Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Compassion
We had an incredible opportunity last month at a local treasure, the Mariposa Museum in Peterborough, NH. A group of Tibetan monks from a monastery in India were in town to create a mandala at the museum. We were lucky to attend a program for homeschoolers and see the beginning of the creation of this sacred work.
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle" at its most basic level, but is imbued with much more meaning than that. This website explains it well. The sand mandala, which takes days to complete, is used to explore the impermanance of life, an integral concept of Buddhism. Coupled with specific chants and rituals, the creation of the mandala is a spiritual practice that goes way beyond the beauty of the creation we see before us. The particular mandala we saw created was called a mandala of compassion, another important concept in Buddhism. Compassion is not seen as just feeling sorry for someone who is sad or in pain, but rather, as wanting happiness for all people, not just those in our inner circle. This website can help you learn more (scroll down to the bottom.)
At any rate, we arrived and learned a bit about what mandalas are, and we discussed mandalas in nature (tree rings, the moon, snowflakes) and different cultures. We then went upstairs to where the monks were starting the mandala. A hush came over the children as we ascended the top step and heard the deep guttural chanting of the monks. One monk was hunched over scraping the sand from what are called "chak-pur" metal tools to apply the sand to the mandala. The area was cordoned off with prayer flags, so the children were able to get quite close without invading the sacred space.
The children were fascinated and very respectful. I, of course, had visions of G. tripping over a sandal and falling headlong over the flags into the center of the mandala, sand flying everywhere. But my fears were not realized as he stood mesmerized for about 5 minutes, at which point he was completely bored. I could have stood there all day and watched. It is quite amazing, really. We learned that there is a "mandala master" who oversees the placement of the sand and a "chanting master" who leads the monks in chanting.
Six days later, we went back to see the completion of the mandala and the ceremony that would take place at the end. Imagine, 6 days of painstaking attention to detail, knowing that the end result would be to sweep your creation away and throw the sand in the river. Can we really wrap our American consumerist mentalities around it?
The finished mandala. This picture doesn't do it justice. The colors are much deeper and richer, and they are applied in layers, giving it a raised appearance.
From the balcony.
After a short time of contemplating the mandala, the monks came in and sat and explained the mandala through an interpreter. They then donned their hats and began to chant and circle the mandala.
Then they began to dismantle it, one of the monks drawing four lines with his finger from the center to the outside edge of the mandala. They then began to sweep all of the sand into the center of the table, and just like that, it was gone.
After offering everyone a small packet of sand, the rest was gathered into a small jar and we all followed the monks, chanting and waving incense out of the museum and to the river. We passed quite a few surprised folks in the street and at the farmer's market!
I can't resist posting this picture.
After a few chants and prayers, the sand was poured into the river and the monks turned to leave and go back to India, having left us with an experience we will never forget and will always be grateful for.
If you are interested in learning more about Buddhism, check out this website. If you are interested in getting involved to help Tibet, check out www.freetibet.org.
The destruction of monasteries, the resettlement of Chinese into Tibet, the teaching of Chinese language and culture to Tibetan children at the expense of their own, all of these are deliberate and systematic attempts to obliterate Tibetan culture. Through the oppression of Tibetan religion/culture, the Chinese hope to eradicate Tibet and make it China. Can we afford to let that happen? Can we truly embody compassion and ensure that we do, what we consume, where we spend our money is not hurting anyone else? Can we come a bit closer to understanding that nothing is permanant, that everything ends, that selfless love is achievable? Aren't we worth the attempt?
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle" at its most basic level, but is imbued with much more meaning than that. This website explains it well. The sand mandala, which takes days to complete, is used to explore the impermanance of life, an integral concept of Buddhism. Coupled with specific chants and rituals, the creation of the mandala is a spiritual practice that goes way beyond the beauty of the creation we see before us. The particular mandala we saw created was called a mandala of compassion, another important concept in Buddhism. Compassion is not seen as just feeling sorry for someone who is sad or in pain, but rather, as wanting happiness for all people, not just those in our inner circle. This website can help you learn more (scroll down to the bottom.)
At any rate, we arrived and learned a bit about what mandalas are, and we discussed mandalas in nature (tree rings, the moon, snowflakes) and different cultures. We then went upstairs to where the monks were starting the mandala. A hush came over the children as we ascended the top step and heard the deep guttural chanting of the monks. One monk was hunched over scraping the sand from what are called "chak-pur" metal tools to apply the sand to the mandala. The area was cordoned off with prayer flags, so the children were able to get quite close without invading the sacred space.
