Topics: Girl Scouts
I’ve been a Girl Scout Leader now for seven years. Three or four years ago, my troop got together and surprised me with a vest of my own. I’d made little off hand comments to the parents and girls about how I wished I could earn badges, too. They are all so pretty and I [...]
Topics: Arizona,Tucson,photographs,prickly pear,saguaro
See “Spring in the Sonoran Desert: Yellow and Peach” for more photographs. We’ve noticed the chollas and saguaros are blooming as well as the prickly pear cacti. Interestingly, each different kind of cholla or prickly pear has a different color flower. They are all beautiful.
Topics: pets,photographs
Today our tortico (Tortoise Shell and Calico mix) cat Fiona turns one. She was a shelter cat who had been found on the side of a road by a police officer. Her litter mate didn’t make it, but she did (burnt paws and all). Fiona has turned into a lovely full grown cat this past [...]
Topics: Arizona,photographs
My daughters surprised me two years ago by writing “Happy Mother’s Day” in rocks along our path. Over two years, their sign has faded (rocks sank, etc.). They revamped it as a surprise for me this year.
Topics: empowerment,favorites,mindful parenting,relationships
In no particular order: My earliest memory is of my mother rocking me in a rocking chair. I was calm and content. I didn’t need to be rocked, yet she rocked me anyway because she wanted to. In my memory, the experience lasted a long time. How sweet is that? My mother has always believed [...]
Topics: Arizona,Tucson,photographs,prickly pear,saguaro
Many people believe that deserts are barren wastelands. I’ve been to several and I’ve found them all alive with plants and animals. I’ll even go so far as to say I believe the Sonoran Desert is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Currently, many cactus flowers are blooming here (and they have been [...]
Topics: Unschooling,education,empowerment,mindful parenting,words
Never be afraid or ashamed to admit you don’t know something. The other day my husband asked my older daughter (11.5) if she knew what a particular word meant. It was conversational and light and happened in response to her asking us a question about a clue on Jeopardy! — his asking was not part [...]
Topics: food,vegan,vegetarian
Johnny Rockets is giving away free veggie burgers for World Vegetarian Week (May 19 to 25). They seem to do this annually. The Streamliner burger itself is a vegan Boca Burger. Just order it with no cheese and no mayo and it is instantly vegan. I’ve found this restaurant to be very accommodating to vegans [...]
Topics: Unschooling,mindful parenting
An overheard comment I heard recently: “I could never homeschool my children because they have too many drastically different interests and are completely different people. They’d never manage to get through a day without beating each other up. Only parents with similar children are able to homeschool and live consensually.” This statement is sad, yet [...]
Topics: Unschooling,censorship,education,empowerment,homeschooling,mindful parenting
I thought school was supposed to be about learning, not order. Yet, order and control is all it seems to be about anymore. The administrators have lost sight of the real goal by bringing attention to all their “nondisruptive” circumventions. The Chicago Tribune‘s article titled “Neuqua Valley High School student can wear anti-gay T-shirt to [...]