Shaken not Stirred

I've always been a firm believer that faith must be pushed around a bit, questioned, challenged, sometimes beaten to a pulp in order to prove itself, and I've finally thought of a good nature analogy: trees!

A few years back, my dearest and I watched a special on an enormous ecodome out in the desert somewhere that held an amazing rainforest within. It was quite remarkable what modern technology can create, and the show walked us through the specs of the dome. One thing that stuck out to me were the massive fans they installed after they saw a number of trees die from shallow roots. See, a tree is designed to be pushed and shaken by the weather so that its roots grow deeper in the ground and hold firmly. Without that force testing its strength in its early years, the tree will grow beautiful in appearance but with the first major storm will topple because of what it lacks beneath. In the ecodome, the trees initally had no wind forcing them to grow deep and so died from nutrient deprivation as the canopy filled.

So the next time you're facing some serious challenges to your life, your faith, your being, look outside and remember that the more forceful the winds, the deeper your roots become.

Plastic Soup

We've got a major problem. Over 2/3 of our oceans have become a plastic soup, churning in these cesspools off our coasts. Captain Charles Moore, from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation recently spoke at the TED (Technology, Engineering and Design) conference about the situation:



Algalita recently completed a 13 week effort to raise awareness of the plastic gyres by sailing the JUNKRAFT, made from plastic bottles, from Long Beach to Hawaii. Their journey is sad but important for us to see the devastating effects our plastic usage has on our environment.

My friend Erica emailed this morning asking what we've done to reduce the plastics in our house, and I figured this was as good a place as any to post my list. I started with my plastic tupperware. IKEA has some inexpensive glass storage containers that have a sealing ring, so you can use them for storage and for reheating. Pyrex sells sets that have plastic lids and glass bottoms that my folks purchased for me and my siblings, which are good for storage, but I don't like to heat the lids (looks like Sears has a 10-piece set for $15). Anyway, I've been able to eliminate all my plastic tupperware so far.

This year, we decided to purchase the stainless steel water bottles to replace ALL our plastic cups. Somehow, we still have a few cups lingering, but it works for when we have company over. The kids primarily use the stainless steel ones, which we bought at Target (pretty pricey, but worth it), as do I. We also wanted to change their dinnerware, and so I found wooden bowls to replace their plastics and bought mango-wood plates from Cost Plus for their plates. We switched their silverware from almost all plastics to these cute little IKEA toy metal cutlery ($5 for set of 4).

We also have switched to canvas bags for groceries (even when we go to Target--people look at us funny, but I look at them funny right back!). My sister Tami found a great use for all those plastic bags you have piled up in your storage thing--she folded then ironed the bags then sewed them together to make her own waterproof material that she then used to cover her children's highchairs! Nice one! A friend of mine recently used the same technique to make a very cute reusable grocery bag! I've even seen plastic bags made into yarn then used in knitting or crochetting things like waterbottle holders and handbags. Check out this website for some great ideas and nice photos! I love the raincoat!

So, although I've taken some steps to eliminate plastic usage from our house, this news about the plastic sea that we've created is definitely making me rethink everything else we use that is plastic--namely, plastic packaging from groceries. I've heavily been leaning toward the local is better idea for food purchases, and now have another reason for that--buying local usually means buying less packaging because the food doesn't need to be strongly protected from travel and so can be in a more bulk-style delivery. When I go to farmers markets, I think I'll start bringing my own bags so I don't bring home any more plastic bags. That'll probably mean having to store leftovers in leftover containers instead of baggies, but I can adjust. The only question I have is what to store my bread in. Ideas?

Nature walks and Bugs!

Thought I'd show y'all what we've been up to lately. Last week for our nature day, we checked out the Cosumnes River Preserve, which was absolutely gorgeous!! The weather was of course perfect with a light wind, and everything was in bloom. What was only a few weeks ago underwater was now a sea of purple flowers! Pictures just don't do justice to the beauty of the area, but here's a little sample of our day:

Fellow homeschoolers!

Stroller Brigade.