The children were fascinated and very respectful. I, of course, had visions of G. tripping over a sandal and falling headlong over the flags into the center of the mandala, sand flying everywhere. But my fears were not realized as he stood mesmerized for about 5 minutes, at which point he was completely bored. I could have stood there all day and watched. It is quite amazing, really. We learned that there is a "mandala master" who oversees the placement of the sand and a "chanting master" who leads the monks in chanting.
Six days later, we went back to see the completion of the mandala and the ceremony that would take place at the end. Imagine, 6 days of painstaking attention to detail, knowing that the end result would be to sweep your creation away and throw the sand in the river. Can we really wrap our American consumerist mentalities around it?
The finished mandala. This picture doesn't do it justice. The colors are much deeper and richer, and they are applied in layers, giving it a raised appearance.
From the balcony.
After a short time of contemplating the mandala, the monks came in and sat and explained the mandala through an interpreter. They then donned their hats and began to chant and circle the mandala.
Then they began to dismantle it, one of the monks drawing four lines with his finger from the center to the outside edge of the mandala. They then began to sweep all of the sand into the center of the table, and just like that, it was gone.
After offering everyone a small packet of sand, the rest was gathered into a small jar and we all followed the monks, chanting and waving incense out of the museum and to the river. We passed quite a few surprised folks in the street and at the farmer's market!
I can't resist posting this picture.
After a few chants and prayers, the sand was poured into the river and the monks turned to leave and go back to India, having left us with an experience we will never forget and will always be grateful for.
If you are interested in learning more about Buddhism, check out this website. If you are interested in getting involved to help Tibet, check out www.freetibet.org.
The destruction of monasteries, the resettlement of Chinese into Tibet, the teaching of Chinese language and culture to Tibetan children at the expense of their own, all of these are deliberate and systematic attempts to obliterate Tibetan culture. Through the oppression of Tibetan religion/culture, the Chinese hope to eradicate Tibet and make it China. Can we afford to let that happen? Can we truly embody compassion and ensure that we do, what we consume, where we spend our money is not hurting anyone else? Can we come a bit closer to understanding that nothing is permanant, that everything ends, that selfless love is achievable? Aren't we worth the attempt?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Green Living
I know it's just a buzzword but really, who among us hasn't felt the need to "go green." We all do what we can I suppose, but many of us are somewhat limited as to what is feasible for us. I'm not going to be living in a yurt off the grid anytime soon, and I don't have the money to convert my car over to biodeisel, but I do what I can. We live in a small house, drive somewhat fuel efficient cars, buy locally grown/made products and garden organically. But the one thing I really love is our compost pile. Yes, I love compost. There is nothing better than knowing that all of our garbage is not going to a landfill, it is going back to the earth.
In fact, G. often uses it as an excuse not to finish his peanut butter sandwich. He throws it in the compost bucket saying, "It's okay, Mom, I'm helping the earth." Now, that's not quite what I had in mind, but still...
Here is a not so good picture of our compost pile(s). We use a two pile method - we throw our greens and browns onto one pile while the other one sits and decomposes. I turn them every few weeks, and when the pile that is not active looks fairly ready, I sift it and take out the big things (like corn cobs) and throw them onto the active pile.
Pretty soon I have a lovely pile of compost to add to the garden. I don't pay too much attention to the amount of greens vs. browns, but if it seems a bit smelly I add more browns or some dirt to help it along.
Knowing that our garbage adds to the beauty of our garden is very satisfying.
This website seems to have some good information about how to start and maintain a compost pile.
There are many more things I am also trying to change. Juice boxes and individually packaged snacks are big no-no's for me now. I try to make as many snacks for the kids as I can because even if I buy the "organic" snacks, the trash still ends up in a landfill. And I am one of the freaks who brings their cloth bags to the grocery store - I even bring them to Target and Ocean State Job Lot.
So if you haven't tried composting, give it a try - it's a lot easier than you think!
In fact, G. often uses it as an excuse not to finish his peanut butter sandwich. He throws it in the compost bucket saying, "It's okay, Mom, I'm helping the earth." Now, that's not quite what I had in mind, but still...
Here is a not so good picture of our compost pile(s). We use a two pile method - we throw our greens and browns onto one pile while the other one sits and decomposes. I turn them every few weeks, and when the pile that is not active looks fairly ready, I sift it and take out the big things (like corn cobs) and throw them onto the active pile.
