connection and healing

 

Every year, since 2010, I have chosen a word (or two) for the year. Sometimes I choose well, sometimes I don't. This year, I have chosen Connection and Healing as my words. To go with my word of the year, Lala Bug made a new journal for me (my last one was full) and a new 5-year journal for me. (I have now completed two!) Her handmade journals are stunning and mine are personalized and so special. One of the joys of having creative, skilled, talented big kiddos.

 

 

 

homeschool 2023-2024

 

 

We have entered our 12th year of home learning! 

This year, Brown Mouse is in 10th grade and Lala Bug has moved out of high school and declared her major in apparel design and merchandising.

After expressing interest in heading to a brick and mortar school for the rest of high school (a door we left open by homeschooling through a charter school), lots of conversations, visiting schools, narrowing down choices, and sitting in classrooms, Brown Mouse opted to continue homeschooling. He's got a full load with geometry, physics, English, U.S. history, life skills/transition, P.E., and driver's ed. He is biking (mountain and road), always, and is back in soccer after an injury, playing with the team he has been part of since he was 8. And he will be assistant soccer coaching with the skills coach he began playing with at age 6!

Lala Bug began taking college classes in high school and chose to continue, selecting math, pattern draping, and fashion sketching for this year, majoring in apparel design and merchandising. So far, we have been impressed with the program, the staff, and the disabled student services, and feel lucky to have a solid niche program so close to home. She has continued building skills and making beautiful items (knits, fashion, books, and more) and I am working with her on her small business and entrepreneurial goals. She is also mountain and road biking. 

That is our little nutshell as we propel into this learning year!

 

graduation

 

Lala Bug has been learning at home since mid-way through 2nd grade, 8 years old. In our homeschool (and let me emphasize that every homeschool is different for so many reasons, most importantly because every human and family is different), we stuck with 'grade levels,' because, for the most part, we homeschooled with the support of charter schools. (Technically, this means that our kids have been public schooled students of the charter schools, and have always been had assignments, accountability, testing, etc.) This spring, Lala Bug completed 12th grade, high school. 

We have been UsSchoolers (once I settled in and let go) and Lala Bug has been loathe to make any sort of 'deal' out of graduating, but as homeschoolers, her education has been my education and it feels like something I/we need to celebrate. I am sharing here, since this has been my space and my record of quite a long (blink!) journey. I have been blogging for over 15 years, so have captured a lot. She graduated with all the things educators worry about (high GPA, plenty of credits, well rounded), yes, but what has mattered far more to us has been helping our kids find passion, direction, interest in learning, self-advocacy, and more. She has been dual-enrolled in an apparel design and merchandising program and has declared that as her major. She'll continue living at home and receiving support as needed, so...grade 13?

So proud of this human who has (and will always have to) overcome a tremendous number of challenges, will always have to work with her differences in a neurotypical world.

2021-2022 home learning

I kept thinking I would come and post about our school year at some point after posting about the Caldor fire in the mountains, but I never did. The clock kept ticking, tomorrows kept coming and going and here we are. I am writing this a chunk of the way into the 2021-2022 school year (winter break!), but I might post it to the appropriate time period (Aug/Sept 2021), just for my own chronological documentation! I am pretty sure no one reads this blog anymore. (Who even blogs anymore?!) 

(Additional update, summer 2022, school year complete; I never did post this during winter break with a current or August publish date, so I am doing so now, with no edits to what I wrote in December/January. Just the way the school year rolled!)

Before writing this, I went back and read last year's start-of-year post. 2021 proved to be much harder than 2020 for us. It could be the length of the pandemic by this point, growing changing teens in isolation, the strain of tensions and strife in our country, all of the above, and more. But we took a full-on, desperate break from schooling over the summer. We crawled to the finish line of the 2020-2021 school year and I didn't even manage to celebrate the start of summer for or with the kids. 

There was quite a bit of reluctance to begin this 2021-2022 school year. Anxiety and stress were very high, showing up to things was difficult, but there were activities to show up to for the first time in months (over a year!). Also significant for us is that this is Brown Mouse's (and therefore our family's) last year with our beloved homeschool charter. For these and other reasons, we did a slow entry into the school year, and looking back, I refer to the first few months as "fun fall." Basically, we had been socially isolated so long, that if an activity was happening that a kiddo wanted to do, we tried to say yes. We put the priority on social and mental health and growth. It was slow going for Brown Mouse, not the kiddo we had expected to have a difficult time, but by mid-October, he was in a better place and a healthier groove, and I would say that both kids are thriving more now.

This year we have an 8th grader and 11th grader! Both my kiddos have learning differences, both have anxiety, and one was finally confirmed as Autistic (with PDA) this year. These differences deeply affect and shape their educations, our family, and their days.

I have been trying to hang onto Together Time, but it is hit or miss. This is the only piece of our intentional homeschooling that we still do all together and I try and bring content, conversation, books, and games that fill gaps and are short and sweet. One kiddo has really been struggling with auditory overwhelm, which is the primary reason it is hit or miss.

This autumn, our 8th grader got to take an ecosystems science class (in person, outside) with his charter, followed by an incredible series of field trips that included Lala Bug and me. The staff quickly noted how much the (small group of) middle schoolers were struggling post/mid pandemic, and have since also instituted a weekly middle schooler game time. At home, we have been working together through math and writing/language arts most especially. Science and history are easier to touch on naturally in our homeschool. Moving into winter/spring, he has again (4th year for him) joined the Shakespeare class. The students will be performing A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Club soccer resumed this fall and Brown Mouse was thrilled to participate. What we didn't anticipate, however, was how much pain he would experience running the full sized fields after such an epic growth spurt (8+ inches), so we paired soccer with physical therapy. Shortly after soccer season wrapped up, he very happily began mountain biking club, which will roll for the next 5+ months. (Both kids have been mountain bikers for a few years, really ramping it up during the pandemic.) Biking and bike mechanics are his primary passions, so he's a happy kid.

