Growing Up Without Schooling

Pizza for Lunch

2007-09-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Look who was in the kitchen again. And it was delicious. Ice Princess made the dough herself and she was so proud to make us lunch. But I think that my favorite part was when both girls were sitting in front of the oven, watching it bake. The way that they were excited as the flame kicked on and found pleasure in seeing the cheese melt, it was too cute.

Ice Princess really enjoyed using the mixer.

She needed to sit on the floor to knead the dough properly.

After letting it rise for an hour and a half she formed the crust on the stone.

Then on with the toppings and back into the oven once again. Just look at that smile on her face.

And it brought a smile to Mighty Girl's face too.

The Princess and Her Beads

2007-09-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ice Princess was playing with these beads for hours. And then, in the end, she claimed that she needed more. She said that she didn't have enough. Ok, I guess we need more beads.

Research, Research, and more Research

2007-09-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

Children know exactly what they need to learn. And right now mine are learning how to gain information by researching. I can't even count the number of hours my kids put into research. They research video games. They research something they saw on tv. They research the what type of fresh water fish is the largest. They try to find information on other countries and cultures. They search for information on history and science. They look in books and on the Internet. They search for programs up and coming on the satellite dish. It is so funny to me that they spend so many hours doing the same thing that children that are their exact age, are being forced to do in school. Not only are those children being forced to do this research but, they are "taught" how to to it. They are being taught to do something that comes so naturally. My girls are having so much fun learning how to research something. The joy and satisfaction, as a matter of fact, even brought tears to Mighty Girl's eyes last night. Real tears of JOY! Joyful learning! How many kids that go to school, do you think, were this happy finishing there homework last night? I know that Might Girl will always remember how to find answers to her questions in life, I know she will have this tool that we call research, and I know that she will always love to learn. If you could just see how big my smile is spread across my face right now. I am so pleased that we found this passionate way to grow up learning.

Here are Mighty Girl and Ice Princess 5 minutes after they woke up yesterday morning. They have all the tools out that they need to play their games. The book open and at the ready. The computer fixed on the web page that will give them information they will need. Yes, as you can see this is serious play time.

Throwing Dough

2007-09-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Ice Princess decided that she wanted to make some home made play dough. So she dug out a book that had a recipe and took out all the ingreediants. She grabbed her trusty primary colors set of measuring spoons and in no time she was pretending to make a pizza pie.

Mighty's Sky Dragon

2007-09-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

I love watching Mighty Girl create. Her natural talents and abilities never cease to amaze me.

Magnetix

2007-09-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Mighty Girl and Ice Princess have been busily playing with their magnetix over the last several days. I could hear them discussing anything from the personalities of their creations to how it would be possible to create cars that would fly with the use of magnets. I snapped a few photos while they played. Isn't it funny that I can really "see" the personalities of the creatures that they made?

MeMe about me

2007-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

I was tagged with a questioner on MeMe. Here is where I'm supposed to post some rules and what not. I'm not going to, but I will list 8 random things about me, as requested.

So eight random things about me.....
1. When I was a pre-teen I was "in love" with Michael Jackson. I had his posters all over my room. It was his Thriller album that made my teenie bopper heart flutter.

2. I use to ride a dirt bike. Every weekend through high school I rode and loved it. I ended up selling my motorcycle to help pay for my wedding and honeymoon. It was worth it, and besides I scared the pants off of my hubby. He didn't like me to ride it anyway.

3. I think my favorite movie has to be The Princess Bride. It just has the perfect amount of everything, action, romance, and comedy.

4. I smoked very briefly in college. One of my roommates and I would sneak out with a pack of cigarettes and puff smoke all over each other, you know to get real stinky. Then we would come into our room and throw our jackets down onto the couch. We would do this just to bother another one of our roommates. She would walk into the room just appalled at the smell. Throwing her hands up and stomping over to our coats she would scream, "I'm going to have to go to the Dean about this!" Oh yeah, good times.

5. I love the smell of a brand new box of crayons. That delicious scent of paper and wax. It unleashes my creativity and sends my imagination flowing. I truly believe there is some sort of magic stored in a box of new crayons.

6. I don't think that I could be friends with anyone that doesn't have a sense of humor. Laughter and joking is what makes me tick, I can find humor in every situation.

7. I am still deeply in love with my husband. When he holds my hand as we watch a movie. When he runs his fingers through my hair. It makes me feel like a newly wed even after 15 years of marriage. He is my sweetheart.

8. I feel honored to be the mother of my children. The fact that God has given and entrusted me with these beautiful girls is awesome. Not awesome as defined by some silly valley girl, "Dude, like totally awesome," but I mean awesome as inspiring awe or admiration or wonder. Wondering how I could be so blessed as to have these two girls to fulfill my life. They are my bliss, my joy, my happiness.

Face Painting

2007-09-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

While Mighty Girl rested this morning Ice princess and I painted each other's faces.

She turned me into a clown.

Then I transformed her into a butterfly tiger.

Beautiful but deadly!