Pretty soon I have a lovely pile of compost to add to the garden. I don't pay too much attention to the amount of greens vs. browns, but if it seems a bit smelly I add more browns or some dirt to help it along.
Knowing that our garbage adds to the beauty of our garden is very satisfying.
This website seems to have some good information about how to start and maintain a compost pile.
There are many more things I am also trying to change. Juice boxes and individually packaged snacks are big no-no's for me now. I try to make as many snacks for the kids as I can because even if I buy the "organic" snacks, the trash still ends up in a landfill. And I am one of the freaks who brings their cloth bags to the grocery store - I even bring them to Target and Ocean State Job Lot.
So if you haven't tried composting, give it a try - it's a lot easier than you think!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Blueberry Picking
While our thoughts may have turned to applepicking, we still managed to pick bucketfuls of huge, ripe blueberries last week. If you are ever in the Monadnock area, you have to go to Monadnock Berries, an unbelievably gorgeous location for huge sweet berries. My friend had told me about this place and I figured it was just like any other place, but I was proven wrong (not an unusual occurrence....) At any rate, we journeyed up to Troy, NH, a mere 25 minutes from here, and enjoyed a gorgeous morning of picking. We brought lunches and ate at the picnic tables while the kids enjoyed playing in the sandboxes.
The view of Mt. Monadnock
Starting out...
G. finds something to climb on...
Showing off the bounty...
So I have pounds and pounds of luscious blueberries in my freezer, and we have been enjoying blueberry everything. One of our favorites has been lemon-blueberry bread. I substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for the white flour and throw in a bit of ground flaxseed, just to make myself feel better about the pound of butter and sugar in it, but I made four mini-loaves last night and they are almost gone!So now we will move onto apples and pumpkins, but we are sure to return next year for more blueberries!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Happy Birthday, Carmella!
It's official! C. has turned 7 years old. When she was four, she used to think that she could do anything if only she were seven. "When I'm seven, I'll be able to chew gum. When I'm seven, I'll be able to watch Scooby-Doo." And she definitely can! Not only does she chew gum (occasionally), but she reads, rides her bike, makes her breakfast and looks at the world through new eyes.
So to celebrate on her special day, we met her aunt and cousins at a famous American eatery, TGIFriday's. The one thing I knew she wanted was to go to a restaurant and have them sing "Happy Birthday" to her and bring her a fancy dessert. So of course I accomodated that desire and found myself smack dab in the middle of the suburban American version of "eating out."
Now lest I come across like a snob, let me admit right now that I am a snob. We rarely eat out, and on those rare occasions we try for some ethnic cuisine or upscale pizzeria. But here we find ourselves on a Friday night, fighting for position at the hostess table, adding our names to the list of hungry families needing their mass-produced meals. It was somewhat frightening really, but that was nothing compared to the food.
Applebees, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, Uno's, Olive Garden - did it really matter where we ate? Who was handling our food? Where did it come from? E.coli was a definite possibility. The food arrives, dripping in fat and grease and overly salty sauces. I look around and the place is packed - every single table filled with parents and children and (being the judgemental jerk that I am) I can't help but think that there are a lot of people who eat here a lot. And then I think - it's no wonder the palate of America is ruined. The fat and salt has completely wiped out my taste buds - how do people eat in these places more than once in a lifetime? It's so grotesque.
But it was worth it! To see C.'s face as the waiters clapped and sang for her on her special day made me so happy. What a sweet girl - to be so young and innocent that a little thing like going to a restaurant can make you so happy. I take back everything I said. I love American chain restaurant food! I love it! I love it!
The most beautiful girl in the world with her ice cream sundae.
Can't forget about the cherry!
Forgive me my snobbery, but I can't help it. It took two days of nothing but berries and raw veggies to feel human again. And I can't help but feel queasy that we might have to do it again next year. Do you think C. would be happy with a mango lassi from an Indian restaurant?
So to celebrate on her special day, we met her aunt and cousins at a famous American eatery, TGIFriday's. The one thing I knew she wanted was to go to a restaurant and have them sing "Happy Birthday" to her and bring her a fancy dessert. So of course I accomodated that desire and found myself smack dab in the middle of the suburban American version of "eating out."
