Simply Twisted

How Many Hours Does It Take To Homeschool?

2010-08-16T17:07:00.009-05:00

How many hours does it take per day to homeschool?

I have Googled that very question and was not surprised to find a wide range of answers. Many links I found were homeschool parents being quite defensive, I don't blame them though. Naysayers can be a bit brutal.

I may also come off as a little defensive and at times sarcastic, please take it in good humor. I find NOTHING wrong with parents who want to send their children to school! I will be the first to tell you that homeschool really is NOT for everyone. It works for us. I have friends I would strongly discourage from homeschooling, it just wouldn't make sense. That being said...

I thought it would be interesting to compare the time that public school students are actually sitting down at a desk or table studying from a book reading, writing or mathematics. Typically, a child goes off to school for 6 hours 5 days a week. So how much of that 6 hours is actually spent sitting at a desk on focused school work? I searched and found a few examples of 1st grade class schedules. They all varied a bit, but had the same general progression. Here is an example:

8:05-8:15 ~ Basically getting everyone settled, coats and bags put away, supplies gathered

8:15-8:35 ~ Circle Time (I'm not really sure but this doesn't sound like sitting down school work so, moving on...)

8:35-10:45 ~ Language Arts
*8:35-8:50 ~ Phonemic Awareness/Phonics
*8:50-9:15 ~ Phonics/Spelling/Handwriting
*9:15-9:25 ~ Restroom Break
*9:25-10:45 ~ Reading Groups/Reading Centers

Here is some sit down desk work! Well, except for that restroom break. I also imagine the Reading Groups/Centers have more game based activities and reading books which is learning yes, but I don't count reading into our "school hours" each day. We tend to read books throughout the day. So collectively, accounting for distractions from other children, restroom break and the game type reading activities/books, this would leave about an hour of sit down focused Language Arts. (This school's schedule allots about twice as much time than other schedules I came across for Language Arts. Kudos!)

10:45-12:00 ~ Lunch, Recess, Restroom Break, Drink Break

11:15-11:30 ~ Story Time/Silent Reading: Also trying to get the children settled then chilling out after having been fed and then wound up for the last hour.

12:00-1:10 ~ Math and Math Centers: Boy, an hour and ten minutes seems like a good chunk of time for math! I know some children really have issues with math though. With the number of children in the class, even a conservative 15 students, there are several different learning styles that best suit each child. Also the math skills of the students across the board will vary greatly. From the child who understands the current assignment and is already finished and bored that has decided to entertain himself by tapping his pencil against the desk or talking to another student, to the child that really just doesn't understand and needs to have it explained slowly, one on one, and with visual aids to grasp it. Between distractions by other students, passing out worksheets, and explaining the assignment, answering general questions, I am guessing the actual sit down working out of math problems is about 30 minutes.

1:10-1:40 ~ Music/PE: Both of these are VERY important for children in my opinion! Learning, expanding and testing their physical self is a huge part of growing up and learning boundaries and building confidence. Still... it's not sitting down "doing school" so we can move on.

1:40-2:00 ~ Social Studies, Science, Silent Reading: WHAT?!? Only twenty minutes to learn about the society we live in and other cultures clumped together with the wonderful and amazing world of Science... Here I will pretend like there are no distractions whatsoever, that nobody has any questions and that every student absorbs every single lesson that is taught in this twenty minute span. So we have another 20 minutes of sit down study work.

2:00-2:15 ~ Gathering all of their things to take home

Alright so let's add that up: Out of a 6 hour school day there was 60 minutes of Language Arts, 30 minutes of Math and 20 minutes of Science, Social Studies for a grand total of...

About 2 hours.

Interesting...

One cut and dry average day of homeschool takes us about two hours. That is sit down at the table, learning, focused, concentrated "school" time.

That does not include:

~ the days that creative writing is involved
~ science experiment days
~ days that we end up getting completely immersed in a subject unexpectedly
~ chapter books we read and review and discuss throughout the day and night
~ fun quick books we read together
~ art projects and crafts
~ nature study subjects we come across just playing outside
~ Karate
~ Cub Scouts
~ different local learning programs for children
~ piano lessons
~ playing with friends
~ any of the plethora of questions any homeschool parent is bombarded by from the moment they wake up to (often times) past bedtime

That's the thing... school is ALWAYS in session. The dialogue between the homeschool parent and child does differ a bit from the child who goes off to learn at a school. There is an element there that welds teacher and parent together. It is very easy and natural for the child to ask questions about anything and everything. It is very normal for the parent to want to give that child the answer, find out, Google it (we do a lot of Googling).

Many parents wonder "Are they getting enough hours in?" I know I did. Especially when we think of children being at school for 6 hours a day. I read on a blog "If the public school can count standing in the line at the water fountain as “school hours”, then I can count the children sorting the recycling as school hours." On that same blog she mentioned how long it takes them to homeschool, on average:

Kindergarten & 1st grade: 30-45 mins
2nd-4th: 1½-2 hrs
5th-6th: 2-4 hrs
7th-up: 4+ hrs

Every school is different and every homeschool family is different. Things vary day to day.

I wrote this blog post for several reasons...

First and foremost was for selfish reasons. I wanted to prove to myself that I am doing the right thing. No matter what a parent does I think we all doubt ourselves at one time or another. Since I am doing something that so many parents don't do and don't understand, I have that feeling thrown onto me pretty often by family, friends and strangers. When I write things down they all seem to fall into place and make sense.

The next reason is for other homeschool parents who often wonder the same thing. Am I doing enough? How can we be done so early? Why isn't this a challenge, a struggle? Even on the days my child is cranky or distracted maybe from lack of sleep or having too much sugar or whatever, we get through it. Is my child getting enough socialization? How many kids get in trouble day after day for talking in class? Can you think of any negative "social" situations that you encountered while attending grade school? Is a few hours a week of free play with friends enough for my children? I plan on writing more about some of these things as they come up. I have been SO thankful for the blogs I have come across of other homeschool parents. I just want to add to that pool.

The final reason is...

...for all of those people. You know who you are. The ones that look with that look... the "Why isn't that boy in school?" look. The ones that we are about to encounter more and more since he most definitely looks school aged now. The people that wonder why, during school hours, are we out with another homeschool parent and children having ice cream and hanging out at the library. At the grocery store during the day, the park, the river, out to lunch with family and friends. Also for the family and friends who refrain from asking us to do things and go places because "we have to do school that day." Hey guess what? Not only are we probably already done with it, but we can totally hang out with you, finish up school after dinner if need be. We can have a pop math quiz during bath time. We can practice phonics with street signs and license plates. Total worst case scenario, we can do school.... are you ready?!?! ON THE WEEKEND! Yep. In fact, we can schedule it pretty much any time that works for us. Our routine is usually get up, eat breakfast, get dressed for the day and sit to do our school. Then we are free to do as we please for the rest of the day. That is just what works for us.

Whew! I feel better. How about you?

To School or Not to School...

2010-06-28T21:35:00.003-05:00

Back in the beginning of the year I made the decision that kiddo will go to public school for 1st grade. He needs that social environment and I need some time to myself to decide what I need to do. I was happy, confident, excited about his new adventure and looking forward to mine. I can get a job, go to school, do things I never had the time for, go to lunch with my mom and mother in law alone, girl time, gym time, grocery shopping alone time, house cleaning time. I will get to hear stories about new friends and all of those little art projects they bring home, PTA meetings, class mom, parent teacher meetings, holiday parties, classmates birthday parties... I mean, hey, I went to public school... he will be fine!

We had a pretty relaxed approach to homeschooling for Kindergarten. Working in workbooks, life experiences, artwork and the like. Most of what he learned he didn't realize was even school. I saw how quickly he picked up on things and what a fantastic memory he has. Teaching him is simple, he is full of questions and I try to provide answers. What I am not sure about we Google.