(Resources for him include; ALEKS, All About Spelling, Brave Writer, Write Shop, and others.)

Lala Bug didn't return to club soccer, but she did return to ballet since it resumed in-person. She danced all fall and is continuing to do so, adding club mountain biking for winter/spring. (Unfortunately for me and scheduling, the kids are in different biking clubs.)

For 11th grade, Lala Bug is tackling Algebra II, World History, English, and Italian. In the fall, she also had Psychology on her learning plans and for winter/spring, she's studying Astronomy/Rocket Science. And always, she gets credit for art, which, for her, is sewing, knitting, fashion design, pattern writing, pattern drafting, and more. She is getting more and more skilled and it likely to pursue these passions beyond high school. 

(Resources for her include: Khan Academy, Write Shop, edX MOOC, Mr. D Math, Crash Course, and more.) 

Both kids are also participating in a couple projects in 4-H; hiking and an environmental stewardship project.

I am trying to stay on top of providing resources, encouragement, teaching life skills, supporting mental health, and all the things, but I am also gently beginning to consider what I want to be when I grow up and retire from home educating these kiddos.

 

pandemic-versary

 

One year ago, on this date, the kids, through a class with F's (and L's former) charter school, put on a theater performance of Macbeth. (F was a murderer and L was costume assistant.) It was an outstanding performance, happening after quick and concerned communications and changes in plans last minute, as the news kept turning up new information about a growing pandemic. 

 

Grandparents were missing from the audience, from an abundance of caution. The dress rehearsal and performance were the only things F had done in 2-3 weeks, having been sick. (Yes, it has occurred to us since that he quite possibly had it.) 

 

After a joyous performance (who knew Shakespeare's Macbeth could actually have a hint of humor?), our family headed home. Little did we realize that that would be it for a long, long time. L's hybrid school had already begun shifting students to remote learning and M's work told him not to come in. L's dance classes got put on pause until they could shift to Zoom, where it has remained ever since. 

 

Effective Friday the 13th, our entire area shut down and on March 17th, became the first in the country to lock down into "shelter in place." An entire year has unfolded, unlike any other. M has never been back to the office, working from a stool next to our bed. Holidays and gatherings have all been outside and masked. We had our first summer missing time at the lake. We got chickens. We survived the worst wildfire season in decades. We have biked almost weekly with grandparents for months. F grew. A lot.

 

We have been extremely careful, and we and close family are all still here (blessing), there have been so many silver linings! But the social distancing has taken a toll on our emotional, mental, and developmental health and growth.

 

For the past couple of months, this year's weekly Shakespeare class has been on Zoom, with F as Julius Caesar and L as costume assistant again. Today, the kids resumed a weekly, outdoor, masked soccer skills group that they have been part of for 6+ years, the first time really engaging with peers in months. It was good. 

 

One year, then and now. What is your story?

 

light - an autumn check-in

 

I hesitated using this photo. It represents so much for me; nature, seasonal change, hope, and light. But it was one beautiful day, tucked into weeks of unprecedented wildfire smoke and poor air, trapping us inside. It feels misrepresentative.

 

I have been missing from this space for quite some time. The general changes of life in the past year or so, coupled with the pandemic, have me moving further inward. But I have been thinking a lot about my word for 2020, Light, and today, as I folded some laundry, I had a sudden urge to come and post. I don't really have collected thoughts to share, but perhaps I am not alone, as my mind wanders through a chain reaction of emotions and awareness of a need for time to process. Time that is difficult to carve out these days, despite seemingly having lots of time. (We, as parents, have taken on every role, all at once. Even those of us who homeschooled before are not experiencing life in the same way. Our spaces are small and so compactly shared right now. Those of us with high needs children are left without supports we once had. Our children don't have time with mentors they adore. And more. It is hard.)

When I chose the word Light, it was almost a transitional word for me, because the other word I considered was Change. I didn't feel ready to do the inner work involved, yet, with the word Change, but I guess Mother Earth is having a laugh on me, because this year has been all about Change. But it has also been about Light. When I chose Light, the other word that paired with it in my mind was Namaste, which I have always known to mean "the good and the light in me, sees and honors the good and the light in you." 

Isn't this a year during which we have needed to continue to see the good in others and continue to have to reach toward, lean into, walk toward light, positivity, and hope?

There has been so much darkness this year. A pandemic, many deaths as a result, chronic after-effects for many who have survived, economic pain and instability, and climate disasters. Here where I live, 4 million acres of beautiful land, burned in wildfires, many killed, homes lost, and many more displaced. It keeps coming. It is the sensation of being knocked down, bruised up, and dragging ourselves up again to keep going. It is a year of grieving so much. I am not willing to give up on 2020 yet. There are too many holidays, birthdays, achievements, and goals to be celebrated and met.

With light and hope,

N

no little cabin in the woods

On this day last year, we packed up and headed home from our annual trip to the lake.

Two years ago, when it was time to schedule some time at the lake, we were told that there wasn't a time slot for us. After a little (probably a lot) of shifting and likely some sacrificing of days on the part of the growing (now multi-generational) family that owns the cabin, we got a week up there. We knew not to take it for granted.

This year, with the pandemic, the scheduling date came and went. We have had our own health concerns and uncertainty about travel, so when word came back that the family had filled the summer schedule due to no other travel plans, and there were no days for us, it was expected. But I turned off the computer and I cried.

This is the first summer that we don't get to spend time up there at the little house in the woods. This special place, accessible only by water, has been an annual get-away for my family since my older brother was an infant.  Every summer, since I began blogging, I have written about it, and I have to do so this year, even though I have no new moments to share, because a piece of me is missing. This place is my marker of time. It is where the cycle of my year is re-calibrated. Even now, typing this, seeing these images, posting links to past posts (below), I am emotional.

