11 THINGS - REVERB 10

Day 11 Prompt: 11 Things. 


What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? 

My life does not need:


1. A blaring television.
 Noise pollution is real. It prevents a coming together of family and of conversation.  We can be all together doing different activities, instead we often choose to find a quieter space elsewhere and end up in separate spaces. Perhaps headphones for the ones who need them will enable all of us to stay together .


2. Extra time spent searching for ideas. 
I need to stop spending time looking for cool things to make and do instead of drawing from the inspiring list I already have. Sure, there are more great ideas out there, but one gets nothing accomplished by just searching and not doing. 


3. Cluttery chaos. 
I live by the mantra "a creative mess is better then tidy idleness" so our house is lived in with many projects and activities taking place at one time. I am all about living and not about presenting a perfect showplace to others. 


However, there are areas that have gotten ahead of me. The cluttery chaos areas. I look at them and sigh, and honestly don't know where to begin. And no, I don't need the TV crews of Neat or Clean House to arrive, I just need to begin. One step at a time, one corner at a time, one pile at a time. My 12 yr old said we should do it together after the holidays. That is our plan. 


 4.The ducks. 
I should have found another home for the ducks more than a year ago. Their care adds so much work to all the other animals we do have and makes life less than joyful. We have to have separate areas for the males and female, and one male bites!  I am a firm believer that if something is not working in your life, then you need to take a step to make life better. But the guilt seeps in and I change my mind as they were rescues to begin with and I promised this would be their forever home. And it doesn't help that we found the female duck dead yesterday. More guilt seeping in. Two males are left. We are choosing to keep them but life would be better without them. On a positive note the children in my Earth School love them.  


5. Junk food.
I believe in healthy eating and wholesome organic food, and honestly could live on vegetables, rice and beans, but I also LOVE junk food. There I said it. I admitted it. I know I do not need it and I will never get into shape eating it. It's my mind that needs it, not my body. Did I just figure this out???
 I need to get back to tracking what I eat and preparing and stocking up on snack foods that are sweet and healthier instead of buying the junk. I will feel better, look better and have more energy ( to attack the cluttery chaos!)




The rest are Negativity in people form as in :
 6. Those who think children should be seen and not heard (nor respected).
 7. Those 

who are in my life but are so uninvolved

 8. Those

 who feel they are superior and talk about others as less than
 9. Those who relish in the act of complaining but do nothing to make changes in their life.
10.Those who *copy*. It's one thing to be inspired, even great artists are inspired by other artists, but it's another to take on ideas, plans, goals and even phrases and pass them off as their own .
11. Those who think they know whats best for another person, be it adult or child, without believing in choice


Life will be more peaceful, joyful and productive, and I will have more energy and be quite productive, if all of these are out of my life in 2011. Wish me luck!




reverb 10 - reflect on this year and manifest what's next


 I am behind in my reverb posts. But it doesn't mean I haven't pondered each question, which is the most important. I just haven't had time to write as yet.  All in good time :)


happy day!

THROUGH THE WINDOW

Coats deepened to chestnut

 fuzzy for winter warmth.

 Their season,

void of flies and hot sun.

  Spending time outdoors

 in all elements

as nature intended .

  ~mjs

I'm playing Tuesday Through. . .The Winter Window hosted by Swedish House . 
This is the view looking out the barn window. 

Curious Lilliana Rose ( Lilly) is looking at me, while Leah Arielle ( Leah) is much too busy with her hay.

happy day!

    

WISDOM WISDOM - REVERB 10

Day 10 prompt- Wisdom Wisdom 


What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

I chose to be supportive and full of encouragement for my always unschooled son who wanted to try school for the first time ever in his life. It was what he truly wanted and I needed to be there for him with positive vibes. It was his decision to go and I wanted him to be happy.


Focusing on the positive made it a better experience for him. . . and me. It made me realize that high school wasn't all bad, certainly not for a kid, a freethinker, who has had freedom and choice his whole life and knows he can leave school at any time. 


It has only been three months and he is immensely happy. He views school as  just another *tool* to get him where he wants to go on his life's journey. School has already done what he has wanted. He has met many new friends, gets to stay in contact with the friends he already has, and has a girlfriend. He is a member of Theatre and was in a play, a musical, and played guitar in the talent show, and has had offers to be in a band. 


He has established relationships with other adults, including teachers. He is responsible, respectful and confident and has already made a name for himself as such.  He is making many more connections from topics that they have touched on in classes and is taking workshops after school in things that interest him. He will also start Fencing in a month and wants to play more instruments.