Postpone

2007-09-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, we had to postpone our trip to Disneyland due to my illness. We had planned on leaving on Monday and returning Friday. But, I would just be too miserable and vacations are supposed to be fun. So, I had the difficult task of telling the kids. Needless to say they were very sad. Mighty Girl didn't hardly move from the couch the entire day. And by dinner Ice Princess was very angry with me. I have to admit that I was sad and angry too. But, I did manage to rebook our vacation. We have decided to go during Halloween. I was so excited about spending a holiday there that I couldn't wait to tell my girls. I even purchased tickets to the Mickey's Halloween Treat, it is a party filled with games, costumes, candy, crafts, dancing, and rides. However, when I told them about this they were not excited. They said it was too far away to be excited about. Isn't it funny how the concept of time is so different for children then it is to adults. To me Halloween is right around the corner but to them it is an agonising seven weeks. Oh well, I am excited.

Yumm

2007-09-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last night the girls decided to make chocolate covered bananas. Here is how it went.

Yes, even Zack wanted to help. He is a very good helper, can't you tell?

Then after placing them in the freezer. Ice Princess had her first bite, and claimed that they were disgusting. Oh well, they had fun making them.

What the???

2007-09-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is what was walking around my house today....ummm any one know what it is???

The Princess and the King

2007-09-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

This nagging cough has kept me home yet again. I've really becoming tired of this barking cough of mine. So I decided to curl up with a blanket and a good movie. One of my favorite movies is The King and I, with Yul Brynner. I have seen this movie so many times and each time I laugh and cry like it was my first. As I placed my steaming hot mug of green tea down on the small wooden side table Ice Princess plopped down next to me. "What are you watching?" she asked me. "Only one of my favorite movies," I answered, giving her a morning squeeze. "It is called The King and I, and is set back in the 1800's. It is about a king in Asia that wants to learn and change and about a woman who comes to help him." She snuggles in deep to let me know that she is ready to watch it with me. As the movie progresses she pauses it many times. We stop and discuss the meaning of the movie, the meaning of culture. How slavery was a part of many countries. We talked about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. We spoke of the oppression of woman and slavery. At one point she ran and got the globe in order to locate Siam. Only to find that it was no longer called Siam. Many times she declared that the king was like an unschooler because he taught himself, and he loved to learn. Then the shock of the ending arrived. And as my eyes filled with tears Ice Princess paused the movie yet again. "He's dying?!?" she asked desperately. "Yes, he is," I replied. She wanted to know why. It didn't make sense to her. And then she became angry. I tried to explain that the king wanted desperately to change but the pull of the people around him and his ancestors were we too much for him to rectify. He was so torn that he became ill and lost the desire to live. At my explanation so became even more angry. "If he wants to change he should just change!" She hollered at the television. I told her yes it seems very easy to you and me and even to the prince but he just couldn't even though he wants to. So the only way that he could see that change happening was to die and let his son make those changes. "Well, I think that he is an idiot!" She declared. So I agreed with her that to us change is so simple but, back then things were different. It was actually a wonderful day spent with Ice Princess. We discussed very thought provoking topics and learned about history and cuddled and laughed and cried. This two and a half hour movie took a better part of four hours, but it just flew by. I will never get tired of this movie, it truly is one of my favorites.

I can't wait to see it again.

More Life Learners

2007-09-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

I missed our group meeting last week because of this cough and I missed posting about the week before for the same reason. So, I put together some photographs of our wonderful time at the park together.

Here Mighty Girl is at the top of the slide. She turning this ordinary slide into a water slide by pouring buckets of water down the slide for all the other kids. Everyone thought that was great fun.

Ice Princess is just hangin' around.

This is a lovely little fairy house that a few of the kids worked on, Ice Princess included. It was so detailed with it's grass roof, pebble walkway, and welcome mat. Look at the proud engineers. Bravo.

It was a fantastic day. I don't think we got home until 9:30 pm. Well, you know what they say, time flys when your having fun.

Aliens??

2007-09-02T00:35:00.000-07:00

I am feeling much better now. I can't remember being that sick in a long, long time. I am having a problem shaking this cough. But, over all I feel well.

So, I notice that the house has been quiet for some time and I decide to investigate. I call downstairs, "Girls, are you there?" After a few moments I hear no answer. I check the balcony, pulling the blinds back and smashing my nose against the cool glass. Nope, no one was there. I walk to the office, expecting to see them on the computer. But, the chair was empty. Finally, I open my bedroom door. The room was dark but I could see a glow coming from the bathroom. As I round the corner I can see them. The are both floating on their backs,with their eyes closed. Almost in a trance like state. The entire room was filled with lit candles. 15 candles or more. It was quite beautiful really. The way the flickering of the flames danced across the water. It was calming, just on the verge of being hypnotic. I decided that I wanted my camera so I tiptoe out of the room. On my return, I noticed that they hadn't even moved. I took a few shots but I think the closing of my shutter brought them out of their meditation. Mighty Girl flashed me a quick smile and then reached for something under her leg. She shot out her clenched fist straight toward my camera lens. She then opened her hand and said in a thick robot accent, "We mean no harm to your planet."

I was laughing and coughing and laughing some more.

Time for a little Crazy Frog

2007-08-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much lately. I haven't been feeling well. I am so lucky to have such a great family that takes such good care of me while I've been sick.

So here is a little dance that Ice Princess preformed for me to cheer me up. I hope you have on of these: a silly, funny, goofy, dramatic daughter.

Are You Comfy??

2007-08-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is how Ice Princess slept last night. Does that look comfortable? I'm not so sure.

