Here is what I am loving these days……….

Do you have Inspiration Overload?   Um–yeah, I totally do! So I thought like a song that is stuck in your head–I would unload some of what is in my head and in my Google Reader these days!!

Child’s Play has a whole new place!

I will be using some of my mint to make THIS

If ever you can’t find me–look Here

I am all about dirty, hippie children!!

More inspiration at this pretty blog

And if you are looking for the perfect little cookie to make over this 4th of July Here are my favorite patriotic cookies

Or some patriotic jewelry and accessories!!

Happy, Happy 4th of July!!

On our way to the blueberry farm today we stopped at my friends mother in laws house. It was the most peaceful, beautiful home. It sits on 20 acres of woods and creek.

I told her that when I die…I hope you go to her house. It is that wonderful. But hopefully I won’t have to wait that long to visit again!!

After a delicious lunch we headed out to  near by blueberry farm.

Here are my ham bones–posing for the camera!

I see lots of blueberry muffins, pancakes and  syrup in our near future! Happy, happy Summer!!

Yes indeed…The longest day!! It was amazing for it to still be so bright after 9:00pm tonight! I love these long summer days and nights. It is beautiful sunny days and long bright evenings like today that get me through the long dark winter here in Ohio.  I am already storing up as much as I can!!

To welcome Summer today we went creeking

Ate lots of watermelon

Made wreaths from different plants in our yard

and set out some treasures from our creeking adventure

Happy Summer–here is to hoping it is filled with fun and adventure!

Yesterday was Ginger’s 6th Birthday but she didn’t want to have to share her special day with Mother’s Day so she had her party on Friday. A few simple requests from a girl that is so easy to please!!!

cake, friends, and bendaroos!

May you never lose that smile that is always pasted on your face!!!!

And may you continue to grab life and completely experience it with such exuberance. My happy little tornado!

Happy Birthday Ginger!!

Yesterday was my oldest babies 15th birthday. Every year I tell my kids what The Day They Were Born looked like. They kid me and make fun of me when I start to retell their tale of the fateful day of their birth but I know deep down they love to hear each little detail. And funny–15 years later I can remember the day Jake was born like it was last week.

My first….. you have taught me so much in what today seems like a heart beat. Hard to believe it has been 15 years. I am so proud of the man you are becoming and the boy that you still are. No rush…slow down….a lesson to us both….15 only comes around once.  I vaguely remember 15—-it was a long time ago…but as I recall….it is good to be 15.  Enjoy my little boy!!

Just when I started feeling comfortable referring to myself as an unschooler or even a radical unschooler, I have decided to pull back, retreat if you will. I love the authentic ideas and practice of unschooling / radical unschooling (RU). I love talking about it and reading about it. What I don’t love is someone, somewhere deciding if I am “doing it right.”  That is what held me back from outwardly identifying myself as an unschooler for so long–the judgment—John Holt wrote and spoke about unschooling then a few interpreted it and THEY decide if we are doing it right or wrong? I don’t like that.

Maybe it’s not even really that. Because I do understand for clarity sake that you don’t call yourself an unschooler and then make your kid wear a coat because YOU think it’s cold or you coerce your kids into doing what you want etc…I have been judgmental in the past too. Deciding if Mrs A is really an unschooler when she is telling me about her kids having to do just a little bit of school work or Mrs. B’s kids only being “allowed” a certain amount of screen time, sleep time etc…Who cares ? Who am I to judge? And why spend my time or focus my energy doing that? Good way to turn people off to unschooling!

Yet really what is important here is me, my family and what I am doing. I don’t need to be concerned what my neighbors family is doing and what they are calling it. I think taking the judgement away  just allows us to be-and be authentic to what is important to our family-not the unschooling movement. Yeah-this is going to make me unpopular. Because believe it or not-even in  unschooling-even the virtual unschooling world-there is a hierarchy and it is very clickish. It’s  sort of like… hmmm… school! Or the lifestyle we are trying to separate ourselves from by making these radical choices.

I have a problem with the amount of respect that is supposed to be extended to children in this movement yet it is definitely not always extended in the same way to adults.  I can say, ” Oh who cares!”  to a lot and nothing directly happened to me to cause me to write this post. But I am seeing a holier than thou attitude on line and I don’t want any part of that. Sure I may sport a bumper sticker that claims, MY UNSHOOLED STUDENT WILL HIRE YOUR HONOR STUDENT and I have been taken to the mat for it by a fellow unschooler and good friend. My defense may be “Lighten up-it’s a joke.”  I haven’t even thought about that conversation again until I started writing this-but if that bumper sticker connects me to those that are making unschooling an exclusive dogmatic religion-than I don’t really want to call myself an unschooler.

