Boy Child's Blog

I love real life learning. It's what I've attempted to have as the foundation of our happy little homeschool since my kids were of preschool age. The latest installment has been a project of my Boy Child's.

He wanted to start a blog a while back, and I figured that anything that encouraged him to write was a good thing, so I set him up. I tell you, it was awesome. He spent hours writing, finding clip art, figuring out how to do links and embed videos. It was some serious hands on learning.

He mostly writes about video games, sports and funny things he finds online- typical stuff of interest to an 11 year old boy. The thing is, he writes and rewrites and researches and revises again, and he appears to really enjoy doing it. I sometimes want to get in there and correct and suggest etc, but I'm resisting the urge. This is his baby, and I'm loving seeing him have this outlet.

At first, I wanted to keep the blog private, only able to be viewed by select friends and family, but lately, he's been wanting a larger audience. I can totally relate. When you work hard on something, you want to share it with the world. You want other people to look at it, appreciate it, and hopefully leave positive comments. It's even better when it's not just coming from relatives.

So, after a few talks about internet safety and the possibility of negative people, we opened my Boy Child's blog - Hurricane Henry to everyone. I know he'd love if you'd have a look, and even better, share it with your kids, and encourage them to comment. He'd love the feedback.

If you're looking for a venue to get your kids writing, maybe they too could start a blog. Or maybe they could write a guest post for another kids blog? Who knows the future of this project, but for now, I'm happy to see him learning, writing and having fun.

Just What I Needed- The $100 Start Up

I pulled into the driveway after a long and hard day. Waiting for my Boy Child to open the gate, I just hoped he'd hurry. I was exhausted- both physically and mentally.

It had been one of those days when all the little things that cost money started adding up into a big ugly pile in my lap. I may be a master frugalista, but life still requires cash, and sometimes you need a little more than others. This summer had a lineup of things-from fun stuff like camping trips to the necessary and big stuff like a newer reliable car to get my family around- all of which would require more cash.

Being an industrious kind of gal, I perused the local job boards. Ugh. It was awful. Have you looked at employment sites lately? In the area I live, the lack of suitable jobs for me was totally discouraging, but not as much as the micro salary range of the jobs I did see.

While lamenting my dismal prospects, Boy Child came up and showed me the hole he had worn in his shoes, and Girl Child let me know that she had outgrown her swimsuit. It continued like this with things raining down- dental visits, vet visits, some wonderful opportunities that were great deals- some just things we'd just need to deal with whether we liked it or not- but all requiring me to think about how to round up money.

Driving home, I was thinking about how miserable I would be in some of the jobs that were available, and wondered how I'd live on one. It was a scary and overwhelming thought, and wasn't helping me with my dilemma at all.

So, when Boy Child found a box at the gate, I perked up and ripped it open before we even got to the house.

Don't you just love when things show up in life exactly when you need them?

It was a brand new copy of Chris Guillebeau's new book- The $100 Startup. The subtitle was like a message just for me- "Reinvent the way you make a living, do what you love, and create a new future." 

I'm only a few pages into it so far, and a full review will come later, but I can already see that this is just the inspirational kind of thinking I needed. Rather than resorting to soul sucking and poorly paying work, I'm brainstorming ways to use my creative talents to come up with something else. Whoohooo!

I have no problem crediting a higher power here- Thank God I got this book right now, before my mind spiraled into gloomy and dark visions of minimum wage and crummy apartments in the hood. (Yes...I know...that's a bit dramatic, but that's how I tend to be.)

If you're not familiar with Guillebeau, you simply must check out his Art of Non-Conformity. He's a go getter with a fabulous outlook on life, who actually inspired my kids and I to tackle our plan to explore all 50 states before the oldest is 18. I can't wait to see what ideas come out of this book.

I'd also love to hear what creative and fun ways other people are coming up with to fund their life adventures. Inspiration is contagious and I certainly would love to catch and spread more of it. So....any ideas to share?

Seattle

We had been driving through the cold rain for hours when the sun finally broke through. It was nearly dark, but we were still glad to see clear sky, and to turn off the windshield wipers at last. The Pacific Northwest isn't known for warm weather, but this was farther from springlike than I had hoped for. We'd been in the car for too long, but decided to keep going- to make it to our friends home before bed.