Treecko and Pebbles

2007-08-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Before we decided to bring more animals into our home I asked the girls if they were sure that they wanted to care for them. I asked them several times if they understood the work that owning lizards involved. They assured me that they did know and were happy to do anything it would take in order to own a lizard. But, I know not to buy pet for children unless I am willing to be the one who is ultimately responsible. A few months ago we came across someone on craigslist (a web site that is something like a local ebay) that wanted to get rid of his baby geckos. So we jumped on it. And so far the kids have been great maintaining their "babies". The geckos require daily care and the girls have shown that they love to take do all of these chores. Today happened to be they day that their cage needed to be cleaned. They were actually excited, and I dare say thrilled to do this. Here are some photos of the process. I think that we may have a male and female by the way, just in case anyone might feel the need to own one in the future.

It was fun see Treecko and Pebbles (the names of the geckos) wondering around their newly cleaned home.

Sunset

2007-08-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

What? More chemistry?

2007-08-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

I keep finding myself saying, "Isn't it amazing how a child, when given the freedom to, can easily understand such difficult and complex ideas." I guess that I am mostly saying this to myself. Because my friends and family don't want to hear this over and over and over again. But, I am still amazed. That a child of just ten years understands how liquid has a saturation point. Now this is my wording of coarse, but I was made to understand this in high school chemistry. And I only came across it through books and class. She came to discover this late last night while watching one of her favorite television programs about life in the depths of the ocean. She paused the program and asked, "Mom, how come the water doesn't sink down into the sand at the bottom of the ocean like it does when I pour water into the sand at the park?" And then right away spat out at least a dozen more questions at me. As I tried to answer her, each time she would come back with, "No that's still isn't right," or "No that doesn't make sense."

So I suggested an experiment. I took out a glass and filled it with water. Next I opened the pantry and took out the sugar. I then had her scoop a spoonful of sugar at a time into the glass. As she stirred she said, "Yes, I know the sugar will dissolve in the water." Then after many, many scoops she could see that some of the sugar was starting to gather on the bottom of the glass. "Oh, I can see it's like the sand in the ocean. Now I understand." Here is the saturation of a liquid as defined in her words, "That's all it can hold. I can see that the water is full." And I have come to understand that the fancy technical terms don't really matter, especially at the age of ten. But she holds the key to the true meaning because it was her desire to learn it. And it became her desire because of playing with the sand and water at the park.

Cookies with Ice Princess

2007-08-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I suppose yesterday was very inspiring for Ice Princess because she woke up on a mission. She want to make a "big" batch of cookies. After gathering all the ingredients she was happily measuring and mixing. I started to notice how much "math" cooking really has. And even though when she used to be in school she claimed that she hated math, she was having so much fun with these fractions set before her. When she was finally done cooking all of her chocolate chip cookies she declared, "We have too many. I think I will sell some." So she ran into the bedroom and grabbed an old piece of poster board and a marker. She sat at the kitchen table and decided what to write. "Mom, how does two for a dollar sound?" She asked me, wiggling in her seat. "I think that sounds good, sweetie." After about ten minutes of precise writing she finished with her poster. She then gathered her small table and chair and headed out the door. She set everything up at the end of the driveway and waited for her "costumers". After about ten minutes she ran back in to grab a big glass of ice water because of the intense heat. Stopping just long enough to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. The after twenty minutes she jolted up the stairs to show me her first dollar that she had earned. She was so proud that her plan had worked. And at the end of the day she had made eight dollars. Way to go Ice Princess, follow your bliss.

Time Travel

2007-08-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Listening to my girls as they are having a conversation.
"That's easy, just go back in time and get some more".
"Ok, how do I do that?"
"I don't know, how about walking backwards."
Giggles.
"Yeah, walking backwards."
This time with belly laughs. And now they walk out of the room backwards. Bumping into things. Saying, "Don't stop now it's the wrong time!"

Cooking with the Sun

2007-08-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

"Can we really cook with sunshine?" Mighty Girl asked me with amazement. She had come across some website that was talking about solar energy (how I love the information highway). "Yes," I answered. And then I saw that gleam in her eye that I had seen so many times before. I could see the wheels turning. "I think that we can get plans to make our own solar cooker," I told her. With that said she handed me the computer. So I surfed many sites, and decided to use the pizza boxes since we had just ordered from Papa Johns the night before. I located all the the things that we needed. And they were off. This really started to inspire me. I found a couple "real" solar cookers for sale and was thrilled about the possibility of not using my oven at all. And then I found some other solar products that I would love to have for our home. Solar panels, solar water heater, solar attic fans, and so much more. I just relish in the idea that if we produced more energy then we use we can sell it back to the power company. Too bad that these things seem to be so expensive. Well, Christmas isn't that far away, is it?

With our first attempt we decided to make cookies.

Look Mom, I Can Fly!

2007-08-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

Today was filled with music. All day long Ice Princess and Mighty Girl sang songs that they would make up on the fly. They played the piano, creating new tunes and playing ones that they already knew. There was dancing and giggling. And my hubby even spent a good portion of the day playing his drums. Yes, we all made a joyful noise today.

And this evening we had a blast playing with the shutter speed on the camera. Oh, my side hurts from laughing sooo hard.

