Daily Inspirational emails from TUT - A Note From The Universe

Here is a little daily inspirational email that I look forward to each day. It's from TUT - A Note From the Universe.

Each day, I can read something helpful into it depending on how I interpret it and relate it to my thoughts and what is going on in my life currently. I think this example is a perfect one to encourage writers to begin, even if they still feel in the darkness. (Though it could apply to any number of different things, I thought of it as to do with writing because that is one of the things I'm thinking about right now.)
If, Laurie, while sitting in the darkness, you changed your mind and decided you wanted to sit in the light, would your first few steps be in the darkness or in the light?


Right-O!

The Universe

And this too was in the bottom of the email - love it!

Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®

© www.tut.com ®

Sledding with friends on 2/18/15 at Appleton Village Elementary School

 

Getting good air!

Some short videos:

Makana (age 9 1/2) plans her first visit to the 4th grade

Makana is going to visit the Camden Hills Elementary School tomorrow (4th grade) to see if she might like it. She was supposed to check it out last Tuesday, but school was canceled due to a snowstorm. 

Though I support her and help her find out about what she is curious and interested in - and will do so for her current interest in school, I hope she likes homeschooling better. 

As a homeschooler, Makana can do all the art she wants to and currently spends a lot of time drawing and painting and creating. When we arranged for the school visit, we asked if it was possible for her to attend on a day when they have art. On Tuesday's, the kids have a whole hour of art and therefore her visit is arranged for a Tuesday. I do hope they have school tomorrow and it's not another snow day as she is excited to try it.

This will be a whole new experience for her in many ways. I said that if she does like it (and before she'd enroll..if she even wanted to), to check out the homeschool coop in Belfast....because she might like that better. Or maybe she will be satisfied with all the things she already does now.

Makana is saying yes to so many new things lately. We've been to open gym*, swimming, signed up for a homeschool art museum trip, found an art teacher to do a homeschool art class which begins next week*, bought new art supplies on sale, checked out the local kids chorus (was not for her), arranged for her to visit the school for a day, and she said she would like to try skiing. Plus there are free art lessons in Rockland on Tuesday afternoons. She may try those too.  Oh!  And she joined the book club at the library as well and loved it. She wishes it met more than once a month as she loved it so much! When it isn't snowing, we've gone to writing club. On our own we enjoy making up stories and jotting down book ideas. Some of her latest ideas are a Doctor Who alphabet book or one similar to Shel Silverstein's "Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book: A Primer for Adults Only," and a book about a cat and dog, and another she wrote with Kanoa. And dancing together (see video below). Busy busy....  Plus time to get into Pretty Little Liars!  We both love it and are in season 2.  (* = those activities I organized)

Because she is so into art, we've been reading many different books on artists, especially before bed. While organizing her room and bookshelves, we found some old art books that she loved - esp one on Picasso. 

Makana is also interested in history and when we were going through the books, we found a book on Betsy Ross - one short one I read aloud and another in a series that Katie used to love. She is currently reading the one from the series and chose to take that book with her as her reading book for tomorrow. 

In the organizing process, she discovered the Who Am I? books where you try to guess who the famous person or character is based on the hints provided. One of the people in the guess book was Betsy Ross! Love it when those connections happen. :)

Makana isn't told to read any specific books - she has a large variety of them on our bookshelves and through our library from which to choose. She wasn't asked to read a prescribed number of questions in the Who Am I? book. She likes doing the quizzes because they are fun to try to figure out. When she is interested in something, it is because of her own curiosity and her own desire to find out more. That desire is natural in people, but can get stamped out (or partially stamped out) when the agenda of another person or an institution insists that there is a better way to learn or even a specific way to learn.

I just helped her organize for tomorrow. We need to be there at 8:15am (she usually sleeps till between 10:30 and 11:45am, so this will be an early rising day). I have paperwork to fill out. She's supposed to take a snack, boots and snowpants (because she must go outside for recess for at least five minutes I think...but she doesn't have snowpants that fit well right now, though she said she would be fine without them), sneakers, and a book to read (maybe there is some free time or downtime?). I added paper, pen and a pencil to the list. The 4th grade in that school switches teachers and classrooms, though in 5th grade they go back to not switching.     

I hope she enjoys her experience, but prefers to continue homeschooling. 

Kanoa loses his second tooth...literally!

About two weeks ago, Kanoa had a second tooth that was loose.  It was his other big bottom front one.  It moved very forward as the adult tooth pushed up behind it.  I told him I suspected it would come out in a day or two.

