tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11718866799121964732024-03-14T01:37:13.529+11:00Jasmine of the ValleyMamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-46342110506633894752013-01-19T00:34:00.001+11:002013-01-19T00:34:41.738+11:00Why Math Instruction is Unnecessary<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xyowJZxrtbg" width="480"></iframe>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-81258590879467542962012-08-03T17:46:00.000+10:002012-08-03T17:46:17.074+10:00Seriously???Well, after yesterday's post requesting some positive news, the Universe decided to play funny buggers. <br />
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Jasmine went out to feed her guinea pigs today, only to find her favourite piggy dead at the bottom of the cage. The other 3 seem fine, so this is a mystery death. She's now buried in the garden close to the area the other pigs run around in.<br />
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RIP Quinn xxx</div>
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-82119169137384589432012-08-02T18:42:00.000+10:002012-08-02T19:29:28.966+10:00Time flies.....Wow - it really has been a while since I've posted anything here! I have a few quiet moments now with nothing else to do that can't wait a little longer, so let's see if I can manage a quick catch-up.....<br />
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First, on an "official" note, I received a letter in the mail today confirming another 2 years registration with THEAC. I did all the normal stressing over being/doing/proving "enough" before the visit from the Monitoring Officer, but it was all good :) Lots of photos & an hour of having her ear talked off by Jasmine was just the ticket :)<br />
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Jasmine's enjoying learning new skills at gymnastics. It was just the stretch (pardon the pun) of her skills that she needed. What's more, her beloved coach from her old class helps out with some of this class as well, so she's extra happy!<br />
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I've been helping her work on some of the moves at home, which in turn has made me realise just how little exercise I really do! As I watch her, I remember the days when I had that sort of flexibility. I think we can both benefit from a bit of training at home ;-)<br />
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May was a mixed month for us. It was the time we finally had to say goodbye to our dear old cat, Bonni. She had been suffering with age-related problems & a nasty carcinoma on her head, which in turn could not be treated due to age-related problems. We left it as long as we could, but on the 8th May, we made the devastating drive to the vet.<br />
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Afterwards, Jasmine wanted to go to the pet store to get something for her guinea pigs. I made it VERY clear that we were not going to get another animal. You know how they say not to go food shopping on an empty stomach? Apparently, the same applies to visiting pet shops when emotional over having just lost your eldest pet......</div>
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Meet Zara, the newest member of our motley menagerie. Jasmine just luuuuuuuurrrrrrves her, even if she does keep using Jasmine's bedroom as a toilet (grrrrrrrr). I'm just thankful we have wooden floors! We had to take William to the "day spa" the day after we got Zara as his hormones had just hit & he just.would.not.leave.her.alone. They are absolute besties now and we have witnessed many, many moments of absolute cuteness. </div>
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Now, we are playing a waiting game with our 16yo cat Sabre, the last of her generation. Age has suddenly caught up with her & I think it's only a matter of weeks at best. This all coincides with the first anniversary of the accident that killed my sister-in-law & her husband coming up in a few days, as well as hearing news that is good for some family members - and I am truly happy for them - but it reminds me of all the losses we've dealt with over the years. Throw in a Winter plague & suffice to say something like a lotto win or successful pregnancy would be realllllly welcomed right now! </div>
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But enough wallowing in self-pity. Let's see what else Jasmine has been doing (in no particular order)....</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huon Natural Learners meet</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Tetsuya Wakuda</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Cheesy egg"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making a garden for her fairy friends</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching a performance she wanted to see again & again</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conquering the playground on our way back from a Thermomix Consultant cooking class in Launnie - and running into some other friends heading home after a weekend up North :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the Sun Calendar in Campbelltown</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuddling Zara. OH SO MUCH cuddling Zara!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unleashing her inner pyromaniac</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swapping to the more advanced side of the Scrabble Jr board after watching me play Words With Friends on FB</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitten slinging</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubble blowing (which the cats had fun playing with)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duck facing - I mean muffin making (but looking so much like her Aunt in the process)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in to the Justice Crew guys @ Kmart after the Silvers Circus show</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with my new phone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impersonation of a pea fowl?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Brianna's Chicken Delight"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding a new way to serve choc avocado mousse<br />
<a href="http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/raw-chocolate-avocado-mousse/49552">http://www.recipecommunity.com.au/recipes/raw-chocolate-avocado-mousse/49552</a>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Destruction Day @ Hobart Natural Learners Co-op</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Canopus Observatory @ Cambridge with Warren, our tour guide</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-83706886252228658302012-05-20T00:56:00.002+10:002012-05-20T00:56:41.015+10:00Sir Ken on education....<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html">http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html</a>
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Another fantastic TED presentation by Sir Ken Robinson as a follow-up to his 2006 talk.Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-42435195720794125672012-05-12T23:40:00.000+10:002012-05-13T00:34:39.751+10:00Proud Mummy moment....<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jasmine has been doing gymnastics in various forms over the last 3 years. She started with a general class for pre-schoolers, had a brief stint with the next age group up that caused her such trauma that she almost gave up completely, then back to the first group before doing several months of trampoline classes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As mentioned a while back, Jasmine changed to rhythmic gymnastics last year. In recent weeks, I've been noticing some of the senior coaches noticing her, particularly when the girls started using clubs. A couple of weeks before the end of each term, they have an assessment day where the coaches decide which class to recommend for each child for the following term. This week, Jasmine was taken aside by one of the senior coaches while the regular coach was with the rest of the class. Sure enough, at the end of the class, Jasmine was recommended to go into the rhythmic squads! Her coach came over to me to explain that changing class was optional, to which I said I figured she'd been doing it long enough to progress. The coach agreed with me, saying, "She's <i>REALLY</i> good!