It was late by the time we arrived, but all 5 of her children came out to greet us. Inside we met the dogs, pet rats, and even a hedge hog. We hadn't seen these friends in years, and the family had grown by a few, but my friend still had that rare patience and grace in the midst of whatever crazy chaos life (and children) throws at her.

They had generously offered to share their home as a base to spend a few days and explore the city. She also shared the advice she was given upon moving to Seattle. Don't let the rain stop you from going out. If you wait for it to stop, by the time you get your car keys, it will start back up again. I'm glad we listened because the weather changed from sun to wind to sprinkles to hail within the course of an hour, and continued that way for our entire stay. You just have to wear layers and deal with it.

Day 1 was mammoth. We started off by finding a giant troll under the Freemont Bridge. (Yes, we scout out odd tourist attractions like this ahead of time.)

Then, it was to the famous Space Needle and surrounding park. We spent a few hours exploring sculptures, shops and the Pacific Science Center.

We took the monorail (on which we almost lost one small child- but we found him quickly) to Pikes Place and where we were entertained by street musicians galore. One in particular sang songs of his painful childhood memories of broccoli for dinner, while hula hooping.

The shops were full of inspiring and creative things made by local artists that gave me countless crafty ideas of my own.

A trip to Seattle wouldn't be complete without seeing the Gum Wall. It's an entire wall on the side of this building has been covered in used chewing gum. It's definitely one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen, but strangely artistic when the light hit all the colors. The kids talked me into buying some gum so we could add to the wall, and I almost heaved, but I did it. (I then promptly doused all of our hands in sanitizer.)

I liked many things about Seattle- but especially was how clean it is. (well, not the troll or the gum wall) For a major city, it just doesn't have the level of filth that LA does though. The public transportation was great too but the parking was painfully pricey, which encouraged me to plan well and just skip driving if possible.

We could easily have spent a week in the city and not run out of things to see and do, but alas- we only had a few days. Naturally, we made the best of it and just crammed in as much as we could. The kids had natural youthful energy, and I was in the land of Starbucks.

Spring Extravaganza

What could be more fun than a rain soaked and activity filled weekend with an eclectic batch of homeschoolers from all over the state of California? Well...less rain would've helped, but despite the weather, my family had a great time in the Bay Area at the Homeschool Association of California Spring Extravaganza last weekend.

We've been to campouts and conferences with folks from this group in the past, and always had a great time. This event was not too far from home, at a Boy scout Campground in some really steep hills in Berkeley, and super affordable, so we jumped on the chance to go.  When we signed up for a camp spot in February, we were having fabulous near 70 degree sunny days. By the time the actual event arrived in late March, it was 40 degrees and pouring rain.

Luckily, we weren't the only crazy campers. A few other families, who are much hardier at camping life than me were there when we arrived. I'm fine with a tent, as long as it's dry, Oh- and I hate being cold too but thankfully, we had tarps, a surdy tent and really warm bags.

Even better, there was a lodge building, and although it had signs everywhere telling us we couldn't sleep in it, there was nothing saying we couldn't hang out a goof off until 2 AM. We arrived on Friday late afternoon, and were able to get our tent set up under the redwoods before it started raining. Our fellow campers attempted building a fire, but it was still just too cold, which prompted us to escape into the warmth of the lodge. It was great that the group of about 8 kids got to connect on a smaller scale before everyone else arrived.

The next day, the actual extravaganza took place. It was an all day event with a little something for everyone. Boy Child enjoyed the foam weapon battle while Girl Child and her BFF enjoyed making custom flip flops and the clothing swap-o-rama (participants bring clothes they no longer want and pick out others, which can be altered and turned into new things with the sewing machines, trims, paints and other things on sight.)

We all made Franstuffies (no longer loved stuffed animals are separated into parts and reassembled into new mix and match creations.) I'm glad that the dismantling was done ahead of time, or I may have found it disturbing, but instead, we all found it fun.

The evening was a dance and although the kids hadn't wanted to go ahead of time, they changed their minds and wanted to spend more time with their new friends. The event ended and was cleaned up by 11pm, and most of the people left for home or hotels. The campers stayed (and hung out in the lodge until the wee hours again) while the kids taught each other dance moves and played hysterical and entertaining games including ultimate ninja, a strange version of duck, duck, goose, wheelbarrow races. I bummed free wifi.

