boundless voice

giving thanks for all kinds of things!

2012-01-24T11:07:00.001-05:00

Aaaahhh, a little catching up to do, and I got about half of this written, but something happened with the computer and it didn't get saved, so I begin again, with even more catching up.... But, I digress. And work backwards.

Mon. 23 Jan.: I give thanks for new friends. I've been hearing about a 'this really cool chic' named Kristy through my friend Chloe for a few years now, and we recently connected both through Chloe and through the homeschool community. She has three awesome kids too, and they came over today. We enjoyed great interesting conversation, yummy snacks, and the kids got acquainted with one another. Looking forward to more.

Sun. 22 Jan.: I give thanks for working together. Some high school friends came over today. We are planning our class' first reunion - the 20th. It's so interesting that here we are, having lived twenty years of life, coming together so that we can help others come together too. And of course, Facebook and the internet make this so much easier. :) I'm thankful for that too.

Sat. 21 Jan.: I give thanks for cleanliness and order. We spent a good portion of the day tending biz, and it's a much better vibe when the place is at least somewhat tidy and clean. Atom and the kids played outside in the sunshine for quite awhile too, and the kids helped him stack some wood on the front porch. I give thanks for fresh air and sunshine too.

Fri. 20 Jan.: I give thanks for science. Inquiry, reasoning, exploration, postulating, proving theories. So satisfying for our minds that want to understand everything.
     Atom went to Brennan's for a little 'Zombie night'. While he was gone, the kids and I did some drawing, and we read from a science book we have, simply titled Science by Time for Learning. It's a great overview, and it's fun that Phoenix is getting old enough to participate in the conversation; we ask questions, guess answers, read a bit, look at the pictures, they interject, Adobe gives real-life examples, they laugh, get excited, and on to the next bit.

Thurs. 19 Jan.: I give thanks for not having to pay for repairs when living in a rental. We had some sorely needed maintenance work done around here today and yesterday, and times are a bit tight, so it's really great not to have to choose between 'just dealing with it' or dipping into savings to pay hundreds for a plumber and electrician.

Wed. 18 Jan.: I give thanks for running water. I said before that 'I give thanks for (relatively) clean water to bathe in, cleanse with, and drink.' I would love to have clean, pristine, pure, unpoisoned water running through my back yard. If that were the case, I wouldn't even mind having to go outside to get it. But, seeing as that is not the case, I sure am thankful for the modern convenience that brings water right to our taps, and hot at that!

Tues. 17 Jan.: I give thanks for slow, cozy days. We stayed in today. Mostly. The kids did go outside and play for a little bit, and I kept the fire going, but we mostly hung out and read, did some lessons, projects, some cleaning, some playing, Papa did the grocery shopping in the evening, we had dinner, watched a little something, and went to bed.

Mon. 16 Jan.: I give thanks for creativity and daydreaming. David, Kate, and Corriell came over for the afternoon. I love them, some of my favorite people in the whole universe.
     Kate and David are good friends of ours who met independently of me. I knew Kate from my Corcoran days - she was actually my pottery teacher there - wheel-throwing - when I was pregnant with Adobe (even though she's 2 years my junior ;), and although we were intrigued by each other, we didn't get to know each other well until after she and David became a couple a few years back.
     Well, with them, they brought a Costa Rica fantasy. It's not the first time I've had one. It's been on & off for years, even though I've yet to go there. But Kate and David, who have been there, are rekindling that fantasy, and honestly, I've never heard a bad thing about Costa Rica.
     What sounds really lovely is if we could do a year-long experiment, rent a large house together, our two families, for a relatively cheap price, put some feelers out, and see what happens.... Longer term, what would be ideal is if we could work in such a way to be able to spend chunks of time in both places. Must verbalize the fantasies.
     And here's what the kids were up to while we fantasized.

the lovely Corriell


Phoe workin' his dough


Corriell's dough person

Adobe making a little crown


Phoe's dough head

Sun. 15 Jan.: I give thanks for the bounty of nature. We bought this mushroom growing kit - either from MOM's or Trader Joe's - and they are taking off, right on our kitchen rack. It's a cool project. They are easy to grow oyster mushrooms, and hopefully they'll be yummy. The stuff in the box (which it grows out of) looks like some dense molded stuff with coffee grounds in it. And the mushrooms coming out of there look beautiful.

Sat. 14 Jan.: I give thanks for true love. This one is a little long.

     You know how you've heard those stories of people meeting online, say through eHarmony or something like that, and they fall in love, and it's for real, they get married, and all that?! I've got one to share. My friend Laura met Matt through eHarmony, having joined on a fluke, and then carried on merely friendly conversation with him daily for a couple months as a romance slowly began to kindle, then over a few more months fanned to a full flame. Now they have had two extended visits in person here, and they are getting married in the end of June! Sounds a little crazy right?! But guess what, it doesn't feel that way at all. When you see the two of them together, it's like the most natural thing in the world. And Laura has three kids who adore him who have also been corresponding regularly with him (thanks again to FB) and welcome him into their lives. This evening, we spent the evening with Matt in the fold for the third time, laughed, told stories, had some serious notes, ate a delicious dinner, and toasted to a fabulous future for all. Lovely story.
     Which reminds me of my own, totally different lovely story. How I came to be with my true love, Atom. I'll have to devote a whole future post to that one.

Fri. 13 Jan.: I give thanks for healing. We spent the evening at our good friend Chloe's house - the one who, as mentioned previously, has gone through a really difficult phase in her life and is continuing on into a new phase, thankfully with an amazing amount of strength, love, and support. This was the most time, and the best time, we have had together in years. There was healing energy in the house, for all.
     I love this woman and her children dearly. We connected when I was going through a difficult period too, about 8 years ago, and we have been close ever since, even if months go by where we barely see or even talk to each other. She held me up, literally, while I birthed my son Phoenix, and during that labor she was my main support other than Atom, and in addition to the midwife and birth assistant.
     It pains me so much when someone I love is suffering, and I am thankful it is true that 'This too shall pass'. Sometimes we must remember that again, and again, and again.

Until next time....

giving thanks for my mother, inspired cooking, and the arts

2012-01-13T11:20:00.003-05:00

mom's cute webcam pic for her FB page

Tues., Jan. 10: I give thanks for my mother. She conceived me (with some help of course) and carried me in her womb, labored for 36 hours, and bears a scar where they finally decided to cut her open and remove me from her body. Though I did not grow up with her (I was raised by my father from birth) we have always had a great relationship, one that has only grown deeper with time. Those of you who know me well know the full story here - perhaps I will write it some time. She is one of my best friends, one of the wisest women I know, and always a voice of reason in my life.

Wed., Jan. 11: I give thanks for spontaneous inspiration in the kitchen. Growing up, I think my dad may have cooked for us a total of 10 times, or maybe a few more, but I think at least half of those meals were hot dog sandwiches or franks and beans. We ate out a lot of the time. Sometimes, Eileen, my half-brother's mom who lived under us in the first-floor apartment of the house I grew up in, would cook dinner for me, but I didn't usually witness the process.

I did not grow up around anyone preparing meals. The only memories I can really think of where I witnessed some major cooking was at my aunt's and granddad's on holidays, and that was some major cooking that went on for hours and hours, resulting in quite a feast, where you eat on and off all day. Now, I'm a wife, and a mother of three, and there has definitely been a bit of a learning curve here. I discovered in my adult years that I'm a pretty good 'intuitive' cook, meaning I keep healthy ingredients around and can usually hook up a good meal by throwing some of those ingredients together.

However, cooking for yourself or one other person is one thing. And, I've done alot of eating out in my adult years for sure, esp. since so many were spent leading a hustle 'n' bustle kinda life. Now, I'm responsible for providing 3 meals a day for 3 other people (baby Din is still pretty exclusively on my milk) and myself. This is no small feat. Honestly, I'm usually wingin' it. I'm not a recipe kinda gal. Meal planning sounds nice, but it's not very realistic for me, given that I'm the type of person who often has difficulty planning beyond the next hour, except for really important things of course. My main strategy is simply to keep good, healthy, yummy food around, and then see what comes together when it's time to eat. (We don't have set meal times either.)

