Taran turns 9

My son has gone to bed for the night, eight years old.  When he awakens, Taran shall be nine.  Nine, such an amazing number on so many levels.  Nine, wow!  That he has let me enjoy nine years with him leaves me honored.  I remember exactly what happened nine years ago at this time - his father and I were laughing with joy and surprise as we rushed toward the hospital; Taran decided to arrive a few weeks early - how not expected.  Already our beautiful boy was letting us know he would not be following anyone else's plans - he would ignore what others expected and go his own way.  So these years have gone and how wonderful they have been.  Taran has helped me see and realize that being your own person and going against the norm has much merit and though it can have some friction, it is full of much joy and love. 

Thank you Taran and Happy Birthday my beautiful son!!!

This one is for you:

This morning I was privy to the scene of Chuck helping Lucy craft a paper sword (including pommel and guard), a scabbard to carry the weapon and a hat to help set off the outfit.  What is so cool about this moment is not the crafting and decorating (though it was v. v. cool to watch - the coloring and the decoration planned by Lucy and executed by Chuck), but the fact that they were willing to honor Taran's desire to stay home.  See yesterday, they went to the Fernbank pirate gathering, but were slow to catch the ship and missed the sword and hat making.  Lucy asked to go back today to make her hat and sword, but Taran did not wish to go with them.  I was not able to offer him the option of hanging with me - I had to hightail it to work; so, the three of them decided it would be pretty cool to make said hat and sword at home.  That is what I love about unschooling - everyone respected and everyone stating a choice and everyone getting the opportunity to make things work.

Visions of hobgoblins dance in their heads...

I am winding down for the night.  Tomorrow (after a few hours of work at the library) we shall have friends over to celebrate with us - we shall be celebrating Samhain, Halloween and the Feast of Bast.  We have filled the ice trays with blood cubes for the witches brew, the cockroach clusters are done, the All Hallow's Eve Cakes dough is refrigerating through the night and more spiderwebs have cropped up - not to mention the rousing game of Simpson's Clue Lucy and I played.  Okay, my sentences are having to be consistently re-written - I'm off to bed....

Just a Bald Man . . . .: The Post to End All Posts

 Try it, you just might like it....

Just a Bald Man . . . .: The Post to End All Posts: "I have been silent for a while. For me, silence is usually good and therapeutic, allowing me time to clarify my thoughts and feelings when I..."

My favorite time of year.

It's beginning to look a lot like Samhain
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten eerie once again
With candy corn and spooky ghosts aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Samhain
Skulls in ev'ry store
But the spookiest sight to see is the pumpkin that will be
On your own front porch.

ch ch ch changes ...

you all read that with David Bowie's voice, right?

I am in the midst of changing my background, so bear with me, okay?

Beautiful Days

We have just finished making candles for my Mom. She requested some "smelly" candles. We decided to use herbs from our garden (rosemary and lemon balm) versus my idea of throwing in my trainers (they are most noxious). While making the candles, I got ready the ingredients for making waxing hands (Taran and Lucy love doing this), only this time, I used a block of ice to make the water cold (left over from when Lucy was excavating creatures from ice this summer). Taran and Lucy decided to pour wax over the top of the block o'ice (did I mention that the block was a carton of almond milk) - using the heat, they molded the ice into the shape of a tiered cake (pictures shall be forthcoming).
So, the cake is done, the candles are cooling and we are heading to the park. The park is within walking distance and so we shall uses our tootsies as transport. We are also taking a light weight wagon for transporting things (I know not what). Funny thing, the route we are taking involves a creek with a steep hill - I suggested we portage the wagon ala the old west. How fun will that be?

This morning, Lucy and I did her first sewing project - she has helped in the past, but she ran the machine herself today after picking out material, thread and stitching to use. She is working on a birthday gift for a friend. She is so very excited about her creation and especially doing it all herself - I love to see that excitement and joy she brings to crafting.

This morning also involved Taran creating a new world using 3-D computer animation - I love Alice. I believe Dragons, elves and giant crabs were involved along with a hover disc. It was incredible to watch his joy and creating and destroying his new denizens - how amazing to have the power to do it to your specifications.

Who knows what the rest of the day shall bring - how I love the possibilities.

the garden

I hear that this carrot was most tasty. Fortunately, we are in the south and can begin to plant anew almost immediately. The cooler (oh that is most amusing) weather should make for a better environment for the foodstuff; the insects should be pass the eating the armbrust-kohler foodstuff stage as well.
This year our garden started out beautiful - we had kale, broccoli, carrots, strawberries, blueberries, corn, beans and squash growing. We slacked off on the work and unfortunately, much of it did not survive until the eating stage (well not for humans to eat - bugs and the earth seemed to do alright). We just picked the only carrot to make it (had worked so hard to keep the hares out).

I am that Mom

Inspired by the post and the impromptu carnival - go check them out!

I am that Mom who doesn't care if her children work at McDonald's for the rest of their life, as long as they are HAPPY.

I am that mom, who after watching Whip It with her daughter and husband, was told by said daughter that she wanted to be in a beauty pageant and was able to quickly shift gears and support her daughter in her first pageant (she had so much fun and shone all over).

I am that Mom who might be too tired late at night to fix a cake, but the next morning will make one for our breakfast.

I am that mom who stays up late into the night playing Lego Harry Potter with my son and feeling my daughter fall asleep in my lap as she watches Ace of Cakes.

I am that mom that will read for hours to her children and get as emotionally involved with the characters as the listeners (some times more so, I have been known to take a moment to settle down).

I am that mom who will then re-enact favorite books with her children (we've spent much time at Camp Half-Blood and Hogwarts - in our minds).

I am that mom that blows bubbles, has water gun fights and uses marshmallow shooters inside the house and often encourages others to join her.

I am that Mom that gets so excited to go to movies with her son and daughter (wasn't Despicable Me great), especially premieres.

I am that mom who was willing to get up and drive to an early class (for weeks) on Greek Mythology because her son so wanted to attend (oh, I am NOT a morning person).

I am that mom who storms the Bastille every year with her children, complete with cardboard Bastille for stomping and tromping and sometimes a touch of fire.

I am that mom who doesn't sew unless it is a costume (those are the most fun) or a favorite pair of pants have developed a hole that makes them unwearable.

I am that Mom who tells her children "sorry" when she is being a jerk and explains that they are the first 8 year old and 5 year old she has ever had, so she is still learning, too.

I am that Mom who is fortunate enough to spend her time with 2 of the grooviest people she knows - Taran and Lucy.

I often have so much moving through my mind at any given time that I am unable to decide which thought to follow - internally or externally. I love that the possibilities are endless, but am frustrated that at times that I cannot easily choose which path to follow. Today, for instance, ideas for how to spend a warm summer day - swimming, visiting friends, dropping off items for Goodwill, vacuuming pet hair (which I seem to have a great deal of - oooh, maybe I research spinning it into thread - see, now I've come up with something new), visiting the High and so much more.

I love the possibilities. What shall be chosen?

Apparently, my son Taran has many interests (like I didn't already know that). Right now, Bakugan and Yu gi oh are on top. From ages past you can see his love for Apollo (actually Apollo has always been his deity of choice) in the above picture.



**it was so easy to upload a photo - am definitely switching from lj. Now I just have to get my posts from lj to upload here...