I heart my xbox

2007-08-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

We are a family of gamers. We love to play video games. I can't even begin to describe the hours of pleasure I get from playing. But, I equate it to what one must feel like when they find themselves in pure joy. And I have found mine there. It helps me cope. It is my escape. In my games I can be anyone. I can do anything. I can make choices that I am either too afraid to or would never make in my real life. I find that I am thrilled by it. I am engrossed by them. It has helped me to deal with tragedies in my life. I have learned leadership skills. I have learned mapping skills. I have learned to work with others tacticly. I have learned about history. I have learned about farming. I have learned about types of guns. I have learned self expression. I have to use my imagination and creativity. I have to solve difficult problems that sometimes leave me frustrated, but through this I can grow. I have learned how to relax. I have learned too many other things to count. I really do "get" why kids love them so much. How can anybody say that a child isn't learning from this medium? Heck, I'm an adult and know that I have learned a great many things. And children are far better at learning than adults are.

Here is a funny picture that some one that I play with online made for me. It is my face superimposed on the box of one of my favorite games.

And just to toot my own horn for a minute, here is my ranking on this game. Yes, 425. This is out of over 100,000 people playing. Ohhh, I'm KandyKill by the way.

Las Vegas Life Learners

2007-08-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Even though it was 107 degrees we still managed to have a blast. Ice Princess and Might Girl look forward to meeting every week with this group of unschooled friends. The group is called the Las Vegas Life Learners, and boy do we know how to keep cool on a hot summer day like today.

Right before we left we were treated to this rainbow.

And this beautiful sunset.

I can always count on feeling so good after our life learner days because of the laughter and love we all share with eachother.

Chemistry Lessons

2007-08-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

What does chemistry to 10 and 11 year old unschooled girls look like? Well, like this.

And this.

Oh yeah, and this.

Wow, chemistry really is fun.

Roses From My Dad's Rose Bush

2007-08-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

The Sky is Falling

2007-08-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

It couldn't have been timed more perfectly. The Perseid Meteor shower comes to us while my girls have been so interested in the night sky. When I told them of the shower they were so excited see the meteors diving across the sky. They decided to make popcorn to take with us.

Here Ice Princess and her friend Bree are popping the kernels. There nothing like the scent of hot, buttery, popcorn.

We decided to drive up to Mount Charleston to view the night sky. So, we met up with Bree's family and headed up the mountain. It is only a short 25 minute drive from the house, but it is far enough away from the city lights. It was an amazing view. I couldn't believe just how many stars we could see. We also observed the milky way, which lead to many more questions about the stars and space. In the conclusion of which Ice Princess and Mighty Girl decided that they really had to have a telescope. There was a chill in the air so everyone was bundled up and smuggled together. But, at about 11:30pm, and after spotting many meteors we all decided that we were too cold to continue. So we said goodbye to our friends and headed home.

On the ride home however, the kids decided that they really weren't done watching the meteors after all. They just wanted a warmer spot to view them. So, I headed toward Indian Springs. After about another twenty minutes after we were back on the highway I located a turn off. It was just a little dirt road. As we pulled up we noticed that other star gazers had had the same idea. So we pulled out the blankets and pillows and cleared the big rocks off of the desert floor. At about 1am we could see up to 3 or 4 meteors a minute. Then we saw one that was about 3 times bigger than any we had observed before. This red and orange orb tore through the night sky quite slower then the others, leaving a pink and white tail behind. If I had only seen this one meteor the entire night it would have been worth it. It was an awesome night filled with friends, laughter, and a heavenly shower.

oohhh my..

2007-08-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. It is Mighty Girl and her friend Bree. Don't they look pretty?!?

Too funny

2007-08-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

As we were driving home tonight I hear from the back seat of the car,
"His specialties are torture and weaving."
mmmm....kind of a strange combination, really. They are just too funny.

Crafting, Weaving, and Drawing, oh my..

2007-08-12T01:59:00.000-07:00

Well, my girls are on a new quest. They have decided to find out all they can about staying up all night and enjoying the sunrise. They have made it the last two nights and tonight will be the third. Not only are they just getting pure pleasure out of the fact that they can stay up all night but, I noticed that they are documenting what they find. They have a piece of paper that has recorded times throughout the night explaining what they observe. They have constellations drawn that have been located in the sky. Mighty Girl has sketched the orange and pink sky in her sketch book. And they have taken many photos and videos of this amazing phenomenon that we casually call sunrise. They are in have found pure bliss in this endeavor.
So needless to say their days have been sleep filled. When they do finally awaken they have been mostly interested in crafting, weaving and drawing. As I am not staying up all night with them I only have a photographs of the daytime activities. Our table looks like a crafter's delight.

Playtime

2007-08-11T01:01:00.000-07:00

I have absolutely to be honest. I love that my girls still play with toys. It may seem silly but, I find joy out of watching them play. But, I have to pretend not to be peering at them because they don't like it. So, I sneak a little peak here and grab a few quick glances there. On occasion there are times though when I think that they are truly on "another planet" when they are playing and I can take a few pictures with out being discovered.

I was thinking about this because I was watching the television show, American Inventor and on this program there is a man who invented a toy for kids. With this toy boys and girls would receive an R.C. engine and remote control and a cd for the computer. The child would be able to choose which type of car or plane they wanted to build and then print it out and then eventually build one on their own. That sounded really fun to me. But, when his toy was tested the children (ages 10 through 13) all said that they don't play with toys any more. That they were too old for this toy. What??? Too old for a toy?? Heck I still like toys. I think that our society with all of this pushing and forcing has cut out childhood completely. How terribly sad. So very tragic for those boys and girls that don't play after the age of 10. And how can we as a society be doing this to our youth?? Isn't it time we take our children and their childhoods back!!!

Crochet!!