2020 is full of grieving, isn't it? So many lives lost. So much living lost. Racial, political, economic loss and tension. This is the year when nothing is the same. (And yet everything is the same, day after day, lost in sameness.)

There have been moments this summer, when I have been out for a hike or near water, and the splashing sound, or breeze through the trees, or the certain smell of the sun on the earth will spark a whole body feeling of being up there, and if I just close my eyes...

We have talked about taking a road trip up to the lake, just to hike or paddle. There is hesitation. "It's not the same." A few days in the cabin on the lake is the kind of sameness we need. We crave the celebratory anchors. We have known our time there might come to an end, but I will hold hope for next summer.

The last 4 years of posts from this particular blog.
2019
2018
2017
2016

living light and DIY

During this pandemic (our family is now entering week 9), it has been nearly impossible to get any alone time, but observing each of us, I am learning so much. Speaking about myself only, I have noticed that I flow in and out of a mix of emotions, even in the course of a day. We have been fortunate, so far, and I feel guilt, privilege, and gratitude all rolled into one untidy bundle. I, like many, have found this whole event to be stressful, but there are some things we are doing that keep us busy, ease some of the stress, and feel productive.

Growing an edible garden. With a small yard, we are growing in scattered little plots.

We are in a part of Northern California where our shelter-in-place orders have been extended through May 31, with uncertainty beyond that. These weeks at home have had difficult and joyful spots, growth and regression. Among the positives, however, have been the space and necessity that we lean into our more resourceful, DIY tendencies. As I said in my previous post, I am choosing light; seeing the brightness of this time and living more lightly on the planet. (It is one way I manage my anxiety.) Living lightly is something M and I have always aligned on, but I had been feeling like we had drifted in the past 5 years or so. (We spent an entire year buying nothing new when the kids were younger, but that would be so much harder now!)

 Homemade sauerkraut and homemade yogurt.

Sheltering in place has shown us a few things.

It quickly became clear to us that our tendency to be prepared was helpful. Preparation has been a tool I have used for years, initially because being prepared saves us money, more recently because it saves us time and addresses environmental risks (earthquakes and wildfires) and food allergies and sensitivities, and in shelter-in-place, it has saved us from additional worry.

As more and more people have jumped into urban homesteading, it gave me an awareness of how much our family already does ourselves, and if there is an urban homestead wagon, we were already on it.

Muffins and granola. We make granola weekly and the recipe is my gluten free version of a recipe I brought home from summer camp when I was 12.

I have enjoyed the challenge of making things work during this time when zipping out to buy and telephoning to hire haven't been options. Within the first 3 weeks of shelter-in-place, we had multiple things break. Between us, we had the skills and resources to repair or work out an alternative. This time has had me reflecting on lessons my grandparents and parents shared, and the phrase 'use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.' We are not lacking for anything, but I certainly don't want anything to go to waste and I am extra eager for us to take care of what we do have. These desires are emphasized by the desire to avoid contact with others.

The reasoning is bizarre and unprecedented, but the resulting resourcefulness and simplicity are welcomed, and the decreased environmental impact is so very good.

Line dried laundry and plastic bags (washed and reused, yes). Do you see rags hanging there? We use a lot of cloth; rags, napkins, towels, feminine, and when we had babies, diapers. We have used cloth wipes, too, but we do use toilet paper when it can be purchased.

The photos in this post are a sampling of simple actions and recipes we were already using long before this pandemic. In addition, we have a chest freezer to stock on on sale foods and bulk cooked meals. We are crafty and make things we need through woodworking, sewing, other fiber arts, and more. (Yup, we have made masks right along with everyone else!)

While we had chickens for years, we don't currently. We talked about getting chicks last year, but didn't have the bandwidth. We do now, and so chicks are on their way to us. We have cleaned out the coop and are excited for the coming additions to our little homestead. We keep trying new things, too. I just made a batch of rice milk and while I bake a lot from scratch, I want to try making my own gluten-free sourdough starter for gluten-free sourdough bread.

I hope to look back on this time and see the creativity, the light, and the need for less that resulted from it.

What roots have you returned to during this time?

creative light less at home through a pandemic

 Beloved Hawthorn tree, which has transformed in the last 2 weeks. A flock of Cedar Waxwings cleared the remaining berries, nudging the new leaves to show themselves.

While I have had a lot of things to say and seemingly plenty of time to say them, the thoughts in me haven't been organized or fluid for months now. For this reason, I post less and less often.

Even now, I am not sure that my jumble of thoughts will be well written, but I want to get something onto the blog to mark this time in history and our lives. Our family has been socially isolating for nearly 4 weeks. Yesterday marked 3 weeks since health officials in our area (the first to do so in the country) declared shelter-in-place due to COVID-19. My thoughts now are very different from that first week.

During week 1, this whole situation felt unreal. As our movement in the world became more limited, it seemed surreal, as though it would be temporary. I wondered if the view of homeschooling might change for the better as schools closed one by one. My thoughts of that have shifted the past few weeks. I worry for the families that are trying to juggle kids at home with work-from-home jobs, kids who don't have a safe haven at home, and families who have lost jobs. I know there are teachers struggling to pull together home lesson plans (this being harder the younger the child), parents struggling to know how to bring a class teacher's lesson plan to life at home, and kids pushing back and resisting work. Now in week 4, I wonder...when we are all let back out into the world and schools reopen, if homeschoolers will be more criticized than before. And at some point I realized; No one is homeschooling right now, not even the homeschoolers. What we are doing is pandemic-schooling. Or just surviving. (I like what Carrie of The Parenting Passageway and Shawna of Different by Design Learning have to say.) The reality is that no-one has been where we are now. We are trying to find our footing while figuring out how to acquire the basics for living, get enough movement while deprived of big nature, and support each other. All while we wait for an unknown. We are a world spiking in physical, emotional, and mental health strain.
Week 1, one of my biggest emotions was guilt. Guilt that we were okay and totally soaking in the time at home. My family had desperately been needing some down time, together. M's work and commute had been nutty, and when he was home, he often had conference calls. His absence had, in all honesty, created some painful Dada rejection for one kid. The kids and I had been very busy, one kid sick in February and the other counting the weeks until spring and summer breaks. The first week home, we connected, we relaxed, we had time to be creative. We had some hard adjustments too. It turns out live-stream online classes (distance-learning) are not a good fit for one kiddo, our Internet coverage is clunky, and our house is tiny, so there is no-where for M to work. (He has a stool pulled up to the side of our bed, and as of last summer, our bedroom is a finished basement room - a through-way to the garage. He had to connect his computer to the Internet with hard wire to have a connection down there.) Work continues to be stressful, with new dimensions of intensity.

