What're You Doing This Weekend?

Ever been to a convention? As a veteran home-school student, there is really only one convention ever worth noting (and no, it's not a Trekkie expo): the Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE) Home-schooling Convention. And yes, I am not ashamed to say, this was a social highlight of my school days! They actually had a "teen track" of speakers that had a plethora of relevant information and thought-provoking ideas that my friends and I really did enjoy and appreciate (and sometimes still discuss years later). And Rory and I still remember walking in the heat over to the Arizona Center for lunch from the food court (he always got "cool" food and I always ate the plain healthy stuff, of course).

And now, we are preparing to go again. It's been several years (dare I say ten???), but now we are going not as teens, but as parents. Wow. We are going to re-orient ourselves with that subculture of families known as home-schoolers. We are going more to learn what we should be learning and doing before we ask the same of our girl. We are going to start preparing for the daunting, highly overwhelming and we-are-not-one-ounce-qualified-for task of educating a young heart and mind.

Can I tell you how NOT ready we are?!

And yet, there is exitement brewing. Maybe you are like me and there is something attractive in the challenge. Something alluring in following a path not oft taken. Something convicting about doing what you know is right.

This is when I look to our parents. You know, those druggies from the seventies who God hand-plucked out of the mire to turn into diamonds of light comforting and guiding us to Truth? (We are so inviting them to come with us, by the way!) Their complete and total imperfection inspires me a lot right now. And I mean that as the greatest praise. If they can do it (and do a darn good job, I might humbly add--four college grads between them, two summa cum laude, ahem, and two teenagers still enrolled in college), then we can certainly give our best effort and hope, as I so do, to at least give our kids just a bump up, a little better view, the tiniest bit more than we had. And so, perhaps, that is all progress is. Taking all the good, all the glorious, all the raw material and gleaning just one bit more. And opening our eyes just that one degree further. Because we all know how far one degree can take us over years of steady plotting. (You can read more about my heart for home-schooling over here.)

So I don't know what you'll be doing this weekend, but we have plans to hear speakers explain things like:

• Seven Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential
• Rebuilding Your Education Paradigm: Teaching for Education Freedomship
• Cultivating Curiosity: Growing Your Little One's Love of Learning (We're both excited to hear the wonderful mother-daughter team leading this one--this is her blog)
  
• Teaching Boys and Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day (love the title!)
  

And of course, our highlight will be the hour led by Travis Turner, one of our favorite people in the world and the man who....well, who is like a second dad to both of us in so many ways.

There will be so much to do and see and we don't want to wait until we are ready to teach to start learning how. So home-schooling future full of trials and errors and mishaps we can blame on no one but ourselves that we hope somehow by God's grace only inspire and instill love in our children, here we come!

If you're interested, you can check out the convention website here. First-timers with preschool-age children and younger are FREE! And for more home-schooling info, check out this site. (Michael Farris, pictured at the bottom left, is the Keynote Speaker this year at the AFHE Convention and will be talking about parental rights, among other great topics.)

Good Eats

While the doctor (our amazing naturopath, Farra Swan) did give us the food list, and while this follow-the-rules-guidelines-are-our-friends mama did have every intention of following said list to the letter, Dia had plans of her own.


Could this be a life-lesson for said mama? I do believe so.

I am learning and re-learning constantly that Dia is her OWN person. She is under my care and my charge, but she is not ME. She is SHE. And oh how I love she!

So while I started out obsessively following our food list (it's a great list, actually, based on the mineral content of food for optimal digestion), Dia liked what was on our plates. And when I say, liked, I mean had to have it NOW. And since food, as you know, has always been a research in action thing for us, I was a little perplexed.

"But, Dia, see I read these books and talked with the doctor. Black beans and tortillas aren't on the list for another ten months. Your tummy really would much rather have the brown rice and banana slices. No, Dia. No, no, you see, the BOOK SAYS......Well, okay. Here, try the beans.

Oh, you like them? You really like them, don't you? You want more? More?! But the BOOK SAYS.......!!!!"

And clearly my angel baby recognized the logic in my argument and the black beans and tortilla you see her eating the picture are merely photo-shopped in. Right!

One thing I was raised with and have always recognized as healthy for us is that food should NEVER EVER be connected with deprivation. Limitations and regulations with food can often confuse us (children and adults) and confuse our God-given hunger cues and curiosity*. Food exists (was perfectly created by a perfect Creator) to nourish us. The key to this thinking and lifetstyle, however, is to keep on hand only the best quality stuff.

