Goody Bags for the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor.

Every year at Christmas, our little family of 3 looks for ways in which to specifically help our community. We certainly do what we can all year through --- but in an effort to show Isaac that Christmas is truly about giving to others --- we look for ways to give in a meaningful and personal way.

This year, we decided to create craft "goody" bags for the children who stay at the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor. This was partly Isaac's idea --- as he suggested we do something to help children. I told him what the Ronald McDonald House was all about --- and he was all for it. (He also wanted to continue our tradition of visiting the Maine Veterans Home on Christmas Day --- which we plan to do as well).

So --- after speaking with the Director of Volunteers at the House --- we decided to create goody bags full of fun crafting kits and craft supplies to be distributed to the children staying at the home. For the most part, these bags will be distributed to siblings of children who are receiving medical attention at the nearby Eastern Maine Medical Center. Last year, 300+ families were served by the Home. Though we are not currently able to create as many bags as could be distributed within a given year, we pledged to the home that we would not only make as many as we could at this time, but that we would do our best to replenish them as needed (a wonderful way to give Isaac a charitable focus throughout the year).

My Mom and I shopped for goodies to include in the bags --- mostly at JoAnn's and Mardens --- and as we did, we tried to imagine how these siblings must feel --- perhaps scared for their brother/sister, a bit lonely because Mom & Dad are so focused on the child in need, etc. It made the shopping meaningful --- and we would get giddy when we found goodies that we imagined would delight the children involved --- and help to keep their minds occupied with positive thoughts.

After all the shopping was done, I asked a few friends to help put the bags together --- and sweet, sweet Katrina and her Mom, BJ, came by the studio to help organize the bags. They did a perfect job. Katrina put herself in the mind frame of a child going through a difficult time, and put the bags together with much love.

My lovely friend Katie also joined us (with her baby Max in utero!) --- wrapping presents for the Maine Veterans Home (I will post about this later). She was a huge help --- wrapping all manner of 2010 calendars for the men and women of the Veterans Home (a special request by the staff).

Isaac and his fave girl, Sydney, were also involved --- entertaining each other with crafts and silliness while the rest of us worked on wrapping and organizing. They had a great time --- which allowed Mom to get much done :)

Now, we look forward to bringing the finished bags to the Ronald McDonald House. Though we won't witness any children using the goodies in these bags --- I imagine that the gifts will be received with smiles by both the children and their parents. And hopefully --- in some small way --- these bags will help these families in their healing.

Thank you to the Ronald McDonald house for everything they do! And thanks to my Mom and friends for all their assistance and good Karma :)

Love,

Jodi

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Love for Our Troops : Isaac & I Troop Greet in Bangor.

(terrible iphone pic - sorry)

Isaac and I spent our afternoon yesterday at the Bangor International Airport saying farewell to a large group of brand new soldiers heading over seas. It was both lovely and sobering.

First, I had to explain to my son why we are thanking these men and women. I - who am firmly opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - am still fully respectful of the jobs that these soldiers are doing for our country. I needed to find a way to articulate my love and respect for these men and women in uniform to my son without glorifying war or using political talk. So - I did the only thing I could think of at the time - I drew a map. I explained that this little piece of land here on the map is called "America" ... and it is where we live ... and there are all sorts of other countries all around the world too. And each country has men and women who volunteer (or are ordered) to protect that country and all the people in it. Sometimes one country wants to hurt another country --- so these men and women sometimes have to leave their homes and go fly over to other countries to stop them from trying to invade our own. I further explained that just as Daddy protects us from anyone who might want to hurt us --- these soldiers have the job of protecting our entire country. That is why we say THANKS.

Now, I know that this is very oversimplified ... and war is way more political and nasty than I would dare explain to my 4 -year old. And frankly, not all men and women in uniform are honorable. BUT, they are all human ... they are all our brothers and sisters ... and in the best situations ... they are off to do what they believe is right in order to protect the freedoms we hold dear. This is what I want my son to understand and to respect.

So, Isaac and I waved flags, clapped vigorously and shook many hands as these men and women arrived into our airport. We welcomed them to Bangor, thanked them for their service and told them to be sure to come home safe. All our well wishes were happily received. And it felt so good just to share a smile with these folks before they headed into the unknown (these were mostly young recruits headed off for the first time) ... but it also was heartbreaking. Some of these boys looked like babes to me. And some of the women were very likely somebody's mama or little girl. I don't want them to have to leave. But if they must ... then Isaac and I wish them a safe return.

In fact, we are now official "Troop Greeters" (we read the rules and signed on the dotted line and will now be called at all hours of the day to let us know when troops are coming home or leaving). Our name tags will be here shortly.