After I had made my decision to send him to public school, I started to do more scheduled type school work with him. Try to get him prepared for school and having to sit still for longer periods of time. More work in workbooks and initiating "school time" by sitting down at the table. Encouraging him to finish a certain assignment instead of letting him come and go as he pleases. Then a funny thing happened...

I remembered every single reason I wanted to homeschool him. The more I thought about him going off to school everyday the more I wondered why in the world I made that decision?!?! Getting to see him figure things out, being there when it clicks, listening to him sound words out, seeing him very seriously focus on a picture of coins and figuring out how much they are worth. Laughing with him and helping him understand. Seeing what methods work and which ones don't. Taking extra time when we need to and skipping over things he clearly already knows.

I was in kind of a sad place in my life when I made the decision to send him to school, but I won't get into all of that. What I will get into is the fact that 90% of the reasons I was looking forward to him going to public school, were selfish. Not that I feel like I have to be completely and totally kid focused and forget who I am and give everything up for him. Not at all. In fact with a little better time management I can do all that I want to and more. Also encouraging my family members here to take him on mini outings WITHOUT me, I will have moments of alone time while knowing he is with a loved one. We have already joined Cub Scouts, I am going to find out about Karate and we will try to attend the Tuesdays at the park with the other homeschoolers, weather permitting. When I discussed it with him, the things that he was excited about going to school for were getting to meet new kids and the playground. When I asked him what he liked about doing school at home with me his voice and his face lit up and he was even laughing while he explained the reasons he liked it.

So...

Once again the decision has been made that we will be homeschooling him. It feels good. It feels right. I am SO excited about it in fact! I found a curriculum that comes highly recommended. I think we will be getting Sonlight. With the core package and adding on the required materials and also splurging on the science package, we will be pretty well set up.

**If anyone has the 1st grade Sonlight set up that would like to sell it to me used, I would be more than happy to purchase it! Or, if any of you have bags of money laying around that would like to gift me the entire $900 set up for 1st grade, message me and I will give you my address. lol ;)

Kindergarten at home...

2009-09-16T18:46:00.002-05:00

So... it is official. Kiddo is 5 years old. School is now in session. Had we not seen the masses of people and huge displays of supply lists at the stores, we would have found out simply by the number of people that ask kiddo "Are you in school?" Which he answers now, quite quickly and with just a hint of irritation "We homeschool." The reactions we get are mixed and long enough to fill lists even longer than the Kindergarten required school supply list.

I say we have been homeschooling since birth. To say that we just started is a little ridiculous, but I suppose officially, we have just started. By that I mean that I have started keeping daily notes of some of our activities in a student planner. This is what I plan to use when family members start poking. Family members do poke. Poking is not fun. Only I know what happens all day every day with my son. You know why? I am here, with him, every single moment of every single day. Every meal, snack, lesson, question, game, play time, experiment... did I mention the questions? I am the answer lady. The Googler if you will. The speller, the sounder outer, the encourager, the counter, the comforter. I am also many times the student. He has so much to teach me, and stories to tell. We live in an open learning environment. We all share with each other what we know. It's the best and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Really the only frustrating part of homeschooling, is explaining it to other people. Kiddo has had the question from family members "What did you do in school today?" After he looks at them a little crazy, he will look at me like... ummmmm. Learning has no start or stop for us. No official seat. No line to stand in. No certain time for math, science, spelling, snacks, socializing, art, story time. While I understand schedule being important, if we want to play dominoes for an hour and then talk about special effects used in movies, we do.

He knows the basics. He can write his letters, numbers, colors, shapes, is reading and sounding out words. He will stop me if I am helping too much. He will put his hand up or shush me. He enjoys being challenged and is the first one to challenge himself. He is determined, excited, open, confident and very sure of himself and if any of those dip just a bit, he has me. The person who loves him the most in the entire world (now there is a list of folks that would argue that but I know better) to help him and fill in the blanks.

Today he woke up, came in and gave me a giant hug. He told me I was the best Mom in the whole world and that he wanted Halloween Ritz crackers for breakfast and some apple juice. We continued on with our day, him constantly coming with questions. How do you spell this or what comes after 29. Stories, all day I get stories. Tells me about his dreams, or makes them up, you choose. I don't miss out on anything. So anyway, later in the day he asked for crackers again. I started to explain again to him that he needed to eat a balanced diet. About carbs, protein, vitamins and nutrients. Then I thought of the food pyramid. I Google image searched it and blew it up on the screen. We talked about the different types of foods and how those foods fuel your body in different ways. I asked him what he had the most of and what he needed to complete a balanced diet for the day. From that we fixed an early dinner that contained pasta, meat, vegetables and dairy. He was VERY excited about the one part of the food pyramid he had not eaten. You know... the top tiny little triangle. We called it the treats triangle. He is quite the self monitor when it comes to treats anyway. If he had a tiny package of m&ms he will be the first to remind you if some other sort of treat comes about during the day. "Oh I already had a treat, remember?" He decided today it would be a chocolate popsicle, one of his favorites.

He absolutely loves to draw. He will draw pictures of anything and everything. Detailed or not so detailed. Almost always there are stories to go with the drawings (unless they are love letters to me or his Dad, I certainly do not argue with those... ever). Since he has learned to write all of his letters and some words, he most often labels his drawings. We once did an activity where you had to number which picture in the story sequence came first, second, third and forth. This is now showing up in his drawings. A child's drawings can speak volumes about what is going on in their head. I still remember what a huge thing drawing was for me. It is an limitless way to express yourself.

Anyway, I decided it would be a fun idea to draw a blank food pyramid and let him fill in the spots from what we had learned earlier. I wrote the major group names and asked him to sound out the words. He really works hard to prove himself to me. To show me that he knows things. So he sounded them out, figured all of them out and then he started drawing pictures in the correct spots. I had him sound out the letters for the names of the items he had drawn and he wrote them in. We made it to fruits and he chose apples, oranges and tomatoes. At first, just from what I had thought for so long, I wanted to say "That's a vegetable!" Then it occurred to me that in fact, tomatoes are a fruit, and I thought it was very interesting that was how he classified them.

I know I am going on and on but hey? This is my stinkin blog! I wanted to vent. To explain a little bit about how a day in the life of our type of homeschooling goes. I don't purchase gazillion dollar curriculum. I don't have a schedule. I don't have certain things that I have lined out to learn every day. Yes, we have official Kindergarten workbooks that we sit down and do. Most often it is him asking "Can we do school today?" To him, school is sitting down to do 15-20 pages in his workbooks. He doesn't realize that from the moment he opens the door from his room in the morning, class has already started. I like that. That way, there is no "Isn't it the weekend? Do we have to do this today? I don't want to sit down right now." Which brings up another point. A child of his age should not have to sit in a chair. They are growing, moving, experimenting, testing their physical abilities. Movement and fidgeting is just inside of them. On the other hand, I will tell you that I have had countless people come to me, most of the time in restaurants, to tell me what a well behaved child he is. Just two weeks ago I had an older lady who ended up sitting with her back to him in the adjoining booth. She stopped me as we were leaving and told me that when her friends chose that booth she thought "Oh great..." but that it was only moments later she completely forgot that there was a child there. He knows how to sit still and behave.

We have many many rules. It is not a free for all. The neighborhood kids know about the rules. I remind them all the time, make up new ones as needed. We are by far the most strict house on the block. I keep a close eye on them when they come to play. Having said all of that you would think this would be the last house on the block that they come to knock on the door, but the opposite is true. Rules are important. They offer safety and consistency. Kids will always always always test them. Push them to see what they can get away with, but in the end, rules are a good thing.

I don't know/don't care about classifying what type of homeschooler we are. There are enough labels and cliques in the world, education doesn't need to be a part of that. The boy is learning, he is happy and he is completely brilliant.

Have a beautiful day!

Adventures in First Time Gardening!

