenstown, so that's where we're headed in a couple of weeks. DH and I can't believe that we have been married for ten years (OK, to put this in context, I am only 33. Some day I'll talk about my totally unexpected early marriage.) My sister, who is single, keeps saying that we should go away by ourselves (she can't believe the girls are coming away with us) and she just doesn't get that, after ten years, we're about as debauched as we are going to ever be...hehe. The only downside to the trip is that we gotta buy clothes for the snow, and I don't like shopping in NZ. I have also made it a habit to travel with only carry-on luggage and I don't think that snowsuits will fit. There is also a certain irony in knowing that I have knitted so much stuff for other people that my eyes now hurt and I will have to go buy something for myself!

Anyway, that's about all I can muster up right now. There are still quiet alot of tho'ts bouncing around up there, but now that I have siphoned these into my blog Pensieve, I should be able to regurgitate those sooner rather than later.

TTFN.

A bit of (semi-) naughty humour.

2008-07-21T18:11:00.002+12:00

This can make me laugh at any time! Wanted to share.

TTFN.

Lag

2008-07-14T22:09:00.002+12:00

Blame it on a cold Winter, blame it on my Libran downswing, blame it on finally being able to check books out of the three-story Auckland Central Library (I'm such a dork) -- I've been a non-blogger for two weeks. BUT, I have been a reader! And I have enjoyed (am still enjoying, in fact) this quiet interlude and an opportunity to go through the blogring and my bookmarks and simply hear what others have to say.

Anything noteworthy in my life? Just couple things that I'll waste your time with.

Girls are at Fairy School this week. It's a week-long program during public school holidays and it's the only "break" I've had since starting homeschooling. Truth is, when they are gone, I miss 'em and don't know what to do with myself.

I have pink hair.....no, really, it's fuschia. (my DH is soooo wonderful. He is a respectable, upstanding, fairly public guy and he has NO problem with a wife with pink hair. How great is that?!)

I recently realised that -- for the first time in ten years -- I have a no-stress lifestyle. FRIGGING AMAZING!

I have decided to throw a surprise party for Biggie's seventh birthday. Just 'cause I love her and she deserves one surprise party at an age when she can be truly thrilled. I wish Anthromama's friend was nearby (hehe, I was just looking at fairy stuff on the internet and your blog googled!). If you have any suggestions for a fairy-themed party, chime in because I am the hire-a-party-planner kind of mom.

Last, but not least, thanks to cookingtf.com menus I have been making dinners consistently for the whole family for about three weeks now. This is a big deal because DH doesn't get home til late and dinner had always been a big pain in the butt for me. Now, I make the kids eat what I serve (oooh, they called me every sort of non-cursing bad name when I started, but it worked!) and DH has a nice dinner after a long day adjusting patients.

Oh, wait, on the topic of making things, I made my own deodorant and the girls are now no-shampoo. (I think Baking Soda may be the single most handy pantry item, don't you?) Again, three cheers for the most tolerant hubby in the world (10pm on a weeknight: "honey, watcha doin'?" "making deodorant." "oh, okay...." back to gaming.) Somehow, I don't think I could sell him on Family Cloths....

TTFN.

On the home front

2008-06-30T19:38:00.002+12:00

Well, I am really falling down on the blog these days. I can only attribute it to being busy in real life. But I did have a handful of interesting things to share:

First, I am reading some fascinating books by a fringe Waldorf writer named Alan Whitehead. It was actually Melisa who put me onto the Whiteheads as she refers to them in her kindy syllabus. Alan is very anthro- spiritual in his writings, but he believes that Steiner homeschooling is the best way of teaching in the whole big wide world! One of the things I have loved about his writing, equally one of the things that makes him controversial, is that he says, Skip those bloody Grimms' fairy tales and make up your own stories. Mind you, he is Australian and therefore, like myself, finds that the traditional Waldorf stories often have NO cultural/geographic significance. Now, while I am not dispensing entirely with Grimms, reading Alan Whitehead has given me confidence in my choice to sometime veer away from Waldorf dogma.

Alan also has a different approach to units, his being far more anthro directed than other curric writers. He recommends three three-week units at a time: early morning for head, late morning for hearts, afternoon for hands. This may sound like other writers, but more clearly stated, Alan suggests a three-week unit, for instance, on painting or knitting, as opposed to one day per week. This unit studies option works well for me and my girls and it allows better rhythm to our studies.

One book, in particular, I would recommend to any Waldorf homeschooler, regardless of your degree of Anthroposophical interest (mind you, I am not terribly anthro, but I have read enough to get where he's coming from): Alan writes a book called The Golden Path that outlines handwork from Grade One to Twelve. Great subjects, good breakdown, totally worth the $14!

On the homeschooling front, this week is all about America and the Fourth of July. Because we don't live in the States, our girls don't say the Pledge of Allegiance everyday and they have never been to a ballgame and heard the national anthem. Most years, the 4th falls on a day that we can't even really celebrate it because we have been in school. But not now -- woohoo, it's on a Friday, no school (!!), Dad's home and we are enjoying Independence Day. I horded this book just for the occasion and the munchkins loved it. They are learning the Pledge, "America, the Beautiful", and, of course, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The only problem is that I keep crying everytime I hear the national anthem and I can't explain why -- it's a far more emotional song for me now, as an expat, than ever before. Plus, we're making a giant American flag and indulging in some true American picnic foods: Friday will see us eating fried chicken and potato salad (just like you!) but we'll be doing it in front of the heater with hailstorms outside (I'll never get into these reversed seasons!).

Now, I would be remiss if I closed before talking about Biggie's piano. In short, we found a good Suzuki teacher, Biggie is naturally skilled at the piano and after only three lessons, she performed at a wee Suzuki concert. It was no great piece of music, but she requested of the teacher that she be taught how to perform! (OK, I think this is from too much Gwen Stefani, but, hey, great life skill!). I lurves that li'l gal. :-)

Finally, patting myself on the back, I made squaw bread today! Woohoo, never tried that before. I'm going to be fat and happy this week.

That's me for now. I'm going to read what you inspiring folks are up to, as I listen to the downpour out my window.

TTFN.

Ok, Here's the playmat

2008-06-22T19:28:00.009+12:00

Well, now I can see why mothers would just keep going with this project. It was fun! And I kept thinking of things that I could have added, had I more time. But for me, the piece de resistance (forgive the lack of accents, I don't know how to do them on blogger) was the felt. The felt water came about when I couldn't create a water stitch that I liked. So the girls and I tried our hand at wet felting: what a task! I first created a template of the area needed, then laid out my wrong-type wool (I had corriedale, not merino) and managed to get it to stick together. Finally, I put it in the wash. The rocks were then invented because I had one little area of felt that wasn't as thick as the others.

The result of my labours:

The corn field, in tunisian crochet, and the piggy's mud, in basketweave.

Grass for the lambs, in a ripple stitch, as well as some lighter greenery around the shoreline. You can also see a hint of our felt in this photo.

The hayfield, which is actually the wrong side of a tunisian crochet. I finished the swatch and tho't this side looked better!

The planting field, which turned out redder in the photo than in real life. It is a clay-ish sort of colour, matching some of NZ's finest soil. This is fashioned with a raised stitch, but you can't see that well with the photo.

More grass, a really fun shag-pile stitch that had me holding a knitting needle between my legs while creating this at my daughters' dance class. (Needless to say, the moms at the dance class were very curious about the end result!)

And, finally, the backing. I found this piece of fabric on the NZ version of ebay and prayed that it would arrive on time. The quilting of the mat onto fabric was one of the hardest parts. In fact, if this were for my own child, I probably would have opted NOT to back it, but I went all out for my friend.

Now, for the animals: I went overboard in knitting the animals! The list included a chicken, mouse, rabbit, horse, sheep, cow, and boy. When time came to package it, I decided that it was actually just tooooo much, so I gave a boy, a sheep, a horse, and a pig. The horse was brown, and therefore impossible to photograph well, but here are the others. These are all out of Toymaking with Children and Children's First Book of Knitting.

Now, what was really funny, not mention indicative of how my circle of friends has changed, is that I went to this very posh baby shower and came home telling DH how mine was the only handmade gift given! Heehee, because in the real-world, nobody actually makes stuff! That only happens in our wacky Waldorf world.

Again, this was a truly enjoyable project that allowed me to work in short bursts and if I goofed up or didn't like a section, re-creation was possible. In all, I think I used $30-40 in materials, including the backing and new wool. We've estimated that it took about 20 hours of work, but that would be lessened if I did it again. It took extra time because I was learning new stitches and figuring out what stitches represented what areas. Also, I discovered that my knitting sped up quite alot, but I've become so accustomed to skewer sized needles (these were created on 2.5-3mm needles) that my regular big chunky needles are awkward now.

TTFN.

Gifts for a seven year old

2008-06-17T22:02:00.002+12:00

Okay, ladies, I need suggestions! Biggie turns seven in September and as I am notorious for not planning ahead, this year I am thinking about it early. What the heck do you give an "awake" seven-yo? She has all the requisite toys (dolls, play kitchen, sewing kit, etc.) and I don't want to waste money of stuff she doesn't want or need. Any suggestions? What did your Munchkins love? Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bundle, and

TTFN.

For Gypsy, about raw milk, and an update

2008-06-15T20:15:00.002+12:00

Okie-dokie, Gypsy, here is a cut and paste from an earlier post about raw milk. Since it seems you live in my neighbourhood, I'll let you know when I get my next batch and you can taste some! :-)

"Wow, what an amazing experience we had today! We went to the farm of some friends and purchased raw milk and raw cream. It's beautiful. Now, to put this understatement in context, none of us are milk drinkers. Pasteurised dairy makes me ill (always has), and dh is a soy drinker, so for us to say that this milk is enjoyable is quite a compliment. It has NO smell whatsoever and the taste is clean and sweet. My next goal is to use the cream and make our own butter (yep, even further down the hippie-trail we wander).However, before you run right out to buy your own raw milk, there is something I learned today that I wish to share: not all dairy farmers are of equal cleanliness. Our farmer friend explained how his cows are washed before milking so as to keep the milk tasting nice; BUT (this is sooo yucky), traditional dairy farmers -- those producing for big corps -- do not clean their cows before milking, because pasteurisation will kill all yucky bacteria. So if you're gonna source raw milk, ask if the cows are washed before milking!"

I would just like to add that it is important to check out (preferably by references) the health of the milk-producing cows and the integrity of the farmer. That having been said, there is only one farm near us that is selling raw organic milk, and we know all of the family and can vouch for the high standard of their livestock. (Gypsy, he's in Helensville. Ask your friends and see of that's where they are sourcing their milk.)

I'm still not blogging much, as I am frantically finishing the baby play mat. While it has been time-consuming, it's been wonderfully enjoyable and I would recommend it as a project. Lots of little bits, and nothing too hard. I've learned several new stitches, improved the quality of my knitting and it's kept me busy during the day (and night!). There are a few tricky bits now that I finish the end (such as putting non-square pieces together in such as way as to make one big square), but I will get into those more when I post photos of the finished project.

Homeschooling has fallen into a happy relaxed routine, as have our new piano and dance lessons. My Littlie has decided that she wants to take dance like her sister and this represents a huge step forward as she is slow to jump into new social groups. I am forever plagued by fears about the girls not having enough friends, but I am sure this will right itself over time. (Beware, it's alot harder to move and make new friends when you homeschool....)

That's really all I have time for tonight. I want to finish off a rooster (b'gock!).

TTFN.

Busy, busy

2008-06-09T18:12:00.002+12:00

No, I haven't fallen of the planet, but I have been really busy. Here's the brief version:

HS'ing-wise, I introduced a Quality of Numbers block to Biggie, thinking that this would be cake and therefore an easy intro to the "Best Work" into main lesson books. WELL, what an eye-opener! She insists on turning fours around and some basic form drawing is hard for her! I had no idea and I am so glad that the universe put me on this course. Altho' I think the girls have chicken pox and so that'll throw the whole rhythm into upheaval, but for now, at least I feel like we are working on one of her challenges. As for her strengths, this story really made me laugh: we stopped into the thrift store (to buy knitting needles!) and the girls bee-lined for the kids' books box. They kept pulling out pop-up books, etc., asking to purchase and I said "no." Then, Biggie pulled out an ancient copy of Wind in the Willows, to which I said "yes." She proceeded to take it with her everywhere and was upset that she couldn't read it while she walked down the street to the library! What could I really say? I would do the same thing if I could! Too funny.

Crafting: a few weeks ago, I sourced some amazing organic merino wool for $5NZ a skein. Yesterday, I finished a sweater for Biggie. Not as magnificent as the pattern picture, but it was my first sweater, so I pat myself on the back merely for completing it before Winter turns to Spring. I am getting carpal tunnel, however, in my frantic efforts to finish a baby gift three months earlier than expected. My friend is having a miracle baby (she was told she could NEVER get pregnant, and lo' and behold....) and she is holding the shower early! I decided on a knitted farmyard. Well, not-just-knitted. I have crocheted most of the playmat, with one stitchwork wheatfield, and I am knitting the animals. I have been surprised as how enjoyable this project is, because it gives me an opportunity to try a variety of new stitches AND because all the pieces are so small that I don't bored. When it's done, I'll try to remember to take a photo.