BUGS

Today in kindergroup (that consisted entirely of us and our closest friend), we read a lot of cool stuff about bugs (did you know there are slave-maker ants who invade black ant nests and steal away the pupa to grow them into their own personal slaves who feed them, scavenge for them, dig tunnels and raise their fellow servant pupa?!) then I let the kids have at it with a mound of craft stuff and their creativity to create their own bug thing. Here's where we started:

And here's what we got:
This was Shaenee's. She said they were ant eggs on a log. She really just wanted to get gooey with all that glue and paint!

This was Siena's. She probably didn't get the "bug" idea...She did, however, enjoy filling three of these eggs with glue and paint and very carefully mixing each and closing them. Meditative, perhaps?

And mine. We had a lot of fun. I had more things planned, but the kids enjoyed this so much (and took so long doing it) that we just kept to this. If you're curious what my "lesson plan" was, here's what I had lined up:

Bugs:

Read: Bug Safari by Bob Barner

Read: Animals in Action (an old but excellent science book) from A Child's First Library of Learning

Sing: The ants go marching

Sing: Head, thorax, abdomen, legs (head shoulders knees toes)

Play: Ants in a line (follow the leader)

Art: Make a bug

Activity: Go outside and catch a bug. Research what kind, what it eats, what its habitat is, and try to create a habitat in a glass jar to keep the bug.

Snack: Ants on a log (celery w/peanut butter and raisins)

We've also in the past done a snack bug where we set out marshmallows or strawberries for the body and all kids of stick-type snacks (like crunchy chow mein noodles) and eyeball-type snacks (like raisins). The kids LOVE this snack/activity and it is a great time filler!

Reclaiming the Rainbow

Why is it that if I wear my joyful rainbow earrings, I'm considered either childish or homosexual? I love color! It's full of life and gives fullness to things otherwise blah. The earth is filled with vibrancy! Rainbows are a beautiful gift and if you believe in the scriptures, a reminder of God's promise to us. So if I choose to wear my rainbow shirt with rainbow earrings and rainbow hair clip, I am choosing to celebrate life and life abundantly, not revealing my adolescence or proclaiming my sexuality. And I hope to spread the joy and reclaim the gift of color. Let us not be fearful of being branded by what we wear, but wear what brings us life and personality! Okay, so this sounds a little kookie, but you get the gist.

Why we should ignore our kids

I learned dance in a cafeteria. I was in high school at the time and had joined our school's Colorguard, which was like baton-twirlers on steroids. We danced with flags, sabres, rifles and whatever else could spin, but we also learned modern dance (which is now really called contemporary) to a moderate level. Because of our practice weapons, we needed space with high ceilings, and because we weren't as popular as the cheer squad, we got the cafeteria.

You can guess that our cafeteria didn't have the wonderful full-wall mirrors most dance studios have, so as we learned dance, we learned how it felt on our bodies. We learned how our muscles responded to off-balanced or sickled positions. When asked to extend further, we felt what that meant and pulled from within. We, or at least I, were very in-tuned with our bodies and could adjust things according to how we felt, not how we looked.

When I started college and began taking real dance classes in the studio, I was suddenly in front of myself every lesson and began watching how that person danced. The result was that I began dancing out there and lost touch with how it felt within. In a sense, I began dancing to perform, even for myself, rather than dancing for the love of dance. Looking back, although I was a better dancer as a result of the years of classes, I really had much more fun and enjoyed the movement more in the cafeteria.

In a way, I feel like we're doing this to our kids when we give them so much attention and praise for menial things. If left alone, they'll explore their world, come up with novel and creative ideas, do things because they're self-motivated and interested in challenging themselves. They'll dance in the cafeteria. But when our kiddo runs up to us with a scribble on a scrap paper and we exclaim how wonderful it is, first we're not encouraging them to do better, and second we're helping establish in their minds that they need to do things for external approval. They'll start dancing for the mirror instead of for themselves.

