Talk about homeschooling and unschooling today!

Talking to Lillian Brummet today (at 10am PDT/ 1pm EDT) on Conscious Discussions about the choice to homeschool or unschool.

I hope you can join us!

Click the link to listen in:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ConsciousDiscussions/2009/07/16/Un-Schooling-Homeschooling

Come and See me at Life Is Good... and have some fun!

Our family is so excited! We are going to be at the Life is Good Unschooling Conference in Vancouver, Washington on Thursday! You can still buy tickets to come here:


Besides all the merriment and fun, I will be talking about Empowering Your Adult with the Peace Treaty and signing my book, I Am Learning All the Time.

The boys are so excited! They love taking over the hotel and being free to roam with a hundred other kids being creative, playing games and good ol' plain having fun!

If you have never been to a conference filled with unschoolers, you are in for a big surprise! So many amazing parents and caring kids. A community that fills my heart with joy. So think about coming if you can and I will see you there!

Would you like to hear me read my book?

Listen in (or read along) as I read I Am Learning All The Time on Author's Read with Lillian Brummet. Enjoy!

If you would like your own copy, just go to Homeschool Adventure Books.

Authentic Family Living Radio

Listen in to Christine Hiebel's show as we talk about the inspiration for this new site and soon-to-be weekly radio show! Call in guests include Marianne and daughter Danielle Herb and John from the Liberated Parent... beautiful thoughts and community on this inspiring show!

Fertility Holidays and Just Welcoming Spring

My husband and I laugh as we think about Easter. We love watching the boys have so much fun on the treasure hunt, but the truth is there is something strange about the bunny and egg thing.

Let's face it, we all know a bunny delivering eggs is about fertility symbols and fertility happens in the spring with our gardens beginning to take seed and grow.

But bunnies and eggs are so much more literal with such a adult theme, it feels strange to have your children get so excited to gather them filled with toys, money and candy... What are we really telling our children?

We celebrated the Spring Equinox by building and planting a garden at our still somewhat new home. That felt good and the boys were so excited to help create the space. We built two raised beds, 2'x 12' long, with 2' in between to walk and a deer fence around them both. Then we went to a farm to buy 2 yards of "Magic Soil" that is pretty famous around here and filled our beds to the top.

We planted tons of lettuce, kale, beets, spinach and carrots and later will grow cucumbers, watermelon (though the melon may not grow much!)

This was so much fun for all of us and it was beautiful to have the children be excited about the whole process of spring, rebirth and real food.

Some how candy, bunnies and eggs is so far from any reality that makes sense to our family, however we did the treasure hunt (eggs filled with money), made homemade treats and joined a neighbor for another hunt and a beautiful get-together later in the day.

So many times we act out on tradition without really thinking about what it means to us personally. Unless you are excited about the real meaning of bunnies and eggs for your children, isn't it time we let the fertility tradition go (that was sooo Paleolithic times!) and allow spring to shine as we plant our yearly garden joyously with our children?

If Easter means more to you because of your Christian beliefs, how can you celebrate and honor those beliefs without the pagan symbols? Getting closer to what you truly embrace creates an opportunity for sacred times instead of sugar-induced, meaningless commercial events.

It's a journey, but something worth thinking about.

smiles and joy,
Rain

Authentic Living Mom Without Excuses

I wanted to share how my awesome friend turned challenge into an authentic moment!
She was putting on a radio show and the short story was that she forgot.
This is what she posted to the Authentic Family Living site.
She shows her courage, her kindness and how she blazes her authentic trail!

A beautiful lesson for us all.
Thank you Christine!
smiles,
Rain
*******************************************************************

How to be authentic in front of 120 people in a half an hour or less!


I did it, I set my intention and excitement, put forth a plan to connect with as many of you as possible~ really connect, voice to voice! And then…..

At 5:05pmEST when my friend said, “I have been looking into homeschooling” it was like I had been hooked up to jumper cables. Seriously, I FELT a shock that pulsated through my stomach… not a nice feeling! I realized I had just blown an event I was totally looking forward to, excited about and really meant something to me- the Authentic Family Living Radio Show.

The shock on my face and the apparent jolt through my body kinda scared my friend. She kept asking, “What? Are you OK?” I could not talk for minutes. I was in shock that I had just totally blown this.