2009-06-28T21:54:00.005-05:00

So this year I decided to plant a small garden. I figured since I've kept my house plants alive for several years, why not right? I found the perfect spot in the backyard where the sun shines for most of the day. I grabbed my shovel and went for it! I'll tell you now, the soil/dirt here in Texas is a wonder. In about a 10 foot by 10 foot area, there were four distinct types of dirt: actual soil, sand, rocky mess, and clay. A few hours and 100s of burned calories later, I had a nice big square of freshly tilled dirt! (I will definitely be investing in a tiller of some sort for next year, enough said).

I found these little peat pots that start as nuggets, then you soak them in water and they soon become these perfect little starters for your seeds. This is the point when the magic began and it has only become more and more magical since then. Now, I did look over a list of things that were seasonally appropriate to plant at the time, but I bought some broccoli seeds along with my other choices anyway. I chose snow peas, white eggplant, green onion (also not suggested to start from seed at the time), tomatoes, marigolds (just to keep critters away) and broccoli. I wanted to make sure it was stuff that we would actually eat and also that it wouldn't end up taking up our entire yard. I planted the seeds in my nuggets, covered them with the lid and set them on the counter.

I'm not sure why it was such an exciting discovery when tiny little leaves started poking out of the tops, but it was. Everything except the marigolds that is. When they were big enough to plant, I lined them all up in, what then, looked like WAY too large of a garden. I watered and waited. Then... the weeds. Oh goodness the weeds. I started by plucking and plucking and finally grabbed my mini hand rake thing (surely there is a name for it) and just sort of tilled them in, hoping to never see their little leaves again. At last, my garden looked like it was supposed to, the plants still way too small for the space allotted, and carried on with the waiting.

Everything was slowly getting bigger and I went to closely inspect it. Now... I had been told that broccoli was not a good one to grow at the time, but rules are made to be broken right? I was thinking, "Oh well THEY can't grow broccoli but I can." My lady at my knitting group shared with me a story about when they grew broccoli at the wrong time and all the bugs that they couldn't wash off, even after many tries. Yeah, well let me tell you...every single leaf (which was about two per plant at the time) was absolutely COVERED in tiny black bugs! Seriously? Sure enough, so out they came. Ripped them out one by one and tossed them. This was just a little on the heartbreak side because if you knew my son, you would know that he ranks broccoli up there with m&ms. They are a staple and I couldn't wait to grow our own. All in time I suppose...

Once things were seeming to actually flourish, I decided to expand our garden and add a special plot for corn. Reference the above shovel, hours and 100s of calories burned, and at last, a place for corn. I wasn't sure on the timing and how to do everything, clearly I was a professional gardener since I had the sprouts to prove it in the neighboring plot, so no worries. Kiddo picked out some yellow and white variegated corn seeds and I plopped them in and covered them up. I realized afterwards, that perhaps I planted them WAY too deep in the soil. A while went by and nothing came of it, though I had a pretty dirt rectangle in my yard, seemingly ready for plants. Then one day, little goose came running up to me and announced "OUR CORN IS COMING UP!!!" In my head I thought "Ahh, a lovely plot of weeds awaits..." I walked back there and oh my goodness, there, in perfect little rows right as I had planted them, a gazillion little leaves! Almost a gazillion, well, whatever they put in the pack anyway. We were both so excited and I was in awe.

My "rake, bury and forget" weeding technique worked wonders. I have had very little problems with weeds since then. A few plucks and buries and all is well.

So I have these gorgeous trellis', black iron, tall, all rounded at the top with little circular insets of stained glass with dragonflies on them that I placed behind my snow peas. Every visit I would encourage (a.k.a. wrap and hook) them around the trellis so they could get all vine like a fabulous. Each time I would find them flopped and stretching across the ground, unloved and sad. I guess that the black iron got way too hot in the Texas sun and they hated it. They were not looking so good and even after growing them from seed decided that they would meet the same fate the broccoli did. I ripped them out. Oh and the white eggplant, yeah... not so much. Not really sure what happened with them but we will just say that they are in a better place now in some broccoli, snow pea, eggplant salad in Heaven.

I was left with gorgeous tomato plants, corns sprouts, green onion sprouts. It was not quite the variety I had planned, so I headed to the nursery to grab a few plants to fill in the spots. They were out of strawberries so we ended up getting a small watermelon plant and two different pepper plants. I spread them out in the broccoli row and they looked like they fit.

Water...weed....wait....

It was the tomatoes that bloomed first. I probably asked anyone I talked to that day making sure that the blooms were where tomatoes were going to be. They all answered "Yeah I think so..." And so they did a few weeks later! Every step of this process has been magical. Like they are some sort of magical seed I planted, when really, they are just doing exactly like they are supposed to. It is quite something though, the whole process. Rewarding to say the very very least.

So here is a picture of some of my tomatoes recently spotted in my garden:

The watermelon plant was a nice little plant. All contained and leafy green. Staying nicely in the spot where I planted it. Seemed to be doing great! Then... it grew these arms. LONG arms. Reaching out and grabbing everything in my garden. At first I would carefully replace these monstrous vines in the spots I deemed fit. Then, it completely won me over. I have no idea how I didn't see it before hiding beneath the mass of leaves and unruly vines but I missed it. There it was:

And for a close up:

Keep in mind it is about the size of a baseball but isn't it BEAUTIFUL?! In the first photo there you can see my little green onions in all of their goodness. You know... the rebel onion seeds that were not supposed to make it this time of year, those ones. It was so great the first time we had baked potatoes and I ran to the backyard and plucked a few sprigs off of them for toppings. That is the first thing we actually consumed from the garden. The next thing we tried was one of our peppers. If you haven't grown peppers before it is absolutely amazing how quickly these things take off! A little dangling green pebble one day, and a huge pepper the next! We chose to plant Anaheim peppers because they have a great flavor and thin skin. Both are prime for, well pretty much anything you need a pepper for. Here is a glimpse of the ones that are growing right now:

The next thing to go wild was my corn plants. Now, everyone told me "Oh they are going to get really really tall!" I mean, the rate that they grow is fast but they reached about hip high and then grew these big shoots out of the tops. I think we must have gotten some sort of sawed off corn hybrid because all of the sudden I noticed while I was watering one day that they had...

Little puffs of corn silk stuff where the corn will pop out! How FUN!

We should have plenty to share too! (our storage building is in the background):

So now it is time again for the "Weed...water...wait..." game.

I will update our adventures in gardening soon! Oh by the way, the plants no longer look like they are drowning in a giant garden. They have filled it completely!

If you are a first time gardener or an old pro, "Doesn't it ROCK?"

And if you aren't "It is something you should try sometime for sure. I went from knowing nothing to being a total expert in no time! (or so I think)"

Exciting News!!!

2009-03-18T08:24:00.005-05:00

I have some very exciting news! A while back I was approached about having some of my handspun yarn featured in a magazine. This in itself was amazing.

I absolutely love spinning and experimenting with different fibers and colors and techniques. The folks who come to my Etsy shop to purchase skeins, ask questions or have comments always offer me a bit of validation for my craft. In getting to know some of my customers I often learn what they will make with my creations: who is getting married soon, having babies, getting a new grandchild, just learning to knit and who just bought a new coat that needs some new warm woolen knits to accessorize. Then there are the mystery skeins. The ones I wrap up and mail off, never hear a word from the customers, to be left only with my imagination as to what they will become. Spinning gives me the chance to create something that others get to create with, which fills me with joy.

I must say, when I was first approached for the magazine opportunity, it all seemed very surreal. Silly thoughts entered my head like "Do things like this really happen?" and "Why me?" Well guess what...things like this DO happen and I gratefully accept that they happen to ME!

After a little reasearch and asking around my knitting buddies, I realized just how amazing this opportunity is! The magazine is called Yarn Forward and is based out of the UK. It is full of unique and interesting knitting patterns and brimming with gorgeous photography. It is one of those magazines that you have a special spot for...after riding around in your knitting bag for a few weeks that is.

