What kind of coffee are you?

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

It's been one of those days...

Maybe it was the weather, maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The weather has been icky and we are stuck inside, climbing the walls. Just a taste of what we'll have to deal with come winter. I've also been struggling with some inner termoil, if you will, about my life and where I'm headed. Most days, I feel like I'm heading in the right direction but today, my mind was all over the map.

The hardest obstacle right now is my struggle between wanting to trust my kids enough to go forward with unschooling but that stresses me out sometimes plus, the fact that I love so much all the waldorf inspired teachings but am having trouble implementing them into our lives. Too much effort some days. Most mornings, I would love 2 hours just to sit, drink my coffee and surf the net but of course, my son doesn't want to let me, although he's perfectly happy to watch tv for that time but if I allow that, then guilt creeps in. I'd really like to wean him from tv. He's only 3 and he's such an addict. Audrey, not so much, she'd rather read, as would I, but since he can't read, he's happy as a clam watching all those PBS shows. So, there's that matter. Then...

I also struggle with what to do as far as my etsy shop, my crafting and my potential Barefoot Books biz. I love etsy and when the mood strikes, I love to craft. My shop has been empty for months now and I just haven't been motivated/creative enough to make anything. I have supplies for almost any craft and believe me, I've tried them all and I like most crafts I've tried (especially soapmaking) but I can't seem to find my niche, if you know what I mean. I actually got inspired to pull out the beads to make some jewelry. Nothing came to me so I thought well, I can at least, sell off some supplies, mostly beads, for now, that my mom has been collecting over the years and gave to me to use. I did get struck with some minor creativity as I manage to make a couple of necklaces and finish up some old projects that needed completing. I feel better now and maybe once etsy works out the gliches in the new system, I'll get them listed.

So, that's what I've been struggling with today. Tomorrow may be better...I hope. And I'll leave you with the most adorable pic of our little bun-bun, Lulu :)

My Daddy is a Pretzel or Pretzels for Daddy???

Talk about confusion! The other day, I suggested to the kids to go get the book "My Daddy is a Pretzel" (very cute, cute, cute yoga book & cards for kids). They were spending their boundless energy wreaking havoc on the house as it was an icky day outside. I thought I nice, relaxing yoga session would work wonders. Well, my 3 yr old heard something completely different...as in..."Let's make pretzels for Daddy". Not quite what I had in mind but since I had been wanting to make pretzels for some time, it turned into a fun afternoon of pretzel making (search allrecipes.com for "Mall Pretzels"). Sadly, Daddy will not get any as he's overseas for awhile but we sure enjoyed them!

We also made apple chips as I have been looking for some healthy snacks to make for the kids. But alas, they were not enjoyed by anyone! Maybe there is a better recipe out there, anyone?

Fairy Houses & new dolls

After reading the fabulous books Fairy Houses and Fairy Boat by Tracy L. Kane, Audrey & Henry set to work making their own fairy homes complete with moss carpeting. We now find perfect places to build fairy homes everywhere!

Oh and check out my first attempts at little dolls. The first is a bendy doll using pipe cleaners, then we have a little finger puppet made using a tiny wood flower pot and wood bead for a head. Last, is my take on a pocket pal. Thought I might make some more up for Christmas gifts and maybe a few more to sell at my etsy shop.

Emily's donation to Locks of Love

Emily's hair has been long forever! She had been dying it black and had we continued, we would have had to buy THREE boxes of color but alas...she decided, not only to grow out the black and return to her lovely shade of rich brown, but she donated 12 inches (!!!!) of hair to Locks of Love. Yay for Em!!

Backtracking a little...

Since it's already November and we've "technically" been schooling since September, I thought I would post some pics, etc. of some things we've done.

September was our Farming block. We read a lot of books, made our own version of a waldorf main lesson book, planted both an acorn and a maple key and are keeping track in our homemade Tree Journals. Last but not least, we made a compost pile. Oh and we also visited the fabulous Farmers Museum in Cooperstown.

In October, we took a trip to Erie Canal Village for a historic tour of Halloween village. We got to go on a train ride and a wagon ride as well as tour some of the old, historic homes all dressed up for Halloween.

On the homeschool front

This school year has brought many changes to our homeschooling lives. Where last year, there were workbooks and books we didn't enjoy...this year, I've discovered Waldorf education as well as delved deeper into learning about the unschooling philosophy. If I were to label our schooling, I would say we are Waldorf-inspired unit-study unschoolers, which is to say, I love most things Waldorf, including playing with old fashioned styled toys made of natural materials, LOVE all the fairy tales and beautiful stories, finding a rhythm to our days, respecting nature and most of all, keeping children...children. To soon, today's children are turning into mini-adults. I know 9 yr olds with cell phones, 12 yr olds wearing makeup and preschoolers having homework.

I have all but abandoned the workbooks. We look, occassionally, at her math book but we will learn grammar, spelling and vocabulary by reading quality literature. We will learn history by reading one of her favorite series of books, Dear America, as well as lots of field trips to historical sites. Math is done by cooking, baking and playing some awesome games I found at the thrift store. Science is also done in the kitchen and outside. Oh, the possibilities! I have so many ideas in my head that makes learning fun we just won't have time for workbooks!!

Unit studies work great for Audrey. Studying something in depth makes for real understanding. This year she chose to study holidays, traditions and celebrations from a variety of cultures. We will make a Waldorf style book with drawings and writings about what we read. We'll do the same for famous women in history. We started with Helen Keller.

Another ambitious project we have is to make tree house out of popsicle sticks as well as other artsy-craftsy things to sell at my etsy shop

So that is where we are as far as homeschooling. I'll post our progress as we venture through this year finding wonder all around us :)

This is what we woke up to this morning! Our first snowfall and it is so beautiful! We were outside by 9:30 am making snowballs. It's that fun, heavy, good-packing kind of snow. It'll probably be gone by tomorrow but it was a chance to find out that all of Audrey's winter clothes are too small! Off to the thrift store later to see if we can come up with something for this year :)