If you haven't heard of it, check out Muffy Mead's book, Confessions of a Slacker Mom. She has a great, amusing chapter about this idea. She even suggests not attending every soccer, swim and dance competition your kids participate in, with the thought that they might realize who they're doing these things for. I remember when I was in Colorguard, my folks would only come to the competitions down the street from our house. Despite their apparent lack of interest, I always felt completely supported in my ventures and really learned to find out what interested me and go do it! I was ignored quite often as the 5th of 6 kids and I think that is a large part of what turned me into the self-motivated doer I am today.

So go ahead, ignore your kids a bit! You'll be doing them a favor.

Sanity Necklace

Today, I decided (in an effort to slow my life down) to stay home (gasp!). Really, this is very unusual for me, and I'm on a huge learning curve as to how to keep my and my childrens' sanity intact while we are home. Oh yeah, and maintain that wonderful Charlotte Mason learning environment to engage and enrich my children's mind. So, after an educating half-hour with the Wiggles (sigh), I set them down in the kitchen with a plate full of raisins and Joe's O's and a long string with a blunt, thick needle tied on one end. This was the result:

This activity lasted for over an hour (!!), and I was even able to let Rian roam free as it was an edible craft! Shae even made her brother his own necklace which he was happy to wear and eat. The clean-up, which would have taken me all of 5 minutes, lasted another long hour as the kids slowly picked up any cheerio off the floor and attempted to sweep.

Of course I know this is not at all original and not even that creative, but it was a nice morning activity and I thought I'd share it.

Because of the nice containment of the snack while the kids eat, I thought this would be an excellent car snack, and even that it would be a great activity to do while I pack and load up the car for long trips! At least it's a good idea. And if I can remember and get my act together, I think I will try it next time.

Birds!

Today, me and my crew, along with a few other gals from our Hearts at Home homeschool group met at the Yolo Wildlife Preserve for our weekly nature walk. It was an absolutely perfect day. We drove pretty far into the preserve before parking, and when we got out of the car I felt like I stepped into the midwest; there were no trees and no buildings, so the sky stretched out forever in every direction, as far as you could see. The birds were singing so loudly that although we were close to the freeway, no sounds of traffic could be distinguished. Here's a sampling of our morning:

No cars were permitted on this road (not that there was anyone else out there anyway).

The air was humid in the midst of the wetlands, and the blooming flowers everywhere filled the air with a delightfully pleasant fragrance.

With such wide open space and no vehicles, our kids were able to wander pretty freely. Shaenee did get a little stuck (literally) in the mud in this partially dried pond. Did I mention the bird song?!

If you're in the area, check it out!! We will definitely be there again, though it seems the spring and fall are the best times, so we'll probably skip summer.

Expressive Art Class

Last Friday, my backyard was transformed into an art studio, thanks to Kassandra Grossman of Expressive Art for Kids. We had painting with utensils, sponges, etc. on the garage wall, which quickly progressed from this:

to this:

to this: and this: and this:

We had a station of what we call oobleck (cornstarch and water):

So innocent...

Auntie Dawn helping.

Shaenee started in on the shaving cream.

Master concoctions!

We also set up the slide for roller paint-ball!

We and the kids all had a great time and got extremely filthy! My grass is still recovering, but will be ready for another messy-art day next month.

Bread

This is for my friends who've asked for my bread recipe, which is really more of a family recipe. I used to use a bread machine (see last posting!), but have found it much easier to just use my kitchen aid mixer for mixing and kneading. It also makes it very easy to double or triple! This recipe makes delicious pizza crust and can be easily added to for such delicacies as cinnamon raising bread or onion cheddar bread. You can do a couple of simple modifications to use it in a bread machine (ask if you need to know specifics). So without further ado:

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

combine in glass measuring cup:
1/3 c honey
1 1/3 c water
microwave for 1min 20s, then stir until honey is dissolved.
in a seperate cup, activate yeast by pouring a small aliquot of honey water over 2 tsp yeast, and let sit.

add to honey water:
1 1/2 T oil

in mixing bowl, combine:
3 1/2 c whole wheat flour*
1/2 c minus 1 T vital wheat gluten
1 tsp salt

set mixer to setting 1 and add honey water (or by hand, mix it).

add activated yeast**.

set mixer to setting 2 for 5 minutes*** (or knead by hand on floured surface for 10 minutes or until elastic)

form into ball by hand and set in an oiled bowl, covered with a thin towel, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.

punch down loaf, then reform dough to fit into oiled bread pan. Let rise another hour or until the height you want.

cook at 400 for 25min

make sure you taste the first slice right out of the oven!! it's near heaven.