Anger Management: my youngest daughter is really making me mad. It may be terrible to admit this in such a public forum, but oh well. you see, Littlie is 1) a Taurus, 2) choleric, and 3) a control freak. She demands to be the centre of attention, which is causing havoc with Biggie's lessons; and she has a need to control every situation. She's 5 years old!!! Tonight, I had a huge, non-Waldorf, shouting match with her because she simply wouldn't be quiet and let her sister go to sleep, something that was REALLY impt since they are both running fevers. We got into it yesterday because she wanted Biggie to play with her and Biggie wanted to practice her piano work. So Littlie sat on the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs in time with Biggie's notes. You know, I am trying so hard to not be a nasty, screamy mom and yet this is the child that just makes me mental. She simply does not hear me, or if she does, she just doesn't care, which makes me more angry. She goes into her room and makes an utter mess, then refuses to clean any of it up! You know, as a sane person, I am only willing to subject myself to that so many times. Anyway, I am becoming rantish, so I will simply say, If you have suggestions, feel free to comment. I could use ANY advice right now (boarding school is looking pretty good *grin*)

That's most of the week for me. Oh, except to say that I agree with Anthromama and I know something is wrong with me that, at 33 years of age, I think Shia LaBeouf is hot. (I dear heavens, I comment about some kid who is named after a side of beef.) I did love the new Indy film, and I sat chuckling to myself about Karen Allen, the Steiner Mom and Fibre Artist!

Now that really is all. I am going to sit on my daughter's bed and have a good cry.

TTFN.

Waldorf Moms, a poem

2008-05-31T20:53:00.002+12:00

This poem was written by Brianne McPhearson, 7th grader at Shining Mountain Waldorf School. ROFLMAO!

Waldorf Moms

Waldorf moms wear cotton socks
Woolen sweaters, Birkenstocks.
Waldorf moms have long full skirts,
Big silk scarves and layered shirts.
Waldorf moms have fluffy hair,
They’re kind and firm and make you share.
Waldorf moms drive Volvo cars
And talk of fairies, gnomes, and stars.
Waldorf moms love Waldorf meetings
Where they greet with Waldorf greetings.
Waldorf moms make Waldorf dolls
From purest wool and cotton balls.
Waldorf moms drink lots of tea
Which has been grown organically.
Waldorf moms serve fruits and meats.
Veggies, grains, and not much sweets.
Their favorite word is “nourishing.”
They love to hike and knit and sing.
They leave the gluten out of bread
And make you spend twelve hours in bed.
And if you fall and scrape your knee
They give you rescue remedy!

My response to Time

2008-05-30T22:46:00.004+12:00

Thank you, Anthromama, for calling my attention to the current Time Magazine article on vaccination. Highly pro-vax, but supposedly fair reporting. While this may earn me that R Rating, I will say, what a crock of shit. Go on, have a read.

My response, neither as succinct nor informative as I may have wished, had I not been so angry, is as follows (I decided that they aren't going to care about our responses anyway, but that I had to stand up for my view.)

"What utter rubbish. Next time, do your own research before selecting such value-laden language for your yellow journalism. Time Magazine should be ashamed of itself for this one-sided, half-assed reporting of the facts."

I would love to see an accounting of Time's advertising....pharma, anyone?

**aaah, interesting to note, I see that CBS News came out on the 12th of May with the former Director of the NIH, who stated that "public health officials have intentionally avoided researching whether subsets of children are “susceptible” to vaccine side effects - afraid the answer will scare the public. " And unlike Time Magazine, CBS provided research to support its reporting.

**note 2: If you are at all interested in this topic, or if you need ammo to back your non-vax decision, may I suggest you goto http://generationrescue.org/index.html. Get past the celebrity, the research is all there and easy to read.

OK, Mountain Pulse, you inspired me

2008-05-27T20:06:00.001+12:00

Well, I posted on the board. I said that I was uncomfortable with the direction of the thread and that it may well be the thread that ends my participation in that board. The response was that I simply should not have continued to read the thread!!! So then I let rip.

Suffice it to say that I may no longer be welcome by that Curric writer, but I have never been known for my calm, quiet demeanor. heehee.

TTFN.

On the HSing front

2008-05-25T19:30:00.002+12:00

I did write a post about Al-Jazeera (totally weird subject, I know), but I have deleted that as too OT for today. I wanted to talk a little about Homeschooling (wait, is that what this blog is about???)

I have seen lately that Biggie is in need of more structure and more responsibility, but I didn't know how to address that and still respect her young age. So after much tho't, I instituted a weekly assignment sheet consisting of three tasks: memorise one poem of her choosing, learn by memory one simple song (her choice) on the piano, and undertake one new household task to be performed daily. She is expected to work on these assignments each day, and on Friday afternoon, show her father what she has learned. This assignment sheet is separate from our Lesson, which is currently numbers (more on that later). Wow, this is working really well! (I know, shocker! Now that I have said those words, it'll all go to custard this week.) On Friday morning, before I was even out of bed, she had completed her three assignments and had taken out her Main Lesson Book and chalk board and begun her academic lesson! Woohoo.

The academic lesson is Math. We have been using the chalkboards and manipulatives to work on number ladders, deconstructing the whole into parts. We are doing this slowly, and it has been my goal to use this lesson to introduce Main Lesson Books. The idea is that we practice and practice until we have the lesson in our heads before we put a final draft in our books, complete with appropriate pictures and so on. Biggie already knows her numbers, but regularly reverses quite alot of them, so we have been walking the forms and practicing on the chalkboard, then moving on to our best work. She's doing great, learning discipline (read: "educating the will") and the need to take time and value one's best efforts. I am learning to discard curriculum books. I have chosen not to use traditional number representatives, such as "Two = opposites", "Three = Mother, Father, Child" (*sorry if this doesn't make sense. there's some numberimagery that's pretty standard in waldorf class one.) Instead, I am using number imagery that is about HER, or about US. For instance, in our MLB, two = two daughters and two cats; three = triangle, three primary colours and three females in our family.

I am seeing that my homeschooling is changing, evolving. When I started, I wanted the book that told me what to do everyday. I spent a ton of money on currics. And while I still think those currics have ALOT to offer, I now want to understand the big picture and then make it apply to us. I am stepping away from the prefab stories and I am beginning (very small beginnings, mind you) to create my own. I am also learning when to step away from the Waldorf Way. Not to say that I am not still a Waldorf HSer, but I am trying to get past the dogma and the trappings of Waldorf and embrace the intent of the message.

For instance, I have wanted a gnome cave for our Autumn nature table. Well, I just didn't have anything suitable and I don't know woodworking. But in the back of my brain, there was a solution itching, itching to come out. I just couldn't put my finger on it but I knew that it was there. Lo and behold, the Tinkertoys! While the girls slept, I made the best cave frame out of their red and green and orange and yellow tinkertoys: no they are not natural and organic (-shaped that is), but they are totally open-ended and just plain fun to play with. I draped the cave with silks (see, now they learn that they can mix up their toys) and created an entire gnome world with jewels and mice and toadstools, etc. I even had DH help me make gnomes out of beeswax and acorns! Man, did the girls love it this morning. And I feel like I helped them learn how to create CREATIVELY.

Finally, we had a great experience this week while doing school at the Zoo: we ran into one of the teachers from our old W-School and her little group of students whom she is now hsing. How terrific! My girls were able to see that we aren't so terribly marginalised in our lifestyle -- there were the other waldorf kids doing exactly the same thing that we were. We spent two days at the zoo writing down the names of all the animals we saw. We had time to talk to the zookeepers and stop and just sit and watch the animals. We learned which of the monkeys we can hear from our house (the siamang, in case you were wondering) . We were also able to visit the newly opened conservation centre, which houses the Zoo vets. Yep, we got to learn that the Auckland Zoo has performed the only known Hippo castration, and they were kind enough to keep the poor fella's testes in a jar right out in front for the girls to see....right next to the Gallapagos Tortoise phallus. Aaaah, the joys of hs'ing. Can you even imagine how many questions that raised? She's still talkin' about it! Too funny.

Anyway, I have talked for long enough. I now want to see what you wonderful families are up to.

TTFN.

Just a clarification

2008-05-25T18:03:00.002+12:00

The lovely Gypsy brought up a concern: you know, I have no issues with people who choose to live differently than do I. I am not bashing those who make different choices. I guess I am just asking that they grant me the same courtesy.

Today's Daily Affirmation (see right)

2008-05-23T19:55:00.001+12:00

"Calvin: People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world. Hobbes: Isn't your pants zipper supposed to be in front?"

Rant

2008-05-22T21:50:00.003+12:00

Ok, hope y'all don't mind a bit of a rant here, but (really) how many people in the world would even follow this complaint. The preface is, there is someone on a board I subscribe to, who is voicing her pro-vax opinions. I have contemplated responding on the board, but the response is really more about me than her (because I am never going to change her mind).

I don't know anything about the person on the discussion, but I want to have a go at her for these gross assumptions that the people who don't vax are ill- or un-informed, or out of touch with the real world. This is something that I know I have dealt with (often) as a result of my choices: people who suggest that I am ignorant or neglectful - because the kids aren't vaccinated or because we spend too much to eat organic food, because we HS (because we WALDORF! homeschool), because we drink raw milk, because my kids aren't allowed food colouring...

What I don't understand is this: none of these choices made our lives easier. It's not like I can source cheap raw milk from the corner market, or that I LOOOVE knowing that I have chosen not to purchase a house so that I can give my kids healthy organic vegetables. What? Like I have so much free time to get my nails done because I homeschool? Or because I save so much money now that I have to buy ALL of our own school currics/supplies/books? wtf.

Do people honestly believe that we chose this way of life without having given it ALOT of thought? without having done our research? Moreover, what the critics don't understand is that many of US have once been THEM. I know I started out taking advil and drinking soda, swearing that my kids would be vaccinated, and I would have probably gagged at the milk ten years ago. Shouldn't it be obvious that something changed my mind? What, like Oprah is talking about Waldorf Homeschooling and i jumped on the bandwagon???? I just don't get it.

So I guess my rant, while sparked by the thread, is actually about people in general and their erroneous belief about we who self-marginalise. Yeah, it's probably my own continued pissed-offed-ness since that woman made the crack about the milk. But now I feel alot better *smile*.

Please feel free to be equally insensitive and un-PC in your responses.

TTFN.

Food Porn Meme

2008-05-18T21:05:00.003+12:00

Thank you Domestically Blissed for giving me a chance to talk about food....ahhh, how I love food. I'm sort of like Winnie-the-Pooh with his hunny pot, come to think of it. So here goes:

1. What food do you consider the best “date” food? In other words, what meal or food item do you think is sexiest to eat in the company of someone you would like to look sexy around?

Is this like erotically sexy, or like "I would be a fun wife" sexy? Well, I choose the second option, and my answer is sushi. This is both practical and sentimental because my first (blind) date with my husband was also my first sushi experience. Plus, if I were male, I would not want to date a woman who wouldn't eat funky food ( I know ALOT of people who can't get past the raw fish thing and none of them would make me a happy spouse).

2. What well-known person would you like to share a meal with—with or without clothing. (saying whether or not clothes are involved is optional).

DH could answer this one for me, heeheehee. George Clooney. Because not only is he nice to look at, but I bet he could hold his own in an intelligent conversation. (yeah, I'm supposed to say something earth-shattering here, but I shall embrace my shallowness for a moment of hypothetical dining.) Oh, yeah, and that's WITH clothes.

3. What does your perfect breakfast-in-bed look like? (Food AND the details, please. Candles? Music? Flowers? Hot tub? Dancing girls?

Cold morning, rainy outside, warm inside. Sleep late, wake up slowly (not with the kids screaming at each other over my head), NZ latte (sorry, fellow Americans, but USA coffee is ghastly). Spend the rest of the morning watching BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Get up when I want to, not because someone can't reach the lightswitch.

About this answer: I've only ever had one night away with my husband since having children, so I don't really know what that is like anymore. I'm not trying to slight him by not including him here.

4. What do you consider the best application of whipped cream to be?

In my coffee. Truly decadent.

5. Oh-God-No, Biff, the yacht is sinking! You are sent to the galley to retrieve the food. What luxury food items do you snatch first? The champagne? The caviar? Smoked Salmon? Truffles? Chocolate? Or something else?

Good quality bottled water. Both wonderful to drink and highly practical!

I'm not a good tagger, but I would like to see the answers from anyone who is not from the US or NZ. (Poppy, tell your mom that includes her!) All these answers made me thirsty.

TTFN.

Stream of Consciousness

2008-05-17T18:09:00.004+12:00

I have so much that I want to blog about that I have decided to do it in shorthand. I hope you can understand where my head is.

~ Need a new chair, as I have no place to sit and read and knit, other than my bed. Where is the fine line between stretching my budget to buy something that will last and saving money on something that I will have to dispose of/replace in two years' time?
~ I'm 33. The weight doesn't just fall off anymore and I suddenly have a belly. I have never been a dieter and don't even know how to begin. Coupled with the fact that I love food, well, more than sex. I know I am not making healthy choices and yet I can't seem to stay on track with the good choices.
~When will I be a confident Waldorf homeschooler? I am still riddled with fears that I have made the wrong choice for my girls, for more reasons than my brain can even coherently hash through.
~ I can't prioritise worth a darn: I would rather read than make muffins and I can't make myself get out of bed early because it is so very, VERY cold right now. Would my days be easier if I spent more time planning in advance, or would I just be horrid and resentful because I wouldn't have time for myself. hmmm.

I've typed this from my kitchen counter as I make dinner. The pasta is almost ready. Time to publish.

TTFN.

The Week in Pictures

2008-05-12T21:13:00.002+12:00

Calgon...Take me Away....*

2008-04-30T21:13:00.003+12:00

What was I thinking? Where did the crafting bug come from today? Well, procrastination probably, and maybe a bit of nesting....Here's the scoop.

