Snow Day!

Snow days, blissful snow days! You know, this morning I was seriously grumpy. For real. So, it was 5:45am and I was up checking to see if school was cancelled. It was. Normally I would've been thrilled at the thought of an entire, uninterrupted day at home with my babes. Doesn't happen much these days and I cherish it when it does. However, this morning my focus was askew (sp?) I was only focusing on the two "important" appointments I had scheduled and how to figure out the logistics of the day. Should I cancel? Should I venture out with my three children and try to conduct business as usual? Should I be so bold as to try and find a sitter on no notice and go solo? UGG..decisions.
I decided to go back to bed. Maybe an hour more sleep would be helpful, I thought. So, an hour later, I woke, grumpier to the feeling of a small mass with pointy, jabby parts on my back. I grumbled, "Mama's trying to sleep, Nakai"...silence for a moment and then, "but Mama, I was just trying to love you. I really love you", My four year old replied in an all too serious and grown voice. Well, that was enough guilt for me! I rolled over and snuggled with that not so little anymore bundle of love! "You know," I thought, "someday he won't climb on my back and wake me up with love and kisses in the morning...this...is a gift." And so, I decided to approach my day from a place of blessings and abundance. A whole day to spend with my wee ones, doing what THEY want to do..on their time table. What a blessing! And so...
I cancelled all "work" related issues and decided that the most important things I would do today would be to watch the beautiful white stuff falling from the sky from the warmth of my kitchen, count and identify the birds in our backyard for the backyard bird count (going on now at http://backyardbirdcount.com/). So, that happened and so much more. I got some one on one time with Nolan, making paper rockets launched with windpower (thanks to Sadie and Ayden at http://love-to-learn-homeschool.blogspot.com/) ...so much fun! We had a blast (literally!) decorating those rockets and climbing on things to launch them from. I also enjoyed being able to fulfill both Nolan and Nakai's wishes to learn to sew "like Mama does" on a sewing machine. I brought a simple one down and put it on the table along with a large box of fabric and waited...less than thirty minutes later, I got requests from a pirate (Nakai) and a detective (Nolan) to make bags for their stuff. Each boy made two bags and were then feeling fulfilled. The machine is still there, awaiting Teah's discovery. What else? Oh, we made waffles together this morning and have all enjoyed lots of tea. All varieties!
We also finally did get outside in the white stuff. The plow man (is that politically correct?) offered to plow the parking spaces if we would all move our cars...so, of course, I needed everyone to hurriedly help uncover the van first and that led to shoveling the walk, climbing on the plow's aftermath mountain, which led to Nolan wanting to dig a tunnel to ..somewhere. So, then some neighbor children got inspired and got in on his project. He enjoyed his position as director and explained to everyone how they should go about helping...very empowering for a six year old. Teah enjoyed seeing some young, female faces outside and chatted as big girls do outside for quite some time. Then she came in and played some cards with Andy and I....she enjoyed the money aspect of the game. Ahem~
For most of the day though, she poured over a book she checked out at the library and chatted about needing a pocketknife and some rope! The book ,by the way is The Daring Book For Girls and is actually a wonderful resource for nine year old gals who are contemplating their place in this world. She is currently painting next to me and talking to her friend about sleepovers and such. As for the boys, they have just finished watching a Steve Irwin Documentary and are now splashing in the bathtub with some toy crocodiles! I'm hearing all kinds of Australian lingo...I'm glad they're enjoying each other!
I am so thankful that I decided to re-approach the day and come at it from a different angle. I've also managed somehow to accomplish some household tasks such as dishes, and four loads of laundry! Ahh, the feeling of productivity! I also enjoyed some reading time which I do hope to get more of later. Okay, so I heart snow days! Off to rescue those wet boys :)

