Serious Love
Posted by Annie in Cycling, Family, Learning by Living, Natural Living, Unschooling on September 30, 2008
Thanks so much for the well wishes on and off my blog! Things have been going okay here especially since seeing my chiropractor yesterday and getting a bit of a tune up.
My grandfather is in better shape, although the bigger picture isn’t looking as good. They’re trying to make a spot for him in some sort of hospital long term living. I’m going to try and make time to go over and see him when he’s settled. At least the pressure is off the family that so lovingly took the time to have someone always with him day and night.
My husband is still away but we head down to Victoria tomorrow to spend the last few days of the Cancer raising event with him. We’ll be in a hotel downtown and free in the days to go to museums or hangout with friends or whatever we want. It should be a great time!
I don’t know if I mentioned it already but we enrolled Lily at the last minute in the *Wondertree Self Design program*. This gives us the opportunity to get support and funding for a year without needing to follow any curriculum. There are about 75 learning consultants to pick from but by the time we enrolled there weren’t many left. Regardless, we were able to find someone who would be a perfect fit for us as a family and our life interests. I talked to her tonight and am looking forward to more.
I always knew that registering for any school was going to be a bit of a trade off. With Wondertree I’m going to have to keep a journal to share with our learning consultant who will then translate what I write into “learning” for the government body that funds our “schooling”. Lily and I also need to sit down and come up with a loose plan for the year. This is a broad look at what she might be interested in learning about. It can change as her interests change but it gives the sense of intention to those who may not totally accept that everything we do in life is learning.
More than 15 years ago I spent time on online bulletin boards with students of Wondertree. They called it a “virtual highschool”. It amazed me that there was such a school and while I didn’t totally understand or wish to be schooled that way I realise now how much I would have gained from homelearning. It’s one reason I’m looking forward to going in this direction with the kids.
Here’s a few random pictures from the last little while:
Helping dad fix some lattice in the yard. Leif literally picked up the tools when Cam put them down and started using them the right way! He’s too cute. Cam’s made the dog kennel into a bit of an out door shop since it’s in the back corner of the yard. Sadly you can’t see what he had set up. It was very cool.
Getting into the jam when Mama’s not looking! Oh yeah right, put the lid on like you haven’t been scooping it out by the mouthful with the knife!
Heading out to run errands. It doesn’t look like much but I was carrying a big load here! I was taking a bunch of things to the thrift store, heading to the library and then came home with a ridiculous amount of groceries! The bike naming is on hold until Cam can have his say in the matter. He’s been so busy with the cancer ride.
Posted by Annie in Random Musings on September 23, 2008
I’m feel rather busy these days. My husband is out of town riding his bike down Vancouver Island raising money for cancer so I’m a single parent for two weeks while he’s gone. I also have a lot on my mind now that my grandfather is in the hospital again and they aren’t sure he’s coming out. Even though the reports seem positive they are joined with the concerns that he will not be going home. This feels like such a heavy burden and I can’t seem to get my thoughts straight. I have a number of topics I want to blog about and even have a draft partially written. It’s just not coming together so I’m going to take a few more days off. I’m not sure if going back to the mainland would help and with the kids it could be hard to spend any time with him. I’d like to do my share in staying with my grandfather 24/7 as my family have been doing since he’s scared, upset, having nightmares, unable to sleep, suffering from dementia and on and on. I feel helpless wanting to do something, comfort him, just tell him I love him… Anyway. That’s where I’ll be. See you all soon!
Gabriola Fall Fair
Posted by Annie in Friends, Learning by Living, Photos, Unschooling, Vegetarian, Walking on September 14, 2008
It was the Gabriola Fall Fair yesterday. Dh, the kids and I walked downtown to the ferry terminal where we met some friends and hopped on the ferry together. It was a beautiful day. Perfectly sunny yet cool enough that the walk uphill from the ferry terminal to the Commons was lovely.
We found a relatively intact skeleton of a small deer and a run over garder snake. It was an interesting day for discoveries! Sadly I didn’t have my camera when we came across the deer skeleton but I did get a picture of the snake. Lily was fascinated with the smooth texture.