So what led to this post was a bit of spontaneous genius in the kitchen on Wednesday night. At shortly after 7 pm, I thought, hmmm, what should we have for dinner? I thawed some chicken in the nuker (in the basement - I resort to its' use in emergencies only ;), scrambled two eggs in coconut oil, added some frozen veggie fried rice to that, a few squirts of Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and threw the chicken in a separate pan with olive oil, drizzled with raw cider vinegar, added some Celtic sea salt and other spices, and then some fresh garlic. Sounds good, but kinda a typical meal around here, and Atom and I have both been getting a bit 'bored' with food, so... I decided to put the rice on a corn tortilla, topped with the chicken, and then topped with a slice of cheese. Popped into the toaster oven to melt the cheese, and voila! Delicious. Yummy yum.

Thurs., Jan. 12: I give thanks for the arts, all kinds, for they have the ability to give voice to the heart, mind, and spirit, and release, inspire, feel understood, bring joy, and heal. There has been a lot of grieving, reflecting, spontaneous weeping, and ruminating going on of late, off & on over the past few months. (See a past post here and the FB page of a friend who left this world a few weeks ago here.) It is making my thyroid ache. As I said in that previous post, so much of the weeping and sorrow is not for my own grief, but for others' suffering. I am an empath, and I think part of my purpose is to help transmute those very difficult emotions. I just have to be careful not to let them get stuck in my body.

One of the things that helps me with that is listening to good music, and especially music that makes me want to sing. So, yesterday I was listening to this really awesome album, 'Be OK' by Ingrid Michaelson. Over and over. It felt so good. In fact, I think I'm gonna put it on repeat again, right now. It's so awesome how sometimes just the right music comes on at just the right time, speaking to your life. In this case, I felt like it was speaking more to my dear friend (who has just gone through the most difficult time of her life) than it was to me, but it helped, and I sang and sang, and sent her love all the while.

(As a sidenote, if you're suffering, or have ever felt suicidal: Just don't get caught up listening to some sad music over and over while drinking copious amounts of alcohol when you're depressed. That's a bad idea. Switch it up. Feel the misery, for a little while. Then find something that gives you some shred of hope and happiness. If you can't force yourself to stop wallowing, find a kid, yours or someone else's and hug them, play with them for 5 minutes. That will make you feel better, at least for a little while. Most kids have this great intuitive sense that tells them when you need a really good hug or a laugh.)

We hosted our co-op/tribe at our house yesterday. I gave a lesson with a brief overview of the history of art from cave painting to the present, looking at the trends and styles that evolved over time, and the factors that influenced those trends. And then, we painted. Anything we wanted. And it felt so good. Here are ours. The pics aren't great - I just took them on the webcam, but I'll share anyway.

Phoe's painting: acrylic on cardboard.

Adobe's painting - her variation of Genevra DaBenci: acrylic on canvas

my painting - in progress still: acrylic on masonite

My thanks for the arts is so infinite that I could write a whole book on it. There will be more to come on the matter, I'm sure, but this post has been long enough already. Visual and performing arts have pervaded my life for as long as I can remember. My given name, Artis Mooney, aptly translates to 'wealth of art'. Artis - Latin - 'of art'; Mooney - Gaelic - 'wealth'.

XO

giving thanks for my life, physical work, and lovely weather

2012-01-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

Sat., Jan 7: I give thanks for my life. We went to a memorial service for a friend who chose to leave this world at the young age of 28. The outpouring of love for this person was tremendous, and he left behind a family and huge crew of friends who will miss his presence so very much. Life is such a gift, to be treasured, and though the road can be insufferable at times, we must always remember that others suffer too, that no matter how great our suffering, someone has it worse, and that 'this too shall pass'. Count your blessings, and keep moving forward.

me & my sweeties in our backyard. what you see is only a small fraction of the wood around here. good exercise. :)

Sun., Jan 8: I give thanks for physical work and a healthy body. I stacked a ton of wood on the front porch today (all of which my darling husband first cut and stacked at the back and side of the house) - which was a good thing apparently, since we got snow yesterday. I love work like this; it can be very meditative for me. I am so happy to have a body that works well, with no major aches and pains, in cooperation with my mind and spirit. During my last pregnancy I was so incredibly sore for a good number of months that I really understood how difficult it must be to live with chronic pain that never goes away. At least I knew, or hoped, that mine would subside once this lovely little being finally emerged into the world. I cannot imagine suffering like that with no end in sight. I will offer the insight, however, that meditation helped me tremendously with the pain, on the days I had the wherewithal to make myself sit mindfully still for at least ten minutes.

Mon., Jan 9: I give thanks for the weather! The snow was lovely, and it's nice to have a change of seasons, change of scenery, change of ambience, and yes, even a change of temperature. It's so silly when we complain about the weather, and some people always seem to want it to be something other than what it is. I love it all. True, I'm a bit wimpy about the cold in wintertime, however, I have my awesome wood stove and that makes it so much more enjoyable. I love keeping the fire burnin'.

giving thanks for networks

2012-01-06T11:34:00.002-05:00

Jan 5: I give thanks for my awesome homeschool tribe. We went to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester for the day with some of our posse, and everyone had such a great time. If you've never been there, well worth the trip. Similar to the way DC Children's Museum was set up for those of you who grew up in the area, except way smaller. Totally awesome. We wrapped it up at a yummy Thai restaurant there on the pedestrian mall a few doors down, and then stopped by a coffee shop a couple more doors down to refuel for the ride home while the kids ran around outside a bit longer.

These mommas and their kids (shout out to Kristen, Melanie, and Stephanie) are such a vibrant part of our network, and I'm so thankful for our freedom to explore and learn in a natural & fun way.

Jan 6: I give thanks for Facebook. Yes, it's true. Such a great centralized wealth of information, a great virtual community, a great voice for those who want to share their thoughts with any segment of 'their' public, whether mundane or profound, a great place to network, and of course, a great place to reconnect.

What are you thankful for?

I give thanks....

2012-01-04T15:47:00.002-05:00

Another long break from actually blogging as I continue to write many many posts in my mind that will eventually find their way here, even if it takes another 5 years....

It was an intense autumn, filled mostly with lots of goodness and business that made me feel at times totally overwhelmed, but inspired and fulfilled at the same time, intermingled with some sadness that I explain in detail in a past post below; and an intense start to winter, with some very sad news on Christmas day, hitting during this time of year ('the Holidays') when I always feel so much conflicted emotion anyway, all of which I will explain later in another post.

So here we are, 2012 Space Odyssey. :) I do love something about this time of year - the days begin to get longer, which helps to deal with the cold, and while I am not one to declare a list of New Year's Resolutions, I look to the natural cycle of life for inspiration in this time of hibernation, incubation, renewal, and rebirth. I am a firm believer that we should reinvent ourselves anytime we see fit, whether it be simply a shift in attitude or perspective in a given moment, or change on a grander scale.

bat-leaf passionflower at the Botanic Gardens in DC

As I reflect upon what a challenging year 2011 was for so many people in my life and around the globe, the main feeling that bubbles up from my soul about this year and the coming times is thankfulness. I want to put even more focus on that than I usually do, and remember every single day the myriad things I have to be thankful for. And I want to write more. So, I endeavor to state every single day at least one thing that I am thankful for. It may be a simple one-line post, or more. And, since I do at times have a penchant for procrastination, perhaps at times more than one day will be condensed into a post. Alas, I'm late in beginning. So, 4 days' worth to start:

Jan 1: I give thanks for my incredibly stimulating, fiery, quirky, inspiring, and loveable husband and children.
Jan 2: I give thanks for (relatively) clean water to bathe in, cleanse with, and drink.
Jan 3: I give thanks for having a warm and safe place to live.
Jan 4: I give thanks for dear friends near & far who stimulate my mind, heart, & soul.

