Unschool Monday :: The best and worst bits

Recently, I was interviewed by Rachael from Mogantosh for an article on the Mamabake blog, about homeschooling. There are some lovely interviews with other home educating parents there too, so go have a read. The interview was slightly edited to fit with Mamabake's Curiosity without Judgment series… I admit I may have been slightly snarky about the socialisation question, but from what I can gather, most of us were. Oh that question! Ha!

Anyway, a really lovely exercise we were asked to do (which didn't make the cut), was to ask the owlets what the best and worst bits of home/unschooling were. And then reflect on it myself. I found the owlets answers interesting, reflecting on their experiences of being out in the world, or their perceptions of school based on what they see in the media or hear from friends who've been there… so I thought I might share their answers here... 

Big Owlet:

The best thing: Being with our family.
The worst thing: Sometimes people can tease you because they don't understand it.

Little Owlet: 

The best thing: You don't get bossed around.
The worst thing: Nothing.

Tiny Owlet:

The best thing: Co-op!
The worst thing: Poo! (Her 3yo go-to answer when there's nothing to say - ha!)

Me: 

The best thing: Can't pick just one, but my top two might be… Flexibility/freedom and witnessing the moment the owlets grasp a new concept.
The worst thing: Saying goodbye to Huz each morning. The 9-5 routine wears thin after a while when there's so much going on where we are! It's difficult juggling a relatively unstructured way of living with a structured one, but hardest of all for him, I expect.*  

What are the best and worst bits of your family rhythm? Whether you choose to home educate/ unschool/ school your childen, what works (or doesn't) about it for you? 

Have a gorgeous week. xx

*The exciting thing is we're now, finally, after much deliberation, shifting the balance for Huz a bit (and me!), by letting go one day of his paid employment per week so I can work a little bit more and he gets more time with owlets and nature. More on that soon. xx

Judgement

So I've been giving a little thought over the past while about judgement, being judged, judging others. Here's what I think...

It isn't helpful. 

This is where my dislike for labels comes into play. They allow us to quickly categorise so we can arrive at a judgement of a person or a thing sooner. So we can work out if they are for us.

It can feel hurtful to be misunderstood. Misjudged. And, especially on the internet, we humans can jump to conclusions and misjudgements rather quickly. We have a lot to learn about this still-so-new method of communicating and sharing thoughts. We get it wrong. Often.

This space here, where I write my observations of my family life and often through my owlets' eyes has, on a few occasions, been seen as judgmental. Perhaps you've felt it too? The mind can play tricks like that. It can make one's exclamation of joy seem like a personal attack on one's own character or choice of lifestyle. It can make us feel defensive. A happy owlet at my house can mean your owlet is somehow deprived. Which we both know isn't really true. Reading about another's happiness or choices can lead to reflection on your own, for sure. But is it a judgement of your situation? Most likely not. Usually it's just me soothing my own soul and remembering to take note of the good things...

A couple of weeks back, I ventured onto a local Facebook chat group. I've been and left before for various reasons; mostly I'm just too busy to have it constantly in my feed. This time it seems I was there to figure out my thoughts on judgement. One member posted a fairly provocative article. It had slightly  defensive undertones from an author who had likely been judged for her position. It was an opinion piece on bodily autonomy and kids. I happened to mostly agree with it. It was about hair. Just hair. No life and death thing. Unsurprisingly, many of the comments responding to the post were fairly judgmental and leaping to rather ridiculous conclusions. There was no real person to converse with, so it was all in, in that special one-sided way that happens on the internet... Anyhow, I felt uncomfortable about it. And not because it felt like judgement of me - it could have, given the state of Tiny's hair these days, but this wasn't particularly bothering me. What I felt most uncomfortable about was the assumption and statement that anything on the internet is up for scrutiny and judgement. If you put it out there, you're asking for it. I disagree.

Using one's judgement to figure out the right path forward in life is a helpful thing. Passing judgement on others is often hurtful. Instead of reacting in a defensive way, instead of feeling like the other person's way of life is threatening yours... Instead of feeling like you need to poke a heap of holes in the other person's argument/lifestyle/beliefs, maybe stop and think about it a bit... Sure, let them know it challenges you. Perhaps do some work on that yourself. Listen. Talk it through if you can. Let them know you disagree if you must. Maybe provide some insight on why you might think that and some information on why. Hopefully they'll understand it as helpful rather than judgmental...

But try not to belittle and try not to judge them to be bad people. And most certainly don't expect that they are judging you back. Probably they're just happily doing their own thing, getting on with living. Maybe they're letting you know that they think it's great just incase you might too. The internet can be a wonderful place for learning and communication, especially if we don't let judgement get in the way.