Even though it rained solid for over 36 hours, our tent didn't leak. Thankfully, it let up again in the morning while we packed up. We were exhausted and muddy and the drive home took longer than usual since I drank the worlds largest Dr Pepper to stay awake and kept having to hit rest stops.

The kids slept till almost 11 yesterday, and are already asking when we can do it again.

Sketchbook Mania- A Tale of Procrastination

Have you heard of the Traveling Sketchbook Project? It's a brilliant plan where anyone, anywhere can order a blank sketchbook, fill it with whatever artsy medium suits their fancy and send it back to be a part of a world traveling exhibit of artists sketchbooks. They even have ideas of themes as a jumping off point.

I loved the idea, and ordered my book just before the deadline last fall, choosing "Uncharted Waters" as my theme. It just seems to go well with the unknown future, antsy, restless, can't believe I turned 40 type of energy I've been feeling.

It came in November, and while I was excited to open the package, I was confused at how flat it was. I ripped it open right there at the mailbox, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed. It was small, thin and just so very plain. Of course the idea is that as the artist, I get to dress it up, but it just seemed so little and plain Jane.

I set it on my shelf where it sat, neglected and alone for 2 1/2 months. Poor thing.

In my defense, winter is a busy time full of holidays and celebrations and my craftiness was being used up on other endeavors instead of the sketchbook.

About two weeks before the deadline to mail the finished book back, I started thinking about the project. I had already paid, and there are no refunds. Since I'm incredibly cheap thrifty, I didn't want my money to go to waste. Plus, they blacklist you if you sign up and don't finish. I had to maintain my good name, and honestly, as soon as opened my mind to the project, the ideas started to flow.

Nine days before it was due, I actually started. First thing, a purple velvet cover, during the attaching of which, I learned about spray adhesives, and probably lost a few brain cells in the process.

For the last week, I've been sketching, painting and gluing like a mad woman. I've torn up my all of my crafty areas and made a giant mess of my home. Paint, stickers, fabric and trim are spread across almost every flat surface in view. I discovered how amazing watercolor pencils are, how helpful gesso is, and how quickly super glue dries things to your fingers. I also realized that I still like sparkly things, unicorns and rainbows as much as I did when I was 8 years old.

"Uncharted Waters" represents the future to me, and since young people are the future, I recruited my kids and the group of homeschooling kids that I do art workshops with to do postcard sized paintings to glue in. They were a natural fit and didn't let me down with their awesome work. I also scored by getting 9 pages out of the way.

Now, I'm down to the wire. The sketchbook needs to be in the mail tomorrow, and still has a couple of pages  to finish. The whole thing has been a mad dash, but it's also been incredible fun. Waiting until the last minute is not nearly as bad when the job to be done is one you enjoy. In this case, I've had a blast playing with new mediums and exploring things in the book. If it had been something like taxes, no amount of coffee in the world would have made those late nights any fun for me.

I hope to do it again next year, but I also hope to be a little more organized..

I wonder how many other people procrastinate as badly as I do? Part of the problem is probably just that I try to cram so many things in. How do you all handle fitting in all the things you really want to do?

As for me, I should be painting rather than typing right now.

On Not Becoming a Grinch

Well, Christmas came and went, and it was mostly merry and bright for my family, but keeping it that way was certainly not effortless. The days leading up to major family holidays are seldom made up of greeting card moments in my house, unless the greeting card involves harried frenzies and occasional freak outs.

I'd guess most families have their share of holiday stress during what's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. There's so much to do, such expectations. In the insanity of extra celebrations and assorted commitments other people want from you, what's actually important to you can get lost. In an already busy life, the whole season can lose its meaning.

What's with the pressure anyway? Why do parents force their screaming and terrified child to sit on Santa's lap and then pay $12.95 for a picture of it? Why do people rush around spending money they don't have just to buy some plastic junk that no one will care about or remember in 6 months? Does it really add to our joy?

I tend to sway radically from being relaxed to losing it, but this year, I made a conscious effort to avoid turning into a Grinch. Despite the fact that our local extended family requires numerous separate celebrations, at least one of which I'd end up hosting with my home in the midst of a remodel, I was determined to just focus on a happy season for my kids.

Did I mention that my Girl Child and I quit eating meat, so I had to think of a festive vegetarian dinner to satisfy 10 carnivores? And preferably one that the preparation and cleanup of which wouldn't push me over the edge? No matter, I would be cheerful for my kids.