Any thoughts you want to share in reflection of 2011 or going into 2012? Click the pencil...

the ocean in our backyard

2011-10-17T11:14:00.000-04:00

Warning: These are a bit loud. :)

This was such awesome fun this weekend. This enormous blue tarp was one of a few that Atom had purchased back in February/March to keep the birth tub from leaking. (Oh, yeah, I still have to share that whole story sometime....) Why is it sooo huge? Because we were in a pinch (or so we thought - baby still didn't come for weeks after this purchase), and this is what he could find....

our future masterpiece as it was

So, this enormous big blue tarp, which was folded over many times and placed as one of many layers into a leaky birth tub, looking like a big blue plastic nest, has been being used to cover the super cool old phone booth Atom acquired, that is being refinished for an art installation. Gonna be so pretty.

With all the rain lately, the tarp had gotten pretty soaked, so to dry it out, we had spread it out on the ground, and then Atom decided to clip one end to the clothesline. Since it was a windy weekend, and the wind happened to be eastward, which was just the right direction, the results were fabulous! (It was an incidental bonus, right Atom, or was this intentional?) This kept the kids entertained, hoopin' and hollerin', for hours and hours on both Saturday and Sunday.

adobe & phoenix in the tarp ocean

And what a great lesson on aerodynamics in action, without us needing to say a word about it, to intellectualize it, or explain - just for them to see, and feel, and experience the joy of it.

surfin' waves in the tarp ocean

It dawns on me in retrospect that perhaps this is how Christo & Jeanne-Claude got started, with a happy accident.... If you don't know who they are, check them out. They adorn large stretches of land and other things with fabric. Well, really, if you're familiar with their work, that's a huge understatement. Their next undertaking is 'Over the River' - the Arkansas River:

"Over The River is a temporary work of art by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Christo plans to suspend 5.9 miles of silvery, luminous fabric panels high above the Arkansas River along a 42-mile stretch of the river between Salida and Cañon City in south-central Colorado.
Christo is currently working to obtain the necessary permits so that his team can begin the installation process. He is hoping to exhibit Over The River for two consecutive weeks in August, 2014."

This ocean we've discovered in our backyard is so awesome, I don't know if I ever want to take it down.

birth & death, & everything in between

2011-10-13T08:20:00.004-04:00

a grave marker in the beautiful Sierra Vista Cemetary in Taos, NM

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,

there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,

the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase each other

doesn't make any sense."

Rumi

It's been an emotional few weeks. Quite a bit of weeping.

Mitakuye Oyasin. We are all related. I do believe that beyond these bodies, we are all one, and the sentiment of this poem by Rumi resonates deeply with me - yet still, the reality of mortality can be hard to deal with.

Two weeks ago today, our dear sweet neighbor and landlord Mr. Bowyer passed away. I truly miss him and wish that we had spent more time with him. His presence was comforting, and pretty much every warm day that we had, he would be out in his wheelchair, either in his beautiful big backyard, or occasionally in the front driveway. Adobe liked to take friends over to meet him, outside or in the house. He had an open-door policy. He was a real sweetheart, and I feel that he loved knowing there was a nice family here enjoying this house, which we do, so much. I wish that we had had him over for dinner sometime, which just seemed like it would be tricky because of his big automatic wheelchair, with both entrances to the house being a few steps up, but I really wish now that we had made it happen, somehow.
     My heart aches when I'm in the kitchen, where I'd always look out the window and see him across the yard getting fresh air and sunshine. My heart aches any time I look over at the house, and think about the fact that he (his living body) is no longer there, and his grandson, who's just a couple years older than me, is now there alone, after all these years of living with him, and helping to care for him, and being his buddy. But I know that he is still here, I feel his spirit around us, over the trees and the grass, and the houses, and I talk to him.
     I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to pay last respects while there was still breath in his body. I wept so much on the way to the hospital, going into the room, and when I was saying goodbye to him. I wish that I had had a couple minutes alone with him, but the room was full of family members and his caretakers. I wanted so much just to give him a little Reiki, and a kiss on the cheek. I did whisper in his ear that we loved him and would miss him so much. And even though he was unconscious, I know he heard me.
   Yes, he was not a member of my blood family, but I love him, and this is my first experience really of 'losing' someone that I am used to seeing on a regular basis. The only other family member who has passed on was my grandfather, and I loved him so much, but I hadn't seen him for ten years. In both cases, there is regret, and things I wish I'd done when they were alive.
   My granddad's funeral is the only one I've been to. Mr. Bowyer's is delayed until January, because it will be at Arlington Cemetary, and they are booked up. My granddad's viewing and funeral gave me great comfort & closure - I wept over him, and kissed him, and stroked his hair, and his Buddha earlobes, and talked to him, and told him how much I loved him. He looked so small lying there, a shell of the big robust man I knew, so full of life, the man who threw great parties on the holidays for his family, who would sing, and tell stories, and enlist me and my cousins to perform for him, much in the way he did with my mother and her sister apparently.

This morning, I am attending another funeral. Two days ago, my dance teacher (from age 7 to 18), Ms. Sparks, passed on. More regrets. I have been talking for years about going to visit her, right here in Arlington, and never did. I'm so thankful though for the many great memories that I have of her from my childhood, and for the focus she brought to my childhood, the influence she had on my life, and the training she gave me, which along with others, helped me to support myself by teaching dance for many of my adult years. I did get a chance to thank her, many years ago, but I wish that I had gone and told her these things again, and told her how much I loved her. Today, I will be doing alot more weeping, I'm sure.

I weep for the pain of our knowledge of our own mortality.
I weep for the pain that causes my father, and for the wish that he will find resolve with this before his time comes.
I weep for the pain and sorrow of loved ones who miss that special person they will see no more.
I weep for the pain of humanity.
I weep for the pain of mothers and fathers who have lost a child.
I weep for the pain of children who have lost their parents.
I weep for all of the suffering in the world.
I weep because change is so hard sometimes.
I weep with gratitude and joy for the gifts in my life, first and foremost being my family.
I weep with gratitude and awe for this amazing baby and my other children who have chosen me as their mother.
I weep with gratitude and joy for life.

good to be back

2011-09-12T18:02:00.001-04:00

Yes, I'm back! I have really missed writing here. Why have I been gone so long?

Well, two reasons: I had a long, drawn-out pregnancy that I really wanted to enjoy, but it was so difficult (a more detailed story of that and the birth, which went fine in the end, later...) that I couldn't really focus on much other than myself, my body, my family, and the little life that was growing in me, more, and more, and more, and more!

laboring away with my enormous melon of a belly and my sweet supportive husband Atom

Tammi checking fetal heart tones

our boy the moment after he was born, when he still had no name...

Takoda Din was born early March 7, at home in a birth tub, almost a full month after his supposed 'due date', after a very long and arduous labor, weighing in at exactly 9.5 pounds. It was awesome, exhausting, and so incredibly empowering! My lovely, amazing, and very very patient midwife, Tammi McKinley, was at my house for over 36 hours and never once made me feel pressured in the least. Atom kept telling me all the right things just when I needed to hear them, when I was totally exhausted and felt like I couldn't go on.

Reason 2: So, after I got that over and done with and rebirthed myself yet again, I came to Blogger, and things were all messed up! They had changed things, and there were some weird bugs going on, and I was so frustrated! I thought 'What is goin' on here?! Am I going to have to switch everything over to Word Press? Or to iWeb where I have much more control of everything visually?' But, I guess Blogger was having some growing pains too. But now, today I came here, and everything's more new and pretty fabulous so far! So I posted something I'd had in draft for months (the Race to Nowhere post). Thank goodness they got it together, because I really need to write. And you can tell I'm really excited, because I usually abhor gratuitous use of explanation points! :)

That's it for now, just wanted to fill you in, in case you've been wondering what happened to me, or happen to notice the huge gap in time here....

'Til next time.... I promise it won't be another 8 months.

And here he is just two weeks ago! My beautiful angel, baby #3.

sitting up independently for the first time really, at our friend's house <3

Race To Nowhere: A Must-See Film For Parents, Educators, Students, Administrators, And Anyone Who Cares About The Future Of This Country

2011-09-12T09:13:00.002-04:00

As children start a new school year, here's some food for thought. If you are a school-going friend, please don't take this as an affront, but a call to action. Here in the Northern Virginia area, many families are blessed to have their children attending pretty decent schools, even good, and in some cases, even great. But just stop to think about what it is that makes a school great. Ask questions. And see this film.

