Five Things You Didn't Know About Me

Linking this up at Bohemian Bowmans. Blogging friends, come join in.

1. In September of 2000, with about 48 hours planning, I quit my job, left a (mostly disastrous) relationship, and moved 450 miles away to the town where I had attended college. Within the week I had a new apartment and a temp job. (I was later hired on full-time and worked with them for seven years.) A few months later (February 2001) I met Dear Hubby. Now I'm married to the Navy, corralling Agents, and life is pretty sweet. 

2. When I was about 6 years old, I got bitten by my neighbor's dog . . . this tiny, little, yappy dog. (Think Toto.) I had nine stitches in my lip and chin, and still have a scar. I'm thinking this might have something to do with my current feelings about dogs.

3. I am terrible in an emergency. Seriously, I am the last person you want around if clear and coherent thought is needed during a disaster big or small.

4. I can count on one hand the number of text messages I have sent in my entire life. (Not making this up.)

5. I have donated a total of 25 inches of hair to Locks of Love. The first donation was 14 inches; the second 11 inches. Somewhere around the time Julia was born all patience for growing my hair went out the window.

Okay; your turn. What's something no one (or almost no one) knows about you?

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

7 Quick Takes Friday (37)

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday. 

Today's Quick Takes is Clear Out the Blog Draft Folder Day. For some reason, I keep fooling myself into thinking that I'm going to write more posts more frequently than humanly possible while keeping up with the Agents solo. Sigh.

1. I'm having an existential I'm no good at writing I have nothing to say I have too much to say maybe I should be more snarky less snarky controversial not controversial never write again write every day give it all up really put more energy into blogging do I really even care yes of course I care kind of moment. Also known as my Semi-Annual Blog Freak Out. For those of you who are new here, about once every six months Something Happens that makes me re-evaluate my little corner of the writing world. It usually involves a rewrite of my "about me" info, changing some links in my "favorites" column, and tweaking the blog design. Often I will convince myself that I really need to go self-hosted, or at the very least switch to WordPress. This typically lasts a day at most. Occasionally I will do something very Not Me like publish a few super crabby posts, share articles on topics I wouldn't normally share,  or start asking questions I don't want answers to. I usually eat chocolate until it passes.

Hard at work

2. I follow a military officer spouse group on Facebook, and (as expected) the subject of moving to a new area comes up a lot. The number one topic seems to be some variation of: What are the schools like? Is it a good school district? I have a [insert random age or school grade] child, and we want to live near XYZ school. I find that a lot of folks who don't even have school age children want to know about preschools and pre-K programs. And I just can't help but wonder what answers folks look for when they ask about "good" schools. Teacher to student ratios? Ratings on a site like Great Schools? Extracurricular activities? Test scores? Personal opinion of a few random people on a message board? Or do we just ask this question because it sounds like the responsible thing to do? Conversely, what would you need to hear that would make you think, that sounds like a bad school?

3. Yesterday we did a play room overall. Every once in a while we move things around and organize them a bit differently, usually finding some toys that have been "misplaced" for a while (e.g., the rest of the tea set, the missing block, a book that fell behind the toy box). It's a mess already, but at least the floor is mopped. Of course, I did this with the Agents, and involved them the whole time.

4. We have not attended church regularly for almost three years now. I've looked at various options here, including different denominations than what we previously would have considered, and everything from mega-churches (seems to be an abundance of those here) to tiny churches around the corner. I think I want to go back, but then again I don't really miss it. The real issue for me is I wish we had a church family with a Sunday school program the Agents felt comfortable with. Because even though helping them learn about math, reading, and science doesn't intimidate me, being responsible for teaching them about Jesus completely scares the crap out of me. 

We're having fun

5. Loving the Agents renewed interest in the back yard. We went through a few weeks where no one wanted to go outside: it's raining, it's too hot, it's too buggy, I don't feel like it, I don't want to get dirty. Now that we've moved dinner to a little earlier, they have plenty of time to play between dinner and bath time. We have a sandbox, and some chalk, but mostly they just chase each other around and collect rocks and sticks. (Bonus: The early evening hour of playtime is making bedtime a lot smoother as well.)

6. The more time we spend on our homeschooling journey, the more I appreciate the freedom of this lifestyle. Freedom to move run and play whenever we need a break. Freedom to choose whatever curriculum suits us. Freedom to use no "curriculum" at all. Freedom to change our minds about what we want to study mid-semester. Freedom from busy work. Freedom to focus on developing a lifelong love of learning. Freedom to enjoy our family time without worrying if the homework is done. Freedom to sleep in when we need to. I like it.

