The Power of Dreams and Imagination

Growing up I was taught that dreams don't come true which is why they call them dreams this concept that was ingrained deep into my mind caused me to live a dull life until I learned about the Law of Attraction. Law of Attraction taught me the power that dreaming has and that dreams do come true. I started using the Law of Attraction in my life I created vision boards with my girls and it was so much fun. I began to soon find out that dreams do come true and the best part of life is the dream or destination itself but it is the journey to the dream or destination. I have learned that dreaming brings me great joy and sharing those dreams with others brings me even greater joy.

This brings me to my oldest daughter Destinees newest dream. She loves animals and watching anything about them on T.V. and the Internet. Recently she stumbled upon the amazing Bindi Irwin on her new show Jungle Girl on Discover Kids. She had to tell me all about it and how cool Bindi was. She brought me my laptop and sat next to me on her bed and wanted to show me this wonderful little girl that she just fell deeply in love with. As we were looking through YouTube videos and reading all that we could about this amazing little girl Destinee saw a video of her holding a Koala which then become her new passion. She wanted to learn all about them and talked about how cool it will be to hold one. She then told me that she wants to go to Australia and meet Bindi, hold all the animals in her zoo, and have sleep over at her house. It was an awesome feeling to dream with my little girl I began to feel her excitement and joy and dream along with her. We talked about the plane ride, and all the cool places we will see, and the beautiful hotel we will stay in, and how awesome it was going to be to meet such an amazing family and see so many amazing animals and actually get to hold them. I then realized that in that time of dreaming I have connected with my daughter on a level that I never have before. It was beautiful it was complete and utter bliss.



I used to be a mom that didn't support their dreams and would say things like you better start saving or we could never do that at the time I did not know that I was crushing my little girls ability to dream but sense starting this new journey I have learned the power of dreaming and how important it is to dream. I will never say those things again to my girls. I will continue to be a part of their dreams and support their dreams 100%. I love giving them the power to dream and imagination cool and amazing things and most importantly I love seeing them so full of joy. Children don't know doubt, facts, or fears all they know is that they can dream and they are beautiful and that dreaming feels good to them and brings them joy. Taking a child's ability to dream away strips away their true self and authentic power little by little.

My beautiful Girls

Destinee age six

Is my spontaneous child that gets excited about anything. She is also very independent and out going and she knows what she and why and if you step in her way she will shut down. She is very true to who she is and when she feels that someone is trying to get her to do something that does not align with who she is she get upset and she shuts herself off from the world by being quit and wanting to be left alone. But when she is able to do things that align with who she is she gets so excited, she begins dancing around and singing at the top of her lungs and that is the Destinee we see more and more. While Destinee was in Head start and six months of kindergarten she learned that she had to do what others said no matter how she felt about it and when she was in kindergarten that message was even deeper ingrained when they tried to push her to learn to read even though she wasn't ready and stated that she was not ready. She heard them saying that they wanted to test her for learning disabilities that is when she told me she didn't want to go anymore she I kept her home. Ever sense then she has been different. She is very in tune to how she feels and wants others to know when they are doing something or trying to make her do something that doesn't align with who she is. As parents we are her partner and support her independence and encourage it. Destinee loves life. She loves being outside in the world and being around people of all ages. She is very respectful of others and the world around her. She loves nature and learning new things. Destinee has a lot of common sense and I never had to worry about her doing thing like sticking her finger in sockets or running out in the road. I have always explained things to her even when she was a baby.



Cearra age five

Is my blue eyed wild child. She is very independent, out going, and out spoken. She know what she wants and why and she will tell you. She will let you know when she is upset or doesn't agree especially when it is something that is not aligned with who she truly is. She is a child that you easily compromise with and work out a solution that everyone is happy with. But as soon as you loose your cool or become inpatient she gets hurt and lets you know it. When who she truly is is being supported then she is happy and lovable. She loves to snuggle and laugh. She always has a smile on her face. She loves to discuss things in great detail and loves to ask questions. She has a passion for learning. Cearra has never been to school so she has always loved learning and never needed to learn how to love learning again. She is very observant about the world around her and knows when someone isn't telling the truth and will say something about it. She is very honest and isn't afraid to be honest. She doesn't care what others think, she only cares about what she thinks. She knows she is her own person and doesn't let others tell her she needs to do things their way. She will say I can do it my way and it will still work. She has a lot of common sense and gets the world around her. I have always explained things to her when she was a baby.