THE EVIL OF EVALUATION IN EDUCATION - THE ARTIST

THE EVIL OF EVALUATION IN EDUCATION - THE ARTISTYour child is an artist! He or she will be the next great writer, actor,dancer, singer, painter. What child does not have some artistic ambition? Where can you send a budding artist to murder their growing skills anddestroy their ambitions? Try school.Young artists (by this, I mean ANYONE OF ANY AGE learning an art) are notonly learning their craft, they're putting their hearts and minds and soulson the line with each work they create. They do this, believing that whatthey have to offer is valuable, and expecting their creation to be valued.They create because they have what they perceive to be a worthwhile point ofview to share. The teacher comes along and instead of approval, dishes outcorrection. Correction of technique, spelling, quality control.Correction.Correction, if professional, would be fine if preceded by a large helping ofgenuine approval. Sadly, many arts teachers are wanna-be artists. Theydidn't have the persistence, skill or support to make it. What do they haveto offer the student? Their own UNSUCCESSFUL approach to art, unless theytruly experienced some success and are sharing what worked. Career teacherswho have never worked in the arts professionally can be deadly, having hadno real world experience, and being reduced to regurgitating book-gained,second-hand knowledge they neither understand nor know how to evaluate inrelation to life. What's more, some art teachers do not wish success on their students in anarea they themselves did not succeed in. Hence, instead of a flood ofneeded and wanted information and applause, the student receives an ooze ofveiled or open hostility. Does the student know why the laundry-list ofminiscule corrections? No. Does he understand why he has not received deserved accolades for having created a thing he perceives is valuable?Unlikely. Does the teacher in a classroom situation, even awell-intentioned teacher, have the time or understanding to look at andappreciate what each student has accomplished? Very unlikely.This occurs even with the best of intentions! I once met a mother who toldme her son had been writing a brilliant book, when he suddenly stoppedwriting, refusing to write any more. I asked "Did you help him?" "Oh,yes", she said, "With spelling, sentence structure, ideas." I told her this was why he'd stopped writing. I suggested she go back and simply read andapplaud everything her son had written, without "helpful" commentary. Shemeant well.Creativity can be illusive, and requires acceptance to bloom, notcommentary. This is true in any field of study, not just the arts. Anyhuman endeavor can be creative. The student needs two things fromeducation, information and acclaim; information in the form of definedmethods explained and demonstrated; acclaim to fuel each beloved creation. Expertise will develop with enough useful information, acclaim, and thestudent's own hands-on experience creating.Steven HorwichEmmy & Dramalogue Award-winning author/directorConnect The Thoughts


Dalai Mama's note:
Okay, so I came across this article on one of my waldorf/natural mama group sites and it really resonated with me...unfortunately, I don't have time to discuss it this morning as I'm off to discuss natural holistic dentistry with a local traditional dentist! But...I really feel the article is well written and covers this issue well. I'm saddened that I've subjected my children to the homogenous nature of the public school system...How disheartening to see the art projects in younger grades are all the same! Each penguin is identical, all jack-o-lanterns have triangle eyes and the same tooth-missing grin, etc....I could go on...I will say however, that in the older grades (my daughter's age) they are fortunate to be allowed some autonomy in their art.....Still they must all do the "same" project (understandable) but at least they can decide that their jack-o-lantern can look like spongebob, or a fairy or something! In his defense, the local art teacher is a top, notch, very cool creative kind of guy...I enjoy his smile and frenetic energy and... his compliments on my children's artwork!!! Okay, wish me luck trying to dissuade the dentist from using flouride toothpaste during the cleaning and approving of cloves as pain management during possible fillings (hopefully not necessary).....more soon.

Environment at home: Make it an organic Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day, you can show the environment a little love, too.
Much of what we do for each other on Valentine's Day is not all that creative. We give cards, flowers, chocolates, and jewelry. And each of those things has environmental drawbacks.
• Cards. Remember in grade school when you made Valentines? Maybe it was just the thrill of young love, but part of the pleasure was that each card had a personal message. Try that again. Be creative. Reuse old cards or break out and reuse other things such as magazines or fabrics.
• Flowers. Ah, yes, nothing says, "I love you, but I didn't put much thought into it," more than 12 red roses. And that may be the least of the problems. According to the environmental Web site grist.org, flower farms are heavy users of pesticides, which have a very unlovely habit of making their way into water sources and birds. Some chemical residue may even remain on the flowers you have just handed to your loved one.
One sure way to avoid this is to not give flowers. But if you must, ask your florist if they have organic flowers. If not, organic flowers can be ordered online for delivery from www.organicbouquet.com. If you tend to plan ahead, harvest and dry some of your own roses this summer and give them next Valentine's Day.
• Chocolate. Yup, another cliché, but one that people tend to easily forgive. Like flower-farmers, the growers of cacao often use pesticides, not to mention child labor and poor working conditions, according to Grist. Take a bit more time, spend a bit more money and buy organic chocolate.
• Jewelry. If you really want to make an impression, maybe you are thinking about bling for the big day. But like flowers and chocolate, when it comes to jewelry, you should think about where that gold band or diamond ring came from. Mining for diamonds and precious metals can pose social and environmental problems.
Jewelry is ingrained in our culture, so it's not likely that we will stop giving it. But there are a lot of diamonds, gold and silver and diamonds that already have been harvested and are waiting to be reused. That is the goal of companies such as greenKaret, which on its Web site (greenkarat.com) says there is enough old and unused jewelry sitting around now to satisfy all our demands for the next 50 years.
"GreenKarat believes that consumers have the ability to demand the liberation of that idle gold through their purchasing decisions," the Web site says. "Demand for recycled gold, in conjunction with campaigns to clamp down on ecologically and socially unacceptable mining, holds the potential to effect change. Because this methodology helps societal custom work in concert with principles of commerce, it can be embraced by consumers and producers alike, and therefore result in sustainable change."
Do you have an idea or tip for our weekly Environment at Home column? Let us know. Send an e-mail to Local@IdahoStatesman.com with subject line "Enviro at Home."