So here's what we're eating now (and no, it's not on any list, thank you very much):

The afore-mentioned black, beans, corn tortilla, avocado, tomotoes, etc.
Basically the Dia version of black bean tacos.

Strawberries! MMM! Fruit of all kind always scores with D.

She has my love for apple butter (and rice cakes, mmm!)!
I like unsweetened, pure apple butter and
Sprouts sells a great variety that I, and now Dia, love!

Green smoothies! Got Greens? :)

As I am discovering is true with just about every area of parenting, the eating thing has a lot more to do with I put in my mouth, than what I tell Dia to eat. My example before her is SO MUCH more powerful than anything I try to tell her to do, because she is first and foremost my shadow. She wants to eat, do and be everything I do and am. So the responsiblity for wisdom, really, falls on my shoulders. And I did read that in a book.

*If you're wondering how this thinking can possibly coexist with a raw vegan lifestyle which seems to be extremely restrictive, you might be confusing educated choices with regulations. We relate it a lot to Biblical living. It seems that living by such extreme regulations as put forth by the Bible would be so restrictive, but as one who has personally experienced this, I can tell you that the opposite is true! Such wise choices as putting others first, not lying, not swearing, etc. actually frees us. The same can be said with wise eating habits.

Good Read

As a mom, I love to hear how papas feel--in their own words.

This is a great article from a great magazine in the words of a new papa. It's a different sort of thinking for our American culture, but as you can see, it works for us, too.

Dia's papa says he wouldn't do it any other way and I completely agree.

(And yes, I piled pillows high in the background. Little Miss No Fear likes to dive off the bed when she silently not-a-sound-in-the-world wakes up.)

Music Baby & The Lure of Islands

I'd like to start this post with a tip of my hat to my youngest sister, Allison. She recently interviewed for and received her first job! She is now the official third and final member of our family to be employed by Islands Restaurants.

I guess you never know where family traditions will start, do you?

I put myself through college working at Islands and while I appreciated the work, I never understood the lure of such a silly looking burger restaurant.

Well, last night I could have kissed our waitress (and it wasn't because the service was all the great, either)! After five years of working there, I finally understand and appreciate the draw--it's a great place to take your kids! It really is. Ok, not for the food per se (though they do serve carrot slices and apple sauce...not organic, of course, but it's something...), but if you are out and about like we were last night and want a fun place to take your family, Islands is perfect. I feel silly just finding out about it, but hey, what can I say?

And the reason we were destined to be out and about last night can be summed up in two words: splash pad. We met up with some family (including Alli of course! Had to celebrate the big j-o-b!) and Dia's favorite ten-year old, Shannon (our flower girl from our wedding more than six years ago and my parents-in-law continued neighbor), for splashing and giggling in the fountains outside.


Dia had a great time playing, splashing and watching all the kids. I had a hard time capturing all the smiles and huge flailing of the arms and legs with the camera, but trust me, she was having a blast. What was super easy to catch on film, though, was Dia's real thrill:

Yes, that's my daughter applauding the guitarist.

Can't you just hear her saying, "Rock on!"

We've both felt (through prayer and just plain observation) that Dia is musically inclined. She has responded to Rory's playing guitar since she was weeks old and she goes crazy when I practice violin. She and Rory also participate in a Music Together class (which we LOVE!) and she is already responding to certain songs (I can sing them all for you at will, by the way). And then at our nine-month check up the doctor was watching her and actually asked, "Is she musical?" I just about fell out of my seat!

And then to top it all off, last night she crawled away from the water and the crazy fun kids to get as close as possible to the music man. She kept trying to crawl on stage with him (we let her play with the guitar at home so she knows how fun it is to play!) so we had to hold her so she could still feel close to the action. She stayed for several songs both to the amusement of the musician and the other parents around us. We were all in stitches because she kept raising her hands and bopping to the music and clapping. She did the same thing last week in church during worship. She loves music, especially live music.

What a privilege to watch her develop and witness God's destiny for her unfolding before our very eyes! And what a blessing that in this crazy world there are still family-friendly venues to celebrate life.

Angel Baby

Since I don't have a fancy cell phone I have to text pics to my husband and then have him email them to me. These few pics are just too cute not to share:

Doesn't she look so grown-up here? (Thanks to a friend who encouraged me to finally offer Dia "real" food and assured me she wouldn't choke. :) Oh, first-time mommy fears!)

We've been enjoying the park behind our house just about every evening. It's a great way to be outdoors without sun burn and gallons of sweat!

I LOVE THIS PHOTO.
So precious. Can't believe my measly flip phone captured such a great shot.

This was a morning out in the grass. Love life, love the sun, love my baby.