Nomadic Dreamers...our unschooling journey

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween

2007-09-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Tristan and I spent the day corpsing a skeleton. Nothing is more satisfying than turning a cheap plastic skeleton into a gnarly, oozing mass of decaying flesh and bone. ;o) It was messy, it was time consuming, and now the house has a lingering odor of wood stain -- but we are very happy with the results! If all goes as planned, he'll be hanging by a rough hemp noose on our front porch. LOL

In the beginning he was the basic discount store skeleton...

Then a bit of cheesecloth and latex was applied....

And then he was doused liberally with stain...

And the finished product is a corpse any mummy would be proud of! ;o)

Try finding this in your garden variety school art class...if the school district hasn't already canceled the art program in lieu of more test preparation!

After a long leave of absence....

2007-09-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I never have been diligent about keeping a journal, but after a year we're back to blogging! I wish I could say the lengthy absence was due to being so busy that I just didn't have time to log all our activities, but, well, that just wouldn't be true. We've been busy, to be sure, but much of our time has been spent in readjustment -- to our new home/neighborhood, to Jody returning from Iraq after 16 months (getting all of us adjusted, especially since Jody was new to RUing, was a bit harder than I think we all realized), and now the reality that we will be leaving the military in 5 months (HUZZAH!!!). We are all really excited to be finally rid of the military life, but it brings up all sorts of new concerns and uncertainties -- starting out on a new career path, moving, etc.

Speaking of moving, one of the biggest issues I'm looking at are the state homeschooling laws, and it's dauting to say the least. It is so incredibly easy to homeschool here in Alaska. There are no hoops to jump through, no required testing, no evaluations, etc. Heck, we don't even have to notify the school district! Now we're looking at the very real possibility of having to do all those things I've dreaded. Although for a while I kept a log of what Tristan did during our days of unschooling, I've never translated it into "educationese." And while I'm very comfortable with our unschooling lifestyle, I'm not so good at explaining what we do under pressure - say if a superintendent or evaluator questioned me or Tristan. I'm really hoping that, depending on where we move, I'll have the option to enroll under an umbrella school or find an incredibly unschooler-friendly evaluator.

We're moving....again....

2006-08-23T23:44:00.000-08:00

Oh the timing couldn't be worse....with Jody in Iraq and Tristan and I heading out next week to San Antonio and then the L&L Conference. Less than a week after we get home, the movers will be here. Thankfully we are only having to move to another location on post. I couldn't fathom moving back down to the Lower 48 by myself...driving the AlCan with Tristan and two dogs?? Uh no...not gonna happen!

Right now I feel like I'm running on empty and am beyond exhausted. I'm trying to get as much done as possible before we leave next week...tearing down our fence, working in the yard, conducting minor repairs in the house, and the list goes on and on and keeps growing by the minute. Of course, this being military housing, we have to do all sorts of things...attend briefings, have the house undergo several inspections, etc etc etc... Gawd, I can't wait to be finished with all the military BS once and for all.

I officially signed for our new house (aka "quarters" in military lingo) on Monday and was so depressed when we drove by our new place. It is old and institutional-looking from the outside, and butts right up with a number of other units. Our current place is so homey, and we have an awesome little backyard that backs up into a grove of trees. Not a tree in sight at our new place. Just writing that depresses me. I really need that connection to nature. Thankfully, I think I spotted a bikepath not far from our place that leads to some meadows...hopefully a forested area isn't too far off.... Ah well, we'll make the best of the situation. There are a few huge parks right by our new place, which immediately sold Tristan on the idea of moving. As far as the house, we'll do what we can to make the place "ours" and Jody will be home in a few more months. That is what is most important right now.

To add insult to injury I found out that we won the Denali Lottery, where we would have been able to drive the entire road in Denali National Park (usually only the park buses are allowed on the road). Without Jody here...and our designated day falling right between when we return from our trip and when we move...we don't plan on going. I gave our ticket to someone I know who had entered but didn't win; I'm glad it won't go to waste.

So appropriate for our times...