 The best decision I made was to support him and look to the positive, no matter how I feel about school. Life is good for him. He is expanding his world in all directions and the bottom line is that he is happy. 


You can read more about him here and here.
(The picture at the top is from the musical. He's on the right.)

reverb 10 - reflect on this year and manifest what's next

                                  happy day!

FESTIVE- PHOTO CHALLENGE

Festive is the feeling we get when we collect greenery for the house
                  inside 

     
 and outside

or when we unwrap, one by one, our Twelve Days of Christmas. . . 

to add to our window frame

or the fabric we gather to make into gift sacks

or the wall hangings we hang.

We have only just begun to decorate and we look forward to the season.


Chania at RAZMATAZ hosts the photo challenge. Check it out to see more festivities.


  happy day!

{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." 
Inspiration from SouleMama:


                                    happy day!

THERE'S WHITE IN THE AIR

You are probably thinking snow, right? Not quite yet in our neck of the woods. But the air is filled with tiny floating specks of white.


You remember the cattails we focused on in our Nature Game?

Well, the white we saw was the seeds being dispersed by the wind. It was exciting for the children to discover and observe.

It doesn't seem enough to just talk about the process with the children. It has so much more meaning when they can experience it themselves IN the world.

For them to wonder what it is and where it comes from, and build on the knowledge they had before, is glorious. After all, life is all about connections.


Notice all the changes around you! It's a wondrous world we live in.


happy day!

PARTY - REVERB 10

Day 9 prompt - Party. 


What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.


Rocked my socks off? I'm not sure any gathering did that for me this year but I had a great time gathering with family this Thanksgiving.  

It wasn't the kind of Thanksgiving you see in magazines or the ones we have had in the past. It was immensely CASUAL. There was no elegant table set with place settings ( I don't even have enough matching dinnerware for 30 people anyway!). 


The television was turned ON, as I embraced football this year, not because I like the game but because my quests LOVE it. You could tell by the patriots t shirts that were worn.


 I am of the belief that when people gather, the TV should be turned off and people should converse with one another. But I also had to ask myself, Do you want your guests to be comfortable and WANT to come, or have them wish they stayed home to be comfortable and watch the game?


So the tables were kept clear for board games and art and puzzles, while the football fans tuned in to the television and the video gamers played on another set nearby.

It was terrific to have most of my family all together. My parents, four of my five siblings and their families, and four of my six children gathered here. There were also girlfriends and boyfriends and a new friend we invited to join us.


My brother, a professional chef, did his magic in the kitchen and I appreciated all his help. Food was buffet style when those people could turn themselves away from the game.

There were those who needed to take a closer peek to see what was going on inside.

And a kind-hearted, animal loving brother who decided they needed to have some treats  as well.

It was a different kind of Thanksgiving Day but it was fun. It was light and personal, cozy and casual, and while it didn't rock my socks off like a wild and crazy dance party world, I think  everyone enjoyed themselves 

 and that includes me! 

I know I would do it again this way and I'm sure the football fans would be extremely happy.. . but secretly hoping for a bigger screen TV next year :)

reverb 10 - reflect on this year and manifest what's next

                                  happy day!

BEAUTIFULLY DIFFERENT - REVERB 10

Day  8 prompt – Beautifully Different. 


Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful

Living without school makes one different. Living with choice and freedom makes one different. And I believe in a very good way! There are those, plenty of them, who think otherwise, and that's ok because each person has to do what is right for them and their family.


I just wish people would question what is.
I wish they knew they have choices. 
I wish that if their life wasn't what they wanted, they knew they could make changes.
I wish they knew life (and learning!) can be joyful. 
Many people plug along, day to day, thinking they have to do this and have to do that, not realizing it can be different.


The older I get the more I am comfortable with myself and I don't care what others think. I tend to speak my mind, yet always striving to be respectful. I also feel that I need to love myself,  take care of myself, and make time to do the things I want to do. When I do , I am refreshed and more than ready to handle whatever comes my way.


I think people tend to light up and be inspired when I am engrossed in my passions and share with them, especially nature and art. There are adults who say they wished they could come to my earth school too, and others always ask me to offer art workshops for them .


But I think it IS infectious when one is passionate about something, no matter the subject, and it is shared. It encourages people and inspires people to look at things in a new light and perhaps do something themselves.

embrace differences.

there is good to be found in all of us.

and each one of us has something to give.

reverb 10 - reflect on this year and manifest what's next

                                  happy day!

