It's October!

Time to stock our freezer with pumpkin purée for lots of baking!

Michaelmas

This was our first year celebrating Michaelmas. It ended up being lots of fun! We made some tradtional foods, dyed and sewed silk capes, told some stories and read some stories, and harvested our pumpkins from the garden. 

We had family visiting us over the weekend, and so my preparations were a bit behind by Monday, which was the 29th. So, I just decided we could celebrate the following day, and that turned out much better. Much less hectic feeling. 

I almost let myself slip into feeling inadequate, as we hadn't done everything I'd wanted to do. But I stopped myself, and just enjoyed the day, full of talks about dragons and Knights, and kneading bread, etc. 

While shaping his dragon bread, J said "I love this time of year."  Yes, I couldn't agree more. 

Once I upload my pictures, I'll add some this post. 

2014 school year

We start our lessons next week. I'll have a fifth grader and a first year kindergartner! And a two year old who is along for all of the fun.

I'm so excited about this coming school year. Ancient history, and Greek mythology, botany and the beginnings of geometry, along with lots of cooking and crafts with the kindergartner. I plan on blogging about our doings, probably not daily, but a few times a week. 

Learning crochet

My second ever crochet project. 

Freedom from Facebook

I read about the 99 days of Freedom  experiment about two weeks ago. It was linked in this interesting article here . As soon as I read it, I knew that, yes, this was for me. Ever since July, I've been feeling this urge to cut back on my social networking time, for many reasons:

~ I didn't want my kids seeing me constantly on a screen. I limit their screen time, and it doesn't feel right for me to be hopping on a device all day long. 

~ Facebook is addictive. There is a reason it is nicknamed Crackbook. 

~ I noticed I would think of taking a picture of something, simply to post on Facebook, rather than as a memory I wanted to have for my family. 

~ Facebook makes me feel even more lonely and isolated. Isn't that weird, as supposedly I have something like 300 "friends"?

~ I'm a people watcher and, yes, I'm curious and nosy. I'm one of those people who loves to just sit in the airport and watch people. If I had hours to kill and I lived near a major airport, I would do this regularly. So, it is hard to be disciplined to just log in to Facebook to check a message, or visit a useful group. That newsfeed just sucks me in, and then I've wasted 30 minutes of my life, and I don't even feel better (see above). 

~ Nostaliga for the days before constant connection has been growing within me. I didn't use email until I was in my early 20s, I didn't get my first cell phone until I was about 25, and it was simple phone. I did buy into the smart phone craze for a few years. I had a blackberry and then an android. But, I very mindfully gave up my smartphone about 2 years ago, and it was a great decision. I think back to the days before social networking, and I remember actually writing letters (and then, emails) to friends, having phone conversations with friends, and how nice it felt to not have a platform to be costa try comparing yourself to (it is hard to not do this, though I'm sure some manage to use social networking without the grass is always greener game going on in their head).

~ I have a very long list of handwork and crafts that I want to get done, not to mention a house to (sorta) keep clean and children to play with. Facebook is a time sucker. I've been amazed at how much I can accomplish on the days that I very mindfully do not log in. Even checking Facebook for 5 minutes each time, here and there, adds up and is very disruptive to the rhythm of our day. 

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So, I logged out of Facebook last Saturday and haven't looked back. It will be one week tomorrow, and each day that goes by, my day to day life without using Facebook feels more and more normal. The first few days, I felt twitchy, like I didn't know what to do with those spare moments that I'd normally hop on to Facebook for a quick second. When I feel that twitch now, I pick up a knitting project or go sit and play with a child, and it feels better. I'll be honest that my week has been very very quiet and I've pretty much had no contact with friends, or anyone outside of my home. I have had one friend email me (wow! It has bee a while since I had a personal email, lol), and a couple of texts from friends. I've decide to spend my internet time, early in the mornings before children wake, posting on my blog. I think with the new school year starting next week, it'll be wonderful to have to place to document our days, for memories. 

Finishing up loose ends

I worked on finishing the projects that I have had in the works for quite some time.  It is such a good feeling to complete some handwork and move on to something new. 

Coming Home...to Waldorf

Earlier this year, our family discovered the Waldorf philosophy/education.  It feels odd to use the word "discovered" as I've known of Waldorf for years, probably over a decade. But, I never dug deeply and explored what it was all about. I had it filed away in my head as either a luxury (as Waldorf schools are generally very expensive) or just plain weird (I had heard that black crayons weren't allowed and that children were discouraged from writing with their left hands).  More than once I had said out loud to others, with a chuckle, that I could never be a Waldorf mom, as I'm not very creative or artistic and have you see how expensive the "Waldorf" toys cost???

In the summer of 2013, we began using a curriculum for the first time ever with my (then) 9 year old son. We chose Oak Meadow, as I loved that it was nature based and had lots of projects. I read that it was Waldorf-inspired, but didn't understand what that really meant. I just liked the emphasis on the natural world. 

It started off okay. My son seemed to like it ok. Some of it felt a bit tedious, but I liked it overall. However, as the months went by, I had to admit that something wasn't working. My son used to love homeschool, and he now would cry every Sunday night dreading his having to do homeschool the next day. He didn't want to go to school, he loved being home, but he was starting to seriously dislike our curriculum. I pushed on, not wanting to just up and quit. I wanted him to have a sense of accomplishment, and it old him we could find a better curriculum fit for him the following school year. However, the day came when I had to admit that I was not putting my son first. It was clear that it wasn't for him, and it was causing so much conflict each day. This wasn't how I wanted things to be. 

We made it through the first two (of three) semesters of oak meadow, 4th grade before I said that was  the end. In January 2014, I started digging around online for a better solution. I started asking parents on the Oak Meadow online group about other options. I looked at everything suggested. Then one day, a woman replied that she uses Waldorf Essentials curriculum. I checked out the website, and liked what I saw. But, it was Waldorf. I still didn't know what exactly that meant, and I wasn't sure I could ever be a Waldorf homeschooler. I always prided myself on not following a routine, and while I can sew and knit, I don't consider myself an especially creative person. But, I wrote the author, Melisa Nielson. I told her about my son and asked about her curriculum. It makes me feel chocked up to think about it, as it was such a turning point (for the better) for myself and my family! The sweet mama who originally suggested Waldorf Essentials offered to chat on the phone with me about her experience. Our conversation pretty much cemented my decision. I signed up for their amazing Thinking Feeling Willing program, as well as buying their 4th grade curriculum. Shortly after that, I became a lifetime member, some of the best money I've ever spent on homeschooling. I began her training to do this Waldorf homeschooling thing in February and it is now august. Our home life has transformed, not just our homeschool lessons. 

Over the last few weeks, when I'm doing chores and just thinking, the phrase that keeps popping into my head is 'I feel like I've come home.' Waldorf feels like home to me, where I've belonged all along. I'm still learning so much, and loving the entire process. I have so much to more to say on this, but I'll save it for future blog posts. 

I'm so grateful to have finally found home.