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Basically, she'll now be doing a 1.5 hour class instead of a 45 min class, focussing on more specific skills which will lead on to competitions if desired & non-competitive club displays and expos. As the classes are a bit later in the afternoon, I'll probably have to re-jig our days slightly to make sure Jasmine's not too tired at that time, but she's going to give it a go for a term & see how it goes. She's sad not to have the same coach next term, but is also getting bored with the level she's at now. It's the first time she's ever been promoted, and I think long overdue. Even other parents shared their surprise when she was not promoted after the first term of rhythmic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I did shed a happy tear, as did Jasmine's Dad when I told him that night :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-55782943264312578072012-04-26T15:37:00.001+10:002012-04-26T17:07:46.637+10:00Some more findings from the interwebz....<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201204/meet-kate-fridkis-who-skipped-k-12-and-is-neither-weird-nor-homeless">Meet Kate Fridkis, Who Skipped K-12 and Is Neither Weird nor Homeless</a></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.salon.com/2011/10/12/a_home_schooler_goes_to_college/singleton/">A home-schooler goes to college</a> (same woman as in the article above)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://skipping-school.com/">Skipping School Blog</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/its-why-were-here-on-earth.html#.T4bgymGgMyh.facebook">Why We're Here on Earth</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">“When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself.” ~ Jean Piaget</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer</span></span>
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-34247369386878763622012-04-14T20:30:00.000+10:002012-04-14T21:49:17.390+10:00Autumn afternoons....The weather has been absolutely DIVINE here this week - blue skies, the slightest breeze & sun just warm enough to penetrate through to the bones without burning the skin. Hubby's had a few days off work after the Easter break, so he suggested this afternoon that we should go for a drive somewhere to make the most of it. <br />
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We ended up heading further South to the seaside township of Dover. Jasmine was a little reluctant to go anywhere at first, but once she started finding shells on the sand, she changed her tune & announced, "This beach is AWESOME!". Here's some of the awesomeness......<br />
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-38584977080260018752012-04-12T01:42:00.000+10:002012-04-12T01:46:37.893+10:00Unschooling survey results<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've just been reading the results of a survey on unschooling (natural learning). I think it's a great read and can <i>totally</i> relate to much of what is said, so I'll share the links here (it's in 3 parts) for anyone interested in knowing more......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201202/the-benefits-unschooling-report-i-large-survey">The Benefits of Unschooling</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201203/what-leads-families-unschool-their-children-report-ii">What Leads Families to "Unschool" Their Children</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201204/the-challenges-unschooling-report-iii-large-survey">The Challenges of Unschooling</a></span><br />
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-87108324328488063932012-04-09T00:23:00.000+10:002012-04-09T00:26:01.937+10:00March musings<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">March was a hectic month around here, so I didn't get to blog or record much of what was happening around here - too busy living it all! As such, here's a quick pictorial wrap-up of some of the happenings in March 2012....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Practising her melodramatic 'death scene' (soooo need to get her into drama classes again!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Cat & mouse.....but more about him in another post ;)</span></td></tr>
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-78935494432272426092012-04-08T23:51:00.000+10:002012-04-08T23:52:54.100+10:00I can sing a rainbow......<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">April is a great month for rainbows 'round these parts....and this year has been no exception.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jasmine turned 7 yesterday & her day started with a massive rainbow above the paddocks next to our place. There was also another low, long rainbow this morning - a lovely Easter gift from Mother Nature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And speaking of Easter rainbows.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What has been even more awesome are the rainbows we've discovered in our house since I moved Jasmine's fish tank from her bedroom to the loungeroom. Hello lesson on refraction ;)</span></div>
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-72184932243852696322012-03-21T15:22:00.000+11:002012-03-21T21:50:27.079+11:00We're in public.....<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We went to the local Chinese restaurant last night. It was Jasmine's turn to choose what we had for dinner and given that I was fighting sleep, I really didn't mind someone else doing the cooking & cleaning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I get that tired, I tend to laugh pretty much anything, so when Jasmine came out with some pearlers last night, I ended up in tears. I'm just glad we were the only customers there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, this banter may not seem as funny out of context, but it really was all about the way she delivered these lines. It all started when hubby was trying to tell Jasmine through gestures that I'm a bit silly. Her response?....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"(his first name), we're in <i>public</i>!!!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Me: *losing the battle not to laugh hysterically*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Him to her: "That was a very clever thing to say. You put me in my box."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her: "I'm a professional learner!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A couple of minutes later.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Him: "Do you know how to behave in public?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her: "Yes, because I'm a talented child."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And finally, when Jasmine was being silly whilst eating her food......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Him: "Jasmine, we're in public!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her: *rolls eyes*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Him: "One point for Daddy."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her: *pauses for a moment* "I've got LOTS more points than you, <i>Big Boy</i>!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It great to see the return of her sass after the frequent self-deprecation of recent weeks :D</span>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-91360283158154384552012-03-19T23:12:00.001+11:002012-03-19T23:12:14.899+11:00Unschooling: the new class of learning | euronews, learning world<a href="http://www.euronews.com/2012/03/14/unschooling-the-new-class-of-learning/#.T2ciVApZqik.blogger">Unschooling: the new class of learning | euronews, learning world</a><br />
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Great video :)Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-1534944370103441402012-03-04T02:25:00.001+11:002012-03-04T02:26:53.225+11:005 Biggest Misconceptions About UnschoolingGood article shared by a friend of mine.....<br />