7. Agent A is at that stage where I understand much of what he says, although it might not be clear to someone not with him 24/7. Every once in a while, a word he has never said before will just roll off his tongue clear as day. Earlier, in the middle of nursing, he popped off, looked at me, and said, "tiptoe." Then went back to nursing.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Pressing Questions About Children's Television

I have at least half a dozen quasi-serious posts drafted out right now, but I just can't concentrate enough to finish even one. So instead, I'm sharing some random thoughts that run through my head when I'm watching TV with the Agents. If you are in the season of parenthood when this list makes perfect sense to you, let me know I'm not alone and comment with your favorite. If you think I've officially lost it, feel free to stop by in a few days when I promise to have something more blogworthy to say.

1. If the conductor is so darn smart, why doesn't he know immediately that Buddy is a T Rex?

2. Why don't Doc McStuffins' parents ever tell her to close the door when she goes outside?

3. Where in squirrels heaven are Max and Ruby's parents?

Post-bath fruit bowl and Doc McStuffins

4. What is the deal with Gaspard and Lisa? Are they dogs?

5. When is the rest of the jungle going to organize an intervention for Bungo?

6. In what universe was it decided that Goofy and Clarabelle Cow would make a nice couple?

7. Who explained to Wyatt what constitutes "a super big problem"? 

8. What on earth is a Vegimal anyway? Seriously, WTH.

9. How does Paw Pilot get time to stand still when she's counting?

10. Why are all the adults on Word Girl so incredibly stupid?

Happy Top Ten {Tuesday} . . . be sure to stop by Many Little Blessings and say hello to our host.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Reflections On Our School Year So Far

Linking this up with the Weekly Wrap Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Yes, it's a Friday link up. Yes, I know it's Sunday. But given that my last one was in January I'd say 48 hours late is not so bad.

We "officially" ventured into year-round homeschooling in early July, per Agent E's request. We did make a minor adjustment to our curriculum a few weeks later, but mostly we've been humming along for nearly three months now. Following is a bit about what we've been learning.

I shared a little about our average day in a previous post. For the the most, this is still what our days look like. We don't really "do" school only Monday through Friday, so our days pretty much look the same even on the weekends. I am still trying to wrap my brain around afternoons being when most of our "work" takes place. I was completely convinced we would be get-it-done-in-the-mornings-and-have-afternoons-free kind of people. Our routine just didn't work out that way.

For the next few months (until around Christmas) we are focusing on states, ocean life, and Spanish. We incorporate these three main focus areas into our reading, writing, math, science, and social studies work.

Sometimes Elmo joins reading time

I already outlined some of the terrific resources we've found for our study of the 50 states. This week after reading a book about Pennsylvania Agent E added "visit Chocolate World" to her must do list.

For our study of the oceans, we've been reading a lot of books from the library, including some of the ones on this list. And those darn Octonauts keep filling her head with sea creature facts. She will love our December trip.

Our Spanish studies, however, have mostly included me re-learning some basic vocabulary and pronunciation (I studied it years ago) so that I can better instruct the Agents. We labeled items around the house with the English and Spanish words, and added a few printouts in strategic locations. For example, on the girls' bedroom door is a list of Spanish terms for bed, dresser, window, blanket, closet, etc. I've also made little reminder sheets of how to say the basics: My name is . . . I like . . . How are you? . . . please/thank you. Honestly, I've found that in spite of my best attempts they haven't really shown overwhelming interest. This may be one of those times we just kind of float along and pick it up again next semester or even next year.

One thing I am trying to make a conscious effort to do is read more about homeschooling and about education in general. For the first time in a long while I've started taking books out of the library for Momma. Six of the 28 books we have out right now are actually from the grown up section :-) I admit I don't always finish them . . . sometimes after I read a few chapters I realize it doesn't apply to our situation or it's a method I just can't get on board with . . . but I have read some interesting things I otherwise would have not known about.

As far as our overall style, I tend to waffle between wanting to give the Agents more freedom in what and how they learn and wanting to do something more concrete. I'm somewhat neurotic and a confirmed list-maker. Hard habits to break. I know that they are learning, even when I feel like I haven't accomplished much. Still, sometimes I struggle with this whole homeschooling lifestyle. (Boy, this freedom in learning thing is harder than it looks.)

How is your school year going so far?

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Saying Yes: A Quick Photo Post

Sharing this one at the Saying Yes link up over at Christian Unschooling.

Some days you just have to put the errands on hold and do this instead. Yes, it made a huge mess. Yes, we had to take baths (me included) at 1:30 in the afternoon. Yes, it created an extra load of laundry.