On a Saturday last winter, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of the film, “Race to Nowhere” by parent and first-time film maker Vicki Abeles, as part of the Alexandria Film Festival. I wrote a review for AlexandriaNews.org, the majority of which comprises this blog post that for some reason is just now being published. (Um, I birthed a baby on March 7. ;) Race to Nowhere was one of the winners of the festival, receiving the Audience Award. This is one of the most moving, timely and crucial films I have seen. Abeles said in the Letter From the Director, on the film's site: “Race to Nowhere was inspired by a series of wake-up calls that made me look closely at the relentless pressure to perform that children face today. I saw the strain in my children as they navigated days filled with school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities. But it wasn’t until the crisis of my 12-year-old daughter being diagnosed with a stress induced illness that I was determined to do something.” And do something she did.

This film is a great addition to the dialogue in an issue that is a hot topic right now – education reform. Race to Nowhere provides a healthy antidote to many of the current voices on the subject which seem to be missing the point by blaming teachers and still focusing on how to raise test scores. In an era that is still reeling from the effects of No Child Left Behind, what the system really needs is a complete overhaul in not only how we measure success, but the mere definition of the word, as it relates to education and to life. The film echoes my sentiment that what we really need to ask is this – what makes for a successful learning experience? What cultivates a successful – and fulfilled, and happy – human being? Shouldn’t that be the point of educating our loved ones?

One of the experts in the film states, “I’m afraid our children are going to sue us for stealing their childhoods.” Many children are growing up in a world where every minute of every day is scheduled, and there is little to no down time, time to be bored, time to just be a kid and play. Abeles own daughter Jamey says at one point in the film, “I can’t remember the last time I had a chance to go in the back yard and just run around.”

Countless youth are aware that something is just not right with this formula of get the best grade – participate in as many extracurriculars as possible – so you can get into a good college – so you can get a good job – and make a lot of money. It doesn’t sound so bad, really, as a premise, but at what cost? One of the girls in the film points out that not only do you have to get good grades, but you have to be involved in the arts and play sports, join clubs, and find something unique about yourself so that you stand out when applying for colleges; and that among all of that, you have to figure out who you are, because if you don’t, you’ll lose yourself. At the end of the day, what matters more – how much money you have, or whether you’re truly happy and fulfilled? Abeles herself admits in the film, “Sometimes, parents just need to step back and say, ‘You know what, you’re doing a really good job.’”

Abeles received inspiration for the title of the film when interviewing one of the high school students who commented that students “get caught up in a race to nowhere”. Many students either get caught up in the drive to succeed, and sacrifice everything they can, including their mental, emotional, and physical health, or they tune out, and just decide they don’t care. It’s a Either road often leads to trouble. It’s a widely-known fact, also highlighted in the film, that among the students who do appear to be succeeding, cheating runs rampant. I remember this from my own high school days, 20 years ago.

The film shows that pressure comes from both ends of the spectrum – from highly successful parents who worry that their children won’t be as successful as they are, perhaps higher income parents who want to be able to brag to others about all of the things their child is accomplishing, and from lower-income parents who perhaps never even graduated high school, or never attended college, who not only want better for their children, but demand that the only possible route to college for their kids is to get the best grades so they can get scholarships to attend school. “The pressure comes from the colleges, from the parents, from the government, but it has to stop.”

In the film, the young people who were interviewed were experiencing such pressure to perform and “succeed” that they experienced stress-induced health problems and depression, engaged in food and sleep deprivation so they could stay up well into the night, sometimes all night, to complete their work, used pharmaceuticals to enhance their performance, and in some cases, found themselves institutionalized or hospitalized for eating disorders or mental breakdowns. Parents expressed that the little family time they had to share in the evenings were often filled with conflict and strife, both with their children and their spouses, over homework and grades. And then there is the very serious increasing epidemic of teen suicide. The film was dedicated to a beautiful 13-year-old girl from Abeles’ community (not involved in the movie) who had always been a straight-A student and very successful at all of her endeavors – and several months into the making of the film, committed suicide one weekend, because she was devastated after receiving an F on a math test.

The system at large does not allow for innovation. There is so much pressure on everyone to “succeed”, including the teachers, that they are forced to “teach to the test” because that is the main method by which everyone’s success is being measured. Creativity and individuality, in teachers and students, are sacrificed to protocol. One of the important points of the film is that these rote methods of learning are not promoting problem-solving, not producing critical thinkers. “Our students are pressured to perform; they’re not necessarily pressured to learn conceptually and deeply.” “And what is that going to mean, when we have a whole population of dentists and doctors who have been trained from the script?” One of the teachers in the film, who winds up making the very difficult decision to resign from her job out of frustration with the system, says tearfully, “Things that actually get our students to think are pushed aside.” Matt Goldman, Founder and CEO of the Blue Man Group, and Co-Founder of the Blue School in Manhattan, says, “These kids come to the table with this creativity and this love of learning…. Let’s just not take it out of them!”

The problem is not going to be solved by more rigorous testing, by more drilling of facts that lead to high test scores, by firing teachers in schools that fail to “perform”, by cutting funding in “under-performing” schools, by making teachers feel the pressure of losing their jobs if their students don’t test well, by giving bonuses to those who out-perform others. One of the main messages of the film comes through loud and clear: what we need is a re-definition of success.

As a side note: unfortunately, Obama’s Race to the Top (not directly mentioned in the film), while well-intentioned, is only another piece of the puzzle that is serving to perpetuate the problem. The state of Virginia chose not to participate.

If this is an issue that concerns you, please try to attend, or even host, a screening of this film. Register on the Race to Nowhere website to receive their action points and find out what else you can do, in your life and in your community, to be a part of this movement. There you can also see when & where the next screenings of this film are playing.

Chime in! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please keep the conversation respectful.

an awesome illustration of changing education paradigms

2010-10-29T10:38:00.000-04:00

Absolutely one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. This is a combo hand/computer animation made from a compilation of the main points made by Sir Ken Robinson in another recent talk about Changing Education Paradigms. This video really does a great job of illustrating the history and crux of the issue. I could watch this over and over (and in fact have already seen it about 7 or 8 times and see something new each time). It's incredible that this 11-minute video accompanies the audio of spliced-together main ideas from a 55-minute talk, and it's pretty darn seamless. You would never guess that this wasn't one from one continuous delivery, other than the fact that it does end rather abruptly. Definitely leaves me wanting for more. Enjoy!

What do you think?

inspiring creativity in learning and life

2010-10-28T09:37:00.000-04:00

Several months ago, we went to this awesome place out in Winchester, VA, called the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. Even though we've only been there once, it's officially one of our favorite places in the world. We plan to visit there again soon, so I'll do a full post later, with pictures, about why the place is so awesome and all the things there are to do there. On the wall, they have this statement, nice and big, entitled 'Creativity Killers', and I requested a copy to bring home because I loved it so much, and it is a good reminder for me from time to time, especially when I feel like I'm being too controlling about what, how, and when my kids learn and do things. I'm not sure who wrote it, or I'd give that specific person credit.

If you want to inspire creativity in learning and life, here are some great reminders of things not to do:

CREATIVITY KILLERS

Surveillance: hovering over kids, making them feel that they’re constantly being watched while they’re working. When a child is under constant observation, the risk-taking, creative urge goes underground and hides.

Evaluation: making kids worry about how others judge what they’re doing. Kids should be concerned primarily with how satisfied they are with their accomplishments, rather than focusing on how they are being evaluated or graded, or what their peers will think.

Rewards: excessive use of prizes, such as gold stars, money, or toys. If overused, rewards deprive a child of the intrinsic pleasure of creative activity.

Competition: putting kids in a desperate win-lose situation, where only one person can come out on top. A child should be allowed to progress at his own rate. (There can, however, be healthy competition that fosters team or group spirit.)

Over-control: telling kids exactly how to do things--their schoolwork, their chores, even their play. Parents and teachers often confuse this micromanagement with their duty to instruct. This leaves children feeling that any originality is a mistake and any exploration a waste of time.