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<a href="http://lewrockwell.com/rep3/misconceptions-about-unschooling.html">5 Biggest Misconceptions About Unschooling</a>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-68078407426562174172012-03-02T04:26:00.000+11:002012-03-02T12:18:56.960+11:00A transition.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, we are at the end of week 2 of the Tasmanian school term.....or rather, the not-school term for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There was a not-back-to-school gathering with our natural learning co-op a fortnight ago, but we decided against attending. Some of the other kids were battling a nasty coughing plague and as we're still recovering from whooping cough, we need to avoid any lung lurgies for the rest of the year as much as possible. I had drafted an email to Jasmine's dance teacher to explain that her return to Contemporary classes would be delayed a few weeks because of the cough, but in a shock announcement, Jasmine said she did not want to return at all. I did not see that coming! She has decided to focus all her energy on rhythmic gymnastics for now, so after a chat, we decided to try the first class of term last week just to see how she'd cope with the physical side of things. She was obviously excited to be back there & could barely contain her energy. She did have a couple of coughing fits, but managed to get them under control with a drink of water and a few seconds rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jasmine's decision to retire from both forms of dancing means we now have two free afternoons compared to last year. As a result, I'm going to look into Drama classes for her again. Last year, they clashed with dancing but she did so love the Drama classes she did a couple of years ago that were cut short by the teacher having to return overseas. She's very excited by the idea of doing them this year :D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Looking back on what Jasmine did in February, some common themes are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) Money (counting, multiplication of pocket money, addition, subtraction, working out change, value of currency, watermarks on notes, serial numbers, how the vision impaired can differentiate between the various notes & coins, negotiation & bartering skills)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) Computer time/skills (Skype with family & friends, Starfall.org, games on Nick Jr, YouTube videos, Funbrain.com, fashion designer game and Sally's Salon time management game....for <i>hours)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) Science experiments (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKc9nJrgz2A">temperature & molecules</a>, capillary action of flowers & sprouting avocado seeds)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The really big thing for February has been a total obsession with all things GUINEA PIG! Jasmine has been asking for guinea pigs for a couple of years now so I know it's more than a passing phase. I said as long as she did the research on what was involved in their care AND she was willing to do it, then we'd get her a couple of guinea pigs for her birthday in a few weeks. I think she has watched nearly <i>every</i> YouTube video there is on GP's, she's checked out various GP websites, we've borrowed a book from the library, I downloaded & printed an e-book with info & worksheets and she's visited friends who have guinea pigs. We've picked out the house we're going to get them so I'll order that next week & when that arrives and we have everything set up, we'll find a couple of girls for her. She's already named them Sophie & Vanessa, but that's subject to change ;)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Apart from that, we've just been enjoying the last of the Summer weather, albeit interspersed with some decidedly Winter-like days. The blackberries are past their prime already, but we had some massive ones to enjoy this year. We've been hanging at the local pool, building outdoor shelters, erecting a new garden shed, grooming the dogs.....and eating more blackberries. A more socially isolated Summer than we had planned, but I think we worked around the illness quite nicely. We also returned to our Natural Learning Co-op last week and it was great to see Jasmine playing with her favourite people again :D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ah yes.....coming back to the title of this post. A transition. As I mentioned, Jasmine is having a birthday soon. She will be celebrating her 7th birthday over Easter. Each year, I've found the 6-8 weeks either side of her birthday to be times of significant emotional &/or physical development - things like deciding she no longer wanted to wear nappies, or being ready for her own bedroom. This year, she's right on track for the '<a href="http://www.mommytracked.com/risa_green_pre_teen_tween?page=0%2C0">pre-tween</a>' stage. My blog posts in recent months have documented her increasing independence. In recent weeks, she's become much more aware of her peers whilst at the same time, much more attached to me. When I had to go out by myself a couple of weeks ago, she had an episode of separation anxiety the likes of which I've never seen with her. It took an hour to work through it all, but in the end, she was OK with me leaving. I called when I was running late as I promised I would & the trust was maintained. Then just a couple of days ago, she chose friends over family on Skype, letting her grandfather know in no uncertain terms that she was rather busy on a group call with her friends. The pendulum is swinging wildly, along with her moods. There are already early signs of puberty and her 9th & 10th baby teeth have started wobbling (2 years ahead of average, as she has been with all dentition), so I'm preparing myself as best I can to help her navigate through the psychological & physical changes that this phase brings. It's interesting to see pictures of hearts & rainbows & fluffy guinea pigs contrasting with a preference for dark colours and an <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/because-im-the-mom/200910/pre-tween-silent-scream-watching-your-daughters-self-esteem-plummet">inner darkness</a>. Tonight, she got me to remove the pink net canopy from above her bed - something that once gave her a feeling of protection; her own cocoon. She said it felt really different not having it there, but she appreciates the extra sense of space she now has. She no longer needs it to feel safe. She really is moving in between worlds. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Hangin' with the dawgs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin' with Bailey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally found where the chook was hiding her eggs - all 50 or so</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dessert - chocolate avocado mousse with berries</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Dad get fit</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-31412439898523291282012-02-18T03:32:00.000+11:002012-02-18T03:32:40.760+11:00A Mathematician's Lament<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've just read an excellent article on the teaching of maths that someone shared on Facebook. It's lengthy, but a great read, so grab a cuppa, make yourself comfy & click the link.....</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf">http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf</a>
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<br /></div>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-64577171519381738372012-02-06T05:02:00.000+11:002012-02-10T03:36:00.391+11:00Linkety linksHere's a few links I've come across in my travels lately that some of you may like :)<br />
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<a href="http://homeschoolingryangosling.tumblr.com/">http://homeschoolingryangosling.tumblr.com/</a>
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<a href="http://www.ishmael.org/Education/Writings/unschooling.shtml">http://www.ishmael.org/Education/Writings/unschooling.shtml</a>
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<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-candy/201201/everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-learning-is-wrong">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-candy/201201/everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-learning-is-wrong</a>
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<a href="http://vanessabertozzi.com/Unschooling_Media_CasesIn.pdf">http://vanessabertozzi.com/Unschooling_Media_CasesIn.pdf</a>