Now lest I come across like a snob, let me admit right now that I am a snob. We rarely eat out, and on those rare occasions we try for some ethnic cuisine or upscale pizzeria. But here we find ourselves on a Friday night, fighting for position at the hostess table, adding our names to the list of hungry families needing their mass-produced meals. It was somewhat frightening really, but that was nothing compared to the food.
Applebees, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, Uno's, Olive Garden - did it really matter where we ate? Who was handling our food? Where did it come from? E.coli was a definite possibility. The food arrives, dripping in fat and grease and overly salty sauces. I look around and the place is packed - every single table filled with parents and children and (being the judgemental jerk that I am) I can't help but think that there are a lot of people who eat here a lot. And then I think - it's no wonder the palate of America is ruined. The fat and salt has completely wiped out my taste buds - how do people eat in these places more than once in a lifetime? It's so grotesque.
But it was worth it! To see C.'s face as the waiters clapped and sang for her on her special day made me so happy. What a sweet girl - to be so young and innocent that a little thing like going to a restaurant can make you so happy. I take back everything I said. I love American chain restaurant food! I love it! I love it!
The most beautiful girl in the world with her ice cream sundae.
Can't forget about the cherry!
Forgive me my snobbery, but I can't help it. It took two days of nothing but berries and raw veggies to feel human again. And I can't help but feel queasy that we might have to do it again next year. Do you think C. would be happy with a mango lassi from an Indian restaurant?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Olympic Dreams
Well, the Summer Olympics are over, but we certainly enjoyed them here. In fact, please don't tell my kids it's over. Their little hearts will be broken. When my Dad was last in China, he brought the kids stuffed mascots and they absolutely fell in love with them.
G. calls them "the Beijings" and takes his just about everywhere.
Now of course we are not oblivious to the obvious political and human rights issues that the Olympics have brought up. Personally, I don't think the Olympics should have been awarded to China in the first place, but the Olympics is big business and China has a lot of money. And manpower. But watching the opening ceremonies, I was awestruck and childlike as I soaked in the spectacle of synchronization and computerized images. I was powerless to cast a critical eye on the might of China as it rained down upon us with thunderous drums and adorable little girls singing like sweet songbirds. Oh, wait, she was lipsynching...the real girl was behind the iron curtain, wishing she had perfect teeth and hair instead of the voice of an angel...but really, is that important? After all, thousands of men had been practicing for weeks, months even, working their hands to the bone as they drummed over and over until they performed perfectly. And others had worked 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, moving boxes up and down in unison until they had it right. Who cares if they were forced to wear diapers and weren't allowed to eat? The point is, it's the Olympics.
Frankly, these athletes have worked their entire lives (14 years in the case of some athletes) to reach this moment in time and who am I to say they don't deserve it. They need me, sitting on the couch in my sweatpants cheering them on as they pour out blood, sweat and tears. Spoon in one hand, Haagen-Daaz in the other, cookie crumbs between the folds of my oversized tshirt - I am there for them, sobbing over the agony of defeat and the victory of....how does that go again?
Anyway, that leads me to my point. The Carmella Olympics. We finally chose a theme for her 7th birthday party and we ran with it. Not literally of course.
I just feel the need to point out that the flag was finished at 1:00 a.m. the night before the party. I don't know why I need to point it out, but there it is.
The first game - the Bucket Brigade. Followed by the sack race.
And then the classic egg-on-a-spoon.
And an obstacle course. I delighted in having the kids eat a donut off a string at the end of it. Nothing like introducing my friends kids to the delights of processed chemical-filled Hostess donuts. Yum. (Just kidding. I'm completely ashamed of myself.)
The kids with their medals.
All in all, a successful party. Every year I say I'll never do it again, I must be some sort of a masochist because I was so wiped out after this one. But it was worth it. The kids are still talking about how much fun the games were, so I'm glad we had such a fun theme. And they didn't seem to mind marching in place until they were perfectly synchronized. haha.
G. calls them "the Beijings" and takes his just about everywhere.
Now of course we are not oblivious to the obvious political and human rights issues that the Olympics have brought up. Personally, I don't think the Olympics should have been awarded to China in the first place, but the Olympics is big business and China has a lot of money. And manpower. But watching the opening ceremonies, I was awestruck and childlike as I soaked in the spectacle of synchronization and computerized images. I was powerless to cast a critical eye on the might of China as it rained down upon us with thunderous drums and adorable little girls singing like sweet songbirds. Oh, wait, she was lipsynching...the real girl was behind the iron curtain, wishing she had perfect teeth and hair instead of the voice of an angel...but really, is that important? After all, thousands of men had been practicing for weeks, months even, working their hands to the bone as they drummed over and over until they performed perfectly. And others had worked 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, moving boxes up and down in unison until they had it right. Who cares if they were forced to wear diapers and weren't allowed to eat? The point is, it's the Olympics.