Sure, there were reasons I was absentminded….. from the brain dead mush experience of my three year old fighting sleep for no apparent reason for the last three days… three hours each night! To the broken tooth and dentist issues, to my schedule being TOTALLY changed first thing this morning when my friend said she could not drop my daughter off at dance at 4:30pm…. Not an excuse, just another day in the life of MOM!

When my friend called and said she could not take McKenna to dance this afternoon, I did not even think about the show, I just changed what I was doing and headed out the door... gone without a thought of what else was supposed to happen.

Funny thing is, OK, not so funny today… but the past few days, I had been feeling like I was stretched a little too much. Like something has got to give. Ever feel that way?

I am so sorry the snap happened today at 4:30pm EST, when I had the opportunity to meet and chat with you all. I truly was looking forward to it.


They say there are no accidents- do you believe that? Perhaps there is Divine wisdom and today was just not the day. I do apologize for the time people who showed up lost and for any anxiety people may have felt wondering if they were the one that had the wrong day, time or call in number.

Recently, I interviewed teen advocate, Josh Shipp. His advice to parents was to become vulnerable to their children, let them know you make mistakes and are willing to admit it... to be authentic...

Will you accept my apology and give it another shot!? I would love that!
Christine Hiebel

(You can connect with this awesome Authentic Mom on Authentic Family Living!)

Join Us for a talk about Authentic Family Living!

I would love for you to join us as we discuss a new site, Authentic Family Living, where the most important thing is learning to trust yourself.

If you have had guilt, embarrassment or secrets from your unschooling or homeschooling community because your family doesn't do things like the standards for those labels, please join us as we talk about each family's journey as honest, original and living only in the present moment without labels or apologies!

Click below to join us:
Just Parenting About: Authentic Family Living
or
call in at (646) 595-2418

Today (Tuesday) at 1:30pm PDT/ 3:30pm EDT

Hope you will join us!

The New Family & Parenting Community Site is Here!

If you LOVE to talk about family, mothering, parenting, unschooling, homeschooling, schooling, natural family living, attachment parenting, and more...

Authentic Family Living

is a forum where we can talk over all of these ideas without judgment or worry someone else is going to tell us how to live our own family journey! Our parenting style and our family choices are up to us.

That is why the most importanting thing is learning to trust ourselves.

If you are a mom, dad or a child, come and talk about your life and find out from others how they live. And spread the word if you are inspired to do so!

smiles and joy,
Rain

Authentic Family Living

I admit it, I got caught up in labels. In my quest to explain to other parents how we raise our children, I called ourselves "unschoolers." I didn't start this way. In fact my life has been one of evolving thought and action.

We started as private schoolers. Then we moved and became public schoolers. We started homeschooling in the middle of my son's 2nd grade year and I discovered right away that I was not leaning towards a structured homeschool life. I created a group for Independent Homeschoolers and for the first time, I loved the moms and the kids we were meeting. All of our children and us moms became like family (and still are) and we grew into a beautiful group. (These are the friends in my children's book!) One good friend and I spoke about how we were unschooling as we didn't seem to care about curriculum. It made sense and I have thought of myself as an "unschooler" ever since. We moved again and now my boys both have best friends who are very nice schooled children from our neighborhood.

Until yesterday. I was told by a popular advocate for the unschooling community that I was not, in fact, an "unschooler." Here is why:

My children do not have the choice to not brush their teeth.

I call it a "non-negotiable" in our home. For this word I have chosen and this rule, I have been told I am not who I thought I was. Hmmm....

I know I am definitely not a "radical unschooler." I love to hang out with them and I love to talk philosophy, as they will always welcome a talk about philosophy. I do belong to a radical unschooling community website. It floored me when this unschooling advocate (and good friend) told me this. I literally sat on the floor and didn't know what to think. After all, I am speaking at 2 unschooling conferences. What am I to do?

So I decided to have a conversation with my oldest son. I asked him what he thought and asked him how many non-negotiables do we live by. He told me he thought he was an unschooler and that there were 3.

1. Do your chart in the morning by 11am (this is brush hair, brush teeth, get dressed and make bed. The only non-negotiable is brush teeth however... the other issues are really their choice unless they want to play with their friends... well most days...)
2. Eat most of your dinner (not all) if you want dessert. (since we had cake for breakfast yesterday, I am thinking this isn't a true non-negotiable all day, but I guess for dinner it is mostly true.)
3. Get off of the computer when we ask. (well... again... most days and when they finish their game or whatever else they might be up to...)

