#it’s the public library doing a Dino week to try and get little kids in to read too it’s not just BP oil spill execs

[chipjrwibignaturals]

anyway. tldr pr is not some big fuckin bad evil or all made of corrupt spin doctors i promise

[mellorad]

Share ten facts about yourself, then send this to your ten favorite followers:)

DHHDSHJ THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK, JULIA!! OKAY SO! I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, trying to think of some facts, and since I’ve had some people tagging me in those “11 facts” tag memes, I decided to write 11 facts now!! Thank you to @gomboc123 @haganenobeato for tagging me to do this, and… anyone that might have tagged me and I cannot remember dfjkghjk

So, I’m gonna merge these two concepts together now and tag… @xennariel @sevenfairysins @annablume @mustangsgloves @egalitarian-nature-blog @halfbakedbagel @chortling-dingo @thestaffofra @peggyplatter @geoogl @ladywiltshire jkhshjkfgkj I don’t know if you’ve done these or not, I keep forgetting!! Also, if I didn’t tag you and you want to do this, consider yourself tagged, and go ahead!

1. I used to play in an orchestra when I was a kid! I played the trumpet, haha. I also had singing classes and musical education to some extent as an older kid, and I’d join in on my school’s choir sometimes for festive occasions.

2. I LOVE travelling!! Oh man I’m all about exploring new countries and getting to know their culture. I’ve been to all continents (except Oceania, haha), and visited a lot of countries, including (but not restricted to): Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Switzerland… the list goes on, haha. I can only hope I’ll be able to earn enough money to keep up with my travelling desires!!

3. I spent 10 years of my education (the equivalent to preschool /elementary /middle /junior high) in a catholic school, with nuns and everything. Consequently, the whole experience has made me the most religiously DEtached person ever, haha. I’m just tryin’ to live my life, man!

4. I suffered from (psychological/social) bullying throughout my time in said catholic school. That, coupled with a long history of failed friendships, has… taken a huge toll on me. I’ve grown to learn from (and accept) these situations as part of my past and the reason behind… a lot of my struggles, and as of now, I’m trying to work past the emotional aftermath. 

5. When I was a kid, I used to be really obsessed with dinossaurs (and animals as a whole, except for bugs). I was so, so nerdy back then djksgfkjh and I knew wayyyy more than any kid that age should possibly know about those topics. Therefore, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d say paleonthologist, zoologist and biologist (at the earliest of my childhood, I wanted to be a singer or a vet!). Though the dino fever died down when I was about… 11, my love for animals still remains and I only started to think of arts as an actual career path when I was 13.

6. I could have been a published author at the age of 14. I had everything just about set: the short story was approved by a proper publisher, I had already done the illustratons and they were ready to go, and I was just waiting for the preface to be written. However, a few things delayed the process and school got in the middle of it as well, and in the end… I decided to not go forth with it, and even now, more than ever, I still stand by my choice.

It’s not that it isn’t well written, quite the contrary; I still find value in it, and I appreciate it for what it is, but it’s the kind of story that I don’t think quite… represents me as a person, as a writer? It doesn’t really represent the kind of themes, characters and stories I want to explore.

Regardless, it was a huge learning experience for me, and I think I truly found my path soon afterwards; which includes the two (entirely different!) stories I’m currently working on. Haha, I hope this is indicative of my love for literature and writing!! I’ve always loved to read and write, ever since I was really young. c:

7. I’ve done the Portuguese Way of St. James/Camino de Santiago!! Again, not for religious reasons; recreational ones. I walked around… 120 kms in 5 days? Not counting the extra kilometres I walked around in the cities with pilgrim hostels in which I’d stay the night. It was a really amazing experience, and I’d absolutely love to do it again with a few loved ones down the line!!

8. I have a rescue dog, named Simba!! He’s quite the stubborn old pupper (turning 11 years old this year); presumably a mix between a Labrador and a Portuguese Pointer, with lots of personality, haha, he’s always been a riot to take care of, but I love him to bits.

9. If you hadn’t noticed before: I also LOVE botany!! It’s a rather recent passion of mine; I mean, I had always loved plants and flowers, but I think it truly grew on me when I befriended this wonderful elder artist with a lovely fascination for botany (whom I consider to be some sort of grandfather/mentor figure; a truly fascinating man!).

He has inspired me so much, and because of him, I must say I have a little personal goal for life: to know the names of all the plants around me and know them at least a little bit. So I love… LOVE watching the plants in my garden grow!! I think of them so tenderly, like they’re old (and new) friends, they never fail to surprise me everyday, and I’ve learnt so many life lessons from them. I also love admiring all sorts of trees and flowers, of course, and I’m always trying to identify them!!!

10. I hate sports. I really, really do; I’m exceptionally clumsy, lack the coordination, speed and stamina, so I always detested them. I did swim for 3-4 years, though, as a way of getting fit, but I ended up dropping it. However, I do love going on walks; specially now!!

11. Alright so you know I really love music… but I doubt that you know the full extent of it (unless you’re close to me/pay close attention): 

I listen to music compulsively. I need to listen to something new that I find freaking great about every 2 weeks, otherwise I’ll feel like there’s something wrong in my life. I own 5 pairs of headphones, over 10 pairs of earphones, and some speakers. 

