Loved finding lots of comments on my blog today!! Visitors and regular readers alike, please do continue to jot a couple of words or thoughts down after the posts when you've time, it brings the whole thing alive.
People new to, or considering home education, please do scroll around between posts. There's lots over the whole of the last year about how we've made the transition out of a school-based lifestyle, the things that came up for me personally and for us as a family.
I tend to jump around a bit myself too, the thoughts I intend to blog are not necessarily the ones that get recorded that evening (if there is an available slot on the computer at all that is!) Those ones stew for longer in the thoughts pot and turn up weeks later with add-ons. Also they are much less rooted on the home ed subject now I think, so indeed scroll backwards if thats what you are looking for.
Enjoy, thanks for reading. Tell me about your blog too if you have one :)
Monday 27 August 2012
Wednesday 22 August 2012
It wasn't on The Map!
Some quite unexpected events have fallen in amongst the Weststar householders. All completely joyful, though at first glance they may seem like crises.
Just after my successful interview (you'll remember the one, big life change, half-time work, moving up and out of unemployed life, into sharing the paid work and home ed balance....) - I fell pregnant. Yes I do know how it happens, but I made a mistake about timings and this is how I find myself. And so Number 4 Weststar is on her or his way.
So up until now I've planned and dreamed and forged my way forwards with what I understood my life to be about. The map was detailed, if a little boring, I fitted in to what might be expected of me from the outside. (Well, except for the home ed I guess, and the grain-free awkwardness, and the anti-vaccine stance... OK OK dream on Westy if you think you were fulfilling expectations!)
So I thought I was following my map and pleasing those around me if they took the time to need pleasing.
But now, this absolute Gift of a soul growing in my belly is very inconvenient. We won't fit in a normal car (which we can't afford to run anyhow!), we are still largely unemployed in any real monetary sense. I smart at quite how this could have happened. It wasn't on the Map!
And yet I think I feel today about as humbled and lucky as I have felt of late. Totally supported by Grace and the Flow of Life. My new boss is figuring out how to still have me in a slightly different role and probably less hours initially. Friends have come forward with help and support abundant. I've realised I really did want another little bear (and any of this is only possible because of home ed, there is no way I would bring someone else into my previous incarnation as a school-running clock-watcher) and I totally trust that we'll figure it out.
Or, to hell with figuring it out. Its already sorted, we just have to surrender and go with the flow to support ourselves, continue our excellent family life and enjoy the relationships within our family and friend community that co-sustain. Hard work yes, I know that, but real ground roots work where we grow, thrive, learn and unfold.
When have unexpected things happened to you and how did you welcome them into your life? I'd love to know. Thank you for reading friends.
Monday 20 August 2012
LIfe's pretty uneventful really!
Describing different ways of understanding basic fractions over the last few weeks, found a new way with Blackberry today while she is singing her way through banana bread making. Jotted it down on the whiteboard after we'd talked about it so she can look at it when she wants to.
These are the moments where I can see they're learning! But all the gaps in between are full of those moments too. We've just said no telly for a week and I can sense the relief all around us. Just like when I cleared all the toys out of their room (needless to say its full again at the mo!! Everything ebbs and flows!)
We made bread on Saturday (wheaty even though we don't eat much wheat... its such a satisfying process and totally delicious to them - deprived of fully glutinous bread that they are the rest of the week!) Sunburst walked around the kitchen, his newly baked loaf wrapped in a tea towel "I love my bread, I love my bread". Going to see if Saturday works as a good day to do this each week.
Playing around with parental authority. I get so uncomfortable if we end up too far down the threats or demands route, though it would probably be helpful to come to some agreement with Papa Weststar about this. Its so obvious that Blackberry thrives on seeing how far she can push, so we end up positively draconian if we stand by our guns (about something we can just as well forget about!). Looking forward to exploring it more.
I understand the idea that children need parents to set boundaries and to be in charge, in control. But I don't see that this needs to negate their own sense of control, power and being in charge of themselves. There's so much give, take and sharing in our lifestyle, it feels total sense to work primarily on myself, my own reactions to incidents, letting the rest come.
And so day-to-day interweavings are in themselves pretty uneventful. And it is through this that I feel we've landed in home ed, we're preparing our little ones for life, day by day, moment by moment, mistakes, lightbulb moments, problem solving, the whole thing.
These are the moments where I can see they're learning! But all the gaps in between are full of those moments too. We've just said no telly for a week and I can sense the relief all around us. Just like when I cleared all the toys out of their room (needless to say its full again at the mo!! Everything ebbs and flows!)
We made bread on Saturday (wheaty even though we don't eat much wheat... its such a satisfying process and totally delicious to them - deprived of fully glutinous bread that they are the rest of the week!) Sunburst walked around the kitchen, his newly baked loaf wrapped in a tea towel "I love my bread, I love my bread". Going to see if Saturday works as a good day to do this each week.
Playing around with parental authority. I get so uncomfortable if we end up too far down the threats or demands route, though it would probably be helpful to come to some agreement with Papa Weststar about this. Its so obvious that Blackberry thrives on seeing how far she can push, so we end up positively draconian if we stand by our guns (about something we can just as well forget about!). Looking forward to exploring it more.
I understand the idea that children need parents to set boundaries and to be in charge, in control. But I don't see that this needs to negate their own sense of control, power and being in charge of themselves. There's so much give, take and sharing in our lifestyle, it feels total sense to work primarily on myself, my own reactions to incidents, letting the rest come.
And so day-to-day interweavings are in themselves pretty uneventful. And it is through this that I feel we've landed in home ed, we're preparing our little ones for life, day by day, moment by moment, mistakes, lightbulb moments, problem solving, the whole thing.
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Activity city!