I thought about these rules, defined by my son. I asked him how he thought about them. He said he didn't mind them, except for the computer. He wished he could have more freedom with the computer. My son and I had a beautiful talk. We talked about possible ideas to grow, our philosophies and what brings us joy. He is simply amazing and I love the way he processes and thinks!

When I checked in with myself how I felt about these parameters and the one true non-negotiable of brushing teeth, they felt good, though I am thinking to shift and expand the computer parameter.

The label "unschooler," because I have used it as a label for myself in public, has become a bigger deal than I cared about than when I first took the label on. People truly care about this label and defend it, by letting me know when I am leaving the boundaries of it. Labels make it easy to explain to others what you are doing.

The problem with labels is that they begin to build walls, foundations and structures of who you are.

I don't want to ever feel I need to defend my choices to anyone. The choices our family makes are well thought out, talked about with everyone in it and work for our family lifestyle. Most importantly these choices are all consistently EVOLVING. Right now, I am 100% in alignment with where we are.

I realized when my unschooling friend said I wasn't an "unschooler" she was actually setting me FREE from my label structure that was being built!

I ask you, "What labels do you have that have built structures of who you are that if you were truly honest with everyone or even changed your mind, would tumble and fall?"

So who are we? I spoke to a good friend about my thoughts and out of my mouth was Authentic Family Living. She was excited and we are going to start a community of parents and children who are ready to say YES to their own choices. No experts needed, just open family conversations where we practice to trust our own judgment and intuition.

Authentic Families have no rules or parameters about who is in and who is out. You choose! You choose if you want to practice living Authentically. If you are in alignment with your ideals or are evolving towards it, you are Authentic, mistakes and all! Perfection is not part of our reality! Being Human IS! Being honest, evolving and creating joy along the way are the families we are looking for! You can be an Authentic Family whether you school, homeschool, or unschool. Together we can learn ideas from each other and choose what works for us.

Are you ready?

Schooled Friends

It seems so strange as I go along in our unschooling life. My children's best friends right now are schooled since we have lived here for 1 and 1/2 years. They are both very nice boys, and yet I wonder how long that can last.

We moved to our small town because of the large homeschooling population to find out they are mostly involved in school liaison programs. The few unschoolers we know for some reason haven't meshed as well with our boys as the schooled neighbors we live by, who have become my children's best friends.

I am just pondering the "What does that mean?" question in my mind and wondering if I should be pro-active or allow it to be. I tend to be an "Allow it to be" kind of gal in non-conflictual situations such as these.

It snowed again yesterday. This is exciting where we live and it always means snow clothes, sleds, snowball fights, hot cocoa and fun. My oldest came in after a short time, frustrated because his friend wanted to watch TV instead of play outside. He asked me why his friend didn't see how much more fun it would be to play in the snow, than watch TV.

I listened and waited for him to find an answer. We talked about the differences in their lives. How his friend was told what to do for most of the day, 5 days a week, and may have a different view of his weekends than my son. After awhile, my son seemed to come to a resolve, but told me he felt bad for his friend. This has come up before and both of my boys wish their friends could be at home like they are. This is very unlikely to happen.

Unschooling is freedom. Yet freedom isn't as fun when you watch your closest friends on the treadmill of "have tos and shoulds."

Passion Parent Interview

If you missed my interview with Christine, here it is for you to listen in as we talk about homeschooling, unschooling, parenting and life.
Enjoy!

Interview on Just Parenting About

If you want to hear more about my children's book, I Am Learning All The Time, I invite you to join me on Christine Heibel's show called Just Parenting About.

This Friday, February 27th at 4:30pm PST / 7:30pm EST

Click the picture below to find out more!


We are going to be talking about unschooling and homeschooling and the book.
I would love to hear from you! Please listen and call in and I may give away a free book!

smiles and joy,
Rain

My Family is Home!

Yes, it only takes a few days to be back into the swing. I just couldn't be happier to have my family home!

Now there is life back into the home. There is noise, arguments, silly games, laughter, snuggles, long talks and lots of cooking.