Kaley two and a half

Is my loving and cuddly two and a half year old that loves life and gets very excited about new and old things. She is always asking questions about everything around her and loves to talk about anything. She loves animals and nature. She loves being outdoors. She also loves all people but can read people very well and will shy away from people that make her uneasy. She is spunky and knows what she wants and isn't afraid to say no. She has never been spanked or put in time out so she has no idea what that is like and she never will. When she isn't listened to she gets very upset and does everything she can to get you to listen or notice her. She is very true to who she is and if if someone tries to get her to do something that isn't in alignment with that she gets very upset and communicates that very well. She has a lot of common sense. She loves it when people pay attention to her and take the time to listen to her. She does get upset when she is trying to communicate something but others can't understand. We try as her partners in this life to ease her frustrations as much as possible. She rarely throws fits and very happy most of the time. She is always smiling and singing and dancing.

My daughter can't read at age six. SO WHAT!

I have received a lot of flack from family, friends, and strangers because my six year old daughter who would be in first grade if we didn't pull her can't read. They always find this out because they put her on the spot asking her how to spell things. I try to jump in because she is a child that does not like to be put on the spot or quizzed and she knows that they are just quizzing her because we homeschool.It angers me when adults do this I find it unfair and degrading to a child. I received a lot of judgement from one friend saying that I was educationally neglecting my child because she can't read or do what her six year old can do. Well for one not all kids do the same things at the same time and second those lists are only for schools so that they can get their money from the Government. Just because a child can't read yet doesn't mean they never will or that they can't learn because they can't read. Ok first off they learn by asking questions, watching tv, listing to the radio, playing games on the computer or watching videos, video games, books on tape and being out in the world. Following a list set by the Government doesn't make one child any smarter then the other. I have always believed that everyone is smart in their own way and everyone is a genius. Knowledge isn't based on what you memorized it is based on what you know by truly being passionate about it and learning about it. Everyone learns differently and my girls are all hands on independent learners which means they don't like to be taught or have someone standing over them nor do they like to sit at the table and do worksheets or being talked at. They like to learn at their own pace on their own time. It is exactly the same way my husband and I learn. We both struggled deeply in the school system not because we were dumb but because we didn't learn the way they taught us. We were both pushed to read and my husband hates to read and I am just learning to enjoy it again because I to hated any part of it. I learn more when I am not being graded when I am being graded I know that and I stress about the grade instead of learning anything even if it is something I am very passionate about and my girls are the same exact way. My six year old went to two years of Head start and six months of kindergarten and we are still trying to decondition the negativoty that they conditioned her to believe. She is very aware of those around her and can read people around her very well. She knows when people are being real or fake, she knows when someone is lying or telling the truth, and she has learned to research everything that people tell her to create her own opinion. Just because my six year old can't read does not mean she never will and it also doesn't mean she can't learn. Yes reading opens up a whole new world of learning but you can't push a child to do something when they are not ready with good results. I want my girls to be passionate about reading and to love reading and by pushing them to read will not get that result. My six year old is very passionate about riding her two wheel bike because she taught herself she didn't have someone stand along side her or get frustrated at her she just got on one day and went all by herself and she is so proud of that accomplishment. Through learning things in that way she will have self confidence, self respect, self esteem, and drive to learn anything without the fear of failing. She will not fear doing it wrong just because she does it different then the person next to her because she knows that she is unique and her own person. I don't believe that reading shapes a person or makes them more knowledgeable. I also believe that she will learn to read when SHE is ready. Right now reading is not important to her at age six, playing with her friends and being out in the world is important to her. She knows that mom and dad are hear to help her read when she wants something read. She knows that we don't judge her because she can't read and that we support her on her journey. Her passions right now are birds, playing house, riding her bike, digging in the dirt, being out in the world and nature and using her imagination. She always has other things that she is interested in from day to day but those are her main passions at this time in her young life. I will not push my children to do ANYTHING that they don't want to do regardless of what anyone says. They are their own unique people and can make decisions that best fit who they are themselves. They know themselves better then anyone when they are ready. Let children be true to who they are let them say no, let them express themselves how ever they see fit, let them create their own schedules, let them figure out what they like and don't like. Let them be them. They know themselves better then anyone let them be true to who they truly are.

