The Mindful Homeschool

I borrowed this from Everday yogini’s blog.  She has been a great resource for me!  Namaste!

“We rise to the occasion, and the occasion is this life, right now, just as it is. Practicing Yoga does not eliminate life’s challenges, and neither does it provide us with a convenient trap-door to escape from life’s distractions. Instead, Yoga gives us the skills to meet life head-on with dignity and poise.” -Donna Farhi

Biking with training wheels (3 yo)

Biking on snow and ice and thru puddles!

Digging big caves in the huge snow pile by our cul-de-sac

Writing the number 3 correctly, not backwards! 

Multiplication tables up to 6

Phonics (from Phonics Pathways)

Fractions (multiplying and dividing - mom needs a review)

Hawks: red tailed, goshawks, marsh hawks, and black hawks; falconers; coopers; bald eagles; owls; and other raptors

Reading Hop on Pop, d’aulaire books on Ben Franklin, Abe Lincoln and George Washington, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and Pippi Longstocking, all kinds of books on fairies, Nancy Drew and The Magic Attic Club

Playing with Polly Pockets and their water fountain

1000 pc. puzzle of a cabin in a snowy wooded area

Zen Shorts and The Little Prince, and Chicken Soup with Rice copywork

Decluttering, organizing and Feng shui in the children’s bedroom

Correcting bad habits, one habit at a time

The difference between an American omelette and a French one (The French one is flipped, not folded and doesn’t have the extra ingredients cooked inside; they are placed on top after cooking.)

Watched a PBS/Rick Steves’ show on Europe and saw great works of art, including Davincci’s The Last Supper

Trying to go tech-free one day a week

Blowing bubbles in above zero temps!

Learning the lyrics to Teegan and Sarah (sp?) music

Listening to more classical music on the classical music station

And mom is working on/learning:

Balance

One new habit (which is trying to keep a daily yoga practice)

Ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Easter

Patience, acceptance and the ability to let go (even if it is just a little)

Dd’s math work book problems (fractions, yikes!)

Charlotte Mason philosophy and ways to implement

Time management

Well, let’s just say I am not a technophile, if there is such a word.  I was pretty happy with life before computers and Windows and email and all that stuff came into “vogue”.  And it took a while before I was able to understand how truly wonderful the internet is.   So forgive me if it takes me awhile to get this blog looking good.  I apologize.  It (computer stuff) does not come naturally to me.  With that said, I want to let everyone know that although I am reading Meditations from the Mat (and I HIGHLY recommend it) that is not what my kids are reading.  (Although last night H-man did take a look at the book and laughed at the photos of people in yoga poses.) 

We are reading lots of different things.  Pippi Longstocking, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, the D’aulaire books on Benjamin Franklin, Buffalo Bill, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and Minn of the Mississippi by Holling.  Celia continues to read all sorts of books about fairies in her spare time.

The kids have been playing in the cul de sac by our house a lot lately.  There is a huge pile of snow that they have dug out and made into dens, for lack of a better word.  They are having a ton of fun every day doing this and they spend a lot of time with the neighbor kids working on it together.  This afternoon they are outside taking down icicles by the house and collecting them in a sled for a future use.  Hmmm.  Maybe I need to check on that.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that we are doing more than reading daily meditations.  And I will work on getting my blog looking better when I get some free time.  I am really working on practicing yoga daily, meditating, staying in the moment, staying healthy and trying to put together a routine that incorporates a lot of the Charlotte Mason ideas.  Buying healthy food, cooking, cleaning, reading and fostering a learning atmosphere leaves me with little extra time.  Plus, having a three year old in the house and all the clean up and laundry that goes with it makes for a busy day.  I know I need to make a list of what I really want out of this year, this life and spend my time accordingly.  But it is SO much easier said than done.  So with that in my mind, I shall sign off and do a few stretches, maybe write in my journal and hopefully clear my mind.  

Namaste!  

In honor of my birthday, we took a mini-vacation last weekend.  We stayed one night at a lovely cottage “treehouse” in Wisconsin.  It was awesome.  Everything we wanted it to be and more.  But no real easy way to describe it.  The treehouse cottage was built into a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and it took 86 steps from the parking lot to our cottage.  And it was one of the closer cottages to the parking lot!  The other cottages would have required even more climbing. 

The cottages overlooked the Mississippi river and the views were gorgeous.  We didn’t see any bald eagles from the windows of our little home away from home but outside we did see wild turkeys and my dear husband saw bald eagles flying high above the bluff.  It was magical.

I cannot wait to go back and spend more time there.   The only downside was that the accomodations were a tad expensive and so it was hard to justify staying there more than one night.  That was one of the main reasons we have never gone there even though we have known about these cottages for about three years.  It just seemed so extravagant, especially for our family.  But vacations are so important for the health of a family, I do believe.  It is what the children remember when they are grown up.  W had a hard time leaving, I think.  He and the other children really wanted to stay longer.  That was the only bummer on the trip.  Leaving.  But I told the children that we would come back.  I just need to figure out when and how.  Celia has requested that we go back for her birthday which I am considering.  She said that she would want to stay two nights because she will be turning double digits this year!  I guess we better start serving more peanut butter sandwiches. 

Of course, I want my dear children to have a much longer vacation too and I plan to work on finding a way to travel more with our kids.  But this was a great start.  It helped whet the appetite for some more family adventures and made me even more cognizant of how much everyone enjoys them.

Now we are thinking about taking the kids to see Mount Rushmore.  I have never been there but I have heard good things.  That would make for an awesome family adventure, I do believe.  In preparation for the trip I plan to do a lot of reading about the great presidents and the history of our country.  Educational and fun, now that’s a good thing!