Have you ever felt judged?
Have you ever read a blog and felt self-concious about your life?
Have you ever felt a bit judgmental about something that challenged you? 

How'd you move through that? 

Happy week, lovely ones. xo

Finding our way back...

Hello. How are things? We've been so crazy busy with everything... EVERYTHING! The last few months are a bit of a happy whirlwind blur... First there was the intense pre-christmas work period with Spiral Garden, combined with the usual crazy busy end of year stuff and all that parenting three children brings. Follow that with Christmas interstate. And then bring home a good dose of some awful cold virus that has you wiped out for the better part of three weeks...

Having a little break has helped me pause and think about what I write about and how. I've contemplated some of the feedback I've received over the past year or so and why and how it affected me... I've pondered how we communicate with each other these days and how online communication works within that. I've felt a tad self-conscious. And the thought of writing something here has become harder and harder. Like when you leave it too long to make a phone call... I almost didn't come back.


But this is our story and I can't begin to tell you how helpful it is being able to trace rhythms and patterns within our family. To remember so many happy (and sad) memories and the story behind them.  To look back on a bad day in August and realise we feel like this every year at that time. Or that this was a challenging age for the last owlet who visited it. It's helpful to look back at the things we've done so we can experience them again. Or to remember that when we feel life is moving so slowly and we feel like we haven't done much, remember that we HAVE!

So I'm here to record it and throw it all out there in my usual, unplanned stream of consciousness style and make sure it's there for us to look back on and for anyone who might still read this blog (Hi Dad!!xx ), to have a little insight to our days, if it interests you... 2014, we are finally ready for you. xo

lately...

Well this winter has gone by faster than I could blog it, so I've been meaning to have a catch up. Pip and Kate and a bunch of other lovely peeps thought this list was a great idea and I do too. Here's what's been happening:

Making : The most amazing chook fortress from found bits. We sewed it together and used bricks. Crafty.
Cooking : Kimchi. Best.
Drinking : My old fave - dandelion root coffee with raw milk and a drop of maple syrup.
Reading: Quiet. Learning so much about me and Little Owlet and how we move through this world. Amazing.
Wanting: More mulch than I can get my hands on.
Looking: Out the window at the big green patch where the mulch should be.
Playing: At darkmofo - Hobart got awesome for a while there.
Wasting: Not much. It's surprising what you can reuse if you think craftily about it.
Sewing: Nothing. There's been no time. Plus when I sit down I become food. Not happening anytime soon. Sad.
Wishing: There were more hours in the day and I didn't need sleep. Or that Tiny would sleep more. Not fussy.
Enjoying: Sunny days at our homeschool co-op and weekends with Huz.
Waiting: For Tiny's rotten teeth to fall out in their own time. So far so good. Just.
Liking: That the chooks are laying and Tiny's excitement over it.
Wondering: When Big Owlet will be my height. And if Little Owlet will ever sleep in her room (she says no).
Loving: How our owlets look out for each other and love each other. They really are besties. And decent sorts.
Hoping: I can get more fruit trees in the ground before it's too late.
Marvelling: At Huz and his new found love for running. Awesome and inspiring.
Needing: Just a little bit more time out in my week. Still chasing that perfect balance.
Smelling: Something in the fridge. It smells fermented. I think it might be kimchi.
Wearing: Keshet. Our unschooling mums uniform at co-op. Hilarious! We're thinking of asking for sponsorship.
Following: Tiny's little paths of destruction. She's quick. And cheeky. And stronger than me.
Noticing: The days are getting longer. Yay!
Knowing: I'll always have more that I'd like to do than I'm able to achieve. I'm like that.
Thinking: I really need to plan my time better so I can get to at least half of it. And I need to go to bed earlier.
Feeling: Tired. And a little overwhelmed. And like I've been saying that for a long while.
Bookmarking: Everything. My computer died. I'm starting again.
Opening: Parcels full of gorgeous stuff for Spiral Garden. The novelty still hasn't worn off.
Giggling: At cheesy jokes with Huz. We've been together for so long now we pretty much communicate that way.
Feeling: Excited by new ideas... but first sleep. 

Photos by Huz @berondi and me @owletmama on instagram.

Beautiful things...

I've been careful to keep this space fairly separate from my other space... It's been a busy few months growing Spiral Garden and it's been tricky to make sure there's enough brain space for owlet too... It has been a little quieter here because of it. But we've been having such a fun time choosing and sharing the things we love with a lovely bunch of customers. People have been so kind and welcoming and it's made it all the more enjoyable.