The boys are playing with all their friends and going on bike rides through the trails, seeing how many times they can jump rope, creating new complex games (that make zero sense to me, lol!) and best of all they are sharing their beautiful hugs that I had missed so much. I realized how much I just love listening to them talk. They tell me about the video games they are playing and I don't understand them at all, however I listen intently and watch their faces as they explain this exciting part of their lives. What a gift they are.

My husband is back and I have my walking buddy again. We are so happy to reconnect and motivation is surging for us both. Funny how we inspire each other to dream and think big. I love the energy he brings to me. I feel inspired to work and I finish all my writing for the week in 4 days.

Loving my awareness of the immense gift of family. Our unique family. The way we work together to sort things out. The way we play together when we are feeling like having fun. The way we talk together when someone needs to speak. The way we allow each other the space to breathe, process and grow.

I am most grateful.

The Book

Well the family has been away and I have been working on the peace treaty book. I have 3-4 more chapters to rough draft in. Then a final writing. So far about 29,000 words in just a couple of weeks.

I am ready for a break.

It will be wonderful to have my family home again and spend time with them. Real people instead of the computer! I miss their faces, their smiles and laughter. Picking them up on Valentine's Day feels just right. So much love. So much to share.

It is so strange how 2 weeks can feel so short and long at the same time, depending on what I am thinking about.

So this is a short post.
The peace treaty workshop starts tonight. I am looking forward to connecting with these women and exploring deeper into the process.

Have a beautiful LOVING weekend.
smiles and gratitude!

My Interview with Sharon Anne on The Voice of Change

They are going for away for 10 (and a half) days...

I know, for most people the thought of homeschooling can feel overwhelming. Just the thought of being home with your children all day creates a tired stressful feeling. Now add in your husband being home all day, too.

The thing is... my family lives, works and learns at home all day every day... and we love it!

I remember three years ago, when my kids were both in school and my husband was away at work for 10 hours a day, and I felt like I didn't get enough "me" time. When I began telling my friends that I was thinking about homeschooling, they all said the same thing.

"Wow, you're brave! I don't think I could be home all day with my kids."

The thought of being home all day together created fear in me and I wasn't sure if I could do it. At first, we went through a transitional period, where I didn't know what I was supposed to do, and the kids didn't either. It was a huge challenge to find our way together. However, strangely enough, when we all changed our definitions of life at home, we found our rhythm.

It was a whole other transition when my husband quit his corporate job. Another huge challenge to get used to him being home all day, every day, using MY kitchen, trying to be in charge of MY kids. When he quit his job, I didn't realize I had to quit my job as the homemaker, too. Again, we all had to relearn our understanding of life at home, adding in another person. I have to admit, this took a bit longer, but finally a rhythm was found, and as we have practiced over the last two years, the beat is smooth and beautiful.

The truth is, we love living our lives together. We are a living, working, learning unit of 4, who are interdependant on each other for fun, long talks, games, long walks, problem solving, and exploring the world.

Now, they are leaving...

Oh, I know, it's a great opportunity. I am in the middle of writing my first non-fiction book, and it is going to give me a fabulous opportunity to finish it without interruption. I can work all day and night, without worry of ignoring anyone, and finally finish some important thoughts and projects. I also have a couple of appointments, I never take time out for, plus I am going to see Byron Katie speak in the big city over two days.

Oh yes, I have BIG PLANS! Yet, yesterday was when it hit me... I am going to miss them being in my life, all day, every day. 10 and a half days apart from my best friend and my two precious boys. Our beautiful rhythm will slow down, it may even stop. That is when I realized something:

The more time you spend together with your family, the more you miss them when they are gone.

So (Oh MY!) I am going to miss them... and the next 10 and a half days will be a countdown to their return, while I try to focus on my big plans.

At Last! The Final Website is Complete!!!

Please go to:

http://homeschooladventurebooks.com

and let me know what you think.

If you saw the old website, you will know why I am excited!

If you see anything that is confusing or doesn't look right, please let me know! I am open to any feedback.
Thanks everyone!

Oh, the Love of Inspired Work!

We went to the beach yesterday with tools.
No, not a bucket and small plastic shovel. They brought a metal spade shovel and hoe!

I love the way they work. So happy busting up the hard clay around the beach. Laughing as they mined a small piece and added it onto a "transport" to take to their "den" where they (and it seems many other children) have collected treasures from the beach.