But these are first world problems. So far, he is still employed and we are still healthy, as are our families. So far. The 'not knowing' what is to come is hard. I read an article in week 2, written by a counselor to parents of high needs children. Some excellent points were made that we parents of kids with special needs are experienced with 'no knowing.' Very true. Now in week 4, I see that the reality is the whole world is on pause right now. No one knows how long any given place will need to stay home to stay healthy. There is so much worry, with health and financial worry topping the list. And while humanity struggles, Mother Earth keeps turning, the sun keeps rising, the birds are singing, the air quality is much improved, and wildlife can be seen roaming now-quiet streets. These are the beautiful things, along with health and bounty, that keep us all moving forward. Not seeing friends and the more solid understanding that kids won't resume or be reunited with classes, sports, and friends anytime soon has been hard. Sibling relationships have gone from playful to strained.

Week 1 we needed the down time. Week 4 we are needing outside-the-family time. This month has been an incredible spyglass on the balance my family needs.

A week or so ago, I was messaging with a local friend, who was feeling overwhelmed (as many of us are) and who said "I just want to go back to how it was." Deep breath. Pause. I texted back; "Me too. There is no going back. It will always be life 'before pandemic' and life 'after pandemic'." That is a huge realization to mentally own and everyone will have to do that in their own time and way. And right now, "during pandemic" feels unfamiliar, isolating, scary, never-ending, anxious, frazzled, insert-your-emotions-here.

"During pandemic" has also had its share of positive emotions; connection, love, deep gratitude, and creativity, caring, friendliness with new meaning. This time has nudged us to to return to the roots of this blog; Creative. Light. Less. When I first began blogging (on my blog titled Which Name?), most of what I wrote about was creative, frugal living. When I moved blogs and chose a new name, I stuck with that and chose a name that reflected my desire to live creatively, lightly on this Earth, and with less (stuff, baggage, etc.) During the past 5+ years, our family has drifted further away from those roots and my blogging has been spottier and more about homeschooling. At the end of 2019, I had decided that I wanted to consciously return to some of these lifestyle fundamentals. For similar and other reasons, I chose the word Light as my word for 2020. So it seems positive to me that, here we are, finding light in this time of darkness in the world, and having to live creatively and with less.  I know that it has helped us tremendously that we were prepared entering into this stay-at-home time. Our family culture being rooted in DIY made this transition easier, as did our preparedness for earthquakes and wildfires because of where we live. (I am linking to another post from Carrie of The Parenting Passageway, where she wrote about how she was preparing for an extended time at home. It is a great prep list.) This time at home has given space for recycled/upcycled craft projects, seed planting, tons more creative cooking, conscious shopping, reusable materials, creative fixes and replacements, and more consciousness to what we are using and doing.  The craze for toilet paper has me worried in only one way...someone accidentally flushing cloth wipes down the toilet. (We already had the stress of having a plumber in during week 2 because of a clog in the pipe that we couldn't clear with our home tools.)

So here we are today, sitting in gratitude for all we have and curiosity about the days ahead.

I hope my rambling, wandering thoughts find you doing whatever you can and are able to do to stay safe and healthy; physically, emotionally, and mentally, and you have a window or an outdoor space that lets you soak in a little springtime sunshine and fresh air.

Stay well.

homeschool day - 9th and 6th grades

Every year for the past few, I have prepared and written a post for the Homeschool Day in the Life series at Simple Homeschool. I love Simple Homeschool. It was one of my first entries into homeschooling, before we even began. And I have loved contributing to this series. This is its 10th year, coming at a time of fewer blogs and more Instagram.

The truth is, this year it crept up on me and I didn't prepare anything.

The truth is, this year I am winding down as a blogger after 13+ years.

The truth is, so much has changed for us this year, as homeschoolers and as individuals, that I am not even sure how to write a homeschool day post.

But...those reasons feel all the more compelling to share something.

So with the link-up reminder arriving in my email inbox this morning, I am blogging about our day today and will link-up late.

Today is a Thursday. Each day of the week looks a little different for us, with a general schedule;

Mondays usually include a 4-H activity for my son.  My daughter will do a make-up of the 4-H activity at a later time, because her class schedule changed at winter break, making Monday one of her long days in the part time program she attends.

Tuesday is also a long day for her, and my son and I work on his various learning needs and desires.

Wednesday is charter school day. Right now, this is Shakespeare class, project, and performance. My daughter graduated from the charter, but is costume assistant. She then goes on to one class in her part time program.

Fridays are a home or field trip day.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings are ballet for my daughter. Tuesdays and Thursday evenings are karate for my son.

Every morning we have 'together time,' which includes a game, read aloud of some kind (book, poetry, news article, etc.), and CNN 10.

Today is Thursday and usually that means we have our morning together at home for together time and some lesson work and lunch before heading out so my daughter can go to a class and my son and I play at the park and go to the library. Today, though, after our together time, we had the first in a series of orthodontist appointments and when we got home, lessons didn't happen smoothly (or at all for one kiddo). Overwhelm from a lot going on finally came to a head and it was clear that structured learning was done while we worked through some big feelings. I called it a mental health day and we stayed home for the day. My daughter's class and my son's karate didn't happen today. I will be honest, 8 years into homeschooling, I am much better at taking a deep breath and letting it go. An occasional miss for whole health reasons feels right to me.

