Though Elijah and Sadie’s interests in the violin passed some time ago, we came out on this afternoon to support our violin-playing (and teaching) friends as they performed in a recital at the local library.
Christine and daughter, Anna, perform a duet.
One of the boys even played the Star Wars theme! Very cool to see our friends actively pursuing their interests and demonstrating their talents!
We went over for a BBQ at the Kerrs’ house!
Here Elijah, Chris, Sadie and Justin enjoy some swimming in the hot afternoon sun. This was about the only time they were sitting still. There was lots of tossing and crazy play. The kids love playing with ’silly Justin’!
Sadie colored with Sara and Elijah played MarioKart on the Wii with Justin- all pretty regular activities. The one out of the ordinary occurrence was Elijah going out of his way to join Sara’s parents in their upstairs oasis for a car auction on television!
As you can see, Jo Ann and Steve were not quite as riveted as Elijah. He loves to scrutinize fancy cars in addition to customizing and racing them on Need 4 Speed (Wii).
A few months ago 5 DFW unschooling mothers convened to discuss the waning support network for unschoolers coinciding with a tremendous growth in the number of families interested or partaking in unschooling in the metroplex area. I was pleased to be one of those women. We met and created a new Meet-Up group for social networking, play, and focused discussion surrounding peaceful family living and unschooling called Whole-Life Unschooling. We were so busy talking and the kids were so busy creating and playing that I didn’t even think to pick up the camera for most of the day.
Elijah stops for a snack break at the blanket.
Pears were spotted on the trees adjacent to the park so we decided to go see if they were edible. We picked a bunch and they were delicious!
Sadie and friends decorate the path.
It was a hot one! Many of the kids cooled each other off in the water fountain using various methods. They seemed to have been very effective.
There was a great turn-out of families and a lively discussion on the day’s topic- consensual living. Interest in the group is high and the desire for growth and support is alive!
Elijah likes making guitars out of anything open and various thicknesses of rubberbands.
I went out shopping one day and came home to this- 3 rock stars with a rehearsed show to put on for me. They had it all- fashion (clothing optional), presence, and rock! It’s like music and comedy all at once.
Riding along the coast of Alabama on the way to Disneyworld, we got a bird’s eye view of the U.S.S. Alabama battleship which is permanently docked in Mobile. We decided that we would plan for this to be a stop on the way home as Chris had heard from a friend that it was quite an adventure and we can’t pass those up! True to our plan, we stopped for a lunch time break here on the way back through to Texas. The ship is unbelievably HUGE. There are 4 self-guided tours which would probably take all day to complete. We chose the yellow tour and had quite a time exploring everything from seamen and captains’ quarters to battle stations. What an amazing maze of hallways, ladders, and memorabilia. It was easy to imagine the men who lived and worked on this ship as we deciphered how messages were passed, enemies targeted, and the daily activities of life lived.
This plane was a big hit- artistry! We moved on to the U.S.S. Drum submarine.
Although weapons and warships are not really my gig, this was a rare opportunity for our family to step into the past and see first-hand the living situations and collossal scale of hand-to-hand combat. Wild.
Even after 7 days, we were all sad to leave this magical place. It seems unbelievable that the party was not just for us but would continue everyday- even after we left. I told the kids I would like to get a job there which was met with supreme disagreement. “You can’t get a job! We are homeschoolers! You need to be at home with us!” I don’t like the Florida humidity anyway… We all feel a flutter now when we see the Disney castle before a movie begins. We saw those fireworks- on the biggest fireworks night of the year. We were there. And it was wondrous.
Elijah completed a whole session of tennis lessons and loved every minute of them. When asked if he would like to continue to attend the weekly lessons, he declined gracefully. Upon further probing, it appears that he has reached saturation with the repetitive activities and that, though it was all great fun, feels that he can better spend his time doing new things or practicing these exercises with us at the high school tennis courts.
We seem to be moving in a new direction. We asked for growth, sought it out, and are getting just that. Several unschooling mamas and myself came together to begin a new support and discussion group for DFW metroplex unschoolers- Whole-Life Unschoolers Meet-Up. Two of these women were already my friends and the other two have quickly become recognized as kindred spirits on this journey to discover ourselves through respectful partnerships with our children. We are branching out, discovering new pockets of unschoolers, and making new connections. It is a beautiful, exciting time!
We’re meeting new friends! Reaching out for positive energy and other people that project similarly, we are finding more and more wonderful families with whom to share and grow. Although the pictures didn’t come out great, I find it compelling to mark the beginning of this friendship. This is the first day that Angie and the girls came over to play. Sadie and Elijah really enjoy playing with the girls and we seem to have a kinship between our families.
There was quite a bit of dress-up along with some swimming and building homes for their stuffed animals out of cardboard bricks. Looking forward to lots more fun!
Especially in the summer, dryers are an energy nightmare both for conservation and electric bills. Even an energy saver dryer (like we have) puts off heat which makes the air conditioning have to work even harder. I have been very interested in getting a clothesline. After some research, however, it appeared to be an expensive endeavor and I didn’t want something that would take up space in the yard or be an eyesore when we weren’t using it. Then I had a brainstorm, spent $5 at the dollar store on a clothesline rope and some packages of clothespins and got to work. We hang the rope from fence to fence when we have laundry to hang out and take it down when it’s dry (about 10 minutes in the summer!). I have found hanging laundry to be incredibly meditative and really enjoy it. It also gives our clothes a really fresh, natural scent that can’t be gotten from a bottle without additives that give me a headache and the sun’s rays are anti-bacterial in their own right so it’s healthier for the family! So far, the only thing we don’t dry outside are bath towels and Chris’ gym socks (they get crunchy!).
Here we are- Mama and Daddy!
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