Generational Choices

When it came time for ALW to start studying a foreign language he chose Italian. For a few days I tried to convince him to study Spanish. Spanish is close to Italian and immensely more practical. He stood firm. See what you get when you give a child a choice!

A few days after our discussion I received a book from my mom about her father’s, father Michael  written by her cousin Tom. Micheal lived in northern Italy. Around 1885 he stowaway on a boat bound for America.

The Week in Pictures

June 19-24 in photos
chickens, peonies, strawberries... oh my!

Little Changes

I’m one of those rare people who actually like to do laundry. I like the sorting into orderly defined piles. I like the swish, swish as the clothes tumble around in the washer. I have a front loader. It is mesmerizing to watch the material, water and soap scramble and tumble around each other. I love the scent of laundry drying so much that my daughter gave me bubble bath called fresh cotton. I even like to iron. This is a good thing because I’ve started washing and ironing all of Mr. W’s dress shirts.

Earn Your Degree in Home Education

Studying the works and methods of other home educators is a great way to get started or to bolster your own home education efforts. When you add in your final project (getting a child successfully to the education level you planned, for me that is to college), write up your final report (in the form of an ongoing journal, diary or blog posts), and give back to your community (helping other families get started with home education) you have earned the equivalent of a bachelors or masters degree.

Best Pizza Dough

We make our pizza's from scratch (as much as we can, I do buy the pepperoni and cheese). One reasons we do this is they taste SO much better than just about any restaurant. I like Round Table (Maui Zaui with their zesty red sauce) but my kids insist mine are the best (so sweet). I think I like Round Table because I don't have to clean up after cooking (I don't mind cooking but the clean up after...yeck). I've been making pizzas for 20 years. This is the recipe that I've developed.

Self-reliance, an introduction

Self-reliance 

 “the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the necessities of life for self and family”

Look to the Possiblities

Recently, several challenges have presented themselves to Mr. W and I. Dealing with all this “stuff” can be daunting. These aren’t issues we are taking lightly, we’ve talked of them, prayed about them, meditated over the course to take and we can’t, at this moment, see a clear way through but I have hope solutions will be reached.

Love Scene Contest

The AMAZING Gabriela Lessa (http://aspiringwriterworld.blogspot.com/2011/06/love-all-year-long-contest-with-prizes.html) is hosting a Love Scene contest in honor of Brazil's Valentine's Day. I have a soft spot in my heart for Brazil as my oldest son has been serving a mission in the Sao Paulo area for the past 15 months.

Selfishness-Selflessness

I yesterday had a conversation with someone who’s been in a12 step program for a year. He said, “For many years I thought I was a generous and caring person. Now I understand most of what I did was motivated from selfishness.”

It's been a while, what I've been doing....

I’ve been coming to a deeper understanding of grief. My father, Randy Lee Teach, passed away April 19.