Frankly, these athletes have worked their entire lives (14 years in the case of some athletes) to reach this moment in time and who am I to say they don't deserve it. They need me, sitting on the couch in my sweatpants cheering them on as they pour out blood, sweat and tears. Spoon in one hand, Haagen-Daaz in the other, cookie crumbs between the folds of my oversized tshirt - I am there for them, sobbing over the agony of defeat and the victory of....how does that go again?
Anyway, that leads me to my point. The Carmella Olympics. We finally chose a theme for her 7th birthday party and we ran with it. Not literally of course.
I just feel the need to point out that the flag was finished at 1:00 a.m. the night before the party. I don't know why I need to point it out, but there it is.
The first game - the Bucket Brigade. Followed by the sack race.
And then the classic egg-on-a-spoon.
And an obstacle course. I delighted in having the kids eat a donut off a string at the end of it. Nothing like introducing my friends kids to the delights of processed chemical-filled Hostess donuts. Yum. (Just kidding. I'm completely ashamed of myself.)
The kids with their medals.
All in all, a successful party. Every year I say I'll never do it again, I must be some sort of a masochist because I was so wiped out after this one. But it was worth it. The kids are still talking about how much fun the games were, so I'm glad we had such a fun theme. And they didn't seem to mind marching in place until they were perfectly synchronized. haha.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Imagination is more important than knowledge!
A few weeks back we hit the Discovery Museums in Acton again. It was a beautiful day and they had giant bubbles going outside. The kids loved it.
Then we headed inside to the Children's Discovery Museum. This is designed for toddlers to age six. Last time we were there in the winter, I felt that C. was just on the edge of being too old for it. Well, now she definitely is. After about 15 minutes, she declared she was bored. I couldn't believe it. She had outgrown this adorable little place we had been coming to since she was a toddler. And when I looked at her, I saw the transformation was complete. It was slightly jarring, to say the least. I told her she had to deal with it for a bit longer, as much of it is perfect for G. He loves the Ball-Track room and Rainbow room, and was content to spend quite a bit of time there. But, as I watched him play, I saw we were getting "the look" from quite a few other moms, and after awhile, I realized it was because they thought G. was too old to be there! Now, the rooms are quite small and can feel quite stuffy and claustrophobic when it is crowded. And as I looked around, I realized he was so much bigger than the other kids. But he's only four!!! (The girls behind G. in the bubble picture are both 6 years old!) In fact, when we ate our picnic lunch outside at the tables, some moms were stunned to realize C. and G. are only 6 and 4 - they thought they were 7 or 8 year-old twins! Anyway, after lunch we headed over to the Science Discovery Museum, and that's where the action was.
This museum is so much fun for the kids. Lots of hands-on activities about the weather, sound, water movement, magnetism, and much more. I really have to resist the temptation to make them stop and *learn* about what they are touching and seeing. Sometimes it seems like they just run around in a haze, grabbing and banging on whatever they see without stopping to think about what they are doing. But then I saw a wonderful poster on the wall. It was a picture of Albert Einstein and quoted him - "Imagination is more important than knowledge." I stopped and realized I was caught up in the idea that they should be showing me that they were learning something, just so that I could feel better about myself - it had stopped being about them and had become about me. As soon as I backed off, they were perfectly fine and had so much to talk about after we left.
It was a wonderful day and we can't wait to go back. It's obvious to me that my kids do have incredible imaginations and that this will lead to knowledge. Sometimes it is hard for us grown-ups to back off and let kids just be - we're so caught up in facts and figures and fears about their futures. I really want C. and G. to learn, obviously, but I also don't want to go to museums with clipboards and worksheets to fill out. Hopefully, homeschooling will give them more breathing room to explore with complete freedom. At least, as much as their uptight mother will allow!