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<a href="http://unschoolingme.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/unschooling-is-not-that-difficult-folks.html">http://unschoolingme.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/unschooling-is-not-that-difficult-folks.html</a>
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<a href="http://www.livescience.com/6085-passionate-kids-leave-em.html">http://www.livescience.com/6085-passionate-kids-leave-em.html</a>
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<a href="http://eligerzon.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/links-to-successful-unschoolers/">http://eligerzon.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/links-to-successful-unschoolers/</a>
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<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/learning-at-the-home-school-of-life/story-fn6ja7nc-1226254174554?fb_ref=rec-bot&fb_source=timeline">http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/learning-at-the-home-school-of-life/story-fn6ja7nc-1226254174554?fb_ref=rec-bot&fb_source=timeline</a>
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-80405051699867421032012-01-30T03:58:00.000+11:002012-01-30T04:57:16.150+11:00Farewell January....<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, we've had a rather average start to the year. What started in mid-December as us all having colds (including laryngitis for me) turned out to be Whooping Cough. We're about 7 weeks into it now, so another 4-5 weeks of coughing to go. Jasmine is still coughing to the point of vomiting a few times a day, especially after eating or exertion, so we've been taking things pretty slow. We had chicken pox at the same time last year, so I'm not really keen on this pattern of sickness to start the year! Still, no doubt our immune systems will be all the stronger for it. Just wish there was an easier way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Someone posted a link on Facebook earlier this evening that relates directly to my previous blog post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201002/children-teach-themselves-read">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201002/children-teach-themselves-read</a>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It turns out I did actually have it bookmarked from a while ago, but it's not often I go back & re-read things. Reading it tonight was like reading it for the first time. I think the article really resonated with the head-space I'm in at the moment, so much so that I forward the link to some of my immediate family members. Jasmine often talks to family via Skype and tends to mimic the speed at which I type. This results in long strings of random letters, with family suggesting she types "real words" instead of gobbledegook. There are a couple of words like 'poop' and 'hello' that she knows, and she will copy people's names from the screen, but she's still not at the point of writing cohesive sentences. While that's fine with me, I think others still have the expectation that she should be reading & writing at a more advanced level. By forwarding the link to them to read, I hope they gain a better understanding of our learning philosophy. It's something we've never really discussed that much, but I think it's time to give them the info so that they don't have inappropriate expectations. It's a bit scary because you never know how somebody's going to react to concepts that they may not be familiar with, but I can't control their thoughts any more than they can control mine ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Actually, I've found it really interesting observing Jasmine's developing literacy lately. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I woke up one morning to find some phone numbers of the '1800' variety on a piece of paper on the lounge. Jasmine asked later if I'd seen the piece of paper, to which I said I had & asked what the numbers were for. Turns out that she'd been watching early morning infomercials (what happened to her normal ABC4kids???) and informed me that we HAD to have a pilates machine which would "really work" to increase our fitness and she thought I might like an AhhBra because it would be comfortable. That lead on to a conversation about the power of advertising and how they make people want to buy things they don't always need. Still, she was motivated enough to write the numbers down ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next is a message she wrote to me on Skype the other night:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"esdered"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Can you work it out?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"<span style="color: red;">Is</span> <span style="color: red;">d</span>inn<span style="color: red;">e</span>r <span style="color: red;">re</span>a<span style="color: red;">d</span>y?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She's starting to associate sounds with letters, but fills in the blanks in her own mind. If she's writing a letter to someone, she may just write 'D' & say she's written 'Dear'. If she wants to write a letter, she'll get me to spell out words for her, but always asks, "what does it look like"? Even if she knows the letters well, she still needs a audiovisual clue. V for valley, a for apple, e for egg, l for line, D for Door, M for mountains, w for wiggly worm, s for snake, etc - it's almost like the Doctrine of Signatures. In herbalism, it's said that a plants physical characteristics are a clue to it's healing properties. Likewise, Jasmine needs each description of the letter to match it's physical characteristics. Of course, it's not always possible, but she always finds it much easier to write when being assisted in this way. Sometimes, I don't want to sit there for half an hour sounding out every letter, so I write out what she wants to say so she can copy it. Sadly, that usually results in a meltdown. I suspect she's actually dyslexic (with a bit of a family history) and/or her sensory processing issues extend into the reading process, so she finds it hard to follow letters sequentially. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The other thing that seems to be intensifying is her desire to write "perfectly". If a letter is not perfectly formed to her standards, she'll screw up the piece of paper & start again. Suffice to say, we've been going through a lot of paper recently! I've tried explaining to her that writing is one of those things that takes practise & it's taken me over 30 years of practise to write the way I do now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When her last tooth fell out a few weeks ago, I came across <a href="http://www.therealtoothfairies.com/">http://www.therealtoothfairies.com/</a>. Oh, how I regret that!!! :/ Still, she LOVES the site & the idea that she knows her "real tooth fairy". She can send her RTF letters (fill in a few blanks on letter templates) & her RTF will send her letters in return. Of course, everything on the site comes at a cost. Rather than pay for her RTF to send her letters printed from the webpage, the <i>REAL</i> tooth fairy prints out notes in Word, complete with butterflies & lots of purple. The RTF has said to Jasmine that she loves getting hand-written letters, and she has done a couple so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Apart from all that, she's still riding her new scooter every day, creating with playdough, role-playing with her gazillion Barbies & toys, making balloon snow people, solving jigsaw puzzles, WIIing, swimming at the local pool (especially in today's 40C heat) & testing the laws of gravity with our r/c car....and ripping off half my toenail with said car. Hubby was away for the last few days (looks like the issues of the last 6 months since the family deaths have finally been sorted), so I took the opportunity to do some de-cluttering & sorting. The old whoop de whoop means I didn't get as much accomplished as I would have liked, but I'm happy with what I got done considering. Jasmine can once again access the cupboard where all her toys & puzzles are kept, so it's almost like having a whole new lot of things to play with ;) I've also started a different system of storing Jasmine's work so that when it's time for THEAC to pay us a visit, it's all there, ready to show. I've also got myself a diary this year to record more of the day-to-day activities which tend to slip my mind. I'm feeling more settled & prepared and Jasmine is looking forward to a year of less disruption & more learning. I can feel a change in the air and I'm looking forward to it :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'll sign off with a pictorial wrap-up of January, 2012 :)</span><br />
