I'm on a roll

(Halloween Store #1---?! ; )

So yes, after my last post, I figure 'why not? I'm on a roll!'

It's been quite awhile since I've posted, and rightfully so... our life has been so stinkin' busy lately I'm not sure whether I'm going or going or whether it's Tuesday or Friday.... let alone October or December!

The weather's been chilly and I'm not diggin' the chill. I LOVE the fall colors though, so I will bite my tongue and enjoy the season for what it's offering. It seems to be a really nice fall... longer lasting than the past ones, probably because it's chilly out. So, since my last post, the classes had been kickin' into full gear and I think I was loosing ground a bit. It's the first session/season where they ALL were doing classes, and all had a LOTS of interests too. It was hard to say 'no' to absolutely anything until we ran out of money! ; )

But some things have stuck and some gone to the way-side. The guitar class seems to have been one to go to the way-side. I think both Seringe and Kaidin lost interest (though I'm sure Seringe would never admit to that one! ; ) Kaidin admitted that it was just not what he expected. It was tougher than he thought it might be, and he did not have that much in him to not only make it through the class, but also to practice. He did not love it that much but says that eventually (some day) he would revisit the idea.

The cooking class was a flop as well. The kids were not learning much at all and I should have known this by the location in which it was offered. The Park Dist to which this was hosted suggested that it might have been some sort of after-school cooking-prep class and that was exactly what it entailed. So they really did not learn much than they already knew. And at home they actually cook with me.... hot stuff, measure, cut using knives. So this prep of afterschool snack stuff was just not cutting it for anyone. So that (kinda gladly... due to schedule) went to the way-side.

Dahlia is WAY diggin' her sports classes. Basketball is a huge hit. Soccer not so-much-so, but she loves to run, so she loves it anyway.... and gymnastics is probably at the top of her fav's list right now. She and I still doing clay, but coming to the end and I think she's totally ready to get into her own clay class... hopefully with a groovy homeschool mom that teaches clay here in Evanston. I think D tends to lean on me too much for her creativity when I'm around and she's ready to do it on her own. She's so artistic and creative, she'd love it. We'll have to figure some other mom-daughter time aside from clay... And... girls club has been a huge hit. We've had lots of fun with that one. Lots of games, projects, puzzles, and barbies.... To come.... a Halloween Tea Party in costumes of course!

Kaidin is totally diggin' the math class/club that a homeschool mom has organized. Go figure. He's enjoyed the new friendships his made with older kids and really adjusted quite well with in the group. His animation class has been really fun as well and they've accomplished their first claymation movie! This week we are going to do some halloween-based movie with stick-puppets. Should be lots of fun. Since guitar and cooking was ousted from his schedule, he seems quite satisfied with what's on his plate right now. Content and not over-strung. I think he was feeling the pull-in-all-directions feel that I was experiencing, so I'm glad that he appears to be happy with things as they are now.

They both will start a new thing in a couple weeks. D is joining the girl scouts, which I think she will love! During that same time they are hosting a Brothers of the Girl Scouts, boys-type club, and Kaidin is really excited about that one. So that will be a nice commencement as some of these other things start to end.

Big Shea is still in music. He just LOVES himself some Ms Leah. She is just so dang sweet and he digs that class immensely. He is a true music lover and its so awesome to see him take to it, the teacher, and the other babies so easily. He's quite the socialite of the 3 of them! I am thinking he may get into a parent-child gymnastics class too... But maybe right after the holidays. He just LOVES Dahlia's classes and some days it's really hard to keep him on the sidelines and from jumping into the middle of her class! ; ) I think he would love an active class like that... so that's something we are considering for the near future.

Ahhh.... so other than that full log, Halloween is filling the air in this household! It was the end of Sept. when K wanted all the decorations up and hit EVERY halloween store in a 10 mi radius of us. He just LOVES the holiday and that love rubs off on all of us! It's quite an adventure this whole month doing ALL halloweeny stuff.... His mind really seems to flourish with creativity now too... Huh... maybe thus the reading?!?! Not sure!

But other cool stuff this month (a list seems most easiest ; )

- Went to an "insect zoo" with Grandpa at the Kohls Childrens Museum. HA... have to laugh at this one b/c the "zoo" was 3 cages of creepy bugs... But it was so fun to play with Grandpa outside in the new park area there and they had lots of fun regardless.

- Visited an Evanston Fire Station for the National Fire Safety week.... great pix (see below).

- Full Moon Jam... hopefully not the last of the season! But it was so great to get out and the weather was very pleasant for us! We actually SAW the full moon this time!

- I had a host family event at Wagner Farm. It was pretty well-attended, and good time had by all. Lot's of pix at: http://ajarjusey.aupairnews.com

- Playdates with new friends. We've gotten to know a new family to EHE and the kids really dig their daughter. So it's been really fun to be able to meet up with them and play... get to know them more and more.

- The kids attended a workshop with children's book illustrator Klass Verplancke from Belgium at the EPL. They had a fun time learning illustrating techniques, but even more-so building an amazing project from the ground-up with this dynamic man! It was also SO great to see EPL finally offer something so fantastic for the kids! It's about $*# time!

- We also visited a Magic and Illusion show at the MGPL with Grandpa. Much fun had by all. This ol'-time magician did some classic tricks and many new, and super entertaining for all!