2006-08-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ But conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.”
-- Martin Luther King

Preparing for Albuquerque

2006-08-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

My parents have conspired for the last year to get Tristan and I out of Alaska...at least temporarily....while Jody was gone. I fought and fought but finally relented when we found out Jody wouldn't be coming home as planned. My mom envisioned herself, Tristan, and I taking a trip to somewhere like Disneyland, but I really wanted to include Jody in something that grand....so I brought up the possibility of attending the Live and Learn Unschool Conference in September. Surprisingly she was receptive of the idea. Of course, the trip doesn't come without a few strings attached. We'll be staying a few days (which has now been extended to 10....ggrrrr....) in San Antonio with my parents before flying out to Albuquerque.

I'm really looking forward to the conference but am more than a little hesitant. There will be so many people, and I do terribly in crowds, especially when I don't know anyone. I also don't know how my mom will take to the whole conference atmosphere. She knows it's a homeschooling conference (she hasn't really been exposed to the entire idea of unschooling, except for the People mag article a few months back), but I don't think she realizes topics include the riches of video gaming, Harry Potter, geocaching, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or anime. LOL

Tristan hasn't talked about the trip much but is very excited about the manga/anime funshop, where he plans to dress up as Captain Kuro from One Piece. He figured out his costume to the smallest detail, and yesterday we went out to the local thrift store to hunt down the items. We were very lucky and came out finding everything we needed, except for a key item tracked down at WalMart. Now, looking at Kuro you wouldn't think the costume could be that difficult....until you arrive at his infamous "cat claws," black gloves with long knives attached to each finger. Picture me late at night fighting with duct tape, two sets of gloves (the duct tape tore apart the first set), and plastic samurai swords. Not a pretty picture. LOL Although they look a bit rough, Tristan is happy with the outcome and has been perfecting his Kuro moves throughout the house.

First signs of autumn

2006-08-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Autumn has already begun to show its face in Fairbanks --- the crimson red of the rose hips, the changing colors of the leaves, the return of the sandhill cranes.

Eureka! Finally able to post pics once again

2006-08-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Finally! I've been fighting with Blogger for over a month now trying to get this pic posted on our blog for Jody. This is Tristan taking a break at Savage River at Denali National Park back in June. I think it's got to be one of my favorite pictures of him. :o)

Picking up the pieces

2006-08-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

It's nearing on two weeks since we found out that Jody would not be coming home from Iraq. The initial shock has finally worn off, and T and I are gradually getting back into our daily routine. It's been difficult, though. The summer has always been the most active time for our family. It was a rare day when someone would find us at home, as we were always out kayaking, hiking, geocaching, or just driving to explore new places. This summer has been different. T and I haven't gotten out much at all. The most audacious thing we might do is stop by Mickey D's for fries and drinks and then take a drive just outside of town. I think it's hard for me to get out and really enjoy the same things I so closely associate with Jody. I've had a few folks tell me to discover and develop new interests, but I just haven't found anything yet. I feel like I've been in a holding pattern for the past 12 months, ever since Jody left. I've got to break out of this, since Jody will not be coming home until December or possibly even later.

Tristan has been doing remarkably well, considering the circumstances. Recently, he found a slime recipe I pulled from our paper (well, technically it was some colloidal science experiment...but for T? SLIME!!), and proceeded to make batch after batch of the stuff in all sorts of colors and quickly developed a plan to sell it to the neighborhood kids. LOL

He's also been saving his money up for an XBox, as he has become a huge fan of Halo. A few days ago we headed to GameStop to buy a used system and Halo2. Well, Tristan finished that game in about 2 1/2 days. LOL He's had a lot of fun with it, however, and I think it has helped keep his mind off Jody for the time being.

This month is going to prove to be a rough one for Tristan, however, in more ways than one. His remaining three friends are all moving within 5 days of one another. :o(

No homecoming for us

2006-07-30T02:28:00.000-08:00

Jody was due to leave Iraq today, after a grueling 12 month deployment. Instead we got word late Wednesday night, just days from our homecoming, that his brigade was being extended in Iraq for up to four months. We're heartbroken, angry, frustrated, defeated, and feel deceived. After enduring so much, we hoped that this nightmare was finally over for us.

The command didn't even have the decency to notify us first. Most of us discovered this painful news through the media!! There were reports that Strykers were headed to Baghdad. We were all certain, however, that it was the brigade that was set to replace Jody's. Because, of course, they would never extend a brigade that is in the process of leaving; the first soldiers had already returned to Ft Wainwright the Sunday prior. Boy were we in for a rude awakening. The Strykers the news talked about included both the new unit from Ft Lewis and the 172nd, the unit Jody belongs to.

