7/17/2017 0 Comments Reading Our Way Through SchoolI know it may be hard to imagine a homeschool mom looking forward to starting up a schedule again. But it has finally happened! I have finally found a curriculum that is attainable, affordable, and entertaining. One that doesn't interfere with the schedule free lifestyle that many homeschoolers enjoy. The past few years have been a battle of time, content, and discipline. The flip flopping between no curriculum or a curriculum, public school or homeschool. I am constantly doubting myself. My heart knows that homeschooling is right for our family, but my mind and often my hormones, get me twisted. The term, "I'm bored," sends me into a mental spiral about the damage I may be causing my kids. Ahhh, it can really make you crazy living in the mind too much. But the heart, it knows why we do this. Build Your Library is a literary based, secular curriculum focusing on history and science (You will still need to find a path for math, writing, etc). We have already done a few weeks of BYL before summer break began, and both the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love her suggested list of colorful and intriguing live story books that always leave us wanting more. Carving out the hour or two each day to sit down and read to them, helps us to connect while having fun and learning. The rest of the day runs smoother when we do and everybody is just a little happier. The daily planner is a downloadable PDF that is approximately 300 pages. The creator, Emily, has laid out the schedule in a an easy to follow format that is never overwhelming. All the prep work is done for you, you only have to get the books! Although you may be able to find most books at your local library, ours did not have them. So I did some online comparing, and found https://www.thriftbooks.com/ is reasonable and easy. Now that I am stocked with my books for the school year, and the time is approaching to shake off our summer time "boredom," I'm ready to read! And here is the most beautiful part, it's less than $35! http://buildyourlibrary.com
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The other day my 8 year old said, "Mom, do you want to do some sun salutations?" Of course I did! I was honored to teach him and glad he asked. We had a beautiful little practice together.
I began doing yoga when I was 15, it really was the antidote to feeling completely lost and alone for me. I went on to receive my Yoga teaching certificate when I was 18 and taught for about 5 years. I dropped out of the yoga world when me and my boyfriend at the time, drove our van and two dogs to upstate New York. I didn't want to teach anymore. Madonna had come out with her 'Ray of light' C.D. and everyone wanted her lean arms. It all became very posture and fashion oriented. In New York I worked for NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Group), raising money to clean up toxic waste sites. Shortly after, 9/11 happened, interest rates dropped, and I somehow ended up in Southern California as a mortgage consultant. I continued to have a very half-ass yoga practice through my mortgage days and while starting a family. When I was 17 I met a woman who was a great yoga teacher, who encouraged me to teach, and who became a great friend. She was intense though, sensitive, truthful and sometimes had a sharp tongue. She was one of those friends who you really avoided confronting or being blunt with, just to avoid a very drawn out and emotional "process." I loved her though. She was always more caught up in what yoga was than I, I learned a lot from her because of this, she was full of knowledge. I also learned that no matter what pose she mastered, how long she meditated, what ashram she visited, and how many guru lectures she swallowed, she still was never truly content. I can't say that I was either. Maybe that is why we got along so well. I will say however, that now as I sit here 20 years later, I am happier than I was then. Maybe not as naive, perhaps the happy moments are not as elated as when I was younger, and the contentment is more consistent. My friend went on to fall in love and marry after her travels through India left her with the words, " go home, stop looking, start a garden." I think she is trying to do that and I wish her the best. I wouldn't know exactly, because we aren't friends anymore. Yes, that's right, she doesn't want to be my friend. The one who picked flowers after yoga class to decorate her car with. Me, the one who always respected her sensitivity and depth. Maybe I put her in that "teacher" place too much, maybe not enough. I'm a little raw, I am not a Satvic person by nature...I'm kind of a punk, really. I like rock n' roll, even rap music sometimes, funky bass lines, I like the word Fuck-if I'm being honest. And guess what, I didn't vote for Hillary Clinton. You can un-follow me now. Oh, wait, nobody reads this blog anyways! She messaged me after the election, telling me that she has more in common with Hillary Clinton than me. The absurdity of that statement really did ease the pain of losing a friend and a teacher, because it was, in my perspective and heart, a complete lie. Hillary Clinton does not live in the sticks and walk around barefoot eating kichadi, crying herself to sleep at night about human suffering. Before