2007-08-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Darleen came over because she wanted to have me help her a littler with her blog. As it turned out Ice Princess learned a little something new too. She learned to crochet. I never really was interested in knitting of any sort so I have never been able to show her how do do anything like that. After Darleen and I had chatted for a while and I finished letting her pick my brain she took out her crochet needle and began knitting. Ice Princess had had enough of the video games that the other kids were playing and got up and sat down next to Darleen.
"How do you do that?" Ice Princess inquired, showing real interest. And that is all that was needed. The next thing you know Darleen had explained it well enough to her that she was off and running. And loving it. She was so thrilled with herself. And so happy Darleen had explained it to her. This is what unschooling is all about. Waiting for the child to show an interest in something and helping them achieve their goal. No force necessary. Life is good.

Here is Darleen showing Ice Princess how to crochet.

And here she is today after a quick trip to grap her some yarn and a crochet hook.

ooohhh pretty...

2007-08-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Your Brain is Purple

Of all the brain types, yours is the most idealistic.
You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.
Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.

What Color Is Your Brain?

A new phase

2007-08-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have never been here before. What I mean is, I have never raised pre-teen girls before. Especially in this unschooled environment. When they were younger and we first changed to this way of living and learning as the girls would find something new they would joyfully bring it to me. And ask what I thought about it. What ever "it" was. And now as they are older, they seem to need my input less and less. The value that my opinion used to have on what they found interesting has decreased. The mommy market has crashed I'm afraid to say. But, this was my goal wasn't it? To help my kids become independent thinkers. To know what they value as important and know what makes them happy. So in this I can say that I have planted my flag on the top of mount independence, and shouted FREEDOM from the hilltop. And then I turn around and see the steep mountain I must climb down. We traveled up here together but the walk back is mine alone. So for now I will start heading back. Walking slowly, and every once and a while turning around and taking a few steps back up when I hear, "Mom, how do you spell, ----" Shouted from somewhere in the house. So as I leave them this afternoon to run a few errands and get my hair done. I will kiss them in the foreheads and whisper to them I love them, because they are still sleeping. I know they were up late last night enjoying their lives as the Mighty Waltons.

Silly Girls

2007-08-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was already awake when Ice Princess woke up this morning. She cuddled up next to and placed her soft cheek on my arm.
"I had a wonderful dream last night, mom." she said in a sleepy voice.
"Oh yeah? What was it about?" I asked her, running my fingers through her golden hair.
"I dreamt that in the future there won't be any kids that will have to go to school."
"I wonder how different our world would be?" I asked her, wondering what she had pictured.
"Everyone would be happy, like me." she she with a wide grin.

Later at the table my girls broke out in a sort of singing rhyme. Just to let you know Link is a main character on a video game called Zelda.
Here is a picture of him.

I know the drink.
It is never pink.
The favorite of Link.
It is a drink.
From the elusive mink.
Yes, he loves this drink.
A powerful drink.
Milk of the mink.
What do you think?
It will make you wink.
And even blink.
Link's best drink.
Of the elusive mink.
They were saying this over and over. Giggling. Changing the lines. Creating new ones. And it was all spontaneous, and composed by my little girls. I was laughing they were laughing. I love my silly, silly girls.

Zebra Question

2007-08-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

I asked the zebra,
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or are you quiet with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on
And on and on he went.
I'll never ask a zebra
About stripes
Again.

Shel Silverstein

Thankful

2007-08-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

I have had a very peaceful day today. I have been feeling very centered, very relaxed after a very stressful week. And there is something else I am feeling. I have felt this same sensation every time I sat down today. This feeling that somehow seems so unfamiliar to me. But, I am not sure why. And yet it feels so good, so nice. Maybe, I am ready to really stop feeling the pain that grieving for my father has left me.
As I set my ice cold glass down on the small side table next to me and reach for my thick novel that I am currently reading I have this wave consume me. I sit there grinning from ear to ear. I am feeling thankful. Truly thankful. Not for material things but for everyone that I have in my life. For Mark my devoted husband. For my children, they teach me something new every day. For Darleen for opening my eyes to new possibilities. For Miranda for starting the life learner group and for helping guide me when I have questions. For Rachel for reminding how to grow and change. For Tara for the possibilities of new friendships. For Amy and her hugs. For Elizabeth because she is so easy to share my heart with. For Kalena that is reminding me to love everyday. For Kime and Stephanie for their friendships. For Rebbecca for my first family sleepover. For my mom who brought me into this word and stayed home with me when I was young(yes, I truly look back on my childhood with happy memories). For my Dad who taught me the importance of being trustworthy and honest. For the wonderful friendship I have with my brother and his wife. For my perfect little nephews. For my grandparents and all the advice they still give me. For the love that God has for me. For the life I have, the life I live, all the friendships and love. My cup is overflowing. How I have missed this amazing sensation of thankfulness.

WoW, it's Ice Princess

2007-08-03T01:07:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some older pictures and found this video of Ice Princess that was taken two years ago in the Dominican Republic. Looks like fun...