They worked hard and laughed often for an hour as the beautiful winter sun set on our day. All I could think was how joyously we work, when we are inspired to do the work, instead of being told to do it.

That is what unschooling is all about for me.
Inspiration and Freedom... as we do our work in life.

From School to Homeschool to Unschool

The choice to homeschool came at the beginning of my transformation to reclaim my authentic life.

I was tired of doing the “right” thing. I was exhausted trying to speed my pace up to fit the world of deadlines and school bells. The fact was, I was a bit of an odd ball in the world of school. I didn’t understand the other moms when they talked about brands of clothes their kids were wearing or when they discussed their worry of getting their kids into the elementary-college prep acronym clubs. I didn’t like the ongoing classroom gossip (which student was the problem or who was the genius) and the unnerving feeling I got that these women were comparing the odds, against my child and the others, whether their child would have a chance to be the valedictorian in 10 + years.

My thoughts were so different from these moms, though I never had the courage to say it out loud. I just wanted to play with my kids. I wanted to snuggle up all morning on cold fall and winter days while we talked about the world through their eyes. I wanted to allow their sweet growing bodies and minds to sleep in, which if you ask the woman in charge of the tardy slips, I did let them, one too many times. I was told by well-meaning teachers, secretaries and the principal that I was idealistic, not consistent, and that I didn’t have a choice but to follow their policies. I felt like I was the student in school all over again, constantly getting into trouble!

I knew there had to be a better way, a different way. I began checking out every book about homeschooling they had in the library (11 books to be exact) and I read every one of them. I let my older son read them with me and we talked about possibilities together. I began talking about homeschooling with the two homeschooling friends I knew who lived in our neighborhood. They both belonged to the liaison program between the school district and homeschooling families. One always seemed exhausted, carting her 4 children around to all the different programs and working diligently with schoolbooks, and I wasn’t sure if that would work for me. However, the other woman, also with 4 children, seemed relaxed and was excited to hear I was thinking about homeschooling. When I asked her how I should get started, she told me, “I want you to write down all the reasons why you want to homeschool.” Yes, that’s right, she gave me an assignment! However, I am glad I followed her suggestion, because it made me realize how my values were not being expressed by having my kids in school. It solidified how much I was ready for a change. Believe it or not, I still have that assignment.

Here it is:

Why we want to homeschool?

There are so many reasons for us to homeschool, once I began thinking about it, I got so excited about the possibilities, I realized, there is no way we won't try it.

Here are some of the reasons:

Family

1. To bring our family unit closer together.

2. To have our values and not the values of other families as a primary influence.

3. To learn about what it takes to run our family and to let our children be a bigger part of the outcome.

Education

1. To give the children a better opportunity to learn more in depth about subjects that excite them and let it naturally come to conclusion.

2. To let learning be Child Directed, instead of Board of Directors - Directed.

3. To be able to have the freedom to explore the world more, without worrying about public school timelines or deadlines.

Once I wrote my thoughts down, it all became crystal clear that I was ready to take the leap. My son wasn’t happy at school by this time and said he wanted to try homeschooling. My husband, though still not convinced, finally agreed that we should give it a try. I was thrilled! At my last parent-teacher conference, I told the teacher I was going to pull my son out of the class. I filled out the exit papers, (there were a lot of them) sent my notice to the district, explained our decision to our families and listened to their concerns. We said goodbye to public school and began our journey at home.

So there we were, all together on the first morning full family homeschooling and it was so calm. No rushing around, no insisting on them to eat breakfast, no packing their backpacks, checking their homework and getting out on time. I already loved it, and the kids were not even up yet. The warmth of knowing they were getting all the sleep they needed filled my heart. I sat and read, while feeling the peaceful joy of a decision well made. Then, they woke up the homeschooling experience had begun.

Getting to know my kids again, was really challenging. At first we snuggled longer, read a ton of books together, played games and did lots of art to fill our days. However, after the second week of catching up on our lives together, the house was becoming a disaster. We had been remodeling our house and I still had a lot of finishing steps to take care of. I tried to explain to them I had my own work to do and they would need to spend time on their own. This didn’t go over very well. They wanted me to be their Idea Director. They wanted me to be a part of their every activity. I didn’t realize how much of their lives were not their own and how they didn’t have any sense of personal freedom.