I actively dissect, analyze and criticize music; the great majority of my walks home from college and any moment on public transports is spent focusing on albums, and pretty much writing and reciting music reviews in my head, as if I were to make a speech about it. As such, I’m always ready to talk about music, give music equipment recs, and discuss some albums for a long time, and I even know a bit of history regarding the genres I listen to. 

Admittingly, it is never enough!! I can only hope to become a walking music library, constantly broadening my musical horizons and knowledge. 

[mykatesingh-blog]

    I don’t know what style of homeschooling that is occurring with us right now.  Are we to consider ourselves free range?  Unschooling?  I can’t list the other ideas such as Waldorf or Montessori because we use online lessons and media to educate although we also garden, do forest walks, and are learning other languages.  I can’t say public or charter because I decided against signing up with a structured school.  I am definitely not Thomas Jefferson or Classic because we just have no real structure.

My son is 5 years old. I have no intention of starting to drill him and test him, or to even teach him to read yet.  But I will tell you that this kid has the best life and education daily.  He already understands math and the alphabet and he can figure out words randomly.  He knows more about dinosaurs and all the Mesozoic eras, most of the dinosaur types (or breeds?  I’m not a dinosaur fan, my dino know how is being forced upon me).  He knows about the environment, GMO’s and organics because his mother is part granola-hippy earth lover.  He knows about the solar system.  Some gardening, some baking, animal husbandry, cleaning, farming, machinery, and many other things I can’t think of right now…

He’s advanced in his language skills and he loves to learn and explore.  He has been wide eyed and beyond curious since birth, pushing himself into the next thing and the next idea.  He is so in his head that I often have to call him a few times even when we are in the same room.

I thought of doing the whole chalkboard, one room for the class, structured curriculum and hours.  Then I shuddered and let that awful idea dissipate from the darkness whence it came.

    I was a smart kid that was always exploring and reading and building…and then school happened.

I’m not saying that this is the truth for even many.  I just don’t want my son to lose his passion and drive.  He has to choose what he learns and how.  He can learn so much anywhere and anytime.  Instead of being in a classroom 6 hours a day he is at the beach building kingdoms, visiting family, playing in Tahoe with his godparents, at home with his mama making food from scratch, traveling to Oregon, and all that time and with all that fun he is learning about life, math, science, history, social science, reading, vocabulary.

Just a trip to the grocery store invites a lesson in math and finances, how to shop wisely and be shrewd with the funds.  He also learns about produce in season and why we prefer organic and that leads to discussions about bio diverse farming vs corporate farming, food forest, urban farming, and how we can take care of nature, improve the top soil and insects, which ones are beneficial and why and which ones aren’t and what plants and animals rid our gardens of these pests.  You see?  Just picking out an apple for today’s snack has just taught Arjan all about the various ways to farm and the pros and cons on into the eco system and beyond to the Universe and what it’s all about.  And that was just shopping for fruit.

Now, I only have one little boy that is ready for homeschooling so I’ll try not to act so well versed in the whole thing.  I’m sure by the time he is getting into big math and science I will have to ship him out to a tutor or class.  In the meantime, it’s all fun and rainbows.  His brother is homeschooling naturally but really doesn’t start for a couple years.

I am preparing one long drawer in the dining room for all his school stuff and he will do ABCMouse and some other educational programs an hour a day five days a week.  That’s it.  Everyone who reads my blogs knows how we love our library.  We drag home big, heavy bags weekly and we read them all.  We watch educational documentaries.  And we talk about everything all the time.

Outdoors, that is the biggest…and limit the TV.  I’ve planted a food forest in our own yards and now we have the chickens so that right there is some learning.

I may be foolish but I love this process and I want us all to thrive and really have fun.  I didn’t do so well in school.  I was bright but lazy with the studying and homework.  It was my Achilles heal.  I study and read so much now.  I still skim and I never complete any book.  I do take notes here and there and talk about what I learned to cement the important things.  I’m probably better informed today than all the years in college.  The trick is to study only that which you love and do it.  Then the joy comes, the thriving spirit.

I home make, raise children, write, read, grow my urban farm.  Those are my joys and I’m happier than ever.  That’s what I want to teach my children.  Find what you love and dive in.

But most importantly, my children are learning about themselves and their feelings.  They are learning about community and family.  They are finding those interest that really excites them.  They are being allowed to evolve at their own pace…not someone else’s guidelines or what a school program says that they need to be doing daily.  If they want to study all day on Monday they can, if on Tuesday they want to be left to themselves and play in the sand under the tree most of the day they can.  If they are having an off day they can do what they need to do to take care of themselves.  Usually, the next day they are rested and ready to explore and learn more.

We have routines through the day but nothing is solid because we are human and our energy levels and emotions vary each day.  Things need to have some fluidity so that we can continue to enjoy our life and really blossom.  My children are learning something I didn’t get in my childhood.  They are learning to honor and care for themselves well.  They will be able to truly love learning and see that it is an artfully done journey into the world and the mind.

          Homeschooling the easy and joyful way. I don't know what style of homeschooling that is occurring with us right now.  Are we to consider ourselves free range?