It takes two

2007-07-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

My husband is the head of our household but don't let him find out that I said so. I like him to think that I am the one that is running the show. But, if I am to be truly honest, and what a better place to be honest, I have to admit that he will always have the last word. Not by force or coercion, don't get me wrong. But by choice, my choice to really value his opinion. And I think that I hold such a great value to his opinion because he values mine. When we disagree, points can be made and compromises can be met easily because we have such high regard for each other. Our marriage has been one of love, adoration, passion, laughter,trials, more laughter, some tears, calmness, and compromise. I can after almost 15 years of marriage count on one hand the fights that we have had. It's not that we don't disagree but we don't disagree on much. We allow each other to be individuals and pursue our individual passions. Sometimes finding the other's passion interesting and other times not. And by doing this, by allowing these things we become closer as a couple, and we are better parents. Having our kids brought up with a united front, that loves unconditionally, and that excepts each other for who they are not who someone wants them to be is a key point in our unschooling journey. That and not being afraid of change, not being afraid to admit that we can better ourselves, and not being afraid to admit that we aren't perfect but are taking risks and trying new things to promote growth within ourselves. That is why we love to be an unschooled family.

Lightning

2007-07-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Last night we had some lightning. So Mighty Girl took the camera outside and this is what she ended up with. Great photograph.

Off to the Tropicana

2007-07-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

It isn't often that we decide to go down to the Las Vegas "strip" but today was an exception. After all we have lived here for almost 13 years now and both of my kids were born here. So the bright lights from the casinos and ringing of the slot machines has never lead me to fame nor fortune and only to a pounding headache and nausea. But today we were actually very excited to go.

We were going to the Tropicana to see a couple exhibits. Not only that, but we also were meeting up with some the the families that are in the same unschooling groups as we are. So we were doubly excited! There are two exhibits running right now. They are the Bodies Exhibition and the Titanic Exhibit. The girls had a great time checking out everything. I don't think that I have ever seen such an amazing exhibit as the bodies exhibition. And I didn't get to meet with the Life Learners (our unschooling group) last week and I could really feel the difference in myself. I really miss them when I don't see them. All the women in this group are so loving. They are really like our family. I know that the girls feel the same way. My sister in law made a comment while they were here that my girls got along and played with their little cousins so very well. I know it is because the girls have friends of all ages here in this group. They can appreciate what every child has to offer and age makes no difference to them. We are so happy that we found the Las Vegas Life Learners!!

Anyway, what was I talking about..... oh yes. The exhibits. So after we toured both of them Ice Princess and Mighty Girl bought a small human skeleton from the gift shop. There in the lobby they had a great time putting it together. Here are some pictures. It was a great day!!

The Half-Blood Prince or Eldest

2007-07-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

I spent the day running errands. I found a new pair of shorts for me, I purchased the sixth book in the Harry Potter series (The Half-Blood Prince), and the second in the Eragon series (Eldest), I bought crickets to feed to the geckos, and brought home a little something for the kids to eat. My hubby had left them while I was out and they had not fixed themselves anything to eat.

It's sort of funny, I have a 20 percent off discount card at Barnes and Noble (anyone that is a teacher or parent to a home schooler can get one) but, every time I take it out to use it they say, "Is this book going to be used in the classroom?" And I feel the same way every time the cashier says these words in what is usually a semi condescending way. I feel as if I was being sucked into a large pit almost like a time warp of some sort. I am always rendered momentarily speechless. So I swallow hard and give her sideways smile. "Yes" I reply, "I home school my kids". How can I keep forgetting that our society says that only some books have educational value and others don't. Oh well, I know this isn't true and right now that's all that matters.
Anyway, I am very excited to read these two books with Mighty Girl but, Ice Princess shows no interest. I wonder if she would actually like to join us when we read together but says no just because it makes her feel powerful to say "no". I'm not sure that she really knows the adventure she is missing out on when we read together. She only likes to read on her own. When the mood strikes her just right she'll take a book and lock herself in a room (usually the bathroom, which as it turns out is one of her favorites rooms) and does not come out for hours. Not that I am complaining, mind you, I just find the differences between my children fascinating sometimes. I do have to admit however that I love our snuggle time when we read to each other. Isn't it great that my 12 year old still cuddles with me!?! Now to decide which one to read first. That will be the hard part.

A Visit From Family

2007-07-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Ice Princess and Mighty Girl only get to see their cousins once or twice a year. They had such a good time catching up. My brother and his family were in town for a week and it never seems like it is long enough. I wish that they lived closer. Here are some picture of his boys and my girls having fun.

The Seed

2007-07-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

On a day like today,

no colder than this,

a slight breeze came blowing,

and with it a small, innocent,

seed came flowing.

Over the tall pine trees,

that covered the summit,

drifting by a swift flowing brook,

this is the path that the tiny,

seed took.

There it settled,

in the warm, moist earth,

just like every seed knows,

it will use this rich soil,

as the seed grows.

The sky then covered,

by dense gray clouds,

plump drops fell and as they pressed,

this seed was buried further,

before it came to rest.

Now who will tell,

who will be the one,

to teach this new little seed,

how to grow big and strong,

and keep it from becoming a weed.

Now day turned to night,

and weeks into months,

but no one filled this big task,

no rules were laid down,

I know I did ask.

It was left all alone,

with no textbooks to study,

so do I dare go and see,

should I take a look at what

this helpless seed became to be?

Over the hill I did climb,

through the deep forest pine,

and along that rushing brook,

I sought out that little seed,

following the path that it took.

Finally I arrived,

to my great delight,

it was not an ugly weed that I found,

but a lovely yellow wildflower,

planted firmly in the soft ground.

How will they ever learn math???

2007-07-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that the most frequently asked question regarding the way that my children are being raised is, "How will they EVER learn math?". I guess that people can't imagine that math could possibly take place without workbooks and lessons. So here is just one of many accounts on how my girls are "teaching" themselves math.