Right now we are sharing a special gift pack with our lovely Facebook likers and I thought I'd mention it here so that you can have a chance to win too... A favourite book, some wooden gnomes, a co-operative game, beeswax crayons and the first edition of Taproot magazine... Something for everyone there and all cherished things from our little shop. Do pop over and enter, won't you? xx

Mini mei tai revisited

The most popular post I've written here is a tutorial to make mei tai doll carriers. When I made that tutorial, Little owlet was almost two and loved carrying her baby on her back... Now Tiny is almost two, the mini mei tai has been dragged out and is a mainstay of Tiny's wardrobe. Some days it's the only thing she wears. She's also very insistent that she spends time on my back in my mei tai carrier. It's a thing right now. She sees how awesome babywearing is. Snuggly and practical all at once. I love that modelling that for her has made it normal.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd post some new pics and share the tutorial again, as I never got terrific photos of Little Owlet wearing her babies. And I'm planning to whip up some mini mei tais for Spiral Garden tomorrow. So, if you feel like a project, there's a pattern to follow, and if you'd rather buy something ready made, there will be an option for that too. Your owlets could have a carrier just like Tiny's. Happy owlets everywhere!

split personality

Did you know that I sometimes blog over at the Spiral Garden blog too? I do! And I write regular Spiral Garden newsletters too. I'm finding it a bit tricky and fun keeping up and blending Owlet with Spiral Garden. So far it seems to be working ok...

I've made a return to creating stuff under the Owlet brand. A new line of craft kits is on the way, as well as the old faves like skirts, crowns, capes, bean bags... Lots to do! But it's so nice to have a reason to do it again and a lovely home for all the things I love to make. I'm looking forward to more creativity to come. And hopefully more energy or time to make it all happen. Ha!



Tonight I've blogged over at the Spiral Garden blog about our crayon range and what we've learnt in the process of choosing that range.  I've reviewed each of our crayons to tell you the positive and negative points of each and to tell you why they're there. It's been an interesting process! More interesting than you'd think. Really!

venus & rosehips

We've had a lazy, hibernating kind of week. Friends have been falling ill all around us and rather than get in amongst it during the school holidays, we felt like staying home and enjoying our own company. Stopping for a bit and gathering ourselves. A perfect way to welcome Winter, I reckon. We had a patch of sun on Wednesday and set ourselves up out on the front verandah, as we often do on sunny winter days, making the most of the northerly aspect and the thermal mass of concrete below... I'm sure the neighbours think we're rather mad - although possibly not just because we camp on the front porch on occasion... It is awfully fun though.




So our sunny Wednesday happened to coincide with the transition of Venus, which meant that big owlet needed to make a pinhole viewer with which to witness the momentous occasion. Which she did. I meanwhile, attempted to prune a couple of rose bushes and pick the last of the rosehips to make jam...



 Then both owlets proceeded to draw their observations, plus a few they'd noticed on the NASA live coverage...



Which, of course led them to observe that it looked like a one eyed Mr. Happy. Which became a two eyed Mr. Happy. And then I think the day led to the reading of several Mr. Men books, of which we have a great many...



We also have a great many rosehips in the freezer now too, waiting for a suitable time for me to hull them and make jam. Even in these floating, hibernating days, who can say when that will be? This unschooling life is certainly never dull, but it is a lesson in patience and flexibility. And rather amusing too...

Which leads me to let you know that I'll be reviving Unschool Mondays, starting this Monday. I've had some time to pause and reflect on these labels we give ourselves and the stuff that comes with them. Unschooling is just living and we lead a rather wonderful life, as our home education monitor pointed out to us just last week. I've loved sharing the unschooling journey with so many readers, and I miss sharing it. I miss the creativity and inspired thought that came from discussions right here on Unschool Mondays, so I'm looking forward to finding that again. I'm looking forward to going back to basics and sharing what we do in a little more detail, and hearing what you do too... because no two unschooling families are alike. And I think that's what I enjoy about it most. I hope you'll join me and read along with interest, or add your post to the linkup. I'm looking forward to reading about how learning and living happen at your place. xx

owlet :: five

Yep! It's my Bloggy Birthday today! Five years! Have you been following right from the beginning? I don't suppose you have. There were very few posts in that first year. But isn't it cool to have that whole little story of one's family there to look back on? I can see kids grow, babies born, recipes we've made, craft and design and learning and the evolution of our home... and that familiar cycle of mothering, especially that frustrating, love filled period of mothering a toddler. I can see how we move through the seasons. The traditions, abundance... I can learn from the past.

