12.29.2008

What I Learned in 2008


Just a partial list of some of the random things I learned in the past year. I learned:


* That I have a compulsion to have a picture included in every blogpost and that without my laptop, my photo sharing skills are severely limited.

* That I have a very strong attachment to my laptop, and how I have it set up, and I miss it terribly now that it's STILL being fixed.

* That it really is as great as I imagined it would be to visit and stay at other unschoolers' homes.

* That I am shy on-line, like in real life. I am very good with one-on-one conversations, but typically am pretty quiet in a group setting. I realized that I rarely post on all the lists I've subscribed to, because I feel it's just like speaking up in a group converstion. I have no problem, however, in stopping by people's blogs and leaving comments, which seems so much more like talking to just one person. So, I learned that my on-line personna is pretty true to my real life personality.

* That my kids and I can take really long road trips, and have fun in the car!

* More about the nature of God, and my faith.

* That I need to keep on learning how to be more patient, more forgiving, more tolerant and accepting, more bold, and more myself. It will never be a done job.

* That my oldest son would like to go to college.

* That my youngest son seems to have a natural talent for pottery.

* That my daughter was seeing the world in much less focus than most of us, and that she needed glasses. I shared her joy and excitement at seeing the leaves on the trees so clearly.

* How to live more frugally.

* How to knit, again.

* How to foster pets.

* That the current legal "system" can be used to enforce a parent's will (no matter how harmful) on a child.

* A bit about Facebook.

* That I'm not that crazy about Myspace.

* All kinds of new crochet patterns.

* That I'm not as opposed to plastic surgery as I thought I was. (My eyelids always feel so heavy!)

* How to live without prescription antidepressants (at least for now).

* That every year, without fail, I will hide some Christmas present, and not be able to find it for Christmas.

* That I very likely will always need my kids to help me with technology.

* That my son and his girlfriend celebrated their one year "anniversary".

* Embroidery, again.

* That I love looking at the clouds and taking pictures of them.

* That although I don't like apple pie, I love a cut-up apple steamed and topped with cinnamon.


* A little bit about Facebook.


* That I really can't drink coffee without getting headaches


* That I still love living in Florida, despite the appeal of many other places.


* That my true nature is optimistic and hopeful.


* How to make and can kumquat marmalade.


* How to needle and wet felt from wool roving.


* How to play and win at several versions of Solitaire.


* That I could hardly make a comprehensive list of all that I learned in one year, so it would be impossible to record all that my children learn in a year! And that's okay! :)



Happy New Year! Hope it's full of love, laughter, and of course learning(I know it will be. ).

12.26.2008

Friday FIll-in #104


1. I must LIVE before I die.

2. You can't stop once you start.

3. I wish I never had to buy a bra again.

4. Unschooling has helped me change my life.

5. I know the song Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) by heart.

6. If I weren't so afraid, I would scuba dive.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my son's band practice ending. Tomorrow my plans might include strawberry picking, and Sunday, I want to relax!

12.25.2008


Hope your holidays are merry and bright! xo

12.20.2008

Enough About ME Already,

Let me tell you about my dear husband with this "Husband Meme" I saw on Julie's blog.

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV. What is on the screen? Whatever channel he happened to stop on right before the magic remote put him to sleep.

2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Italian

3. What is one food he doesn’t like? Pretty much anything from a box or can.

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? What bar?! If it's the one were we wait for a table to be ready, probably a glass of wine.

5. Where did he go to high school? William Floyd H.S. in Shirley, NY - same as me. ;)

6. What size shoe does he wear? 10 and 1/2

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He equates most collections with clutter, so anything he collects is useful, ie. tools and cookbooks.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Hmmmm, I'm not sure about this one, but probably a good Reuben, or an italian hero with everything on it.

9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could? Nothing I can think of. He likes variety.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Frosted Mini-Wheats, or the Muesli he had in Switzerland.

11. What would he never wear? A dress, or anything right off the rack. Clothes need to be broken in by the washer before wearing.

12. What is his favorite sports team? None that I know of

13. Who is his best friend? Me?

14. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Display "knick-knacks" on the kitchen windowsill.

15. How many states has he lived in? Three: NY, MA, FL

16. What is his heritage? Italian, and possibly Irish(the family history is a little cloudy)

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind? Yeah right! Like I'm going to bake a cake for my pastry chef husband! No, he gets an ice cream cake, either good old fashioned Carvel or mint chocolate chip from Baskin Robbins.

18. Did he play sports in high school? No

19. What could he spend hours doing? Cleaning out the garage and playing with our kids.

12.05.2008

Friday Fill-in


1. Snow is beautifully quiet and calming.

2. I'm looking forward to being thinner and more energetic.

3. My husband is the best pastry chef ever!

4. One of my favorite old tv shows is Wonder Years (not really that old, but about "old times").

5. I'm done with cleaning (in my dreams).

6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is the time spent with family and friends.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner at Chef John's house. Tomorrow my plans include going to the Hobe Sound Christmas parade, and on Sunday I want to go with my daughter to show our foster cat and kittens at Petco!