This cob wall was just build recently.
There was so much to see. I was impressed with the HUGE garden protected behind a deer proof fence. There was music being played as well as highland dancers. We saw a lot of fall fair winners, from crochet table clothes to giant turkeys (well it was giant to me!).
There was a company that made their own wool from sheep like these:
There were different booths offering information on a variety of topics. This booth was set up to learn more about rocks. Many people brought their own rock finds to be identified by the available geologists. Lily was being shown how to wash rocks for closer inspection.
What fall fair is complete without a squash race?
A cool homemade base guitar and some interesting art!
After we got back to Nanaimo on the ferry we walked home and made a couple awesome pizzas and a peach strawberry pie. It was a fantastic day for sure.
Pasta, Deegs and Names for the Bike
Posted by Annie in Cycling, Deeg, Kitchen Cupboard, Vegetarian on September 9, 2008
Went for a great ride today. Lily, Leif and I rode downtown. On the way down we had many smiles and waves and we even bumped into my husband along the way. He rode along side us while we found a place to lock up. We first went into the kitchen store next to the grocery and I bought a pasta maker which was conveniently half off. Guess what? Pasta makers are actually really quite heavy which made the ride a good workout for sure. Looking forward to making *Beet Pasta for Lasagne* again soon but this time my pasta will be prettier. Still need to post pictures of that yummy supper!
We arrived home to the neighbour intercepting me before I get to my back gate. Turns out my dog ate the gd fence again and he and my downstairs neighbour’s dog were loose in the alley! My husband still can’t see reason that continuing to rebuild the fence so the dog keeps eating it to get out isn’t better than building and temporarily protecting (we’re renting) it in some way so he can’t eat it again.
I’m starting to think I need to name my Xtracycle like *Aubree* has. Her’s is named *Eliza*. Nice, eh? I’m interested in suggestions if anyone has any for my own Xtracycle.
Busy Weekend
Posted by Annie in Friends, Kitchen Cupboard, Random Musings on September 6, 2008
We have a busy and fun filled weekend right now.
Yesterday we had friends come for the afternoon and help finish making our falafel and pita supper. I love being with people who make themselves at home and jump into the goings on. They make it feel like they are part of the family instead of feeling like you have to entertain and play hostess. It just so happens that my one friend is an expert in all things bread. He finished the pita with a grace I only hope to learn with more years of practice. The pita was gorgeous and the best I’ve ever had! The cucumber and little yellow tomatoes, as well as the parsley came straight from their garden. I can post the recipes I use if there’s interest.
Today my dh is working at an event he organised for raising money for cancer. About 300 people are turning out to ride from Nanaimo to Victoria on road bikes. It should be a big money maker! More friends are coming over as they pass through town. I feel so lucky to have the friends I do. I’m not sure what we’ll do yet. Perhaps just hang out, maybe a quick trip to the park or maybe we’ll make a meal together?
Tomorrow my dh, kids and I are volunteering in another fundraising event. This one is a marathon. I’m not sure exactly how we can help but I’m anticipating being asked to man a water station. I’m guessing this will turn out to be the easiest way to help with the kids in tow.
Well I’m going to pop in the shower and we’re going to get some muffins or cookies on the go for the visit. Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!
Cooking Beans With A Pressure Cooker
Posted by Annie in Kitchen Cupboard, Vegetarian on September 3, 2008
I use a pressure cooker to cook beans, especially when my budget became so tight that I couldn’t afford canned beans for when I was in a pinch. So now the shortest notice I can have for cooking beans from dry is 40 min.
To cook beans in a pressure cooker you’re best to soak them first for 4 hours or overnight in water that is about 8 cm above the beans. This will cut the cooking time by more than half in many cases. You want to add 3 cups of water per 1 cup of soaked beans to the cooker. If you can’t soak them, no sweat. Add 4 cups of water per 1 cup of dried beans instead.
You never want the pressure cooker to be filled more than half way.