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-75533903905231288562012-01-14T04:11:00.000+11:002012-01-14T04:14:46.714+11:00An epiphany<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had an epiphany the other day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is coming up to a year now since we registered with <a href="http://theac.org.au/">THEAC</a> as home educators. In the next couple of months, I will need to collate & assess our first year, as well as make plans for the next couple of years. Because Jasmine tends to resist written work, we don't have a lot of physical evidence of her learning. That fuels my fear that maybe we'll be judged negatively at the next visit from THEAC; that people will think she hasn't been doing 'enough' to keep up with the State curriculum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But then it struck me. If Jasmine's education is about meeting the expectations of other people, I might as well send her to school. I realised at that moment that it really doesn't matter and I felt a deeper trust in the 'process' of unschooling. It does rattle me a little when her friends are starting to read quite advanced books while she still freaks at the mere suggestion of learning to read. However, I then think of all the stories I've read of children who don't learn to read &/or write until 7, 8, 10 or even older, but have then caught up within just a matter of weeks. I think Jasmine's one of those kids who just needs to do things to her schedule - no one else's. When she wants to do something, NOTHING can deter her. Head-strong is an understatement & I know that drive will carry her through. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think I've been doing some deschooling in the past year. Even though I understand the philosophy of unschooling, I'm still working through some of the ingrained expectations from my own school years - and it is still a work in progress. Reflecting on my own experiences also helps me to understand how Jasmine feels when coerced to do something she's not comfortable with. I hope that other people (hello family) can give Jasmine the space and time she needs to learn when she's most ready rather than commenting on what she "should" be doing at a certain age. We are not trying to speed up or slow down any areas of her learning based on a curriculum. We are not doing "school at home" so there will never be a direct comparison between Jasmine and those who undertake institutionalised learning. She has the freedom to learn what she wants, when she's ready and at the end of the day, she'll have all the skills & knowledge she needs to be a fully-functioning adult. It's all good :)</span>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-11750927441471530532011-12-31T23:24:00.002+11:002012-01-01T19:20:15.671+11:00To new beginnings!<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Only 1.5 hours left of 2011 as of the time of writing this. To be honest, I think I'll be glad to see the end of this year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After a tough 2010, this year started with new beginnings. It was our first year of 'officially' home educating, although as an unschooling family, it was more of a continuation of what we were already doing. I started a hobby business and found my spark in the process. Unfortunately, the second half of the year was not so good, as I have detailed in previous posts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2012 is likely to bring more stressors that are out of our control, but I think the main thing is not engaging with energy drainers as much as possible. I am really enjoying the work of Bruce Lipton, PhD at the moment and reading about quantum physics vs Newtonian physics. I always knew that emotional health affected our physical health, but it's fascinating learning the mechanics of it on a sub-atomic level. The 'stuff' of the last couple of years has not only had an effect on my physical health, it's also impeded on my availability to help Jasmine a lot of the time. I just haven't had the reserves or energy. I can't change every situation, but I can change the way I deal with things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So that's the plan for next year. No grand plans of losing 30kg or any such thing - although I wouldn't complain if it happened. But 2012 is all about focussing on the good & mediating the less desirable. It's time to be more available to my child & less worried about people who only care about their own agenda. It's about making sure Jasmine has the tools she needs to thrive as she moves another year closer to adulthood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wish you & your family peace, happiness & prosperity in the New Year. I'll sign off with some pics from the last few weeks of 2011. Thanks for sharing our journey so far xxx</span><br />
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-80490850795809263822011-11-21T18:45:00.001+11:002011-11-29T03:28:14.455+11:00Independence Day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've been writing some notes to keep track of some of the things Jasmine's been up to. There have been moments lately where we've noticed her maturing in certain ways, but when I looked at the half dozen or so things on my list, it was ALL about her growing independence.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the things Jasmine usually like to do at my market stall is put items in bags for the customers. She's also excellent at spruiking and sales ;) Last weekend, she decided her job was not only to package the jewellery, but to take the cash & give the change. She was very quick to assert herself if I tried to organise the change - LOL. What a great way of learning about money & numeracy! :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That being said, it is a long day & a MUCH earlier start than we normally have, so Jasmine did get bored hanging around the stall for too long. She asked if she could have a look around the rest of the market & I said it was fine as long as she stayed within the confines of the market. Off she went, followed a couple of minutes later by the more cautious parent ;) She allowed him to accompany her around the market as she struck up conversations with numerous people, particularly anyone with a dog. Later in the day, one of the stallholders she'd been speaking with visited our stall. She commented that she could tell straight away that Jasmine was a DEFINITE Aries - head-strong, no nonsense and no qualms in taking charge and telling people how things were going to be. She said most of her friends were Aries and Jasmine was very much like them. She said that we had an amazing child & she was really happy to have met her :D</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The next day, we had to return some books to the library & Jasmine was asking (again) to borrow books on fossils. I showed her how to use their online catalogue & she insisted on typing in the search details, wanting to know how to spell the words. Then a few days later, we were driving along & D said something about Jasmine being a monkey, which prompted her to give him a lecture on evolution - LOL. I was quite impressed by her level of understanding! I know it shouldn't surprise me, but it was one of those moments where a few minutes reading something in a book led to a complex understanding of a concept.