We spent the day on projects, resting, reading, and even having some time on screens. We played a game of Skip-Bo during dinner and we are winding down to an early bed with some music.

And tomorrow is fresh. I have a general idea what we need to cover, but, as always, we shall see how the day unfolds.

(For more about our homeschool, click here. For a little background (albeit 4 years old now!) on our homeschool journey, click here.)

learning period 3: 2019 - 2020

I am trying to capture each learning period as they happen, which, for our homeschooling arrangement, is a 2-month length of time, August through May. Learning period 3 covered December 2019 and January 2020. The idea of a learning period comes from the charter school that both my kids were in from 2013 onward and just Brown Mouse is part of now. Checking in every two months is doable for me and keeps me on track with both kids. Lala Bug is still homeschooling, but we are independently homeschooling now and she takes a couple classes at a private school, as a part-time student for hybrid-schooling.

Brown Mouse, grade 6:

Math: He is primarily using ALEKS and Key To workbooks for math. 6th grade is when I really backed off and made the year playful with math for his sister and I am keeping it short for him, currently, because I can feel a similar push-back and frustration.

Science: Science is one of his favorite subjects, so we do a lot of playing around with science. Recently, we have really enjoyed exploring science projects from the series of books from DK by Jack Challoner.

Language Arts/English: Brown Mouse is doing a loop of materials to work on different aspects of language arts in short bursts daily. He is using Typing Club, Handwriting Without Tears for Cursive, Editor in Chief, and speech-to-text to more fully get his thoughts in writing. He has also read and is now in a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Social studies/history: We are learning American History. Right now, we are in the Civil War time period. Just to be confusing, we are also re-exploring the Middle Ages and Brown Mouse is beginning to work on a research project to go with his Shakespeare class.

Other: 4-H (all outdoors projects this year; hiking, urban farming, and wilderness skills, for which he is the junior leader), karate (new for him), soccer (skills class and pick-up games with his rec team)

Lala Bug, grade 9:

Math: Algebra 1 at the school. She is doing really well in this, despite years of math-hating, but the homework is time and energy consuming for her, I won't lie.

Science: Biology, with lab, at the school. This is my background, but is definitely not a favorite for her. She is currently having to practice note-taking because of this class and that is a challenging skill for her differently wired brain.

Language Arts/English: This year we are covering Shakespeare - comedy and tragedy and also essay reading (and eventually a little more writing).

Social studies/history: American history with the intention of being ready for American Government next school year. Right now, we are in the Civil War time period. We have also been dipping in and out of current events, because so much has been going on politically.

World language: This is generally on hold, although she has been "playing" with DuoLingo for Italian.

Other: 4-H (all outdoors projects now; hiking, urban farming, and wilderness skills, for which she is the teen leader. Unfortunately, she had to drop a life skills project because her academic school class times changed), ballet, coding, fashion/design, knitting. (Soccer is on break for the season.)


What has your kids schooling and education looked like lately?

learning period 1: 2019-2020

We are in a season of busy! I have been wanting to find a time to blog about how our school is going so far, but time for me to pause, reflect, and write has been so limited. Right now, I am sitting in M’s car next to the soccer field, where Lala Bug has practice. Normally, I don’t wait here, but today, my car is in the shop (again), M is just home from a business trip and worked from home, so he and Brown Mouse are having time together, and with darkness coming earlier, soccer practice end-time feels unpredictable on this field has no lights. So this nets me a little time to write!

I looked back on some of my personal journaling from the past couple of years and the start to the school year has rarely felt smooth. This year felt even less so, as it was very, very drawn out, and growth has made our learning choices different this year. Lala Bug began a part time program at a small high school, which began slowly with orientations and community building, before classes began. The school requires we drive, so this commute is a change, too. Brown Mouse is still in our beloved charter school, and although we had to begin documenting our learning activities in early August(!!), the physical activities and classes didn’t begin until late September. There has been much change with our charter too, bringing more uncertainty. The same late start was true for 4-H, so it felt like we were trying to launch the school year over the span of about two months!

So here we are heading into late October and I feel like we are finally settled into a routine. I hesitate to use the word groove or rhythm, because our schedule just feels too full. We have quite a few things we have to be at, at specific times. It took me several weeks, and a comment from my friend Vanessa (of Wright at Homeschool), for me to realize that I needed a mindset shift to accept that this is our normal right now. We are intentionally busy. We won’t be busy like this all year. (We can’t be. It isn’t sustainable for me or for my differently wired girl.) Right now, we have activities out of the house 4 evenings per week, plus weekend games, in addition to daily classes and/or 4-H, and our homeschool. I have tried to keep Fridays clear, but Lala Bug does have Friday evening soccer practice and we have ended up needing to make appointments on some of the Fridays.

 

So for learning period 1, August and September:

Lala Bug, grade 9, is studying  algebra 1, biology with lab, American History, and English. The first two are classes she is taking and the latter two are been addressed in a less formal way at home with literature, documentaries, and discussions. In addition, she is in soccer, dance, 4-H, and is pursuing her own passions, including knitting, sewing, and fashion design. We haven’t been able to find a way to do block learning with her current classes.

Brown Mouse, grade 6, is doing language arts (rotating through grammar, cursive, typing, and writing, usually through dictation), science (we started the year with a lovely geology block), American History (I can combine with his sister and he is taking a class on American tall ships, navigation, and sailing history), and daily math. (We haven’t settled on a single curriculum for the year. He previously enjoyed Teaching Textbooks, but despite moving him up a couple levels, he is bored. He will likely get practice through Key To workbooks, Khan Academy, and ALEKS.) Brown Mouse is also in soccer, 4-H, and is interested in survival gear and skills.