They had saved up money to buy the biggest bag of dog food available, and wanted to collect bags of old tennis balls from the field next to the local tennis courts, all to be delivered to the dogs spending Christmas county animal shelter. It's a sad and dismal place, even for a shelter, and could use all the help it can get.

The clock began ticking. I had the food in my car for days, never managing to make it there. Part of me began to get grumpy about this extra errand which was completely out of the way when I was already running around like a chicken without a head. Then, I thought about my sweet kids, and the message I would be sending with my bad attitude.

Then, I thought about the dogs at the shelter, many of whom wouldn't make it out of there. For goodness sake, they deserved a tennis ball to chew, even if I was busy. So, I did some deep breathing and committed myself to quit the wanking about it and get down there, even if some other errand got dropped. We skipped a cookie party and made it at the very last minute, just as they were closing their gates for the holiday weekend.

Later, Boy Child and I were talking about the homeless people outside so many stores. We often have snacks in the car, and it's not unusual for my kids to give their granola bars or bananas to someone who is begging. But, while going without snacks is a giving gesture, the spirit of the season calls for more.

We began thinking about homeless children and Christmas. Being homeless at any age is sad of course, but the kid factor puts an even more tragic spin on it.

We decided to pick out some things to take to kids at the rescue mission. He was thoughtful, avoiding cheap plastic things that will only break and wind up in the trash, realizing puzzle pieces could easily be lost in transit, and that processed junk food was probably something they already had enough of. He thought noise making things might drive their already frustrated parents over the edge, so that was out too. He chose portable drawing supplies, gloves and cool beanies, lotions and soaps, bouncy balls, nuts and a little good chocolate too.

Getting things to the mission was another potential stresser. It's not on the end of town that I usually frequent, and as I mentioned, I was maxed on driving and errands. When what's meant to be a kindness turns into a nuisance, it kind of loses the point. Again, it just took some prioritizing. No one would miss one more activity I planned for our family celebration, and it left us time to drop the packages by Christmas eve.

All the baking and crafting felt mostly fun and loving. With conscious effort, so did most of the shopping. We missed gifts for a few people we didn't know we would see, but we just enjoyed the their company rather than feeling bad about it. We ended up skipping a couple of parties, and letting go of a few ideas, but were all fine with giving up some stuff to focus on the rest.

The numerous celebrations happened without the drama that extended family can sometimes bring. Certain people and situations tested my efforts, and I'll admit I slipped on more than one occasion, but I figure my best effort is all I can achieve as I'm far from perfect. I can't tell you how much deep breathing helped, but it did. When all the cooking, shopping, eating, wrapping, unwrapping and cleaning was done, I had mostly avoided becoming a Grinch.

Actually, the eating part goes on, and probably will for a bit. Thank God for stretchy yoga pants! The gifts of excess sugar do take their toll on my household, and normally sweet and rational people have been a bit more intense. Maybe I'll freeze some for later, or better yet, host a tea and pawn it off on my friends and their kids. Of course, that would require more cleaning, so I'll have to think on that.  For now,  I'm just so glad to have my peaceful home back, and hoping I can keep my inner Grinch at bay long enough to put away all these decorations.

Hoping everyone had wonderful, Grinch free holidays too!

Part 1 of Art (Almost) Every Day

For a supposedly "Artsy Mama," it should seem that making Art Every Day would be no problem. Of course, like so many things I attempt, this 30 day challenge has been just that- a challenge.

The pesky responsibilities in  life tend to push creative endeavors to the back burner, but that's exactly why I wanted to do this. My artistic side has been neglected lately, and I think creativity works in a similar way to muscles- use it and it will grow stronger / neglect it, and it will waste away.

Since the start of November, on most days, I have managed to complete, or at least work on, some sort of artwork. Sometimes it's felt more rushed than I would like, as in telling myself to hurry up and finish. The next few days, I hope to work on the "busyness" of it, and focus more on enjoying the process. In the mean time, even if it's not some beautiful and organic artsy experience, at least I'm squeezing it in, right?

So far, the menu has included oil pastels, pencils, colored markers, photography, and a kids crafty kit (Capsters from Klutz.) It's so fun getting out all of these things that have been collecting dust while waiting for me to pick them up again. I feel like I'm seeing old friends. As I dig around in my supplies, it's almost like Christmas. I'm getting all sorts of inspiration for new projects and reviving neglected ones too. It feels wonderful to use things that have just been laying around, especially when I actually finish something.

