I mistakenly thought I would keep up with my writing the first week that fall activities started.  Mental note…write a few posts in advance when major schedule changes are going to occur.

So I left everyone hanging for a week now with the last Wordless Wednesday.  What does a bunch of music books and recorders have to do with me?  I am teaching a different class this semester at the fine arts program for the local homeschool group.  It is me taking on ten…in a battle to learn to play soprano recorders.  Seriously though, the first day of class went well.  The budding musicians can now play two notes – B and A- and can play whole notes, half notes and quarter notes.  I am looking forward to a squeak squawking good time in the class this semester.

My son is squeaking in my recorder class and is also taking a games class and a cookie baking class.  I am still unsure how his last two classes fit into a program that usually focuses on fine arts, but hey the entire local group is mixed up this year.  My daughter is taking alphabet art, boomwhacker music (I taught a music class like this in the past) and a dramatic arts class.

The only other activity we are participating in with this group is a science class that began yesterday.  The class is an anatomy and physiology class for kiddos around my son’s age through junior high.  I am teaching the class for the group.  It is nice to be known as the Science Lady….

Orientation for homeschool orchestra is this week.  Auditions were last week…that is about all we will say about the audition process.  I will just say that my son learned that I wasn’t joking when I said he needed quality practice this summer.  He will have this year in the same level orchestra to demonstrate his knowledge of the importance of practicing correctly.

In October we will begin meeting with the local group that is more secular in nature.  The kiddos and I are looking forward to seeing friends from the group again.  The schedule is still being finalized, but my science class is on the schedule.  It will be a variety of experiments focusing on biological sciences.

In other news…

~ My son quit martial arts because he is thinking about joining the local homeschool basketball team.  He has never played before, but the group has lowered the age to ten to allow the kiddos to learn to play the game before they are involved in the junior high games.  We have the orientation in a couple of weeks.  I’ll let you know if I have a ball player in the house after that meeting.

~ My daughter is starting harp lessons on Friday – I will write about that next week.

~ My grad classes and hubby’s final semester as an undergrad began last week.  We are readjusting to having homework again.  That reminds me….I need to read for tomorrow….

Do any of you participate in local groups?  Have activities started for the fall yet?

I bet you are trying to figure out what happens when you combine Heathen Mom, recorders and music books….You can find out in a post later this week.

]]> http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/wordless-wednesday-what-is-heathen-mom-up-to/feed/ 0 http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/simple-nature-crafts/ http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/simple-nature-crafts/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:33:12 +0000 Heathen Mom http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/?p=931 My kiddos love being crafty.  It doesn’t matter what kind of craft it is, they enjoy the time we spend making crafts.  I view it is a fun way to spend time with the children and to see where their creativity takes us.  We especially love activities that combine crafts and nature.  Craft time with your children does not have to include a large complicated project.  Sometimes it is the smallest of projects that bring the most joy.  Today I am telling you about just a few ways you can combine craft time with nature time.

* It’s for the Birds:  Take your craft materials outside on a blanket to enjoy nature as you create some easy to make bird feeders.  We sometimes purchase wooden ones from a local hobby store to paint, but you could also just make a feeder from materials you find around your house.  Peanut butter, bird seed and a pine cone is a quick fix to feed the hungry birds in your backyard.  We have even strung soft apples on a piece of rope to hang from a branch.

* Pots, pots and more pots:  Terracotta pots usually go on sale in the fall.  I tend to buy several in various sizes to use throughout the year during our craft time.  Children can paint the pots or create colorful mosaic designs on them.  These are great to use for plants, herbs, robot building, gifts and more.

* Flowerbed art:  Let your children create colorful flower stakes to put into your flowerbeds.  These colorful stakes are a playful addition to any garden.

* Nature walks:  My kiddos love taking nature walks.  They also have nature journals to draw scenes from nature, attach photos taken during the walks, make rubbings of interesting leaves, etc.  We have hours upon hours of crafty fun for only the price of a blank sketch book.