You lock the lid and turn the stove on high heat. When the cooker has reached high pressure and a steady stream of steam (ha) is coming out the top (adjust the heat lower if it’s out of control, you want the steam to be steady) than you set the timer for the cooking.
When the timer is up you turn off the heat of the stove or remove from an electric stove element and let the pressure release naturally. If you’re in a rush you can use the quick steam release but it’s better to let it do it on it’s own if you can.
Test the beans to check that they’re done. Beware if you are used to canned beans that they’ll probably taste different. Canned beans don’t taste as good. If they aren’t cooked enough you can simmer the cooker with the lid covered but not locked.
Drain and volia!
Cooking times in minutes for beans I commonly use:
- Adzuki soaked 5-9 unsoaked 14-20
- Black soaked 5-9 unsoaked 20-25
- Chickpeas soaked 13-18 unsoaked 30-40
- Fava soaked 12-18 unsoaked 22-28
- Kidney soaked 10-12 unsoaked 20-25
- Navy soaked 6-8 unsoaked 16-25
- Pinto soaked 4-6 unsoaked 22-25
- Soy (white) soaked 9-12 unsoaked 28-35
- Soy (black) soaked 20-22 unsoaked 35-40
Thanks to my parents who gave me the pressure cooker years ago with Lorna Sass’ (yes, that’s her name!) book which taught me all I know about pressure cooking.
Unschooling
Posted by Annie in Learning by Living, Natural Living, TV Free, Unschooling on September 2, 2008
Unschooling means to me learning through living. No curriculum, no pseudo school set up, no assuming your child will learn specific things in the upcoming year and certainly no detailed planning about the “year of learning”. To me it’s about living and experiencing a diverse life and following your child’s lead when approaching different topics. It’s also about listening to their interests and helping them learn more about those interests.
I hope as an unschooling mama, I’ll get out with my children often giving them plenty of opportunities to find interest in a variety of topics. I personally value spending time outdoors a great deal and think there’s no better way for a child’s mind to be at ease, ready to take the whole world in.
Krista has a lovely post about homeschooling on her blog here that gets across the idea that embracing the simplicity in life with kids is a peaceful and sound approach to home learning. At least that’s what I got from it.
I think the computer/internet is a great tool for expanding knowledge and connecting with others. When a question is asked it’s a quick and easy resource for the answer. Sometimes a little too quick and easy which is why I greatly value the library as an important resource. A walk to the library is something we enjoy very much as is sitting in the aisles with my daughter and no limit to the subjects we can read about. Which is only slightly spoiled by her brother’s current desire to look at all the same books upside down and then tossing them to the ground.
I’m less of a fan of tv and video games and don’t believe there is much benefit to them despite the convictions of other unschooling parents saying otherwise. There’s certainly a lot of evidence to support concerns about tv and it’s effect on children’s brains and learning. The small amount of knowledge gained from watching a program can quickly turn malignant and become hours spent transforming into a tv zombie. Watchers become targets of aggressive marketing and the skewing of personal and social values seem inevitable. I’ve kind of touched my personal thoughts on artificial and manufactured things worth avoiding here.
[Just to name a few tv article worth reading: Infants weaned on tv cannot concentrate, Too Much TV Can Have Negative Impact on Children, TV Has Negative Impact On Very Young Children's Learning Abilities,Trash Your TV....]
Newcastle Island part one
Posted by Annie in Climbing, Friends, Hiking, Learning by Living, Photos, Walking on September 1, 2008
We had a fabulous day yesterday with some friends. We walked downtown and hopped on a little passenger ferry that takes us over to Protection Island. The ferry employee selling us our tickets could have used a lesson or two in manners but we were able to get on the ferry and forget about her. The short ten minutes sailing through the expensive yachts and cheap liveaboards was an interesting one.
Protection Island is a little island filled with cabins and many year round homes. The roads aren’t paved and there are very few cars (mostly support type vehicles for services like the telephone company). People walk or drive golf carts instead. It’s was so peaceful walking along the quiet roads. Protection Island stays busy though throughout the year with hungry patrons of the Dingy Dock Pub, famous for their fish and chips. The ferry actually drops passengers off directly at the pub.