There was at least 1 day that I missed. It was just one of those hectic days that starts early and doesn't stop until late, and by the time I realized I had forgotten all about making any art work, I was already in bed. Rather than beating myself up for blowing that day or starting on a downward spiral about failure, I just made some extra art the next day.

I've had to prioritize- the other day, I sat in my car and sketched during my kids class instead of running an errand. For my kids, I think seeing their mom so productive with making things has been inspiring though. They're pretty creative anyway, but even kids get busy. When they see me working on art, they often grab a sketchbook, or a hunk of clay, or whatever is on hand and join in.

So, I'm 1/3 of the way there, and feeling good about my progress. I'm going to earn that "Artsy Mama" title after all.

Holiday Wrap Up

My family and I aim for thinking of and celebrating Christmas as a season, rather than just a day- a season of joy and light, like all the greeting cards say, rather than just of crowds and madness. Of course, it's hard to completely ignore the crowds and madness. People are everywhere, out in full force. We don't live in a big city, but it feels like one this time of year. Lines are long, but thankfully this year, I haven't seen so much of the short tempers.

What I have seen are some wonderfully refreshing examples of the true spirit of Christmas- kindness, sharing and love. My kids experienced Christmas caroling for a terminally ill woman. They didn't know her personally, but when they heard the situation, they responded immediately. While the woman was only semi-coherent due to her condition- she was in her last days- I think we could all see how much the gesture meant to her husband.

Some gestures seem small, but are still there- kids choosing to donate their time and their things, or to give up something they wanted. Boy child had really wanted a "real Christmas tree" as in a big pine or spruce. We hiked in the woods near our house to fine one, but when we noticed how few pines their were, he agreed with Girl Child that we shouldn't take one of the few. Instead, we took an alternative route and went with a native shrub that there are many many of. We overestimated the size of our living room and had to do some severe pruning. Dear husband was doubtful about our alternative Christmas shrub, but the end result was rather lovely, and the goats benefited with a feast from the scraps.

Even strangers giving up their place in line to other frazzled shoppers, people being patient with small, tired kids and elderly- a small boy at a holiday party saying "I believe in Santa... you have to believe, or his sleigh won't fly" - these things warm my heart and make me smile.

Christmas Day is past, and it was a good one. Lots of good food, and no drama. The gifts were nice and mostly well thought out.  My favorite comment of the day accompanied a pair of Skinny Jeans "I LOVE Santa!" Then, looking at the size label, "Hey, cool, Santa shops at Old Navy." While I know some kids got an Ipad (that they will probably be bored with in a month or two,) gifts at our house were not of that scale.

What is really awesome, (and although it seems slightly like something out of an after school special, I swear, it's true) is that both of my kids said "This is the BEST Christmas ever!" Boy Child's favorite gift was a Yo-Yo (even over a Lego Batman game for Wii) and he played so long his finger lost circulation and changed color (I suggested another activity at this point.) After a few rounds of Banagrams and Apples to Apples,  Girl Child curled up on her giant purple fuzzy pillow and some new books. I ate enough chocolate and Brie cheese to keep a small country alive for a year, a put on my new PJs and slippers to write. The cats chased ribbons, and the dogs endured being dressed up, then ate scraps of Roast Beast. Everyone was happy.

The celebrating is still going on for us. We have one more family dinner today, and I need to get off the computer because I still have to whip up some last minute craftiness to bring with us. I hope the season continues to bring joy and love to your families.

Flour, Water, Salt, and Yeast

I love bread, simply love it. I never understood those low carb diets, and in my opinion, a life without fresh, hot bread, is a sad life indeed. Bread is such a simple pleasure too- flour, water, salt, sugar and yeast combine to make something beautiful. But good, fresh baked bread is not cheap, especially not in the quantities we consume it.

I think learning to bake is a wonderful life lesson, and it's one I've been learning along with my kids. I first tried making bread from scratch during my Ma Ingalls phase. My own mother, a woman who I do not believe has turned on an oven in 15 years or more, gave me a cool old cook book of breads. While I cannot imagine her baking at all- she's been more of a microwave kind of gal as far as I remember in my lifetime- she says she at one time did bake things.