They were kind and sent me a copy of the issue I am featured in so I thought I would share some snippets of it with you all! It can be purchased at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble booksellers here in the states. You can also go directly to their site and purchase. They have just launched the digital version for a fraction of the cost of hard copy (earth friendly...gotta love it!).

The cover~

My skein of supercoils named "Fresh Corn" seen in the index (BONUS!)~

The "Things We Like" feature (half page spread AND #1? Sweetness!)~

There is the another spot I am featured, it is an interview about working at home, loving what you do and making it work!

I am so very grateful and excited to be a part of this!

Out of Left Field

2009-03-10T02:59:00.002-05:00

So I'm sitting on the sofa today when kiddo comes up and kneels next to me and whispers in my ear "I don't want to grow up."

At first I thought maybe it was something his buddy had said to him to make him feel that way because it is not something he had ever mentioned before. I asked him why, and with red almost teary eyes he whispers "I just don't want to grow up."

Hubby was watching t.v. and playing guitar and I could see that this was something that was weighing on kiddo. I said I thought we should go talk about it and headed to his room. I saw his little face right before he walked in and he looked pretty unsure whether or not he wanted to have this discussion. My heart was sad for him and I wasn't even really sure why.

I sat down on his bed and patted next to me and he sat down, I pulled the comfy blanket over our laps and said "Okay, let's talk about this. Why did you say that you didn't want to grow up?"

His little red eyes looked away and he said "I just don't want to not be a boy."

At this point I really had no idea where this came from or what was making him feel this way. I do know that I felt really bad for him and wanted to figure at least some of this out. So I asked "What makes you not want to grow up?" I snuggled him close, my little thinker.

"Well I would be too big for my chair..." he exclaimed, irritated while pointing to his chair now very close to tears.

"Okay, well they make those chairs for bigger boys too. What else?"

"Well I would be too big for my bed..."still irritated.

"If I can lay down in your bed and be comfortable then when you grow bigger, it will still be big enough for you. If it isn't we can get you a bigger bed." I was still wondering where all of this came from. I wasn't trying to disregard his feelings because obviously they were very real.

"Well you push me out of bed when you laid with me." He was still fighting his case.

"Honey growing doesn't happen very fast. You grow a little bit, little bit, little bit and you don't even realize that you are growing. Besides, once you grow really big, do you know what you will be able to do?"

He looked up at me with big eyes, knowing that I was at least going to make him feel better for this minute.

"You can say 'Mom, I'm taking the Jeep. I'm going to pick up Grammy and take her out to lunch.' and I'll say 'Okay, have fun, tell her hello for me.'"

He was looking away but I could see a smile and his little imagination going. The thought of driving, Grammy and the Jeep seemed to make growing up not so bad.

"Or I could say, 'Hey, could you run to the store for me and pick me up a bag of chocolate chips? I want to make some cookies.' and you could take the car and go to the store and bring me back what I needed all by yourself."

At this point he hoisted himself from being snuggled at my side and got onto his knees, still red eyed. He began to tell me what else he could do when his Dad peeked his head in the door. He asked if everything was alright. I asked kiddo if I could tell him what we were talking about and he said yeah. I told him that he didn't want to grow up and about the chair and the bed. Then I started to tell him about going to drive himself to pick up Grammy for lunch and kiddo put his hand over my mouth. Thinking that he was going to finish, I waited for him.

He thought for a minute and you could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.

"When I grow up I am still going to like Star Wars." he announced with passion and true statement. Like growing up was not going to change the things that brought him so much fun and joy.

Hubby says "Well yeah... I still like Star Wars!"

I still wonder what exactly made him feel that way. What the thought process was and how it all was played out in his mind. It was a little heartbreaking and a little mind opening for me too though.

Man, I love my little thinker.

Zeus vs. Luke Skywalker

2009-02-16T08:16:00.000-06:00

With a gazillion channels on television, you can always depend on the History Channel. This weekend we ended up watching Cities of the Underworld. He traveled beneath the ancient Greek cities and touched on some of the Greek Gods. I remember in 2nd grade I was in a special class where we learned about many of them. It was so exciting and I still recall some of the stories pretty vividly. That led me to thinking "Is this too involved/violent/advanced for me to start teaching the kiddo?"

During the show kiddo was asking questions about who was this and what was that. I was answering to the best of my ability when I realized, it was no more involved or violent than Star Wars, and he knows ALL about that! I have been searching the net and have found several good books with high ratings for children on Greek Mythology. I'm not sure what we will pick up but I thought we may head to the library and see what is available there first. I am looking forward to re-learning along with him.

If you know of any spectacular books that you have used for Greek Mythology, please add them in the comments!

"My Mom hits me when I'm bad..." WHAT?

2009-02-03T17:23:00.000-06:00

Okay so I have to share with you a funny thing that happened to me today.

Let me start by going over a little bit of parenting techniques my husband and I use. When kiddo was little, say about 18 months maybe, I remember I slapped his hand when he didn't listen to me about not touching something. I felt like a jerk and it didn't work. So I then decided that the whole spanking thing works for some folks, not for us. My Mom gave me a good idea when I asked how in the world I was supposed to get his attention and fast. She said to clap my hands very loudly one time to surprise him, and get his attention on me and not whatever it was occupying him. I tried it, it worked, I used it. I haven't had to use it in a long time, though when I do need to use it, it still works because it is not something we have worn out and used for an all the time thing.

Okay so now that we have that settled, this is what happened today. Often on Tuesdays my Mom will come to town and we go out to lunch and grocery shop, go to the book store, whatever, just a fun hanging out day for us. Today we started at our favorite salad place, it shall not be named, though that is a whole different story (sorry Mom, lol, I had to). So we pay and get our plates and kiddo is talking to my Mom. There is an older lady getting her plate as well and I started talking to her about something, probably just saying hi or some other random conversation I strike up with strangers.

Kiddo walks over, looks at her and says "My Mom hits me when I'm bad."

I look at him stunned. In complete shock of what this lady thinks of me and how horrible that sounded and above all WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD HE SAY THAT? I kind of laughed a nervous laugh thinking for certain CPS would be on the way soon when she looked at him and said

"That is because she loves you sweetie."

He looked at her with a similar look I had a moment prior. I then explained to her that I do not hit him and I don't know why he would say that, she didn't seem concerned at all.

In fact she said "Well whatever you are doing, you are doing something right."

Okay so she hadn't speed dialed CPS secretly in her purse while she calmly kept me on the property until they got there, that was good. We got to talking a bit and she was super nice, I still don't think she believed that I didn't hit him when he was bad, but whatever.

I continued to build my random fabulous salad and gather some things for kiddo, found the booth he and Mom had chosen and sat down. Still a bit stunned but eager to eat my good fresh food and enjoy our lunch.

When we were through, my Mom kind of laughed and said "My Mom hits me when I'm bad." We both laughed and I then felt the need to reassure her that I didn't beat him behind closed doors.

So while he was enjoying his frozen yogurt, I asked as casually as possible "Hey, why did you tell that lady that I hit you when you are bad?" He shrugs.

I asked "Do I hit you when you are bad?" He shook his head and kept eating his yogurt happily.

"No seriously why did you say that?"

"Well when we are playing Star Wars (Lego Star Wars on the PS2) and you are the other player and we are fighting bad guys and I look like a bad guy sometimes you kill me on accident." He continued with his yogurt. Looking at my Mom and I like "Why are they laughing?"

I admit, when we are playing and he looks like say, a Clone Trooper, I have been known to take him on more than one occasion. I was happy then that no weapons were mentioned in his confessions to strangers! My Mom and I both shook our heads and laughed for a bit, then I felt the need to explain this to him.

