Lesson#10 Random fun Summer Days and the First Month of Highschool

 The first month of highschool. I won't lie it's been the hardest first month of school perhaps since the first year we began homeschooling. Lots of work, but still only using curriculum that is beneficial because I think its beneficial to Evie, and  not due to state requirements. State requirements which of course we still fulfill :) Evie's English 1 is an Advanced Placement Literature program that is challenging but so beneficial. We/I are trying to find balance between schedule/demands and student pace/student (Evie's) desires. Hard schedule to come to terms with this year for us. Let's just say that I am very much looking forward to vacation in a few days! Well this has been a bit of rambling, but I AM struggling right now with our new year, and I KNOW we WILL find a flow. I have said it before, homeschooling is NOT the easy way out, it's tough, like life, sometimes tougher than others, but It's worth it. I think it's ok and necessary to share some of our struggles as well as our great achievements.

Below are some pictures from the last month or so of just random summer fun. Included are days on the lake with friends, just hanging out with friends, with friends at the fair, playing in the mud, yoga, a lovely party at my mom's themed "girls just wanna have fun" (wish i had gotten a pic. of all the lovely girls!), a party and light show for our new Yoga studio and founder's bday, and other randomness.....random ramblings, fun, life, and so on.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun- Alex, Alexa, and Evie

Evie Rockin' the Wake Board

Girls Rule!

Light Show in the sanctuary of the Presbyterian church! Yeah that is how we roll :)

yoga with Des

I don't even think these need a caption....."mud with friends day" perhaps?

Evie and Des have been to the fair together since they were 1 and 2 years old! EVERY year :) 

Just hanging out

at the Fair with little brother and Des

Goddess dressed for the Nourish Yoga /Jenny bday party

Lesson#9 First Calendar Day of Highschool 8/5/2013

So obviously I don't think that education stops at summer break. I feel that life IS education, and the "book work", or "curriculum" that we use should only be used for a few reasons. The first and most important is to benefit LIFE, the life the interest that she has NOW, things should be explored when you are interested, not in five years when it might be good for you. This helps us living more fully in the present. Secondly to full fill some sort of high school requirement, and thankfully in KY it is easy to bend/expand/change requirements to fit our needs and life. Lastly to get into/feel comfortable and to succeed in college. Evie intends to go, and I am proud of her for that, but I will be just as  proud of her if she never sets foot in a college classroom. All I want is for her to follow her heart, be happy and healthy, to feel like she is living her life and not just getting by, to feel JOY and Awe in her own life.

To celebrate our first calendar day of highschool we picked up Alexa, and went to the pool!

Lesson#8 July Red Tent

July's Red Tent was awesome! Of course it always is :) I will admit when Evie and I both walked in we were both a bit dissapointed that the majority of the faces we saw were not our familiar friends. However, the energy, the beauty, the love and light was just as strong, and afterward they all just felt like old friends. I love the Red Tent. One of the lovely ladies set up an adornment table where she brushed your hair, put a flower in your hair, gave you a bit of face paint/glitter/or a bindi....lovely just lovely. I was so very grateful for those moments of letting someone else "pretty me up"! (thank you Victoria!)

"July is about honoring beauty and celebrating ourselves as women on a healing journey. Join us as we journey within on a meditation of flowers. I will be dressing up and as always we will be adorning one another since we love it so much!
If you have something you want to share please share it! It could be a quote, a story, a poem, reiki, a painting, ect. This is our co-creation and together we weave it!
Please everyone bring flowers from your garden (we'll be making something ;-), a potluck dish, and your plate, cup, fork, spoon and bowl to conserve resources."