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jasmine's also been spending more time away from us & is quite happy to do so. Last week, some local friends who go to the same dance class called through on their way up to see if Jasmine wanted to go with them. She seemed slightly apprehensive at first, but decided she'd do it. A couple of hours later, I got a phone call asking if I wanted her home at a particular time and that the kids were playing happily at their house. I said whatever time suited them was fine & to let me know if I needed to pick her up at any stage. For me, it was a unexpected but welcomed break. D had travelled interstate that morning to deal with some ongoing family matters, so I found myself home alone! Jasmine has also been spending more time with the girl across the road. It really made my heart smile the other day when I saw the two of them walking up the road together, chatting away. It was also a laugh when D came back from his walk & chased them up the road which resulted in much high pitched squealing - theirs, not his ;) The neighbours have recently acquired 4 young goat kids, the excitement of which seems to over-ride Jasmine's fear of their dog. She happily played there for a few hours on the afternoon of the market when they came & picked her up.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And last thing on my list for this week relates to our first visit to the local pool for the season. Jasmine knew it was open & had been asking to go....and asking....and asking....so we did. Turns out that swimming classes started that same afternoon, so there were quite a few kidlets there. I asked Jasmine if she was interested in swimming lessons, but she gave me an outright 'no', stating she "wasn't ready for that". We continued on, going back & forth between the shallow pool and the main pool. She was happy to Doggy Paddle & swim like a frog (breaststroke) with the noodle under her armpits for buoyancy. After a while, she started holding the noodle out in front of her and was surprised to find she didn't drown. I said she'd be swimming without the noodle pretty soon at the rate she was going. A few minutes later, she tried it - and swam for the first time without any floatation devices! She was so excited & proud of herself! Sure, it was no more than a couple of metres at a time, but she'd done it & the look on her face was priceless! I'm sure that was a huge boost to her confidence and hopefully by the end of the swimming season, she'll be making her way around the pool totally unassisted :)</span><br />
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-91554077272615707542011-11-21T18:40:00.001+11:002011-11-25T02:25:24.419+11:00Why children protest going to school<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A lovely unschooly friend of ours just posted a link on Facebook that I think is awesome & wanted to share with you.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It discusses resistance to institutionalised learning from an evolutionary perspective & it makes perfect sense to me. It also makes me realise how much I protested school myself, without realising at the time that's what I was really doing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy reading.....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201111/why-children-protest-going-school-more-evolutionary-mismatch">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201111/why-children-protest-going-school-more-evolutionary-mismatch</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">This post has been shared as part of <a href="http://owlet-designs.blogspot.com/">owlet's</a> </span></div>
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<br />Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-19977171669716988962011-11-16T22:47:00.001+11:002011-11-22T14:22:45.074+11:00The last 3 weeks in review<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A couple of days after my last post, the three of us went to the see Circus Oz perform their '<a href="http://show.circusoz.com/">Steampowered</a>' show. I'm happy to say without a shadow of a doubt that it was one of the BEST shows I've ever seen!!! We all agreed that although Cirque du Soleil was technically excellent, Circus Oz was more engaging & entertaining. A couple of the cast members talked to Jasmine before the show started, and another later mocked her when she laughed at a tense moment, so she really felt involved & loved every minute of it. I'd recommend it to anyone & everyone and can't wait to see the next show they bring to Hobart :D</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We also took Jasmine to play her first game of Minigolf. It was bucketing down that day, so we chose the indoor course. Suffice to say, it's something we will be doing more regularly.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Silly face time</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'd been umming & ahhing about heading to Deloraine in Northern Tassie for the annual Tasmanian Craft Fair. When Jasmine saw the ad on TV for it, she got very excited & wanted to check it out. A few days before hand, we received our new tent in the mail. A few families we know had suggested camping as a group, so we thought we'd better get some gear together. Jasmine & I set up the tent, slept in it for a night, then I took it down a couple of days later. I had been thinking of maybe going up the night before & camping at the caravan park so we didn't have to drive so much (3 hours each way) on the same day. When I worked out how long it would take to set up the tent, especially taking into account the fact that it would be near dark when we got there, and then packing everything up in the morning, I figured we'd be better off sleeping in our own beds & getting up early. We left about an hour later than planned, but still got there at a time we'd usually still be asleep. We paid the exorbitant entry fee & started looking around. Tired family, hot weather & big crowds weren't a good mix, but we still had the chance to admire some amazing artists & craftspeople, many of whom reminded me just how far I have to go to produce the type of jewellery I'd really like to be doing. Jasmine got her face painted & we ended up spending FARRRRR more money than we had planned, meaning we've had to be rather frugal since. We finished the day with dinner at the <a href="http://www.empirehoteldeloraine.com.au/?page=5">Empire Hotel</a> (really impressive food) & a roll down the banks of the Meander River before making the trek back home.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The day before we went up there, I had the realisation that our sick, elderly cat Bonni had not been seen since the previous afternoon. It was totally out of character for her not to come inside for the night. When she didn't show up that night either, I came to the conclusion she wasn't coming back. Neither D nor myself sensed her around the place & I really believed she had passed. The horrible part was not knowing where she was for closure. I shed a few tears on the drive North. To our absolute amazement, when we came home after dance class the next day, there she was stumbling around the front yard. The poor thing was so skinny - I don't think she'd eaten in those 3 days - but she's made up for it now. Apart from the carcinoma on her head, she's now deaf & blind, but hanging in there. She's eating well (still has her sense of smell) & can manoeuvre her way around the house & through the cat door to the outside enclosure, but she's definitely not allowed out the front door again - far too risky. She probably hasn't got all that long to go, but I know she'll let us know when it's time to make "that" call. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Waiting for Gymfest <br />to begin</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last weekend, Jasmine performed in the annual Gymfest. It was the first term of rhythmic gymnastics after swapping from trampolining and I think she did really well. She was a bit tired & hungry after her performance, but on the way back to the car, she excitedly said she wanted to do it all again & had <i>totally</i> made up her mind to continue with rhythmic next year. I just love watching her do things that she really loves :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Proud of her soap</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Our 'Hobart Natural Learners Co-op' is coming along nicely, with everyone getting along very well & having fun each week. This week's activity was felted soaps, with fleece, froth & bubble wrap a-plenty. There was also bubble blowing & a water play table for the younger ones. It was lovely to see the girls playing together more & developing story lines to guide their games. We also celebrated the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1st birthday </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of one of our youngest members :)</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8L9b8KDOAqM/TsPBFaLfphI/AAAAAAAAANM/44_WFpFhYEE/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8L9b8KDOAqM/TsPBFaLfphI/AAAAAAAAANM/44_WFpFhYEE/s320/016.