"You know when you said that to that lady, she thought you meant when you are not acting right or being cranky, that I hit you. You can't tell people that sweetie. Or you have to be more specific next time maybe when you say that because I could get in trouble as a Mom if people think that I hit you."

Mouth full of frozen yogurt he managed an "Okay."

Then my Mom pipes in. "You know you just are digging yourself deeper right? 'My Mom hits me when I'm bad but I'm not supposed to tell anybody about it'"

Goodness, what have I done?! LOL

What Homeschooling Means to Me...

2009-01-30T08:35:00.000-06:00

This has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Recently I have been experiencing so many different people with so many different ideas. I have never really been someone who does things like others do. I enjoy doing new things and often jump in with little instruction. Even with a lack of instruction I seem to focus on finding the most efficient way of doing things. (Okay, other than laundry, that I just try to avoid...) When I am interested in something new I immerse myself in it. Like with spinning, I thought handspun yarn was gorgeous and knew if I had a wheel I could figure it out, and I did.

When kiddo was about eight months old I decided that I absolutely wanted to homeschool, I read pretty much every book about it from the library. Some of it was not my idea of how I thought it should be, though other parts have really stuck with me. One book I read mentioned that feeling that kids have on Friday when they are let out of school. That freedom and excitement from not having to sit in a chair, or be around cranky kids, or a cranky teacher, or being stuck in a classroom where they were studying something that they really didn't get or understand with no additional time for instruction or help. This book said that when you homeschool, everyday feels like Friday.

Another book mentioned that you can learn ANYWHERE. Now, kiddo is my sidekick. Anywhere I go, he goes for the most part. I have heard people say that "unschoolers" just drag their kids around with them all of the time and don't "do" anything. I am not sure what I would classify my style of homeschool as. What I do know is that you CAN learn anywhere.

People will ask when we are going to "start" homeschooling and there is always kind of a pause. For us, we started from.....well pretty much birth. Actually before birth! I had read the first few chapters of a book that was about teaching your baby to love to read from inside the womb. It was a study that was conducted about reading one book, The Cat in the Hat, to your belly twice a day everyday, then continuing reading it after they were born. I can still to this day recite the entire book!

Before he could speak I taught him sign language so he could better communicate his needs. When he could speak I made sure to encourage him to use the correct words and not "baby" words. (Just as I was sitting here typing, kiddo ran up hair all askew and still in pajamas and says "Let's do school!" so we sat down and practiced writing his letters for a few. Then he wanted a snack, LOL)

Books have always been a part of our days, from the very beginning. It started with just showing the pictures and then progressed to having him point things out, and then naming them, and now sounding out the words and sometimes looking up different facts about the things he asks questions about. Like the day he told me dolphins don't sleep and I said of course they...wait do they? After a bit of Google searching we learned that for about 8 hours of a day, they shut down the left half of their brain for 4 hours and then switch to the right half, all the while still able to swim slowly, float near the surface or in shallow waters. THIS is what I love about homeschool.

I think a big part of teaching your children comes from actually listening to what they have to say. You know when I first found out I was pregnant, I wasn't sure "what" I was supposed to do. The thought of parenting was intimidating and it was something that I knew I wanted to do "right." My Mom was a big support system for me. She let me know that as long as I tried my best and recognized that he was a "person" that I would be fine. My parents have very different qualities to them. My Dad being very matter of fact, and coming from a military background, very strict and rule focused while still remaining creative and imaginative and I am so thankful for that and what that instilled in me. My Mom is very creative and easy going, always willing to answer questions and spark creativity and imagination, while also being very much on the goofy side and offering a laugh whenever I need one. I like to think that I can find a balance between the rules and the goofy creativity, to take a bit from each of my influences to parent with.

I have to give my Mom a huge THANK YOU for something seeming slightly unrelated but actually a huge determining factor in the relationship that kiddo and I have. After I had him, money was really tight. REALLY tight. Since I was 14 I have always had a job, I enjoy working and getting a check to show that I put in my time and effort and was rewarded for it. For the first time in my life I felt helpless as far as finances go. I now was the keeper of this amazing little character and my days and nights were already spoken for. Friends of mine shipped kids off to Grandma's while they kept a day job. My Mom for more reasons than one, decided this was not how things were going to work. I admit, I was irked about it more than once. I thought, "Can't she see that we are struggling here?" She assured me that the time that she spent with us at home when we were little was time that meant more than the world. Because of that, I have really been able to form a relationship with him based on experience, listening and "knowing" him. I realize now, and have known for a while, exactly the reason she did what she did, and I am absolutely eternally grateful for that.

So now that he is four and big enough to look "school aged" we get questions when we go places. "Where do you go to school?" At first it was strange trying to explain to him that he would not be riding on the big yellow bus everyday. Now when people ask he says, "Oh we do homeschool!" Then more questions, "What curriculum are you using?" Well, here it is for you. All of the requirements and outlines for each year of learning are available for reading, studying and printing online. There are countless books about what your ____ grader should know. Between the library, our own book selection at home including a full set of encyclopedias, the grocery store, the produce market, the backyard, the piano, guitar, art supplies, imagination and last but certainly not least...the resources online, I have absolutely no desire to spend a dime on curriculum.

The world is our classroom. Here is an example of what I mean. I say to him "Let's bake some muffins!" Of course the response from him is an excited one, knowing how delicious muffins are. Here is a list of things that can be taught from one simple batch of muffins:
~ gathering items needed for the recipe
~ counting eggs and other items needed
~ recognizing the difference between flour and sugar, honey and oil, baking powder and baking soda by using phonics and pre-reading letter recognition
~ measuring and sometimes multiplying ingredients
~ big bigger biggest with all measuring tools
~ science and the way ingredients react with one another while mixing and during the baking process
~ experimenting with added ingredients and taking chances and discovering the results
~ preparation such as pre-heating the oven, greasing the pan and why you grease it
~ fire safety and how to do things in the kitchen so we don't get hurt
~ time awareness and learning to tell time on a clock
~ nutrition and healthy eating habits, what different ingredients are made of and how they react with our bodies
~ dividing the batter into the cups to make them even

Now I am sure that there are many more but these are the ones that first came to mind. I am not saying that each one of these are discussed every single time we bake a batch of muffins, but over the course of 4 or so batches, so much can be learned. You just have to take the time and be aware of what fits where. Even in clean up we can learn. The importance of cleanliness and bacteria and how it grows and why. Now these are the types of things I think of when I think of how homeschool works for us.

I am constantly exploring different ideas and ways that we can learn. Currently he is learning how to officially write his letters. He has known how to write many of them and will ask how to spell certain words and write them on his own. We have a pre-k workbook that we are working in right now that has proved to be very helpful. It sparks the imagination and has a way of progressing that he has taken to very easily. We have workbooks through grade 3 right now, so I look forward to using those in conjunction with our "world is our classroom" learning techniques.

When I first voiced my decision to homeschool I had very mixed reactions from family members. The biggest concern was interaction with other children and social skills. Trust me, this was a major concern of mine as well....until I learned a little more about what was actually available. He is in a gymnastics class once a week which has been a fabulous influence. I like it because he has the chance to interact with other kids, while learning how to compete with himself and learn from someone other than me. I remember the day that I realized it really clicked with him. I don't expect he will be entering the Olympics any time soon, he has more of a stunt man way of performance! It is good for his confidence and social skills, the teachers are amazing as well as a good mix of other children his age. This is only one of many social opportunities that he will experience. There are different sports groups, field trips, science fairs, theatrical groups, band, foreign language classes and countless others we will be exploring as time progresses. After years of discussions, the family members that were on the fence or slightly anti-homeschool, have come around. Some of them actually fully embracing it and excited and confident in my decision.