All things perceived as bad are not always bad they could just be exactly what we wanted.

When we perceive something as bad, negative, or something we didn't want in the end it may be just what we wanted. The universe has to rearrange our life in order to give us that which we are asking for and while the universe is rearranging our life we will experience chaos. That is why Abraham always says "nothing is more important then that you feel good". I have found it hard myself to remember this especially when I am in the middle of chaos. I find myself imagining the worst case scenario and worrying to the point of sickness. I have gotten a lot better this last year but it was hard. One thing that has helped when when I begin to worry is that I am in a canoe going down the fastest river in the world and down stream is what I want and upstream is what I don't want and when I feel myself feeling icky I know that I am trying to paddle up that river in my canoe and so I then close my eyes and imagine my self turning my canoe back around and going with the flow of the river instead of fighting against it. This is something that I learned while listening to Abraham. I instantly feel clearer and lighter and a sense of joy. I love the feeling clarity and lightness there is no other feeling like it in the world and this is how we are supposed to feel most of the time. We choose how we feel and we can control our thoughts. It is very easy once we know that we can do it. One thing that has helped when I can feel my thoughts taking over is to close my eyes breath deeply while saying "am I still breathing", this is something that I learned from Eckhart Tolle and has helped me in so many ways. It clears my mind and brings me instant clarity.

Coming from a lifetime of conditioning where I was taught to worry by watching my parents worry about everything it is something that has been very hard for me to overcome. I have also been conditioned to be pessimistic and only look at the fact and make sure all my ducks are in a row before doing anything. This has taught to no longer dream or imagine it has made life very dull and unhappy and I am on the road to changing that. I am more optimistic now and love to dream about life and I now see life as the glass is half full instead of half empty. It is very empowering to overcome conditioning from our childhood.

Last week my hubby wrecked our car and I seen nothing good coming out of this and of course my ego took advantage of my weakened state and started playing worst case scenarios in my head like a movie over and over again I eventually said okay enough and it stopped which brings me back to yes we can control our thoughts and how we let things make us feel. Of course we hated the car and the payment was outrageous and we wanted something bigger for our soon to be family of six with better gas mileage. I always talked and imagined that new car and how nice it will be to do things now that we get better gas mileage. Ever sense my oldest who is six was born I wanted a minivan. I also always imagined my the car that I hatted being totaled to where no one was hurt but it would get paid off. Sure enough in the end we owe very little on the hated car and we got a minivan that gets twice as good mileage as the hated car and it will fit our family perfectly. So this is something that in the beginning the old conditioning comes in and your ego gets into the drivers seat and makes you think that nothing good will come out of this and in the end it is exactly what you wanted. This event has reminded that the universe has to rearrange our lives to give us what we want and that rearranging causes chaos that is why it is very important to remember that nothing is more important then we feel good.

Law of Attraction has brought many great things to me and my family but the thing that has changed us the most is experiencing pure and utter joy. It has taught me to appreciate what I have in my life and never let myself get in a place of lack, it has taught me to always do what feels good and never do what feels bad, it has taught me to no longer try to change others to just except them for who they are and love them regardless, it has taught me how to dream and imagine life as I want it and not be pessimistic, it has taught me that I have control over my life not the world around me, it has taught me that my thoughts both positive and negative create my reality, it has taught me that to take risks and be spontaneous. Law of Attraction has made me a better parent, wife, and person it has showed me to take off the I am a victim glasses and no longer think that when someone does something that I don't like they are doing it to me to make me mad.

My two older girls have learned about making vision boards and we have talked a lot about Law of Attraction in our home it is part of our life now. They love making vision boards and they love taking things off that they have gotten and putting new things on. It teaches them that everything is possible and that money is not an object and that they can be or do anything they want to do or be. They are their own person and for me that is the wonderful thing that I can share with them that they can take with them when they are living out in the world.