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While we were setting up our tent a couple of weeks back, Jasmine asked me what school was like. She said, "Do the teachers boss you around all the time?" to which I replied, "Well, you are expected to do what the teacher asks of you, when they ask you to do it. There are about 30 other children in the class and you usually all do the same thing at the same time."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She pondered for a moment before saying, "But they teach you to write there, don't they?" I smiled, somewhat amused, and said, "Yes, just as I have been trying to help you for a long time, but you have not wanted to do it." She gave a knowing smile back and said, "I think I'm ready now." She's still not overly keen on workbooks, but has had a bit of a play with Spellodrome. So far, I'd been focussing on phonics, but I think throwing some more sight words in there might better suit her learning style. I've been trying some of the techniques recommended <a href="http://www.spellinglab.com/">here</a> and it seems to be helping. The other thing she's doing more of is copying things others have written, particularly during her early morning Skype sessions with her Aunt who's in London. Some may call it collusion, others might say it's the motivation she needs to write ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7fdyZMS718/TspkUbJc5NI/AAAAAAAAANw/6gquvryqIPo/s1600/ears+pierced+16-11-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7fdyZMS718/TspkUbJc5NI/AAAAAAAAANw/6gquvryqIPo/s400/ears+pierced+16-11-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice try kiddo ;)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'll leave you with this photo. Bucket of chicken, anyone???</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor Emily o_O</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-68804213366971226302011-10-23T16:28:00.000+11:002011-10-23T16:28:24.263+11:00Show Day<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the last few weeks, every time an ad for the Royal Hobart Show appeared on TV, a certain young child would call me into the room with some urgency, only to ask, "Can we go there???"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Alright, so off to the Show. We decided to go on the Friday as that was fireworks night. We got there about 1.45pm & started with the animals. We worked our way around the various displays & rides. The favourite activity was trampolining with a harness & bungee cords - something she was more than happy to pay with out of her own pocket money. We still ended up spending more than planned, but it was worth it to see Jasmine enjoying herself so much. Here's some happy snaps.....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-87285960481542241442011-10-20T17:42:00.000+11:002011-10-20T17:42:49.491+11:00September - October 2011<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Again, life has got in the way of blogging, but I at least had the foresight to make notes along the way this time ;)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">OK, here's a summary of the last 7 weeks.....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Upon our return from Darwin, we decided we needed a fun family day. Having enjoyed her time in the motel swimming pools in Darwin, Jasmine was insanely keen on going to the Hobart Aquatic Centre. She has gained so much water confidence lately - although not enough to enjoy the large water slide. Still, the fact that she was willing to try was a huge step for her :) I think we'll be at the local pool a fair bit this Summer!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- A few weeks ago, the movie 'Hairspray' was on TV. Jasmine was questioning some of what she saw, which lead to a lesson on racism & segregation. Such concepts were quickly deemed to be "stupid", which was a proud Mummy moment.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- She's been gorging herself on Mathletics, particularly counting by 2/5/10, probability, mass, data and capacity in the 'Rainforest Maths' section. She found most of the Gr 1 level too easy, declaring, "I'm a little bit older, you know". :D So she's sitting somewhere between Gr1 & Gr 3 concepts. Mind you, I tried suggesting Mathletics & Spellodrome to her today & she stormed off because I was "trying to make her do spelling", after which she had no interest in maths, either. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- Jasmine has discovered Science and LOVES doing experiments. She particularly liked the 'peeling a raw egg' eggsperiment using an egg & vinegar, which was a good chance to talk acids, bases, CO2 production & ion transfer. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We also grew a stalactite & stalagmite using epsom salts. I'll have to get some copper sulphate crystals to make some pretty blue ones like I used to do as a kid :D We also tried making a cloud in a jar, but that was a flop, unfortunately.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Other adventures include....</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Making lotsa lasagne </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> Losing teeth (with another lost since this pic)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Random pheasant visitations</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Playing with slaters (wood lice)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Slightly overcooked <a href="http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2011/01/gluten-free-pizza-base.html">Gluten free pizza base</a> for a picnic lunch</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The solar system model we painted months ago has finally been assembled, sans Saturn. I think we'll need to get a replacement as I can't find it anywhere.<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Amongst all that frivolity, there has been more sadness for our family. Jasmine's Nonno passed away, 2 months & 1 day since the accident that killed her Aunt & Uncle. We travelled to Sydney last week for the funeral. Despite being a sad occasion, it was great to see Jasmine playing with her 8 cousins. They are all early-mid teens, but throw a jumping castle into the mix & age is irrelevant ;)</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V8eWe5h2odI/Tp-vmBFWjSI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/869CfA1nXTw/s1600/P1200353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V8eWe5h2odI/Tp-vmBFWjSI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/869CfA1nXTw/s320/P1200353.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now we're settling in at home again & just hoping that there are no further tragedies for some time! Jasmine has changed from trampolining to rhythmic gymnastics this term & is absolutely loving it. Another new activity is gathering with other unschoolers at the Hobart Natural Learning Co-op. This group is the brainchild of some lovely <a href="http://owlet-designs.blogspot.com/">Owlets</a> and I think it's going to be a great addition to our weekly schedule. Our first meet went really well & we took advantage of a gorgeous Spring day to make & fly kites. The wind was slightly lacking, but there were occasional gusts to get them airborne.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1171886679912196473.post-66344214733170387662011-09-01T04:22:00.001+10:002011-09-01T04:23:52.712+10:00An August not to remember, but never to forgetOn the morning of Sunday 7th August, hubby got a call from his sister in Darwin. The other sister who lives there had been involved in a car accident. Their car was hit by a fire truck. She & her husband were in a critical condition & one other man was killed instantly. Another walked away physically unharmed.<br />
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It was one of those surreal moments no one ever wants to encounter. The shock, the denial, the worry. An hour or so later, the second call came. SIL had not made it. It was the 13th birthday of their eldest son that day & they have another who turned 11 only a few weeks before. We prayed that they would still have a father to care for them, however over the next couple of days, it became apparent he was losing the battle. Hubby wanted to go to Darwin ASAP to say goodbye Four days after the accident, the machines were switched off & our BIL also died. Oh, those poor boys!<br />