Mama Jamie...the woman spirit who listened to our heart and began our Red Tent

Our beautiful co-created flower mandala

Lesson#7 (From July) Yoga Camp

Yoga camp for 10-14 year olds. This was held at the studio I teach at with friend/owner Jenny Watkins, at Nourish Yoga Community. After seeing how much fun they had, I really want to do an adult yoga camp! At first Evie was like, " I am really busy, I don't know about yoga camp...." She had sooooo much fun! She didn't want Yoga Camp to end, like ever. Some of the things they did besides obviously do yoga; breath work, meditation, art! including painting the chakras, making homemade Mala beads out of paper, learn about the yamas and niyamas, and create designs with henna on each other. Aside from helping with the henna I just stayed away and let her have her own experience. We do so many awesome things together, and I love that, but sometimes when your homeschooled it's nice to get picked up from an outing/experience and to get to share that with your parents. It's good for her and I like it too! 

Lesson#6 (From July) Master Musicians Festival 2013-Twenty YearAnniversary

Wow Willie Nelson in little Somerset KY! First let me say that I LOVEEEEEE MMF, better known as Master Musician's Festival. This year was the 20th anniversary of the MMF event. It started with a woman's dream and a boy that needed a guitar. Life doesn't get much better, or more simple than that. The festival has been as much as four days long, and is currently at two days, the third Friday and Saturday of July. The festival is put together by a board of directors who do their good work for free. It is usually headed by another awesome woman with vision. Every year local talent as well as world famous talent play. This year our local Master Musician was that young boy who needed a guitar. Some of the other acts I thoroughly enjoyed were: Big Leg Emma, Bonepony, The David Mayfield Parade, Mountain Heart, and of course the legendary Willie Nelson and Family. I didn't get very many pics, because as usual I am too busy enjoying and experiencing! Evie looked gorgeous, but I have no pictures of her.

Lesson#5 (From July) An Evening with Neil Gaiman!

I have no doubt that this will be one of the most remembered nights of the year, maybe my life. Evie was so inspired after meeting him, it was wonderful. We were in a room with about 1,000 other people. He came out talked, joked, read passages from his new book, "Ocean at the End of the Lane" and passages from another children's book that will be coming out in September. The gathering place was right next door to a music venue, and of course when this was booked maybe their was some communication break down because half way through his speaking a live band started to play. Neil made jokes like, "If we ALL go over and kill them is it still murder?" It was annoying yes, and funny as well.

I bought my tickets early on. A ticket got you in, a copy of Ocean..., a seat to hear him speak, and a chance to meet&greet. have your copy of Ocean signed and one other item. One item could be personalized. I took my copy of "Neverwhere" in which I learned is a first freakin' printing, I didn't know! Evie took "Stardust", and Mark "American Gods", which he had made out to me..how sweet, I am the huge fan. So on the bottom of our tickets was the "line C". When his time of speaking was over, he took a little break and then the lines of signing began. I have never been so thankful to have bought my tickets early! He stopped speaking about 8pm, we personally were finished through the line at 11pm, again we were line C, and it went to line P! Rumor has it he was there till about 2am. You can see a pic of him icing his hands after a signing. Did I mention he used a REAL Pen and Ink!

He was great, super great, friendly, funny, smart, layed-back. It is always such a joy to meet someone you admire and they be as awesome as you had hoped. Evie was so nervous to meet him, so was I for that matter, but Evie is a budding writer, and wanted to ask him a question without holding up this massive line. He did tell me I had a beautiful smile :) She kept saying she knew she would regret it if she meet him and froze, unable to speak, so she spoke. Being the smart girl she is, she recorded the 52 second conversation with her phone. She was afraid she would forget....here it is folks...Evie's 52second conversation with the unbelievably talented Neil Gaiman...

Evie: "Hi, I'm 14 and I'm working on my first book, and I was wondering if you have any advice?" 
 (Neil paused from signing, looked at her sincerely in the face, she had all his attention)
Neil: "Finish it."
        " Everything you will learn, you will learn from finishing it."
        "If you abandon it and don't get to the end, you will never learn all the things you could learn ."
        "Finish it, no it doesn't have to be good."
(Evie smiling like a loon)
Evie: "Ok." 
Neil: "It's just like, have you ever made pancakes?"
Evie: "Yeah-"
Neil: "You know how that first pancake is always terrible?"
Evie: "Yes."
Neil: "Books can be like that too-if you keep going, just like pancakes they'll get good."
Evie: "Thank you."
Neil: "Your welcome, Thank you." 