A new journey

It has been a while sense the last time I wrote we have been so busy this new year. We found out we were going to be having baby number four and then hubby got a new job so we moved three hours away. We are all very excited about this new little baby that will be arriving in August we have decided to have a the baby naturally in a birthing center and I am so excited to experience something that I have never experienced before. My three girls were all induced and delivered with the assistance of an epidural. So this is a big deal for me. And I am going to prove to all those that say I can't do it that I can and I will. The other huge thing is we moved to a town that I have only visited once in my whole life. We have been here for a month and so far we love it. We are close to so many scenic areas, nature trails, bird watching sites, camping sights, a lake, a river, and some creeks and ponds. There is so much to do around here that my family loves to do which excites me. We moved to a town that is small and has a lot of local activities that we plan on attending. Some of the activities include a Rock and Mineral show, Strawberry festival, lamb and wool fair, Civil War reenactments, Pioneer picnic, car shows, a apple cider fair, and so much more. All these things our family loves to do we love being outdoors learning about the world around us and how it works. I am truly grateful for all that has come our way. It all worked out so perfectly hubby got a great job that pay great money, we live in a great neighborhood outside of town on a culdesac with a street full of families and kids that are my girls ages. So our life has changed a lot in a four month period and we are so happy and grateful. I have truly felt what is like to feel blissful.

My Transitional Journey from Mainstream Parenting to Authentic Parenting



When my oldest daughter was born I was filled with joy and for the first six months I did what felt right, but then I started getting advice from other people on why I shouldn’t let her sleep in my bed, fall asleep at the breast, or breast feed her after the age of one. I also got the advice of setting rules and boundaries as early as possible, which meant using time outs and allowing her to cry herself to sleep. Of course being a new mom, I listened to all of these things and did them because I did not know any better. When my second daughter was born, I did the same with her. From that, point on we experienced power struggle after power struggle that never left me feeling good. Putting my two year old in time out never felt good to me but I did not know how else to get her to stop the negative behavior of hitting her sister, throwing toys, and having a tantrum when she didn’t get her way. I experienced break down after break down because I was crashing on the inside emotionally due to how I was treating my children day in and day out. We put limits on food, computer use, TV. time, outside time, and bath time. We also made them take naps whether they wanted to or not. We punished them by putting them in time out and if that did not work, they got a spanking and sent to their room. Even though we were consistent and did not let them get away with any kind of negative behavior the behavior just got worse we just got more and more frustrated, which lasted close to four and a half years. We then had our third daughter, which has never been put into time out, spanked, or put in her room. Five months after my oldest started kindergarten, we ended up pulling her out of school and began to home school her and that is when things in our family began to shift for the better. I began to home school her using a curriculum, which lasted for about a month and caused many power struggles. I did some research and found de-schooling, which gives a child a break from traditional learning so that they can have time to learn to love learning again. During the de-schooling process we found unschooling which resonated with my husband and me so we decided that was how we are going to raise our children no more rules, limits, or punishments. We took away all limits on food, TV. computer time, and bath time. We quite making them take naps when they did not want to and took away bed times. We no longer used any kind of punishments or fear tactics. This was a huge step for us but we jumped in headfirst. We began to allow our children to make their own decisions and we were there to guide them through life and support them 100%. In addition, let me tell you it was not easy they ate everything in site for the first two months but then they began to say things like mom I only want healthy food and my tummy hearts when I eat too much. They also stayed up all night long for the first two or three months and I thought I was going to become a zombie but after those few months, they began to put themselves to bed. We also had a lot of fighting between the two older girls and a lot of out bursts because there was a lot of built up anger from the way we were doing things before so it has been challenging to sort all those old emotions out. Transitioning from the authoritative type of parenting to authentic parenting has not been easy for any of us but at the end of the day, you go to bed feeling better as a parent because you are listening to your child’s feelings and validating them, you are helping them to solve issues that are bothering them. The hardest challenge for us was allowing them to make a mess and joyfully cleaning it up by ourselves because they did not want to clean it up. Some people would say that we are allowing our children to do whatever whenever and they are never going to learn to clean up after themselves or that their actions have consequences and of course we ignored what they said nicely because we knew what we are doing feels good to us and that is what matters. Now today they joyfully not only clean up after themselves but clean up for us because I have modeled the joy of cleaning for them. Today there is no more fighting, power struggles, lying, or feeling bad. We treat our children as equals they have just as much right in our home as we do. They are treated like individuals who are respected and loved unconditionally. I treat my children the same way that I treat my husband and my husband treats our children the same way as he treats me. Transition is never easy especially when it affects the way you parent. Once you find that balance and learn to meet everyone’s needs, equally it becomes easier. We are very emotionally connected with our children now and we can tell how they are feeling just by looking into their eyes. We are very involved with our children in every way this is not a hands off parenting approach it is very hands on. Every time I think about where I was as a mom and where I am now as a mom I get chocked up because I am happier now then I have ever been and my children are happier now then they have ever been. Getting through the day now is easy, yes, I said it easy. Being a mom is easy. I used to think that being a mom was hard but now I no longer think that. I think one thing that really helped me in allowing my children to make their own choices was I asked myself are they hurting anyting? Is their life in danger in anyway? If the answer is, no I just allow them to be children and enjoy life. When we focus, on what makes us feel good and only do things that leave us feeling good then naturally, we will not be able to treat our children any other way then with unconditional love. Through your journey in this new way of parenting, you will find your self-having more patience then you ever thought you had. I can tell you from experience that you need to be patient with yourself and allow you are self to make mistakes because it is through your mistakes and down falls that you will become clearer about what you want not only for your children but also for yourself. Remember to focus more on the good things that happen throughout the day and less on the bad things because the bad things will cloud your mind and make you think that it is not working also remember the more you focus on the good things then the more good things you will see during this transition. Life with our children is a joyful experience if we allow it to be one. We have been on this parenting path for a year now and I will never look back. My kids are more loving, respectful, kind, outgoing, compassionate, empathetic, sympathetic, joyful, and truthful then they ever were before. For us all the challenges that we have face on this journey have been more then worth it, we have learned so much not only about each other but about our selves.