Then we headed inside to the Children's Discovery Museum. This is designed for toddlers to age six. Last time we were there in the winter, I felt that C. was just on the edge of being too old for it. Well, now she definitely is. After about 15 minutes, she declared she was bored. I couldn't believe it. She had outgrown this adorable little place we had been coming to since she was a toddler. And when I looked at her, I saw the transformation was complete. It was slightly jarring, to say the least. I told her she had to deal with it for a bit longer, as much of it is perfect for G. He loves the Ball-Track room and Rainbow room, and was content to spend quite a bit of time there. But, as I watched him play, I saw we were getting "the look" from quite a few other moms, and after awhile, I realized it was because they thought G. was too old to be there! Now, the rooms are quite small and can feel quite stuffy and claustrophobic when it is crowded. And as I looked around, I realized he was so much bigger than the other kids. But he's only four!!! (The girls behind G. in the bubble picture are both 6 years old!) In fact, when we ate our picnic lunch outside at the tables, some moms were stunned to realize C. and G. are only 6 and 4 - they thought they were 7 or 8 year-old twins! Anyway, after lunch we headed over to the Science Discovery Museum, and that's where the action was.
This museum is so much fun for the kids. Lots of hands-on activities about the weather, sound, water movement, magnetism, and much more. I really have to resist the temptation to make them stop and *learn* about what they are touching and seeing. Sometimes it seems like they just run around in a haze, grabbing and banging on whatever they see without stopping to think about what they are doing. But then I saw a wonderful poster on the wall. It was a picture of Albert Einstein and quoted him - "Imagination is more important than knowledge." I stopped and realized I was caught up in the idea that they should be showing me that they were learning something, just so that I could feel better about myself - it had stopped being about them and had become about me. As soon as I backed off, they were perfectly fine and had so much to talk about after we left.
It was a wonderful day and we can't wait to go back. It's obvious to me that my kids do have incredible imaginations and that this will lead to knowledge. Sometimes it is hard for us grown-ups to back off and let kids just be - we're so caught up in facts and figures and fears about their futures. I really want C. and G. to learn, obviously, but I also don't want to go to museums with clipboards and worksheets to fill out. Hopefully, homeschooling will give them more breathing room to explore with complete freedom. At least, as much as their uptight mother will allow!
Monday, August 18, 2008
It's that time of year again...
Time to let the superintendent know that I will be homeschooling C. Anyone that knows me knows that I have a major philosophical issue with having to report to the local school district. After all, I feel it is my right as a parent to educate my children. The superintendent knows absolutely nothing about my children and what their educational needs are, and I feel very strongly that they have no business being involved in our lives. One reason I homeschool is so that my children will not be subject to the government-run public education system, with its one-size-fits-all standards and fill-in-the-circle testing. (No offense to anyone involved in the public education system - there are many dedicated professionals who do wonderful things, my Dad being one of the best examples.) Anyway, I am at least glad that Massachusetts is minimally involved with us so far, as the superintendent in our school district seems pretty mellow so far.
At any rate, for those of you who might be interested in homeschooling and don't know where to start, this is the perfect website to help you write your Letter of Intent to Homeschool. It explains what you have to provide and what you should not. For example, you should not provide a written explanation of the details of curriculum, including daily schedules, nor should you fill out any forms the school district may send you. You should include sentences such as "I am of competent ability and sound morals" and "we will equal in thoroughness and efficiency the school year of the public schools. Its length will be between 180 and 365 days and we will meet or exceed the required 900 hours of instruction."
If you district gives you any trouble, definitely quote the Charles decision and get in touch with MHLA if you need to.
Good luck to all new homeschoolers this year, now I am off to put my LOI in the mail.
At any rate, for those of you who might be interested in homeschooling and don't know where to start, this is the perfect website to help you write your Letter of Intent to Homeschool. It explains what you have to provide and what you should not. For example, you should not provide a written explanation of the details of curriculum, including daily schedules, nor should you fill out any forms the school district may send you. You should include sentences such as "I am of competent ability and sound morals" and "we will equal in thoroughness and efficiency the school year of the public schools. Its length will be between 180 and 365 days and we will meet or exceed the required 900 hours of instruction."
If you district gives you any trouble, definitely quote the Charles decision and get in touch with MHLA if you need to.