1~Last week, the girls and I babysat three seven-year old boys because my best friend got into a jam and couldn't find anyone else to assist; half-way into the day, I discover that one of the boys was up the night before with a fever and vomiting......niiiice. By Monday, the girls and I were all sick, fortunately sans vomit. But we have had some solid fevers and lots of snot (had to go there). 2~On top of that, I've had a wicked case of PMS. No further details needed, I'm sure.
3~I am supposed to be getting my house ready for us to go out of town for a week. We leave this weekend to go to Fiji (woohoo, but that's another story) and I have a housesitter coming, and my house is a disaster. Because, of course, while I was laid up with a backache and runny nose, my little girls were fabulous unschoolers and proceeded to cut and paste and draw and make such an array of projects that I was really proud of their ingenuity. AAAAND, all those leeetle, itty-bitty pieces of cut up paper all over the living room floor.
(as an aside, I realised that kids who go to school could NOT have managed the way the girls did while I laid in bed all day. They demonstrated that they really know what to do in the house each day, even if mom ain't participating.)
4~So what did I decide to do: I made dolls. Because, you know, there was some random bee in my bonnet at 2pm today. I made these, and I'll post photos some other time because right now I'm in bed and I'm not getting up. Actually, there was a confluence of events that led to my doll-making. Biggie couldn't find her "special blanket," which she's slept with since birth, and she has been begging for a Softie ever since she saw the book of the same name. I decided it was an opportune time to try and ditch the blankie, asking if she would be happy sleeping with her dolly instead. AND IT WORKED. Plus, Littlie turns five in just over a week, so I will be saving hers as a present.

It's this fifth birthday that takes us to Fiji. For parents of young children (or currently only one child) READ AND LEARN (sorry, feeling all-cappy today). What you do for the first, you must do for the others. Cardinal rule of parenting, especially if you are a Libra with a degree in conflict mediation. We went to Fiji for Biggie's fifth birthday because, well, it was a good excuse and we had never been. That was 20 months ago. When Littlie started discussing her birthday in earnest, she looked at us and said, "Are we going to Fiji for my fifth birthday?" Eeert. We're in need of a holiday, so we're all really excited. (So if you don't hear from me for a while, you know why!)

And before I go, one random update. I have orange hair. This is going to sound bizarre, but I am sooo happy because I found my favourite hair dye in NZ after ten years. The big deal is that it is easy to use, not terribly bad ingredients, reasonably priced, and it washes out. I went infra-red this time, which came out a really reddy-orange. (Not like accidental hair-dresser orange, but intentionally weird.) Next time, we're goin' pink. I did laugh at my Waldorf-self, however, when I took my girls into the punk shop to get my hair dye and they loved the clothes. Yep, one day, their gonna get pierced and bring home boys with mohawks. I can definitely live with that!

TTFN.

*For the non-Americans, or anyone younger than thirty, this harkens back to the days of super cheesy tv ads.

Crying on your shoulder.

2008-04-27T19:40:00.003+12:00

I had a bad moment today, when I felt like I was villified for my choices, which then spiralled into a BIG fear that I am raising my children to be lonely. Here's the short version: I said to someone who knows my choices but doesn't really know me that we consume raw milk; she said, "Why? Do you want to contract Bovine TB?" I had so many responses, from informative to downright nasty, swirling around in my brain that I just turned around and walked off. Which would have been fine and dandy were we not at a dear friend's house for brunch. In the end, she approached me and I said I was sick of having my choices attacked when she probably knows nothing about the facts surrounding these choices.

So what was the big deal? Well, first, what I said was true: I am sick of having people who have never lifted a page to research homeschooling or organics or Waldorf or vacs, etc etc., assume that I am uninformed in my decisions. Second, why do some people think that my choices are negligent? What, because it's easy to homeschool, pay a homeopath (vs using NZ's free medical care for littlies), cook from scratch, drive all over hell and back sourcing organics and raw milk, blah blah blah. Really, it would seem to me that I have opted to make my life harder with these choices. Third, in my totally judgemental cow-ish way: I have a GREAT life. Unlike the women who question my choices, I am a happy, confident, well-loved human being, blessed with healthy children and a terrific husband. Finally, I see that I have few friends who really get me. While I may have sad moments because of this, on the whole I accept that I have made good decisions and like-minded people will come with time. But my one well-hidden little fear is that my children may grow up to be lonely because I made these decisions for them and they have a hard time finding friends as a result. I know that sounds convoluted, but I am probably not making much sense anyhow.

I think I am particularly peeved because I try to lead by example. It would seem to me that the people who like to denigrate might ought to keep their big fat mouths shut long enough to look at my life before they interject their comments.

So there's my big bitch session. I'll blog about other stuff tomorrow (Thanks, Gypsy, for giving me a chance to talk about my food obsession!).

TTFN.

Coming Unravelled

2008-04-20T21:20:00.002+12:00

Sorry, guys, you've been abandoned. I got my Ravelry invite about a week ago and I just can't pry myself away. So far, I have made knitted gnomes, two winter hats, started a shrug for Biggie, and converted one knitting pattern to super easy amigurumi to make these wee guys.

We have also had a very successful schooling week, and for the Ministry of Education, if not my fanship (haha), here's a recap (btw, we've had a whole week of rain):

~I have finally managed to get the girls interested in Grimm's fairy tales. Prior to this week, whenever Grimmy came out, I got the "uggh, not that...." But this week, my girls discovered that some of their favourite stories live in Grimms. We also managed to read the same stories all week long! (We are all big readers, so I don't abide by the Waldorf one-book-only rule.) This week, we have read Rumpelstiltskin, The Cat and The Mouse in Partnership, The Wolf and Seven Little Kids, and Cinderella. Rumpelstiltskin and The Wolf were our daily tales.
~I have discovered that I can get certain stories in at bedtime that weren't working during the day, such as Margaret Peckham's Nature Stories or Susan Whitehead's kindy books.
~We painted and used the dried pages to make booklets.
~We had one amazing unschooling day when the girls just went on their own merry path, doing puzzles and playacting, they got to do workbooks that only come out two or three times a year.
~Our housekeeping schedule was followed, and by Friday, the girls were actually helping. Woot.
~We cooked. We ate. Biggie picked out a recipe that caused me to fall off the sugar wagon: basically, 2 macaroons sandwiched together with melted dark chocolate. mmmm.
~We began the process of papermaking, and during the tearing up stage, Biggie jumped up -- superdupery excited -- and had to run to her room to get her Click magazine that had a whole story about papermaking. I read as she tore, then we read all about commercial paper recycling, etc. She absorbed so much knowledge without even realising that "School" was in session. That's what I love about homeschooling.
~Biggie has rediscovered the piano and the knitting needles.

Also on the school front, I have dismantled the downstairs school room. Melisa was right; the separate space just didn't work. We felt fractured: whatever we wanted was somewhere else, and school was not fluid. Additionally, this is better for my budget as I won't have to heat both spaces. BUT, I don't know what I will do with one big empty room downstairs. I am just too practical to buy a pool table and we don't even have a tv to set up an entertainment room. For now, it will be the safe haven from rain, wind and wasps.

Tomorrow is the first Monday of public school holidays. We'll be doing a fair bit of socialising this week, trying to see all our friends who don't get to spend the day up a tree. I shall keep my fingers crossed that we are able to maintain some of this brilliant rhythm.

Finally, I wish you guys (okay, gals) lived next door. Really, there is so much that happens that I would like to share with one single person who might understand, and yet by the time I get to the blog, those moments have passed. I have a whole list of books that I want to discuss and ponder. I experience moments that no one in my real-life (except DH) would get, but my virtual friends would heartily chuckle. I have questions that I know you could answer, and ways that I could learn from you all. Alas, I am not vain enough to regurgitate all the minutae of my day.

My friend Anthromama asked, how do you have personal time as a homeschooling mom. Well, the answer is, I think the answers to your comments, but I never get around to posting the answers. I keep happy moments in my head and don't pick up the phone to tell a friend. I take mental snapshots, but I can't stop to hunt down the camera. aaah, I am lucky to be able to do it :-)

TTFN.

Me, @ random

2008-04-15T20:23:00.003+12:00

Oooh, I've been tagged by Yarrow to share some random facts about myself. This seems a very fine line between vanity and self-deprecation, and I have spent a week or so pondering if I am at all interesting in my random ways. So here's what I've come up with, entitled Things you've laid awake at night wondering about the goodwitch.

1. My name isn't Glenda. The Goodwitch came about because my kids have been The Munchkins for as long as I can remember.

2. I am a blue jeans snob, but fortunately, as all my jeans come from America, people in NZ don't really know that I am a blue jeans snob, which somehow makes me feel better. Oh, and I couldn't be a snob without the help of my mother, who pays stupidly high prices to keep me in nice jeans ( I love you Mom!!!). Of course, my jeans are generally worn with tattered tees, no makeup and clogs; and I have chosen to wear nice jeans as the last vestige of my life before moving to a country with the worst clothes in the world!!! (sorry, Kiwis, but I just can't stand shopping here)

3. I went to USC. I've taught my children the Fight Song and the only time I wish for TV is during college football season. BUT (giant caveat!!) I went to USC on an academic scholarship, which I absolutely must mention because I remember how bad some of those spoiled kids were!

4. I have a potty mouth. 'nuf said.

5. (this is my vain one, which I will tell my great grandkids about) I have met Kofi Annan, Madeline Albright, Benjamin Netanyahu, one politician who has been assassinated and my personal favourite was getting to have a REAL conversation with Jose Ramos Horta, about whom I wrote my Senior Dissertation. ( I worked in politics before I left the States.)

6. I don't iron. I refused to own an iron for many years and only finally bought one because they were on sale for $10 and I tho't it might be a good thing, just in case.

7. The Corollary to #6, I am not a consumer. There is nothing to make you a minimalist like selling or giving away everything you own to move to another country. Now, when I stand in a shop looking at lovely knick-knacks and doodads, I think to myself, "Would I be willing to cart that around the world?" If not, I don't buy it.

8. Finally, I love Jane Austen.

That's me.

TTFN.

Page One, no less!

2008-04-15T20:15:00.002+12:00

Check out this article that ran on Page one of Monday's WSJ! (btw, Marsha is the same Marsha Johnson who runs the waldorfhomeeducators yahoo group)

German Tots Learn to Answer Call of Nature --- Kindergarten Moves Into
the Woods; What About the Ticks?
By Mike Esterl
14 April 2008
The Wall Street Journal

IDSTEIN, Germany -- Each weekday, come rain or shine, a group of
children, ages 3 to 6, walk into a forest outside Frankfurt to sing
songs, build fires and roll in the mud. To relax, they kick back in a
giant "sofa" made of tree stumps and twigs.

The birthplace of kindergarten is returning to its roots. While
schools and parents elsewhere push young children to read, write and surf the
Internet earlier in order to prepare for an increasingly cutthroat
global economy, some little Germans are taking a less traveled path --
deep into the woods.

Germany has about 700 Waldkindergarten, or "forest kindergartens," in
which children spend their days outdoors year-round. Blackboards
surrender to the Black Forest. Erasers give way to pine cones. Hall
passes aren't required, but bug repellent is a good idea.

Trees are a temptation -- and sometimes worse. Recently, "I had to
rescue a girl" who had climbed too high, says Margit Kluge, a teacher
at Idstein's forest kindergarten. Last year, a big tree "fell right
before our noses."

The schools are a throwback to Friedrich Froebel, the German educator
who opened the world's first kindergarten, or "children's garden,"
more than 150 years ago. Mr. Froebel counseled that young children should
play in nature, cordoned off from too many numbers and letters.

They are also a modern-day snapshot of environmentally conscious and
consumption-wary Germany, where the Green Party polls more than 10%
and stores are closed on Sundays.

Only a fraction of German children attend Waldkindergarten, but their
numbers have been rising since local parent groups began setting up
these programs in the mid-1990s, following the lead of a Danish
community. Similar schools exist in smaller numbers in Scandinavia,
Switzerland and Austria. The concept is sparking interest far afield -
- even in the U.S., whose first Waldkindergarten opened in Portland,
Ore., last fall.

"The computer arrives early enough," adds Norbert Huppertz, a
specialist in child development at the Freiburg University of Education and a
Waldkindergarten booster in Germany.

Academic studies of such schools are in their infancy. Some European
researchers believe Waldkindergarten kids exercise their imaginations
more than their brick-and-mortar peers do and are better at
concentrating and communicating. Despite dangers, from insects
particularly, the children appear to get sick less often in these
fresh-air settings. Studies also suggest their writing skills are less
developed, though, and that they are less adept than other children at
distinguishing colors, forms and sizes.

In the rolling countryside of Idstein on a recent rainy morning,
parents dropped off their children at a muddy parking lot a bit after 8 as the
temperature hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some of the children, wrapped in thick winter clothing, stooped over
to inspect a worm. Then the five girls and four boys trudged into the
neighboring woods with their two teachers before pausing to hold hands
in a circle. "Good morning, sun, even though we can't see you today,"
said the 51-year-old Ms. Kluge, as the children joined in song and
then acted out a play involving rabbits.

They hiked a few hundred feet into the forest before settling down to
jump in puddles, examine a hibernating lizard and paint Easter eggs. A
girl named Maxi went off to whittle a branch with a hunting knife.
Another made "chocolate-vanilla-strawberry-herbal pudding" by stirring
mud with a twig.

At snack time, the children sat on logs and munched on carrots and
nuts while Ms. Kluge told them about the life cycle of toads. A boy named
Ben wanted to know whether a North American visitor accompanying them
was "a cowboy or an Indian." A bit before 1 p.m., after jumping in more
puddles, playing around a makeshift tepee and singing another song
involving the Easter bunny, the children emerged from the woods
grinning and caked in mud to be picked up by their waiting parents.

