fifteen

About this time, fifteen years ago, I was out for dinner and a movie with a boy. We were shivering at a tram stop, on our way to the train station to kiss goodnight for the first time and go to our respective parents' homes. We huddled next to each other and discovered my head fit just underneath his chin. "Should we do this again?" He asked. "Yeah!" I replied. Looking at him as if he were nuts for even asking. As if we wouldn't? And so it began... Happy firstdateiversary, Huz. xxx

unschool monday :: playing with fear :: part two

In the summertime, I wrote about Little Owlet and her fear of the outdoors. About how she was afraid of almost anything outside. How we tried various things to create a safe and nurturing space for her out there. It worked, to a degree in that it made her want to play outside lots, but the fears were still lingering. Most debilitating has been her fear of anything moving and non human. Particularly dogs.

Then we acquired Betty and we felt that she had much to teach us all, particularly Little Owlet. What has been amazing to watch though, is Little Owlet teaching herself to be comfortable around Betty. Watching her train Betty and figure out her place in our pack. Inspired by this blog post, I showed her this clip about fear. Women overcoming fear. She identified with it. She turned to me one day and said "Mama, I'm going to face my fears".

Every day, she has taken it upon herself to spend some time patting Betty. Asking Big Owlet to sit with her while Betty sits on her lap. Venturing outside with her. Walking her on a lead. Feeding her. Giving her directions. Reassuring Betty and in turn, herself. I'm absolutely astonished at how diligent she's been. Driven to learn all about that which frightens her most. And the results! She'll quietly wander off and pop on some gumboots if she feels the situation requires appropriate foot ware, but there's no panic in her voice. No shaking. No crying. She's not so afraid of other creatures now either.

The best thing is that she's done it all on her own terms. In her own time and in her own way. She's learnt so much about animals, about dogs. And a huge amount about herself and facing her fears. I love that she's had time to do it on her own and I'm amazed at other skills she's acquired in the process. Confidence, for one. And a way to work with and around her fear. Another reminder to me that when the time is right, and the will is there, the child will learn. Brilliant stuff.

owlets + Feist

Before we moved to Tasmania, we imagined a better life for ourselves. A place where our children (there was only one back then), could grow up and feel safe. Where we might have a lovely garden. And cozy winters, with a fire place. We listened to Feist's song Mushaboom and she described it all perfectly. The dream, the longing. Then Huz got a fantastic job offer in Hobart and we listened to that album, Let it Die, constantly as we packed the house up.

Then we arrived. And little owlet arrived too, then we bought our nest. And Feist released a new album, The Reminder. It was hugely popular and made her famous. We named a guinea pig after her. I think she may have come close to that dream, just as we did. Big owlet wanted to listen to it every day in the car on the way to kindy. Every Day. When we rounded a certain bend in the road, I knew that a certain song would play and Big Owlet would bellow "KATE'S FAVOURITE SONG!!", speaking of my sister who danced to that song with her. And the owlets know every word. I can match certain bends in the road to each song on that album. I'd listen to it and think about not driving on that road twice each day. Then we took a leap and chose unschooling and we didn't listen so much...

So Feist is making a new album. It sounds new and exciting and I wonder what new adventures are waiting for us too.

Does your life has a soundtrack? Can you trace your adventures with certain music too?

Follow Feist's adventures here.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama.

Appley Dapply Afternoon-Tea Muffins

We get hungry in the afternoons around here. This week, we've had a patch of mild weather and spent most of our days in the garden, exploring and rediscovering outside. Rainy days have been spent around the dining table painting and creating, or building cubby houses. Serious stuff. Hungry work. I've been looking for ways to fill out our regular snacks with nuts and seeds and extra fruit and vegies. These muffins are Big Owlet's favourite. And that's saying something, because she doesn't like muffins...



Appley Dapply Afternoon-Tea Muffins
Makes 12

2 cups flour
4tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup rapadura (or sugar if you like, but you don't need as much honey)
100g butter
1 dessert spoon honey
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 small apples, grated
1 small handfull sultanas
1 small handfull sunflower seeds
1 small handfull rolled oats
sprinkle of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C
Sieve the first three dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add rapadura.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the honey. Remove from heat and beat in the milk and egg.
Tip the liquid, fruit, seeds and oats into the bowl with the flour and rapadura. Fold together gently.
Place spoonfuls of mixture into buttered muffin pans or patty pans. Fill to about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and pop in the oven for about 12 -15 mins, until they spring back when pressed in the centre.
Remove from the oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes before lifting from their pans.
Eat with lashings of butter, or just as is, leaving a trail of crumbs behind you...

worldly wednesday :: France (part two)

Well I missed last week's post about our French travels, what with birthdays and flu, but we've decided to stay in our next country for a couple of weeks also, so plenty of time to catch up... France has been our favourite country so far. As I mentioned, there was lots of French conversation, surprising myself at how much I remembered - occasionally making it up! We listened to some of our favourite bands, like Phoenix and Air...



On Saturday, we listened to our Edith Piaf record over petit dejeuner. Then we hopped in the car and after a garage sale, and a wander around the botanic gardens, we went in search of Hobart's French history. A drive down the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, stopping off for a quick cheese tasting at the Grandvewe sheep cheesery, then ate bread and cheese, looking across at Bruny Island.



Sunday lunch the next day was Poule au Pot. A meal eaten in the south west of France, traditionally on Sundays. A delish pot full of chicken, vegies and broth. Very healthy, very yum. Followed by chocolate souffle which did not do what it was supposed to for a number of reasons so I didn't photograph it. But it tasted yum all the same. With full tummies, we watched some Tour de France highlights and a couple of Saunday arvo classic movies. Le Ballon Rouge and then, as the owlets demanded a talking movie, we watched Funny Face. Not easy to find kid friendly non subtitled French films! But these were so perfect.



We've decided to continue speaking French whenever possible and we're going to do a little online course so the others can understand what I'm talking about. Big owlet is particularly keen because she is in love with the Eiffel Tower and all things Paris. She wants to live there one day. I can totally see her doing it. I've not mentioned that her grandparents will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary there in less than a month. She'll be positively green with envy.

unschool monday :: super sleuth

I've mentioned before that Big Owlet is fascinated by all things spy and detective at the moment. I'm not entirely sure that she knows what one actually is, but she's role playing as a way to understand it. Much like she did with faeries when she way three. She's set up her top bunk as a private hide-out and detective office. She wears the clothes when we go out and reads Nancy Drew books into the wee hours. She hit a stumbling point last week though. She wanted to be a real detective. Just like her faerie fascination, the longing to make the play into reality made her sad...



So we sent her on a mission. Huz and I talked it over one night when big owlet was sleeping and he sat down to write a mystery for her to solve. She had to follow a series of clues and puzzles to answer a question. In the process, she worked on her spelling, learned how to use a calculator and had to think laterally (not something that comes easily to 7yo). This is the brilliant bit of unschooling where we follow their interests and all sorts of learning happens along the way. We've covered History and Geography too, among other things that week. We also tick off the career development requirement for our registration with this one, I suppose... Anyhow, she loved it. She loved it so much that she forgot to eat and by the time we realised, were on our way into town. The next step was to find a book at the library. The Eleventh Hour, by Graeme Base. A book full of secret codes and mysteries to solve. Unfortunately the library's copy went missing and the Librarian was not feeling up to the case, so we went and bought it from the book shop instead...



But oh what a fun day! And when she did finally sit down with the book and some food, she loved it. And she's still going with cracking the codes. She's asked for a new case everyday. Or at least once a week. Unless there's something else she'd rather be. It's looking like Magician might be next.