I have sat at many points on the opportunities seesaw. What opportunities do we want for our children? To fill them up with everything that comes our way, to install in them a religiousness to their attendance at skill-building workshops because they might need them one day? To have a chance to do the things we didn't do as kids?
I remember bending over backwards to give Elderflower the chance to try out 'toddler tennis' when she was 4 - Blackberry then 6, to school, Sunburst, then half a year or so into a friend's arms at home and we two would snatch this 45 minutes session in the school hall at 10am each Wednesday. I was at that time keen to 'fill them up' with stuff that sounded good. Well everyone else seemed to be doing it.
Blackberry tried an after school club for a few weeks too. Again, everyone else seemed to do it and this musical opportunity was being poured full of government money with young keen musicians leading the show. Picking her up at 5.00 I chivvied her along, oh it'll be fine come on, you'll enjoy being able to play the violin.
We've tried Rainbows too. It was great for a few weeks, then flop.
Do we lack backbone? No, I think we simply are letting them lead, trusting their decisions. It is quite a hassle getting them places, which I'm more than happy to do if the place feeds them. But if they don't like it why would we push it for now?
I remember bending over backwards to give Elderflower the chance to try out 'toddler tennis' when she was 4 - Blackberry then 6, to school, Sunburst, then half a year or so into a friend's arms at home and we two would snatch this 45 minutes session in the school hall at 10am each Wednesday. I was at that time keen to 'fill them up' with stuff that sounded good. Well everyone else seemed to be doing it.
Blackberry tried an after school club for a few weeks too. Again, everyone else seemed to do it and this musical opportunity was being poured full of government money with young keen musicians leading the show. Picking her up at 5.00 I chivvied her along, oh it'll be fine come on, you'll enjoy being able to play the violin.
We've tried Rainbows too. It was great for a few weeks, then flop.
Do we lack backbone? No, I think we simply are letting them lead, trusting their decisions. It is quite a hassle getting them places, which I'm more than happy to do if the place feeds them. But if they don't like it why would we push it for now?
Rhythm
Every few months, the telly watching starts to crescendo upwards (from very little to a little if I'm honest!) - and it starts to feel like it takes over. I was talking with a Steiner teacher and it has renewed my enthusiasm to include the kids more in the house running, meals, tidying, sweeping etc. Like they always are, but to move things up a notch.
Back to the Simplicity Living book I think ( I'm good at reading half of books!) and on to the chapter on Rhythm, where things like this can be just part of the day. We don't need to wait til one of us is stressed and gotta tidy under duress, we simply add it in as a natural place on our day's cycle. Alongside scrubbing the wooden table, waxing the wooden drawers, stuff involving each of us in looking after the home.
Hang on maybe this is just about my housekeeping!
Maybe I've got a burst of sunshine as the kids get older where I'm able to see other jobs aside from the very basics that are covered in the first handful of years. Food, sleep, washing, bathroom, kitchen. That's about my repertoire. I remember just starting to care about the odd item of ironing before Sunburst was born (haven't got that back yet!) And veggy growing is up there in my daily tasks now :)
Some of the jobs I enjoy doing alone and use the TV option to enjoy time away from the kids for half hour or so. Gently challenging myself to see if there's still work to be done on that?
Have a friend, greatly admired, who's ditched toys with batteries. I have very little idea of how we came to have so many with batteries, I hate the things! L refers to Mother Earth and how batteries hurt her. Quite right! I enjoy this inspiration to stand by what I believe. Whilst I forgive myself for not having the energy to stand in the flightpath of mainstream culture all the time.
So there's these aspirations, TV-free, battery-free, clutter-free, busy little beavers, patching up the house like the birds in Snow White...!
And then there's what we've got. A real house with real people and some pets. Some crap (naturally!) but a fairly steady flow of stuff being passed on. Some times where we all spontaneously help each other. Cleanliness never too far away. Some TV used when tiredness or overwroughtness sets in, or when there is a quality programme to be enjoyed. Youtube used for answering questions.
Its good to have aspirations but ladling in the compassion not to look too far out of my sights.
Back to the Simplicity Living book I think ( I'm good at reading half of books!) and on to the chapter on Rhythm, where things like this can be just part of the day. We don't need to wait til one of us is stressed and gotta tidy under duress, we simply add it in as a natural place on our day's cycle. Alongside scrubbing the wooden table, waxing the wooden drawers, stuff involving each of us in looking after the home.
Hang on maybe this is just about my housekeeping!
Maybe I've got a burst of sunshine as the kids get older where I'm able to see other jobs aside from the very basics that are covered in the first handful of years. Food, sleep, washing, bathroom, kitchen. That's about my repertoire. I remember just starting to care about the odd item of ironing before Sunburst was born (haven't got that back yet!) And veggy growing is up there in my daily tasks now :)
Some of the jobs I enjoy doing alone and use the TV option to enjoy time away from the kids for half hour or so. Gently challenging myself to see if there's still work to be done on that?
Have a friend, greatly admired, who's ditched toys with batteries. I have very little idea of how we came to have so many with batteries, I hate the things! L refers to Mother Earth and how batteries hurt her. Quite right! I enjoy this inspiration to stand by what I believe. Whilst I forgive myself for not having the energy to stand in the flightpath of mainstream culture all the time.
So there's these aspirations, TV-free, battery-free, clutter-free, busy little beavers, patching up the house like the birds in Snow White...!
And then there's what we've got. A real house with real people and some pets. Some crap (naturally!) but a fairly steady flow of stuff being passed on. Some times where we all spontaneously help each other. Cleanliness never too far away. Some TV used when tiredness or overwroughtness sets in, or when there is a quality programme to be enjoyed. Youtube used for answering questions.
Its good to have aspirations but ladling in the compassion not to look too far out of my sights.
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