Dangerous Things

My daughter loves to do Dangerous Things. She is referring of course to things that in HER mind are dangerous and crazy. So I loved this TED talk by Gever Tulley about 5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do.

So how am I doing? Let's see.

1. Play with fire: Son (11) is normally our fire tender. I recently dug a fire pit in our backyard so we could play with fire more often.

2. Own a pocketknife: Son (11) has several and has had one since the age of 6 or 7. Daughter (6) owns and regularly uses two pocketknives and an all-in-one tool.

3. Throw a spear: I am afraid I am deficient in this. I don't own a spear either. So I am going to have to substitute a stick. Oh woe is me.

4. Deconstruct appliances: We can do this more often than once a year ... Kids do a lot of fixing of things but not so much in the taking apart realm. I think the last thing we took apart was a printer. Luckily, I have a CD player and various other electronics waiting patiently in the basement.

5a. Break the Digital Media Copyright Agreement: We've certainly done this but haven't talked about it in terms of breaking laws. That could be fun!

5b. Drive a car: Ok, Son backed our car out of the garage and through the baby trees into the neighbors yard when he was younger. He also loves to drive go karts and other vehicles. But Daughter has never expressed an interest. Hmm. The wheels are turning ...

Ok, I have my homework now!

Places That Fit Me

I am in search of a place that fits me and my current needs. They are not well defined, but I think I'll know it when I see it. So far, I know I am in search of a large-ish town or a small-ish city where there are: a university, a green community, a variety of cultural activities, sustainable farms, a favorable homeschooling culture, and people who strive for friends and community. So far on the list is:

Ithaca, NY
Santa Fe, NM
Asheville, NC
Charlottesville, VA
Serenbe, GA
Brunswick, Portland, and Belfast, ME
Portland, OR
Burlington, VT
Corvallis, OR
Boulder, CO
Tri-Cities area, TN

Durham, NC ?
Morgantown, WV ?
Kingston, RI ?
New Brunswick, NJ ?
Plymouth, NH ?
Princeton, NJ ?
Radford, VA ?
Storrs, CT ?
Fort Collins, CO ?
Logan, UT ?
Boone, NC ?
Chapel Hill, NC ?
Moscow, Idaho ?

Ecovillages

New Slow Parenting Group

One of my friends posted this link to facebook and I wanted to share it with you. The article is entitled: The Backlash Against Overparenting from Time magazine. I love this article. Especially the last quote about leaving the kids alone.

If you like this article and agree with pretty much everything it says, please join me in a new Slow Parenting group. We can decide the specifics of our group gatherings, but I expect them to involve lots of time for kids to play what they choose together, homemade food, and pleasurable adult conversation time.

Gratitude List #4

This week's gratitude list (late as always):
1. I am grateful for the stars which light the night and show us the way home.
2. I am grateful for other people who choose to stay with us and become new friends.
3. I am grateful to my local family farmers for providing my family with the yummiest sustenance there is.
4. I appreciate the love of my cat.
5. I appreciate the colorful tree leaves I can see outside my window.

Gratitude List #3

1. I am grateful for my father's strong push ever forward when I was growing up.
2. I am grateful that I am the only one pushing me forward now.
3. I am grateful for the internet which brings me closer to those far away.
4. I am grateful for this peaceful morning.
5. I am grateful for the cozy sweater that kept me warm most of yesterday.

Gratitude List #2

Ok, So I forgot about my gratitude list until I was too busy getting ready for ARGH to sit at the computer - and then I was gone for this wednesday. So I have two lists I want to do right now before the kids wake up.

1. I am thankful for the always present love from my dear husband.
2. I am thankful for warm sunshine in the morning.
3. I am thankful for fun people to be around - even if I have to drive many hours to get there!
4. I am thankful for the way the dew looks like glittering diamonds when the sun first hits it.
5. I am thankful that my yoga class has started up again.