Restricting choice: telling children which activities they should engage in instead of letting them follow where their curiosity and passion lead. Better to let a child choose what is of interest, and support that inclination.

Pressure: establishing grandiose expectations for a child’s performance. For example, those “hot-house” training regimes that force toddlers to learn the alphabet or math before they have any real interest can easily backfire and end up instilling an aversion for the subject being taught.

Time pressure: restricting time for a child to explore a particular activity is a sure killer of intrinsic motivation. Children enter the ultimate state of creativity called flow more naturally than adults. This is a period in which total absorption can engender peak pleasure and creativity. In flow, time does not matter; there is only the timeless moment at hand. It is a state that is more comfortable for children than adults, who are more conscious of the passage of time.

Marcellita exploring watercolors.

Adobe laying out her composition.

Skyler exploring colors and strokes.

Which of these do you find especially challenging at times, or in what specific situations? Have you had any specific experiences that illustrate for you the points listed above?

what does this thing called 'education reform' really need?

2010-10-27T07:42:00.000-04:00

Apparently, education reform is a hot topic right now. More and more people are waking up to the idea that something is just not quite right. Unfortunately, I feel that alot of folks are missing the mark. As stated by Sir Ken Robinson in the TED talk that I shared in a recent post, at this point, what we really need is not simply reform, but a revolution in education. Like so many facets of our culture, the current model for the education system is based on institutionalization that began roughly one hundred years ago, and it is outdated - and not necessarily an improvement over how things were done before. I think if more people were aware of how institutionalized education came about, and what its true main purposes were - largely, to serve the purposes of the Industrial Revolution - then they'd think twice about the system that has come to be accepted as the norm.

There is this "Waiting for 'Superman'" movie that has just come out - see trailer and Q&As here. I know it's currently playing at the Loews in Shirlington.

I'll reserve full conclusions until having seen the film, but having watched the promotional videos and Q&As, I'm not sure if they're really asking the right questions. In so many cases, it's not the teachers that are the problem - there are plenty of well-meaning teachers with lots of great and innovative ideas. It's that the system at large does not allow for innovation. There is so much pressure on everyone to 'succeed', including the teachers, that they are forced to 'teach to the test' because that is the main method by which everyone's success is being measured. Creativity and individuality, in teachers and students alike, are sacrificed to protocol. The problem is not going to be solved by more rigorous testing, by more drilling of facts that lead to high test scores, by firing teachers in schools that fail to 'perform', by making teachers feel the pressure of losing their jobs if their students don't test well. In my opinion, if a school does not have the highest test scores around, it could be a sign that they are doing something right, that maybe there really is a more holistic learning process going on.

What is 'success' for our children?! It looks like the film Race to Nowhere, which had its first screenings yesterday, may be taking a better look at the real problem. I can't wait to check out the whole thing.

Have a listen... Does this scenario seem at all familiar to you, either from your own schooling, or watching your own children now? It brings tears to my eyes...

(In the DC/NOVA/MD area, the film will be screening at the Alexandria Film Festival: AMC Hoffman Movie Theaters in Alexandria, VA on November 6 at 1 pm; the Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA on November 11, all day; and the Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda, MD on December 2 at 7:30 pm, among other places. Visit their site for more info and other locations.)

What we really need to ask is,
What makes for a successful learning experience? What cultivates a successful - and fulfilled, and happy - human being? Shouldn't that be the point of educating our loved ones?

Recently, I came across this article I'd like to share. It is written by William A. Reinsmith, Professor of English at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. Here he offers some great reminders for all of us, whether you are teaching your own children, teaching professionally, or looking for some fundamental criteria by which to determine whether your children are being taught in an effective way. Of course, if your children are in school, you can only glean so much information by talking to them about their school day - your best hope at getting a real look at these determinants is to sit in on the classroom, more than once (especially since these days, children are being shuffled around to quite a number of teachers throughout the day, often even at the elementary level) - which of course for many parents means taking time off from work. In some cases, that is just not really possible. As your kids get older, you can ask them, how do they feel about the education they are getting? What else could you do? Ask them to watch these movies (Waiting for Superman and Race to Nowhere) or even screen them school-wide. Go to PTA meetings, write inquiries to the principle and teachers, and present all or some of these points. (I'll lay out the 10 points Professor Reinsmith makes, and you can go here for expansion upon each point, which I recommend you do.) Let them know you care. Ask them, flat-out, how they feel about these points, and how much they are really able to address the children's learning in this way:

"Ten Fundamental Truths About Learning

1. Learning first takes place through osmosis....
2. Authentic learning comes through trial and error....
3. Students will learn only what they have some proclivity for or interest in....
4. No one will formally learn something unless she believes she can learn it....
5. Learning cannot take place outside an appropriate context....
6. Real learning connotes use....
7. No one knows how a learner moves from imitation to intrinsic ownership, from external modeling to internalization and competence....
8. The more learning is like play, the more absorbing it will be-- unless the student has been so corrupted by institutional education that only dull serious work is equated with learning....
9. For authentic learning to happen, time should occasionally be wasted, tangents pursued, side-shoots followed up....
10. Tests are a very poor indicator of whether an individual has really learned something...."

In conclusion, Professor Reinsmith states: "All of these interconnected truths are general enough to apply to learning of any kind. They are so basic and obvious that one may wonder why they need to be stated at all. Our greatest educators have espoused them in some manner during the course of Western history. Yet it is the simple and obvious that we tend to overlook when discussing or recommending educational change. We often engage in educational activity as if these truths didn't exist--and then wonder why we fail to engender learning in our students. In any profession ignorance of its elemental laws will lead to shoddy, even disastrous, results. Perhaps a large part of the reason we educate so poorly is that we fail to observe and work within the fundamental principles of our craft, so we don't create environments in which they can be applied. Successful teaching can ensue only where the fundamental truths of learning are both observed and respected. Periodically, teachers on all levels need to return to those basic truths--however mysterious they may be--and reflect on them at length." (emphasis mine)

Many, if not all, of these points are at the heart of the unschooling philosophy (read a previous post that attempts to address what that is if you haven't heard of it), and why many of the life-schoolers that I know do what they do - because it is a whole lifestyle that lends itself naturally to nurturing learning in this way. And I don't think it's impossible for schools to move towards this model, especially with the boom and boon of the internet and technology.

At the beginning of the last school year, I had the pleasure of covering President Obama's Education Address delivered at Wakefield High School here in Arlington. (As some of you know, I'm a photographer who freelances sometimes with alexandrianews.org.) I have to admit, I was inspired by some of what he had to say, and reminded that school - as broken as the system may be - does serve many many children with a way out of poverty, with hope for a brighter future than their parents and grandparents had, with an environment where perhaps someone takes the time to show they care, when it seems that no one else does. And I know that there are also plenty of children, coming from supportive, well-meaning, involved families, who are self-motivated, strong, confident, and are able to weather the storm and get a pretty decent education out of the whole deal, with their sanity intact. But overall, at what cost? For so many of our children, even the ones dealing with it, the schedule, responsibility, and pressure is overwhelming, to the point that some just want it to end.

The sentiment coming from the top and trickling on down through the ranks is based on an old paradigm. I think there is more than one road to success to be considered, more than one way to 'get an education', in or out of school. As with so many issues concerning Obama, I believe his intentions are genuine and good, but that the actions needed to even begin to fix this issue may be insurmountable at this time, as the population has exploded and we are faced with a Herculean task of educating the masses; especially since society and the economy have been structured in such a way that both parents (if the child still 'has' both parents) must work, just to make ends meet, so children, from a very young age, must be placed somewhere, preferably for free, and occupied, all day long, 5 days a week. In many households across the country, any family time, much less 'quality' family time where there is real connection and bonding taking place - without the time pressure of rushing to extracurricular activities, dinner, homework, cleaning up, getting ready for bed - is rare. And we, as a culture, are experiencing the repercussions of that. But that's the subject for another post...

As long as teachers are being forced by protocol (and fear of losing their underpaid jobs) to adhere to the SOLs and teach to the test, how much are they really being given the freedom and creativity to draw on these fundamental truths about learning as espoused by Professor Reinsmith? How much are they being allowed to draw upon their own knowledge and ideas which inspired them to become teachers in the first place?