Brenda Ferns

The Old Days

We took the girls to my parents for a week and when we went and picked them up we took them to hands on pioneer museum and to fort rock. The museum was awesome they got touch everything, there was a house, school, post office, doctors office, wagon, church, and a couple more houses, and lots of old farm equipment and other items. The girls had so much fun touching everything. They pretended to make dinner, wash clothes, be a docotor, be a teacher, piano player and so much fun it was three hours full of non stop learning and they loved everyminute of it. So did my hubby and I we love doing stuff like that with our girls we love learning with them. We love to be a part of their passions and interests. After the museum we loaded up and went up to fort rock which is a great big rock where cowboys and indians fought if you look you can still find arrow heads and other evidence that indians and cowboys were on that rock. You can see te town from way up there it is so beautiful it looks like a patchwork quilt. We had so much fun that day and learned so much my girls still talk about it to this day. I am so grateful to be able to be a part of my girls passions and be deeply connected with them.

Best Friends

This last weekend my best friend and her family drove two hours to come and stay with us for the weekend. We had so much fun and the girls played great together. Of course they had a few issues but all in all it was a very fun and stress free weekend. We went out to dinner, watched movies, talked until all hours of the night, went to the fun center where we played golf, bowled, rode go carts, and games, we also went to the park while the men went fishing for the day. I love spending time with my best friend she is an amazing women and I love her so much. Our girls have know each other sine our oldest two were not even two yet and not they are six so that is a long time and they are the best of friends and always will be. My girls love her girls so much. I am so grateful to have such great friends in my families life that love us for us.

Japanese Umbrellas

My girls had come to me with an interest about indians. They wanted to learn all about them so were researching them online and watching videos and reading books about them. Well a couple days later we went to my College campus to pick up my books for the coming up term and my oldest daughter pulls on my arm and says "mom look indians, what is it?" she was looking at a poster for an up coming pow wow so I told her what it was and we decided that we would go. We went to the pow wow and the girls had a blast and while they were there they seen someone have a really pretty Japanese umbrella and so we searched for about a half an hour until we found one and they were so delighted. The look on their faces was worth the cost. After that we went the museum that was all about indians and they absolutely had a blast. Not only did we learn a ton about indians that day a sparked a new interest in Japanese culture. Man I love this life it rocks.

My Baby is no longer a baby.

