Over illness

Homeschooling, remodeling, college, volunteering, working, self employed with two businesses. All seemingly unmanageable, but possible.....unless your family is sick for three months. Since October, we have had but two week respites from illness, total, and maybe not even that. In fact, I am not sure I have felt good since September. I seem to have an unbeatable sinus infection. We just finished a bout with Whooping cough, which meant isolation and antibiotics. I did not have pertussis but had to take the preventative round of antibiotics. I finished the round of antibiotics and immediately got sick. Modern medicine does not do well for me and I am so tired of getting hurt by it. Cabin fever, kid fever, friend deprivation fever, 103 degree fever, I am really fed up with fevers!!! Our diet, our level of consciousness for our health are optimal. My stress, not so much. I am clearly having a day/week/month/winter that is taxing. Summer is around the corner, spring is even nearer so I will focus on the positive that in a few months this will all be behind me.

The new plan:

Think healthy thoughts.

Go to bed before 10:00. (No matter what job, or volunteer position, or person you are letting down)

Yoga three times a week.

African dance once a week.

A salad for lunch every day.

Start a new workout class, Nia perhaps? Another dance class?

Meditation every morning.

STOP BEING SICK!!

Homeschooling article

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/29/why-urban-educated-parents-are-turning-to-diy-education.html

Winter Blues

This is one of our favorite spots. Even in winter, midst the greys and browns and blues, there is a serene beauty. This is a very public spot, in the middle of town and yet it still feels like a secluded refuge.

A perfect spot for building ice dragons.

For sand fortresses.

For taking the time to enjoy family and sunshine.

Fairy boats set sail in peaceful waters spurred on by the imaginations of creation.

Hidden treasures are discovered.

And we celebrate the moment of winter that allows us to relish in the light and the ice.

Daddy finds a hidden talent.

And Mommy discovers, well......rediscovers that moment.

sigh

Thank you January.

Waldorf-inspired Public School Offers a New Choice for Families in Fort Collins

Mountain Sage Community School is a free, public, charter school inspired by Waldorf education and sustain

able living. Approved by the Poudre School District Board of education October 2011, Mountain Sage is set to open in fall 2012. The school will serve K-4 students in its first year of operation, and will grow by one grade each year until becoming a K-8 school.

Mountain Sage is currently accepting Intent to Enroll forms for K-4 students and will be hosting a final informational enrollment event on Tuesday February 7th, 2012 from 6-7pm.

This event offer the opportunity to learn more, get involved, have your questions answered and meet the founders.

The informational enrollment event will be held on February 7th, at The Gardens on Spring Creek (2145 Centre Avenue, Fort Collins 80526) in the Evelyn Clark classroom from 6-7pm.

Created by parents and educators in Fort Collins, Colorado, Mo

untain Sage is dedicated to education that respects the creative journey of childhood. Waldorf-inspired education integrates the arts (music, movement, story, drawing and more) into the learning process of all academic subjects, offering students an experience that fully engages and empowers them. Waldorf-inspired education offers a time-tested, research based approach that enables each student to reach their highest academic and creative potentials. Sustainable living practices are fully integrated into school life to offer children the powerful experience of stewardship and positive community action.

To learn more visit www.mountainsagecommunityschool.org

Reflections

Holding Space

Success for me is holding space. In the middle of our crazed busy days, the moments of near anxiety and having a complete inability to hold it all together, it is not an easy place to achieve calm breathable moments. We are creating this life. We are creating these places for calm, and joy, and beauty, just as we are creating chaos, and business, and burnout. I am overwhelmed, and yet I am happy. I add up the requirements, the jobs, the school, the volunteer positions, the children, the home, the remodel and I am unsure how I am fitting in these hours. It would be easy to give over to this. To not be in the moment with the children, tune out the present for the growing to-do list. Often my hard work goes unappreciated and unnoticed, but my time is always noticed. The kids pull me into reality, into this realm. I create pockets of enjoyable time in the midst of my job, or a project, by stepping away or rather stepping into the reality. However, I also make the 'priority' to create special moments with my children, and relaxed involvement. Engaged moments with our children happen for me when my internal-self steps aside and with it the rest of my thinking and expectations. I say that nothing is more important then this experience and the rest can wait. I put aside my expectations of gain or loss, of reciprocation, of shared experience with the kids. I am focused on what is present with them and how I am feeling in this moment. For me it is like being in the bottom of a swimming pool filled with jello and rather than fighting to the surface I am holding my body as wide and open as it can be to experience. I have created a breathable space for survival and am now inhaling the sweet scent, touching the mushy texture, viewing the light and darkness in the color, hearing the squish squish slop slop, and tasting the vibrant sour cherries (you were picture red jello, weren't you?). By creating this intentional space, this intentional time I am finding joy within. It will never be perfect but I know my own power to hold space. These are the moments, the only ones that I will carry with me forever. I may lose the specifics but I will remember the enjoyment, and I can only hope that this is what will radiate to my children.

Homeschooling Value

Homeschooling for us means many things. Family time together, an ability to freely explore our world without the confinement of indoors experience, and a highly supportive and tailored approach to each of my children's interest, personality and learning style are among the top of our list.


Family time for us means a quantity of time that allows us to foster deep meaningful relationships. The children understand and know each other. They look out for each other, they like each other and enjoy a collaborative effort in games. They have the time to sink into a particular game. They can be cats for days and never tire of the game, inventing new aspects and expanding the topic. They become a band writing songs and learning music and this leads to developing a program and a performance. We have the ability, the freedom, to work around our adult schedules allowing us to not only see each other every day, but also to interact with each other in a meaningful way. We sit down to dinner, however we are also together for the cooking of the meal, for the gathering of the groceries, for the planning of the weekly meals.


Being able to freely explore our world means that on any particular day we can take our classroom outside. That we can venture to a local natural area and find questions there to expand upon. "What is that species of bird?" is a question that leads us to a month of lessons on birds. We learn species and habitats. We create artwork around these concepts. We have the ability to focus on the one bird species. A birding journals follow suit as does an excitement to find birds in every natural area we visit. Freedom to explore indoors is another component. While not confined indoors to learn, we can choose to or we can visit a different indoor space, like a museum. We have the opportunity to visit when others are not there and thus creating a less frantic, slower, quieter, deeper experience. Teilee has drawn beautiful pictures of dinosaurs by simply sitting in front of a display, uninterrupted for 30 min. I am grateful to have freedom to explore wherever and whenever we desire.


The highly tailored and supportive approach to my children's learning is something I value. This year T is struggling to write, L is craving more letter work. I can simply switch my tactics. This year, T will write small notes, and thank you cards, and programs for her plays, and assist in teaching Landis his letters. Next year we will work on more assignments in writing, when she is ready for it. When T is not confident in a particular subject or learning style, I can address the confidence by creating successes for her. I have the ability to ask, "What would you like to learn about?" and then create our curriculum, our core subjects, around that topic. I can arrange for private lessons, or job shadowing in the children's areas of interest. They are excited about learning, as excited as I am.

I am not always confident about homeschooling until I remember these reasons. Then I know, without any doubt, that this is what is working for us right now. It has helped me to define what we are doing and why we are doing this. The kids are happy, I am happy, we are enjoying our experience.