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading, but I can't tell you how much being able to get all of this out means to me. Going through and writing down my thoughts has made me confident again about my decisions. It has been an interesting journey so far and I am so excited for what the future brings us. Thanks for taking the time to read what homeschooling means to me. I hope that you can take with you what you want and make it work for you. Homeschooling is not for everyone, but it is for us and you have the choice to decide what is right for your family. Make sure that you are true to yourself and that you do not let others influence you to go against what you feel in your gut. If you have any questions or comments, I would love for you to let me know! Good luck on your journey wherever it takes you!

How Exciting!

2009-01-30T08:25:00.000-06:00

Just last night I reached one of my goals! A while back I was talking about putting my" items sold number goals" on my vision board. Well at the time I thought it would take forever to reach it but just last night I hit 265 sales! (Actually 266, which rocks!) I have now placed a new goal up there, it's kind of a fun one for me and my love (issue) with the number 3. "Total items sold on Etsy 333!" Woo hoo! As much fun as it was for me to hit and surpass my 265 goal, I am kind of hoping I hit this one straight on.

A Year of Realizations...

2008-12-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

This year has been quite and experience. So much has happened for me personally. I have always held on to some sort of creative outlet. In New Orleans I had the job at Mardi Gras World painting and designing floats. That led me in a sort of backwards way to wire sculpture, which led me to jewelry. I enjoyed creating wild pendants out of thick sterling silver wire. I remember how exciting it was when the contemporary art gallery asked me if I would sell them there. That phase ended after several years and I got back into crochet. I made hats just last Christmas for some friends. I considered selling them on Etsy but before I even had time to entertain the idea, a friend mentioned "Lets dye some wool yarn! We can do it with Kool-Aid!" That was around February.

If you asked me last year if I had ever considered spinning yarn, I probably would've cocked my head to the side and said "Like with a spinning wheel?!?" I used to be able to bust out a wire pendant in just a few minutes. It was fun to sit down with a hunk of silver and an hour later have 5-10 pendants to show for it. This spinning yarn thing though, it is so different. I have always been one to find the most efficient way to do things. Working with wool has taught me to be patient. From the very first opening of the bag of fluffy wool, to the needles or a photo shoot for my Etsy shop, it's a journey.

There are so many steps involved in creating yarn. The dyeing process has taught me to let go of my "plan" that I usually have for everything. Some wools take dye differently, some dyes don't end up like I expected, some days the city water has been treated and I end up with pastel mania. Once they are hung to dry in the Texas sun, they often surprise me. I can't even explain how exciting it is to have a fresh batch of dyed roving drying. This is where the patience comes in. I will admit, some rovings peek my curiosity so much I have spun them while they are still the slightest bit damp. For most of them though, I must wait until they dry. Very few have ended up like I actually picture them. It is amazing the transformation that takes place as the colors twist and blend together in the spinning process. There is absolutely no way that any machine could ever produce the effect of handspun yarn.

The options that you have when you start to spin are practically endless. From super thin to super bulky and everything in between. Some fibers pretty much tell you how they want to be spun. You can go into it thinking, I will spin this into a bulky yarn, then the fiber says no. Some want to be thick and thin. You never really know until you get going. I like to experiment. Actually, not having been taught how to spin in the first place, this whole venture was an experiment!

My handspun yarn was the first handspun I had ever worked with. I received my wheel in pieces in the mail in March of this year and still remember the excitement as I was putting it together. I felt like I was about to conquer something I knew little about. I had a box full of wool and I just went for it! There were so many variables: tension, fiber, distance, speed, technique (of which I had none!) I don't remember a definitive moment when it clicked, it was a gradual process. I do remember the first time I realized the thing I had just created could pass for yarn! It was still a few weeks before I decided to use some of my handspun to crochet with. It was a purple and pink blend and I had just enough of it to make a coffee cup sleeve. This was before I had learned to knit. Well I had attempted knitting but it was still dangerous to be in the vicinity when I had two pointy sticks and so much frustration from not really knowing what I was doing! The experience to create something out of a supply that I created from a pile of fluff was nothing short of amazing.

I still enjoy experimenting. In fact almost every skein I spin still teaches me a little something. I see other fiber artists work and I think "I can do that." I have gone from spinning uncontrollable thick and thin yarns to all sorts of (now I can actually call them this) techniques. Consistently spun, super thin, super thick, slubs, art yarn (which was a challenge for me and my symmetrical self), coils and others.

My very favorite part about spinning though...sharing it with others. Every skein I send off is exciting. I mean who really ever knows what it will become? There are so many possibilities when you create a "supply." I create so others can create, gotta love it!

Now my knitting skills have improved. I am happy to say it is no longer dangerous to be in my presence with two pointy sticks. In fact, this year, I knit a bunch of my family's gifts. I was a joy to do and I can't wait to gift them!

Have a happy holiday everyone and I hope your hearts will be full of joy. Each and every one of us has so much to be thankful for.

Easily Amused!

2008-12-10T00:38:00.000-06:00

So my parents came to pick up kiddo and take him shopping for hubby and me for Christmas. A secret shopping trip that they have been wanting to do since last year, just waiting until he was a bit older. He loves hanging out with them and was so excited from the moment I told him. There aren't many things he likes to do without me, but an outing with Grammy and Grandpa was absolutely up his alley! He was dressed and ready to go about two hours before they were even supposed to arrive and for a 4 year old, that is EARLY! I planned on shopping solo for a shirt for our annual family photos (which we decided we would all wear blue and I didn't have a pretty blue top) and have a minute to try some things on. I stroll into a shop in the mall..... there they are! Of course, out of all the gin joints right? I had a quick success and headed out so they could carry on with top secret shopping.

I asked kiddo what he got for us, knowing he had been prompted to say "You have to wait until Christmas!" and that is what he said. Then later we were hanging out on the sofa and a Zales commercial came on. He was quiet and then he says "I got you the most beautiful earrings!" I pretended not to hear because instantly he realized he wasn't supposed to say anything. I am willing to bet they are not from Zales, but based on the earrings he "won" for me out of a vending machine, I imagine they are quite sparkly. He digs the sparkly stuff. I dig him.

This afternoon was about mid to high 70s. The sky looked all mysterious like it wasn't sure what it was supposed to do. Windy gusts and fast moving clouds rolled in in the evening hours. The temperature was steadily dropping. I heard there was a chance for snow but this is Texas, I mean come on now. It doesn't snow here.

First it was sleet, then it turned to the fluffy white goodness!

My list just gets longer and longer every day!

2008-11-27T10:35:00.000-06:00

Today is Thanksgiving!

I will tell you what, it has been quite a year since the last one. It seems like my list just get longer and longer everyday, the things I am thankful for. My family and friends, my goofy son, my great neighbors, the people I meet in passing and the inspiration and hope that I receive from all of them. My "just the right size" house on my cute little street, the wacky Texas weather, the small town I live in that has ever expanding resources and the beautiful openness and rolling hills that surrounds it. I could go on and on and on...

I take a moment every day to appreciate the beautiful life I get to live. Today on Thanksgiving, it seems so amplified. Maybe because so many people who normally may not take that moment every day, well... they are today. It fills the air with a sense of hope and wonder. We are all very lucky to have the opportunities and experiences that we do. Sometimes, in the midst of everything, it doesn't seem so lucky for some folks. I can tell you this though, whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever has been placed or thrown in front of you, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. There is good in everything. Sometimes we have to dig a bit deeper, sometimes we realize it later, sometimes the things we have hoped and planned for manifest...but there are things to be thankful for no matter what.

So may your list get longer and longer! Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Sale and Hello!

2008-11-26T00:39:00.000-06:00

Hello everybody! I just wanted to pop in and let y'all know I will be having a big sale this weekend in my Etsy shop! Looking forward to answering questions and packing up orders! If anyone would like to receive my Newsletter, just email me at simplytwistedyarn@gmail.com and I will sign you up!