Wow! I can't believe my baby is going to be two on the 12 of september. That is in one month. Where does the time go? She is so much fun to be with she is always making me laugh with her silly faces. She is very smart it does not take her long to figure anything out. She is so independent but when she loves to snuggle I eat that right up because I love holding her and loving on her. She is so sweet and is filled with hugs and kisses. She has learned a lot during our unschooling journey I am amazed at how much she learns and remembers I love watching her look at birds and get excited or insects and want to hold them. She is deffinitely a nature girl. She loves being outside and observing the world around her. She is already very compassionete and empathetic about others when she sees someone get hurt no matter where we are she has to go over and give them a hug. I am joyful that she is growing and learning but sad at the same time because my baby is no longer a baby.

Ant Houses

My oldest daughter who is six loves to build ant houses. It is one of her biggest passions right now. She puts food in them so they do not get hungry and she will put water in a pop bottle cap so the do not get thirsty. She puts a lot of time into her ant houses and she loves the little ants that live in them. She is so proud of her creations. I love being there every moment of the day to watch them grow and learn. I love being involved in there passions by helping them get materials and research their current passion. My girls get so excited when they learn something new they love to research on the internet and get books and movies at the library about their currents passions. They soak it all in because they love learning so much. Learning is not forced in my home and it never will be my girls will be supported in whatever they choose to do in thier lives.

For the Love of Mud

My girls absolutely love to jump in the mud. Our back yard is mostly dirt with some weeds. So it is mud heaven when it is wet. They dig holes well now they have the dogs dig the holes and then fill them with water and jump in them. They also fill there sandbox full of mud and weeds then pretend they are going to the spa. I love how big their imaginations are and that I can give them the opportunity to learn without restricions and limits. Our life is so full of love and peace. Watching my girls play in the mud is something that I find joy in and I am always snapping pictures so I treasure that time in their life when they are at their happiest. Life is what we make of it and my girls are have the best time of their lives.

Playing Dressup

My girls absolutely love to dress up and put on jewelery and play make up and I have always given them that opportunity and supported their magnificent imaginations. They have tons of dress up clothes and accessories from halloween costumes to animals to pioneer dresses and hats. I have always believed that dressing up and pretending to be someone else teaches children about the different roles people play and what things we do while in those roles. Such as dressing up as a casheir they count money and put groceries in bags or when they dress up as a ballerina they twril around and do flips, or when they dress up as a mommy they take care of their baby and do all the things a mommy does. This is very important in their life role playing and using their imagination teaches them so much about not only who they are as individuals and what their values and beliefs are but it teaches them that others do not have the same values and beliefs that we do and we should respect their values and beliefs because we would want ours to be valued by others. I love seeing my girls play different roles while they are playing dress up they love being different people and it is changing all the time one minute they are Cinderella and the next they are playing cops and bad guys or indians and cowboys. This Unscholling life has taught me so much about how this so called play is actually learning at it's best. I ahve began to see how much they are actually learning from dressing up as different people. I will always encourage their love for playing dress up and I will give them new opportunities to use their imagination by providing new dress up clothes and accesories.

Digging for Fossils with Grandma and Grandpa

The girls spent a week with my parents out in the desert. They learned so much about living off the land, digging for fossils, animals that live in the desert. I am glad that they got the opportunity to have this experience with their Grandma and Grandpa. They are so good with my girls and they helped them to learn so much about something so new to them. My girls brought home lots of fossils to look at under their new microscope that hooks up to the TV they look so cool and they get so excited. I am always wanting my girls to experience and learn new things about the world around them and this trip did just that they had so much to tell all the way home and for days after. What a wonderful learning experience that they got to take part in. Here are some picture of my girls digging for fossils and taking rides in the dune buggy trailer.

Digging for Gold

My girls favorite thing to do at the moment is dig in the dirt and look for fossils, gold, and of course make their famouse mud pies. Their new thing is having the dogs dig thier hols for them because digging in the dirt is so hard when you are so little. They get so excited when they find rocks and other things buried beneath the dirt. I use to get so upset when they would track dirt into the house because I would spend all day cleaning. But one thing this unschooling life has taught me is that their love for nature is a blessing and I should allow them to pursue that passion without fear. I have learned that the house work can wait until they are in bed but learning can't wait for me to clean and learning can't stop just because I have cleaned. Children are messy learners they love to get dirty and explore and I am grateful to have found such an amazing way of living where I can be learning right along with them getting dirty and digging in the dirt right along with them. Trusting my children with their learning is my passion I know that they will learn no matter what they are doing. I want my kids to have that passion and love for learning that humans are meant to have and so far I have seen first hand how children learn without having text books and teachers treating them like walking sponges. Digging in the dirt is a learning experience and each time they dig it is a different experiecne all together. Man what a wonderful life.