ONE WORD WEDNESDAY

              
                                   ~ arriving ~

(Please feel free to join in One Word Wednesday, just leave your link in the comments).

                                           happy day!

THROUGH THE WINDOW

nourish and nurture

through the cold

all of us 

children of nature

          ~mjs

I'm playing Tuesday Through. . .The Winter Window hosted by Swedish House . 
This is the view looking out to our deck where we made our new Bird Haven.
It seems others are interested as well.
                               happy day!

COMMUNITY- REVERB 10

Day 7 prompt: Community

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

Life is richer when you can share it with kindred spirits. I met my community when we started living without school, online at first and then connections were made locally. But it doesn't matter if you see each other weekly, every other month, or once a year. What is important is that connection, that community of individuals you can count on, who understand, who have the same values and live the way you do. Sure, we all have our differences, but believe with all our heart that our children need to live with respect, choice, trust, and freedom. 


I can go to a gathering with my community and be calm and relaxed, the way you feel when you want to go home and you finally get there. A peacefulness prevails.


I can be assured that no child will be talked down to, nor any words of "Because I said so" uttered.  Children are given as much respect as the adults and are listened to wholeheartedly. You will never hear anything said to a child that wouldn't also be said to another adult.  


Choices are given from what to wear to what to eat. Perhaps dessert is eaten before a meal or a jacket is tossed on a chair with the words, "I'm not cold".  


Choice is a way of life and children are trusted to  know what they want and need. . .  with guidance should they need it. There are no demands that a jacket be worn or the insistence of a meal be eaten before dessert.  Have you ever eaten something sweet before a meal? Isn't it great????  And a child will come get his jacket if he needs it. Just trust.


 Family is of utmost importance and everyone truly likes being with their children. There are no raised eyebrows and rolling of eyes and big sighs as if their children were a burden and exhaust them. You won't hear them talking about their child in front of them unless it is ok with the child, and never, ever in a negative tone. There is no talk of grounding or other punishment.


Everyone gets along together, all ages, from adults to babies, there is no hierarchy or authoritarian rule. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? 
It is true and it is a glorious way to live.


My community of kindred spirits has deepened in 2010. I have met more people online, and in person. It has been life changing and life enriching, to have met them and getting to know them more and more. I value them in my life and am honored to call them friends.  .


One particular fun  summer day stands out in my mind

I plan to connect with the local horse community in 2011. I feel energized and inspired when I am with other horse people. We talk the same talk. None of my friends who live near me have horses.  I want to make it my plan for the next year, to connect and re-connect with other equine lovers and owners near me.

reverb 10 -- reflect on this year and manifest what's next.

happy day!

CHILDREN IN NATURE

The children came to play and explore. 

It was the last day in November and so mild that heavy jackets came off quickly.  

It was a glorious day to spend most of our time outdoors. The days of sunshine and warmth were limited.

The pond was one of their favorite spots. They fished there in spring and autumn, and now it had covered itself up with a layer of ice. 

Winter is on its way. Despite the mild temperature of the day, the cold nights have solidified the pond.

It's fun for the children to see the changes each season brings to the areas they play in. 

How thick is this ice? they wanted to know.

The stones didn't even break through, they just slid across.

One by one, the children searched for sticks to break the ice.

The sticks didn't break through when they tossed them on the pond though.

So they came up with a better plan.

chop . . . 

chop . . . 

                                              chop !

Soon everyone was chopping.

and had fun breaking the ice.

   They decided to check out all the other areas around the pond, and even stuck their feet in once they broke through.

Some areas had less ice, some had more.

They explored around the *island*

One chopped with a stick, the other scooped up the ice.

A ping ping ping sound was heard when the bits of ice and pebbles they threw slid across the pond.

They noticed when they threw a rock in, and it broke the ice, it made air bubbles.

The larger the rock, the bigger the air bubble.

They said it looked like glass. . . 

and forgot how cold it was.

The children could have lasted for hours doing all of this, over and over again. In fact, they did do it for hours. 

It's this connection with nature that takes precedent over anything else we may do. Everything else can wait for another time. Nothing is as important as being 

 IN the world, IN nature, exploring, observing, discovering and enjoying themselves while doing it.  It is something they will always remember and always treasure. 

And it is the people, who have that connection with nature, who will care for it in the future. Like the children.

happy day!