Bright Blessings

Winter brew

My winter brew arrived today - aka Pukka Revitalise Kapha Tea - a warming blend of cinnamon, ginger and cardamon. I was all prepared for the promised snow flurries with a glowing fire and mug of winter brew. As it was the sun shone all afternoon. Bright and nippy - but no snow. Ho hum!

I mentioned the other day that I had been thinking of online curriculums. I thought perhaps they may be the answer to our situation right now (child eager to do semi structured stuff with a mother who is often too stressed or tired to research and deliver the goods).

Funding is an issue. With this whole horrid insurance saga continuing I've certainly got no cash to splash. That certainly limits the options. I think the best online free stuff I came across was at Ambleside Online. Having said that I still struggle with the whole 'prepackaged' notion. I think it's what I want, I think it will be helpful, but then there are always parts that I don't really like and think could be better. I think I need to accept that we'll never be an 'education from a catalogue' or 'curriculum in a box' kind of family. I'm just too damn pernickity and contrary for that. All that said I think I will dip into the Ambleside stuff and use what I like - no need to throw away the baby with the bathwater as Nana would say.

Looking at the curriculums online has fuelled me on though. We've done quite a lot of French, work on the Celts and human skin this week in addition to our basics. There are also rumours of a household Diwali discovery culminating in a Diwali evening on Saturday night. That remains to be seen though. I think the trouble is I'm just not consistent these days. My energy is so up and down. I need a consistent flame in my belly not all this wishy washy stuff.

Anyone else doing/done anything for Diwali? Any suggestions?

Halloween baubles

Miles and I raided the attic for some old Christmas baubles to revamp for Halloween today. We covered them in orange tissue paper and sparkly stars. I think they're quite pretty.

We had planned to go to the park but it was so cold. I don't ususally wimp about the weather but the cold snap seems to have come on so suddenly this week. The forecast is for sleet and snow tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited.

Hermione spent the day with a friend and her family. They went to Darlington Railway Museum and had a great time - apart from when the lady leading the craft activities accidentally elbowed Hermione in the eye! Ouch! Thankfully she was fine.

Alchemy

There are times when I think of Mothers as modern day alchemists

Shaping, directing, moulding and transforming

Tiny sparks of life into wonderful human beings

Transforming the every day into the truly magickal

The woes and fears into joys and courage

The crumbs and chaos into creativity

The scraps in the fridge into nutritious sustenance

Am I strong enough?

Wise enough?

Will I ever know?

Hung out to dry

That's the frivolous done for the day. Off to start on the necessities.

I need a mirror like this

Apple bobbing, turkey making, pie munching...

We've had a wonderfully different week this week. We've really enjoyed having our guests to stay and have had lots of fun doing harvest stuff.

When you 'meet' people through the Internet there is always that question - but what are they really like? I'm not saying that people on the Internet are awful - not at all - I guess it's just not always easy to know if you will get along in real life with someone you get along with online.

I met my friend who has been to visit this week on a parenting site almost eight years ago. That was the good old days when UK parenting sites were supportive places to hang out. I thought I'd mention that as I think it is sometimes all too easy to dismiss the possibility of online life become part of 'real' life. Certainly you have to be careful, but there are some wonderful people out there and friendships to be enjoyed I think.

Before getting off my friends teenage daughter baked for me. She even taught me how to make pastry and not have it go all awfully crumbly. I know people are very quick to knock teenagers, and I must say that I don't personally have much experience of them, but in Nana's words my friend's daughter was an 'absolute delight' to have around - and I second that. I think it is wrong to take the behaviour of some teenagers and lump them all together as a 'bad lot'. People are so quick to generalise about teens - even if they wouldn't do so about others.

Pecan pie



My friend is a homeopath, counsellor and much more to boot. She is generous with her homeopathic remedies, words of wisdom and healing skills. My chests are now bursting at the seams with lots of new and exciting remedies to include luna, chocolate, MSG and much more. I feel clearer. Knots have been unravelled. I'm breathing easier.

Today we ate pecan pie, popcorn, apples and pumpkin pie. We listened to stories of how leaves change colour, the first pilgrims and the Thanksgiving turkeys.

We made our own turkeys and 'thankful leaves' in between bobbing and ducking for apples.





Fun and laughter. The stuff of memories.







What's more, while I was bobbing and munching, business was brisk with a few enquiries about our pumpkins. It's not too late to order for Halloween!

I've been thinking this week about curriculums. Thinking that I would quite like some (free or low cost) pre thought out art/literature/nature based stuff to do. I just don't seem to have as much time to trawl the Internet for ideas and resources these days as I'm forever absorbed in this insurance dispute. I've received links from some home ed lists and hope to have a good look at them this week