We have managed to sneak in a couple family camping trips and a weekend in the mountains since this learning period began, which fuels the soul. M has had a couple of business trips. We've attended a harvest festival and a celebration of Monarch migration, which are near and dear to our hearts. So it has been a full couple of months.

I have had to make an intention to include some restorative self-care into my days and be clear and loving with my boundaries, because I know if I am well rooted, my branches are strong enough to help everyone else.

What has been keeping you busy this 'season?'

summer at the lake 2019

This summer has been somewhat different from previous summers. When asked at the end of the school year what our summer would look like, it seemed as though it would likely be some basic learning activities, punctuated at the beginning, middle, and end with travel. And that is what it has been, but it felt far more busy and lesson summer-like than I imagined. It also felt short, as I knew it would.

To launch our summer, we took a family road trip north to Portland and back. We camped our way home and, on the whole, had a really wonderful trip. The truth is that we deeply needed some time away, just the four of us, and that was quite restorative.

The middle of the summer took us to north Lake Tahoe. That trip was short and affected by kiddo high needs. While it was beautiful up there, it wasn't a relaxing break. We did enjoy family and the women's world cup soccer final and win!

And the end of the summer took us to the wilderness of the mountains again, to our special place we have been lucky enough to visit every year since before I was born. It is the anchor of my year and where I want my ashes scattered after I die. This year was a little different for a few reasons. There were some quirky things happening at the cabin that needed fixing, so we fixed those. Our kiddos, who were so kung-ho to hike hard before the trip, were rather subdued once there, and not quick to be overly motivated. We had multiple boot failures, most notably mine completely falling apart on a hot rocky trail, with about a 30 minute hike (without boots) left to return to the boats. (It took me longer, and some tears, to get back to the lake.) I never got to some favorite spots during our week away and found I had to grieve this a little. I also got very little quiet reading, writing, drawing time. A little, but not a lot. Regardless, it was soul soothing setting and felt so good. The photos are all from this trip, because I share some every year.

And in between, some language arts and math work for both kids and an incredibly successful coding class for our girl, complete with presentation and demonstration of their developed app at the end.

And summer? It is only early August, yet I must turn my attention to the school year ahead, since our beloved charter didn't get the memo that August is summer!

August 2019

In August, stone fruits are so sweet.

Peach pie makes a special treat. 

~Nicola

 

 

Well, hello. I have taken a couple months off from blogging and it was so busy it zipped by! We have had a couple of months that were very much of a mix of summer travel and full home time that was not at all summer-like. In fact, some of our usual summer anchors have been missed entirely. August will be a mix like that, too, with some summer activities, but some school related events happening, as well.

 

 

Dates of Interest:




Instead of specific dates this month, I will just say that, this month, we are celebrating a family birthday, have some new-to-us homeschool support school appointments to attend, school 'start' dates on the calendar, a week of day camp, and meteor showers to enjoy!

Homeschooling:







June and July had a homeschooling rhythm broken by trips. Both kids were working on math and language arts programs through the summer and Lala Bug just completed an intensive coding class. In August, the support schools that we homeschool under will begin, although we still have a certain amount of flexiblity. With Lala Bug having graduated our long time charter school, our new situation for her will be a learning curve and transition for us all.

Self-care:


The kids are in an outdoor camp for a week and that is my summer 'vacation.' That is my one week to tackle projects for me, take deep care of myself (massage, haircut, naps, etc.), schedule appointments, read, write, lesson plan, and whatever else fills my cup.

Parenting and Family:

During the next few weeks, I want make sure we get some good family connection as well as fuel each kid with some special time. We are hoping to re-establish the rhythm of a family hike on the weekends. I know the transitions and changes coming are likely to trigger anxieties and I want to prepare for that.

Home life:

I mentioned in my June/July post that we have some major house work to do this summer and it is underway now. It is a bit shocking how long some of these projects can take, even when hiring others to help do them!

I hope your August is lovely and joyous!

June and July 2019

 

June brings solstice summer sun

Warmth and light for everyone.

 

We spend July in mountains high.

Canoe, hike, and swim; The days fly by. 

~Nicola 

 

Dates of Interest:

June 16: Father's Day

June 21: Summer Solstice

July 4: United States' Independence Day


Homeschooling:

We wrapped up the year well. We didn't get to all at hoped to and planned for. Not even close. But we also had some important health care appointments series that interrupted our flow substantially.

We usually take the summertime off. This year, our summer break is shorter and we will be enjoying some space and time, but we will also be doing some intentional learning. Our summer is actually far more scheduled (not necessarily full, just mapped out) than usual.

Intentional learning includes some language arts and some math for both kids. In addition, Lala Bug has asked to learn some coding. This isn't something she is normally interested in, but she has idea in mind that this would help with. I love this for so very many reasons! Also, Shakespeare is much loved in this house and there are opportunities around to see local performances, which we plan to take advantage of.

And, of course, I need to spend some time planning. This coming year will look very different, but I don't quite know yet how it will be different. We continue to try and be mindful of where our kids are socially, emotionally, developmentally, and academically, regardless of their chronological age. We are trying to respect their desires, limits, and interests, while keeping the broader view of what they might need for college and beyond. All that feels a bit fuzzy for my planning right now.

Self-care:


Self-care this summer will mean me getting some time alone, clearing some of our spaces (this gives me greater inner calm), and reading some books. We will be adventuring and exploring this summer, which is something I deeply need. I need to "get away," even if we don't travel and this just means exploring new and much-loved places nearby.

Parenting:


Our kids need some down time, nature time, and one-on-one this summer! There are plans for them to get all of that. I continue to work on boundary setting and holding and we are being mindful to pour on more positive compliments and observations when appropriate. We have one kiddo who has a hard time accepting supportive criticism, corrections, and also compliments. All of these help us grow when when they are intended in a caring way.

