week 38

Posted in advantageous adventures, familyness, love and happiness by ElaineMarie

~week 38~

this may have been the week that darla finally started to get an understanding of the fact that her mom is a badass. i mean that in the most humble of ways.

i captured the exact moment in photo. that second one, where she’s looking up at me. you can see the pieces fitting together where she looks and knows “my mom is effing cool” or it might be something more like “i just farted…in a creek.” whatevs.

we spent a day creeking last week. it was a first for us. it blew her mind. ’nuff said. and to top it all off an OSU class joined towards the end and included darla in on their projects so she felt all kinds of big for her britches by the end of the day. it was perfect. i’m thanking the universe for this day.

and

i have to tell a little story. it’s a story about a mom who has been putting off telling her girl that said girl won’t be returning to preschool again this year. this mom is not procrastinating because she’s unsure or ashamed of homeschooling, in truth, she’s putting it off because she’s afraid of rejection. she’s been afraid her daughter will tell her that she doesn’t want to be at home with her mom and then this mom will feel her dreams dashed and feelings damaged.

ok, this mom is me.

standing in that creek that day, i decided to tell darla that we wouldn’t be doing school this year, or possibly any year soon. i explained that we would still hang out with friends and she would still learn but not in a school. i braced myself for her disappointment. i braced myself for her cry of independence.

but

she said “i know” in this very almost-grown-up voice. and then “schooling with you is better than being in a classroom.”

my heart jumped up into my throat. i felt relief rush over me. i felt it carried away with the cool current rushing around me feet.

she continued on to tell me that someday soon she would have to go away to college so she couldn’t stay with me forever. so, as far as i’m concerned she and i are on the same page with all this. although, i have this idea that her going to college is years away, i’m sure that she is right and that day will be upon us soon. in a blink. i can feel it all pushing onward just like the water in that creek. it’s funny how sometimes life can feel like its rushing on you like the river after a storm and then sometimes it dries up and slowly trickles by. But mostly, it flows on even and steady.

i’m so thankful to have this life and this girl.

these weeks go by and they are filled with more or less the same thing: running around exploring the world outside our home and creating some magical memories in our little corner of the universe. our household has a good balance going right now. i feel we’re on the verge of some changes but it is nice to experience the deep breath before the plunge. maybe it’s this transition from summer to fall. in a way it’s nice how summer lingers on a bit. the transition to fall always seems just a tiny bit gentler than winter to spring.

i’m happy to have this life. and i’m happy to share it here with you. i know i am lucky to have the opportunities cast at my feet everyday. thank you for being a part of that.

22Sep2013

gratitude adjustment

Posted in love and happiness by ElaineMarie

sunday is the day e’rybody’s gettin’ spiritual, right? gratitude is an important part of my spiritual path within this world. here’s my weekly list:

5 Things I’m thankful for this week:

{1} my husband’s year of hard work and commitment.

{2} cute vintage clothes

{3} a part-time job i love, in a pretty space, surrounded by even prettier things.

{4} chorizo cheese fries

{5} seeing the sun rise on the first morning of fall as a new little life came into the world.

21Sep2013

Readz

Posted in Readz, Uncategorized by ElaineMarie

i thought i would include some of d’s readz this week as well. you can see information intake has been eclectic in this household this week.

i’m currently enjoying Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. I’m slowly getting into it and don’t really know why it was calling to me but i love BK’s writing style. that woman knows how to tell a story. i also fantasize myself into the wild west in a past life so it’s keeping me fairly entertained thus far. like her other books, this one is told from multiple points of view. i’m not really far enough into it. i don’t really know what is going on in this book. so…this post is really pointless.

but part of the reason my own personal reading takes a back seat is because reading for d takes up a large chunk of my daily time. we straddled Fantastic Mr. Fox and Bodies from the Ice this week for her. these go together like ricky simmons and spandex don’t they? what can i say? darla’s interest in eqyptian mummies led us to branch out to mummification via glacier. honestly, it’s facinating stuff.

does FMF need an explanation? i feel we’re really lucky to have such an amazing movie to go along with this children’s classic. the majority of darla’s interest in chapter books has spun off from movies.

now you know what’s in our brains.