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Jasmine & I got to Darwin a couple of days later, after organising someone to look after our pets & making all the necessary arrangements. Days & nights were filled with phone calls, text messages, emails & car journeys as we made all the necessary arrangements. Hubby is a co-executor of both wills, so there was extra pressure on top of the grief he was feeling. I really felt for Jasmine, being caught up in this whirlwind of emotion and activity and being dragged all over the shop. It was 2C when we left Hobart & 32C in Darwin, and Jasmine was pretty well overwhelmed by the tropical climate. There were a couple of days I just had to stay at the motel with her so she could chill out & have a bit of down-time. <br />
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BIL & SIL were both architects & had their own architectural company. Darwin's a small place & they were astoundingly well known, having designed not only private homes, but also many public buildings & recreational areas. We visited some of their buildings & got to really appreciate the depth of their talent that saw them win 6 architectural awards only a few weeks before the accident. We'd talk to people in shops or at the markets & they'd start to cry because they had known one or both of them. That sense of community there was awesome!<br />
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The funeral was on 15th of August - hubby's birthday. I feel sad for both him & our nephew that their birthdays will now forever be linked to those memories. The service was long and Jasmine did so well to sit through it. She did have a meltdown afterwards - a combination of no breakfast & sensory overload. I was on my way to get some food for her when she lost it. She was fine once she'd eaten something, but still preferred to sit away from the main crowd of people.<br />
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That evening, there was a get together for family & colleagues at the Darwin Entertainment Centre - one of the buildings they had refurbished. There was a poster up for a show that was playing - "<a href="http://www.gooligulch.com.au/about.html">My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch</a>" based on the book by Graeme Base. Jasmine & her Dad talked to a couple of the staff there & ended up buying tickets for the show. It was really enjoyable family entertainment & a nice distraction from the rest of the day. We then went across the road to a Chinese restaurant & had a lovely dinner with just the three of us. It was much-needed & I wanted to make sure hubby got to celebrate his birthday in spite of everything else.<br />
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We stayed on for a couple of days with plans just to have a bit of R&R time, but there were still lots of things to take care of. Jasmine & I came home on the Thursday as planned, albeit 7 hours late due to flight delays. As we were stuck in Melbourne for 6 of those hours, rather than be bored senseless at the airport, we caught a bus it into the city. We grabbed a visitors guide once we got there & debated whether to re-visit the Museum that we'd been to 2 years ago & she'd always wanted to go back to, or whether to go to the <a href="http://www.melbourneaquarium.com.au/home">Melbourne Aquarium</a>. The Aquarium won...and she loved it. I was just kicking myself that I hadn't brought my camera with me, figuring hubby had his. There would have been some great shots. Her favourite part was being allowed to lift a sea star out of a small display box & place it back in the main tank. <br />
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After we'd finished there, we headed to the Crown entertainment complex to find what was called a circus, but was in fact, a games arcade (AKA casino 'lite'). We had a game of air hockey (yeahhhhh!!!), had a look around & decided it wasn't really what we'd expected. The next trick was to figure out where we were to walk back to the bus station. After a false start, we found our way back & hopped on the bus back to the airport. Jetstar had given us each a $10 voucher, so we got some dinner then headed to the gate to wait to board our plane. Having been awake since 4am after only 3 hours sleep, we finally got home just before midnight. Oh, how nice it was!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHlG5TVyQq4/Tl5u_kPUY2I/AAAAAAAAAIA/HBnybLW_Fuk/s1600/P1190206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wHlG5TVyQq4/Tl5u_kPUY2I/AAAAAAAAAIA/HBnybLW_Fuk/s200/P1190206.JPG" width="132" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hJUoTfvxuTg/Tl5vEiLInxI/AAAAAAAAAIE/cAfipfcGDr4/s1600/P1190229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hJUoTfvxuTg/Tl5vEiLInxI/AAAAAAAAAIE/cAfipfcGDr4/s200/P1190229.JPG" width="132" /></a>On the Saturday, Jasmine had her 'end of year' dance concert. Normally held in November, it was brought forward this year as the teacher is moving away. She really enjoyed performing & did well. Thankfully, there was enough time between the Dog Dance for Contemporary and her Ballet performance to change costumes. We're going to miss her teacher, but the new teacher comes highly recommended & a couple of my friends who know her tell me she's absolutely lovely.<br />
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I was a shame hubby couldn't be there for the concert, but we have videos & there'll be plenty more concerts to come, I'm sure! He was due to fly back on the Thursday after us, but took a detour to Sydney to see his Dad. We'd received a phone call at 12.30am on the morning of the funeral from the nursing home to say FIL had been coughing up blood & he was heading off to the hospital. After a few days of a fever & pneumonia, he had improved enough to be discharged back to the nursing home. A couple of days later, he relapsed & was back in hospital. They were talking morphine to keep him comfortable until the end. So after more wrangling with airlines, we got hubby to Sydney for a few days, where his Dad cashed in another of his nine lives & was sent back to the nursing home once more. His end is drawing ever closer, but thankfully, we will have a bit more time to mourn the passing of two family members before losing another. As it is, I don't think our eldest cat (just turned 17) has long to go before her body is overwhelmed by cancer & we'll be burying her in the garden next to Crusty. <br />
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So yes, it's been one Hell of a month. I'm just waiting for this cycle of deaths to end. So many people have passed this year. There has to be a turn-around soon. There have been good moments in there, like getting to know my other SIL better & seeing people & places we wouldn't have otherwise, but I'm ready for the Universe to switch gears a bit. It's hard trying to meet Jasmine's needs when the cup runneth low and I'm feeling guilty that she's not getting as much time from us or as many opportunities to learn & interact with people as she needs right now. She's going through another growth spurt & there is definitely developmental progress happening, so this is an important time for her. <br />
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I will sign off with a photo of the last time we saw SIL & BIL. They travelled to Tassie in December 2008 & spent a bit of time bushwalking around Cradle Mountain before staying at our place for a few days over Christmas. Hubby had been here for a little while, but Jasmine & I had only moved into the house the day before they arrived here and we had MIL & FIL here, too - all bunked on the floor in Jasmine's empty single bedroom. It was squishy....and challenging.... but we have some lovely memories of their time here. They were devoted parents who loved sharing adventures with their kids. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Riposa in pace xxx</div><br />
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Mamayalihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09381395081577670368noreply@blogger.com1