Reading all about decompression, I understood there would be a transition time between school and home. They say one month for each year a child is in school. I did not truly understand the implications of what those authors really meant. My oldest was hit the hardest, I believe, as my youngest was only in school for 2 ½ hours a day, for a little over a year. My oldest began having wild frustration behaviors because I wouldn’t tell him what to do. I held him a lot. I continued to tell him he could do whatever he wanted to do. He would yell and cry and say, “You are supposed to tell me!” Silently, I felt amazingly grateful about our powerful choice to deschool.

There was another challenge to overcome once we spent most of our time together. I didn’t know how to get them to fully trust me, resulting in many power struggles. To them, I was the woman who made them. Yes, I created them with my husband’s help, but I mean I made them do things. While they were in school, I made them wake up, I made them get dressed (and in nice clothes) every day. I made them eat what they didn’t want to eat, and I made them follow all the rules of our house, the school, the community and the world. Sometimes, I also made them feel bad when they didn’t do things right according to these rules. I wasn’t trying to be terrible, I was doing what so many of us call “helping them be responsible, respectable and successful adults.” The only problem was I hated doing it and I didn’t believe it was working. If it was, why didn’t they trust me? Why didn’t I trust authority either?

It took time to re-create trust and a way to communicate with them that was respectful. I had so much to learn and was determined to create a new kind of relationship with my children. I loved our new connection together and I had to make it work. I began reading unschooling books, got a subscription to Homeschool Education Magazine and met a group of supporting independent homeschoolers (meaning they didn’t go through the liaison program the school district offered.) They were my first introduction to the real life of unschooling families. I remember feeling extremely emotional after the very first meeting with these amazing women. I thought, “Oh! This is where you have been all this time. I am not alone.”

As I let go of expectations, my children slowly began to trust me. They knew I wanted what was best for them and that included what they wanted, too. They knew they could say no to me, which would bring up conversation. They knew I would spend time talking with them over differences of opinion, and they could trust telling me how they felt without consequences. I was hooked on our new way of living. I took to unschooling as though I had created the idea myself. I loved the freedom, the philosophy, and the people who were doing it. Mostly, I loved the new relationship I was building with my children.

The boys are thriving better than I could have imagined. They are courageous, inventive and highly curious about everything. They love to explore art, philosophies and the universe. It was through allowing each one of us to learn what we needed to learn, while working through the difficulties and challenges and continuing to move forward, that our blessed and amazing new life is possible.

As I sit behind my computer writing this, I watch my children explore the world together, and everything seems right within it.

Everything finally makes perfect sense.

Copyright 2008 by Rain Fordyce

Piano Lessons for the Parents

My children have always loved playing music.

Drums, piano, guitar, violin, and a whole host of percussion instruments that we've collected over the years.

Last year I was excited to have the opportunity to allow them both to have piano lessons. I made it clear from the beginning they would be responsible to practice the lessons and that I would not be reminding them to play. I wanted them to be inspired all on their own. They both took the first lesson from a very kind piano teacher.

My youngest son immediately told me that he did not want to take lessons anymore. He couldn't sit still for the whole half an hour session and thought he might wait until he got bigger.

My oldest son was thrilled! He loved having a teacher to show him things about the piano that he didn't know. So we started the lessons once a week, and I was so happy to watch my son excited to do his lessons all on his own each week. He seemed to be right where he needed to be, living authentically and peacefully on his musical path.

This was when the idea that "more is better" came over us. Inspired, my mother-in-law said she would pay for lessons if he wanted to go twice a week. My husband was thrilled and thought since he is doing so well with one lesson a week, two lessons a week would make him great.

We spoke to my son and he replied with an unsure, "yes."

What was a great love, quickly turned into "have tos" and "shoulds." With two lessons a week, he had so much more to do and so much more to learn, he couldn't keep up. My husband and I for the first time began reminding him to practice and asking him if he was caught up.

His resistance to piano grew and I began to notice this connection between piano lessons and stress for all of us in the house. I asked my son if he would like to go back to one lesson a week. His "yes" reply was quick. I believed everything would go back to the way it was. He would have more time to learn his lessons and practice and his love for learning the piano would come back the way it was.

It didn't.

