Bath chats, car chats, crackling the ice chats

Finally got here!
I might not be long!! I feel like the computer might explode or stop me somehow from musing!

We've moved house, we've had the flu, we're settling now. In equal measure the move has been exciting, giving us many opportunities that we've been asking for for years and frightening as we are a long way from the city, down a lane in the snow, miles from our current support network...

I am fairly confident that it will help me to grow in inner strength and patience -- but I must confess to wondering how it happened quite like this! We had our first cherished visitors today which was bliss.

And so today has been a series of blessings, whilst still feeling poorly from this deep and bizarre virus we've caught, the children are showing signs of being a little more settled. Elderflower is a soft balm at the moment, gently getting on with things, noticing little jobs she can do to help, saying Yes to little ideas I have - shall we walk up to see the horses - Yes Mum.

Yes is such a fabulous word. I hear No a lot and whilst it bounces as much as I can let it, the expansive affirmation of a fellow human being agreeing and joining me in some act is Beautiful and never fails to send warm glowing gratitude into my heart and limbs.

We used to have a day every now and again: A Yes Day. I might bring this practise back. Much needed light and fluffy approach to life, fun, laughter and affirming each other - its all got a bit serious around here at times!


And so onto the home education factor - it has of course given us the freedom to move - I'm not sure I could have coped with the added upheaval of pulling the children from their school and planting them somewhere else all within the time frame of moving house. But if they had a school to go to it may have cushioned them from some of the chaos entering a nicely ordered classroom each day while our many belongings float down around our ears and find places to live within the home environment.

- Where's the crochet hook?! - Where's my sketch book?! - Mum you know that ..... I was working on ..... which box is it in ?! A wise friend helped me recently (I think she specialised in child psychology in her working days) by reminding me that for children to grow as balanced individuals they need a fair share of trauma and chaos. Thank heavens for that!

Just as the word Yes warms my bones, the sight of engaged children, asking questions and figuring new things about their world lights my way. Whether we're sitting with a book, in the bath, on a car journey or walking down the lane the questions keep coming. This is the home education. The children continue to do it their way and they will fill their cups to the brim with the enthusiasm and lust for growth true of all living beings.

Yes!!

Carrying 9 year olds (and other great parenting tips...)

Add moving house to our list of things to achieve, sprinkle on a bit of new year flu! And you have the house of loopiness!

I've been swearing like a trooper at inappropriate moments, exploding with bursts of anger at bedtime (just when the house is starting to become still...), attempting to carry a 9 year old who refuses to go to bed, oooo the list goes on!

Just wanted to balance my blog out with the real picture!!

And thank heavens for telly these last couple of days!
And thank heavens that I am as free with my apologies, forgiveness and revisiting/reflecting as I am with my expressions of anger!

Hope you're all well and that 2013 is beginning well in your families.

I've heard positive things about other schools considering offering flexi-school options. Benjamin's school, a new approach to schooling in Norfolk has completed its bid for starting in Sept 2014 -- sending that proposal much much light :)

It all begins with ideas and with sharing them.

However off-the-wall our dreams may be to create innovative, down-to-earth, real life preparation learning spaces and experiences for our children, we can look around and find that others are having these dreams too.

Whilst my blogging wavers all over the place along with my life experiences, I am holding the light for sharing more, dreaming more, and manifesting more. So that the positive experience we are able to share with our kids, much more family based than any current school offers, can show itself as the very real choice that it is for any other family considering it.

Yes, go on, do it!