you get too upset, please know I did not vote for Donald Trump either and yes I did vote, but that isn't the point. The point is, I've stumbled back into the lap of yoga and meditation. It's different now. I don't feel like I'm bad if I eat garlic, onions, and mushrooms, actually I love them. I don't buy a bunch of leather or get too excessive, but I'm tired of shaming one another into thinking or believing the world has to be a specific way. The suffering is bad enough, having yoga teachers running around losing sight of what they are teaching isn't helping. After all, we are not these bodies and minds, we are not this judgment or suffering-yoga teaches us that. Does a real teacher of yoga turn you away for smoking cigarettes? No, they tell you its a bad habit. Being a conspiracy theorist may be a bad habit. She could have just suggested that. I would of thought about it. Yesterday I sat with a Swami from the Sivananda lineage for the first time in 20 years. Nobody around here teaches Sivananda style yoga, only power and heat, not much of the classical styles. During the lecture, the swami said, "How do you find a good teacher? Well, you find one that is happy! Stop learning from miserable people!" I thought about that a lot today. I feel like I could teach again soon, I mean I have the certifications to teach both massage and yoga. Why not me? Am I happy enough? Do I know myself or the subjects enough? Just as I was having these thoughts, I noticed laughter bellowing from upstairs, filling the house and echoing off the walls. That crazy laughter that doesn't stop, the sound of... complete happiness. Then I thought to myself, "they are my teachers, they are the happiest people in my life." My children are my best teachers, right now. They are my garden. 7/11/2017 0 Comments Always a dreamerWhen I was a child I loved dreaming. I had some of the most beautiful dreams, full of magical places, creatures, and adventures. My journeys where diverse and I traveled far. My room would slowly turn to white as my living and dreaming world collided, and a figure of a unicorn would appear beside me . Once the unicorn was fully visible, I would hop out of bed and onto it's back, and we would fly away. I remember it's eyes the most, soft, loving, and wise. I cherished this gift and even made a unicorn alter out of an appliance box turned on it's side, a poster stuck to the back, and a little table inside with special treasures. I would sit before it and pray for all my loved ones to be protected and the world to be filled with peace. I didn't know what an altar was or even praying, really. I just knew there was a magic to life. As I became older, the dreams of unicorns became less and less, until one day they just stopped. I remember crying myself to sleep, begging for my unicorn to return. Instead my dreams became more complex, more dramatic. I was constantly on a journey, a roller coaster, or a space ship eating stars. Nothing was familiar, and anything could happen. Anything. I missed knowing my dreams where safe, I liked having a guide and knowing where we were going. Now it was just me against the unpredictable world of dream. I was a teenager when I started to experience strange coincidences like dejavu, and prophetic or precognitive dreams. Most times my dreams would be abstract, so it wasn't like I could really tell the future clearly. For instance, maybe I would dream about a toy train driving around a giant wedding ring with water in the center. The next day I would get stuck at a train track, it starts to rain, I look down to the floor of my car and find a ring that I lost months prior. My head would tingle with what my friend calls, "god bumps." Other times, I would dream of exact words or actions. I was 15 when I had a dream that my yoga teacher was lecturing me about smoking and prana. The next day I walked in slightly late to find her repeating word for word what I had dreamt. I pondered often how to interpret my dreams, and to learn my sleep language. The concept of lucid dreaming became a fun fascination. I read that one of the first steps is to first recognize that you are dreaming, then look at your hands. Once you look at your hands, you take control of the physical doings of your dream and are no longer just a witness to the mind. Your attention is focused on being fully present and in the dream. I had some success with this and it is definitely not easy. Now I am just a tired mom, and am lucky if I remember any dreams! I do remember some, and writing this is inspiring me to keep a dream journal. I mean, you never know, I could be missing a lot of prophetic messages by rushing to turn on the coffee pot. Or maybe I should take the time to whisper the names of loved ones before drifting off into the healing world of sleep. Well, sweet dreams-whatever they are! Good night~ 2/3/2017 0 Comments Sedona Fairy DoorsOf my many passions, art dominates! I love fantasy, so for me Sedona Fairy Doors came about naturally. My two small boys and I make handmade pieces of art. We enjoy hikes to collect our rustic wood and collect oodles of fairy trinkets in our garage! We hope you will check out our store at https://www.sedonafairydoors.etsy.com |
AuthorI'm a homeschooling momma that loves art and magic. I create whimsical pieces to share with others. <3 ArchivesCategories |