"It's peaceful here, not like inside a room," said Ms. Kluge, who has
headed the Waldkindergarten since it opened five years ago.

The children rarely venture into a trailer in the forest that's used
as a shelter in extreme weather. Ms. Kluge says no child has ever asked
for a toy. The children improvise instead with what the woods have to
offer. And there haven't been any bad accidents beyond the occasional scrapes
and bruises.

Not everyone has a feel-good experience. Frankfurt resident Donna
Parssinen sent her son to a Waldkindergarten last year but says he got
Lyme disease from ticks. It resulted in meningitis that temporarily
paralyzed half his face. "I still like the idea" of Waldkindergarten,
says Ms. Parssinen, "but once is enough." Her son now attends a
four-walled kindergarten.

Still, many German indoor kindergartens take children to nearby
forests once a week to tramp around. A spokesman for Germany's Ministry for
Family Affairs said it welcomes the arrival of Waldkindergarten, which
typically receive local government subsidies similar to those of
state-run kindergartens.

Iwao Uehara, a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, says he
has been trying to set up such a school in Japan, but the project is
struggling. Until there's evidence that Waldkindergarten graduates end
up attending "famous universities," it's going to be a tough sell, he
says.

In Portland, though, Marsha Johnson launched Mother Earth kindergarten
last fall to combat what she calls "early academic fatigue syndrome . .
. . We have 5-year-olds who are tired of going to school." The 14
children spend four hours a day at the privately run school playing
in a state park forest.

Among the nature-based activities, children learn how to handle a real
saw. "A plastic saw is no good," says Ms. Johnson. "You might as well
give them a plastic life." The worst that has happened thus far to the
children is the occasional bee sting, she says.

Mimi Howard, a director at the Education Commission of the States,
which advises states on policy from Denver, says some U.S. teachers feel
pressure "to push academics earlier and earlier." The federal No Child
Left Behind law introduced standardized testing for reading and
writing by third grade, but some studies recommend more "open-ended learning
experiences" for young children. "We're in the debate phase," she
says.

In Fife, Scotland, Cathy Bache recently took matters into her own
hands and founded a private nursery school. About 20 children explore the
local forests, "saw logs, make fires when cold and look at fungi," she
explains. Ms. Bache admits the children fall out of trees "quite
often" -- but that she doesn't let them climb higher than 6 feet, the cutoff
point for her insurance policy.

Buddhism and HS Planning

2008-04-11T20:17:00.004+12:00

This week, I have been reading (a book, not the computer!) Buddhism for Mothers. This is my second book on Buddism for parents, and my second foray into Buddhism as a life-style/philosophy. Years back, when I first explored Buddhism, I was not at a place to really get it. I tho't its basic tenets were too negative (starting with the notion that there is inevitably suffering), but now as a mom, and able to see a bigger picture, I am absolutely enjoying this "study." Moreover, I am beginning to re-evaluate my views of happiness. I see that the Western world has an outcome-oriented view of happiness, or sees it as a place on a map to be sought out with the right directions. Buddhism teaches that it is inside each and every individual.

More a propos to my life, however, is an endeavour to find calm. I came from a family who thrives on drama, so a stable life has been a happy life for me. But now I see that said stability is only external; I am still at the whim of my emotions (some anthro writings talk about this is as the Parent-Child, if I recall correctly). What I see in Buddhism is a calmness, of letting life roll along and not be swept away by the emotional ups and downs. While I can't say that I shall become a devout Buddhist (who knows? maybe?), I can definitely see advantages, especially for a mother of young children, to a roll-with-the-punches worldview based on love, a space in which anger and hatred and offense, have no place.

Eastern Religion 101 set aside, I have a few questions for my fellow homeschoolers: how do you plan? how do you choose? and how do you ever manage to see your husband?

I can put the girls to sleep at 7/8 and then spend two hours reading lesson materials or doing work to become a better Waldorf homeschooler. Surely there must be some better system, right? Is this why every Waldorf school teacher I meet looks haggard? Gads, am I looking like them??? If you have a system that seems to be working (especially as regards the memorisation of stories and poems) would you please pass it my way? I would be forever in your debt.

And now, I shall log off so that I may read my Buddhism book and then pass out to sleep. Tomorrow night, I actually have a free babysitter (OMG!!!) and my husband and I are going out to dinner. Plus, the kids are spending the night at the babysitter (an close family friend) which means that DH and I get to have a cafe breakfast together, sans enfants, something that has never happened in 6 1/2 years of parenting -- woohoo!!

TTFN.

For Bex, the rawing mumma, a food report

2008-04-05T20:18:00.004+13:00

OK, Bex, I just had to chime in with moral support. You are doing so well!!!

Since coming off my fast, I have laid down the rule of raw breakfast, ideally raw lunch (not always easy) and then cooked food for dinner. That has worked really well for FIVE days now...woohoo...I am NOT blessed with strong self-discipline. It's especially good for me because I do not like breakfast. So a smoothie is sufficient to get my body going while not making me feel weighed down with food.

A more impt change since coming off my fast is that I have pretty much stopped eating bread and I am being mindful of my sugar intake. I had begun to nibble on bread (with this, that or the other spread) throughout the day, and my O blood-type hips really didn't like that; I had also gone overboard on the sweet-craving, so I'm glad to have that out of my system.

Of course, in the way of the world, and since it's mostly only girls who read this, I will admit that I came off my fast only to immediately become hormonal, which necessitated huge chunks of red meat (for a few days each month, I could live off meat alone). But I firmly believe that a healthy body can tell you what it needs, and this particular craving has been around for all of my adult life.

I haven't quite worked up to daily green smoothies. I have had one, using my own home-grown green leafy veggies, but today's banana and cinnamon smoothie from the cafe up the street was outta this world....just can't envision kale and cinnamon together :-)

TTFN.

Wow, check this out.

2008-04-05T16:49:00.002+13:00

I have been having a contemplative week, reading your blogs and enjoying some books, and while we have been busy and happy, I haven't felt up to writing about it. I am working on my personal goals, and this week has been about perspective. I am endeavouring to keep in mind that, despite the habit of ho-hum martyr-ness that I somehow have acquired, I am sooo extremely blessed.

I had one post that I dearly wanted to share, but my scanner isn't working so that'll have to wait. But when I encountered this last night, I fell in love. I can't wait until my kids are old enough. You could do a whole year just travelling the world with these. Had to share.

That's really all the words I have for now. I'll be back, when the introverted mood has passed.

TTFN.

Sorrow.

2008-03-31T20:37:00.002+13:00

Can everyone just please go find your husband/partner and tell them that you love them? And then stop and be grateful for the lives that we have. Jackie, I am so sorry for your loss.

OMG. LOL.

2008-03-31T14:09:00.003+13:00

This is what happens on the third day of a fast. And in the experience, we discovered that the Addams Family were homeschoolers, and very possibly Waldorf Homeschoolers: they knit, garden, play, learn languages, cook.

Gawd, I love this.
(I recommend continuing on to parts two and three after this one, but I didn't want to embed them all.)

Goto

2008-03-28T20:05:00.003+13:00

This and this.

Feast and famine

2008-03-27T20:15:00.003+13:00

I'm having a bad food day. I notice that since I brought the kids home, I have been gaining weight. Now, I am by no means corpulent, but I am certainly that average American in a size 10-12. What that means is that there's no room for any increase. In addition, I have been extremely tired and moody. All these things point to the food I am eating (or not eating, is more the case) and when I am actually eating.

You see, what normally happens is that I have a cup of coffee for breakfast, some little nibble for snack, I may eat lunch with the girls, some other snack, and then by 3pm, I am tired, grumpy and STARVING. Then, by dinner, I am ravenous, eat way too much and feel ill.

Of course, as a rational human being I would say, "Why do a stupid thing like not eat all day?" Well, as any woman who has raised small children will tell you, "It's easy to run out of time." I get busy, in a hurry. Then the kids are needing me and the next thing I know, the day has gotten away from me. What makes matters worse is that I own a health care clinic! I run an organic co-op! My kids eat the best food in town and if I ate the way I feed them, I would be as healthy as the proverbial equine.

So I am contemplating something drastic: for many months, I have been thinking about Raw. I tried Nourishing Traditions, allowing myself to indulge in the other side of the eating spectrum, but that's really an all-or-nothing way of eating and since I wasn't as all-ish as I should have been, I definitely put on some weight. Plus, its tenets, while probably very good for those with discipline and a closely followed home schedule, were just too antithetical to my natural eating beliefs. But with age, I notice that my body just doesn't like the same things that my taste buds like. I don't think that I could manage a strictly raw lifestyle, but I am thinking that if I can start with just one breakfast smoothie a day (even if it's not green, in the beginning) and wean myself off coffee, then I will be on a better food road. My milk is unpasteurised so I am actually planning on keeping it around for a while.

But first, I shall begin tomorrow with the Master Cleanse. This is the same one that Yarrow recently undertook. It's hard to believe that I only did this in January, but I feel the need for some renewal. Let's try for five to seven days and then, know what, I will feel so healthy and my body energised that food won't even sound good. Really, this Cleanse should be undertaken for a minimum of ten days, but that might be too much to ask right now.

So, anybody want to come along for the ride? Feel free to fast right along with me and we can bemoan our mutual loss of chocolate!

Now I've gotta go pick some lemons for tomorrow morning.

TTFN.

Pattern and thanks

2008-03-26T19:06:00.004+13:00

First, here's the slipper pattern. Happy crocheting!

Second, big thank you to Yarrow, who gifted me with a lovely award:

Whenever I read Yarrow's blog, I am reminded that hidden in the South are pockets of open-minded, learned (and learning!) individuals. As I am originally from the Deep South (oh, so many years ago), not only am I at liberty to slam it a little, but I have also seen first hand that some free-thinking is sorely needed in them-there parts.

I am supposed to pass on this lovely award, but the choosing gives me a headache. I tho't and I tho't until finally I knew exactly who should receive this award.

My Computer, without whom I would not be a Waldorf homeschooler. It brings into my home friends and family, fellow bloggers, forums, gurus, free books. Had I not had my computer ten years ago when we left America, my marriage may not have survived. And were it not for the wealth of information available, I would not be so lucky as to spend my days teaching my gorgeous daughters. So to each and every blogger who takes the time to share snippets of their day and suggestions from their homes, I say thank you.

(Third, grrr, can anyone tell me why blogger adds line breaks whenever I insert an image??!)

TTFN.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:50:00.002+13:00

(Written yesterday....)
We are just wrapping up our Easter, which means that you folks are all up late, stashing those wee eggs into the corners and crevices of your homes so that little children can go a-hunting on Easter morning.

OK. I am not Christian, but I really love Easter. It is a happy, low-key holiday with some great traditions. This year, we made eggs with sorted soup mix:

We dyed eggs (no photo-ops), we made Easter chickens (thank you Sarah for this amazing link!):

And the Easter Bunny left clues directing the girls to their baskets:

As presents, the girls received these slippers.

Now, the big deal about these (other than the fact that they are made by moi) is that I made them thinking that the girls, especially Biggie, would respond, well, tepidly. I didn't expect much excitement but as we are approaching Winter, and in the new house, the mornings are getting colder...... ANYWAY, much to my surprise, both of the girls, especially Biggie LOVED them. Wonder of wonders.

I have also very much enjoyed the four day holiday as DH was home and I got to do some crafting. I made my first amigurumi (purple egg in the basket above) and I made a wee playscape, thanks to this terrific internet find.

I hope each and you have had a superb holiday with your family and loved ones.

TTFN.

Heehee

2008-03-20T21:22:00.002+13:00

Whaddya get when you take two imaginations, subtract the tv and add Momma's pans?

Crepe skiing, of course. Alas, the French never imagined that their skillets would come to this.

On the homeschooling front, this week has allowed me to introduce one of my favourite childhood stories, "The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes." The kids have enjoyed it and I have been amazed by how much number work is in the story, if we wanted to do that sort of thing. We've done alot of crafting and today the kids were so excited because they got to do "printables"--colouring pages and word searches, mazes and so on. These are a very rare occurrence and only get busted out when Mom is tired (I'm reducing my coffee intake. ugh.)

Also, I have been contemplating another curriculum purchase. I am interested in the Golden Beetle Series by Australian Waldorf-er Alan Whitehead. Normally, I would just jump in and buy all the books, etc., but I am a curriculum hoarder and I am now trying to make better judgements (in other words, I have spent SOOO much money on books that I need to show a little common sense). Has anyone used/read/reviewed these books?

Finally, a great big thank you to Dawn, who inspired me this week to keep going with my rhythm even when I was ready for a break. Yesterday, the girls made dinner (most of it, but I cooked the chicken) and we made an Apple Cake, ala the German book of the same name.

Time to put the computer down and finish my Easter gifts.

TTFN.

The New Survivor

2008-03-19T22:01:00.001+13:00

Heck, I might drag the tv out of the storage room for this show!

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 3 kids, keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend" bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care. He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, and keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed. During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, backaches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting. They will need to read a book and then pray with the children each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all ofthe following information: each child's birthday,height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right to be called Mother!

**just to be fair, I do not do half those things!

Yes, we really do homeschool

2008-03-15T20:14:00.004+13:00

Well, we have finally reinstituted a bit of routine in our lives and gone back to school. The new house has meant some big -- positive -- changes for mom and girls. First, we are a walking family! Every morning, after breakfast, we walk the two blocks into our little village where we purchase our (organic...yeah!) meat, veggies and bread. I don't yet know what this means for my budget, but at least there is a lot less waste. After our walk, we come home and the girls head directly to the back yard and I meet them downstairs in the school room. I have been playing "Hot Cross Buns" on the recorder to call them in for school, then we do a fairy tale followed by some directed artwork. When I can see that their focus is waning, we wrap it up and they play while I make morning tea. My big coup this past week was then getting a second "learning time" into the afternoon.