20Sep2013

new

Posted in let me let me update ya by ElaineMarie

hey.

if you’ve been reading this for a while you are probably aware that i’ve been experimenting with different formats for this blog for some time. in short i’ve been trying to figure out a way to share our life and the things i find important. yeah, you know, social media.

i haven’t really been successful. i think of it as a learning curve. i’ve been trying to figure out a way to do so without it being so time-consuming on my end and, well, mundane on yours. i know that i find my daughter, my family and my life to be vastly more interesting than you, or you, or you probably do. but i’d like to share none-the-less. this is a good exercise in writing, documenting and creativity for me. i’m a stubborn person so i’m going to keep at this.

i think i’ve found a way to accomplish what i want but please bear with me. some things that i said were going to be new series on here aren’t. some projects i’ve taken on in the past will not be completed. i know this isn’t breaking hearts.

thank you for sticking with me. thank you for reading. if you’ve been coming here to judge and make yourself feel better about your life then you’re certainly still welcome here to do that. you deserve to feel good about your life. i do, too. i’ve had a rough go of that this past year and that’s what this blog is about. i think i’ve come through on the other side and keeping this here web log had something to do with that. this is about me taking a step back and re-examining all the good parts, hanging on to the saving moments. this is my happy place. or, it’s a reflection of my happy place.

thank you. you’re a peach.

19Sep2013

bird tagging

Posted in it's cool to school by ElaineMarie

the day started out rainy. somehow, even through her own umbrella and a raincoat with a hood d still managed to be soaking wet upon arrival in the car. when she shed her jacket and plopped in her seat, she sighed out “what a dang, darn day” with the exasperation more fit for someone with sixty years her senior. in a short, the day looked to be a rough one starting out.

we’d plans to meet friends at the scioto audubon {you know a usual for us} but we weren’t aware of the fact that every september and october the audubon takes on a big bird tagging project. yeah, you see that up there? those are bags of birds. I SAID BAGS OF BIRDS! although i personally have some conflicting feelings about this process, i feel like it was a great thing for the kids to witness up close. darla was allowed to gently pet a few of the birds. we saw a warbler, a catbird, an american goldfinch and a cardinal.

after a few hours at the center we hit up the north market because it just seemed like another good thing to do on a rainy day. unschooling helps me see that we’re learning in everything we do. darla LOVES to look at the flowers at the market. we identified several and talked about their prices. and what better way to talk about math than by getting a gumball at the end? commerce is a great area for learning practical math.

so, in the end it was kinda the opposite of a dang, darn day. it was pretty great.

18Sep2013

zero waste wednesday

Posted in Run Da House, zero waste home by ElaineMarie

^^^ my travel bag i carry in my purse for use when disposables are present ^^^

do you know the number one largest component of american trash? one-time-use restaurant ware. think to-go coffee cups, napkins, disposable fast food wrappings, plastic drink cups, straws, paper linings for tables and trays, take out containers etc. etc. etc.

once you really start to think about it, it gets really scary. just one trip to restaurant can yield up to 20 pieces of trash that were used only once…that were precious resources…and more precious resources were used to get them to your table.

this is been an area of my life that i’ve desired to work on for a while. of course the easiest and our number one way of solving this {mostly for financial reasons} was to curb eating out. making meals at home is healthier for your wallet, waistline and the planet.

but sometimes eating out is unavoidable or rather just plain desirable. i’ve come up with a few strategies for reducing our waste when we choose to eat out. I’ll be sharing them here for this series. here is my first:

1. opt for restaurants that use real napkins & silverware when possible. if you have to choose between going to someplace like steak n shake or burger king for a burger then choose steak n shake. they use real silver ware, reusable cups and some still have cloth napkins. we try to eat places with better quality food but hey, you need these tips when road trips are involved. and maybe plan ahead and research quality food choices ahead of time for road trips. i am not actually very good at this but i know people who do. or skip this altogether by packing a cooler of quality food before you start.

another option is to make a small pack to carry around with you. i regularly carry a few kerchiefs with me so i just added a couples sets of silverware. this goes where I go and we’ve used them several times when some of our favorite eats only offer disposables.

making an effort to be more zero-waste, a little bit at a time.