Here is a brief compiled excerpt of some of what the President had to say. The last 5 sentences here are the most significant to me. You can read the entire prepared speech here.

Pres. Obama:

"...[W]hat I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide....

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it....

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork....

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future....That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America."

The problem is that at the end of the day, ultimately, what does matter for every single one of us, is happiness. And if you're being bullied day in and day out because of how you look, where you come from, where your parents come from, what your sexual orientation is, or so on, how can someone tell you that's no excuse for having a bad attitude? Where's the love? So many kids are really hurting because they are growing up in this disjointed, disconnected society where oftentimes they are left to feel emotionally isolated, like no one understands them, no one really knows them, and no one really cares. (Common sense says that the bullies are hurting too in some way, as suggested by some recent articles I've read on the matter in the recent flurry of teen suicides.) If they have the personal fortitude to tune it all out, or stuff it all down, and focus on their studies, get the grade, ace the test, what is awaiting them? The promised land of college, where they very well may find more cruelty and harassment, and where they will get a 'higher' education with a much higher price tag, emerging from said institution saddled with debt that will be facing them for, in many cases, the majority of (if not the entirety of) their adult lives, so that they can go work in a job that they may not even like. How many of you work in jobs that you can't stand? How many people do you know who actually like and feel passionate about what they do?

I don't pretend to have all the answers, because I don't, not even close. At this point, what I can do is teach my own (because fortunately I am in a position to be able to do so), share & glean some knowledge and creativity with other families & community around me, and keep asking questions - how can I do it better? How can 'they' do it better? Is the competitive, end-goal-driven, one-size-fits-all way of educating our youth contributing to the increasing epidemic of general apathy and disturbing cruelty some students display toward each other? What type of education do our children, the adults of tomorrow, need to truly prepare them for life in the 21st century? Somehow I feel, for one, education has to move beyond simply educating the mind, beyond the end-goal of diploma-college-$$JOB$$, and address emotional and spiritual development as well. Is that possible to achieve on a mass scale? The Mind & Life Institute is one organization I've come across that seems to have some interesting ideas on the matter. I personally feel that integrating the arts and creativity are key to bringing in the emotional and spiritual components, which is why I'm a fan of Sir Ken Robinson.

What are your thoughts on the matter? How do you deal with these issues in your own family? Do you have any ideas for a revolution in education? I'd love to hear from you....

"Homeschooling Joins the Mainstream"

2010-10-20T07:36:00.001-04:00

A little after the fact, but thanks to the internet and podcasts, none-the-matter - you can still check it out, and it's still relevant.

Kojo Nnamdi, one of my favorite radio hosts, featured this topic last week - "Homeschooling Joins the Mainstream." Here is a link to the podcast. For those of you who wonder why we do it, and how it works, this is a great segment which may answer some questions. It amazes me still how many misconceptions there are about 'homeschooling', one of them being the big question of 'socialization'. As the guest speaker reveals, one of the 'dirty little secrets' about homeschooling is that we're rarely home. Although we don't necessarily deal with the daily scramble to rush out the door at some ungodly hour, we have our morning routine, which looks different in different houses, and then, most days, we are out in the real world, with or without friends, interacting with people of all ages, and usually having a dang good time.

Phoenix at Cox Farms, psyched after coming down the huge slide.


Adobe pulls a surfer move as she speeds down the slide.

"Home education works. Children who are homeschooled score, on average, 20 to 30 points higher on measures of academic achievement - these are standardized tests...."

a rescue capsule named phoenix

2010-10-13T07:00:00.004-04:00

Unexpectedly, shortly after 5 this morning, as I'm doing my daily reading of news, emails and such, I find myself with tears pouring down my face as I come across the story of the first 7 of 33 Chilean miners who were rescued after 69 days of being trapped when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed on August 5, trapping them in the lower reaches of the mine. That is simply incredible - that's over 2 months that they have been trapped down there! I can't even begin to imagine what those men have been going through. What on earth have they been doing with themselves, day in and day out, with no outward indication of course of the passing of days, and just waiting, waiting, waiting?! Unfathomable.


AP photo: Chile's President Sebastian Pinera embraces Florencio Antonio Avalos Silva, the first miner to be rescued.

How much food and liquids were they able to get down to these men after discovering on August 22 that they indeed were still alive? Did they have room to move around down there? Were their head lamps working still or were they in pitch blackness?

[As a follow-up, post-post, here's a link to an article that addresses these questions...]

I think part of the reason this struck me so hard is because mining is in my blood - my grandfather was the youngest of a family of Irish coal miners, the first to be freed from that hell, and the first to attend school beyond the age of 12. His father and brothers all worked in the mines, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, coming home completely black, covered in coal dust - the only thing you could see was their eyes and their teeth - only to return again bright and early the next morning and do it all over again. I wonder how many miners were buried alive back in the day. They certainly did not have the technology then that afforded these guys a safe return. Of course, part of the culprit in the increased frequency of mining accidents is that many mountains, like this one, have been overexploited. In this case, part of what made the rescue operation difficult and risky is finding sufficient virgin rock through which to drill the escape shaft.

I know these guys were mining copper and gold, not coal, and that work conditions have probably improved a little, but I'm sure it's still extremely hard work, and before this happened, these guys were "nobodys", just busting their tails to support their families. Now, after enduring hell for over 3 months, they emerge to find themselves thrust into the world spotlight, being welcomed to the surface by their country's President and Vice President! That's another potential tangent that I won't veer onto, but what a surreal experience it must be. I also won't veer onto the conundrum that is our industrial/consumerist society, of which I, admittedly, am a part, that drives such mining operations.

The other thing, silly enough, that sent another wave of tears down my face, is that the 13-foot rescue capsule, used to travel the 2,041 feet down the carefully crafted escape shaft and bring each of these 33 men to safety, one by one, is named Phoenix. Just perfect. And I was 33 when I brought this beautiful boy named Phoenix into the world. (And 13 when I met his papa. Yes, I have a bit of a thing with numbers...)

Miner Osman Araya arrives as the sixth miner to be hoisted to the surface in Copiapo October 13, 2010. Chile's 33 trapped miners are set to travel nearly half a mile through solid rock in a shaft just wider than a man's shoulders on Tuesday night, as their two month ordeal after a cave-in draws to an end.

REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado (CHILE - Tags: DISASTER BUSINESS)

It's nice to see a story of hope and solidarity, and miracle even, amongst the barrage of hateful happenings of late. I hope that through last night the rescue operations have proceeded smoothly, and I send love and healing to the men who survived this amazing ordeal. I'm sure their lives will never be the same.

Here's a link to the full article that I read this morning on Yahoo news.

what we need is a revolution in education

2010-09-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

This is another fabulous TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson, an advocate for creativity, recognition of multiple intelligences, and education reform. (Thanks, Mana, for turning me on to this one.) This certainly touches on one of many reasons I live the way I do, and do my best to inspire others, in one way or another, to follow their passion. Some of you are lucky enough to teach, or have your children enrolled in, schools that are at least attempting to participate in the revolution. It is great that there are those gems out there who are able to step outside the status quo and truly inspire unique individuals to discover and love who they are, and encourage them to find their path, to follow their hearts' desire. If, however, you are feeling skeptical about how the system is functioning, about the education your children are receiving, make some waves. Share your thoughts and concerns, with their teachers, administrators, and county officials. Offer some ideas, research, point to some alternative sources (such as this video), ask questions. Or, if your lifestyle permits, opt out, forge your own path, do things your own way, jump into freedom, discover your tribe in your area and build a collective; find a way for you and your child(ren) to pursue your passions together.

We all have a path, and sometimes we start down the road without even knowing where we're going. Many happy discoveries and adventures can be found along the way. Follow your instincts. Below are some highlights from this talk.... I hope you watch and enjoy.