Ice Princess loves those police shows, animal cop shows and really anything that has to do with the law and it's enforcement. So, one afternoon she was watching the program called Speeders. It is a show that lets you see people's reactions when they are caught speeding. When someone is pulled over, the frame is frozen and information about the driver is revealed. Such as his or her name, the state that he/she is in, his/her occupation and how many years they have been driving. So Ice Princess is sitting on the couch still in her pajamas clutching tightly to her tivo remote control. I was in the kitchen working on my budget (uggghhhh). I notice that she keeps pausing the show as this information about the driver comes up. Finally, I take a break and see that she is deep in thought and the tv is paused once again. So I asked her what she was doing. She then rewound the show to the beginning and forwarded to all the parts of the show that told about the speeder. Each time she told me how old the drivers were at the time they received their tickets for speeding. Now this was one piece of information that was not given about these offenders. So I asked her how she knew their ages. She came back quickly with, "That's easy mom, people get their driver's licence when they are 16 and then the show tells me how long they have been driving for." She had decided to make up a story problem, something that her peers were made to sit and do at a desk in school. But she was happily doing the same thing in her home, in her pjs, and with one of her favorite mediums (the tv). And she was doing it because it was important to her and not to someone else. She was applying it directly to her life and in that way she will remember how to use this same tool over and over again with no trouble or difficulty.

Yum Yum Dim Sum

2007-07-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

If you are feeling adventurous and want something a little different for breakfast or lunch, how about going out for some dim sum? In Chinese the term dim sum means "touch the heart" and refers to the lovely little dishes that make up the dim sum experience. This traditional Cantonese meal is brought right to your table via little push carts. The waitresses stroll up to the table with their carts full of steaming small dishes and with one or two points your table is full of new foods that will delight your taste buds. Now, if you frequent a authentic dim sum restaurant, as we did in china town you may not know what is in the uniquely prepared dishes. But, that is part of the adventure. Just point at whatever looks good and give it a try. My brother who frequents China introduced me and my family to dim sum and he has been in town visiting this week so decided go to the Cathay House together. My girls always love the adventure that dim sum brings.

Here are examples of the different carts.

Here is a dish that is cooked by wrapping it in a lotus leaf.

This is my brother's youngest, X man, enjoying the food.

Mighty Girl and Ice Princess are getting better with the chopsticks.

YES, lets spoil our children!!!

2007-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

I figured since I am already here and I have already changed how I raise and "educate" my children my next step is to redefine some ugly words in our society. The first word that I'd like to attack is "spoiled". What type of picture comes to mind when you hear that someone has a spoiled child? I know, some whiny brat that wants everything he sees and some week minded mother or father that just can't say no. Was I right?? Well, I am here to give you an entirely different image. You see I teach my girls that they can always be happy in this life. Sure there are going to be situations that arise where there will be sadness, anger, frustration, pain, jealousy, boredom, and and just plain stagnation. But, I think all of those things are good because without out them you cannot know how to seek the opposite. If you don't have contrast in your life how can you know what will bring you joy? So I want my kids to be happy, to find whatever brings them bliss. I also want them to be able to do this for themselves and not depend on others for their happiness. So following that train of thought I want my kids to have everything that they want that brings them to their joy, their bliss. The difference here is that my girls live in an environment that doesn't judge their actions. Let me give you an example, they can study something to what ever extent they desire. Mighty Girl went through a phase where she had to rent, buy, record, film, draw, paint, document, and in all other ways learn about birds. It went on for weeks. Many hours a day, mostly in the middle of the night. But, she was free to do so. And, I was excited for her. I didn't place limits or judgments on her. I never said, "Don't you think that is quite enough?" or, "Isn't it too late to study?". I never said this mostly because I never felt that way but also because I would have hated those things to have been said to me when I have a passion for something. Even if this means that they have to have every video game system out there or that they only want to read about Pokemon everyday. My girls are passionate about a great many things. I feel it is my job as their mother to introduce new material into their tiny worlds but it is okay for them to tell me no, that that is not interesting to them. I love that they know what they like and don't like. So to that end, they always get what they want. They never feel as though they "need" something that is unattainable. For them everything is within reach. They can and will get everything that they want. And because they know who they are, they know how to follow their bliss. They just don't want to have everything! So please, lets spoil our children.

Here they are studying a beetle they found near the pool. Mighty Girl wanted to know everything about it. So she dissected it so that she was able to completely understand it. I would not have chosen to do that but it was something that brought her happiness.

Sydney

2007-07-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

Gone the day, with my arms full.

Soft, warm, cherry lips.

Peering over handmade blankets.

With apple cheeks and slate eyes.

Drifting lavender and powder.

Gone the morning, not quite awake.

Her back against my breast.

Shallow breath, white t-shirt.

Her crown snug under my chin.

Golden rays begin to break in.

Gone the afternoon, gazing down.

Watching contented, giving life.

Perfect rocking in time to every breath.

Tiny feet lost in my palm.

Minutes that last forever.

Gone the nights, pained.

Reaching in her barred trundle.

Dancing with her this midnight dance.

Desperate to ebb the strike on my ears.

Attempting to barter with patting and bouncing.

Here is the moment, radiant.

Healthy, biting in to life.

A delicious ripe melon, juicy and sweet.

Sweeping electricity and water.

The best has just begun.