Good luck to all new homeschoolers this year, now I am off to put my LOI in the mail.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Cool Feature
I saw somebody else had this cool feature on their blog that does a slideshow of photos so I thought I would try it out. And, of course, I had taken a few photos of my favorite flowers from early August - daylilies and zinnias. I love zinnias because they are so bright and happy and attract bees and butterflies and if you can avoid the dreaded powdery mildew, they look gorgeous all summer. And daylilies - I can't think of anything negative about them. They are just incredible - not fussy about soil, they withstand drought and disease and reward you with beautiful blooms. I had to sadly dig up and throw out all of my Asiatic lilies, as they had been taken over by the dreaded lily leaf beetle, which essentially destroys them. It really is impossible to hand-pick them as they are just voracious, and I won't use heavy pesticides in my garden which is the only way to control them. So good-bye to the imported Asiatic lilies, and hello to more native perennials.
(It took me about an hour to figure out how to do this so it is actually in the above post - which, obviously, you've figured out by now if you're actually reading this.)
(It took me about an hour to figure out how to do this so it is actually in the above post - which, obviously, you've figured out by now if you're actually reading this.)
Friday, August 1, 2008
A Trip to Amish Country
So way, way back at the end of June, (where is the summer going????) we had a short trip to southern Pennsylvania where C. was performing with her dance troup to Hershey Park. My parents came with us in the journey and the six of us made the 8 hour journey down in a minivan. We emerged in PA relatively unscathed. C. had a wonderful time performing.
We enjoyed the park for two days - amusement park rides galore, amusement park food (need I say more), and of course, our fellow amusement park goers with all of their charm and class. Yes, my snobby side is coming out here and I'm not going to apologize for it. There is nothing like a theme park to show the true colors of America, and to explain the strange phenomena of how a man like George W. Bush was elected president. Apparently there is no shame in walking around with one's belly exposed, obscenely greasy turkey leg in one hand and a large Diet Coke in the other. And no shame in wearing a tshirt that says "Have you ever ridden a fat guy? Wanna try?" This, of course, with a picture of said wearer's hairy fat belly on the front of the shirt. And, let's not forget, aforementioned person is with his small children. Nice.
I'll tell you, the sights and sounds of the people are enough to make one want to become Amish, which is where the rest of our vacation took us.
I've always been interested in Amish life. The idea of living without modern amenities , focused on community and religion, definitely holds a lot of appeal to me. They are basically living "off the grid" without relying on big oil companies (anyone catch those profits of Exxon Mobil??) or any other corporation for that matter. They rely on one another. Now, I am not saying it is utopia, no society is. But they have managed to survive in the midst of our crazy society without giving up their way of life. I was shocked, in fact, to see how close they really live with us mainstreamers. Buggies parked at Market Basket? You bet.
Now the other part of the problem is how to visit the Amish without visiting the Amish. They are not a sideshow attraction - they are just trying to live their lives without being gawked at. They don't want their pictures taken and probably get very annoyed with the constant stares and whispering. We decided to visit a "recreated" Amish house that offered a little tour and had a little one-roomed schoolhouse in addition to the main house.
This was Dad being the teacher and G. being the student. Dad pointed out the graduation in the size of the desks, the smallest ones being in the front. There is the stove for warmth and they had some examples of children's schoolwork. There were, however, no names carved into the desks or gum stuck underneath. G. loved pretending to be a student.
He also LOVED the buggy! We almost had to leave without him because he spent almost the entire visit playing on the buggy.
He was the most adorable Amish boy. We tried to get him to wear a straw hat the boys wear in the summer, but he only liked the black winter hat. He looked adorable but since it was over 90 degrees he also looked very hot!
We also enjoyed a ride on a steam engine train through the countryside. I can't remember exactly how old the train was, but it was a lot of fun and the land in PA is just beautiful.
All in all, a wonderful trip to a beautiful place. Next time I would definitely spend a few more days exploring, but probably keep the Hershey Park time limited. After all, I didn't bring my tshirt with a picture of my belly on it. Oh! I forgot my favorite tshirt worn by a Dad there - "While you were reading this, I farted." Gotta love America.
We enjoyed the park for two days - amusement park rides galore, amusement park food (need I say more), and of course, our fellow amusement park goers with all of their charm and class. Yes, my snobby side is coming out here and I'm not going to apologize for it. There is nothing like a theme park to show the true colors of America, and to explain the strange phenomena of how a man like George W. Bush was elected president. Apparently there is no shame in walking around with one's belly exposed, obscenely greasy turkey leg in one hand and a large Diet Coke in the other. And no shame in wearing a tshirt that says "Have you ever ridden a fat guy? Wanna try?" This, of course, with a picture of said wearer's hairy fat belly on the front of the shirt. And, let's not forget, aforementioned person is with his small children. Nice.
