Natural living, natural learning

Events have conspired to largely keep me away from the computer in recent weeks, which I originally viewed as a curse but now see more as a blessing. Certainly, it's been an education. We've been very busy: two of the teenagers have been away on camping and hiking trips with their friends and the business has been growing as usual. (I must blog about that - I see that I haven't for quite a while!) and the children have been as active and inquisitive as ever.

We settled into a natural rhythm of living, learning and just getting on with things together. I can understand why most people don't bother with blogging or any kind of online social networking: when you've got a few children and an offline social life to keep up with, as well as all of us doing our own studying etc, it's enough. I could withdraw very easily from the online world, though I'd miss the many friends I've met here.

But I don't, because I like having the outlet when I've got something to say! And what I'm trying to say here is that learning, like life, does not need to be externally regulated. This is what's kept coming back to me as I've been cleaning, playing, reading, cooking, washing, chatting, wrestling with tents and so on. Everything gets done, even though nobody is standing over me with a big stick, making sure I do it. Educating my children is a natural instinct, just like wanting to learn is for them.

But it's more than that: this unregulated family life that so many people seem to be so afraid of, is far from degenerative chaos. It's not always peaceful, perfect and harmonious but enough of it is to make the whole thing precious and special, to keep it safe and to protect it from invasion.

"It's like magic falling from the sky!"

So said Lyddie about the snow. We get so little of it around here that the younger two have never seen it before in any real quantities.

















It's the fine, powdery stuff - very beautiful, but no good for snowman making. Good for sledging though!





















The baby seemed bewildered. Very quiet and contemplative. I took her down the hill on the sledge, sitting in front of me and going quite fast and she still kept quiet, until I asked her if she liked it, and got a definite "Yes."

















We went shopping for essential food supplies, but struggled to get the car back up the last bit of the hill, which is uncleared and ungritted, so I think we're staying put now until the thaw! Not that I'm complaining.

I've been tagged

..by the Baroness, to tell you eight random facts about me.

Hmmm. I've done this before (here and here) so will try not to duplicate.

Here goes:

1. My hair is falling out! It happens with every baby and carries on until I stop breastfeeding. It's always grown back before. Here's hoping..!


2. I always wanted five children - specifically two older boys followed by three younger girls, and that's exactly what I've got.


3. I love to ice-skate, swim, do lots of physical things like that, but rarely get chance nowadays. Hopefully when the younger children are a bit older..


4. I'm a complete Tolkien-head. Tell me you didn't know that!


5. I'm drinking a lot of red bush tea and Barleycup these days instead of tea and coffee. Fascinating!


6. Err... three more... struggling... OK. I can play the piano, but don't, because I'm not really interested in doing so.


7. I have a few (ahem!) childhood issues, related to things like number 6!


8. I write better than I speak.

Now for the rules and my turn to tag:

1. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.

5. For the recipients, leave a comment for the person who tagged you, so they can go and read your answers.

I'll be tagging...

Mrs Darcy - just because she's lovely!
Min - because we've missed her while she's been offline!
Clare - because she might need a quick change from all her valliant home ed-based blogging!
Lotusbirther - because I suspect she might be a tag-virgin ;-)
Grit - what reason could I need? Gotta love Grit.
Mamacrow - because it's bound to be fascinating.
And Allie and Dani because hopefully at least one of them has time for this, and they count as two!

Things it's taken me 40 years to learn

• How to use a solid fuel stove, without relighting it every day.


• I am not a car mechanic.


• My mother will never change.


• Some other people do and can change, but not all that much.


• Being supremely tolerant is not always the best strategy.


• Moderation.


• My body is too fertile to ever have sex again.


• Men do not, by and large, want children. Until they've got them (sometimes), which either therefore never happens, or is often too late.


• Even if they deny the above, it's still true.


• Other people can do the washing-up.


• Yes, I really do need to keep the place tidy, at least sometimes, and am not ashamed to admit it.


• I can no longer stay slim and live on mince pies. With brandy butter.


• Sometimes people are friendly for the wrong reasons and actually, those people aren't usually worth keeping as friends.

Things I learned more quickly than that:

• Money can't buy you love, or much else except stuff that all needs tidying up.


• It doesn't matter who does the work, as long as it gets done.


• Antidepressants, antibiotics, contraceptives and other Smarties-from-doctors-that-make-drug-companies-rich, are not for me thank you very much.


• Homeopathy works, but some people will never be convinced of that fact.


• Health and happiness go hand in hand.


• Sleep is good.


• Some friendships last forever.


• Time and freedom are worth more than money.


• Debt is bad.


• Children are the most valuable asset a person could have, but only if you commit to them instead of your career/social life/travel plans/religion, etc.


• World of Warcraft is addictive. (I broke the habit 2 years ago.)


• When my middle daughter tells me it's time to stop blogging and get ready to go out, she's usually right.

Unconscious mutterings

Here is a great meme from Lunanina:

Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique. Each week I'll post ten words to which you can respond to with the first thing that comes to mind.

"Rules are, there are no rules." There are no right or wrong answers. Don't limit yourself to one word responses; just say everything that pops into your head. AND you don't have to have your words up on Sunday. Take all week if you want! Read the FAQ for more information.

1. Destined :: to be free


2. FAIL :: not interested


3. Camping :: fun


4. Only you :: would say that


5. Incessant :: nagging


6. Tomorrow :: is another day


7. Impressive :: action


8. Riches :: dispense downwards


9. Dislike :: sugar in my tea


10. Speaker :: turn up the volume

Weekends

In single parent, autonomously home-educating households - well, this one, anyway - weekends aren't really any different to any other day.

• I'm still up at 5am, and asleep by 9pm.


• All the usual jobs still need doing: cooking, cleaning, washing-up, etc.


• Education goes on as normal, 24/7 unless the children are asleep.

But it seems that for the rest of the world, weekends are different and this does permeate our consciousness from time to time..

• The Internet is relatively dead! I can receive upwards of 100 list mails on week days, but next to none at weekends. Ditto blog posts and comments. Sometimes I wonder why my inbox/RSS feed list is so empty, then I remember what day it is.


• Supermarkets are closed on Sunday mornings. No early, quiet shopping for us then.


• Everywhere is phenomenally busy, so we tend to stay at home.


• I see a bit less of the teenagers because their schooled friends suddenly have spare time.

Maybe all this will change when Tom starts his business in January, but I suspect not much.

Future me

Seen this? You can send an email to yourself to arrive at any point in the future that you want yourself to receive it.

I've already written to my Summer 2009 self to remind me to keep planting seeds, and water the plants.

But I suspect other people are using it for less pragmatic purposes.