Unschooling Support - It's June! - Page 2

[bente]

Hi you all

The weather here in Norway is fantastic!!! Warm and sunny everyday. This is not normal weather for may-june here so we are enjoying every moment. We are renting a summer house on an island a short ferry ride from the city and we are spending lots of time out there. We got a really good deal on it if we would do some work on it and it is perfect. We live in the city with no garden and the kids and I get nice break. We run around barefoot, paint fences, throw out old stuff, weed, plant tomatoes (trying to transplant tomatoes from Spain -we will see how it goes). Run through the sprinklers, swim in the ocean. Now we are back in our apartment dd and ds1 have spent 2 WHOLE DAYS on the computer - ds1 has to catch up on Runescape and wants to make it two levels higher before he returns to the land of no internet, tv or shower...lol
My daughter is loving clubpenguin, has spent all day there today.
Any other Runescape fans out there? I so wish for my kids to meet other RU kids so that they could see all the cool kids and there parents that are out there. Unfortunatly my son has gotten this idea that HS kids are super restricted and only play with wooden toys, stay away from tv etc. There really are no other RU in Norway. Not very many homeschoolers either, but the ones they have met are hs for reasons other than us (violin prodegies and such).

Anyway...I am enjoying the warm weather and noticing that a country without airconditioning gets really hot inside...

[pia]

Hola Bente!!!

Just checking in here too! Long time since last time -- and mdc is reminding me to "take a few moments...just engage in a conversation..."
So that´s what I´ll have to do.

So much has been happening!!

Ds and I had 2 whole weeks on Isla Mujeres in Mexico at the end of April. We spent the whole time swimming, snorkeling and just enjoying Island atmosphere. We basically got up at 6-7 am, stayed out most of the day and slept around 9-10pm. Oh - ds watched Cartoon Network every moment we had in our hotel room. He admitted some of the cartoons were awful, but like a magnet he was just drawn to watch them!

We had initially planned to see some pyramids - Tulum and/or Chichen Itza, but in the end we didn´t feel like taking the long bus ride.
We did swim with dolphins, go to an amazing island called Isla Contoy, ride a golf cart around town, collect shells, see loads of amazing fish and eat lots of Mexican beans and guacamole! :

It was 20 years since I was there last, and I so badly wanted to go back. It had changed a fair bit, but it was still really really nice. Not nearly as crowded as I had expected.

I haven´t put up that many photos from the trip yet, but here are some:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/6581248...7604937787915/

Unlike Oslo, we have rain here in Barcelona. Fairly unusual for this time of year. But the city need it. Desperately. It´s been one of the driest years in I don´t know how long!

So, today, I have been trying to get very organized...just organize, declutter, throw...ds had been watching MacGyver.
Oh - and I chatted to Bente on the phone!

Our day today; very simple. Now we´re waiting for dh to finish an Indian dish, Aloo Gobi. He got some fresh handground spices from the mother of one of his tennis players + the recipe. Yum. :

[Citymomx3]

Hey ds (7) and dh are going camping this weekend too! Dd (11) and ds are almost done with their circus class, ds started cub scouts and football within the last few weeks, dd dance season is on the final week and her recital is Sunday. Oldest dd (14) is in the final week of public high school for the year. She's got 3 regents exams to take soon, too . I can't wait til she's home for the whole summer.

Today dd called up for Chinese take-out and treated herself and her brother to some fried rice and scallops, lol. Then they played Rubiks Revolution - and got me into the game somehow. I called out sick to work tonight so I can clean and organize for everything this weekend. Of course I may just end up on the couch watching a movie with the kids!

After this long busy weekend is over I need to focus on redoing the apartment - turning the living room into 2 more bedrooms. Yeah, I feel the girls need their own spaces (small spaces, but still their own). I plan on getting this whole place done by September. That's the goal - we'll see.

