Remember when I posted about purchasing a go kart for Son? He has enjoyed his go kart very much. He figured out how to prevent the go kart from stalling by finessing the gas and brake. He learned about loans, compounding interest, and choosing to purchase one object over another. He experimented with turning radius, acceleration up a hill, and stopping distance. He experienced its not so great handling, the bumpiness of the ride, and the smell of the exhaust. We paid for and did the work to replace the bearings and the clutch. He got grassy from driving right after mowing. He paid for gas and filled up the tank for his joy ride. He loved his go kart.
Yesterday it left our house. We sold it. Son had driven it long enough to satisfy his need. He had not driven it in weeks. It was his idea to sell the go kart. He sucked the life out of the go kart and then passed it on for another boy and his cousins to love. Enjoy the ride!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Doing Things Myself
Another unschooler and overall great lady, Robin, is prompting us to blog about things we do ourselves inthe name of sustainability and having fun:
I would like to see if I could get a small blog carnival going on the subject of "Do It Yourself". So if you have some skill that you know how to do - making jam, growing potatoes, baking bread, making yogurt, knitting a scarf, building a shed, or whatever you can think of, please share it on your blog and send me an email letting me know what post it is. I'll try to round up a good carnival on the topic of "DIY" on my urban farm blog. Deadline is November 15.
So what do I know how to do?
1) Make jam using seaweed thickener (agar flakes) - last year I made tons of blackberry jam and gave it out at Christmastime. This year I didn't actually make any. I'm not sure why.
2) Make mozzarella cheese using Ricki Carroll's fabulous instructions and materials. It only takes about 1/2 unless you are interrupted or only have a very small glass bowl to heat the cheese in. We like it with basil mixed in and layered with tomatoes and some olive oil. Yum.
3) Bake bread using my home ground whole wheat flour and the whey left over from cheese making - fabulous once I stopped baking the loaves too long. I use my Whispermill to grind flours of all varieties and love it.
4) Knitting and crocheting although simple stuff. I love the feel of bamboo yarn so prefer that for scarves. I actually sell some stuff at my etsy shop. I am working up to knitting in the round with multiple needles and using patterns. Stitches that require a lot of counting or concentration are out ... my youngest is five and I still get easily distracted.
5) I make yogurt too, but don't have the patience or climate to do it without the use of a yogurt maker. I tried. It was ugly and took a long time. My mother-in-law witnessed that daya nd happily purchased me a yogurt maker last Christmas.
6) I sew for myself and occasionally for others. I think I might make a long cozy skirt out of some organic sherpa this weekend. I need find a better place for my sewing machine though. Right now it is trapped.
7) I make my own tomato/pasta sauce. I made enough for the entire year (I think) this summer using seconds tomatoes from my good friend's farm. I canned it and everything. The quart jars are all lined up inside my new pantry cabinet that I blogged about earlier this year. I used the recipe from the book Animal,Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (which I loved). I used the squisher/strainer thing that my mother gave me from when she was my age and trying to live the same sustainable way albeit in Florida.
That's all I can think of right now. I do lots of things, but nothing that seems so out of the ordinary (to me - I know biased). I am now pondering what new skill I can add to my life ...
I would like to see if I could get a small blog carnival going on the subject of "Do It Yourself". So if you have some skill that you know how to do - making jam, growing potatoes, baking bread, making yogurt, knitting a scarf, building a shed, or whatever you can think of, please share it on your blog and send me an email letting me know what post it is. I'll try to round up a good carnival on the topic of "DIY" on my urban farm blog. Deadline is November 15.
So what do I know how to do?
1) Make jam using seaweed thickener (agar flakes) - last year I made tons of blackberry jam and gave it out at Christmastime. This year I didn't actually make any. I'm not sure why.
2) Make mozzarella cheese using Ricki Carroll's fabulous instructions and materials. It only takes about 1/2 unless you are interrupted or only have a very small glass bowl to heat the cheese in. We like it with basil mixed in and layered with tomatoes and some olive oil. Yum.
3) Bake bread using my home ground whole wheat flour and the whey left over from cheese making - fabulous once I stopped baking the loaves too long. I use my Whispermill to grind flours of all varieties and love it.
4) Knitting and crocheting although simple stuff. I love the feel of bamboo yarn so prefer that for scarves. I actually sell some stuff at my etsy shop. I am working up to knitting in the round with multiple needles and using patterns. Stitches that require a lot of counting or concentration are out ... my youngest is five and I still get easily distracted.