- Let's not forget the lego building workshop at the MGPL as well! That was the fastest hour of K's life, he so eloquently stated when we left! He had tons of fun building, as did Dahlia.... great fun had by all.

- K lost another tooth! FINALLY on this one. It's been loose for months and I was getting a lil' worried that it was getting stuck in there as the two bigger teeth were growing in and pushing.... but yea! It's out and lots of space now for other teeth to do their thing!

- Mask building... partly in lieu of the holiday, but also just because we love masks... the kids are I are in a building session of masks. This time around we sculpted their faces and they are building on molds of their faces! Don't have the complete project yet..... it's very much been a work in progress. But it's been fun! More painting to be done and they are really enjoying it! I'll post final pix when they finally finish.

We also need to throw in there a few park days, playdates and other fun stuff. On a personal note, I was able to attend two personal-big-people gathering so far, and I think one more this month! I went to the NUG tea and that was just lots of fun for me. Not only new people to mingle with, but a lovely gathering hosted by a NUG member in her home. Very nice indeed. Today I was at the EHE parent's social at Wild Tree and enjoyed a yummy banana coconut muffin and great company!!! Then proceeded to the monthly meeting with the au pairs where we hosted a halloween party for them. That really seemed to run smoothly and they seemed to have a great time!

We have a fun Shedd Aquarium visit happening this week. A field trip was planned for homeschooling families and we jumped on board for the super low price of $4 per adult! Can't be beat really. Seringe is even taking the day off to enjoy it with us! Should be really fun. We have friends in town from Portland that we are meeting up with, and Dahlia hopefully will check out a yoga workshop for kiddos.... Lot's more fun stuff I'll update on once it all happens... Day in the life over here is 'Just b/c it's on the calendar does not mean it will actually happen!" ; )

Halloween is coming oh-so-soon and the kids are so excited for trick-o-treating. I think G'pa is coming over to venture out with us. So that will be fun!!!

OMG ... it's really true

So ok... here I am totally attempting to live life as it feels right inside of me. Not the easiest thing to do when you were raised.... um... pretty much the exact opposite and you have 35 years to undo! But yea, what I mean is this whole "radical" unschooly-ness that our lives have evolved to, or into... or still evolving into, but definitely aspiring to. This way of life is so important to me. It feels so right inside, yet I have a very hard time in fully encapsulating it to its fullest, all at once, in its full entirety. I'm definitely headed that way, and by many (other people's) standards, they may suggest I'm already there. I find myself battling a few things here and there, and hey... none of us is perfect. Still have a slip up here and there.... BUT this past Friday I had one of these moments in which a giganti-normous revelation came to me and UGH... the clouds of doubt that ever might have been have cleared the skies and left them light blue and sunny from here on out. And here's what I mean by that....

I totally have always supported the idea of child-led "education". I love the idea that learning and living should never be separated. And, well, basically truly and whole-heartedly support and attempt to live as a radical unschooler. Let's face it, our family lives have just sort of always been that way. It was sort of inevitable, but really... honestly... I did not know it at the time that I had Kaidin. Seriously. No one could have told me that this was our path at that time. Something we have just ventured down as it's come along and trying so hard to listen to my heart and head and not all of that outside noise that has muddled most of my upbringing. Not always an easy thing to do.

So... yes.... I'm rambling over this monumental moment because it's something that happens in your life that you then say to yourself, "AHHHHHHHHHH.... now THIS is what I really believed and LOOK...... HERE it is!"....

And that moment.... just this past Friday night at bedtime, our very typical routine to the evening is climbing into bed and reading lots and lots.... Kaidin starts pointing to a ton of words on the page and reading them out loud. I conquer that he's reading things very correctly and he's getting all excited. He runs out of the room and grabs a Dr. Seuse book and begins reading it. Actually sounding things out and figuring out and making sense of rhyming words! He then DECLARES himself a reader, which to this date he would have never done!

I had always stood in his defense that he was a reader (to those who very annoyingly pester him to find out if he reads). He would always say "not yet" even though he had the full ability to read. He did not deem himself a reader because he was not fluent. Partly as a boost to his esteem and not to deter from his ability to read, I would say, "he can read, he's not fluent yet but the ability is there." He really could have cared less. He never seemed frustrated about it, and he was quite at ease with the process. I had always known that Kaidin is much of a perfectionist. I know that he does not like to do anything unless it is perfect and it comes out smoothly, and much of this happens through is internalizing. He likes to master things internally before he would actually do them outwardly. And then and only then, would he deem himself a title of that task at hand. So I just knew that reading would come much of the same way. It would just magically happen this way one day (this same thing happened when he wrote his name for the first time.... I totally was humoring him when he asked if I wanted to see him write it (at age 4) and he just picked up a pen and wrote it for me... I teared up then!)

Any rate... I knew this time would come, and this is just one of those things that again proves to myself that we are on the right path. And it's not just about the reading or the ability to read. It's the trust that has come and been built along with this. It's the love of learning and experiencing everything and the safe-zone to make the mistakes and grow with out scrutiny. And even most important to me as a mother, the amazing relationships I am so lucky and fortunate to have and to build for and with my children. Ugh.... at that point, I go speechless.

This is an amazing journey!