My current goal is to simply re-establish a learning schedule and to lengthen the time that they can spend at "lessons." This doesn't really apply to Littlie, as she is only 4, but Biggie is 6 1/2 and has already been in a Class One at Waldorf School, so I know that we will segue into formal lessons soon enough. I am having a hard time keeping Littlie content while Biggie does more "lesson-y" work, but I see that this is directly correlated to how well she slept the night before. This, too, shall pass.

Another wonderful, stupendous, outstanding change for us is that Biggie is rediscovering a love of nature and her sense of wonder. Because of our pre-homeschooling ed choices, she had never really experienced the "go-outside-and-play" childhood that her little sister has enjoyed. But now, she is spending her days in the tree, and she stops on our walks to look at dandelions or cicadas. This was one of my only written goals for Biggie for the year and I am ecstatic to see this improvement.

So what's ahead? Well, I finally found Sculpey in NZ, and I spent way too much money today on Easter decorating stuff. Most of the purchases are for me to make presents for them, but here's what I want to do with the girls (Remember, we are entering Autumn in NZ, so it's Harvest as well as Easter.)
And here's where to see more ideas.

That's all on the homeschooling front today.

TTFN.

Got Laptop?

2008-03-14T20:17:00.002+13:00

Not bloggin' tonight because DH and I are having you tube wars. So far, he's gone Barry White and Pavarotti (yeah, 'cuz he's cultur'd). I have gone Lou Rawls, Astrud Gilberto and Tony, Toni Tone (heheheheh).

TTFN.

And it's flickr for the win

2008-03-09T22:08:00.005+13:00

Take two, this time with flickr.

Photos from way back.....

Littlie received this for Christmas,

and I made this to go with it. I really love wool.

Biggie received this sewing kit, made with much love by moi.

And these were the pressies for my mom and step-dad. My finest needle-felting yet, imho :-)

Now for the new house, a few of my favourite things

And just for a bit of humour, take me to your leader! When kid imagination meets the IAMS gift with purchase.

Bread and bitching

2008-03-06T13:44:00.004+13:00

First, my bread recipe, which I am hoping will assist my fellow Waldorf Mom Jackie:

(all ingredients approximate, as you will learn how the bread should feel)

1 3/4 c room temp water
4 tbsp raw sugar (or whatever sweetener your family prefers)
1 1/2 tsp yeast (I use active dry yeast or frozen live yeast, whichever is available. if using frozen live yeast, just ask your baker what serving sizes he provides...I know nothing about this on my own!)
4 c. flour (I use Spelt and mix whatever proportions of white/wholemeal as I have in the fridge at the time)

Put the water and sugar in a bowl and give it a little stir. Sprinkle yeast on water and let it proof. Once nice and yeasty smelling (10-15 minutes), start adding flour at approx 1/2 c at a time, mixing, adding, mixing, adding.....my uber-waldorf friend has convinced me to mix in a figure-eight as it does not diminish the life force of the yeast.....that one is up to you, but I say, "no harm trying!"

Continue mixing (with a wooden spoon!) until it just gets too hard to continue stirring, then dump it onto a nice clean countertop or tabletop, on which you have sprinkled flour. Now, I assume that anyone reading this has made bread, so go for the kneading. You know your bread is kneaded enough when a finger impression in the dough pops right back out.

Divide the dough into two portions and place it into well-oiled loaf pans. (While they don't produce perfectly shaped loaves, I heartily recommend glass loaf pans.) Press dough down with fingers and then flip it over, coating both sides with oil. Let it rise ONCE, to approx double the original size, then bake in a preheated 180-ish (Celcius) degree oven for approx 30 minutes. Lower the temp a bit, if using a fan-forced oven. Better to err on the overcooking side in the beginning, because nothing is more disheartening than cutting into raw bread! (I know, I've done it!)

Remove bread from pans, let cool (as long as possible, which is never very long in our house) and serve to those starving munchkins.

Good luck and let me know how yours turns out. Sorry if the directions are wishy-washy, but breadmaking is something I have spent many years working on and so much of this, for me, is by feel.

Oh, and watch the waistline :-)

Now, onto the Bitching:

Thank you ladies for your comments about this book, Everyday Blessings. I see that there is so much useful guidance in these pages, and am definitely gaining some good insights from my reading. HOWEVER, really, this book just makes me feel worse for all the decisions I have opted against! So far, I have read (not perhaps the authors' intent, but what my brain has absorbed) that I maybe could have prevented my breach c-section if I had been more positive (I was sooo positive, btw!), I should have tried harder before giving up breastfeeding (don't get me started on this topic!), I should have co-slept (they were right next to me, for heaven's sake!), I shouldn't have encouraged their independence (I started life as a Montessori mom, and my kids knew how to blow their noses when other kids were covered in snot!)....the list goes on.

You know, where is the book written for parents who have NO SUPPORT WHATSOEVER. (Can you tell I feel strongly about this?) DH and I started a business when I was three months pregnant with Biggie -- it was that or return home to America. We had no aunties or uncles, no grandparents; we had no free babysitters. In fact, the first night I ever spent away from my oldest daughter was when I went to the hospital to have my youngest daughter! The authors of this book present a lovely image of the self-sacrificing parent. While we were better than the average bear, there was simply no way that we could have done everything that they ask for. Such as, not demanding that little children behave in restaurants. Well, when the only time that you don't have to make a meal is when you go out with your husband, and when a babysitter costs you $15 bucks an hour, yes, it is perfectly acceptable in my world to ask the children to sit nicely while we finish our meal.

I am reading that it isn't okay to place our needs upon our children. Yes, I realise that there are extreme versions of this; but for the four of us, with no one else to rely on, I have taught my children that we are a team and that we all need to work together. It's part of the ex-pat life, or it's a mom whose pissed, grey-haired and hysterical. This is our family dynamic, and it's just how it must be.

I see that my post is turning a bit rant-y, so I will start to wrap it up. Yes, I see the importance of being mindful and not engaging in old patterns just because they are comfortable. I am working so diligently on my moods, my responses, my inner work (and inner strength), and I know that I have gleaned some encouraging words from this book. Ultimately, I think it's going to be one of those books that I have to read, initially, and get past my personal biases, and then return to it in a couple of months with a fresh outlook on their ideals.

Feel free to chime in, and go ahead and blast me in the combox if you want. It takes alot to offend, and more importantly, I may actually learn something very important from what you have to add to this rant. Thanks for listenin'.

TTFN.

Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

2008-02-28T17:32:00.001+13:00

Has anyone read this book? I have just started with it and I could really use a sounding board for examples and feedback. One of my biggest parenting issues is control: when I ask for something, I expect it to be done. Rationally, I understand that my girls are still wee and that I am certainly expecting too much; but learning to ease off – and when to ease off – is very difficult for me. For instance, I expect decent table manners. Not Victorian, mind you, but common courtesy: no belching, no farting, no lazing around like a Roman with have your body in recline. And when I have asked the same child to make the same change four times, I start to get pissed. In fact, I tell them to get up and leave the table because I don’t want to sit with unmannerly louts. (Yeah, what a nice lady I’m turning out to be.) Me and Littlie are really at odds these days because she intentionally flouts the rules (as in, she looks at me, smiles, and then does exactly what I have asked her NOT to do!). From what I have seen so far, the authors don’t believe that young children are manipulative; I would have to disagree. Does this difference in opinion mean that I will never mesh with the concepts presented in this book?

Really, I want the magic pill, the panacea that makes me a happy mellow Stepford mom. I want to open a book and read the answers to my parenting dilemmas. That not being an option, I beat myself up over my lack of empathy, my outbursts, my demands for my chidren to respect ME as a human being, not just a slave. Is it possible to completely detach oneself from natural human emotions in an effort to NOT be co-dependent? Plus, IMHO, it’s impt that these Munchkins see that I am human just like them and I have good days and bad days.

Which brings me closer to the crux of today’s blog: I’m sick. Not very, but enough to slow me down. This, assuredly, was exactly what the body was attempting. I’ve run at a crazy pace for several weeks now and the old bod’ just said ENOUGH. I have had to let the kids watch movies (yep, that has a definite impact on their behaviour). Fortunately, we know have the most wonderful backyard in which they can safely run wild.

On the happy side of things (and really, my life is pretty great!), Littlie has learned to climb trees, thanks to the tree in the yard; Biggie is rediscovering her love of nature (except bees, which send her into fits of hysteria---any suggestions?); and I am actually sitting outside on the grass enjoying my kids. Once again, I must say, I am teaching them nothing. I have embraced play and I am letting them play with few restraints. They are still only 4 and 6 and, despite their superbrains, I keep saying that they only have these few years in their lives to imagine.

We have been in the new house four days now and it remains a bomb site. I am thoroughly daunted by the schoolroom: aaargh, what should go there and what should be in their rooms? How much do I put out in plain sight and what goes behind closed doors? I have yet to reinstitute a rhythm, but at least we have started walking everyday: whole foods is a five minute walk and playground is a fifteen minute walk!

I feel my fever spiking and I am now going to lay down. Forgive any previous incoherence. I’ll try harder next time :-).

TTFN.

Finally, Moved.

2008-02-23T22:24:00.002+13:00

It rained. In fact, it poured. I couldn't put together beds and couched because everything was SOOO wet. BUT, all that having been said, we are moved. Woohoo. I am very happy and I love my new house.

I will post photos as soon as I can find the cameras. In the meantime, I am happy to have fab internet connectivity and I shall now go see what all of you lovely folk have been up to during my absence.

TTFN.

More Universal Intervention...the housing saga

2008-02-14T21:54:00.003+13:00

Okie dokie, it's a good thing that I believe in the power of the Universe to send a message or else this would have all been too eerie for me.

This afternoon, I saw a relisted ad for a home in a neighbourhood that I love, and this relisting was placed by the owner and said Pets OK (two cats + one dog = fewer rentals to look at). I called at 1.30 and the owner agreed to show me the house at 3. Met him at 3 and the house was PERFECT. The girls and I had read our list of "Wants" before we left our current house and this new house had ALL of them, including a good price for the neighbourhood. When I said that I loved the house and what came next, the owner said, "You want it?" "Yes" "Well, it's yours." That was it. Done deal. I asked him if he wanted a check and he said, "Naah, just deposit it into the bank" (internet transfers are big in NZ). I asked if he wanted my business web address so he could see what my husband and my dog looked like; he said no. Didn't he want to know about us? Not really, he just wanted someone to love his house, as it had been his home for thirteen years.

I was incredulous. He was so nice and there is NOTHING wrong with the house, and I just couldn't believe that it would all be soooo easy. I signed a lease without my husband even seeing the house, which made me a bit uneasy, so tonight after he finished with patients, I drove him to see it.....He loved it!! Woohoo, I made a good decision. (This is a big deal because one time I moved us into a terrible house in the middle of nowhere and six months had to move back into town because I was sooo miserable. Needless to say, that killed my confidence in my house-selection skills.)

So, wanna hear about it: refurb villa in the Auckland equivalent of Berkeley. Two blocks away from supermarket, organic shop, organic butchery and nice cafes (one of my goals was to be able to walk everywhere). Three bedrooms, with study and nice kitchen; self-contained "flat" downstairs (including kitchenette, toilet and second refrigerator), which I will be using as a schoolroom; gated with parking inside gates or out on street; playhouse for girls; established vegetable garden, grape vines, and fruit trees (woohoo!!! I think the tomato that my husband ate won him over!).

Plus -- tune out here if you are terribly conservative :-) -- I met the neighbour across the street, and he is now a she, and his neighbour is a wonderful elderly Maori woman who has lived in the area as long as anyone can remember, and there are artists three doors down and their lawn is filled with their work, and there is so much wonderful diversity in the neighbourhood....yippee! This is a really big deal for me because we moved here from Hollywood and I have always lamented the homogeneity of our region in Auckland. I hated that my girls would grow up thinking that the world consisted of upper-middle class white folks in brand new stucco homes. I am thrilled at the thought that they can be surrounded by beautiful, different people.

I am so happy I am just bubbling over.

The irony of it all is this: when I pulled in tonight and told my property manager that I was moving in one week (OMG!), first he tried to demand a three-week notice (which he can't legally do and bearing in mind that he gave me only a seven-day notice of the $60 rent hike!) and then he said.....really, he said this....."That isn't very fair to your landlord." HAHAHAHAHA. If I hadn't been so pissed, I would have laughed. AND, he can't even try to ding me on my deposit because they have none of my original lease paperwork!! Aaah, administrative error.

Yes, the universe works in mysterious ways, for which I have offered up many thanks today.

(So if I am not blogging much this week, it's because I have just given myself one week to pack and move. Then life will be back to normal, but better, and I can resume Waldorf Homeschooling.)

Great big thanks for your support and kind words.

TTFN.

Yeah! I have speed!

2008-02-12T21:31:00.000+13:00

Woohoo, my internet connection is back in full force and I can jump for joy. I wish I had much Waldorf homeschooling stuff to share, but we aren't doing anything right now. Instead, I am dragging my kids all over hell and back looking at houses. The tough thing is that I don't really know what I want, or what my priorities are: do I want a house in the country so that they can run and play, but we're so far away from everything that I cannot ever accidentally forget to buy supper ingredients? Or do I want a nice refurb villa near town, loads of character, no closets, but we are able to walk to everything? How does one see what will work best? I am lost (gaaaah, I'm really just an indecisive Libra!!!).

