I have Waldorf and Montessori on the BRAIN!

The past two years we have been "unschooling" in our Waldorf inspired home. We have enjoyed every minute of our adventures but with the latest change in the winds I have sensed the very transition I have been secretly avoiding, my little girl is growing up!

K is a very free spirit with a really intense personality. She know exactly what she wants and how she wants it. She has found a way to create her own structure all while keeping her head firmly planted in the clouds. Public School would have no place in her little world right now and nor should it, not with a Mommy who is more then qualified to scratch her brains educational itch at home... why rush things? We have spent a few months talking as the right moments arise about her options, It's important to me that K has some involvement in choosing her next journey. Eventually I would like her to attend a small charter school down town and I will start the lottery process for her fall 2012 enrollment soon, BUT until then we have decided that she will be schooling from home for a year, and we are both very excited!

Now.. the question at hand.. what direction will we be taking?

I'll go ahead and save you the loooong story of the past 10 years I spent as a Early Childhood Educator for the largest "Child Care Corporation in the U.S." but I will say I defiantly know what I DON'T want! I've spent quite some time recently exploring the home school curriculum that is available to parents. I have looked in the box and out of the box and must admit I'm a bit drained, and torn. It is no big shocker that we are a "crunchy" family, well on our way off the beaten main stream path. If you've been in my home or had a peek into my world thru my posts and pictures you would probably guess I'm a Waldorf mama.. and you'd be right. I am in love. Our Pagan lifestyle has been a magical experience for her over the years, and our home will remain Waldorf inspired for many years to come... OK OK forever. Buuut when I look at my little girl I'm truly blown away by all the different shinny wheels (not just wooden) I see spinning away in that cute little head of hers.

While her Dr. Jekyll is craving some structure, her Mr. Hyde demands some freedom. What to do? What to do? ... how about a little bite from both sides of the mushroom? Sounds pretty yummy to me.

Wordless Wednesday

wordless wednesday

the view from down there

I think we tend to forget that the world looks diffrent from every pair of eyes. Everyday in class I get down to eye level of small childern, but its not so often that I stop and enjoy the view. Nonny took this picture on our walk last weekend. The kids stopped right in the middle of the road to see a bug that none of us would have noticed. Being a beautiful country road we too were able to stop right there in the middle of the road and bug watch. How beautiful it is down there.

finally!

i finally i finished it!
AND i finally posted pictures to prove it!

this quilt actually only took me a week or so of spare time in the afternoons. HA! spare time? maybe I should re phrase that... "here and there in the the afternoons when I should have been doing other things I worked on sewing this quilt"
I was determined to finish, and refused to let myself work on anything else. (except for maybe that cute little valentines day skirt) but the point is I'm DONE! C has his quilt which he loves by the way, and I am no longer haunted by skull fabric. Unless of course the quilt finds its way to the bedroom.

goodbye snowflakes

"Being that its spring now" I have been told by quite a few very observant people "it is time to take down the snow flakes in the front window."
I just want to say for the record...
I know its spring, I know it doesnt snow here and most importantly I love my snowflakes!
My love of paper snow flakes came from a neighbor of my moms in down town petaluma. Every year the family makes tons and tons of snow flakes and hang them in all the windows of their huge victorian home. It really is a sight to see. I decided to borrow this tradition for my own windows in the winter. Now my home is far from victorian, and I did only started out with 24 but one day I will have more windows, more snow flakes and I will leave them up spring or not.

KITTIES are here!

Born this morning! Mama Kitty started around 4:30 a.m. There was 3 by the time I left for work just after 6. When K and C work up a few hours later there was 5. K was very excited to wake up to kitties under our bed. I wish I could have been there to see her face. she said "Oh how sweet, look daddy, mama kitty had her babies" I think we might have to keep one :)