Emotions are running raw throughout the post. We went to a brigade briefing, and it turned into an episode reminiscent of the Jerry Springer Show. Wives shouting and screaming at each other, and there were reports that things actually got physical at one point. Instead of the families coming together during a time of great need, they went at each other like animals.

Kids are faring terribly through this mess. Mothers have ended longterm friendships between kids over the silliest of things. Two moms on our street have become invisible, shutting themselves into their houses, and allowing their very young children run wild and destroy property. When they happen to be outside, you hear swearing and threats being shouted at the kids. We were told by the medical command to bring our kids to their pediatricians if necessary to be drugged. These poor kids don't need drugs, they need a stable and nurturing family environment. The troubles run so deep in these families, and this deployment just adds another layer to the problems.

As for T and I, we'll continue to plug along just as we have these past 11 1/2 months.

Close Encounters with Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2006-07-12T23:54:00.000-08:00

The TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is filming this week in the Fairbanks area. It's made headlines in the paper, with daily updates on what is happening with the home. Numerous businesses and over 1,000 volunteers have come together to build a home for a deserving family in just a week. It's amazing to read about the generosity of so many in our area.

Today Tristan asked to head over to his favorite antique shop. I think the owner and her daughter have a soft spot for Tristan. They know of his love for all things World War II and have his name and phone number in case anything relevant is brought into the shop. They'll point out possible things of interest to him, give him discounts, and talk about what a "cool kid" he is to other customers. They are really great folks that take so much time with Tristan, where as many adults would not give him the time of day.

At any rate, we headed over to the shop this afternoon, and when we entered the owner came bustling over with a really excited look on her face and quietly exclaimed "GUESS WHO'S HERE?!?!? EXTREME MAKEOVER!!" A second later we see the camera guy behind her as he's looking over the shop for possible shots. We then saw a few of the folks from the show, including Michael Moloney, the main interior designer. He was looking over various pieces of furniture for the home.

Tristan and I decided to look around and headed for the back portions of the shop. We did our usual poking around, trying to guess what various tools were used for, etc. Tristan decided to buy an old small animal trap. When we went to pay for the trap, we realized that they were about to start filming their spot right next to the store entrance. So we hung around the counter with the owner while Michael Moloney called the family and inquired as to what antique piece their mother would like (they captured this whole conversation on camera). After filming, I said a few last words to the owner and turn around to see Tristan just chatting it up with Michael. He was really nice to Tristan, asking to see what Tristan had bought, if he could see it, etc. LOL

This episode is supposed to be the season premiere on September 24th. Tristan is so anxious to watch!!

Fun Under the Midnight Sun

2006-06-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

We've never had more nighttime fun than here in Fairbanks. In the summer, this means nearly unending sunlight. We've hiked, geocached, kayaked, and explored the area at all times of the day and night.

One longstanding tradition here in Fairbanks is the Midnight Sun Run that is held the Saturday before Summer Solstice. This year was our third Sun Run. We didn't have Jody here with us this year, but Grandma and Grandpa joined in on the fun. The Sun Run is 10K that runs from UAF (University of AK at Fairbanks) to Pioneer Park. There are over 3,000 participants each year, ranging from the serious runner to the casual walkers (US!!). It is such a fun event, with an incredibly festive atmosphere. We gather at UAF a few hours prior to the start to people watch. There is a costume division. Over the past few years one gentleman from the Lower 48 comes up with the most amazing costumes, and this year was no exception. Then you have the locals with such creative ideas....spawning salmon, the Northern Lights, the Osbornes. This year a group of 5 gals were "couch potatoes," with one posing as the TV, two on a couch, and the other two pushing the couch. Tristan decided to dress as a soldier. He looked pretty cool, especially when he was hanging around a group of uniformed Marines that were competing as a group.

The Sun Run route meanders mostly through residential neighborhoods. Folks sit at the end of their driveways, cheering the runners/walkers, offering water, and spraying them down with sprinklers or Super Soakers. One street really gets into the spirit and holds a yearly block party, which has gotten larger every year we've participated. This year they had a live band, which was really cool.