This is just a small sample of the quick and easy nature crafts that we do throughout the year.  The important thing to remember is that craft time doesn’t have to be complicated or cost prohibitive.  Children are so creative when given just the most basic of craft supplies.  Set out a few supplies and see what adventures outside your children find.

What type of nature crafts do you enjoy doing with your children?

Everyone has periods of their lives where they doubt their decisions, abilities or their choices in general.  The problem just seems more observable in women.  I think it is because women just don’t always treat each other well.  Have you ever read Queen Bees and Wannabes?  You really should pick it up if you don’t have it.  The interaction between females is pretty consistent throughout life and quite frankly we are pretty mean to each other at times.

The important thing is to deal with these issues as they arise in your life.  The first time I was in grad school working on my counseling degree we were encouraged to participate in personal therapy sessions.  The idea behind it was we needed to deal with personal issues to be more effective therapists.  Most people entering the program were initially turned off by the idea, but eventually came to believe that the personal work was a vital part of our training.  After completing grad school I stopped attending personal therapy sessions, but maintained the belief that working on issues as needed was the best thing.

With a crazy family schedule like mine it is often difficult to find the time to do things just for myself.  It seems like I am always the one who compromises to make easier for my family…from small things like not getting the pizza toppings I really want to larger things like dropping a community group that I loved attending because it was difficult to manage with our schedule.

I have been making more of an effort of taking more time for myself.  I have decided that taking even a little bit of time daily to read or just veg out will help me to feel more balanced.  A few weeks ago during my reading time, I read about the 40 Day Inner Mean Girl Cleanse and realized what my major issues recently have been caused by – I have been listening to my Inner Mean Girl.  I was quite shocked to come to this realization.  At first I didn’t understand how I became bothered by my Inner Mean Girl.  I thought I had successfully duct taped her mouth way back in junior high.  I reminded myself that the tape can come loose over the years and I just need to put her back into her place with the duct tape firmly over her mouth.

I am excited to announce that I am one of the Self-Love Ambassadors for the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse.  During the cleanse I will be writing about the six habits that feed your Inner Mean Girl and the self-love habits that should replace those toxic habits.

The 40 Day Mean Girl Cleanse is free and open for anyone to join.  I encourage you to sign up and enjoy this journey of self-love with me.  The 40 Day Inner Mean Girl Cleanse kicks off on August 25, 2010.

Now where did I leave that duct tape?

That comment made me think about the possibility of maybe in a galaxy far, far away, I could someday, in the distant future, host such an event.  It also helped to confirm the fact that there are other people like me who have to pick and choose what sessions to attend at area homeschool conferences to steer clear of ones that would be of no use.  In the past few weeks I have been chatting with some other people who have helped to convince me to move forward with the idea.

First step….find out if there are people who want to attend and if so where and when.  Please take a moment to complete the survey at the link below.  The information will help me to determine how much interest there is in a secular homeschool gathering in Missouri and will allow planning to move forward.  Be sure to send your friends a link to this page so they can also complete the survey.  Thanks!

Click here to take survey

]]> http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/secular-homeschool-gathering/feed/ 2 http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/wordless-wednesday-the-science-girls/ http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/wordless-wednesday-the-science-girls/#comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:48:26 +0000 Heathen Mom http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/?p=899

I was more than a little excited to meet Ms. Frizzle!

]]> http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/wordless-wednesday-the-science-girls/feed/ 2 http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/thoughtful-thursday-homeschool-stereotypes/ http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/thoughtful-thursday-homeschool-stereotypes/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:42:25 +0000 Heathen Mom http://heathenhomeschoolers.com/2010/thoughtful-thursday-homeschool-stereotypes/  

I’m still trying to get everything around the house caught up after being away for the conference last week.  Ever notice how things pile up faster while you are away and unable to deal with them immediately?  Yeah, I have….

Attending my second blogging conference was interesting.  One of the things that always amazes me is the number of stereotypes people have about homeschoolers.  For this week’s Thoughtful Thursday I thought I would list a few of the “gems” I heard while in NYC. 