5) I make yogurt too, but don't have the patience or climate to do it without the use of a yogurt maker. I tried. It was ugly and took a long time. My mother-in-law witnessed that daya nd happily purchased me a yogurt maker last Christmas.
6) I sew for myself and occasionally for others. I think I might make a long cozy skirt out of some organic sherpa this weekend. I need find a better place for my sewing machine though. Right now it is trapped.
7) I make my own tomato/pasta sauce. I made enough for the entire year (I think) this summer using seconds tomatoes from my good friend's farm. I canned it and everything. The quart jars are all lined up inside my new pantry cabinet that I blogged about earlier this year. I used the recipe from the book Animal,Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (which I loved). I used the squisher/strainer thing that my mother gave me from when she was my age and trying to live the same sustainable way albeit in Florida.
That's all I can think of right now. I do lots of things, but nothing that seems so out of the ordinary (to me - I know biased). I am now pondering what new skill I can add to my life ...
Monday, October 20, 2008
A New Farm
Yeah, we discovered a new farm recently - Fresh Start Farm - in White Plains. It is only a few miles away and we can ride there on our bikes if we choose. We visited the farm and liked what we saw. They have organic fed, pastured egg laying hens of various breeds. They are growing meat chickens as well but we have not tried those yet. We love our eggs and other stuff from Good Fortune Farm. We love to support local farmers, especially those as local as we get. I am considering starting a CSA type of program to make it easier for families to get their food locally.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Today my big kid turns 10. Wow. Its been fabulous to watch him grow. He has made especially big changes this last year. Maybe not compared to infancy, and I understand development will soon be happening at warp speed (otherwise known as adolescence). When I look at him, I see a capable, intelligent being who has lived a completely different set of experiences than I did at the same age. He has matured a lot emotionally this year. Before, he would play with kids who were mean to him just because he so much wanted to play with someone he didn't care how they acted. Now, he tries to play and hangout with them, but can walk away when he doesn't like what they do. Yesterday he actually left the neighbors party where we all were because the kids were playing meanly with him and just him. He simply got his shoes and walked home. No blow up, no meanness back to the kids. He told them how he felt and gave them a chance to change and they didn't care to. It doesn't even matter so much if they were being mean on purpose or were simply unaware. We talked about socialization and how our social interactions might be different from theirs at school. He just came home and played with his xbox - happily. I was amazed.
So what did my wonderful Son want to do for his birthday? Open presents! Lots if possible :-) So I gave him lots of small things and wrapped up even the non object presents. Then he opened them throughout the day so he was able to open something every few hours on his special day. What did he get you ask?
Present 1) The one thing he asked for was to go to the movies to see the High School Musical 3. He's never seen a movie in the theater. Sitting for that long was difficult until recently. Since the movie hasn't opened yet, I just wrapped up a homemade coupon for a Movie Theater Experience.
Present 2) I also got a book for him titled Choosing Your First Power Boat. He has developed an interest in powerboats and going fast. I couldn't get him a boat for his birthday (or pay for the gas for said boat;-) but I did find a way to support his new passion. The Universe provided for me here because I got a book for Daughter from paperbackswap.com . As always, when I order a book, I check out the other books from the same seller since it saves on shipping costs. There the book was - waiting for me.
Present 3) In the spring, we opened a new bank account for him with an ATM card. He loves using it for depositing his savings and taking money out for his purchases. But he dislikes the fact that you can only take money out of the ATM machine in $20 increments. Not very friendly to those who want to just take out a little to spend. So one of his presents is a new bank account with a debit card from Young Americans Bank. They make checking accounts and credit cards available to young people. As a matter fact, there is an age cap to have an account there - 21!
Present 4) A cozy that I crocheted and then felted for his ipod. The earbuds fit in the case before I felted it but I didn't know how much it would shrink. Oops. I had attached a loop so that it would slide onto a belt and that part worked out fine. Maybe I'll make another one slightly bigger so those ear buds fit too...
Present 5) I reminded his teenaged cousins (actually second cousins) that is was his birthday and he would really like to have it acknowledged by them. Yeah, both of them emailed Son today with birthday greetings. He was happy.
Present 6) The way cool dude that Son met at the Live and Learn Conference, Pavi, called to wish my Dude a Happy Birthday. Ok, so I did call Pavi's mom this morning to tell her it was Son's birthday and I did put the phone call idea in her head, but I knew it would make Son feel really good to talk with his friend.
Present 7) The Dinner. Everything Son really likes. Juicy steak (organic). Birthday cake. Another dessert (apple pie). Homemade bread with oil and spices. A vegetable for the rest of the family. I had a big salad too. Crystal glasses for everyone. Yum!