Isaac - of course - made best buds with a little blond troop greeter (almost 5 years old) who told him she has been Troop Greeting since she was born. She taught him how to "greet" and then took him around to pass out goodies to the soldiers once they were mingling. It was so very sweet (and a little rambunctious) :

And now I believe he is in love. I am sure it will not be hard to get him to come with me for future Troop Greetings - as this little sweetie told him that she is there as often as she can be :)

I am proud of my little man --- proud that he is learning love and respect for those who serve --- and praying that these wars will end asap.

Love,

Jodi

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A Walk in the Woods on an Autumn Afternoon.

Can't you just smell it? The autumn scents that are conveyed in these pics? So yummy.

Or do you feel the cool, musty breeze?

What does fall look, feel and smell like in your neck of the woods?

Love,

Jodi

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Enjoying the "Nubies".

We - Daddy, Isaac, Poppy, Bobo, various friends, and I - are SO enjoying Emily and Me. I truly never knew what a great addition these Nubian kids would be to our entire family. Now I can't imagine life without them. They follow me everywhere, play with us and the dogs, entertain us with their constant jumping antics, and actually love to cuddle.

But there is still so much I need to learn about them. I have read 2 books - cover to cover - about the care, keeping, breeding and milking of goats. I have joined a few Nubian Goat yahoo groups, and regularly visit my local Blue Seal feed store to talk "goats". But I still feel like I know nothing about them. Just like I did when I first got into chickens .... now the knowledge of their care and keeping comes so natural to me. It won't be long before I find goats easy to keep ... hopefully. And then I will have to add another species to our ever growing homestead. Next ... sheep.

Oh - and caring for farm animals makes for perfect homeschool lessons. Always a bonus. So - the more we get, the smarter my boy gets ---- at least that's the line I am feeding my husband.

Enjoy your day.

Love,

Jodi

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Seed Starting ... With Pleasure!

So, I have never really been a successful gardener. I always way over think it ... planning, reading, and sketching until I become so overly anxious about whether or not I am doing it right that I ruin all my best laid plans by being overly cautious. Not this time - I tell myself - because I have a 4-year old who wants in on the project. Out with the superego and in with the id. Just get the dirt and the seeds ... and lose all thoughts on "doing it right".

I thought I would make a day of introducing the whole indoor gardening idea by starting with a trip to the local Blue Seal. I asked Isaac what kind of seeds he wanted to plant, and he replied, "Beautiful flowers to give to my Mommy." Awwww. Because we have recently joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) we have no need to grow veggies this year ... so we opted for sunflowers, gourds (for making bird houses), basil (for pesto), cantaloupe, lemon balm, johnny jump ups (Mommy's fave) and organic soil (of course).

When we returned home, we got right to work:


Isaac SO loved the dirt. It was a great learning opportunity as well ... we talked about how seeds grow, where seeds come from, what plants need to be healthy, when we can plant these outdoors, etc. A great unschooling project.

Then Mommy thought it would be a great idea to fill lots of little jars with dirt and grass seed so that we can have little mounds of grass all over the house in time for Easter. Such a Martha Stewart-y thing to do.

All of this for about $35. Not bad for planting about 216 little circles of seeds in dirt. If all grow well, that's a lot of plants! I think we may end up selling some at the end of the driveway.

Thanks to my four-year old, I may actually enjoy gardening this year :)

Have you started planting seeds yet where you are? Indoors or out? I would love to know what you are planting.

Love,

Jodi

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Mama's Museum Visit :: Alone.

Saturday morning I woke up with wanderlust. I felt the need to go somewhere special that was just for me ... but had no plan. Both Halis and Isaac were asleep, and their deep snoring told me that it would be a while before they would wake. So, I got in the car, drove to Frank's Bakery for some fresh made doughnuts ... and then it hit me .... I am alone. I can go to the Art Museum without an uninterested husband or a needy child. Heaven. I have been waiting for this moment for months now --- ever since I heard that Andy Warhol's polaroid pics were on exhibit there.

Once I entered the UMaine Museum of Art (off campus in Bangor) ... I was pleasantly surprised to find such a contemporary, open, and inviting space in which to explore various works. I have been to other art museums throughout New England and Canada ... many of them in dark spaces. But this museum was so pleasantly lit ... and so strikingly minimalist and modern ... that it felt as though I were attending a museum in a much larger (and more modern) city than Bangor. But Bangor is full of surprises (just check out our incredible library - I am sure it rivals the collections of much larger cities).