Two Seasons, Bunnies and Cabernet

2008-11-21T22:49:00.000-06:00

Living here in Texas, it's almost like we just have two seasons. Summer and Winter. Seems like each one of them is just long enough to forget how the other is. We had a cold front blow through and stick around for a few days. I like the cold weather, the cozy clothes and the snuggle up and stay in factor of it. The leaves are blowing off of the trees. The deer are running around wildly. I can smell my neighbor's fireplace. All in all a good start to the holiday season!

Currently I am spinning some German Angora bunny fur. It came to me in fluffery bits so I am having to hand card it. There is something kind of Zen about the repetitive motion. I do wish I had a larger pair, but these work just fine. I was surprised how well and even it is coming out for being hand carded.

The last Angora I worked with was wild and unruly. In the beginning I tried to make it consistent but about 3 yards in and I declared "May the fluffers stay fluffy!" and spun it like it wanted to be spun. It ended up looking really neat with big, soft, thick......blobs? here and there. I have just a bit of gorgeous cashmere left. It is more of a creamy white and the angora is pure white. I was thinking of plying the two together for the softest most buttery fabulousness ever.

Did you know bunny fur is 8 times as warm as wool? Interesting huh...

Here is a photo of the Angora in progress ~

Pretty isn't it?

Tonight is chilly and I have to stay up to get the last bit of laundry done. I had a major decision earlier between hot tea and some Cabernet. The Cabernet won. Seems like a cozy thing to have on a blustery night. So cheers!

OH! I recently celebrated my 200th sale on Etsy! When I first started and wasn't sure how I was going to do, I set a goal first of 45 sales. I put a note on my vision board. This was back in February. I hit that goal and when I noticed my little note on the board, I was already at 52 sales. I took it down and made a new one for 65. Between spinning, kiddo and life, I hadn't glanced up there for a while. Once I did, I was right at 100 sales. I started to get a new slip of paper to write my goal on, then I had a better idea. So I grabbed my pen and drew a "1" in front of the 65! So obviously with my 200th sale just passed, I needed a new goal. I made a "2" out of the "1" and have been working hard to keep my shop stocked! I am looking forward to folks holiday shopping on Etsy. This will be my first holiday season actually selling.

Alright, laundry, bunny fur and another glass of wine!

Brrrrrrr.......

2008-11-16T08:31:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness.

It is very, very cold here.

That is all for now..... until the coffee takes effect and my hands thaw.

Enjoy this woolen treat below, feel free to make me some mittens!

HALLOWEEN

2008-10-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

We had a bit of a pumpkin carving party here the hubby, kiddo and me. Of course I was recruited to scrape all of the funky goo from within. Eww. Meanwhile they chose some designs for them. Hubby chose a Dodge Challenger, you know, because he isn't surrounded by Dodge all day or anything. Kiddo chose the one with the most lines and cuts.... I mean the creepy surgeon. I think they turned out pretty cool though! I wasn't sure about the Challenger until it was lit and the lights were off. Kiddo thinks it looks like Lightening McQueen, I kind of agree!

Please feel free to leave your comments! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful Things...

2008-09-17T00:22:00.000-05:00

The weather has been absolutely perfect here. It has been in the 70's and breezy, slightly overcast, a dream! When we first moved into our house about 5 years ago, all of the windows were painted shut. It was such a shame because they are the big kind of windows and there are so many. I remember when kiddo was just a little pile of baby in his playpen, I had the grand idea. I was going to pry them all open! Well about 40 minutes later (about 5 hours less time than I thought it was going to take) they were all able to open! It is so amazing to have such a great cross wind through the house. It is one of those things that just makes you happy. To not have the hum of the air conditioner, just he sound of the outside getting a chance to sneak in. I think it is also living in Texas. You know most of the time it is extremely hot, then it switches to extremely cold. There aren't many in between days. I absolutely appreciate the in between days though!

I have been wanting to experiment with some different fibers lately. Two of the ones I wanted to try I ran across today so I ordered them. I found a hemp and also a banana fiber. All of the banana fiber yarn I see is handspun already, it is just available to dye. I came across some actual loose fiber so I snatched it up! I am wondering if the hemp is going to be similar to the cotton. Anyway, looking forward to working with both! They are both undyed and just the natural color so I will have to dye them first, or maybe not, we'll see.

I finally ordered some Firestar and let me tell you, it is so fun and so sparkly! At first I had a hard time drafting it but then I kind of got in the groove and it adds such a neat dimension.

I don't think I have mentioned before how much fun it is to be a part of Etsy. I absolutely love being able to connect with people from all over the world. So far I have sent to many of the United States of America, Finland, Scotland, Portugal, Madrid, Australia, Canada and I have a customer that informed me that some of the yarn she bought was going to be travelling with her to Namibia Africa! I need to get a big wall map of the world so I can start putting pins to the places I have sent to. It would also be fun for the kiddo I am sure. Not the pin part, LOL, the map part.

Okay so this perhaps is my most random post ever. Sometimes I am just not sure what to write here! I ran into a lovely lady I know today at the store who mentioned that she had not seen me keeping up with my blog lately. So thank you for getting me back in here! I often forget how much fun it is to collect my thoughts here.

Until next time!

The Beauty of the Human Spirit

2008-08-29T02:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I was working the register at my random night job tonight. My little escape to talk to adults after having spent all day with my ridiculous and clever 4 year old son. I was ringing this lady up. She had three kiddos with her, all say, 7 and under. They were not annoying in the least bit, I mean, they were keeping her busy but just being kids really. They were happy and just looking at everything (which to kids also means TOUCHING everything!) Near the checkout we have these little push button things with this globe on the top. You push the button and the little light thing spins around and kind of changes colors and patterns. It is really pretty cool and all the kids love them.
The one little girl asked "Can we get one?"
The mom said "Three dollars each and three kids? That adds up. No guys we are just getting the movies now put them back please." None of them fussed.
She paid for her movies and was gathering her stuff. It was now that I looked past the big bright eyes and giggling face of the youngest girl and realized that quite a bit of her long blonde hair was missing.
The couple behind her in line had been watching and smiling at the kiddos. At one point one of them even said "You've got your hands full!" The mother had smiled back at her, kind of rolling her eyes.
As the mom was gathering the kiddos and heading out, one of the girls from the couple handed me three of the spinning light things and said "Can you kinda hurry with these?"
I rang them up and handed them to the other girl and she gave them to each of the kiddos. They simultaneously thanked her happily. I almost forgot to finish ringing them up and even now tears come to my eyes as I write. What a beautiful thing to be able to witness the kind, open, caring and thoughtfulness of human beings. I told the couple how much fun it was for me to be able to witness that and the one just said "Well she had her hands full."
I love it. I am happy that I was there to witness it and I realize that the beauty of the human spirit is everywhere. I will be more aware, I hope you will too. :)

What a fabulous morning!

2008-08-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a beautiful day today!

This is where I would rather be, though I am happy to be home as well... South Padre Island Texas

How do they do it? (mini rant about being a Mom)

2008-08-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

Okay so last night, my crazy 4 year old kiddo got up out of bed about a thousand times. Just as I was about to fall asleep...BAM, he was up again. I think collectively I got maybe 2 hours of sleep.

Then this morning he wakes up chipper and ready for the day! Like nothing ever happened! Like we hadn't been up ALL night long!

I find some coffee beans in the cupboard and decide I pretty much have to pretend it didn't happen either. Grind them up brew them, have a sip head out for a ton of errands.

It is raining today so we "get" to use the umbrellas.

Okay, for me I think "Let's just run and do it fast and get home out of the rain."

Kiddo thinks (probably in a song) "We get to use umbrellas! We get to use umbrellas!"

So it ends up taking much longer to run already long errands. He does however let everyone know that we are carrying umbrellas.

Come home....errands done....ahhhhhhh

RING

This then was continued phone call mania, pretty much back to back calls.

Then, at last, it is quiet. The sofa, just for a minute. Okay maybe five minutes.