"Education, in a way, dislocates many people from their natural talents.... Reform is of no use anymore, because that's simply improving a broken model.... What we need...is not evolution, but a revolution in education.....This has to be transformed into something else.... Many of our ideas have been formed, not to meet the circumstances of this century, but to cope with the circumstances of previous centuries. But our minds are still hypnotized by them, and we have to disenthrall ourselves, of some of them. Now, doing this is easier said than done. It's very hard to know, by the way, what you take for granted. And the reason is, that you take it for granted.... Life is not linear, it's organic. We create our lives, symbiotically, as we explore our talents, in relation to the circumstances they helped to create for us. But you know, we have become obsessed with this linear narrative. And, probably the pinnacle for education is getting you to college.... Human communities depend upon our diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability. At the heart of our challenge is to reconstitute our sense of ability, and of intelligence.... When I arrived in LA about 9 years ago, I came across a policy statement, very well-intended, that said 'College begins in kindergarten.' No it doesn't - it doesn't.... Kindergarten begins in kindergarten.... There's such competition now to get into kindergarten, to get into the right kindergarten, that people are being interviewed for it, at 3 - kids sitting in front of unimpressed panels with their resumes, flicking through saying, 'What, this is it?! You've been around for 36 months, and this is it?! You've achieved nothing!'....
The other big issue is conformity. We have built our education system on the model of fast food.... We have sold ourselves into a fast-food model of education, and it's impoverishing our spirits and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.... It's about passion. Often people are good at things they don't really care for. It's about passion, and what excites our spirit and our energy, and if you're doing the thing that you love to do, that you're good at, time takes a different course entirely.... You know this. If you're doing something you love, an hour feels like 5 minutes. If you are doing something that doesn't resonate with your spirit, 5 minutes feels like an hour. And the reason so many people are opting out of education is because it doesn't feed their spirit, it doesn't feed their energy or their passion.... We have to change from an industrial model to an agricultural model. We have to recognize that human flourishing is not a mechanical process, it's an organic process. And you cannot predict the outcome of human development. All you can do is, like a farmer, create the conditions under which they will flourish.... It's not about scaling a new solution; it's about creating a movement in education in which people develop their own solutions, but with external support based on a personalized curriculum...."
(Closing with a quote from W.B. Yeats:) "'Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, and wrought with gold and silver light, of blue and the dim and the dark cloths, of night and light and the half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet. But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.' And every day, every where, our children spread their dreams beneath our feet, and we should tread softly."

And we should dream too. I'm a big fan of what I call 'active daydreaming' - something along the lines of the Law of Attraction. Dream big, and dream well, rather than not allowing yourself to dream for fear your dreams won't come true.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences....

ahh, the joys...

2010-09-17T13:53:00.002-04:00

Aaahhh, the joys of mothering...

I'm out front of the house, dead-heading the rose bushes, marveling at mother nature, not even minding getting a little poke from a thorn. I head inside for a quick minute, and ask Adobe, "Where's Phoenix?" She has 'no idea'; she's totally absorbed in creating her comic strip "The Adventures of the Retarded Hamster" - which I believe is in response to her friend's short film she saw this morning. I find Phoenix out back, with his shorts and underwear on the ground near him, spitting on a pile of his own poop, which is already totally covered in flies. Ewww. "And mommy, I'm cryin' 'bout it." (That's his new thing when he has an accident. But he's not crying. He just likes to say that for some reason - thinks it makes it better. I guess it's an expression of remorse. :) Picked the poop up with some t.p. and flushed it.

Luckily, it's warm enough out that I just got the hose and sprayed the residue off the ground, hosed down the undies and shorts, and then hosed him down like the little animal that he is. :)

And luckily, most of the time he's really adorable. Like this. All in a day's work....

collaborative effort - he asked me for 'batman'

the child-driven education: Sugata Mitra on TED.com

2010-09-11T12:34:00.001-04:00

This is a phenomenal experiment. The results are not at all surprising really, and speak volumes to the potential in children, and the potential of the internet to (further) revolutionize the globe.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

making baby

2010-08-31T17:27:00.001-04:00

Wow. Talk about 'where does the time go?'... and two, almost three more months have flown right on by...

Where have I been? The garden pic from my last post looks so cute and demure compared to the jungle that is out there right now. Mother Nature truly is amazing. Yes, there's been lots of growth going on, outside and in. And that's where I've been. Making baby. I'm preggo with number three! I'm still in a bit of shock hearing myself say this. I always knew I would have two, and I guess occasionally I entertained the idea that I might have one more than that, if things were going really well. After Phoenix was born, I was pretty adamant that there would be no more. But Atom and Adobe both worked on me for awhile, and eventually, especially as Phoenix works his way out of babyhood, the idea of doing it just one more time started to sound appealing. And here we are. I have to admit, I'm a little overwhelmed at the prospect of being a mother of three - already, two is quite a job. But, I figure that a woman who can manage three children has a different command of the world.

This was the roughest first trimester yet. I have been exhausted. And puky feeling. And generally feeling like a zombie. Luckily, I have not actually thrown up once. Now I am starting to see the light of day, although I must admit I'm still pretty worthless if I don't have coffee in my system by about 2 in the afternoon. I've been totally off my routine. But I feel so fortunate to be able to just be, go with the flow, and allow myself all the extra rest my body has needed, and really experience what my body is going through.

Making a baby is alot of work! It is truly amazing if you think about what is taking place in a woman's body during this time. We all begin, every single one of us (our current physical selves, anyway), from a single cell! Yes, we all learn about this at some point in biology, but how many times in your life have you really stopped to consider this fact and marvel at how miraculous that is?

And then, the being grows, and grows, and grows. As a mother, this is a truly surreal experience. First there are the symptoms and first signs of change happening with your body. Then, you start to feel little flutters of undeniable evidence that there is indeed another being coming alive inside of you. The bump begins to grow, and grow, and grow. Next thing you know, you have this 'alien life form' completely taking over your body. I am especially fascinated by imagining (having experienced it twice now) what the displacement of all my organs looks like. Because, believe me, they move. Muscle memory is amazing. I can feel all my womb's fellow internals preparing already, which is much earlier than with the other two. The body remembers; it has been through this before and recognizes the current state of affairs, and it knows full well what is to come. I can feel things shifting already.

From Lennart Nilsson's A Child Is Born

Now, I'm at about 17 weeks. This is probably a good estimate of what my baby looks like right about now. I've been able to feel it move a few times. It's quite exciting. Last night, the kids and I were playing with the stethoscope to see if we could hear anything. We heard some sounds, but weren't sure if they were the baby or my own body.

I feel so thankful to be able to take time to connect, with my own body, and with the little spirit who is taking form in me now. And indeed, I feel thankful to do it one more time. It is a truly miraculous experience, all of it, the pregnancy, the labor, the birth, and birthing of oneself as a mother, even when it's not the first time.

When I was pregnant with Adobe, there was so much going on, I was so busy, that I don't feel like I really was able to take much time to connect with myself and the little baby inside of me. I was finishing my Fine Arts degree at the Corcoran, teaching tap 6 days a week and running my performance company, dcArtistry:tap&drum - basically running non-stop like a chicken with my head cut off. Plus, there was a lot of turmoil in my personal life. With Phoenix, things were much more stable, and a bit calmer, but I still don't feel like I really took the time to connect with my self and my baby the way I could have.

Fortunately, with both of them, the labor and birth, despite being quite long, were awesome. Home birth with both, over two weeks 'past due date' with both, over 24 hours labor with both after a month of practice contractions, and Phoenix was born in water. All quite hard work, and exhausting, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I'm planning another water birth at home and drawing on some new inner resources this time. It would be nice if things move along a little quicker this time. You know what they say, "third time's a charm."

Another thing that will bring me a special connection this time around: I've decided, with enthusiastic encouragement from local midwife Tammi McKinley, to offer childbirth classes specifically geared toward women/couples who plan to birth either at home or a birth center. The classes will incorporate body-mind connection, visualization, art, spirituality, and ceremony/ritual, with influences from various resources, as well as my own research and experiences. I'm developing my curriculum now, and plan to launch this fall. (See boundlessbirth.com ). I will continue to offer my photography services, as well as Reiki for women & babies, and individualized art sessions. More on all that to come.

where does the time go?

2010-06-10T08:35:00.022-04:00

Where does the time go? Two months have flown by, full of lovin and adventure, and travels. More on that to come.