The Midnight Sun Run is the highlight of Tristan's summer. He absolutely loves it!! Last year the little trooper walked the entire route in the rain and was completely drenched at the end. Not 3 minutes into this year's race, Tristan found another boy to talk to. As it turns out his dad is also deployed to Iraq, and he only lives a few miles away from us. Tristan can really make friends anywhere!

I had taken a series of pics, but when I tried to upload them to the computer it said that the files had been corrupted. :o( Even with a downloadable program, I was unable to save them. I'm going to head to the local photo place and see if they can salvage the pics.

Denali and other adventures

2006-06-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

So Grandma and Grandpa are visiting, which means trips to the various local touristy destinations....Pioneer Park, Denali, and the rest. Thankfully, they have visited before so we have done the really touristy attractions, such as the river boat trip and panning for gold. These activities in and of themselves aren't bad, but the groups that run them make them into such cheesy tourist traps. Tristan really enjoys Pioneer Park so he and Grandpa spent quite a bit of time in the air museum and wandering about the Nenana riverboat. He also made a new friend in about 2 minutes time while swinging at the park. :o)

We spent a few days in Denali and traveled there via train. For a few days the trip was up in the air because of a wildfire south of Fairbanks. At one time it had jumped the train tracks and suspended train operations. When we traveled south we saw freshly burned areas -- some still smoldering -- but, thankfully, no active fires. Our hotel was close to Glitter Gulch, the touristy "town" right outside the park, and Tristan and I spent quite a bit of time wandering through the shops. He quickly managed to make friends with one of the shopkeepers at his favorite shop and the manager at the ice cream parlor. LOL

Denali sure has changed in just two years. They now have a new visitors center, bookstore/giftshop, and even a large cafeteria. As nice as it is to have these additions (there was NO place to get food/water before), it has really made the lower portion of the park seem more crowded. We didn't take any long bus tours but took our regular hike around the Savage River. The upper portion of the river was closed due to bear activity, but the largest animal we saw -- except for the pinpoint sized Dall sheep -- were marmots. One was so close to the trail that we nearly stepped on him.

We also took a speedboat trip up the Nenana River with Denali Wilderness Adventures, which was a lot of fun. It was amazing how quickly we maneuvered through the winding and incredibly shallow river. After speeding our way upstream about 12 miles we stopped and had a presentation on trapping and tried our hand at goldpanning. Tristan was full of questions in regards to trapping and on the van ride back to the hotel he exclaimed that he wanted to try his hand at it.

Tristan never has small, simple plans and seems to come up with projects that I am simply clueless about. The closest I've been to a trapped animal was a beaver this past October, and she had already been trapped and hauled out of the river. I'm going to check into the local trapping association and try to hook him up with some local trappers.

Hub of Activity

2006-05-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

School in Fairbanks has been out for less than two weeks, and I'm thinking that it is going to be a looonnnnnngggg summer! The neigborhood kids are already bored and getting on each other's nerves since they tend to hang around together all day long. "I feel like I'm back at school, Mom!" is what Tristan told me the other night. Tristan is about as social as one can get...always eager to play with friends...but even he is seeking refuge in the house and turning some kids away at our doorstep, even if only for a few hours. Several kids prowl from house to house looking for things to do and kids to play with, and because of our very long days this easily goes on until around 10PM every day.

Another unexpected result of school ending is our house becoming the hub of activity for some of the kids in the neighborhood, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's good in that I can keep an eye on Tristan (who can easily meltdown if kids get on his nerves or tease him), but it has been exhausting so far. Kids in and out all day, stuff everywhere, requests for foods/drinks, having to keep the basenjis wrangled, and just the general commotion and noise for hours on end. I view our home as our sanctuary, and I revel in the peace and quiet. I'm not taking too kindly to it being completely turned on its end. Tristan and I are trying to work on some control measures to keep his room and the house in general from becoming complete disaster areas; he certainly didn't like the state of his room last night once his friends left.

I've been working on a list of things that Tristan and I can do to keep us busy and out of the neighborhood. Hopefully we'll stay sane over the next few months. LOL

T's Green Thumb

2006-05-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months Tristan has developed a real passion for plants. He's always been a great defender of nature but has now brought that love indoors. It started with a little pothos plant that we bought while Jody was at home for R&R. This little plant quickly doubled in size (I would have managed to kill the poor thing in a week if it had been under my care).