I'll tell you, the sights and sounds of the people are enough to make one want to become Amish, which is where the rest of our vacation took us.
I've always been interested in Amish life. The idea of living without modern amenities , focused on community and religion, definitely holds a lot of appeal to me. They are basically living "off the grid" without relying on big oil companies (anyone catch those profits of Exxon Mobil??) or any other corporation for that matter. They rely on one another. Now, I am not saying it is utopia, no society is. But they have managed to survive in the midst of our crazy society without giving up their way of life. I was shocked, in fact, to see how close they really live with us mainstreamers. Buggies parked at Market Basket? You bet.
Now the other part of the problem is how to visit the Amish without visiting the Amish. They are not a sideshow attraction - they are just trying to live their lives without being gawked at. They don't want their pictures taken and probably get very annoyed with the constant stares and whispering. We decided to visit a "recreated" Amish house that offered a little tour and had a little one-roomed schoolhouse in addition to the main house.
This was Dad being the teacher and G. being the student. Dad pointed out the graduation in the size of the desks, the smallest ones being in the front. There is the stove for warmth and they had some examples of children's schoolwork. There were, however, no names carved into the desks or gum stuck underneath. G. loved pretending to be a student.
He also LOVED the buggy! We almost had to leave without him because he spent almost the entire visit playing on the buggy.
He was the most adorable Amish boy. We tried to get him to wear a straw hat the boys wear in the summer, but he only liked the black winter hat. He looked adorable but since it was over 90 degrees he also looked very hot!
We also enjoyed a ride on a steam engine train through the countryside. I can't remember exactly how old the train was, but it was a lot of fun and the land in PA is just beautiful.
All in all, a wonderful trip to a beautiful place. Next time I would definitely spend a few more days exploring, but probably keep the Hershey Park time limited. After all, I didn't bring my tshirt with a picture of my belly on it. Oh! I forgot my favorite tshirt worn by a Dad there - "While you were reading this, I farted." Gotta love America.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A blogging break....
Wow! I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost 3 weeks. What have I been doing, you might ask, my faithful readers (both of you...)? Well, pretty much this:
and this...
Pretty much my thoughts have been consumed by the garden. There is nothing I look forward to more than growing our veggies and flowers. Last year, thinking we were moving, I didn't really do much with the garden. But here we are, and probably we'll be here for awhile, so I have really enjoyed getting my hands in the earth this year. And I am determined to actually enjoy it this year - you know, seeing the lovely plants and flowers instead of the weeds.
A bit of the front garden:
The first squash of the season. Woohoo!
And G.'s favorite - sugar-snap peas. mmmmmm....
For veggies, we have 6 varieties of tomatoes going - all of which I started from seed way back in the cold days of March. Then we have pumpkins, swiss chard, leeks, pole beans, 3 kinds of cucumbers, bell peppers, and squash. For herbs, basil, German chamomile, thyme, rosemary, chocolate mint, lemon balm, French sorrel, and spearmint.
And I just love these impatiens, which I also started from seed. They are made to tolerate more sun than regular ones and the colors are so bright and vivid. I have two big buckets of them that I just love.
So that's where I am if you need me - in the garden. Hopefully we have a good harvest and I'll have more pictures for you. Because I KNOW you want to see more, don't you?
and this...
Pretty much my thoughts have been consumed by the garden. There is nothing I look forward to more than growing our veggies and flowers. Last year, thinking we were moving, I didn't really do much with the garden. But here we are, and probably we'll be here for awhile, so I have really enjoyed getting my hands in the earth this year. And I am determined to actually enjoy it this year - you know, seeing the lovely plants and flowers instead of the weeds.
A bit of the front garden:
The first squash of the season. Woohoo!
And G.'s favorite - sugar-snap peas. mmmmmm....
For veggies, we have 6 varieties of tomatoes going - all of which I started from seed way back in the cold days of March. Then we have pumpkins, swiss chard, leeks, pole beans, 3 kinds of cucumbers, bell peppers, and squash. For herbs, basil, German chamomile, thyme, rosemary, chocolate mint, lemon balm, French sorrel, and spearmint.
And I just love these impatiens, which I also started from seed. They are made to tolerate more sun than regular ones and the colors are so bright and vivid. I have two big buckets of them that I just love.
So that's where I am if you need me - in the garden. Hopefully we have a good harvest and I'll have more pictures for you. Because I KNOW you want to see more, don't you?
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