For it bein' on Christmas mornin'

Who is that masked man?? Ollie came bursting out of his room this week during a co-op sporting this get-up. He insisted on wearing out and about later in the day!

Merry Christmas!
We are in full swing around here, and we finally hunted and chopped the best tree in the woods.

The Discovery Center has a fantastic new environmental exhibit about which I am over the moon.

Here Ollie is figuring out how the piping works in a house.
He was also able to put up the insulation and the siding.

And, Pumps is shown above pondering the route of rainwater into a rain barrel.

At a different co-op this week we explored Hanukkah, it's symbols, and history.

Below, they are spinning the dradle.

And, it snowed here this week! I did not get a great snap shot as my camera is on the fritz (boo-hissss).

We ARE in the Christmas spirit, and as of late, I have been pondering what that means to me. I have wrestled with poor Santa, and have decide on a guilt free, pretend, imagination approach. If Ollie figures it out, I will not lie to his face, but I will continue to pretend, as we pretend about many things: Star Wars, magic, hour long episodes of "store." I am pretty sure he suspects..On last years note from Santa, he told the boys that he brought them presents only as a symbol and reminder of God's great gift to us and God's love.
I know also that this is not the exact date of Jesus' birth, but have decided that it is okay with me to celebrate that great gift anyway. More than anything, more than historical accurateness or full blown commercialism, we celebrate tradition and family. We snuggle in away from the cold and reflect on our blessings. We think of ways to make other people happy. We laugh about our own family history, and get misty eyed about Christmases past. Each ornament we pull out of the box, standing under the mistle toe with a three year old, preparing to travel to Grandparents homes, and spending time on making our home feel warm and cozy: these are what it is about for me. I can take or leave Santa and store bought gifts, I could even take or leave the church going part, but the family and tradition, I could not do without, and all of these parts go hand in hand, and I am happy to embrace it all.

And they really make a mess outa you

Okay, and while I'm at it, I have another.
I am going to try to be careful here, because I don't want to make things awkward or weird when we visit others homes or they come here.
And, I am sure I will inevitably eat my words or change my mind.

As homeschoolers, the play date is an integral part of our socialization. It is something that we love and live for. All of us. What I'd like to do is start a revolution to create change. I am calling for an end to the after-play- date- clean-up. Trust me, this is not because I'm lazy or want to train my kids to be, but inevitably, I find mothers in parts of my house, awkwardly putting toys on shelves while demanding that their children "help" when all along I sense they are more than ready to walk out of the door. And the truth is, we have spots for those toys and at some point will go back through and semi-organize them. Now, again, I appreciate this effort so much, but it is very unnecessary. When we invite quests over, we assume that we will have to clean up a bit when everyone clears out. The same goes for us visiting. This week, we left before any other kids, and I personally saw a group of children dump boxes of toys out that mine were not involved in. I felt awkward when we left because the kids weren't finished playing, my kids didn't play with the toys in the messy room, and we were pressed for time. But, at the same time, I felt embarrassed and guilty as we left as if we didn't fulfill some sort of unspoken mom rule..Tough call..In the end, I don't want the kids to tear the house apart and not demonstrate basic respect and kindness, but on the other, what is the protocol and necessity for clean-up? When you come to my place, don't worry your pretty little head 'bout a thing..

Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint

I have been meaning to tell you, I have a phrase that is a pet peeve. One that I rarely say, and hate when I do..I know you've said it, but to what end? The phrase, "Be careful." I know that it is instinct. I know that it is reflexive. But, really, what does it achieve except eye rolling and risky behavior. I try to back off, to adopt the "that'll learn 'em" stance. I really think at times this makes other parents uncomfortable, and I've even heard them suck in through their teeth and throw it out there in place of my obviously neglectful parenting style... My kids even say it for me sometimes confidently "I'm being careful, mom." I choose for now to be more specific when the kids are in danger of harm, like "if you try to balance on that twig across those two cinder blocks, it's liable to hurt you." Or, even asking, "what do you think will happen if you keep swinging that sword around your head?" I know my way is wordier, but I will continue to be irked on the playground by repetitive shrieks of "BE CAREFUL!"

There's beauty in the sunrise in the sky,

Sunrise on our faces and in our hearts..

Thinking about the holidays...

Driftwood....

Herons...

And morning art projects..

Dolphins..

Holes...

Crabs...

Trenches...

Amazement..

Comparing foot prints.. (Daddy's and Eli's)

Please tell her thanks a lot

Sunrise from the balcony at Orange Beach..

Adventures and discoveries..

And of course, a little teaspoonful of learning.
We learned and read this.
This is one reason I am so tickled by the question, "do you take holidays off from lessons?"
What kind of question is that?
We learned today. We socialized. We exercised and explored.
How and why would we ever stop because of the date?
I am baffled by this common attitude about learning and living..

Evan celebrated his birthday today, too..

Above is what we think he looks like as abstractly represented on coffee filters..

The kids don't even buy into the standard need for beach chairs. They just make their own.

Is this too much for day one on the beach? We haven't been in so long for a stay like this, and especially with all the crew, it is hard to resist showing you how much I love it. I feel like I grew up here, and I am so thankful that my children have the opportunity to see us enjoy life and nature unhurried and at ease. I am so fortunate....

You to me were the best.

The Greatest Class Picture of All time.
Seriously.
Our classmates, Donut and He-man.
We love you so much.
Thanks for hanging out with us..

This week, Mandy drove us to the big city to experience some art.

Which could also be titled, "the Tale of Moms striving to Raise Their Children Their Own Way." Funny, we like going to an interactive art museum to teach our children about art.
And then to a park infused with art to play..

Playing..

Printing..

Painting..

That is a dog sculpture made of yellow crayons..

Learning about the color wheel..

The prints. Ollie made and X over bad guys..No bad guys allowed..

We observed sculpture, we made a collage at home of the prints we saw..
We used imagination, we sketched..

And then later this week..

Eli is mashing dates making vegan, raw fudge for snack.

Pretend fishing..

And climbing on, identifying, and loving on Sycamores..

It is with great pleasure that I bring this past weeks pictures of homeschooling
(cough unshcoolingohmywordIcan'tbelieveI'madmitingthat..)

Shucks, it sure feels like it's in the woods

Co-op pictures from the week before last. We are honing our woods skills, identifying trees, and listening to the sound the forest makes.

We are learning to hula hoop..