My heart melted to the floor......

Lesson#4 June Red Tent

June's Red Tent was held in our new more permanent location at Centered, (thank you Lauren) a place for alternative and holistic health. Centered includes yoga, kids movement, holistic healing, massage, a juice bar, martial arts, and much more. It is the brain child and labor of love of one of our Red Tent Sistars. The space is beautiful and new so it feels wonderful to help co-create the beautiful energy and feel of this space.One of the most moving parts of this particular gathering was the blessings of all four directions, (thank you Dawn) it was lovely and I feel so appropriate for the new space and the connection/closeness to the summer solstice.

Lesson#3 (From June) Kids Market at Market on Main

Our little community has gained a beautiful thing, thanks to the vision of one woman. We have a Market on Main in a circular area around our courthouse, with a huge fountain for children to play in, free live music, local farmers, artisans, bakers, and artist, all selling their wares/art/creations. I love that it happens in the evening. There is usually at least one vender cooking food/meat that they raised (dinner), and of course the awesome pastries are to die for! Sometimes my studio offers a free yoga practice for all in the grass. The whole shebang  has an artsy, community feel to it, and I love going even for 30 min. a week. It makes me feel like part of my community. I splurge there weekly, on pastries, soap, homemade bread, flowers, etc. I love supporting locals, and its a weekly treat I look forward to.

Evie participated in the Kids Market on Main. It was 5$ a table, a few homeschool friends, and non homeschooled friends joined her. Evie made lovely earrings and dream catchers. The dream catchers she had just learned to make from GMCPP program. Her sign was also a thing of pride.

Evie with earrings and dream catchers

Alexa with wallets and bows, Lizzy with art

Lilly and Josie with their awesome bags made out of animal feed bags

Lesson#2 (From June) Playthink! Movement and Flow Arts Festival 2013

Playthink! Is a one of a kind festival. My second year in attending, Evie and Mark's first. It was beautiful! WONDERFUL! Evie never wanted it to end. Playthink! happens on a one hundred acre farm in Berea Ky, with no cell service, unplugged completely from the world. It consist of dozens of workshops daily on every flow art from yoga-to fire eating-hula hooping-belly dancing-martial arts-silks and Lyre, well you get the picture. LOTS OF FUN! The icing, the cherry on top this year was a Red Tent teepee set up, completing the experience. Oh and the Fairies! The Fairies and Fairy blessings.

Evie brought her friend Elizabeth, and they together explored their feelings as budding women in the Red Tent, hung and moved off the ground by silks, did yoga, self painted and adorned others, belly danced,sang and chanted, hung out by the fire pit dancing until 3a.m. spreading their wings a bit in a safe environment, experienced the love of different flow arts, experienced communal meals with 300 other people, made new friends both young and old, experienced life where all there is, is happiness, love, amazement, and joy when trying something new. There aren't enough words for this kind of experience, its life changing, it's awesome to see adults playing and joyous, and its awesome to gain self confidence as a teenage girl. I didn't take many pics, I was too busy experiencing, below are some pics of us, but mostly of Playthink! Festival. Can't wait for next year! Yes thee are A LOT of pics...but man I couldn't leave them out, and I have so many more!

The Red Tent Teepee

Hula Hooping

Our Vender Booth

Evie on the Healing GeoDome

Looking up Inside the Teepee

Being Blessed by the Fairies with Friends

I really wanted to Run away with the fairies!

Evie being adorned by Angela

Mark Playing with FIre

Evie adoring me

Besties

My daughter and "other" daughter..they are growing up so beautiful!

When I look at pics like this I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for the relationship I have with my only child.

Friends I met last year from Northern Ohio! I was soooo glad to see them again!

Fairies, Fairies, Fairies....take me with you!