[shanetedissac]

Hi new to the thread

But not new to homeschooling/unschooling. I have three boys 9,7,4. Have not felt the need to have much support but today has been tough. My dad cut off supporting us, he thinks financial, but it is actually emotional also. He has not really been a financial support anyways. Anyway no more Dad. He thinks we are abusing the children.

So, here I am hoping to get my positive game back

Media is the name of the game in our house. They love to play games on line. This week it is games found on myspace. The babysitters showed them these last weekend. Watching PBS on the TV during the week and 4Kids TV on the weekend. We also have a Wii that we got a few months back. They play Mario and Sonic go to the olympics. Their favorite TV shows are Zaboobafoo and Fetch with Ruff Ruff during the week. On the weekend it is Yu Gi Oh and Dinosaure King. Theodore is very in to Yu Gi Oh cards also. Harrison likes to play with Theodore's clay creations, drives him nuts.

Thanks,

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by shanetedissac

But not new to homeschooling/unschooling. I have three boys 9,7,4. Have not felt the need to have much support but today has been tough. My dad cut off supporting us, he thinks financial, but it is actually emotional also. He has not really been a financial support anyways. Anyway no more Dad. He thinks we are abusing the children.

So, here I am hoping to get my positive game back

Media is the name of the game in our house. They love to play games on line. This week it is games found on myspace. The babysitters showed them these last weekend. Watching PBS on the TV during the week and 4Kids TV on the weekend. We also have a Wii that we got a few months back. They play Mario and Sonic go to the olympics. Their favorite TV shows are Zaboobafoo and Fetch with Ruff Ruff during the week. On the weekend it is Yu Gi Oh and Dinosaure King. Theodore is very in to Yu Gi Oh cards also. Harrison likes to play with Theodore's clay creations, drives him nuts.

Thanks,

Sorry your dad is being like that.

My ds loves Zaboomafoo and Fetch, too. Also Eon Kid on the former WB (CB?), Pokemon, and, oh what's that kid's science show on Sunday? Kinda like Bill Nye the Science Guy but newer. He plays a ton of online games, too. I do wish we could get out and play with other kids more because some of the tv/computer is boredom related.

We're holing up, hiding from the heat. We've been watching the baby birds out our kitchen window grow up. It was exciting to see them making forays farther from their nest, walking on the branches, then flying from one to another, then going on the ground and back up. The mama has been visiting for shorter times. I've taken so many pictures, lol.

[BedHead]

Dd stayed up ALL night last night sewing things in her room. By hand. It's apparently quite the project. I have GOT to get out and buy her a sewing machine!

I'm still bugging her for a pic of her hair!

[bente]

The summer house we are renting is taking shape. We had a container out there this weekend and filled it up with old junk from the house and the other buildings on the plot. My father in law came out to visit and gave me a tour of the garden...he he, I know nothing about planting, but I really want to get a little garden going out there. Turns out we have 4-5 cherry trees, one apple, lots of wild strawberries and blueberries. Oh and rasberries, rhubarb. It really is a lovely little plot.

DH is working a lot so we dont see much of him - I am really looking forward to slower times soon and then he can hang around the house with us

Other than that, two words - Runescape. Clubpenguin. It is madness

[majikfaerie]

we're back!
China was great, we had a blast. Soooo many things happened, and of course the rainbow gathering.
now we're back in thailand, and preparing for another homebirth with a really lovely couple who are hosting us in their home.

we had a funny pizza dinner tonight that turned into a lesson in political structures - somehow it became a race to see who could eat the most pizza, and then our friend had the idea to invite DD into a 'coalition' with him, so they could win. but of course, then the rest of us joined into another coalition which resulted in way more 'votes' (pizza). it was pretty funny.

anyways, i'm not going to spend ages writing out our whole month of adventures in china and thailand, but there is some stuff on my blog if anyones interested.

[BedHead]

majik, I just had a look around your blog - what an awesome experience!