You know that point when you are just about to fall into deep sleep and everything sounds like 20 times louder than normal? RING

Grrrrr

My Mom, okay "Hey Mom, I'm trying to take a super quick nap, can I call you later?"

"Well Dad and I were going to stop by really quick..."

ROFL

I gave up, I got kiddo dressed. Flung my hair into a presentable bun mess and here I am.

They did just stop by for a second. It is SO cute to see kiddo with them. I know after having two girls himself, that my Dad really gets a kick out of him. And my Mom, well, if I didn't know better, I would try to find the umbilical cord that attaches HER and kiddo together.

Anyway, I just thought I would share a little sunshine from my day. OH, I forgot to mention, I get to go to work tonight too at the book store. Lovely right? They may very well find me curled up with one in one of the comfy chairs. Hmmmm..... or possibly over in the cafe doing espresso shots.

Oh, I almost forgot! Yarn....

Below is Twisted Experiment #2...

This is one called FuN HoUsE that I already sold that was GORGEOUS...

This group is my Twisted Trifecta, I cannot believe it hasn't sold yet! I may just have to make a scarf out of them and steal them from my shop one of these days...

SugarPlumVegan.etsy.com

2008-08-15T15:31:00.001-05:00

I recieved my treats from Etsy's SugarPlumVegan!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5703722

They came SUPER fast! Here are the fabulous filling yummy crackers ...

And here are the absolutely AMAZING and FABULOUS MACA-Roons, these are GIANT! Seriously, I think I might cut them in four!

They are so delicious!

I will absolutely positively be shopping there again very soon. YUM!

School is starting...

2008-08-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

So the new school year is starting soon. Row after row of fresh supplies in every store you walk into. I have to say I am a bit jealous! Getting brand new school supplies was always my FAVORITE. I remember wondering what kind of new TrapperKeeper they were going to come up with, and if it would have matching folders. Planning for weeks by cutting out pictures from magazines and stuff to put in one of those clear binders, to make it the very coolest possible (without, of course, looking like I TRIED to make it cool LOL) All of those super sharp pencils and then the mechanical pencils.... A fresh pack of bic pens, or when they came out with the pens with designs on them! How about the year that you actually had to buy a protractor, yeah I know you always heard about the dork with the protractor in his pocket, but to have to BUY one just seemed like a huge step.

Then...the first day of school. The way the rooms smelled. Deciding where to sit.

I guess I moved around alot as a kid. I went to like 9 different schools in 4 different states. I always liked the chance to reinvent myself. It also made me very "adaptable" LOL. Often times I would be going in to a completely new school full of kids I had never seen. I always "planned" to be the quiet girl in class. It never really ended up that way though. The desire to make new friends and make people laugh always took over. I was certainly not the class clown or anything.

It seemed like I was always friends with people from all of the different cliques. My wardrode sure showed it too! Oh my..... From Polo shirts and big silver hoop earrings one year, to Z Cavariccis and mile high bangs, to black hair and long dark clothes the next year, to heavy metal t-shirts and jeans, to tie dye shirts, to corduroy vintage pants and vintage flowing tops, I am sure I am forgetting some of them in there.

Looking back, I seem to remember all of the good, fun stuff first. When you are going through it, it is all confusing though. The searching and trying to figure out who you are. Living up to who people think you are. Settling in to where you feel you belong, only to realize you don't.

Yeah, there is no amount of money that could make me go back and do it again. Although, I absolutely would not change one thing about my experience. It was mine and it is part of why I am who I am today. I am happy!

Unless of course someone were to tempt me with new school supplies...

"Isn't this blog supposed to be about yarn?"

Ahhhhh yes.... here you go!

And my inspiration...

Raw Food Fabulousness

2008-08-13T00:14:00.000-05:00

So I started this Natalia Rose Raw Food Detox "diet" thing about 4 days ago. Let me tell you, (other than 2 TOTALLY completely not good in anyway possible meals) I feel AMAZING. I had a friend mention about her garden and all of the fresh things she had eaten. I was kidding her about only eating fresh tree leaves and steamed tree bark with fresh creek water, when she turned and jokingly said, "You are just jealous!" At that point I realized..... I was a bit! The next day another interesting girl at my little night job offered me part of her avocado. I told her I had eaten already and she mentioned being on this raw food thing. Hmmmm.....tell me more I said. She said she had been doing it a while, wanted to become vegan, felt great and no longer depended on 6 shots of espresso a day. She showed me the book she had read, I bought it, devoured it, started the following morning.
Seriously, seriously, not kidding, I feel AMAZING. Everything in the book made such sense to me. I mean why not? I then found out about her other book Life Force Energy. OMG. Okay, it is like Law of Attraction meets Food. The best thing is, she is real. Like, she is human, not this superhuman "this is the only way you can ever do anything for the rest of your life" OR "after 30 days on this you will be a rockstar" sort of thing. She is a Mom, she is educated, she is gorgeous, amusing and apparently my new best friend (she doesn't know this yet LOL). The Big Red Barn opens tomorrow because it is Wednesday (our version of super duper small town farmers market) and I am planning on stocking up. I actually finally bought those Debbie Meyer Green Bags but have been eating SO many fresh fruits and veggies, nothing has a chance to go funky!
I found a lovely little shop on Etsy called SugarPlumVegan.etsy.com ( http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5703722 ) I ordered some Raw Vegan Organic MACA-Roons & some Heirloom Tomato Basil Flax Crackers. I can't wait to get them in the mail!!!

OMG 7 years?

2008-08-12T23:52:00.000-05:00

Wow, tomorrow is me and hubby's 7th anniversary! I just can't believe it has been that long! Of course in other ways I can't imagine how it hasn't been longer. We are very lucky to have the relationship we have. I guess because we are such good friends and pretty laid back. He is an amazing Dad to our wild kiddo and to see them together makes me completely glow. They are both nuts.... okay perhaps we all are, but it is best that way!!! ANYWAY, sorry for all of the mushy-ness, just reflecting!

2008-07-30T02:31:00.000-05:00

This is about how I feel today LOL

2008-06-29T22:38:00.000-05:00

This youtube video made me laugh and cry at the same time, too funny and too true today! If only we could do this and metemorphosize. LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3f3Lw60R08

Oh my!!!

2008-04-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

I just listed some yarn I experimented with. I think it turned out fabulous!

I plied one of my handspun skeins with some thread that I beaded. After I plied it I realized I needed to dye it and decided to go with light blue. It is beautiful!!!

Another experiment was some merino and mohair. I spun up some merino one ply. Then I spun up a mohair/merino blend. The mohair was so shiny and I wasn't sure how it would dye. Well.......... it stayed super shiny and also photographed really well!

Now for some lucky person to purchase and make something amazing with them! Actually the two would work really well together because I used the same sky blue.

Anyway, I am off to go spin some bananas! Also known as superwash roving dyed with a variety of yellows. Hopefully I won't GO bananas!!!

Hey everybody!

2008-04-22T16:43:00.000-05:00

I have been having WAY too much fun spinning yarn on my new Ashford Kiwi! First I was purchasing pre-dyed roving and batts to experiment with. I finally got up enough nerve to dye my own roving and WOW! How fun it is to create something from the very first steps! I will soon be posting instructions on "How to dye your own roving" and also "How to dye your own yarn".

Some of my yarn was recently featured on another blog http://bonghinatura.blogspot.com/
Bonghi Natura offers a wide variety of amazing soaps. They look delicious but the way they make your skin feel is even more amazing! I ordered a ton of stuff to give as gifts. (If I ever actually let them leave my possession that is)

Thanks for stopping by! Check back in soon and until then, check out my Etsy shop! It is fully stocked with amazing fiber fabulousness!!! http://simplytwisted.etsy.com

Danger Zone!!!!

2008-03-03T18:40:00.000-06:00

This is SO still under construction! Thanks for looking!