Zoom, Graffiti, and Sweets

2007-07-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well it was a relaxing day. The girls worked hard on one of their favorite games, Graffiti Kingdom. In this game you create and draw in three dimensions your own characters. You have a to consider all three dimensional planes when creating. Then you have to decide on it's powers and abilities. When this is all done the game animates the character and you can play as the character you created. Today, Ice Princess took the time to take pictures with her own camera of the villain and then take this picture to try and create her own character to look just like the boss on the game. She was so excited when she succeeded and it looked as if the boss was fighting itself. Here is a picture of Mighty Girl putting on the finishing touches.

Ice Princess is just beaming. Now to create a my little pony.

My hubby came home with a movie and sweets. So we all snuggled down on the couch. It was a pretty cute family flick called Zoom.

Yup, he is quite a dork. But, he's my dork.

It was a great day. Here is Mighty Girl saying see ya later...

Getting to know us

2007-07-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to throw together some random pictures of our family so that you can know what it is really like to be a Mighty Walton. All of these pictures were taken over the last four or five months. These first few ones are from a trip we took to California in March.

Ice Princess and Mighty Girl really enjoyed the aquarium.

And now for some face painting...

Here the girls and I are at Spring Mountain ranch just hanging out with all of their Life Learner friends. It was such a beautiful day.

And what is life without a little mud???

Here we are at the butterfly habitat in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Ice Princess is standing in front of the Colorado River. She was so excited to know where her drinking water comes from.

Now we are on Mount Charleston in Nevada. Can you see how proud they are after building their first fire?

I hope you had fun sneaking a small peak at life as a Mighty Walton.

In The Begining....

2007-07-20T01:12:00.000-07:00

My name is Caroline. I am 34 and have been married for 14 years. I have 2 girls. My oldest is 12 whom I will refer to as Mighty Girl and my youngest is 10 and shall, for more reasons than I can count, be named Ice Princess. We started out with our little family just as most Americans do. Not questioning the mainstream belief that our children should be forced into learning, acting, and behaving as they were told. That this forceful parenting is what must be best for them. When they were upset as toddlers they were placed in time out. When they said "unkind" words they were made to say that they were sorry. It was my belief that I was to bend their will as little children because I knew best. After all I treasured my children dearly. So, as they reached the age of 5 everyone told me that it was time to start school. Now, don't get me wrong, I had kicked around the idea of home schooling. But, I thought that it needed to look like the way traditional school was run. And, I knew that I didn't want to do that. Needless to say instead of exploring why it was that I didn't want to do that, instead I found myself at the uniform shop. Buying those adorable checkered jumpers and leather mary janes. I guess that it wasn't until my life had been turned upside down that I finally asked myself the question. Maybe you are saying, "What question?" Well, I guess the most important of all of the questions, the one that kept jumping out at me was, "Are my kids happy?" I mean isn't that the most important lesson or value that we can give to our children. And as I looked at my girls working so hard on some mindless lessons that were drilled into them in school, only to be forgotten as soon as they had been tested. I saw that not only weren't they happy I didn't even believe that they knew what true happiness was. They were always told what to do and think and say. They didn't even know how to decide what they liked to do or not. And so my search began. But, I suppose I should mention what made me look at they way I was parenting. It was all due to an angle.
I remember the first time I saw him. It was 9 years ago and the girls and I had just taken my mom for some blood tests and had stopped at the local fast food restaurant for a bite. Mighty Girl was only 4 at the time and she grabbed her baby sister's hand to take her to the top of the slide. Ice Princess was too short to climb the steps so her big sister helped her to the top. On the way up they were joined by a little boy. I could hear the laughter tickling the air as they tackled the slide. And then squeals of delight as the three of them flew down. At the bottom they landed arm in arm. My girls were holding this little boy and all three of them acting as if they had known each other forever. His bright blue eyes met mine and he gave me a wide grin. It goes without saying that our families became fast friends. The girls would have play dates with this angle at least 2 or three 3 times a week. And I called his mommy my best friend. Every weekend was spent together and and all holidays too. I felt like his mommy was my sister and his daddy my brother in law. Then, one week after this angle turned 4 he was diagnosed with leukemia. This was devastating. But, after a lot of crying and praying and crying some more the heaviness started to lift. It seemed that the treatment was working. So at the ripe old age of 5 he began school with Ice Princess.

Then when he was 6, Mighty Girl came home one gusty October day and told me that she and Ice Princess had to carry their angle in from recess because his legs were hurting too badly to walk. I looked into her eyes any stroked her thick dark hair, and at that moment knew how lucky I was to have two small, healthy blessings in my life. Yes, he had relapsed. So it was back on the heavy chemotherapy and saying goodbye again to those lovely sandy blond locks. This time my husband and this angle's daddy all shaved their heads together. It became apparent that the battle to stay in this physical place that we are in became too hard. So, after many "conversations" with God this tiny angle decided to go. After all, he had asked his mommy to buy him a phone so he could carry on these conversations. Shortly after his 7th birthday he passed away. I then realized that long life was not guaranteed. That the pursuit of love, joy, and happiness is paramount. I could no longer hold this little angle in my arms and he could no longer melt me with his heavenly blue eyes. I would not see him grow to be a man. This is what I think that I was supposed to learn from the little angle, to be the best parent that I could . To treat my kids with love and respect. To treat them as if it were the last day I could spend with them. I will forever miss him but what a great lesson to be learned. And so we started our journey. Not being told what we "should" be learning. But looking at what life can "teach" us as my children are growning up without schooling.