Home life:

We have some major work to do this summer...decluttering, room shuffling, and we need a new roof (and ceiling repairs from where the roof leaked)!



I am combining June and July, because one way in which I am caring for myself this summer is not setting myself up to feel obliged to be online! Have a joyful summer.

April 2019

April brings the flaming weeds,

as gold bursts from California Poppy seeds. 

~Nicola

Dates of Interest:

As a family that homeschools through a charter school, this month our kids participate in various forms of testing. In addition, we technically have a spring break, so our April schedule and activities will be a little different than usual.

April is Poetry Month!

April 15: Tax Day

April 21: Easter

April 22: Earth Day


Homeschooling:

Moving out of March, we have really been in an amazing homeschooling groove. I know this will shift this month because of testing, but I am really okay with that, because I am needing a respite from the regular "to dos" of homeschooling as I really tackle (and draw the kids into) some home clear out and rearrangement tasks. While the kids are testing, I will be working on our home financial management and taxes, so this has been part of our learning conversation.

Both kids are in an online class that pairs design concepts (something they are both interested in, in different ways) and math. So far, it has been a hit.

Fifth Grader: Not too much change, although I need to bring in more science, his love.  He is using Teaching Textbooks and Key To workbooks for math and we are using games to review, although between testing and the online class, we may make little progress. We are definitely not going to finish the Teaching Textbooks lessons by year-end. We are continuing to use REWARDS to support his progress with language arts differences and using Brave Writer Arrow guides for literature and language arts.

Eight Grader: She has been working through Khan Academy and Key To workbooks for math (although we will likely cover less of these with the online class and testing). A success has been discovering she really enjoys the math more on a pad with a rubber tipped pen. She is getting a small amount of outside support for language arts and math and is also doing the Brave Writer Arrow guides with us. She blurted out the other day "We don't do enough history!" That's her love, so we will do a little more this month.

We have been narrowing down options for high school next year and I suspect will feel settled in a decision by the end of the month. At the very least, the most stressful aspects feel as though they are behind us and some very good family and one on one parent-parent and parent-child conversations have happened now.

Self-care:

My priority has been sleep and personal reading. I have done well with these, but I still haven't been sleeping all that well. While I have been less successful at consistently being up before my kids (Lala Bug rises quite early these days) and morning exercise, we have been great at getting out into nature for hikes as a family on the weekend, and this really fuels all of us. My goals this month is to take a few minutes daily to write and/or meditate to process all that has been happening and also to finish another book. (I am reading several at once.) I would also like to re-kindle the challenge of a photo a day.

Parenting:

Parenting, as always, is about connection, empathy, play, limits, listening, and love. I am working on talking less and listening more. Patience, love, and playfulness are what is needed right now with the kids, as well as encouraging loving kindness and empathy between siblings. I think mostly, M and I really need to pour some time and care into our relationship. Spouse and self can be the last to receive care when kids, homeschooling, work, commute, home repairs, etc. feel so dominant.

Home life:

We are making more progress on clearing, cleaning, organizing, and re-arranging. We have continued to have a lot of rain and have had pauses as a result. The fence is now down, we need to clear out fence debris, clean up outside, and plant new seedlings. We need to finish clearing out a room and have the flooring we selected installed. I hope we can do this by the end of the month. I have a number of items to donate or sell to make space we desperately need.

Crafting:
So much creating has been happening here, especially building and sewing! I foresee it continuing, which is lovely.

Happy April! Share what is happening in your life!

(This post was inspired by Carrie of The Parenting Passageway.)

March 2019

March brings our 'coastal snow,'

as flowers bloom and white petals blow. 

~Nicola

Dates of Interest:

March is the month dedicated to celebration of women. We will be reading extra stories of strong and unique women during read-aloud.

March 8: International Women's Day

March 17: St. Patrick's Day

March 20: Shakespeare performances day in our world

March 21: Holi

Homeschooling:

Homeschooling in a little smoother as we begin this month. We are through the application process with our oldest for high schools and are now waiting, talking, and making decisions. I had not anticipated how much stress and anxiety my girl would experience from participating in this process. Change is inevitable and hard.

For both kids we are going to shifting back into using Brave Writer Arrow or Boomerang guides paired with literature. We had taken a break while steeped in Shakespeare.

Fifth Grader: Not much has changed since last month's post! He is working on weekly homework for his Exercise Physiology class, as well as his Globe Theatre project for his Shakespeare class. He is using Teaching Textbooks and Key To workbooks for math and we are using games to review. We are continuing to use REWARDS to support his progress with language arts differences.

Eight Grader: She just completed her Shakespeare project and is working on memorizing lines so she can be an understudy for a couple of other characters, if necessary. She has been working through Khan Academy and Key To workbooks for math and she is getting a small amount of outside support for language arts and math.

Self-care:

I have been tired. My priority has been climbing into bed at a reasonable time and reading a little before sleep. There are so many other self-care things I want to be doing, and if I am honest, I feel like I deserve. If I stop and consider, there are little things I am doing...a hot shower (alone for 5 minutes of thinking and meditation), light exercise, listening to podcasts, and nature time, among others, but it is the time I have alone that is most meaningful to me. Recently, my brother came for an overnight and took the kids mountain biking for the afternoon, so M and I had a little conversation time alone together before he went for a hike and left me alone in the house. I did some clean-up, but it still felt restorative because I was by myself. I really haven't been getting this kind of time much. It is so important to know these things about oneself!

Parenting:

Parenting, as always, is about connection, empathy, play, limits, listening, and love. I am working on talking less and listening more. Brown Mouse just went away for a couple of days for special adventure time with Grandma and Nonno, leaving Lala Bug to get some special time with us. It was what everyone needed.