Finger Painting Adventures

My girls like all kids love to finger paint. They love the feeling of the paint on their hands and the colors they make as they mix the paint. I cherish these paintings I keep all of them because I feel so guilty throwing away their art work. Their art work signifies who they are as individuals. Destinee is my down to earth girly girl so her art work is always neat and has a theme. Cearra is my spontanious girl that has a huge imagination so her art work is crazy and messy with no real theme but it is still beautiful. Kaley is my cheese ball who has a very comical personality and her art work is the masterpiece of a 20 month olds hands. I love their finger paintings and I love being able to give them the opportunity to create such beautiful finger paintings that tell so much about them as very unique individuals.

Living Life in the Fast Lane

As an unschooling family we are always living our life in the fast lane. We are always finding fun adventures for us to do as a family. Our life revolves around our kids we are always doing something new and exciting. We love our adventerous life and cherish every second of it. Our life just keeps getting better and better everyday the more time we spend with our kids the more we get to know them as individual people that are unique in there own special way. We have learned so much about our kids and our selfs this past five months we are more intuned to our needs as well as our childrens individual needs. I love our new profound life and I know it is only going to get better.

A Love For Cooking

My kids have a huge passion for cooking they want to be right there every step of the way. Destinee enjoys reading the recipe and getting everything we need together, Cearra enjoys cracking the eggs and stirring all the ingredients together, and Kaley loves to help clean up by licking the bowls and beaters. I as a mom love allowing them to follow their passions and giving them the opportunities to try new things in life. Cooking is one of those everyday skills that the kids learn just by watching mom and dad cook and being involved by helping out whether it may be setting the table, helping us prepare meals, or helping clean up afterwards. Destinee has learned about measuring cup and spoons and what all the numbers mean on them. Allowing them to help Sam and I in the kitchen allows them to master those skills needed for when they get out into the real world. I am very blessed to be able to facilitate a love for cooking and baking in my children.

Learning Their Way

Since we began this new journey of unschooling I have realized how much they learn on their terms in their way. I am utterly amazed everyday by the amount of knowledge they gain just through doing what they love doing at that moment. Destinee my oldest began to become interested in writing and letters and she has been copying books from front to back. Well the other day I heard them playing very nicely together and Destinee came to me and was very pleased with her self. She was telling me that she had wrote some letters very nicely so of course I wanted to see her masterpeice so she brought me her baby sister. She had written some letters across her baby sister Kaley's forhead. I said WOW very nice work Destine and named the letters that were printed so neatly on Kaley's head and asked Destinee if she knew the sounds to those letters and she began to say them and I was pleased. This made me chuckel inside and it is a memory that I will never forget and of course I had to snap some shots of this wonderful experience. I am always amazed at the things that my girls come up with from day to day. I am one proud mommy.

Documenting our amazing life.

Well hello this is my first blog. I am very excited to document our amazing unschool life. We began sending our oldest daughter who is five to kindergarten and she liked it at first but she then began to hate learning which made me very sad for her. Learning is supposed to be enjoyable learning is part of our everyday life. So I like any mom began to really worry about her she cried everyday before school and when she came she didn't like anything that had to do with learning. I myself love to learn new things so this really devastated me because I want my kids to love learning too. So I decided in February of 2009 to pull her out of school and home school her. Well I began to become very overwhelmed with our schedule it was like she was still in school and it was very hard to get her to want to do any worksheets. So I took a different approach I asked her what topic she is interested in and we would dive right in and I would print out worksheets and workbooks that went with that theme and I still struggled to get her to want to do it. I finally gave up and was very discouraged and wondered if I had done the right thing pulling her out of school. I was surfing the Internet one day and came across unschooling and it felt so right for our family. So now we unschool we do not do worksheets, or use workbooks. We do a lot of hands on activities that they ask to do and they really enjoy learning and I am extremely amazed at how much they have learned. And I am so in love with our life now I have a found a new way of living and have realized that my kids are independent they should be treated as individuals and every part of them should be respected as an individual. I have now put trust in my kids that they will learn and be successful at it I just step back and give them the tools and support that they need as individuals.