Owlet, for me, began 15 years ago. It was a range of children's clothing and textile designs, based on a book I was given as a child. What I took from Hiawatha's Childhood was the gentle parenting approach and I worked with symbols of universal motherhood, and brotherhood. I guess things don't really change that much, hey? They just keep growing and evolving as common themes rework themselves... And it is lovely to have a place to watch all that growth happen. 

I'm feeling change in the air this year. A little more than usual. I'm not sure what or when or how, but it is there. We are quite changed after our long summer and something this year will change with us. It is exciting! And lots to wonder and think about, but apparently it's a year of the dragon thing, so maybe you feel it at your nest too?

Anyhow, I'd like to thank you for following our little journey so far and hope you'll keep reading along. It's so lovely to know you. xx

Source: handmaderyangosling.tumblr.com via on Pinterest

nawww... thanks, Ryan! :)

Owly things :: part one

"Oh! I've got something for Tiny!" Said my friend, Katy as she pulled this beautiful jumper out of her bag... "It has owls, so I thought of you..." I can't tell you how many times I've looked at that owl cable pattern and sighed, thinking my knitting skills are nowhere up to that yet... So thank goodness for gorgeous people like Katy, who find it "easy" ;) We've been so blessed to have people think of us when they see owls. I'll have a little wander through and show you some of our owly things over the next week or so... Did you know this Friday is my 5yr bloggy birthday? Yep, five years of Owlet. It also marks 5yrs since we were the proud owners of our nest... Doesn't time fly?

Are you blessed with people who knit lovely things for you? Do you have a *thing* that people see and think of you?

breathing...

It's been a whole week. I can hardly believe it and yet, it seems like a lifetime since my last post. Summer has occupied us all so entirely that I've forgotten to record all the moments. I've just been living in them. Enjoying, savouring... All that stuff I aim to do so often.

I'm feeling so blessed that we have this time to pause and breathe. Like one giant out breath, we've been camping and gardening, spending long afternoons at the beach. Finding ladybirds and playing with them until they flutter away...

All sorts of stuff I must update over the next few weeks while I try an reign in my head a little to prepare and make lists and breathe in again. 

But for a little while longer, I'm going to just keep getting absorbed in the moment a bit. Prolonging the days, enjoying them... and breathing...

flea market finds :: last weekend's haul

We've had a couple of good weeks at garage sales and op shops... It's the perfect time of year for it, as Huz pointed out. Long enough away from Christmas, just right for spring cleaning. We've actually found ourselves at the garage sales and oppys completely by chance, just wandering by. We've scored the usual games and books for owlets, but here are a couple of extra bits that have filled our nest with lovely :)







I must say, the dresses are my faves. Little owlet looks so perfectly vintage and so completely at home in the red dress. And the pinny for Tiny is by Catimini. Nothing like finding French designer clothing at the tip shop... Why would you throw that in the bin?

You can find more flea market finds over at Her Library Adventures.

Now, because it's Friday night... and Blogtoberfest, it's time to announce the winner of last week's giveaway.... Tartankiwi! You have won the little love bird long sleeved t-shirt and a little something extra. A surprise... I'll spend some time over at yours this weekend and have a think about what you might like and get in touch. Thanks all for playing along with my weekly giveaways this month. It's been a pleasure getting to know some of you a little better. xx

day 21 :: one last thing... (a giveaway)

I couldn't go to bed without announcing the winner of last week's giveaway... And starting up a new one! It is blogtober after all!! And, I'm down a couple of posts this week, so a catch up won't hurt ;)

So. The winner... thanks to random.org (and well chosen, I must say), is Georgi! Bravo!! Georgi keeps a lovely blog of her writings and musings and favourite music... which is most of our favourite music too. So it's a good thing she's won Huz's music pack... She tells me she has lots of tiny owlets on the way in her circle, so it's a good thing she's won a baby t-shirt too! Happy Friday Georgi!

Next week, I'll be giving away the lovebird t-shirt above, plus whatever goodies I can find. Maybe a matching hat, or a vintage knitting pattern, or some buttons, or fabric, or maybe I'll make something extra? Let's wait and see... What you have to do is leave a comment here, and on another comment later in the week. Then meet me back here Friday night and I'll draw the winner. Simple. Look forward to seeing you around! xx

day 14 :: motoring along :: a giveaway

This year has flown. Can you believe that Tiny Owlet is eleven months old tomorrow? Where did that time go? This week has motored along and for all the moments where I wished that Friday would be here soon... here it is. And now I would like time to go slowly. Until Monday please. Snail's pace would be perfect, thanks...