*you can also equally substitute sprouted wheat flour
**if yeast has not formed a frothy layer in 5 minutes, the yeast is not active. Either add more, wait longer, or discard and try with new yeast.
***dough should be not sticky nor dry. It should not stick to the sides of the bowl. If it is too moist, add flour. If too dry, add more water (but only a teaspoon at a time!).

Why I love my husband (part 1)

Last night, instead of packing a lunch for my husband, I packed ingredients to make onion cheddar whole wheat bread (recipe to follow) that he made in our bread machine at work today. Better yet, it was his own idea to bring the bread machine to work, and on his own initiative he found a recipe online for rosemary bread, purchased all necessary ingredients, and made a loaf the first day! Thoughtful as he is, he's sharing the delicious bread with the office folk, hoping to maybe win over a few hard hearts in the meantime. What a guy!

Slow down

So, with homeschooling my three littles, making everything from scratch, gardening, housekeeping, engaging my community in dance-along and heading up the neighborhood association, people ask me how I do it all. It's simple, really: I don't. It's impossible to maintain a balance with so many balls juggling in the air, and inevitably one (or usually more than that) will fall to the ground. My husband, bless his dear heart, is constantly wishing for a cleaner, more organized house; my delightful children are always asking for more or less or different things to do; my plants only manage to survive if they're in the ground and are not dependent on my managment. You get the picture.
I've been having some wonderful discussions about life schedules with my dearest sister Tami who does everything I do and more with two girls and twin three-year-olds. She's always been more of a stay-at-homer while I plan out-of-the-house activities almost daily. We've both begun to desire true community in these recent years and are stumbling upon some interesting revelations: Like everything else good and pure in the world, true community comes not from our hard labor, but from an organic evolution.
When we stop straining our lives to maximize our time and fill every moment with something (activities, classes, meetings, scheduled playdates, etc.) and start to let go of unimportant things (like gymnastics for a 3-yr-old) both physically and mentally (it doesn't help if you're guilty about not going!), we can breathe a little easier. Our days become less constricting and we have more freedom.
What is our most natural community? The one we don't have to drive across town to meet or schedule three hours Sunday morning to fellowship with or attempt meaningful conversation in 15 minute intervals at pick-up or drop-off times? Our home. Our neighborhood. The place you live and are most relaxed, most yourself. Why try so hard to fill our lives with people out there when there are so many people at home. This is one of many reasons we've stopped attending church; we always felt like although the friendships developed were beautiful, it seemed so fake to bring everyone together from all different parts of town to create this artificial community. I don't mean to sound like a pure pessimist--there are some great things about the institutes of religion we've established--but we've decided it's not for us. We'd rather spend that time investing in our neighbors. At least we like the idea better.
So, back to juggling. I am attempting a paradigm shift. I'd like to drop the balls and look at the people around me, watching me and my foolish game. I want to meet them, talk to them, become a part of them instead of apart from them. You. Mrs. Beach. Ms. Velma. I'd like my house to be an open door for anyone in the neighborhood (even if you're driving through!). Lord help me, I want to slow down.

I'm here

I've been told I should start a blog, so here I am. Today we ran our dance-along class, then decided because it was so hot and we used the kids kiddie pool for our kinderpatch that we would stop by Target and pick up a new little pool. Ah, the joys of water! Cools them off, wears them out, eliminates arguments and provides hours of entertainment!

So, here's a thought: how could I go about putting together a dance CD with legal permission from all music groups involved and get it sold? The complied CDs I make for the dance-along class are in high demand, but I can't rightly sell them. Any ideas?

I've got to come up with better blogs.