What a fabulous day for my big guy.
So what did my wonderful Son want to do for his birthday? Open presents! Lots if possible :-) So I gave him lots of small things and wrapped up even the non object presents. Then he opened them throughout the day so he was able to open something every few hours on his special day. What did he get you ask?
Present 1) The one thing he asked for was to go to the movies to see the High School Musical 3. He's never seen a movie in the theater. Sitting for that long was difficult until recently. Since the movie hasn't opened yet, I just wrapped up a homemade coupon for a Movie Theater Experience.
Present 2) I also got a book for him titled Choosing Your First Power Boat. He has developed an interest in powerboats and going fast. I couldn't get him a boat for his birthday (or pay for the gas for said boat;-) but I did find a way to support his new passion. The Universe provided for me here because I got a book for Daughter from paperbackswap.com . As always, when I order a book, I check out the other books from the same seller since it saves on shipping costs. There the book was - waiting for me.
Present 3) In the spring, we opened a new bank account for him with an ATM card. He loves using it for depositing his savings and taking money out for his purchases. But he dislikes the fact that you can only take money out of the ATM machine in $20 increments. Not very friendly to those who want to just take out a little to spend. So one of his presents is a new bank account with a debit card from Young Americans Bank. They make checking accounts and credit cards available to young people. As a matter fact, there is an age cap to have an account there - 21!
Present 4) A cozy that I crocheted and then felted for his ipod. The earbuds fit in the case before I felted it but I didn't know how much it would shrink. Oops. I had attached a loop so that it would slide onto a belt and that part worked out fine. Maybe I'll make another one slightly bigger so those ear buds fit too...
Present 5) I reminded his teenaged cousins (actually second cousins) that is was his birthday and he would really like to have it acknowledged by them. Yeah, both of them emailed Son today with birthday greetings. He was happy.
Present 6) The way cool dude that Son met at the Live and Learn Conference, Pavi, called to wish my Dude a Happy Birthday. Ok, so I did call Pavi's mom this morning to tell her it was Son's birthday and I did put the phone call idea in her head, but I knew it would make Son feel really good to talk with his friend.
Present 7) The Dinner. Everything Son really likes. Juicy steak (organic). Birthday cake. Another dessert (apple pie). Homemade bread with oil and spices. A vegetable for the rest of the family. I had a big salad too. Crystal glasses for everyone. Yum!
What a fabulous day for my big guy.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Being Nice
Why is it so hard for some people to be nice? I mean they look fine. They use the English language well enough. But something happens when my name is mentioned. It is like they are hypnotized or something. They start spouting the meanest things. I have not had so many people bad mouth me since I was in high school! Am I just surrounded by a bunch of people that never grew up? The funny thing is, I have heard these types of stories from several people in the last few weeks. One of my (oh so lucky) friends will be talking with someone they either just met or know casually. My name is mentioned in the context of "My friend ZZZ blah blah" and they ask my friend to repeat. As if they couldn't believe what they heard. A friend of ZZZ's? And then this person will start saying how I am a this and a that and do A and allow my kids to do B. If they are particularly polite they will mention something along the lines of saint-like qualities my friend must have for putting up with me. I mean whoa! Who asked you?! After thinking about it for a while, I came up with one characteristic to define these people - closed minded. They are simply not open to anyone or anything who does things differently from themselves. I feel sad for them - really. They are missing out on so many things and on the spice of life. Variety is where its at.
Yes, I know I am far from mainstream in so many ways. I like it that way. Yes, I know that I am "super smart" (the PhD in physics tells folks that I have an academic streak in me) and know a bit about lots of things. To many people I am simply scary. I speak my mind although I try to limit it to when asked. I got a lot better at that after becoming a LLL Leader. And thats one part that kills me. Even people whom I have helped breastfeed their babies think it is ok to speak impolitely about me to a stranger. I mean, do they really think I won't find out? How silly! I have lived in this area for oh my gosh 17 years (except for those 2 in Chicago). I know a lot of people and for good or bad, a lot of people know me. Or rather they know who I am but they don't know the real me. If they did, they would consider me a valuable friend. One who encourages them to stretch beyond their comfort zone in almost every way. Too bad for them though!
