First Day NOT Back to School

Monday was the start of school here. The previous Saturday Josh went to a birthday party with some of his schooling friends. There was so much anxiety and hoop-la over the start of school. Getting supplies, who's-in-who's-class, getting the kids to bed early to wake up early, the kids not sleeping because they're nervous, wondering how the younger siblings will handle the older ones being gone all day.

I am really thankful Monday was just another day for us, living life and learning what came our way. I am thankful the boys got to sleep as long as their bodies needed. I am most thankful the boys aren't separated from each other 8 hours a day. They get to grow up together, playing with and learning from each other.

I did have one anxious moment Monday. While sitting outside with my coffee, watching the boys play in the morning dew, it really hit me- I am now doing something I've never done before. Something different from the norm. I'm excited for the journey. I hope I don't screw it up.

Moving to Facebook

Hello Peeps!

I have so much I want to tell you about! So many things the boys are up to! But sitting down to write a blog is so time consuming. Uploading pictures really is kind of a pain, and let's be honest, who wants to read a blog post with no pictures?

So I'm taking our adventures over to facebook where it will be easier for me to post more often. Go check it out! https://www.facebook.com/KickingItUnschool

Hope to see you there!

the s-e-x talk

So the other day Josh and I are talking about him doing something dangerous. I don't remember what exactly it was, but whatever he was talking about doing caused me to spit out the line, "I can get a new [insert item] but I can't get a new Josh."

Later on we were sitting down at dinner, and out of nowhere Josh says, "So that means no more s-e-x for you and daddy." (yes he spelled out the word!)

Naturally, I'm like, "wha.....? Where did this come from?"

Josh, "Well you said you couldn't make another me, so that means no more babies, so no more s-e-x."

I explained that even if we had another baby it would never be the same as he is. Then I explained that there were ways to have s-e-x and not make a baby.

Josh, with a puzzled face, asks, "So you and daddy still have s-e-x?"

"Yup."

"Is that why I'm not allowed in your room sometimes?"

"Yup."

"Hmmm. Okay."

Then we went on eating dinner like no awkward conversation had ever occurred. And really, in our house that isn't awkward conversation (as long as Papa Bear isn't home, he would have been mortified). We're just talking about normal things. Sex is normal, and I'm open and honest with the kids when they have questions.

Have your kids asked you any s-e-x questions? How do you handle them?

Coconut Flour Pancakes

I love baking. Trying to eat a fully Paleo diet means you have to get creative with the baking. We've come across a few paleo pancake recipes, this one from Health, Home, and Happiness is hands down the best we've found.

The recipe-
1/4 cup coconut flour
4 eggs (local if you can!)
1/4 cup yogurt (Greek full fat!)
1 Tablespoon honey (local if you can!)

(sorry for the blurry pic)

Mix together and really beat at it to get all the lumps out. Then let sit for 5 minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the moisture. Cook on medium heat using your favorite fat- butter, coconut oil, whatever.

Makes about a dozen silver dollar pancakes.

Josh loves blueberries in his pancakes. :)

Serve with butter, your favorite nut butter, and/or honey. My personal favorite is peanut butter and honey. I know, I know, peanuts aren't paleo. I'm weaning myself.

And of course, a picture of the boys eating...

They are a bit more dense than "normal" pancakes, but other than the texture they are a close match. The kids didn't even notice a difference once it was loaded with berries and honey.

Rainbow Slime

Another fun indoor entertainment project for the summer.

Equal parts clear glue (we just used Elmer's brand from the back to school sales) and Stay-Flo liquid starch (found in the laundry detergent aisle of your local super market). Mix, separate into bowls and add food coloring.

Fair warning, this is slimy, gross, and makes a mess. But it kept the kids busy for about an hour.

In the end Bug didn't really care for the mess it made and decided to spray down the tables to clean it up. Too cute.

Fun with Beans

It is ridiculously hot outside. Not to mention Bug and I get devoured by bugs every time we step outside, and we get these awesome allergic reactions every time we get bit. Instead of an annoying itchy bite we get giant welts which swell and spread and itch for a week. So we don't go outside much in the summer. Which means I have to entertain the kids inside.

This particular day we played with beans. I saw a picture online of an owl made of coffee beans and Josh thought it would be fun to recreate.

I put down some coffee beans and lima beans on a table top on the floor and let the kids get creative. I obviously wasn't fully caffeinated when I thought the beans would actually stay on the table top, but oh well.

Things started well, Josh helped Bug make a ghost out of the lima beans...

Then Bug decided he didn't much care for the ghost...

And Bug spent the rest of the afternoon "sweeping" up the beans...

When Bug went to bed for the night, Josh took the opportunity to finally recreate that owl he had seen online. I think it turned out really well, he even brewed the coffee himself. :)

Officially Withdrawn!

Last week we started the week by officially withdrawing Josh from public school!

Even though this has been our plan for the last 7 months, I'll admit, it was quite a feeling making it official. We're now officially those weird homeschooling people. Things have been great over the summer and Josh still has play dates with his friends from school, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little nervous that people will start treating us (him) differently once school is back in session. Who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by people and shouldn't assume the worst.

We are confident in our decision and this is the best choice for our family and our son. I'm excited to see where this road leads us.

I'm falling behind!

Putting up new posts takes more time than I'd like it to. Sorry I'm falling behind. I'm going to try to post individual fun activities instead of waiting til the end of the week to recap it all. Thanks for your patience!

Unsupervised Egg Scrambling

Bug has been sick the last 4 days, which means I have been waking 3-4 times every night to help him. He's obviously been up at least 3-4 times each night too, so during the day he's very VERY cranky. I can't blame him, I'm cranky too. And I'm only sleep deprived, I'm not sick on top of it.

So this morning I did something GENIUS. I took a nap when Bug took a nap. I know, I know, obvious thing to do, but how often as parents to we actually take a nap when we're tired instead of check email, watch tv, or (heaven forbid) take care of our other kids. Bug went down for a nap at 8:30 this morning. You read that right, nap time at 8:30. So I felt much less guilty about leaving Josh to keep sleeping and play or whatever when he woke up.

Josh is such a good kid. He woke up and he must have known how tired I must be dealing with Bug (or, more likely, he's seen how grumpy I am when someone disturbs my slumber). He went out to the living room and did his thing, not waking me, save for one exception. He came in to ask me where the egg pan was. I told him it was in the dishwasher, clean, and he left.

I could only assume he was going to make eggs. I'll admit there was that moment of panic when thoughts of burning houses crossed my mind, but I laid back down and trusted him to let me know if something went awry. Nothing did.

He used a little recipe card I'd made him a few weeks ago outlining how to make scrambled eggs, including "turn off burner", and enjoyed some self scrambled eggs.

I'm really proud of him. He took the initiative to care for himself, and he now has the confidence that came with his success. I'm proud of myself too, for letting him do it instead of telling him to make a bowl of cereal or wait til I woke up to do it for him. Our kids are capable of so many things we don't always give them credit for. :)