learning to bowl

we took darla bowling for the first time this past weekend. the first two pics are the difference between the beginning of the night and the end. there was a marked difference in her attitude by the conclusion of the night. it probably had something to do with the fact that she beat me in bowling. legitimately beat me in our second game. the turning point of the outing was when she got her shoes. can’t say i blame her. bowling shoes are oddly awesome.

so, i’m experiencing millions of rifts in the time continuum with my daughter. taking her bowling at 4.5 is exactly like taking me bowling at that age. my grandfather used to take me and i remember my actions being identical to that of darla’s: not caring about the bowling but doing a cartwheel after every turn and being more interested in the arcade games than the bowling. she even focused on the exact same arcade game that was my white whale during the bowling trips.  i am speaking of the tantalizing coin push game that promises piles of money will be dropped into your had if your inserted coin falls in the right spot. yes.

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i loved the outing even if I did lose to a 4yo. i’m not sweating it because i know she cheated and had my game rigged. i think she may have mob connections.

take a look at that last pic and tell me that’s not the face of a maniacal cheater.

fourth

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wanna see some blurry, not-very-good shots of our 4th? sure you do!

the highlights for me this year were the annual doo-dah parade and watching the columbus fireworks from a distance with a great group of people, big and little.

i hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday. i will sign off with a quote from miss darla about sparklers:

“mom, did you know that sparklers are baby fireworks that haven’t grown their boom tails yet?”

birth links

here’s a healthy dose of birthy goodness for your weekend reading since Birth Links was absent last week:

an article about Dr. Michel Odent, a pioneering advocate for natural birth practices. This article highlights information about his new book that examines birth in the technological era. His main question being does how we give birth effect who we become? The questions posed in this article are good ones to ponder for your own birth philosophies.

i attended a birth last week for a baby at 42 weeks, 2 days gestation and babe was sitting pretty. This article is a short but applicable one. should we let babies decide their due dates when stress tests reveal no complications even after 42 weeks?  Just a little fact: The average gestation for first time babies is actually 41 weeks and 2 days. Mommas, if you’re expecting your first please put that 40 week date out of your mind!

a lovely birth story from Birth Without Fear blog about the difference a doula can make.

this article about using 6 cm as the more accurate mark of active labor. Some moms can sit at 3-4 cms for a few days before the show really gets kicked on. by using 6 cm as the accurate marker numerous interventions could be avoided.

i attended a talk last week by the Dellesky family. The family spent a year in the phillipines while Jamie completed Midwifery training at a free maternal health clinic. the family is now on their journey to opening a similar clinic in Tanzania. Follow the link to learn more about their project and information to donate should you be moved to help for this cause.

and lastly, my post about the beautiful transformation i see come over mothers during the pushing phase.

that’s all. enjoy your weekend. and always remember:

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unschooling: cherry picking

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we had cherry trees growing up. i used to sit in them for hours and eat sun-ripened tart cherries by the handful. i jumped on the chance to take darla cherry picking this week. if the trees hadn’t belonged to someone else I would have let her climb on up so i could look back on myself as a kid because i’ve somehow figured out a way to reincarnate myself before i’m even dead.

we compared the difference between picking cherries and strawberries and just had nice conversations about the orchards. darla was more interested in meeting new people so i let her do her thing, reminding myself that it’s important she learn from others. it’s always fun to sit back and listen to her discussions with other kids and grown-ups. it’s a built-in assessment opportunity.

and who can pass up the opportunity to have fresh cherries for 4th of july? hello cherry cobbler. darla requested we make some cherry jam b/c our strawberry jam is flying out of the fridge and into our mouths at an amazing pace. i’m also thinking of trying to dry some using the car window method.

one thing is for sure, we’re hooked on these food field trips. i can’t wait for black raspberries!

thanks for checking in on our latest unschooling efforts.