But it sure was fun.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Whose Stuff Is It, Anyway?

Remember that question I posed on my Facebook wall earlier this week about kids and clutter? I'm rambling about that over at Connected Mom today. Click here to read the whole post.

Life, Learning, and How It All Ties Together

Back in January when we were still living in Italy, which seems like a lifetime ago now, we made plans to take a family vacation this December. We booked a cruise (yes, nearly 12 months in advance) and now that it's finally getting closer (relatively speaking) we're all pretty excited about it. No new countries this time, but we will be visiting three places we've never seen before.

This past July, keeping with our child-led approach to homeschooling, Agent E and I brainstormed what we would concentrate on this semester. Together we chose to focus on the United States, ocean life, and Spanish. So far she is really enjoying it, and we've managed to incorporate each of these subjects into the reading, writing, math, play, and conversations that comprise our days.

Senior Agents ready to cruise

What do these two things have in common?

Well, even though we did not set out to do this purposely, our chosen course of study for the last few months of 2012 and our big end of the year trip really dovetail quite nicely.

We will be visiting a few U.S. territories . . . and we will address in our studies how those differ from the 50 states.

Aside from the obvious that we will be traveling on the ocean, we also have plans to take a semi-submarine ocean tour and make a stop at a very "hands on" aquarium. 

One stop will be at a location where Spanish is the official language . . . and while most people we interact with will likely also speak English, we will be able to use some of the basic language skills we've acquired.

I know it may sound crazy to some, but I just think it's so neat how it all worked out like that without even trying. One of the many reasons I love educating the Agents at home.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

7 Quick Takes Friday (36)

Happy Friday! Today our usual Quick Takes host Jen at Conversion Diary has passed the link up to Camp Patton. Stop over and check it out.

1. I'm actually composing this post on Friday morning (usually I write them in advance) because for the first time in a long while I'm awake before any of the Agents. Of course this is probably not a good thing, as I went to sleep rather late last night and I'll likely be exhausted long before they are tonight. When you wake up earlier than your norm, do you try to go back to sleep or just get out of bed? Personally I would rather just get up and make coffee and get moving than stare at the ceiling hoping to drift off again.

2. I seem to be going through another round of what I would consider writer's block. I keep thinking of these wonderful things I can blog about, but when I have time to sit down at the keyboard, nothing comes out. I don't know why. Right now I have at least a dozen potential posts on my idea list, and yet I cannot seem to make my brain and my typing fingers connect. 

3. Do you ever check Snopes.com when shared "warning" messages come through your Facebook feed? Tip: If your friends are posting a message that sounds a little crazy and requesting that you share share share, you may want to check Snopes first. I've been seeing this one about Facebook Privacy pop up a lot lately. Previously I have been humored by such things as Shampoo Sham and The Butter Truth. I often see this list of Some Rules Kids Won't Learn in School incorrectly attributed as well. But I don't think anything has made me giggle as much as reading about the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide.

A little outside messy time before bath is always fun

4. This week we moved dinner time so we're eating half an hour earlier. The Agents are always starving by dinner, even with an afternoon snack (or three). Plus, we're trying to take advantage of some after-dinner outside play time while it's still light enough to do so. Also, it started to feel rushed between dinner and bath time. Now instead of 30 minutes we have closer to an hour. I use this time to clean up the kitchen, get the house in "night time mode" (pulling blinds, turning on a few low lights, etc.)  and relax a bit while the kiddos read or play (inside or out) and make sure their room is ready for bedtime. (And by "ready" I mean make sure there is space on the bed for people amid all the stuffed animals and that the floor is not a tripping hazard if someone wakes up in the middle of the night.)

5. Do you work out on a regular basis? Do you belong to a gym or exercise at home? The Agents are loving their time at the YMCA child care (free!) a few mornings a week while Momma exercises. Although I use the term "exercise" loosely. Sometimes I just ride a stationary bike at a slow to moderate pace so I can read more of my current book. Or walk at a not-exactly-race-walker pace on the treadmill while spacing out with the TV in front of me. Honestly, it's more for me to recharge mentally than physically at this point, and I'm okay with that. Granted, technically it is still physical exercise, but I'm not quite pushing myself. (Of course, I've already established why I won't be running a marathon any time soon.) 

6. Any fellow bloggers using Google Analytics? I set it up this week but I'm still not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing with this new information.