We all found that kneading dough is fun for little ones and and beating and punching it can be semi therapeutic, but it's also a pretty big production. I don't often feel like taking the time, or dealing with the mess these days. My plate is just too full. So, I was sticking to "quick breads" without yeast.

Then, my sweet family got me a bread maker a while ago. It is really easy, but I just never got into the way the loaves bake in those things. It just doesn't taste or look quite right in the end. Finally, one of my genius friends turned me on to a fabulous idea. Use the bread maker to do the kneading (on the dough only cycle) and then shape it by hand and bake it in the oven. Now, we're cooking! We all LOVE the simplicity and the results- it's like magic.

We make braids and wreaths and occasionally plain loafs. They look beautiful enough for gift giving, and are so easy and affordable. My kids can almost do the whole thing from start to finish on their own, which is a pretty empowering thing for a kid, I think.

Of course, I can't help myself, I'm a homeschooling mom, I went on to find these lessons on the science of bread making. The fact that yeast is actually a fungus could almost put a damper on my enjoyment of hot fluffy bread, but I am trying to categorize that info into one of those parts of my mind that holds knowledge I don't want to think about, lest it spoil my meal. There's a fun experiment with yeast, a gluten animation and links to lots of bread science and bread history, so it's not just yummy and fun, you can actually call it homeschooling. Today, the kids are learning about gluten allergy, as one of their aunts has a severe one which limits her diet extremely. We're also giving thanks that we are able to eat bread, cake, cereal and all those other tasty things.

We've already learned that baking bread is as much a science as it is an art. With most of our cooking, we don't typically follow recipes exactly- we improvise and wing it. Sometimes, I want to make something healthier- using applesauce instead of oil in cakes for example or cutting the sugar in half- and sometimes I just don't have the right ingredients and the store is too far away to reasonably justify making a trip for one thing. I experiment a lot in the kitchen, and for the most part, it works out pretty well. With bread making, it seems the ratios of yeast, salt and sugar are not as open to messing with, or the results are dense, flat, or oddly textured. Luckily, we have chickens who are happy to help us with our extreme kitchen errors, so it's not a total waste. For the most part, we do make everything with at least half whole wheat flour, no matter what kind of flour the recipe calls for, and while it's probably heartier than it might be with refined flour, it's usually still really good, and no one complains.

We'll probably be baking even more as the holidays get nearer, and some gifts will probably come out of our oven this year too. Cinnamon rolls are next on our list of things to try. Do you have any wonderful bread recipes you'd like to share? What are you baking this winter?

Recycled Crayons

A few years ago, my kids got this electric "crayon making" machine, which was a very nice thought, but never came out of the box. The idea of making crayons was neat, and I assumed we would melt down old crayon stubs to make new ones. The kit however, came with a bunch of perfectly good crayons to melt and pour into new crayon molds. That seemed like a waste of energy and time to me. It didn't even suggest making swirl crayons or anything- just taking something that was already usable, and using up a bunch of time and effort to make the exact same thing. We're not fans of busy work in our homeschool or our lives- there are enough real things to do in life- so the box got buried under some of those other things.

I came across it recently, and we all decided to pass it on to someone else who might actually use it. But, we still liked the idea of making crayons, and we had a jar full of old, busted stubs that were eager for their new lives. We also had a little muffin tin that had been part of a play kitchen set leftover from my childrens' younger days which looked like the perfect alternative crayon mold, and we figured that our oven would work just fine for melting.
I remember being a child, and so badly wanting an "easy bake oven" which was heavily advertised on TV in the late 1970's. I never got one, but was very disappointed when I actually saw one in real life. It was just an overpriced plastic box that used a light bulb to cook with. Why not just let your kid cook with a real oven? I mean, I don't think it was at all about safety because people didn't really seem to focus on safety in the 1970's in the same way they do now. Kids bounced around in the back of the car with no seat belts while adultts smoked in the front, and it doesn't seem like anyone thought a thing about it. Besides, theoretically, a kid could easily burn down the house with an easy bake oven as well as a real one. In fact, I think my mom may have used that argument as to why I didn't get one, along with the fact that it was stupid. In hindsight, she was right, but I was disappointed nonetheless.

Anyway, my point was that I wanted my own kids to know how to use a real oven, and they do. I don't think it ever would have occurred to them to buy a plastic machine that made obnoxious humming noise in its' attempts to produce low hear, whether for making cupcakes or crayons, especially when they could just turn the real oven on.