Home life:

We are making very slow progress on clearing, cleaning, organizing, and re-arranging, but progress in baby steps is still progress. We have had a lot of rain and we can see where we may need to pause until it is dry enough for us to haul some things outside, but also that items like roof patching and fence securing are getting bumped up on the list. M and I are working to carve out time to really connect and communicate with each other about all. the. things; kids, schooling, home, work, future, finances. We are definitely at a point where we are both feeling worn and changes are needed. I feel the winds shifting.

Crafting:
Lala Bug's itch to knit has been rekindled. I am pleased to see her creativity re-blossom. M has been making some tools for his shop that haven't required power, since his finger is still recovering from the table saw. Brown Mouse has been working on a model Globe Theatre for his Shakespeare project. Me? I have been mending things and decluttering my crafting area, readying it to be packed up for a room rearrangement.

And just like that we slide toward spring! What is happening in your world?

February 2019

In February we say good-bye

to the migrating Monarch butterfly. 

~Nicola

Dates of Interest:

These are some of the days our family is celebrating this month or simply things we are taking note of or interest in.

Birthday celebrations in our family!

February 14: St. Valentine's Day

February 15-18: Great Backyard Bird Count

Homeschooling:

Just to keep it real; homeschooling is hard right now. We are simultaneously trying to address some learning and developmental challenges, while planning for the start of high school next year for our eldest. It is clear the combination is bringing up a lot of intense feelings, worry, and confusion for all of us.

Fifth grader: He is working on weekly homework for both his Shakespeare class and Exercise Physiology class, as well as his project for his Shakespeare class. His chosen topic is the Globe Theater.  He is using Teaching Textbooks and Key To workbooks for math and we are using games to review. We are continuing to use REWARDS to support his progress with language arts differences.

Eighth grader: She is working on homework, research project, and practicing lines for her Shakespeare class. She is getting a small amount of outside support for language arts and I am trying to work with her on math. Right now, we are focusing heavily on emotional health and skill building.

Self-care:

This has continued to be very difficult for me. Due to high needs parenting, I think I have gotten depleted enough that I really need some deep care to restore myself. I am trying for daily exercise and deep breathing. (A practice of 3 slow, deep breaths, in through the nose, hold, out through the mouth. Breath 1 is just the breath. Breath 2, expanding and stretching my body. Breath 3, thinking "what is important right now?" and focusing on that.)  I need to increase my water intake. My journaling has been spotty. What I think I really need to address next is a therapist or new listening partnership.

Parenting:

Parenting and homeschooling are all so deeply woven together! I have been saying yes just about every time Brown Mouse asks me to play our made up basketball trampoline game. Laughter, connection, and physical exercise are wonderful. With Lala Bug, I am making myself available when she seeks me out and I am working to reduce the corrections and increase the positive comments. Following M's power tool accident and subsequent emergency department visit (he is okay!), our highly sensitive girl has really struggled with us. Fear is a powerful thing to a sensitive being that is both both teen and young girl in one growing, changing mind and body.

Home life:

We have made expectations more clear, limits more clear, and everyone is helping a bit more. This is something we will continue to work on! We have done a couple more chunks of purging and I have a load to bring to the donation place, although you can't see the dent! We also did a deep clean of our bathroom (we have moisture problems during winter) and you can see the difference there!

Crafting:

Brown Mouse has been building. He got interested in earthquakes again and made a shake table and some buildings. He has also been playing with his Tinker Crates. (These were a birthday present from us. They come from KiwiCo. I have no affiliation and yes, I would recommend them.)  M had to take a rest because of his hand injury. Lala Bug has favored reading over crafting the past couple weeks and I have been deep in paperwork during my "extra" time. So little crafting has happened. Just typing that motivates me to put out some crafty "morning invitations!"

Happy February to you all. I know many homeschoolers dislike February, but it is one of my favorite months. I think of it as a "red" month, full of celebrations, picking up a little cheer after "blue" January. It has been wet and cold here. We even got snow here in coastal California last night! Be well.

(You will enjoy Carrie's monthly The Parenting Passageway post, here!)

learning period 3: 2018-2019

I have posted previously about how our charter follows learning periods. (Here is my post from learning period 2, which links to learning period 1 as well as other posts.) I shifted into posting monthly at the start of 2019, but since I was specific about subjects in these learning period posts and I started the school year this way, I am going to do both to finish the school year. (Note: I am writing this at the beginning of March, having forgotten to share about learning period 3, December 2018 and January 2019, so will back-date this to post it chronologically!)

December and January were what I would call heavy on learning but light on academics. We had a number of appointments lasting into December, the holidays, the move of the kids' beloved occupational therapist, high school applications, and some deep stresses and anxieties all affecting our homeschool. There was joy and learning (you cannot stop it, even if you try), but less documentation.

Social studies: We continued with our American Girl history project, had a fabulous hands-on field trip to a Native American history site, and during this learning period, we watched a number of documentaries that lead to a lot of big conversations. (I subscribed to Curiosity Stream when there was a $1 per month deal and we also really enjoyed the Netflix series Tales by Light.) Towards the end of this learning period, the kids began classes through our charter school. Both chose to participate in the Shakespeare class being offered. As part of this class, there are weekly homework assignments and a history research project.

Math: Teaching Textbooks for Brown Mouse, Khan Academy for Lala Bug, games, and Key To... series workbooks for both kids. We are more consistent with math this year, but it still seems to be slow going.

Language arts and Writing: This third learning period, both kids joined a weekly book group offered by one of our charter teachers. They read Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. This was a non-required precursor to the Shakespeare performance class I mentioned above. I used Brave Writer ideas as we read through Nine Gnome Nights by Sieglinde de Francesa of Teach Wonderment. Lala Bug is getting weekly support from a teacher at our charter school and Brown Mouse is still working through a reading and spelling support program called REWARDS, which he is having success with.

Science: During this learning period, much of the science we covered was through our nature studies; overwintering ladybug beetles, migrating birds, weather, earthquake exploration, and some chemistry.

Onward into learning period 4 already!