But, I am really believing in the Universe, because today I tho't, "maybe I'll just stay here for a while, until something shows up....." So I walked over to my property manager and he told me that my landlords won't even negotiate for a long term lease! All I had uttered was, "That's a considerable rent rise," and he said, "that's not all..." I walked away knowing that I had just been given a Universal Directive!

I would love to blog more, but I just really want to go read all of your wonderful words, and see those pictures that I have missed. (I have been doing some fun crafting, etc., but that'll all have to wait until I read about your lives.....ahhh, virtual voyeurism.)

Big smooches from one very happy internet reader!

Thieves, one and all!

2008-02-08T07:57:00.000+13:00

I'm AFK (that's away from keyboard in dh gaming speak) for a while because it's just too heartbreaking to blog right now: someone hacked my wireless internet connection and used up all my monthly allocation (10gb!), so now I am stranded in the utterly hopeless world of dial-up speed. Whoa...do..you...remember...when...this...was...all...you...could....get?

Quickly, I will ask for happy tho'ts from everyone because I am pissed about an injustice: my landlords are jacking my rent by (drumroll.....) $60 PER WEEK! OMG. Now, my gripe is not this this amount is insurmountable, but rather, in true Libran fashion, my house is NOT worth that much. (Oh, yeah, context: last year, I got a $30 per week rent hike!).

What makes it harder is that I accidentally know my landlords (everything goes through a property manager and I didn't discover that I knew my LL until after we moved in). My landlords are new money, gaudy, conspicuous consumers, and I just can't stand to support their greed any further! Is that terribly petty of me?

So I have decided that this is the Universe telling me to find a new house. To that end, I would ask that all friends send some positive house vibes south, s'il vous plait. Many thanks, and I shall retire before explorer dies, again.

Vomit, rhythm and googling

2008-01-31T12:53:00.000+13:00

Aah, vomit. Really, is there a word that conjures up more vivid pictures for a Mom? Don't we all have a retrospectively side-splitting story to share? It's always so much more fun months and years after the fact....

Last night, Biggie started puking. She is a wonderful sick person, very sweet and patient, full of sleep. She vomited all night long. This morning, no sooner did Littlie eat some dry cereal (hey, I was tired!) than she threw up. They are both sound asleep, at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and my one big job for the day -- grocery shopping -- doesn't look like it's gonna be that essential.

You know, one of the things we always try to teach our patients is that Vomit is Good. You put something in that makes you sick and your body ejects it. It's the sick body that doesn't vomit. Alas, in this case, I think we have a tummy-bug, but I still marvel at how healthy children (I consider mine extremely healthy) react to sickness. Or perhaps more importantly, how healthy parents react to their children's sicknesses: know your children's responses, take the time to nurse them, and let the body heal itself. My sister gifted me with the most wonderful book when I was pregnant with Biggie, and for six years it has been my health bible: Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. I just can't recommend this book highly enough, especially for new moms. It features conventional treatments for a host of illnesses, as well as nutritional advice, homeopathy, herbs, acupressure, and guidelines.

The Day from Hell was such a positive experience because that night I sat down and, after much research and tho't, designed a rhythm that I hope will work for us. Of course, I also read a comment from a mom who wished she had a dime for each time she had undertaken the same exercise! I tho't I would post this for your comment and critiques. Bear in mind that I am trying to a) create a plan that will happily segue into formal lessons, b) guide a brainiac toward greater imagination and creativity, and c) remain Littlie-inclusive. Here goes, entitled "I've Got Rhythm..."

In an effort to prevent chaos and create peace and harmony, I am determined to create a schedule, aka Rhythm. In the beginning, there was Mom. It is my job to devise and implement until such time as it is accepted by all.
Creating the ideal Day:
730ish Mom up first. Enjoy cup of coffee, mentally prepare for the day. Computer, if time allows. (Resolution: stay off the computer during kid time...your ass has been attached to that computer for the entirety of the school holidays!)
8ish Munchkins up. Choose fruit to accompany breakfast. Either help with breakfast or sit at table and eat fruit.
830ish Food to the table. Verse, eat. Each happy family member takes plate to kitchen, wipes their section of the table, then heads upstairs for preening.
9ishTeeth, Hair, and Clothes. Need some personal grooming time. Make beds. Twenty minutes free time while mom tidies kitchen/table.
10ish Transition song to Story Time. Mom reads/tells a story* then each of the girls may pick out stories they want to read until they tire of reading. Twenty minutes free time or the girls can help prepare a snack.
11ish Try to eat snack outside so as to keep table clean for activities. Mom prepares for daily Handwork.
1130ish Transition Song to Daily Handwork * Painting, Drawing/Nature Drawing, Beeswax, Sewing, Baking, Seasonal Craft.
1230ish Clean up, Closing Verse and Free time. Mom prepares lunch.
130ish lunch
2ish quiet time in rooms
240ish rise from quiet time. Quick room tidy.
3ish After school play: bikes, ball, friends, swim, etc. Also, Lessons (piano).
5ish Mom prep dinner, kids help or have quiet reading time
6ish dinner time
7ish dessert with dad (fruit, warm spiced milk, more oats or rice,etc)
8ish bedtime

Funnily enough, rhythm and holding the space have been a big topic among friends and boards lately. I find that I manage mornings, and early in the week, well, but then my mind just floats away and I can't seem to keep the house flowing peacefully. (I veer more toward drill sargeant, so this is a lesson for me.) It is my hope that by having this rhythm tucked away in my kitchen, I can take little looks (amidst ALL that cooking and cleaning) and mentally stay with my plan.

Finally, at the end of a very long post, I would like to introduce some lovely blogs which I have recently discovered. I encourage you to check 'em out! We Waldorfers are few and far between and were it not for the camaraderie of the internet, I am sure I would have no like-minded "friends." What I love most about our Virtual Community is its tolerance and diversity (because shouldn't those two words go hand-in-hand?). We come from every ethnic, religious, and geographic background; we are educated differently, and in turn, we educate our children each in our own way. And yet, we still find so much good to draw from one another. Oh, and invariably, we all have a Jane Austen reference somewhere on our site (I was Lizzie, btw, on the recently circling JA survey...I can't help but wonder if I unknowlingly skewed the results...hehehe).

See what happens when I don't have children to care for during the day: I blog for far too long.

TTFN.

Hello Moon

2008-01-29T19:48:00.000+13:00

All I gotta say is, Thank Heavens this day is over. Wow, the girls started fighting before their feet hit the floor (Littlie is being a bit of a bully to her sis. grrrr.) and they were at each other all day. I had the "don't touch stuff/behave" talk prior to entering the stationery store (for essentials like a bigger stapler for bookmaking and watercolour paper), and yet they were incorrigible. They bucked rules all day.

Now, in my heart of hearts, I know that I am the adult and therefore She who is Responsible for All Things. I should have had a strategy to counter the effects of a too-long summer, too-hot night before, too-little routine, but I just didn't have it in me today. (I think I simply haven't eaten enough today...blood sugar WAY low.) So I won't blame them for the turn of the day: I accept full responsibility. But I refused to be mature enough NOT to be pissed. They have already asked to go against the grain tomorrow, thus providing me with ample opportunity to remind them of our Wednesday POA (that's short for Plan of Action). AND, having read many wonderful anecdotes, I have finally decided to write down some of our daily plans, in hopes of staying more focussed in the future.

I really can't wait for the summer holidays to end. I am ready to sleep...it's not even 8pm. Nighty-night.

Trivialities

2008-01-28T13:47:00.000+13:00

I just had a reality check. I sit here blogging about nothing in particular, bemoaning my lack of this or lack of that, wishing I could improve myself, and so on. And then, by random blog-segue, I encounter this.

I have become increasingly sentimental with age, my skin in thinner as a Mom. I am reminded of all for which I must be grateful: two healthy, strong, loving children; one amazing husband; a terrific family who is so supportive even from so far away. I have a safe home, the ability to school my own children, the right to make my own decisions about our health choices. I am greatly blessed.

Not meaning to post

2008-01-25T12:03:00.000+13:00

Well, as I sit here at 12:03pm eating a gigantic steak (no, I am not pregnant!), I had no intention of posting. I was enjoying circling our webring and I came upon this post at Adventures in Living and Learning.

Ya know, I'm not even Christian, but I do have a very strong belief in the Divine. I tho't this post was beautiful.

"You like me, you really like me"

2008-01-23T21:20:00.000+13:00

Heehee, all this popularity could go to a girl's head. I have been tagged by two friends, which really made hubby and I chuckle because I only have three virtual friends!

Poppy and Mei's lovely Australian Mummy presented me with this wee card:

And Patience has asked me to pull out my current books and answer a few questions:

The meme goes like this.
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

Well, Libra that I am, I can't even make up my mind enough to narrow down my reading. I have a coupl'a things going, so let's see.

1) Donna Simmons' Kindy book....hmmm, not enough pages.

2) Homemaking as a Social Art: really just re-reading for points. Lessee what we got:

"Feelings are able to mediate between the coolness of thinking and the heat of action because they are so versatile. Working through feeling is a valid method, provided thinking and willing can play their part with equal measure. We can begin to learn how to use thinking with the heart, another way to describe the new intuition, when we live through happenings by observing them with empathy."

Whew, that's a mouthful.

3) The book most commonly-referred to at the moment is Nourishing Traditions. It says:

Oh, never mind, the sidebar on p 123 is an explanation of the difference between "broth" and "stock," and while I may have found this interesting to read, it's not too interesting to share.

I am just grateful that Patience didn't catch me when I was 123 pages into a sleazy romance novel (sometimes the brain needs escape) or Jane Austen. Wait...going upstairs....OK, had to see if I could quote the line from p123 of P&P, given that I can recite most of the book from memory...OOOOh, good scene, when Lady Catherine is interogating Lizzie at Rosings Park.

"Yes, my youngest is not sixteen. Perhaps she is full young to be much in company. But really, Ma'am, I think it would be very hard upon younger sisters, that they should not have their share of society and amusement because the elder may not have the means or inclination to marry early."

I know that I should now tag some friends, but I shall reserve that right until a later date....uh, like when I have more friends *weep, weep, weep* (hey, a little self-deprecating humour is never lost on the crowd!) In the meantime, why don't my handful of Virtual Girlfriends go grab their books and see if anything enticing is hap'ning on p123!

TTFN.

Breakfast, anyone?

2008-01-21T21:27:00.000+13:00

In an effort to streamline my mom-jobs, we adhere (sometimes loosely) to a breakfast routine. I have just updated our menu and, in hopes of making myself actually do all the prep work, I am posting it here (read: accountability). Here goes:

Monday – NT Fruit Muffins with Nina Planck Custard and Fresh Fruit
Tuesday – Eggs with Toast, Fresh Fruit and Chocolate Milk/Yoghurt smoothie
Wednesday – NT Oatmeal with Maple Syrup and Butter, and Fresh Fruit
Thursday – NT Pancakes with Cream and Maple Syrup, and Fresh Fruit
Friday – Eggs with Toast and Fresh Fruit and Chocolate Milk/Yoghurt smoothie

I dream of being able to make Veggie Scrambles, Breakfast Burritos and French Toast once again. But I know that the girls just won't go there. Really, who gives birth to children who don't like French Toast....it's not right! (BTW, Anthromama, do American fast food restaurants still make French Toast breakfast things? I remember Carl's Jr French Toast Dips: totally nasty and would probably make me puke nowadays, but back in the university day, they were the best hangover food ever invented!!)

TTFN.

got milk?

2008-01-20T19:31:00.000+13:00

Wow, what an amazing experience we had today! We went to the farm of some friends and purchased raw milk and raw cream. It's beautiful. Now, to put this understatement in context, none of us are milk drinkers. Pasteurised dairy makes me ill (always has), and dh is a soy drinker, so for us to say that this milk is enjoyable is quite a compliment. It has NO smell whatsoever and the taste is clean and sweet. My next goal is to use the cream and make our own butter (yep, even further down the hippie-trail we wander).

However, before you run right out to buy your own raw milk, there is something I learned today that I wish to share: not all dairy farmers are of equal cleanliness. Our farmer friend explained how his cows are washed before milking so as to keep the milk tasting nice; BUT (this is sooo yucky), traditional dairy farmers -- those producing for big corps -- do not clean their cows before milking, because pasteurisation will kill all yucky bacteria. So if you're gonna source raw milk, ask if the cows are washed before milking!

This is all part of my experimenting with Nourishing Traditions. I've heard many compliments of this cookbook, and I have several real-life and virtual friends who swear by the recipes. I must admit that many of the suggestions are initially off-putting or hard-t-swallow (hahah, food joke), such as the lacto-fermented vegetables and organ meat. I'm willing to try fermentation, but there ain't a ghost's chance in hell that I am eating liver, brains, and all their little organ friends. (Since my fast, I don't want much red meat at all, and I'm consuming much more fish than before...the kids hate fish, so we have a bit of a battle goin'.)

I am, however, enjoying more work with Bread. I've worked long and hard to perfect my traditional yeast bread, using frozen yeast from the local German Baker. Now, in my kitchen sits my attempt at creating a sourdough starter. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I tried this years back and it was unsuccessful. I am now older and more patient and I am willing to let it just ferment like mad on my countertop. Of course, that people walk into my home to wafting yeast! Not so good for my reputation.

