a hippie with a minivan

good cleaning day…

We tackled the playroom today… and when I say tackled… I really mean it…

We have a lot of toys… too many toys in my opinion..

I have been avoiding that room for longer than I would have wanted because it was so bad…

A while ago I did a purge and we cleaned up the playroom but we didn’t purge enough and slowly (or quickly) the playroom became a mess again… a soon it became an unusable mess… toys all over the floor and we really couldn’t walk in there… Simon would go clean up every week but it was hard because there was just too much stuff… and of course, the messier it became the less the boys wanted to play there.

I almost wish that we would have taken a picture…

Anyway… today we spent about 3 hours in there today. Decluttering toys to put away, throw out or give away… We rearranged furniture and made the space so much more usable and it will be a lot easier to keep clean because there is less toys and more space and it will also be a place to play for Khéna because really he hasn’t been able to play in the playroom often because of the mess…

So… slowly but surely the house is becoming less cluttered… we still have a lot to do but it is really helping us to keep the house clean which means that weekends are becoming more of family time…

just a little reminder…

if you are not registered and logged in you might not be seeing all of my posts… if the post under this one is “I’ve been tagged” then you are not logged in.

Also, all wordpress blogs have their own register/login pages. So if you haven’t registered on my blog, then you are not registered.

I've been tagged…

by Kim over at The Falcon’s Nest

I don’t do these often… but here it goes…

1. Do you wear a name tag at work? ummm… no…

2. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Caravan

3. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell? We don’t have Taco Bell in Quebecv

4. Have you ever had a garage sale? Yes, but it was a disaster because we are on a side street and are not allowed to advertise.

5. What color is your iPod? Simon’s Ipod is Black and so is my Zune 🙂

6. What kind of dog do you have? stuffed

7. What’s for dinner tonight? Ham

8. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had? Wine…. mmm… wine….

9. Stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone? I don’t have a cell…
10. Last time you were sick? About a month ago… we all got it pretty bad…

11. How long is your hair? about mid bum length

12. Are you happy right now? Yes, but I will be even happier once I get a few things under control

13. What did you say last? “Boys… please go play downstairs while you brother naps”

14. Who came over last? My mom

15. Do you drink beer? yes, but I rather wine..

16. Have your brothers or sisters ever told you that you were adopted? I’m and only…

17. What is your favorite key chain on your keys? an Etch-a-sketch

18. What did you get for graduation? a diploma

19. Whats in your pocket? fluff

20. Who introduced you to Dane Cook? umm… who’s that?

21. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear? They just opened for the first time here so no…

22. What DVD is in your DVD player? Lion King

23. What’s something fun you did today? laughed with the boys

24. Who is/was the principal of your high school? I forget her name… she was a bit scary though…

25. Has your house ever been TP’d? no

26. What do you think of when you hear the word “meow”? Natalie… singing the meow mix song

27. What are you listening to right now? the boys playing downstairs

28. Drinking? water and a bit of cold coffee

29. What is your favorite aisle at Wal-Mart? When we go… (it is pretty far from here) Fabric

30. When is your mom’s birthday? july 9th

31. When is your birthday? july 26th

32. What’s the area code for your cell phone? again… no cell…

33. Where did you buy the shirt you’re wearing now? old navy

34. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror? no…

35. How many states in the US have you been to? I am really not sure… but I travelled quite a bit as a kid…

36. What kind of milk do you drink? Soy, rice and cow…

37. What are you going to do after this? put the ham in the oven

38. Who was the last person you went shopping with? Simon

39. What is your favorite fruit? cherries

40. What about your favorite dessert? chocolate

41. What is something you need to go shopping for? A new shower head

42. Do you have the same name as one of your relatives? middle and last only

43. What kind of car does one of your siblings drive? no siblings

44. Do you like pickles? yes

45. How about olives? yes

46. What is your favorite kind of gum? not too big on gum

47. What is your favorite kind of juice? orange… freshly squeezed… or lemon

48. Do you have any tan lines? no..

49. What hospital were you born in? Verdun

Ok, so now I’m supposed to tag someone else to do this. How about… Todd, Andrea and Sara

unschooling blogs…

You may or may not have noticed the little blue unschooling blog webring button that I put up a little while ago… At least once a day I follow the links to other blogs and I have found some really great ones…

The great thing about so many unschooling blogs is that they are about the everyday life of people that often have the same ideology as me.. Personally, I find it hard to write about what the boys learn because it is so gradual and it is just part of the everyday.

During the holidays, FIL (father-in-law) came over for a visit… and he asked again about our homeschooling. I think that it is starting to sink in for family that our boys will not be going to school… It was different when Xavier was not of “school age” but now that he is not in Kindergarten… and will not be going into grade 1 etc… it makes all of the difference and the panic seems to be setting in. Especially I believe because in French-Canadian society, homeschooling is just something that is unknown for the most part. So, FIL asked me if I sat Xavier down and “did school” every day… I said no… that we would rather he learn by himself… then he said “and you really think that that is going to work?”… I said “yes, and we are not the first nor the last to use this method, and look what he already knows… it is not like he is behind” and then the subject was changed….

To be honest, I have read what the system believes that kids should know by the end of their “preschool” education, and Xavier is not at all behind, he may even be ahead in some things… he knows his letters, can write his name and will write other words by asking the letters.. he knows quite a few simple math concepts (1/2 + 1/2 = a whole etc) and is gaining more interest in numbers and reading… Socially, he is learning a lot of skills by simply being a big brother, playing games with Simon and so many other ways.

I know that unschooling can and does work, I hope that one day our families will see that. I feel that as time goes on they will see that the boys are learning, are developing and hopefully they will see that homeschooling, and maybe even unschooling is not a way we are depriving our kids, but are a way to let them thrive.

So, for now… as I read the unschooling blogs that are linked in the webring, I feel better that this blog, even though it is also an unschooling blog, is focused on our everyday life and not just what is being learned academically… because really what unschooling is about is learning through life.

you know you have been nursing for a long time when…

you can’t see the baby anymore…

you call out and he doesn’t come and then you start asking the older kids where he is and are about to get up to look for him only to realize that to get up and look for him you would have to unlatch him and put him down….