He continued to be resistant to learning his new lessons and he asked if he could only go every other week. The piano teacher agreed even though she didn't have this schedule with anyone else. One month later, my son had still not practiced his new songs once. He asked if he could take a break for now. Of course, we said yes.

As I thought about the turn of events of a child whose natural love for music needed no help, turn into a child who was inspired to learn at a pace that made sense for him. With outside influences coming in to pressure him ever so lovingly to be bigger better and more, his fire of inspiration was put out.

This made me wonder how many times overzealous parents, like ourselves, with the best intentions, try to ensure that their children will be the best at something they already love. Through this innocent action they unintentionally create a child who is afraid to love anything for fear it will become the next thing they need to perform so they can receive kudos from their parents.

Lesson learned.

So maybe he won't be a concert pianist at age 15, however, maybe just maybe, as time goes by, he may just fall in love with the piano again.

Beautiful Child

My youngest (7) and I were snuggling this morning under our favorite soft fleece blanket watching the rain fall on the sky lights.

After a quiet time of just being in the silence he said, "Mommy, I want to live with you forever."
"oooh that sounds wonderful..." I tell him.
"I want to stay little forever, and I want you to stay alive forever," he continues.
"Yes, this moment is so nice..." I share.
"I love my mommy!"

What a beautiful blessing!

The News is out! Homeschooling is a growing trend!

Homeschooling goes boom in America
74 percent increase in number of families teaching own children

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
Posted: January 05, 2009
9:54 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

A homeschooling movement is sweeping the nation - with 1.5 million children now learning at home, an increase of 75 percent since 1999.

The Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics reported homeschooling has risen by 36 percent in just the last five years.

"There's no reason to believe it would not keep going up," NCES statistician Gail Mulligan told USA Today.

A 2007 survey asked parents why they choose to homeschool and allowed them to provide several reasons. The following are the most popular responses:

a.. Concern about the school environment, including reasons such as safety, drugs or negative peer pressure - 88 percent
a.. A desire to provide religious or moral instruction - 83 percent
a.. A dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools - 73 percent
a.. Nontraditional approach to children's education - or "unschoolers" who consider typical curriculums and standardized testing as counterproductive to quality education - 65 percent
a.. Other reasons, such as family time, finances, travel and distance - 32 percent
a.. Child has special needs (other than physical or mental health problems) that schools cannot or will not meet - 21 percent
a.. Child has a physical or mental health problem - 11 percent
Parents who report that they homeschool to provide religious or moral instruction increased from 72 percent to 83 percent from 2003 to 2007.

Above all other responses, parents cited providing religious and moral instruction as the most important factor in the decision to teach their children at home (36 percent). The second most important issue was concern about the school environment (21 percent), while the third reason was dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools (17 percent).

Research has shown the positive effects of homeschooling through the years. While some critics say teaching children at home may stunt their social growth, Dr. Brian D. Ray, president of National Home Education Research Institute, reveals homeschooled students fare well or better than public and private school students in terms of social, emotional and psychological development.

Additionally, homeschoolers earn higher marks than peers who attend public schools. In Academic Leadership, and online journal, Dr. Ray and Bruce K. Eagleson also cite findings from at least three nationwide studies across the United States and two nationwide studies in Canada.

"The home educated in grades K to 12 have scored, on average, at the 65th to 80th percentile on standardized academic achievement tests in the United States and Canada, compared to the public school average of the 50th percentile," the report states.

Three studies also show that demographics, income and education level of homeschooling parents are generally irrelevant with regard to quality of education in a home setting. On average, homeschoolers in low-income families with less formal education still score higher than state-school average

Sleeping in 2009

I didn't stay up last night until midnight.

I tried with all my might, but after a very long working week, once I finished publishing AuthenticTimes.com, I was kaput! (Hmmm... I don't think I have ever written down the word kaput in my life, lol!)

Oh yes, I tried all the usual ways to stay awake. I played a game with my husband, drank some coffee, watched the kids who were cracking up as they used the new punching bag their aunt got them for the holidays. They were laughing so loud! I thought if anything can keep me awake, it's my boys!

And that is when it happened... too painful! Eyes.... can't.... take.... much... more.... light!
And I was out.

So instead of ringing in the new year, I was sleeping in the new year.

Yet, I am up early to wish you all a beautiful day with bold dreams for your journey over the next 365 days!

Happy New Year!!!
smiles and joy,
Rain