7. This may come as a surprise, given how much we love books around here but it's only been in the last few weeks that we've developed a reading at bedtime routine. Oh, we read tons during the day, and Agent E reads to her siblings a lot, but somehow the act of reading a few books just before lights out never really caught on in our house. Now, however, Agents E and J both like to pick out 2-3 books a night for me to read. I'm thinking of adding in a more advanced chapter book (something E would have difficulty reading on her own, but would enjoy listening to).

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Books We're Reading Now

Update Friday 21 September: 
Linking this post up at Christian Unschooling for their What We're Reading blog hop.

Sharing this post at Many Little Blessings for Top Ten {Tuesday}.

We're very into books around here. Even Agent A likes to get in on the deal. Following are just some of the things we're reading now.

1. Education (books for Momma)

The Homeschooling Option: How To Decide When It's Right for Your Family by Lisa Rivero

The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish

2. Ocean life (one of our three focus subjects for this semester . . . along with #3 and #4)

The Earth Is Mostly Ocean by Allan Fowler

Sea Horses by Sally M. Walker

Green Sea Turtles by Michael Molnar

About Habitats: Oceans by Cathryn Sill

Colorful Captivating Coral Reefs by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Sweet Agent A with one of his favorites

3. States 

America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates

Welcome to the USA: Rhode Island
by Ann Heinrichs

4. Spanish

Teach Me Everyday Spanish (Volume 1)
by Judy Mahoney

The Everything Kids' Learning Spanish Book
by Laura K. Lawless

Say Hola to Spanish

Say Hola to Spanish at the Circus
both by Susan Middleton Elya

5. Up next in my "queue" (more books for Momma)

Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent's Guide by Lucy Calkins with Lydia Bellino
What Not To Say: Tools for Talking With Young Children by Sarah MacLaughlin

6. Old favorites popular this week

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Belly Button Book! by Sandra Boynton

Agent J checking out some Dr. Seuss

7. Pooh books (Agent A's favorite)

Winnie the Pooh Tells Time 
inspired by A.A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore 
by Teddy Slater

8. Early chapter books (We love this series!)

Mr. Putter & Tabby Make a Wish

Mr. Putter & Tabby See the Stars

Mr. Putter & Tabby Run the Race 
all by Cynthia Rylant

9. Just for fun

Animal Poems by Valerie Worth

You Can't Buy a Dinosaur With a Dime by Harriet Ziefert

The Princess and the Frog (Read-Aloud Storybook) adapted by Lisa Marsoli

10. My next BookSneeze book review (coming soon)

One Big Thing by Phil Cooke

What are you reading at your house?

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

Am I Really a Natural Parent?

Welcome to the second edition of the "I'm a Natural Parent - BUT..." Carnival This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and our feminist {play}school. During this carnival our participants have focused on how mainstream society has affected their natural parenting and how they have come to peace with this.

For the first "I'm a Natural Parent, But . . ." carnival I shared what I thought was a pretty exhaustive list. Here's a link to the entire post. To summarize my non-crunchiness: I had a planned induction with an epidural (and liked it), we vaccinate (on schedule), we don't wear our babies (and use a stroller), and we love television and computer games (and don't stress about it).

Today's post outlines several other things we do that would be considered slightly more mainstream. (Okay, we may actually be swimming in that stream.)

This is one half of our play room
(with a slightly dazed Agent A)

We have a play room full of toys, and not the natural, wooden, sensory, battery-free kind. I mean toys . . . plastic, loud, musical, TV- and movie-based, made in China, toys. We also have bookshelves overflowing with stories and two giant bins of dress up clothes, along with a play kitchen, a child-sized table, a rocking horse, a whole village of stuffed animals and baby dolls, and enough art supplies to fill ten preschools. Thank goodness we have the space to devote an entire room to this stuff, because that's what it takes. 

We recently ditched cloth in favor of disposable diapers. We used cloth diapers (the same set) for all three Agents. Once we got to our last baby they started to literally fall apart in the wash. We were down to maybe eight in decent condition. Then we moved and switched over to disposables while they were in shipment. By the time they arrived, I realized I just didn't care anymore. Agent A will be in sposies till he learns the potty. And he's not even two yet, so this could be a while.

We do all sorts of other random not-very-natural-parenting stuff every. single. day. I forget the @#$% ^& reusable grocery bags about 75% of the time. I prefer the cheap, plastic disposable razors you can buy for like $2.00 a dozen. We buy fruit at the grocery store without caring if it's organic and often we don't even wash it before we eat it. Sometimes I grab a paper towel even if the reusable clean-up cloths are sitting right there next to them. We eat all sorts of non-wholesome store-bought snacks. Goldfish crackers? We buy the biggest box they sell. Graham crackers? Check. Frozen fruit bars (aka, glorified popsicles)? Sign me up. 