reprinted from www.idahostatesman.com

Come on friends, just like we agreed to pledge handmade over the holidays, let's too make a difference for Valentine's day. Please consider the impact your thoughtful gifts will have on the folks who grow, produce, harvest, and ship them. Consider their health, the working conditions they must endure, etc. Make sure heart day is enjoyable for all. Perhaps some organic seeds would be nice...or some homemade treats (organic, of course!)...or an act of service...(foot rubs, massages, thoughtful errands, etc.) Love one another...but don't play into the consumerism game. Happy Valentine's Day!

Crafty or Crazy?

At 4:00 in the morning, I don't think there is much difference! See, I'm dedicated to those custom-made projects! I have to see them through.....no stopping in the middle! (mama C~ Do you see MY anarchist dreadie? What's with this hair?)

The journey from farm to table...

"What is this, Mama?"
Onions
Nolan found a resident worm!
Onion
Carrots..yum, right?!?
Soaking
and Scrubbing (Teah soon lost interest)

Nolan stuck with it and look at the results! (and what a proud farmer he is)
Now those are carrots!
"Look Mama, a three-headed one!"

Many of you know Zeb of Thousand Suns Farm...from the DuBois Farmer's market, The Coolspring Market and most recently, the DuBois Sustainable Grower's Coop Winter CSA. (Whew Zeb, you're beginning to have quite a bio there:)

Anyway, Zeb was going out of town last week and asked me if I'd lend a hand to ensure that his yummy root veggies got to all of his CSA clients. "Sure, " I said..."what do I have to do and what's in it for me?" Zeb said that the veggies were already harvested, all I needed to do was wash them off, weigh them out, bag them up, and deliver them...and in exchange, I could keep the excess. "No problem" I thought. I can do that!

So, I gathered up my helpers and went after it! We had a blast, but easy, it was not. And dirty! Wow, who knew? I don't think anyone would eat their veggies if they bought them looking like they do when they come out of the earth! It was wonderful work...very connecting. I loved the feeling of my hands in the water, cleaning off the soil...and the smell of those carrots! Yum-my! And the feeling of satisfaction in helping to get healthy, naturally grown food to folks who care enough to choose it...I really enjoyed it! See Zeb, I could live in a farming community!

Can't forget handmade wrapping paper!

So then, after we had taken such care to handcraft all the cards and gifts, we weren't about to spoil it by purchasing wrapping paper, nosiree (is that a word?)...we went right down to our local newspaper and bought ourselves an end roll of newsprint for $1 and brought it home and made this beautiful potato stamped wrap for our gifts! Extra love and care! ...Just for you!

Remember...handmade= love!

Handmade Holiday Pledge

This year, I decided that I was fed up with waste, with packaging, with thoughtless, mass produced gifts, with consumerism and mindless spending. I wanted to teach my children the joy that comes from giving, from creating, from thinking about your loved ones and hand-crafting something just for them. So, I took the handmade pledge. You can find out more at www.buyhandmade.org. The children reluctantly agreed and we set about making handmade Christmas cards sent in handmade recyclopes (recycled calendars and magazines). We followed that up with handmade gifts....canned jellies and salsas and freshly baked breads, cookies, candies, carefully sewn cloth napkins and placemats, colored pencil rollups, knitted wonders, and much more. For some of our loved ones, we decided to support other handmade crafters...why?

Because. Handmade=Love! As simple as that!

Will you take the handmade pledge this year?