Now for a wee update on my day with the neighbourhood. I had six kids show up before we were even finished with breakfast. We watercoloured, drew with our Stockmars, created a story using playsilks and natural materials (pinecones, driftwood, etc.), beaded and made bread by hand. (I didn't even need bread -- hahah, another food joke -- but I tho't it was an important thing to impart to these kids.) Surprisingly, they all went home and told their parents that they are ready to homeschool! Of course, it was a Friday and therefore super-relaxed; and they didn't see me in bitch-mode....but in the end, all these neighbourhood kids now can tell my children what a wonderful life my kids must have. And in that instance, a little peer influence can go a long way.

TTFN.

Life's great!

2008-01-17T20:30:00.000+13:00

Right now, my life is flowing marvelously, a fact which invariably contributes to my lack of blogposts. I have gained a great deal of insight from the Homemaking book, and would recommend it to any Mom. I still struggle with some of the jargon of anthroposophy, but I know that my understanding will come in time. If it doesn't, I will be clogging Anthromama's combox for clarification!

I have taken Melisa's advice and I am getting up before my children. What a joy this has been! I have time for myself and my coffee, time to read and get my frazzled brain sorted. This is one of my single greatest challenges, as I have never been a happy early-riser, so I am patting myself on the back. I have also used one of our big rainbow playsilks to hide the desk (telephone & computer) during the day and that keeps me from indulging in too much blog/forum reading. That having been said, I have an ever growing list of wonderful blogs to enjoy, and one day I shall get around to posting them all in the sidebar. (Mwahahaha, I am hoarding them all to myself!).

Next, i just have to talk about peer pressure, and using it to one's advantage: we live in a lovely neighbourhood with oodles of school-going children with whom my weenies can play. Because we only homeschool four days each week, we start school earlier in the year than these school goers, and the result is that my house in now inundated with children who all want to be homeschooled! (My six year old neighbour just told his mom that he has signed himself out of school and will be with us this year!) Today, me, Biggie, and Littlie were teaching 10/11/12 year old girls how to sew and crochet. Oooooh, how it sent happiness into my HSing heart! These other children LOOOVE our house, love our wacky Stockmar crayons, love our handmade bread and knitted ducks. They think playsilks are amazing and have even made up a name for new "Girls School." For the first time since Mom made this decision, my girls are seeing the desirability of their HSing life. Who'da thunk it? Just wish me well tomorrow, Friday, as I do Wet-on-wet watercolouring with a pack of young girls!! ( I may just have to post pictures of their paintings!!)

But now, I am leaving you all. I discovered that some kindred spirit has uploaded to Youtube all of the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Of course, it's in 10 minute increments, which well be interesting, but all I have wanted to do today is watch P&P, so I am as happy as a clam.

Nighty-night.

Homemaking as a Social Art

2008-01-13T22:14:00.000+13:00

Can't blog long. Am reading. Had to stop and share that this book is FAB! Totally worth the inflated NZ book price, hehe. If you've read it, please feel free to comment. I'll be back tomorrow to talk about what I am learning.

Oh, btw, fasted five days. Feel great and want no bad food. Unfortunately, I seem to have mislaid my personal pronouns somewhere......

It's Official

2008-01-11T21:53:00.000+13:00

Thanks to the miracles of the internet, I can now confirm that I am a Nerd....Nerd Queen, to be exact. (I have but few aspirations.....)

Potion, Brains and the Year's Plan

2008-01-08T22:42:00.000+13:00

Wow, Day Four with no real food, seulement ma potion. It's amazing how I just don't miss food. I even made cookies, both yesterday and today, and felt no need to eat any. What is truly shocking is re-realising (as I do every year or so) just how much I nibble out of boredom. I am not obese, by any means, nor am I wee: I am your standard size 10-12, depending upon the weather, as I have been for all of my adult life. (oooh, sidebar: ya know what really sucked? when I moved to NZ only to discover that their sizes were one higher than US sizes, so a US 12 is a NZ 14! Aaaargh!!!)

Enough about the fast. Back to homeschooling.... I have made a decision about Biggie, age 6.

Quick prologue: Biggie is what is described as Classically Gifted, as am I, my sister, my mother, my grandmother, and probably every woman as far back as Lucy (ok, does anyone but me get that reference? if so, you too will sit in Border's just to watch David Attenborough!). This means that we just get stuff, right away, no big deal. I am not humble because this is something which I was just given, I never worked for it, I never earned it. It's mine because the Universe passed it along. It also has some pretty big downsides, such as: I was never made to do ANY P.E., because my academics were too good to waste on my physical health (yep, my heart is now laughing at that choice); I never really had to work in any of my classes, so when Wife-and-Motherhood came along, something I really had to work at, I struggled. I haven't a creative bone in my body, so I can edit anything, copy anything, recite anything, but it's really tough for me to create something on my own (I'm workin' on that with my munchkins); I am a vicious perfectionist and compulsive problem-solver, and because I have always been able to meet these demands, I have yet to overcome them. I am not ungrateful: in all honesty, I love my nerdiness, and I am grateful to G-d that I was given a brain that never fails me; but in true good mother fashion, I want more for my daughters. I pray that my Waldorf efforts will allow them to glory in their own brainy-ness, as well as their creativity, imagination, sense of wonder.

Now, Biggie has taught herself many things, including reading, math, and how to play the piano. I went through a phase during which I did "Lessons," true academic lessons. I felt compelled to do so because I was unhappy with HOW she was teaching herself. Now, I have come full circle. She is well into the 6 year change, and I have seen that she is still Little, and she needs the warmth, love, creativity, storytelling, repetition that is part of Waldorf kindy. I have therefore decided that this Season (who knows how long?), we will do kindy. I am going to use Melisa Neilsen's kindy schedule, with seasonal changes as necessary, and we will sing songs and bake and craft. And I will still support her in her self-learning, but I won't be the one bringing early academics to her. Of course, this will present challenges for some of the earlier Waldorf Lesson blocks, but that's ultimately why we homeschool.

I have to give credit to Melisa here, because it took a great act of will for me to sit down and employ her planning strategy. Having all these goals, festivals, seasons and blocks on paper allowed me to see just how much is expected of a Waldorf student. Another factor that had a major impact in my decision was the Summer holidays' opportunity of being around other children. I have seen that these children are not emotionally ready for what Schools are demanding of them, and they are suffering. Some of these are children whom I love and care for, and it breaks my heart to see their impressionable personalities being formed with such extreme academic pressures.

You know the image I keep seeing (I am a movie buff, in case you didn't get that already): Parenthood. Rick Moranis teaching his daughter, the little human sponge, and Steve Martin's kids goin' hog wild but having ALOT of fun!

more lemons

2008-01-06T16:40:00.000+13:00

Guess what? My husband does this fast for TEN days. OMG, he's a wonder. It's Day Two for me and the only thing I feel is bored. This boredom was what kept me from fasting for many years. Not only do I enjoy food, but I realise how much time food consumes: the preparing, the eating, the cleaning up after. And, if we go out into the world, it normally involves eating SOMEthing. But no, it's just me and my magic potion.
(Don't be too impressed, as I made an agreement with myself that I am still allowed one espresso each morning.)

I would like to post more, but my dh has Good Charlotte blaring on the speakers downstairs and my food-less mind is having a hard time focusing. I'll try again tomorrow.

Ou est ma potion?

2008-01-05T16:37:00.000+13:00

Okay, if I go a bit dingy for the next few days, I have an excuse (see, I am inspired by Britney!!!): I'm fasting.

Well, actually, I am doing the Master Cleanse, during which time I drink a potion of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I am going at least three days, but maybe five. Suffice it to say that I was bad to my body over the Christmas period and now, in true existential fashion, I am accepting the consequences (knew all those Sartre classes would be justified somehow).

Today's fasting comment: I'm tired.

We could stage a Waldorf Intervention!!!

2008-01-05T08:17:00.000+13:00

From now on, whenever I berate myself for my parenting flaws, I shall invoke my new mantra: "At least I am not Britney Spears."

Gaawd, I no longer live in Hollywood, I no longer even live in America, and yet I am embarrassingly absorbed by this poor girl. This is worsened because she's from the same part of the South as my family....not all Southerners are Rednecks and White Trash. Don't you just want to put your arms around her and give her a hug, a hairwash, and a proper meal.

Waldorf Intervention, here we go!

(nb, this bizarre post is attributed to bad Summer sleep...way too hot and a munchkin in the bed!)

O hell! A rant on religion....so check out now if you're touchy about Jesus.

2008-01-01T13:43:00.000+13:00

So I gotta question: why is it that only those of us who have walked away from a mainstream religion teach tolerance? Here's the spark of this musing:

My six year old daughter was recently told by an eight year old friend that people who celebrate Halloween don't believe in G-d and are all going to hell*. Whoa...(and where's the connection b/t G-d and Halloween?!). Yeah, I know, great opportunity to discuss the history of Halloween and touch on the issue of modern religion adopting pagan festivals, etc., (and I did all that). But in comparison, what do I teach my children: we believe what we believe and it's important that we let them believe what they believe, aka TOLERANCE! Even as judgemental as I am, I don't try and force other people to share my views. And for the life of me, with the world like it is today, I can't understand any responsible parent not teaching tolerance.

My husband laughs at the blogs I read because included in the list are some way-fundamentalist -- I may not follow their religious path, but I respect their devotion to a faith and I think they have many great lessons to offer me; HOWEVER, I know that some of those same bloggers would never countenance my musings simply because I am not Christian. As if religion is the only defining factor to my personality and value. I just don't get it.

*This wasn't nearly as bad as when our kids were 5 and 3 and our then-babysitter came over and taught my children all about Jesus while we had a very rare date night. Oh well, at least she didn't give them food colouring and plastic toys. MWAHAHAHAHA.

When other women love your husband

2007-12-28T19:30:00.000+13:00

Oh dear l-rd, I am one of those women whose husband is adored by every other woman. Here's why:

We run a wellness-focused chiropractic clinic that is very well established in our area. My dh is a GOOD chiropractor, and his patients think he is the best thing since sliced bread. Even now that I don't work in the office, I am okay with this trend because, hey, I agree with those patients.

The only problem presents itself at Christmas time....

You seeeeee, during one week in December, all those lovely ladies (most of whom are over 50) bring my husband fancy confectioneries and baked goods. Alas, he then brings said treats home...to me...And I eat them.

Just days after Christmas (which translates into "Holiday for Fat White Folks" in Swahili....oooh, I just went politically incorrect) I look pregnant, my poor belly is so big!

I think I may have to pay my assistants extra next year just to take those durned brownies home with them!!!

I must now adjourn to the kitchen, as there are some truffles calling my name....

Happy New Year!

Auld Lang Syne

2007-12-27T18:00:00.000+13:00

I spoke with my sister today…she is eight years older than I and our similarities and differences are always remarkable. She can make me angrier than any other living person, and yet I love her and understand her better than anyone else, as well.

She knows that if she asks me the same question enough times, she’ll finally get the real answer – not that I am a liar, mind you, but because we live so far from one another and speak so infrequently, I tend to give the happy, happy answer to most questions. Today, the question was, “So how’s homeschooling going?” My response, “It’s wonderful.” “It’s great.” “We’re really happy.” “Well, honestly, my friendships are really taking a beating.” Eeeeerrrrt.

I don’t know what direction our lives would have gone had we stayed in America, but since leaving the States, my wonderful husband and I have become weirder and weirder, compared to the Middle America. (This is one of my favorite topics, much illustrated in earlier passages, so I’ll refrain from re-iterating all the hows and whys.) Homeschooling just happens to be a more apparent example of our weirdness and therefore one that comes up frequently in discussion. But in reality, I know that it is our lifestyle that distinguishes us and, on my side if not theirs, has a gross impact on my friendships. Now, if only I can figure out how to explain it…

To sum it up, we live mindfully. I know that we tend to think things through far more than the average person, and I don’t expect everyone to overthink as we do. Moreover, we are in the alternative health care profession (we run a chiropractic wellness clinic and we actually live the way that we preach to our patients), so we end up seeing an awful lot of research that the normal world just doesn’t encounter, so I try not to expect people to make decisions based on those lesser-publicised “discoveries.”

However, being the judgemental cow that I really am (deep down inside) I do expect people to THINK about their choices and not be herded like cattle. And the long and short of my friendship problem is that I am having a harder time maintaining friendships with people who live like veal (my sister will laugh at the tolerance displayed by that rant!!). As my dear, equally magnanimous Mom would say, “God gave you that brain for a reason….”

And now, having exhausted my supply of livestock analogies, and before I offend anyone by my display of Libra-bitchiness, I shall end this entry and go meditate on the virtues of tolerance and love.

My favourite poem

2007-12-27T17:53:00.000+13:00

This is the poem I copied for Biggie as a Christmas gift. Just wanted to share:

Look to this day,

For it is life,

The very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence,

The bliss of growth

The glory of action

The splendour of achievement

For yesterday is but a dream,

And tomorrow is only a vision,

But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,

And tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

Such is the salutation to the dawn.

~from the Sanskrit

Still here, just busy

2007-12-22T15:24:00.000+13:00

Haven't had a spare second to blog....I'm doing the same thing as everyone else in the Western world: trying to avoid the mall.

But I found a quote I have to share:

"I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves."

~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

Yep, I'm a nerd.

Happy holidays.

And back to our regularly scheduled programming

2007-12-12T21:18:00.000+13:00

I have been off my schedule this past week: holidays, stuffy nose, crappy weather, etc.

But now I feel like I can return to my virtual world and, seeing as how this is my homeschooling blog, I tho't I would comment on how homeschooling is actually goin'. I finished our first Main Lesson Block just over a week ago, and it was the alphabet; this was totally remedial for Biggie, who has taught herself to read by now, but I felt some dogmatic need to do this block to ensure correct form, etc. Basically, she was bored to tears and bitched daily. We took a week off, to do Christmas stuff, and I resumed yesterday with Math. At this point, I would like to thank Elizabeth, whose Gnomes and Gnumbers tale was far more enchanting than other various math stories I have encountered. I have changed some names to reflect our cultural needs (for instance, her Dismas is our Tane Mahuta), but otherwise, I'm stickin' to her words. Biggie LOVED it! For the first time, she asked for me to continue the lesson past one day's work.

