life.

It just so happened that our computer was struck down with a nasty virus the day after I wrote my last post. So, it was a week of no computer. No e-mails. No facebook. No bloggity blogging. No googling random things that we are curious about. None of it. And it was a FULL week of adventures and planned outing and meet ups and parks and craziness. By the weekend, I was in desperate need of some down time...and a chance to check my e-mail. It was a big realization of how much we use our computer for connecting and communicating and making plans and getting information on what is taking place in the valley for people doing home education. and can we talk about that term? i always struggle with how to label what we do. i like to call it life learning, because right now, my children don't separate learning from life. the earth is our teacher, we teach each other, the community teaches us, people throughout our lives teach us, the world, essentially, is our classroom. we go through periods of staying close to home and we go through periods of venturing out as much as possible. we aren't following a set curriculum at this point and we are exploring how best to approach writing and reading for each individual. but mostly, we explore what we are interested in. we let those topics take us on a ride and we collect information and inspiration along the way. community has become a big thing for me for the past several years on this journey. we have established connections with various groups that practice unschooling, earth schooling, homeschooling, etc. right now, during this time of big transition...i am doing my best to maintain a steady and healthy rhythm with these three in my care. but really, this time is a lot more about survival than anything else. we are all adjusting and learning and then re-adjusting and making space for high emotions and strong love. this past week, i realized how deeply i was trying to keep my older two busy, busy, busy by scheduling way too much for our little family in the midst of still absorbing the dynamics of what it means to be out and about FULLY (because there is no other way for my children) with mama and three littles. my body, in so many different ways, is telling me to slow down...to build rhythm in our home, to pay attention to the important lessons of this experience. right now, the lessons are in sharing our lives with another human being. and discovering the power of being positive. and exploring our big feelings in an effective way. it is life stuff. important stuff. the kind of stuff that reminds me of how much emphasis i think there should be on building the emotional and mental health of our little ones in this society. the kind of stuff that shows me how much can be learned from having FUN and playing and exploring freely. i don't underestimate the value of these lessons we are learning during this time of high transition. i take notice, i honor and appreciate this time and i see the beauty in what we are learning without even knowing it. the rhythms will change, they always do and we will always do our best to follow their lead. Since that last post, we have filled up our days with rock climbing, a library visit, art classes, the first couple of gymnastics classes for Asher, the first dance class for Journey, a day of exploring at the Arboretum, a yummy meet up day at the train park with dear friends, a trip to a local Aquarium with our homeschooling group, Asher's adventure to go see a National Geographic Live show about the Mars' rovers...and the more typical ins and outs of daily livin', growin' and lovin' around here. Not to mention a couple of parties along the way. Life is full. We are always growing.