Tristan's plant inventory now includes the pothos, a mimosa plant (aka "sensitive plant"), lucky bamboo (which isn't really bamboo), two Venus Flytraps, a Butterwort, and a Cobra Lilly. The last four are all carnivorous plants. He's also trying his hand at sprouting an avocado seed. Our once foliage-barren home is beginning to look like a green house! :o)

A Day in the Life...

2006-05-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

In February I began keeping a daily journal of Tristan's activities. No recordkeeping is required to homeschool in Alaska, but I wanted to do it -- more than anything -- for my own well-being. I knew that I could easily slip into the mentality that Tristan "isn't doing anything," "isn't socializing," etc. By keeping my journal I clearly see how much he is doing each and everyday, on his own and without any coercion by me. I thought this blog would initially serve as my daily journal, however, I took to listing everything in a small composition notebook. Some days the lists are quite short, while other days nearly fill an entire page (like yesterday)...just the ebb and flow of unschooling, I'd wager. :o)

Here's what I wrote for May 5th (and I know I failed to write some items in!):

- Went on a 2+ mile bikeride and visited the post's sports shop
- Found the Leapfrog Turbo Twist Spelling contraption in a toy bin, played with it for a while
- Played outside with friends
- Created scapes with the Falling Sand program
- Walked 1+ miles (from our house to the service station to pick up the car)
- Observed a beaver on the Chena River
- Mixed peat moss and pearlite; repotted new Venus' Flytrap
- Visited Holm Town Nursery and Home Depot's garden center (on the hunt for another Venus' Flytrap)
- Drove through Birch Hill Cemetery
- Took a drive north of Fairbanks in the Goldstream Valley
- Listened to "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" audiobook while driving
- Read portions of Jody's history of the Army book
- Created new adventure and DM'ed D&D game
- Watched favorite scenes of "Labyrinth"
- Looked at M.C. Escher artwork on internet (inspired to see them after watching "Labyrinth")
- Read various items throughout the day, both orally and silently
- Created images with graphics game on Cartoon Network website

Hooray for Breakup

2006-04-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

Breakup. The term Alaskans use when the temperatures finally rise and the ice and snow begin to melt away....only to give us impromptu mini lakes and mud! I don't think I've ever been happier to see a "season" arrive. This past winter was incredibly hard. I don't mind the short days at all (actually, I prefer them to our neverending days of summer), but the bitter cold was difficult to handle this time around.

Tristan's most requested activity right now is to grab drinks and a snack and "take a drive and look at nature" while listening to audiobooks. It's wonderful to have clear, dry roads again so I've been taking him up on this! We've been plowing our way through the audiobook series of Harry Potter and are now well into "The Goblet of Fire." Even though we've listened to these tapes countless times, we never seem to tire of them.

Now that it is warmer (it's been in the mid 40's for sometime now), the neighborhood is overflowing with kids...at least on the weekends and after school. Tristan's been taking full advantage of this, playing for hours and hours at a time with a number of kids. I think today he played with 10+ kids. And my parents worry about "socialization"? ROFL

The warmer weather has finally awakened our neighborhood moose. We had not seen them in months, and now we've seen them three times in the past week or so, practically walking right on top of her twice and seeing her from the car this morning. Guess I need to keep my eyes open or we are liable to get charged! She's a quirky thing. She's fairly tolerant but has been known to bluff charge and follow folks for quite a distance until they are out of her territory; this happened to us our first summer here. Yesterday one of my friends said she finally spotted last years calf, and he is a bull!! He should be fun to see, but I think momma will push him from the immediate area, as it looks like she will be having another calf very soon.

Budding Entrepreneur

2006-04-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

You just never know what project may spark new ideas.

Off and on over the past few months Tristan has been working on making his own plaster skulls. Originally, he had an interest in making latex masks (like those that are sold at Halloween). So we jumped on the internet and quickly found directions. Those appeared straight forward enough, but finding the correct materials in the middle of Alaska proved to be a problem, however. Back to the internet we went and found a company that sold several starter kits, including one to make shrunken heads (mini latex masks) and another to make mini plaster skulls.