However, I was terribly disappointed to find out that the Warhol exhibit had already been sent packing ... over a month ago. Apparently I waited too long to find some quiet Mommy time to attend the exhibit. But there was an interesting exhibit that caught my attention: Gyotaku Prints by Boshu Nagase. If I were to explain this art, I am sure that I would not do it justice, so you may want to click on some of the above links that I have provided. In the most elementary terms ... Mr. Nagase creates exact images of fish by rolling ink onto a dead fish ... then pressing it to paper ... then filling in all the detail with watercolors and various other inks. Apparently he is THE master of this art form.

It was incredible to see this work in person, especially after watching the video on display that shows the artist creating some of the very works that surrounded the walls. Incredible talent.

Of course, there were other works on display, including Metaphysics of Landscape : Paintings by Timothy McDowell ... and A Bit of Colored Ribbon: Works by John Bailly.

To be honest, John Bailly's work almost frightened me. I wanted to back away from it. It was "noise" and unease. Only later did I find out that this was part of his intent (please see above links to learn more). But I did find beauty in one of his works ... that felt somewhat inviting ... though still very chaotic ...

As for Timothy McDowell's Metaphysics of Landscapes, though I did not find his work particularly remarkable (but then again, I am no art connoisseur I assure you), I loved the color combinations ... and the surreal, dream-like feel to the work.

However, my two favorite works in the museum were not part of any of the visiting and aforementioned exhibitions. I only know they are my favorites, because they were the paintings that I stopped and stared at for a while ... and one even took my breath away for a moment ... this work titled "Agent" by William Gropper:

This piece just spoke to me somehow ... the perspective, the color, the man's expression. I would hang this on my wall (for about $20,000 or so).

My second favorite piece is in stark contrast to my first. It is a self portrait by the Italian artist, Francesco Clemente :

I was drawn to the simplicity of this portrait ... minimal lines ... splashes of color ... lack of any background details ... full lips (did I mention I have a "thing" for full-bodied lips?). I know nothing of the artist ... and this self-portrait did not give me any additional clues. Perhaps it was the mystery that I was drawn to --- the fact that the artist seemed to give me nothing of himself --- other than "here I am".

Well, apparently this has been a mini "show-and-tell" version of my art museum outing. I hope you find something to look at or pursue further (follow the links).

Hopefully I will still get to see some Andy Warhol polaroids before I leave this world. I find them far more interesting than his other works! But then again, I find photography much more interesting than any other work :)

And I already told Halis that I think I am going to make every other Saturday morning into a "Mommy Alone" morning ... where I check out something new in our sweet little city ... or at least eat more bakery doughnuts!

Enjoy your day.

Love,

Jodi

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A Typical Unschooled Day.

Yesterday was lovely in so many ways. The weather was wonderful. And how we made our way through the day felt so right. Here is how it went (more or less):

* We woke up when we felt like it.

* We ate fresh, hot brownies for breakfast.

* We put together a few puzzles on the floor.

* We went for a walk outside to "check things out" (as Isaac says).

Fall foliage, a plane jetting across the sky, various bees on a fall bloom.

* We visited with Bobo and Poppy on their back porch - and were showered with even more chocolaty goodness.

* We counted the chickens and chased our dogs.

* We played a long game of soccer and a quick game of baseball.

* We came in - I did laundry and other chores while Isaac watched "Max and Ruby".

* We worked on our counting skills and color recognition with visual aides.

* We made supper for Daddy ... and chatted with him about our day over the dinner table. (Baked Beans for Isaac and Beefy Cheesy Pasta Casserole for Mommy and Daddy).

* Lastly, we read lots and lots of books --- long into the night.

This is how I like to spend our days ... to ebb and flow in whichever ways feel good ... to have Isaac learn from life itself (I taught him how to pat Bees in the fall ... as they are so tired and cold that they just sun themselves on the flowers ... and you can pat them without getting stung. He thought it was amazing!) ... and to find the time to fully appreciate every action that we take (from soccer to reading). Sometimes we share our days with friends. Sometimes we spend much of it in the car. But a day like yesterday is my favorite - spent at home - learning, loving, playing and sharing. Good stuff!

I hope you are enjoying your favorite kind of day :)

Love,

Jodi

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The Indoor Pond.

When I began this "unschooling" adventure with my son ... which essentially began the moment he came home to me ... (see You Are Your Child's First Teacher) ... I thought of all sorts of ways that we could keep wonder, creativity and opportunities for self-learning within our home. We keep lots of musical instruments, books, blocks, puzzles, rocks, seashells, crayons, and oh so much more ... scattered in baskets throughout our home. But something was missing ... we needed a habitat ... something where we could house living things ... and watch them for a little while before setting them free and replacing them with another local pond find. So, we searched yard sales and found this $1 aquarium. Auntie found some aquarium goodies at another yard sale for $1. Voila! ... throw in some pond water and plants, a few pond snails and we created an instant indoor pond for viewing the occassional frog, turtle, or fish that we capture from our "outdoor" pond.