Maybe it’s all in a name or the label. I want unschooling support and I want to be able to give unschooling support but don’t know if I want to call it unschooling if that label causes exclusion. So maybe just saying we are living an authentic life is a better fit for me. You can call yourself whatever you want-it shouldn’t concern me. Reformed unschoolers?  I know this ‘name calling” was hashed out earlier this year (and probably several other times). People want a sense of belonging, a village, to find their people. And a way to that sense of community is sometimes in a name because the name identifies the groups ideology as a whole. Maybe an off shoot would be a better place for me to lend and get support. I know in one breath I am saying I shouldn’t care what the neighbors think and in the next I am renaming and starting a different branch. I think it is  still my need for support with in my own comfort level-so I am also being exclusive too I guess. Although, I would rather see it as inclusive. Semantics? Maybe.

I used to read a few unschooling lists when we first started unschooling. I remember being sort of unnerved and scared off by some of what I read. It seemed that some of the “authorities” on unschooling were very judgmental and harsh in their response to on line questions and scenarios. So I turned away from those lists, found some local support and my own way to unschooling. I have since re joined some lists and now that the virtual world is almost more popular than the real world with lists, blogs, facebook and twitter all wanting to give you what you need, it is really easy to get pulled into this exclusive, negative dogma part of unschooling. The message hasn’t changed much. The same self appointed authorities are still rudely ruling the lists. I swear not all unschoolers are like this-if you have read these lists and blogs and are turned off -you are not alone!! It all seems so religious to me-the dogma, the preachers the exclusion. So separatist.

So-I’m out. Wanting to be part of the in-crowd and bring hits to my blog isn’t being very authentic. I am moving off line a bit and back to my in person, real life. Spending too much time reding what I am supposed to do in what “everyone else” is doing instead of just following my heart and spending time with family and friends. I got what I needed from those lists and unschoolers and now I am choosing to take what I like and leave the rest behind-not a popular idea in the radical unschoolers world! (The all or nothing, black and white world.)  I am choosing to be true to my family and not an idea. I know I am not the  only “unschooler” who feels this way and when others have tried to voice this opinion they have been flamed and kicked off lists. Whatever. I am very lucky to have in real life support. I just hope I can extend the authenticity and acceptance that I seek  to others as well.

I have been listening to Amy Childs Whatever, Whatever Amen podcasts. I love them-I can’t listen to them fast enough or find the time to listen to all of them. But they are powerful, uplifting and POSITIVE. They send a happy message. The podcasts speak more to living an authentic life and no so much to labeling your whole life unschooling (although she certainly talks about and uses the term unschooling ). If you are looking for a more positive spin on this lifestyle I encourage you to listen.

I much prefer Amy’s way of sharing the authentic life

You greeted me in the kitchen this morning at 6:50 AM with two of the seven kids you had spending the night for your 11th birthday party. The three of you had decided early into the party that you would  be staying up all night. And just like you-you met the challenge! Your drive and inner strength never ceases to amaze me. Yet I am sorry for the times when I expect this strength from you. It is easy to forget how young you still are. You have become quite a young lady in the past year. The pre teen years are not an easy time. I know it is both a public and internal struggle and I promise I will try to be more patient with you. You deserve that and so much more my middle child-and all the baggage that comes with that placement.

It is a beautiful sunny day today much like the day you were born. About this time 11 years ago Tanya, Nina and Kellie were rubbing my swollen feet with essential oils trying to help me relax and and encourage my labor. (this is after they made me drink caster oil and root beer shots but I really try to forget that awful part)  Mostly because at this point my water had been broken for 34 hrs and you still were not ready to come out! So stubborn!! We chatted as I drank tea (that tasted like dirt) and opened my mouth and lifted my tongue for tincture after tincture that burned holes in my gums. I was pretty tired because I had been running the steps the previous day (while rubbing my nipples  to try to jump start my labor). So now I was ready to be pampered a bit. Your Dad and I headed to the bath tub and sure enough around noon my contractions really started. You were by far the easiest of my three births. About 4 1/2 hours later you were born in our bed with  Jake cheering you on. By 7:00 that night we were all sitting on the couch eating Chinese food and watching the Disney movie (Fly Away Home, I think).  You were easy going and so beautiful-dare I say one of the most beautiful babies I had ever seen. And today you have certainly grown into that beauty. But not with out a fight-that red hair brings much fire with it but that is what makes you so special!! I keep reminding myself that fire will serve you well-it is what will drive you so far ahead of the rest. What may be a disadvantage to some, is to you a different and better way of doing things. Your creativity, individuality, spunk and drive are so astounding to me. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings for you!! I love you  Molly!!  Happy, Happy Birthday!

(I wish I had some baby photos to share-I need to learn to scan!!)