Tristan decided to start with the mini skull kit. This included sculpting a skull from clay (much more difficult that I thought!), making the latex mold, and then mixing/pouring the plaster to make the skulls. After not being happy with our skull sculpture, Jody came to the rescue while on leave. He helped Tristan create an alien skull. Then came time to make the latex mold...a procedure that included painting 15+ layers of liquid latex compound onto the sculpture. Little did we know that the compound contained ammonia, which made Tristan run for cover. Enter Mom, who diligently painted on layer after layer of this smelly substance. ;o) We then peeled the mold from the sculpture, poured the plaster and....behold....mini plaster alien skull!!

What did this lead to? A few nights ago Tristan came up with his newest business plan. He wants to sell his plaster skulls. He's obviously been thinking a lot about this. He'll sit me down and talk endlessly about how many skulls he needs to produce before he officially opens for business, marketing ideas, when the best time of year is to sell them, how to package them, etc. My favorite is his packaging ideas. He'd like to have prepainted skulls, skulls that come with packages of paint (a "paint your own" type of kit), and a skull "3-pack." *grin*

Back to the Blog...

2006-04-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

No entries in over a month??? That's the slacker coming out in me, I guess... ;o)

March was pretty much a whirlwind of activity. The first two weeks were spent gearing up for Jody to come home for his two weeks of R&R leave from Iraq, and then we spent the second half of the month together as a family once again. Jody was indoctrinated into our new unschooling life (and he took to it beautifully, I must say!). It was a relaxed visit....sleeping in way too late, lounging in bed, eating out, playing D&D until the wee hours of the morning, and just enjoying one another's company.

Saying goodbye to Jody at the airport was heartwrenching...so much harder than saying our first goodbyes way back in August. In August, we could only speculate on what this separation would be like. At the end of March we knew how hard and dangerous the past months have been, and the thought of sending Jody back there?!?! I can't even put that into words... We've seen this war tear apart families and maim (physically, as well as mentally) and kill soldiers that we knew.

This deployment has forced Tristan to grow up all too quickly. No child should have to see his dad head off to war, all the while knowing he may never see his dad again. We know countless kids who have now gone through this two and three times, and we've seen the lasting damage it creates. The very unfortunate reality of being in a military family. Jody and I have vowed to never put our family through this again. Jody filed paperwork yesterday, turning down a well deserved promotion....our first step in becoming a civilian family after he returns.

Thought for the Day

2006-02-23T10:02:00.000-09:00

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."

I think this should be my mantra when talking to my parents..... ;o)

Unforeseen benefits

2006-02-15T17:14:00.000-09:00

When I pulled T out of school I had high hopes that it would better our lives. It has, of course, in numerous ways...T and I have really connected; our relationship is better than it has ever been (and it was incredibly rocky for years). We are both more relaxed and truly more happy. I never realized, however, how quickly his interactions would change with other kids.

In school T was in trouble about 90% of the time. It was a rare day that he didn't come home with a note that went into great detail about all of his infractions. His relationships at school were troubled. Kids knew of T's sensitive nature and took advantage of it. Some would purposefully taunt T just to get a reaction out of him and loved the fact that T would then get into trouble for "overreacting." The group dynamics were never in T's favor...the bullying, the fickle nature of kids ("yesterday I was your friend, today I'm not"), the gang mentality. T always had problems waiting in lines, bustling others and wanting always to be first.

Recently we found a sledding hill close to our home. As soon as we arrived, T offered up his tube to the other two kids that were sledding. When they would all race up the hill together, T would offer to let them go ahead of him (where in the past, he would fight to be first). This similar senario has happened during all the times we have visited this particular hill. I'm amazed at the changes in T -- and we've only been unschooling since December!

Winter doldrums

2006-02-12T09:59:00.000-09:00

T and I have been in a rut these past few weeks, but I think we are slowly working our way out of it. We've had several tragic deaths occur over the past month, all in Iraq. One soldier I knew personally (and her husband worked closely with Jody), and the other two were in Jody's unit. Thankfully, I've been able to keep this news from T. I've had a hard enough time dealing with it. The news of these deaths would crush T, and he would be more worried than ever about his dad, who is constantly in harm's way. Today marks our halfway point through this deployment. One can only hope the remaining six months go by safely and quickly.

