August 2009 – Page 2 – a hippie with a minivan

Frozen Grapes…

This is such a simple snack that feels like such a treat… It is just one of those things that you don’t think about sharing because it is so simple.

Just wash some grapes and throw them in the freezer… really.. that’s it… and what comes out of the freezer are these tasty little treats that everyone seems to love…

You bite into the crisp outside and the inside has frozen into a sorbet like texture…

Eat them straight from the freezer (or use a bowl if you wish) or throw them into your favourite cold drink…

Am I not in the second trimester now?

Physically I have felt great for the whole beginning of the pregnancy, a few aversions but not much else… then the second trimester hit and the tiredness and nausea kicked in… I know that for some people they have nausea nearly the whole pregnancy but for most it seems to taper at the end of the first trimester… I really never thought that it could start then.

A few weeks ago I woke up completely dizzy and had trouble walking… my blood pressure was a bit low, so I drank some water then a bit of coffee and had something with a bit of salt… I went in the kitchen to do something and I gagged and then literally ran to the bathroom to throw up… that has never happened to me when I was pregnant, it was such a weird feeling…

Since then I have this slight nausea that seems to follow me everywhere and I have even thrown up more times than I am willing to count…

No food sounds appealing to me… I am often not even hungry and have to force myself to eat… I have too many times cooked a meal that I won’t eat and just ended up snacking or eating something completely different… At the moment the easiest thing to go down (besides Sushi 😉 ) is a bagel with goat cheese and hot pepper jelly… But at least it is something, even though I might eat it more than once a day…

I don’t understand it!! why now??

Great post on Unschooling…

Here is a post written by an Unschooled teen who lives in Montreal. She talks about the differences between unschooling and eclectic homeschooling and why it bothers her so much when the eclectic homeschoolers refer to themselves as unschoolers. It is something that bothers me also, but hearing it from a teen that was unschooled herself, makes the reasons why it bothers me more clear.

A few thoughts about unschooling…

Unschooling is not just about schooling… it is a way of life and you just can’t seperate the two.

If you are new here, or want to know more about it, here is my definition of Unschooling

omg… he is growing up…

Colin will be five in a month… but he is growing up so quickly…his personality, they way he communicates, the way he understands things differently… his drawing skills and then… the tooth!

I couldn’t believe it when he told me a few weeks ago that his tooth was starting to get loose… and then on Thursday it fell out!

wow… my little Colin is getting older…

He just got out of the pool here and was a bit cold… lol

Last day…

Today is the last day of Simon’s vacation, it is raining so we are having a quiet day at home…

I am really happy with the time that was spent while he was home.. we got out often, did quite a few things but didn’t wear ourselves out… Of course it would be great if he could have a little more time off but he is keeping two of his weeks to take a bit later in the year or add to his parental leave when the new babe comes…

On Thursday night Amy left a message on the post I wrote about 6TZEN saying that she had contacted them in Montreal and that they would be meeting her for a picnic on Friday… I couldn’t pass up on the possibility of meeting the family again so on Friday morning we went to Montreal t meet up with all of them…

I am so happy that we did… the kids played, the parents talked and it was amazing to find out how much we all have in common.. In Normandy, Estelle gives workshops on Nonviolent Communication, teaches babywearing, is a homebirther and helps moms breastfeed, … though the system is set up differently there and there is less educational freedom they believe in life learning and non-coersive parenting and are in no way helicopter parents… Arnaud commented to Simon that it is amazing to things that we come from half a world away but that we have so much in common…

After a few hours of talking and get to know each other and the kids playing in the park and the water feature it was time to say good bye… It is probably the last time that we will meet but I don’t think it will be the end of communication…

Here is the family (taken in Jeanne Mance Park in Montreal)

Saying goodbye!

After we said goodbye we did a few more things in Montreal…and I loved seeing in what ways they are making the city a bit greener…

The BIXI bikes are good example… with a subscription you can grab a bike from any BIXI station to ride to your destination… then you just park it again at any BIXI station… the first 30 min are free and then there is a small fee after… not only is it a great idea but it is also widely used based on the amount of people I saw on them…

Another little thing that I saw while walking were lane ways that used to look all dingy now making people smile…sometimes it is the little things that make a difference…