And let's not forget the huge list of things I do that might kill me.

I mentioned at the end of the last carnival on this topic that I hesitate to even refer to myself as a natural parent because sometimes that label feels, well, unnatural. To me it conjures up an image that I just don't fit. 

Now I can't help but wonder: What exactly makes a parent, a natural parent? And is it possible that I've just been kidding myself and maybe I'm . . . not?

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure anymore. 

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

This carnival was created by The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. We recognize that "natural parenting" means different things to different families, and we are dedicated to providing a safe place for all families, regardless of where they are in their parenting journeys. Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• I'm a Natural Parent- BUT... - Carrie at Frugal Foodie Mama says "We breastfeed. We co-sleep. We babywear. But we do not cloth diaper. This post is about my reasons why I haven't, and why I would still like to try it."
• Am I Really a Natural Parent? - Valerie at Momma in Progress confesses maybe she's a bit more mainstream than she thought.
• I'm a Crunchy Mama, BUT... - Shannon at GrowingSlower has learned that her food doesn't grow on grocery store shelves, but she still has a long way to go.
• I'm a Natural Parent, but...my kid loves a screen - Lyndsay owns her son's love for television programming, ipad and apps.
• Ashamed to Breastfeed - Kym at Our Crazy Corner of the World talks about how she was ashamed and intimidated to breastfeed in public.
• When they gotta go... - Jorje of Momma Jorje shares her EC weakness...
• Love For the Mainstream - Amy W. explains how letting a mainstream family into her life increased her self-awareness, and helps her to maintain balance while advocating for natural parenting.
• Weaning My Nursling - Alisha at Cinnamon&Sassafras reflects on her decision to wean her son, rather than waiting for him to decide.
• I'm a Natural Parent But...My Toddler is a Junk Food Junkie - Chanisa at City Girl Slash Hippie Mom talks about how she's trying to get her two year old to have healthier eating habits
• I'm a Natural Parent - But...I'm Socially Awkward - Shannon of The Artful Mama talks about the difficulties she experiences maintaining her conviction when she experiences social resistance.
• Holding onto connection when traveling - Lauren at Hobo Mama wants to respect her children rather than demand obedience … but it's so hard around family.
• What would the neighbours think?! - Teresa at This Savvy Mama talks about the pressures of balancing life skills with the realities of having two young children.
• French Fries and Diaper Blowouts - Arpita hosts a guest post detailing how, just every once in a while, the chaos of running a business can hamper even the most regimented natural parenting plans, and the sometimes messy (and stinky!) consequences!
• Confessions of a mostly natural parent - Jessica of Crunchy Chewy Mama feels good about many of the choices she makes but there are things she wants her kids to do, practice, and believes that she is not modeling for them.

Simple Healthy Changes

In May I posted about using moving into a new house as motivation to get a bit more environmentally friendly. Today I'm sharing a few super simple changes we've made in the last few months toward this goal. Click over to Connected Mom to read the rest of this post.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Studying the 50 States

We started first grade with Agent E and part of our agenda for this semester is studying the 50 states. (You can read a little update following our first month of school here.)

Today I'm sharing ten state resources we have found useful in our homemade curriculum. I'm linking this post at Many Little Blessings for Top Ten {Tuesday}.

Silly dress up time (and a glimpse of #9 on this list)

1. 50states.com

This link is a wealth of all sorts of interesting information, including state maps, state songs, state trees, and a separate section of study tools.

2. Geography worksheets and printables from education.com

3. KidZone's geography section

4. WorksheetWorks.com

5. TLS Books free geography worksheets

6. State flag coloring pages at crayola.com

These five websites are a great place to start if you're looking for some fun state facts and basic printables adaptable for different age ranges.

7. 50 Great States and Explore All 50 States workbooks.

Tip: Look for these in the dollar section of Target . . . that's where we found ours!

300 very odd shaped pieces . . . harder than it looks

8. U.S. map puzzle in a puzzle
This puzzle of the 50 states (see photo of Agent E) is a cool concept, although difficult to put together. Once you've completed the puzzle as seen, you can flip 50 of the pieces over to form a new puzzle.

9. Wall map of the United States

This huge (just over 2.5 feet by 4 feet) colorful map is a hit with all three Agents.

10. States and Their Symbols book series.

We've been taking these out one at a time from our local library.

Have you studied the United States with your homeschooler? What resources would you recommend?

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.