So, we melted a few batches, and the end result was these cute little crayon rounds. Since the broken bits we started with included crayons with wide range of age and quality, the finished product is a bit of mix too. They all look pretty neat, but some have waxy colorless bits swirled in that don't leave any color when you try to draw with them on paper. Oh well, at least they look pretty, even if they don't function all that well for the intended purpose. Maybe we should remelt them and add wicks to turn them into tiny tea light candles, or maybe call them magical play muffins and give them to a young friend to play with.
Any other ideas as to what to do with these cute little crayons that don't draw?

BeesWax Sculpting

Just about everyone has played with clay in some form or another- or at least I would hope so. Some get to use real kiln dried clay at some point in their lives, but most most get to play with Play Doh as a toddler at the very least. But, have you ever sculpted with beeswax? This stuff is really fun.

I came across it in a Waldorf homeschooling catalog years ago, and it reminded me of the wax around those little Baby Belle soft cheese wedges. I used to smash them up and sculpt with them as a child, and my own children have carried on the tradition.

Well, I am all about the recycling when it comes to crafty projects, and we do enjoy cheese and all. But, even we don't eat enough cheese to go very far in collecting wax to make a sculpture larger than an inch or so. Besides, I need variety, I can't just feed my family Baby Belle. Most of the cheese we eat doesn't have a rind except Brie, the edible rind of which just doesn't make for a lasting piece of art.

So, we got a box of the Stockmar modeling beeswax. It came in 15 lovely pastel colors, so not only could we make larger sculptures, but they were also no longer limited to the red of cheese wax.

This stuff is hard as a rock right out of the box, so you might want to put it in a sunny place to soften it up. Of course, not too sunny of a place, or you'll have a rainbow puddle on your hands. After letting it warm near the stove for a bit, we began to play. I was surprised at how hard it still was, but after kneading and rolling it in our hands for a few minutes, it began to become more pliable. It actually has a really neat feel to it once it softens up, very different than clay, with more of an oil, but very inviting and workable.

My kids often do handcrafts while I'm reading aloud, and the beeswax was very conducive to this. They loved working with it, and came up with some nice new artwork. It can't go in our sunny window shelf where we display a lot of sculptures- in fact, the skateboarding model my son made of himself started to slant a bit after spending a warm afternoon in the kitchen, and I'm a little nervous as to how it will make it through the hot summer anywhere in this house- but, we'll find a shady place and hope for the best. I still think it's a fun and worthwhile project in itself, and a great way to keep hands busy while listening.

Artsy Mamas

Some of my city friends and relatives have made light of my living in the country, and the surrounding hillbilly influence. I willingly live far from town, and the nearest town is a small one. I'll admit that I have wondered on occasion if this county really does have more tattoos than teeth, but nevertheless, there are a lot of things I enjoy about the area. I actually really like having chickens and goats, and so do a number of my friends. Many of us have gardens, homeschool our kids, and spend a lot of time playing in creeks. But, none of us drive big trucks with duck hunting stickers, so I don't think I'm turning into a redneck (although I know a few self proclaimed ones who are actually pretty nice people- we just don't talk politics much.)

Anyway, I still like art and culture, and that is the one part of the city I miss. Thank goodness the hills are also alive with very artistic people, and I am lucky to know a bunch of them.

My friend and co-worker made me this beautiful feathered ornament for the holidays.

It was gorgeous on the tree. I immediately knew that after Christmas, I wanted to transform it into a fabulous embellishment for my hair. I also knew my fashionista friend at Dark Pony Designs would love it. She is one of the only people I know who can pull off things like these Shazzam Lightning Earrings..

If she weren't already my friend, I would probably hate her just on the basis that her legs are twelve miles long and have zero percent fat, but she is actually a wonderful person whose company I enjoy.

Another friend who is amazing with her contagious creativity, is my friend at DishyPosh. She is making fabulous hats such as this one...

I almost want to renew my wedding vows just so I would have an occasion to wear this beauty.

The nice thing about knowing ladies like this is that they help inspire me quit whining about being busy and soul sucking requirements of life and instead to get busy with my own creative efforts. So, I made this simple fleece hat...

I'm working on a fancier turban style a la Elizabeth Taylor. I just need a big sparkly brooch or something to bejewel the front. I'll be on the hunt for something at the thrift store this week, and hope to have it done soon, but here's the preliminary results...