Yes, I know I am far from mainstream in so many ways. I like it that way. Yes, I know that I am "super smart" (the PhD in physics tells folks that I have an academic streak in me) and know a bit about lots of things. To many people I am simply scary. I speak my mind although I try to limit it to when asked. I got a lot better at that after becoming a LLL Leader. And thats one part that kills me. Even people whom I have helped breastfeed their babies think it is ok to speak impolitely about me to a stranger. I mean, do they really think I won't find out? How silly! I have lived in this area for oh my gosh 17 years (except for those 2 in Chicago). I know a lot of people and for good or bad, a lot of people know me. Or rather they know who I am but they don't know the real me. If they did, they would consider me a valuable friend. One who encourages them to stretch beyond their comfort zone in almost every way. Too bad for them though!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Picture of Unschooling
This post is for my friend Christine. What do my kids do all day when we are unschoolers? Here's what we are doing:
7:20 am Daughter wakes up and eats breakfast
7:40 am Son wakes up
7:41 am Son and Daughter argue, have energizing time, then go get dressed
7:50 am Daughter plays little cars in her room
7:50 am Son reads one of the 5 Ripley's Believe it or Not books we got from the library yesterday
8:00 am Daughter and I play a backgammon game
8:20 am Daughter and I clean up her work table and assemble books and containers for her new project box on China
9:00 am Daughter takes out recycling with me
9:00 am Son asks me for help assembling this lego robot/transformer toy that a friend asked us to repair after her two year old whirlwind destructed it
9:30 am Son eats more breakfast
10:30 am Son watches Inside Edition on tv
10:30 am Daughter makes up math problems for me, 25+5+25+5=?, 100+36=?, 100-69=?, 6-10=?, 6-10=?, 11+80=?, for Son 51+22=?, 60+70=?. Daughter is making up the problems, using the hundred board to mark off the numbers in the problem, writing down the sign for the math function (+, -, etc), then writing the number which is the answer.
10:55 am Son and Daughter argue, screech, and move on
11:00 am S sets up the VCR and tapes the Price is Right
11:05 am S and D have snack, change clothes, and grab snacks/water to take with them
11:30 am sit in car while it takes S and D to Waldorf
12:00-1:33 pm Open Gym at Unique Sports Academy
1:30 pm sit in car and snack
2:00 pm watch the tapes Price is Right while waiting for LEGO Robotics team to appear
2:15 pm S and D have ice cream while I tell Son no one is coming for robotics today
2:25 pm S plays video games while I try and convince him to do robotics with his new teammate - me!
3:30 pm Son and I are trying to fix the laser aiming light on his nerf gun, Daughter is being alone
4:00 pm Son puts the gun back together
5:00 pm Daughter types names on the computer, augmenting with pictures from clipart
5:30 pm Daughter check outside weather and determines that it is very warm. She is thinking of something to do outside
5:40 pm Son is upstairs reading, Daughter is getting her nerf guns ready for going outside
7:20 am Daughter wakes up and eats breakfast
7:40 am Son wakes up
7:41 am Son and Daughter argue, have energizing time, then go get dressed
7:50 am Daughter plays little cars in her room
7:50 am Son reads one of the 5 Ripley's Believe it or Not books we got from the library yesterday
8:00 am Daughter and I play a backgammon game
8:20 am Daughter and I clean up her work table and assemble books and containers for her new project box on China
9:00 am Daughter takes out recycling with me
9:00 am Son asks me for help assembling this lego robot/transformer toy that a friend asked us to repair after her two year old whirlwind destructed it
9:30 am Son eats more breakfast
10:30 am Son watches Inside Edition on tv
10:30 am Daughter makes up math problems for me, 25+5+25+5=?, 100+36=?, 100-69=?, 6-10=?, 6-10=?, 11+80=?, for Son 51+22=?, 60+70=?. Daughter is making up the problems, using the hundred board to mark off the numbers in the problem, writing down the sign for the math function (+, -, etc), then writing the number which is the answer.
10:55 am Son and Daughter argue, screech, and move on
11:00 am S sets up the VCR and tapes the Price is Right
11:05 am S and D have snack, change clothes, and grab snacks/water to take with them
11:30 am sit in car while it takes S and D to Waldorf
12:00-1:33 pm Open Gym at Unique Sports Academy
1:30 pm sit in car and snack
2:00 pm watch the tapes Price is Right while waiting for LEGO Robotics team to appear
2:15 pm S and D have ice cream while I tell Son no one is coming for robotics today
2:25 pm S plays video games while I try and convince him to do robotics with his new teammate - me!
3:30 pm Son and I are trying to fix the laser aiming light on his nerf gun, Daughter is being alone
4:00 pm Son puts the gun back together
5:00 pm Daughter types names on the computer, augmenting with pictures from clipart
5:30 pm Daughter check outside weather and determines that it is very warm. She is thinking of something to do outside
5:40 pm Son is upstairs reading, Daughter is getting her nerf guns ready for going outside
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