“You don’t look like a homeschooler.”  
If I was wearing the regulation denim jumper they would have had an easier time spotting me. 

“I didn’t know homeschoolers could drink.” 
Once again, I should read the homeschooling rule book a little closer prior to indulging in a cocktail. 

“I would prefer for my children to be normal socially.”
Ahhh, the socialization card.  Very original….never heard that one before. 

“I’m confused what you mean by secular point-of-view.
I thought all homeschooling was from the bible.”
That’s right folks…couldn’t make that one up.  A met a lady who honestly thought it was illegal to homeschool unless it was biblically based.  She said the preacher at her church told her so. 
Laws vary by state, but she’s from Missouri….so yeah, that isn’t true. 

“When are you sending them to real school?”
Because you know…learning must take place in a building between certain hours daily. 

Why is it that the some of the general population still has a negative stereotypical view of what a homeschooling family looks like?  The number of families choosing to homeschool for academic reasons from a secular point-of-view is growing, yet the “myth” of the homeschooler remains. 

I did meet several women who said that I shattered their views of what homeschoolers are like.  It takes outspoken individuals to change public perceptions.  Secular homeschoolers must help shatter the stereotypes that remain. 

I know it is not easy…living in Missouri and homeschooling from a secular point-of-view has proved challenging.  I have found that there are other secular homeschoolers in our area.  Knowing we are not alone makes it easier to be outspoken.  Even if you don’t know another local secular homeschooling family, you always know you aren’t alone here at Heathen Homeschoolers. 

Looking down from the Top of the Rock ~ NYC BlogHer10

Arriving a day early to go out to Chef Tom Colicchio’s restaurant Craft and attend Wicked was a great idea.  I enjoyed being out on my own that evening.

During the I made some amazing connections that will help me grow to reach my vision for Heathen Homeschoolers.  I met some wonderful bloggers (too many to name here) and some bloggers who were a little too fond of themselves (I’m too nice to mention them here).  Some of the sessions were exactly what I was hoping for while others left me wishing there was more substance to the discussion.

The Scholastic and the City event was wonderful beyond words. I loved meeting the people behind Scholastic and having a chance to see what is coming out this fall.  Just as a side note~I will be blogging about the Chief Educational Officer’s talk regarding the trends in education in the coming weeks.  I met Ms. Frizzle…yup…Magic School Bus owning Ms. Frizzle…other homeschool moms can appreciate the excitement of that moment, lol!

I met Chelsea (after talking through emails for weeks) and Terry from JVC.  The dinner we went to was delicious, but having the time to sit in a small group and just talk during such a crazy conference was priceless.  I would like to thank JVC again for sponsoring my trip to BlogHer10.

My consultation with Tara Gidus was motivating.  I will be writing more about my consultation in my upcoming post about my participation in the Better for BlogHer campaign sponsored by Healthy Choice.

I blog on occasion about crafts for children, but I *heart* crafts.  I enjoy a wide variety of crafts.  Just ask hubby, he will tell you I have craft stuff stashed throughout the house, lol!  I was so excited to be invited to attend the Bloggers’ Night Out hosted by Martha Stewart-Omnimedia.  I had a great discussion with Andrea from Martha Stewart Crafts about projects for children.  I am looking forward to following up with her to learn more.

This was my second year attending BlogHer.  I plan to attend BlogHer11 in San Diego.  I am also looking into the possibility of attending BlogWorld later this year.  I never pictured myself attending blogging conferences, but now I’m searching for new learning opportunities.  My how things change over the years.

I will be posting some pictures from the conference soon!

Disclosure:  JVC paid for my conference ticket, travel, hotel and food allowance.  They also hooked me up with a sweet video camera to record the fun.  I am participating in the Better for BlogHer campaign sponsored by Healthy Choice.  I received coupons for free Healthy Choice meals, free health consultation and monetary compensation in exchange for my participation in the campaign.