I hadn’t been to Protection Island before but we didn’t just come to see the sites. We actually came to walk across the passage between Protection Island and the provincial park Newcastle Island at low tide. It can get lower than it was yesterday which was about 60 cm at it’s deepest.
Here’s a giant Jellyfish we saw beached on the sand. I hope it was all right when the water came back in!
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This was the view left (you can see downtown Nanaimo in the distance) and right before we walked across to Newcastle Island:
Starfish:
A Chiton attached to a sand dollar:
The area was covered in oysters, alive and dead. Obviously something was hungry for the oyster with a hole in it at the top of the picture:
After having a picnic lunch on the grassy edge of Newcastle Island we head off for a walk around the island.
Newcastle Island part two
Posted by Annie in Climbing, Friends, Hiking, Learning by Living, Photos, Vegetarian, Walking on September 1, 2008
One of the outlooks along the walk. It was beautiful. Sunny yet cool with the breeze.
This tree was overwhelmed with carpenter ant and woodpecker holes. I wish I could have captured it’s holy state with better clarity.
This outlook was at the top of the island. It was a neat building with tiered platforms to sit on. From here you could see the Departure Bay (to Horseshoe Bay) ferry pass by fairly close.
A little fun along the way. We walked on a couple pretty high up fallen trees. My height phobic friend walked around and snapped some pictures!
This tree has split into three at the top:
Here is a working replica of a machine that made sandstone grinders that were used in pulp mills back in the mid twenties to early thirties.
Here’s a cut out from the sandstone which is now filled with water and pretty green algae.
Climbing on some leftover rubble.
View of downtown Nanaimo from Newcastle before we headed home on the Newcastle Island ferry.
Afterwards we walked up to our friend’s house for a supper of salad rolls with delicious peanut sauce and homemade chili sauce. The rolls were filled with fresh from the garden lettuce, cucumber, shisu (sp?), basil and carrot, bean sprouts, rice noodles and crushed peanuts. It was a great day with a bit more than 10 km of walking/hiking.
Ears Pierced
Posted by Annie in Photos, Random Musings on August 29, 2008
We were walking around the Kid’s Market in Granville Island today when we I noticed a sign for ear piercing at a kids hairdressing salon. We had been planning on getting Lily’s ears pierced for quite a while since she’s been so eager. She even brought a pair of earrings I’d been given as a gift from my cousin more than twenty years ago on this trip even though there were no plans to find a place to pierce her ears.
I’d read many concerns about piercing with a gun which lead us to the local tattoo shop to inquire about get Lily’s ears done. The heavily tattooed and pierced man was obviously not that interested in helping us but he did say that he’d be willing when she was able to ask herself to have it done. Over the next little while I found a couple real normal ear piercing videos on You Tube. She didn’t seem phased by anything she saw but we still didn’t take her back to the shop. A part of me wasn’t sure if we’d really be welcome or if Lily would feel shy with someone asking her to speak for herself and have that be taken as indecision.
This hair dressing salon uses a gun who’s parts that touch the body are prepackaged, disposable and don’t need to be touched during the piercing. They insisted on using what I’m guessing is an Emla type cream for about 45 minutes to dull the pain. I don’t remember it being painful though. I remember the anticipation and noise of the gun being the scariest part. Lily had no anxiety but was obviously surprised when the first one went in. The woman did the second immediately and Lily gave a small wincing face as she did it but beamed a HUGE smile when it was done.
The hardest part about the whole affair was keeping all six kids corralled in the tiny shop for the time we had to wait. The woman that seemed to own the kids hairdressing shop didn’t seem to actually like kids so it was a tad awkward.
I’m still not totally happy with the choice over normal needle piercings but it’s done and Lily was thrilled with the cute flower rhinestone earrings she picked out. I think had we waited to find a tattoo shop that would have happily welcomed us it would have been years before she got her ears pierced.
Cleaning off the cream:
Marking the spot:
First side:
Wow, one side done!
A little wince with anticipation:
Huge smile! She was so happy!
Pretty rhinestone flowers with a pink center with iridescent pedals.
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