The last few weeks were made even more difficult because of the extremely cold temperatures. For about three weeks our high temps hovered around the -30's and -40's - much too cold to do any outdoor activities. We did get out and mainly haunted Fred Meyer and WalMart (just to get out of the house), and visited Glow Putt a few times. I do love Alaska, but this winter has really taken its toll on me. I just want to curl up in bed and wait until spring arrives.

That isn't to say we haven't been busy. I broke down and bought both T and I Nintendo DS's (much to T's shock and excitment). We've been playing Animal Crossing and have had a great time working in our little towns and visiting each other. T has already finished Star Wars Episode III on DS and is now immersed in Sims 2. When it comes to video games, the DS is much more my speed. T's PS2 is way too complicated for me.

Jody also introduced us to "Smallville," a TV show on the WB. It's almost become a nightly ritual to watch one DVD a night to catch us up on the past four seasons.

Baptism by blaster

2006-01-19T22:58:00.000-09:00

Last night T introduced me to Star Wars Battlefront II. I know T is extremely proficient at videogames, but my experience gives me new appreciation for his skill. I wasn't just bad --- I was TERRIBLE. I grew up as a part of the Atari generation: a simple joystick and a fire/jump button. The PS2 controller scares me....arrow buttons, two joysticks, and the X, square, circle, and triangle buttons. Oh yes, we can't forget the multiple left and right buttons that run along the side of the controller. Of course, this game uses all of them. I knew I was doomed from the very beginning.....

T was patient -- extremely patient -- with me and encouraged me all the way, as I banged into walls, shot the ceilings, and fell off cliffs. He even ran me through the tutorial, giving me tips and rooting me on when I died spectacularly again and again. I have to admit it was fun....but exhausting!

Today T rummaged through some of our older computer games and decided he wanted to play "Age of Empires" and "Civilization III." He only played Age of Empires for a bit but spent a number of hours on Civilization III; he would run to the top of the stairs and shout down to me everytime he made peace/declared war/conquered a city. He was quite successful in his game and, needless to say, there was quite a lot of shouting going on.

And the school system rears its ugly head

2006-01-18T23:07:00.000-09:00

*Sigh* Just when you think you are out of the clutches of the public school system, think again! Alaska is supposed to be one of the best states to homeschool; we don't have to notify or seek the approval of anyone. T's former school, however, doesn't see it this way and decided to send us a "nice" letter stating that we are not obeying the law. For a few hours this put me into a panic, with me coming up with scenarios whtat included social services or a truancy officer knocking on my door. That is until some nice, fellow homeschoolers put me at ease. I think the letter was a scare tactic more than anything, in hopes of getting T back into school. Afterall, T is money lost for the school if he is not enrolled. It just infuriates me that they are so "educated" yet I know more about the homeschooling laws than they do. How ironic.... Just in case I have folks that start asking questions, I have prepared a binder for T. It includes the homeschooling laws for AK and a "course of study" that I put together. Once in a while I add in things like places we've visited, books he's read, etc.

Last night we pulled out some PVC pipe and fittings since T wanted to construct his own sewer. He built two different designs and tested them out in the sink and bathtub. He even insisted that I videotape the demonstrations.

Before heading to bed, we watched a bit of "Brother Bear" which led to T asking if bears can see in color (after a quick internet search we found the answer to be "yes!") and making arrowheads out of polymer clay.

Routine Days

2006-01-13T11:37:00.000-09:00

We sent Jody a humor themed care package last week, which contained some DVD comedies, T's first movie "The Evit Two", a "Calvin and Hobbes" book, the Sunday comics, some Mad Libs that T and I completed, and -- of course -- a rubber chicken. Jody will think we have completely lost our minds, but it was such fun to put together.

A few of T's latest endevours:
Making movies, complete with outtakes (filmed AFTER the movie) and bonus materials (T discussing his reasons for making the films, etc.).
Bit of reading in new hermit crab book
Lots of time on Age of Mythology and Star Wars Battlefront

Recently, T has become quite interested in religion, questioning different Bible stories and asking about various other religions. Except for various discussions at home, T's only real exposure to religion has been in a school setting, as he has attended two different private schools. He even debated theology with his first grade teacher. Thank goodness she was open minded and didn't simply squash his curiosity and questions and dismiss them with a simple "it's in the Bible so you must believe it." T's most recent request is to get copies of The Koran, both in English and in Arabic. I'm going to see if Jody may be able to get a copy of The Koran while he is over in the Sandbox. He's already on the lookout for a book in Arabic for T.