You might wonder how my three-year-old is able to part with these creatures after we watch them for a while ... Well, at this age it is fairly simple ... you just tell them that the frog/fish/mermaid really misses their Mommy and Daddy and so we have to put them back where their parents can find them. Isaac totally gets that, and would never want to keep a creature from its Mommy.

Anyway, friends of ours have started their own "unschooling observatory river tanks" as well. Their tanks were also yard sale finds ... and are currently housing several river fish.

This is such an inexpensive and fun learning experience. No filters or other tank gadgets. Just a tank, some river/pond water and fauna & a bubbling do-dad thingy (for circulating the water). You can feed your fish with commercial fish flakes (as my friends do) or you can just keep replenishing the water and animals so that feeding isn't necessary (what we do).

Let us know if you give this a try.

Enjoy your day.

Love,

Jodi

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An Egg is Quiet.

I have faith that spring is coming despite the seven-foot snow piles in my front yard. I have been here before ... in that limbo of a March in Maine ... where the sun shines but the snow continues to fall. I know that in just a couple of weeks, I will be "enjoying" mud puddles that are often twelve feet in diameter and at least six inches deep. I will be watching (and hearing) all my bird friends return to their spring/summer feeding and breeding grounds. My chickens will begin frolicking in the grass and laying fresh eggs. And Isaac and I will be outside WAY more than we are in.

With spring fever (and we DO get spring fever around here ... big time) fast approaching, I have been pulling out some of my recent "spring" book purchases for all to enjoy. And I SO have a favorite this year: An Egg is Quiet by Diana Aston and Sylvia Long. This book may go down as my favorite non-fiction picture book of all time. Perhaps it is because I am so enamored with eggs in general ... perhaps it is the amazing illustrations ... or perhaps it is the simple way that this book conveys so much knowledge and wonder. Any which way, it is a wonderful way to learn and appreciate the way that so much of life is created and nurtured through "eggs".

You can visit here to learn more about this book, but I wanted to share some of the incredible illustrations here as well:

This book inspires me in so many ways. Each time I look through it, I get especially excited about letting my hens hatch out some of their own chicks this year. It has been a while since we have done so. And I look forward to sharing the wonder and beauty of this experience with Isaac.

I hope you are all finding your own special ways to welcome (or summon) in spring this year.

Love,

Jodi

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An Open Letter to Family & Friends:

Dear Family & Friends,

As some of you know, Halis and I have decided to unschool (similar to homeschooling but not quite) our son and any subsequent children. We are very secure in this decision and are quite excited about it. However, we recognize that many of our loved ones are going to have questions about whether or not this is "right" for our child. We know that concern comes from Love ... but we don't feel the need to defend our decision just as we don't expect others to defend their choice to send their kids to public or private schools. Yet, we fully understand that some of our family members may simply not have any knowledge about the subject, and we are certainly willing to share information and dispel any myths.

I recently came across a couple of things that I thought I would share with you all - in case anyone has a desire to learn more about our choice. Here is an excellent resource on the subject: http://www.unschoolingamerica.com/. Click anywhere and you will find the info you need to any questions you may have (and that way you won't feel awkward asking us:) And better yet, you can check out some real life familes as they unschool their children by visiting the various blogs found here: http://www.nearcircle.com/viewCircle?name=unschooling.

Here are some great YouTube videos on the subject as well: http://www.youtube.com/user/DaynaLeighMartin.

Dayna Martin's Family Blog is also a great insight into the unschooling life: http://thesparklingmartins.blogspot.com/ (Their family is sure to surprise you in how they just don't fit into anyone's stereotype of an unschooling family. I love it!) As well as Soule Mama's blog: http://soulemama.typepad.com/ (MY PERSONAL FAVORITE).

Also, I recently came across this FUNNY article that I thought I would share as well. Please remember that it is meant to be funny and eye-opening ... not to be offensive. And in all truth, I would like to carry it around in my pocket, and hand it to anyone that has a negative comment about homeschooling or unschooling: http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html.

Well, we hope these resources help. And if you do have any questions, we are happy to answer them - so long as they are asked with respect for our decision. And if you are thinking, "Ummm... I really don't care what you do with your kid...." Well, we welcome that too :)

Lots of Love,

Jodi, Halis & Isaac

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