I think this story works for us because it does not have to be slow or stilted. As a Libra who eats books, I have invested in four different curricula to find the right one for us. I use Donna Simmons' books, predominantly; however, I find that her system doesn't speed up very well. And for a child like Biggie, who will simply teach herself if I'm not going fast enough, I am forever riding the fine line between giving too much academic work and allowing her to teach herself with incorrect methods (does that make sense??? It's late!)

Anyway, Elizabeth Foss has provided this lovely tale which can move along at the pace of the child; she incorporates the learning of numbers (we know those: thanks Montessori preschool!) with the tale and it ISN'T remedial. As we create our main lesson books, not only do we learn the processes, but the Quality of Numbers is an "art" lesson in the eyes of my girlies. To that end, I am adding in some memorization -- in this case, number poems found in Path of Discovery, by Eric Fairman. For instance, in creating our Number One page, we will write and learn the following poem:

"I am the Sun and I bear with my might

The Earth by day and the Earth by night.

I hold her fast, and my gifts I bestow

That everything on her may live and grow."

I know that I am still trying to find the right combination for Biggie, and I am hoping that by making each lesson more well-rounded, she find the stimulus she needs without the multi-lesson format that many of my fellow HSers use.

As always, it is my inner work that plagues me. I want to be one of those peaceful, mindful Buddhist parents (you know, the ones you read about but never actually meet). I want to invoke a ho-hum attitude when the kids annoy the crap out of me. I want to see the world through their eyes and not think that Mom is a major killjoy. But I can't. I know that it is also my job to teach them to eat with their mouths closed, and keep their knees together in skirt season, and put their dirty clothes in the laundry pile. And I don't have a song for each of these tasks (but why does, "I'm just a girl who can't say no" come to mind when I think about those skirts???). Biggie asked me today if I just wanted to be comfortable and not pretty (knife in the heart) and all I could do was turn around and comment, "You girls won't even let me go to the loo by myself. When would I have time to put on makeup?" And G-d love Melisa for her advice on waking at 4-5am, but I just can't go there right now. If you succeed, please let me know how!

Last but not least, I hate the mall. I have to say this because it's Christmastime and we aren't major shoppers, but the Post Office resides in the mall, and we have been FOUR times in the past week. Aaargh. I think I really just dislike NZ malls, because there is no place better than South Coast Plaza (think, valet parking, ohhhh yeah) two weeks before Christmas. Errr, plus there is this whole matter that I would be Jewish if only my daughters didn't have to be Jewish too (long story, suffice to say that I refuse to make my children's religious decision for them). I did make the effort of going to the nursery and buying a living tree of the same specimen that my Mom had when I was growing up (we're not Pine people)...the only problem is, it can only live inside for ONE WEEK, which, coupled with the fact that the Piano now lives in the corner formerly assigned to the Hannukah bush, allows for very little Christmas spirit. BUT, my Nature Table Rocks! Living poinsetta, Mother Earth is holding a mini-present (how very secular, but cute) and my tree has been converted into a wee Pine, decorated by beaded strand made by the girls. Now if only, I could find a place for the real tree......hmmmm.

Before I close, I would like to say farewell to Melody, whose blog had been beautiful and soul-lifting. I shall look forward to the day that she recommences. I can only hope that the sealant does a fine job in their new home.

Mommy Clause is coming to town....

2007-12-02T21:40:00.000+13:00

This year, not only am I Santa, but the Elves as well! I am in the midst of Christmas creating, finishing those projects that must be sent to the States, and beginning my work on a few odds and ends for the girls. The problem is that I keep finding such inspiration on the 'net! First, I was just going to knit some slippers, but DH said that he has never enjoyed walking in knitted slippers and then I stumbled onto Allsorts' Elf Clogs.....add two pairs of slippers and a hunt for 100% wool felt to my list.

Then I decided that I wanted to give Biggie a sewing case....

Oh, and since Littlie is receiving Pico the Gnome, why not sew a little Pico to go with it? But Biggie loves Tiptoes, and surely she would like a set with Tiptoes, Pine Cone, Pepper Pot, and Jeremy Mouse (Thanks, patience! You're mouse was the inspiration for this one!).

On the one hand, I love being able to create the things myself. One the other hand, I wonder, unresentfully, if my kids will ever understand the amount of quality, work, money, time,.....that has gone into their possessions. Biggie's sewing case, for instance, is made of hand-dyed, 100% wool felt, and some crazy-expensive wool flannel for the needles, plus a real set of embroidery scissors, not just junky kid versions. All of this stuff was slightly problematic to source, cost way more than the common versions of same, and then sewn by me, for her. In truth, I don't begrudge the time spent, nor the money, but since my children are growing up with quality materials, will they ever actually see the easy/cheap versions of things and one day appreciate the efforts made by us, their parents. I know that this question is very much my ego speaking, and that I really should want no recognition, but it is nice to think that the time will come when my girls understand that we chose to provide fewer gifts, and make those gifts something that will last.

This transitions into an oft-discussed topic in our home: what kind of parents will our children be? Will they rebel, or will they be hippie like us? When Littlie is 23, will she call me and say that she is moving 6000km away, and will I be okay with it? I only hope she takes her sewing case with her.....

Correspondences

2007-11-29T21:17:00.000+13:00

This is for my friend Anthromama, whose blog was one of my very first Waldorf faves, long before I was a HSer. She brought up the idea of correspondences, which is something I have been working on since bringing the girls home. Here's what I know, which is Waldorf-y:

Monday = Moon, Rice, Jasmine and Purple

Tuesday = Mars, Barley, Cloves and Red

Wednesday = Mercury, Millet, Copal and Yellow

Thursday = Jupiter, Rye, Cedar and Orange

Friday = Venus, Oats, Rose and Green

Saturday = Saturn, Corn, Myrrh and Indigo

Sunday = Sun, Wheat, Frankincense and White

Melisa Neilsen, of A Little Flower Garden, has a Day Planner to go with her Curricula and she has added some spirituality to this list by bringing in Deepak's Seven Spiritual Laws, one for each day.

Interesting sidebar, there are slight differences in the Kabbalistic correspondences:

"Sunday corresponds to the Sun, Leo, yellow and gold.
Monday corresponds to the Moon, Cancer, purple and silver.
Tuesday corresponds to Mars, Aries and Scorpio, red (more cranberry red than the common fire-engine red), and iron and steel.
Wednesday corresponds with Mercury, Gemini and Virgo, orange and mercury (quicksilver).
Thursday corresponds to Jupiter, Sagittarius and Pisces, blue and tin.
Friday corresponds to Venus, Taurus and Libra, green (or pink) and copper.
Saturday corresponds to Saturn, Aquarius and Capricorn, black, and lead."

Hmmmm, Correspondences -- more things to perfect, err, I mean, more ways to train the will :-).

Roses, Turkeys and Sleeping In

2007-11-25T21:39:00.000+13:00

Aaaah, Mommy nirvana! Going with the Flow (see below) worked! My children are embracing my natural schedule and for the past week, they have risen at (drum rolllllll) 8-9am. Woot! They are staying up antil 8ish, but it's the middle of Summer and I am a night owl and everyone is waking up sooo much happier. Plus, they are getting to swim almost every day and they are blissfully tired come bedtime, so less grumbling.

So while I will never be an unschooler, our best day last week was an Unschool Day. Every Thursday in our home is Nature Day, when we make ourselves do something in, well, Nature. This week, we decided that we would go to the Parnell Rose Gardens, home to not only many lovely rose varietals, but one truly breathtaking "Grandpa Tree."

(There should be a photo here, but Blogger is having issues.)

As we were walking out the door Thursday morning, Biggie grabbed her yet unmarked drawing pad and decided that she was going to write down the name of every rose she saw. And that's exactly what she did. With dedication to her mission, she wrote down the names of dozens of different roses. I, having had a peaceful night's sleep, had the forethought to grab the camera and thus, our first book is formed. (Well, actually, it's only half finished because I need a photo printer, but that's another story.) More than anything, I am just so proud of her, because I know that she learned more that day, in her self-initiated work, than in a whole day of "lessons."

On to Saturday: Thanksgiving! Maybe not for you guys, who get to eat cheap turkey (way expensive in NZ), real gravy, and cranberries. But a bunch of Americans got together on Saturday, ate excessively and watched videotaped football (USC!!! I was sooo thrilled by that stroke of luck). For me, there were two big moments in the day. The lesser of the two was the presentation of a peanut butter pie. Now, if you've never had it, you've gotta try it; and if you have enjoyedPB Pie, you probably know that it requires CoolWhip...which we DON'T HAVE IN NZ! I haven't had PB Pie in ten years, so when this was busted out, me and the Texan went at it.

The second, and by far more memorable, event of the day was when Littlie stabbed herself in the eye with a green plastic fork. I cringe just thinking about it. She is okay, but her eye is bright red. What was really disturbing is that she was sitting right beside me, sticking her fork into the crack where two pieces of wood came together to form the patio table, and then pulling really hard to get it out....pulling right toward her face. I asked her twice to stop, but she didn’t and that third time was the doozie. I am just so grateful that she wasn’t hurt, and now I just keep hearing, “It’s all fun and games, until.....” She must be able to see, tho', because today she created her Meez, just there to the right! Dear G-d, is that portentious?

As for Thanksgiving-proper, isn’t it a wonderful holiday? I think that it is the one holiday that every nation should figure out a reason to celebrate. It’s the only holiday when family comes together just to be grateful for our many blessings. I feel the loss of Thanksgiving far more than I feel the weirdness of summer Christmas. It was funny tho’ to be in a house of ex-pats who brought everything with them and had the Turkey apron, the decorations, even the matching Thanksgiving towels in the bathroom. While my practical self would never want all that STUFF, I can’t help but think back on our departure from the States, which included two suitcases, our cd’s, as many bottles of wine as we were permitted, and two cats. Selling everything we owned, in retrospect, may not have been the wisest action ever, but it has made us minimalists. No matter how much I may love those Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving plates, I will never buy them because I look at material possessions now and think, “Would I move that across the world?”

But my ex-pat experiences are for another time. I must now plan my lesson for the week.

Happy week to all. May we each endeavour to remain full of gratitude and love every day of the year....not just when USC kicks ASU’s butt!

Totally Addicted

2007-11-21T19:30:00.000+13:00

I got to 1000 and stopped. Making myself not go back. You gotta have a go!

Why won't they follow the Rules

2007-11-20T20:41:00.000+13:00

I have had a tough day today. I had my girl-doctor appt today (once in four years ain't bad), and it resulted in me feeling pretty yucky for the afternoon. The girls knew that I didn't feel well (uh, yeah, because homeschooling Mom laid down for two hours this afternoon! duh), and as I rested on the couch, I saw that they simply don't get the Basic Rules -- you know, those ones that prevent you from breaking your friggin' neck! Such as: clean up after yourself when you finish a task (so I don't bust my butt on a piece of toy on the carpet), move your shoes away from the bottom step (doesn't every family have that one?). There are others: remove your tights and knickers - crotch up - from the floor beside my dining table (ok, maybe a bit too grown up, but still annoying), hang up your wet swimsuit instead of leaving it on the floor by mom's bed, or kindly refrain from serving yourself until Mom has actually made it those five feet to the table with the napkins/water/forks in her hand. These are all so basic: my husband and I both do them, we are consistent that the girls need to do these things, and yet these Rules just don't seem to sink in. WHY? WHY? WHY?

Really, what am I doing wrong? I have worked on routine, set up happy-happy task songs, asked, pleaded, and today, screamed my head off because I was shocked at the condition of Biggie's room (mess created ensemble) after my genuine need to rest.

What's worse for me is that we have always been without a support system (no family for, oh, about 11000miles) and I have raised the girls to see that we are a team. We gotta work together and be caring and kind to one another because we have no aunties to come over and give us a break. DH and I have had ONE NIGHT away from our children in six years of parenting. I need us to work together, and I just don't know what I am doing wrong.

Anyone, anyone? Bueller, Bueller?

Goin' with the Flow

2007-11-16T21:32:00.000+13:00

So last night, I tried to "go with the flow." The girls were playing together so happily that I wasn't strict about bedtime. Here's the result: today, they awoke far too early, given their late bedtime. They were fighting within moments. I finally contracted dh's mildly sore throat and stuffy nose, therefore I was in no humor for sibling angst at 7am, and I just didn't feel well enough to start a new "chapter" in our current lesson. They kept fighting, I continued to feel yucky, so I simply turned the couch around and let them watch dvds on the computer (no tv). I made popcorn, they veg'd. I think everyone was happy. Downside, they now know that the desktop can play dvds, whereas before today, they had only experienced videos via the laptop.

However, I had a wonderful day! We made felt! Three times, in an effort to figure out the best method. In the end, I think merino, piled thick, felted in a ziploc bag, is the way to go. I am attempting this because I really want to make a playscape. I also worked on some Christmas gifts, which involved needlefelting and crocheting. I then made bread (I'll get to that in a minute). I did laugh that the day was in my hands, and not my head, which probably suited sicky-ness.

I must also post a picture of Biggie's first needle felting. She begged to be allowed to do this and, as I was worried about safety (that's a big needle!), it took some time for her to wear me down. The design is entirely her own, and blood-free to boot:

Aaah, yes, they shall be just as weird as us.