Anyhow, here we are, Friday night again and it's giveaway time here! Last week I asked you to comment on my rather lengthy blatherings on the nature of blogs and comments. Thanks so much, everyone, for your responses. I wasn't trying to make it a love fest about me, but gosh thanks for your lovely comments. It was so lovely to find out who you all were! So many of my favourite people! Thanks also for your thoughts on how blogging and commenting works for you. I've not made it around to everyone's blogs yet. Wednesday onward is a blur for me, but I'm hoping, if time stops for a moment tonight, I'll have a chance.

Now tell me, when you read replies to your comments, do you go back to the blog to read them, or do you prefer an email reply from the blogger? I've personally always loved getting a personal response from the blogger themselves. Very exciting if it's a fave blogger! But that may just be me. And possibly Vic, who wrote about it earlier in the week. She has some tips for how to set your profile so you get those personal replies.

Ok, so cutting to the chase... Last week's giveaway winner was the lovely Tania. She has a beautiful blog. I'm going to go soak some of it up after popping the owlets to bed. She's won a little garden skirt for her own tiny owlet, who's around about the same age as my Tiny! Or, possibly she'll give it to a friend?

This week I'm offering a little long sleeved t-shirt. Beautiful organic cotton, natural colour, with the felt car applique shown above. Also thrown in will be Huz's music pack, including his 1st CD and downloadable second album. He might even sign it. And I may have a look around and find something else too... So to enter, the just leave a comment below and then come back later in the week and comment on another post. Easy! Then, before you know it, the week will have motored along and we'll be sitting here next Friday night and hopefully you'll have won something! Now wouldn't that be a lovely start to the weekend? xx

blogs + comments (+ a giveaway) :: day 7

Back when I began blogging, things were different. It was five years ago now... I was reading some faves  that are still linked in my sidebar today. They inspired me. I sat down and puddled around with templates and began blogging intermittently. To remind myself to take note of moments and try and stay in them a little longer. I read blogs, but I didn't comment much. I was a little afraid and I didn't know quite what to say. Then I began blogging more, read more, got comfy and said hello occasionally. I woz 'ere. It felt like the right thing to do, seeing as they'd gone to the trouble to inspire me and all. And especially if they'd put their life out there... Then I noticed the more comments I left, the more I got on my blog. The more people read. My Creative Space, was the beginning of a bloggy community that I began to feel a sometimes part of. It was a nice thing. I looked forward to catching up with what people were up to.

Then life got busy. I tend not to read blogs if I haven't got time to comment. I don't comment on every post, but I usually comment somewhere if I've visited. Because it still seems like the right thing to do. Bloggy ettiquette. So I don't read blogs much at the moment (I'm scared to look at my google reader - eek!). Life is busy. One day I'll get back to visiting again and having friends visit here too. Then, replying to their comments. Cos that's lovely, isn't it? I love it when my fave peeps reply to one of my comments. Now, I'm probs never going to be a professional blogcon-going mommy blogger, or have a list of sponsors or the like funding my blog, not from where I sit now, but I suppose things can change. Right now, I blog for me, for the owlets, for friends & family far away, and for our records for our home education registration, so its all good if peeps don't get here to read.

Thing is though, they are reading... quietly. More peeps than ever! I wonder what they think? I know our family number among them (hi family!), but I wonder who else is there? See, blogging seems to have changed. Peeps don't say hello as much. Even on linkups, they don't leave a comment, just a link. I know others have noticed it too (they tweeted it). And I expect it's because we're all too busy tweeting and liking on our iThingamies. Our communication reduced to grunts as we catch the bus home or breastfeed the baby to sleep. We are busier now. But I miss people taking the time to say hello. I woz 'ere.

So... In the interest of community and communication and Blogtoberfest, I'll be making an effort to read more, comment more and reply to your comments when I can. To break the ice, I'm having a few giveaways this month. Each Friday night in October, I'll post up a giveaway. What I want you to do is put a comment below and then come back and comment on a post during the week. If you happen to be around. Then I'll choose a winner at random, using Random.org, or Little Owlet, cos she rocks at random things.

This week, I'm giving away this little garden skirt. It's size 0-2. A double layer of cotton, with ribbons and an elastic waist. Simple, easy, comfy. Just like blogs + comments should be! Please leave a comment below, then pop back in sometime during the week if you'd like to win. And have a brilliant weekend. xx

PS. The owlet shop is now closed for a spell. Look out for it in a new, revamped format in coming weeks. 
PPS. Head over to CurlyPops for a huge list of other Blogtoberfest giveaways!