For the love of owl vomit

2006-01-11T00:08:00.000-09:00

Yesterday T and I went to Glow Putt, a nifty little indoor mini golf place that is lit up with blacklights. We had the entire place to ourselves! A few weeks back went mini golfing with the grandparents when they came to visit for Christmas. What a stressful ordeal that was! T was upset and even cried for nearly the entire game! Yesterday was so nice and laidback. We didn't keep score, we gave each other extra tries, cheered each other on, etc. Once we finished, we talked to the gentleman that was working the counter. He happens to co-own the business with one of our local weathermen. Both of them are incredibly friendly and really nice guys. The man working yesterday mentioned that he had just received their brand new commercial, which hadn't yet aired. We watched it on his computer, and T gave him some very positive feedback.

T has always had a variety of interests that his friends (and former schoolmates) just don't share. One of these is owl pellets. Few things excite T more than owl vomit. Yes you read that right. On several different occasions he has had the opportunity to dissect owl pellets (regurgitated undigested remains of animals that the owls prey upon). He has always been fascinated -- or more accurately obsessed -- with bones. Human bones, fish bones, mammal bones. With owl pellets T can carefully pick through the pellet for the bones. Last night I came across "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel, and what happened to be one of the featured jobs? Owl Vomit Collector!!! I thought it was hilarious; T thought it was terrific.

"Dirty Jobs" ended up keeping us glued to the Discovery Channel for the rest of the evening. We then watched "Mythbusters" (T said we must now watch every "Mythbusters" episode since it was so cool). After that we watched a show on tight-rope walking, which made our palms sweaty for a straight hour!

My lack of confidence when it comes to electronics has had me procrastinating hooking up our new camcorder to the TV. T made several small movies with his friend the other evening and was thrilled to learn they would be able to watch them on the "big screen" instead of the tiny LCD camcorder monitor....that is, if Mom could figure out the technicalities!

Surprisingly, T and I got it figured out very quickly, and soon T was rolling on the floor and howling with laughter as we watched his first endeavor into film making. It was incredibly funny and looked quite a lot like an extremely blurry "Blair Witch Project." As I was messing with the camera, I happened to flip a switch and found us "live" on TV. T thought this was extremely cool and was immediately coming up with ideas, including me setting up the camcorder and acting as a newscaster, while he caused a number of disasters to occur. With it already being after midnight, I asked him if we could postpone that until the next morning. That way I would be able to dig out my tripod in order to secure the camera.

We stayed up very late again last night, talking into the wee hours of the morning about his former school and unschooling. Several folks have asked him if he misses school, what he misses about school, doesn't he miss his friends, etc.. I know people can easily plant little seeds of thought into my mind, which will often make me second guess decisions. I was a bit worried about this with T so I asked him what he thought of people's questions, and if he had doubts about staying home (yeah, asking questions about people asking questions....seems like an oxymoron, but....). He was very adamant about wanting to stay home and went on a bit of a tirade about all the things he didn't like about school. He did mention he missed a few people (namely the librarian!) but quickly said that she said he was welcome to visit any time he liked. "I'd like to visit, Mom, but I don't want to stay!!" He told me about some of the punishments he received in school, like having to copy essays with such topics as "I should consider myself lucky that I get to attend school"! I wish I would have known about that when T was still in school. Some heads would have rolled over that one!

I also gently broached the subject of kids asking him what he learned at homeschool lately. In the past, I have heard him say "nothing." I was a bit concerned that he would begin to think he was lagging behind his peers. He got this incredulous look on his face and said that he has been learning so much....about Egypt, DaVinci, strategies (from his computer games), and a number of other things. That got us on the subject of what different things I had learned on my own outside of school.

T did feel guilty about one thing. He said it wasn't fair that he was able to stay home, play, and learn about whatever he wanted to learn about, while all the other kids were forced to go to school. For a boy whose last teacher said he "shows no empathy for others," T sure has a big heart.