{this moment} smile...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.  Following the suggestion of SouleMama at http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/

First day of school

Today was our first day back at our formal studies. Of course, we spent all summer learning about nature, and art, and Percy Jackson.

Another blogger posted this quote today from one of my favorite authors and thinkers. It's one of my favorites and fits our educational philosophy.

“What does education often do? It makes a straight-cut ditch out of a free, meandering brook.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Ditches are functional but they all look the same and if left to their own devices, ditches always find their way back to the meandering brooks they once were. We'll stay as brooks. 

{this moment} I am mother

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.  Following the suggestion of SouleMama at http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/

Who teaches the teacher? Part One: My Love

Some things I've learned from this man...

...be a 300 hitter.

...find a place where you can let go of the world now and then.

...do the right thing, not the easy thing.

...stand up for others.

...take control of your life.

...fight fairly and be willing to say you are sorry.

...plant trees and invest in the future.

...evaluate your priorities and make adjustments.

...parent by example. 

...give your whole heart unconditionally to the one you love.

Always...

Who teaches the teacher? Part Three: My Youngest

Some things I have learned from my youngest...

...don't blink.
...laugh with gusto.
...try anything once.
...learn how to entertain yourself.
...hold someone's hand when you need a little support.
...sound effects make life more fun.
...pay attention to the details.
...pat people on the back when you give them a hug.
...you're never too young to be a valued member of society.
...there's always room in your heart for the people who are important in your children's lives.


The heart of the mother is the schoolroom of the child. One mother is more than a hundred schoolmasters. ~G. Wordsworth 

Who teaches the teacher? Part Two: My Son

Some things I have learned from my son...

...an apple a day (or ten) really does keep the doctor away.
...follow your own sense of fashion and be willing to wear your shirt backwards and inside out if that's the way you like it.
...offer to share what little you have with others even if they don't ask.
...always be willing to say you are sorry.
...never lie and be willing to admit mistakes.
...laugh with joy when you run.
...cry at sad movies.
...express your emotions.
....dive in to things you love to do.
...and love with your whole heart without prejudice or condition.

Who teaches the teacher? Part One: My Daughter

Some things I have learned from my daughter...

...look at the world like no one else and you'll find unique solutions to everyday problems.
...never fail to walk loved ones to the door for one last hug.
...listen to your heart and be confident in your convictions. 
...be a goal setter.
...save your money.
...find someone you love as soon as you wake in the morning to say, "I love you."
...accept diversity in others and be eager to learn and ask questions.
...lay down your life for abused people and animals.
...seek out volumes of knowledge about your interests.
...take on responsibility and see it through fully.

Saved

Saved

I have been saved from the wayward path of my life.

I have been shown the way to success.

I have been offered advice about the ways of the world.

But I have saved myself.

I will walk my chosen path.

I will follow my heart with confidence.

I will live in the world as I see it…

a world that is made of love.

I will set my children’s course in a world of acceptance and joy…in the world I desire for them…

which will eventually become the world right for each of them…

maybe not for me…

probably not for others.

That is the way it will be for me and mine. 

A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things - crushing down remorselessly all that stands in its path. 

- Agatha Christie

{this moment} My niece is special

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.  Following the suggestion of SouleMama at http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/

Happy New Year!

It’s time. It’s time to hit the ground running. It’s time to cross over into the school year. Most years I am thrilled with the beginning of school. I look forward to the corn reaching the so-called “elephant’s eye.” It means new beginnings. I like new beginnings. When I was teaching in public schools in NC, there were other signs. When the Joe Pye Weed and Iron Weed bloomed together it was usually time to begin.

My family lived on a college campus most of my childhood. I chose to be a teacher, and my husband is a college administrator. Even now, as a homeschooling parent and part-time faculty member, my life revolves around the academic year.

School supplies sales are like Christmas (I know, that’s a little weird, right?) I stock my own desk along with my kids’ boxes and we feel prepared to tackle it. I nest in our little school room. I still buy new shoes for the kids…even though they we do our lessons barefooted. And, I am energized to get up, make the bed, actually fix breakfast…I am happy to wake up early enough to have a quiet cup of coffee in a quiet house…to meditate a bit on the day ahead. I am ready.

 So, Fall is a beginning. It is the new year for me.

And it’s time…Happy New Year everyone.

Namaste.