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by BedHead

majik, I just had a look around your blog - what an awesome experience!

I would find that kind of travel with ds highly stressful

Maybe if ds would eat more varied foods....like worms wrapped in seaweed...

[majikfaerie]

actually, DD is a HIGHLY picky eater.
she will eat instant noodles or sometimes pasta, plain rice, cereal in milk (but only certain kinds), chips, fries, oat porridge, pizza with cheese only, pancakes without fruit, plain rice, boiled egg whites, nori sheets or nori rolls, some kinds of fruit and raw vegetables.
not much else. and even that list, she only eats some things some of the time. it's our biggest challenge getting her to eat. and then sometimes she surprises us by wanting to try worms well, admittedly, she only ate 2 of them before deciding it was yucky. and she is SUPER sensitive to smells and textures. challenging for sure.
but we love travelling.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by majikfaerie

actually, DD is a HIGHLY picky eater.....
but we love travelling.

That was my memory/impression, that your dd was pretty sensitive.

My ds freaks out about the sounds when we tent camp. Of course, he freaks out about the sounds when we stay home and the A/C kicks in, or the mailcarrier rustles at the door...

[zeldamomma]

.

[majikfaerie]

I'd be pretty upfront and firm on my boundaries, and clear where I stand. but i'm usually good with things like that. just say no is a good one too

[BedHead]

zeldamommy, that sounds like a challenge. I haven't been at the unschooling thing for long, but I've already experienced a house guest who totally disagreed with what we're doing. She spent an entire morning harassing her son to do his homework right in the middle of our living room, just to prove a point I think. All she did was make dd even MORE glad she and I don't have to go through that any more!

I wouldn't even bring the topic up, and if they did I would just calmly explain my viewpoint and leave it at that. I know it's hard not to argue with people, and it's also sometimes hard to explain things coherently in the heat of the moment, but you believe in what you're doing and that will come through in the way you present yourself, so hopefully they'll get the message that the topic isn't up for debate. It gets easier for me every time we do it

[4evermom]

I have no problem looking at people like they are crazy and saying no.

Maybe you can send them off to sight see on their own, or recommend a restaurant or something to give you some space from each other. I always found it valuable to be on a different sleep schedules from our host/guests so ds wouldn't be overwhelmed by constant interactions.

Today, I found a large piece of slate in the basement and dragged it to the kitchen. Ds actually wrote some letters, including all the ones in his name, though not in order. He also tried sounding out what I was typing in an email message. This is exciting since he has never drawn or tried writing much. I know he has many sight words from gaming but he has never been into phonetics and sounding things out. I've blamed pre-k at age 4 for some of that. And equally exciting, he has started eating broccoli! He hasn't eaten anything green since he was 4. We are almost done the last Narnia book.

[BedHead]

Oh, and dd is PMSing. Or something. Ever since she decided she couldn't handle the ND's restrictive diet and started eating whatever she wants and not taking her supplements, she's had something wrong with her EVERY DAY. Her knee hurts. Her stomach hurts. Her head hurts. She's tired. Blah blah blah. I am SO sick of hearing about it, especially since I know perfectly well what she needs to do to fix it and she refuses to do it.

Anyone want a used 14 year old?

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by BedHead

Anyone want a used 14 year old?

Will she play computer games with ds?

[majikfaerie]

Originally Posted by BedHead

Anyone want a used 14 year old?

I'll trade you for a used 5 year old. occasionally clean, comes with an assortment of mix'n'match pink outfits, and her very own Barbies. sorry, we lost all the shoes and combs, so she's barefoot and dreaddy if you call now, with your credit card handy, I'll also throw in a set of ginsu steak knives...

[AllisonK]

how about a like new two year old. She loves nose picking, mud, and roaring at the cat. Gets rashes all the time (exploring allergies ) and last week hit a bunch of kids over the head with a chair. Aggression aside great cuddler at night and requires milky at various points in the day.