17Sep2013

slate run

Posted in advantageous adventures, it's cool to school by ElaineMarie

oh how we love slate run. i think it’s been way too long since we were last there. we really got our farm on last week given that we were at aullwood just a day before but this time were both equipped with boots. boots make a big difference on a farm.

we started out the morning exploring parts of the park previously unknown to us. our visit started with the covered bridge. darla made me gallop with her back and forth across the bridge. she was ichabod and i was the headless horseman. we walked some short trails and paused for a bit in the prairie with the wildflowers. and it was at that moment that i was again struck by how thankful i am to have this life with her. i will keep my daughter in the wildflowers and out of the classroom for as long as possible.

i’m really looking forward to fall outings. i hope we get nice sunny days perfect for short trips back to slate run. d was pretty excited about getting to romp around after a flock of she-turkeys. she was not so enthused to mess with the males.

can i just say i’m glad i wasn’t born a turkey. i’m real sorry but they are quite ugly creatures.

oh and ps.

I JUST WANT TO DO THIS FOREVER!

16Sep2013

weekending

Posted in familyness, let me let me update ya, weekending by ElaineMarie

our weekend looks a lot like just darla’s weekend in pictures. let’s be honest, we’re really just along for the ride here. we returned to sweaters with some fall-ish weather these past few days. it’s welcome, i can tell you that. the weekend was mostly uneventful which was also welcome.

we went on walks with very interesting clothing choices.

darla attended her very first ever dance class.

we listened to Happy Together by the Turtles on repeat because it’s someone’s favorite current song {so long video killed the radio star} and a very nice father found a 45 of it as a gift.

we built tent forts in the back yard and

made the first apple crisp of fall.

photo 0BE5ADA6-BB0A-4CAA-B9F6-F8238852A700-19336-00000F17EE72EC89_zps6ff7acce.jpg

i’m looking forward to these fall weekends. hope you had a nice cool-off and enjoyed your weekend.

xoxo

15Sep2013

gratitude adjustment

Posted in gratitude adjustment by ElaineMarie

sunday is the day e’rybody’s gettin’ spiritual, right? gratitude is an important part of my spiritual path within this world. here’s my weekly list:

5 Things I’m thankful for this week:

1. i’m grateful to have a mom who will drop everything to just come listen to me and tickle my back.

2. i’m grateful for my husband who knows how to change a flat tire.

3. i’m grateful for the relent of summer, cooler temps moving in and the autumnal equinox just around the corner. fall is my favorite season.

4. i’m grateful for a flexible schedule.

5. i’m grateful for new opportunities and the chance to sit and dream of things that may come to pass.

14Sep2013

Readz: No Impact Man

Posted in Readz by ElaineMarie

A friend of mine suggested I add a series to the blog letting people know what i’m currently reading. sure? why not? i read. so here goes.

i recently read No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. i picked it up on a whim at the library, remembering that i had seen something about their family years ago. Colin and his family set out on a year’s experiment to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible while living in new york city. the family goes through radical changes such as traveling only by foot or bike, consuming foods only grown within a 250 mile radius and eventually shutting off their power completely.

i had originally picked the book up thinking maybe there would be some examples of steps my family could take since i have strong zero-waste ambitions. well, i found a small bit of that but most of it seemed more applicable to city life, or honestly, things we already had in place in our home. what i found most useful about this book was the research and information put forth about such areas as american waste trends, food consumption and recycling efficiency. i have to say that i spent at least two nights staring at my ceiling thinking we are all completely effed after learning more about waste rates and resource consumption.

however, it lit a fire under me to make a few more small changes. 80% of our consumer goods in America are for one time use. ONE TIME. that’s just ridiculous and doesn’t match up with my personal beliefs. I’m continuing to further my search in areas i can refuse, reuse, reduce and recycle. this book definitely helped even if it did induce an anxiety attack or two.