Sunday, October 28, 2012

An organized schedule

Calendars are cool. It gives me great hope to fill up a calendar with all the exciting things I am going to share with my family and friends. I use Google Calendar for all my various hats, and this allows me to view everything in one place or hide the stuff that clutters up my schedule and add on the go using my phone. You can even have your Facebook Events feed into your Google calendar.  And the color coding... it's enough to make me get up early to start filling in the rainbow!
But yesterday it occurred to me that my frustration with having to remind my family and rush around when I thought they already knew what the plan for the day was... so I re-purposed an old white board. Step 1- let the middles play with it to their hearts' content. We drew and colored and cleaned and re-cleaned together for over an hour. Then set it aside to get snack and clean up a bit.

These Dry Erase Crayons from Crayola are really great and make it easy to color code. They don't wipe off when the side of your hand touches the things you have already written. And they DO wipe off easily when it is time, no matter how long the writing has been there.

A little hand sanitizer works best if it becomes a murky- the special cloth that comes with it is black, so it can tend to leave dark smudges on any sticky parts.

Step 2 was applying tape in a perfect grid. I gave G-pie the dimensions and asked her to do the math for me since my brain is fuzz, while I nursed may. She got it right (I didn't bother checking, just started doing and was very pleased to see how well proportioned it was!!

G-pie also filled in the dates and special occasions for me- then I got to work adding in all the classes, field trips, playdates, book launch parties, meetings, museum tours, park days and other adventures we have coming up.

It took almost all day with all the serious doll playing, dish doing, dinosaur imitating, diaper changing, and of course the costume creating (we actually have all 3 of the kids ready with full costumes- yes, yes we do!!)...

But I am please to report there is now a huge calendar for all to see where we need to be and when... now to get those who can read to look at it and teach those who can't to read! Then add it all into the appropriate Google Calendars, write it in my cute little organizer, update www.learningbarefoot.com and THEN I can relax and never miss anything again! =)

Oh and get Sugar Daddy to actually hang it... this was just a test.

How do you manage your family's time. Digital or in real world? Does it work? Do you feel like a cruise director?







Sunday, October 14, 2012

Going Barefoot4Edrick

On Thursday, I wore no shoes.

This is actually not an uncommon experience for me. I really am barefoot a lot. But yesterday, after Sugar Daddy made me Google it to make sure it was legal, (it is) - I drove barefoot, I went into a 7 11 barefoot, I loaded and unloaded my van, I went to a park and I never even put on the flimsy flip flops I usually wear.

This was done along with Soles4souls, a non-profit with the following Mission:
Soles4Souls collects new shoes to give relief to the victims of abject suffering and collects used shoes to support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty.Soles4Souls’ other two divisions, Clothes4Souls and Hope4Souls, provide the same relief and support through clothing and other necessities. 
Since its inception following the Asian tsunami, Soles4Souls has distributed over 19 million pairs to people in 125 countries, and our efforts have been publicized in thousands of articles, including the Green Guide by National Geographic and Runner's World.

How did it feel? 

Honestly I so much enjoy going barefoot and feeling connected to the earth- did you know about grounding? Here is some information I just discovered- and I am going to be reviewing a pair of the incredible sandals this company sells, as soon as they arrive. (Sometimes all you have to do is ask!)

So I can't say the experience profoundly changed my life, here in the OC it is fairly easy to do. If I had to do it all the time, I am sure I would feel differently. After just one day: I noticed that carrying a heavy load across a parking lot caused a little more discomfort. My feet were cold, because it rained and the puddles remained all day.

A few of my younger friends joined me in this show of support...






Saturday, October 6, 2012

"10 Trends in Homeschooling" Inspired Me to share...

Family style learning is my passion. I love the process of living life with a curious and open mind and laughing often with an open heart. As my dreams are taking focus, I am awakening my truest self. I find such contentment in organizing, creating systems, gathering information/ resources and making them readily available in user friendly ways. I love being a part of a community. I like to plan events and share productive time creating and playing with like-minded spirits.

After reading this http://edudemic.com/2012/09/10-trends-homeschooling/ - and hearing a new term "hybrid homeschooling"- aka custom schooling, alternative education, eclectic charter schooling... I felt confident in the way we educate our offspring. What we do is what I like to call "G-pie-schooling" and I've recently started "J-cakes-schooling"... the littles are actually a part of the process, and provide plenty of opportunities for in the moment learning!

So while I have always envisioned a "learning center", I am seeing it more clearly now as a community center- a place to gather and get better and better at living. A place to share certain tasks that used to be done around the tribal fire together- where advice is given and taken in easy camaraderie and items of value are produced (cooking groups, apothecary cooperatives, crafting clubs).

A resource room where interesting toys, games, books and puzzles await discovery. Where there is always a science experiment, Mad-libs, snap circuits, a hand crafting project, bookmaking project and seasonal observances are celebrated with simplistic ritual in subtle and soothing ways. Where families come to be inspired, refreshed and connected- invigorated.

This big, huge, wonderful, fully realized "homeschool hub" , is starting out as a tiny embryo.

Fittingly the tiny "resource room" is growing inside BlossomOC where pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care are the focus. It will be nurtured, by the attention of the families who come in the door. It will grow, as it is fed with more resources- and it will become more intelligent as I gather all the information I can about this exciting time in the world of homeschooling. So that my mature vision will be ready to stand alone (in a really cool location, with some outdoor space) and I can share it, and myself, with the community that is the tribe it takes to raise our children into adulthood (and ourselves into higher consciousness)!

It is a truly thrilling time to be... Learning Barefoot


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