A couple nights later I asked if I could check his teeth.  I wanted to see how loose it had become.  It had hurt for the past few nights when I brushed his teeth, so he hadn't been keen on letting me peek. But he did that night and I noticed it was GONE!  Where did it go?  I asked him if he knew when it came out.  He did not.  I wonder if he swallowed it!  Or maybe it is mixed up in the bed covers or on the floor somewhere!

Well, it's been like 2 weeks and I still haven't found it...and I still don't know!  And so it goes....

Kanoa's 6th Birthday

December 28th was Kanoa's 6th birthday.  He woke up and was so excited to have an Easter Egg hunt!  That was what he wanted most of all.  He didn't want cake.  And he asked for Twix bars and Kit Kat's to be inside the eggs.  Easter Egg hunts are THE best thing to him!  So yes, we did that and he was so excited!!

It was like a combination of holidays when he sought out eggs in front of the Christmas tree...putting them into a Halloween pumpkin to make it easy to carry!

VERY excited to receive 2 GIANT Kit Kat bars from Jene!!!

Green crocs!  He needs a new pair of crocs and only wanted green ones.  We haven't seen any up here in Maine, but Jene found some in NJ.  Kanoa still hasn't tried them on.  Too excited to do other things for now.  I think they look just his size!

Grandma sent some gifts - his favorite was in the box with the comics on it...a remote control snake!  (Interesting that he noticed the comics and asked if it was a book...he realized they were to read!)  And Nanny sent a card with a check so he could pick out a special gift or put money in his bank account.  

Overall, he had a great day! 

Five Nights At Freddy's LPS and stage

Kanoa loves watching videos of people playing Five Nights At Freddy's.  Makana got the idea to make him a special surprise for his 6th birthday related to the show!  She made him a Five Night's At Freddy's stage with Bonnie the Bunny, Freddy the Bear and Chicka the Chicken.  It came out so good!

 

Start to a good day (and it's my 46th birthday too!)

Katie was thrilled to get a renewable scholarship to the college she most wants to go to.  Arcadia in PA!  It's still a very expensive college...so we don't know if or how that will work yet, but she would like to visit it and hopefully find a way. :)  

Katie made me a birthday breakfast.  Chai tea (TZAO...my favorite brand!), french toast, eggs, and bacon (shaped into a heart the best she could)....much appreciated and enjoyed!  

Us this morning. 

When I got back from the YMCA, the crows were enjoying the labyrinth. 

And....Makana played "They say it's your birthday" on the ipad for me!  And Li let me choose what to watch while we ate breakfast.

Today (if we make it there in time), we'll enjoy a free children's holiday movie in Belfast and then go to the juice bar, co-op and browse the shops in Belfast for fun.

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We saw The Boxtrolls in the old theater in Belfast, I got a juice (carrot, kale, parsley, and apple...the person who made the juice forgot the lemon, but I said it was fine just as it was...mmm mmmm...tasty!  And felt SO good going down!  Just what my body needed!) and Makana got a smoothie with almond butter, almond milk, bananas and blueberries and maybe more stuff in it (I forget what else), we had pizza for a snack (except for Li) and stopped at various little shops downtown to take a peek.

On the way home, we stopped for a visit at the Windsor Chairmakers.  That was neat!  I have always wanted to visit there, but so far had not!  Next time I will check out the Shaker Shop which is next door (maybe part of it?) as well.

And.....some pics taken so far from our day....

Nelson Mandela bring peace to the Daleks and Cyberman....

Got our juice and smoothie!

Workshop was so clean and well light.

The chairmaker explained about the different kinds of wood and why some are better than others (Ash sounds like a great choice) and how they use epoxy glue which holds even in homes that use forced hot air or otherwise take the moisture out of the glue and leads to cracked chairs over time.  They guarantee their chairs for life, so they make them right the first time. The chairs cost about 700 - 900 dollars or more, depending on what features and what wood you choose.  (I'm imagining Ralph Kramden gesturing with his hands, "...a mere bag of shells!" ) 

Large workspace in the back.

Li made me a vegan birthday cake (It kind of crumbled when the top layer was put on and when the icing was spread....Li wished it stayed together better...but it still tasted delicious!!!!)

Makana made chocolate covered strawberries and decorated the outside of the plate with mandarin orange slices.  I love it when the orange slices sit out for a while and get crispy on the outside...they taste like candies!