I managed to get everything planted before we left for Mexico, and returned to find everything sprouting.
Here are the beginnings of the spinach and lettuce.
They've grown much more since then - we had our first salads
from the garden this week. Yay!

I'm lovin the springtime, the garden is blooming, more beds to be dug, more plants to be planted, and always, lots more fun to be had. The world is our playground. Life is my meditation. My challenge, for myself and to you, is to live each moment in the now, while reflecting on what we have done, and planning what is to be done - remain ever present in the eternal now.

8 years ago today...

2010-03-26T10:19:00.001-04:00

As of 4:56 a.m., 8 years ago today, I birthed my baby Adobe. Ah, what a wild ride it's been! If only I knew then what I know now :) How life has changed, in so many ways...

Well, for one, I was still under the impression that my father gave me, and had been professing to people while I was pregnant - "Oh, everyone thinks that your whole life has to stop when you have kids, that everything has to change. That's not true! You go on with life, you have a child with you now, but you just clothe it, feed it, give it love, & it's all good!" Hah!

I guess that approach worked for him - he was a single father, and that's how he did it, pretty much. And I turned out fine. I think overall he did a really great job of being both papa and mama, and he raised me to be very independent. But, we often don't do things the way our parents did them, do we? The idea is to continually improve upon the situation. All any of us can do as parents is strive to find balance in our lives with our children. As we reflect upon what was 'done' to us by our parents or whoever raised us - discover what was great & not-so-great, or in some cases, plain terrible - the best thing we can do is to release the wrongs and repeat the rights, and forge ahead with new ways of our own. As I look around and see how people are raising their children, I am continually struck by how each generation is reacting to the one before. I'll write a whole 'nother post at some point about this - the days of the house wife, the role of Women's Lib, the nuclear family, the explosion of single parenthood, and so on...

The main thing to say here, is that I wanted that baby so badly - the maternal urge was so strong - and I'm so glad that she was born. Those of you who were in my life at the time, which was mostly my Corcoran crew, saw what a crazy ride I was on, with school full-time, Adobe born in my thesis semester (art school - Corcoran College of Art + Design), working almost every day of the week (teaching tap & running a performing company), and strappin' that sweet baby on me everywhere I went. I wish that I'd gotten the partner part right from the get-go, but alas, I'm one of those people who has had to learn some lessons the hard way. I really wanted to believe it was right, that it was going to work out, but I knew somewhere deep down that it was not meant to be. And I stuck it out as long as I could. I'm sure I was not the easiest partner at that time either. Life is real, and we all gotta do what we gotta do.

So, on this 8th anniversary of my sweet girl's birth, I give thanks, and I reflect upon all the changes over the past several years. Now I can just say that I am so glad to have a real, beautiful, awesome family. Here they are, acting silly on the Photo Booth. For awhile I thought it would just be Adobe & I for the rest of the ride, but often, just when you're about to give up, the unexpected happens. I reconnected with my old friend Atom, aka Adam, aka Slahmed, and together, we will continue to make history...

Thank you Adobe, for being born, for being my grounding, for being such a fireball, such a great big sister, and such a sweetheart. Thank you Atom, for all you do, for being such a great father and partner, for supporting us in so many ways, and for enabling me to learn what a real family is like, since I didn't exactly learn that as a child.
I love you guys.

My girl got to have ice cream for breakfast - Blueberry Cheesecake Custard - from the Dairy Godmother. Yum! Happiness is an important component of health. Happy Birth Day Darling!

geocaching, a bed of nails, the sun, and land art

2010-03-22T17:44:00.005-04:00

Last week was another fun one - the title about sums up the variety...
I'm not going to recap the whole week in detail, just some highlights.

This post will be more pictorial - excuse all the scrolling but ... enjoy. :)

As some of you may or may not know, we've started a small collective where we gather with a few other families every Tuesday & Thursday, and often other days as well. We mulled over what to call it, and I suppose we'll be calling it the Boundless Kids Tribe. I also have affectionately referred to it in passing as the Free to Be Me Collective, but I think the vote is for the former. And I guess it makes sense to go with the whole Boundless thing...

Some highlights from last week:
Last Tuesday, the older kids started the new session of the Homeschool Drama Club. Melanie, Kazha, Phoenix and I picked up some goodies from the fabulous Lebanese Taverna & had a picnic outside on the grass where the older kids joined us when class was over. Then we all went over to Hayes Park & the kids played for a couple hours. My little daredevil Phoenix climbed up a chain link fence til his feet were almost as high as my head. One of the older boys was spotting him. Then he climbed back down. All by himself. Pretty impressive for a 2-year-old.

On Wednesday we went to the Maryland Science Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. If you're in this area and haven't taken your kids there, go! Super awesome! We met our friends Kristen, Lucca, Marcella, & Kozhin there to check out their exhibit on geocaching & had fun checking out other stuff as well.

As you can see, there are no strings on this harp - it has light beams! And you could change the sounds that it made. Fun.

Phoenix & Marcella were having a little face-off. :) They love each other, but as they are both used to being the youngest alot of the time, neither of them likes the other to tell them what to do.

If you don't know what geocaching is, go to geocaching.com for info - but in short, you use your handheld GPS device to discover hidden treasures near or far, whatever you wish! Sounds really fun for family adventure. The exhibit - eh. That's how Kristen & I both felt about it. It was very informative, but a bit dry for kids, too much reading, not enough hands-on. I guess the idea is that you check out the exhibit about what it is & how you do it, then you could go on a geocaching adventure in the harbor area, but we didn't know that & didn't plan for it, so.... The kids had fun anyway.

This is when we still had their attention, at the beginning, before they all went running off thru the maze to break the codes and find caches and figure this all out.

Phoenix got mad at me at one point & ran off. He was laying on the floor pouting, until Marcella found him and broke that hard shell.

I'm looking at them through a fabric mesh, that's why these two images look strange. Don't expect professional photo work here from me people. The lighting conditions in this place were difficult to work with.

From there, on to some other parts of the Center:

Okay, this was definitely one of our favorite parts of the whole place! There was a sheet of plexi that you first laid down on, with all the holes drilled in it for the nails to pass through. Then, once you've laid down, the woman pressed a button and the plexi receded, leaving you on the bed of nails. I tried it out too. Totally comfortable! Here is Lucca.

And Adobe...

Kozhin...

Little Phoe...

The next thing was pretty cool too. Did you know that to your brain, cold + warm = hot? There were metal bars, cold from one side, warm from the other. When you put your hand in the middle, where you could feel both simultaneously, it felt hot! Ooooh, trippy!

Optical illusion.... hypnotized! One down...

And another one bites the dust...

Here are our cuties!

And next - ah yes, payphones! Remember those? Also known as Dial-a-Germ.

Phoenix's cave man side shows itself a little...

And this thing simulated your digestive tract. If you could move that ball through the mesh tube, it made the gurgling sounds that your guts make! Yeah! (Sorry for the excessive use of exclamation points throughout the post; I'm just a bit excited...)

Next, of course Phoenix had to get on the Dial-a-Germ. I had daddy in mind here; I knew he would 'love' this as he's pretty grossed out by germs in public places.

Not sure what he was listening to here, but he looks so darn cute!

Oh lordy, okay, I know it's alot of pictures, but wait, there's more! I just wish blogger would let me format this differently so I could do a gallery with captions or something. Wordpress can do that, but alas, I didn't like the interface! So.... in the future, I'll try to whip up quick slideshows instead.

That's it for Wednesday's adventures. We left, and the kids came with me to Oxon Hill where I teach tap on Wednesday nights. Long day.

On Thursday, our little tribe met up at Alcova Heights Park. The kids played, meandered in the creek, snacked; the moms talked, about all manner of things.

Alcova Heights, aka 'the Creek playground' is one of my favorite spots. I've been taking Adobe there since before she could walk.

I suggested that today might be a good day to discuss Daylight Saving Time and the Spring Equinox, since one just happened, and one was about to happen. (Yay Spring!) What is Daylight Saving? Why does it happen? Who 'invented' it? What exactly is the Spring Equinox? What are some cultures whose New Year corresponds? etc... We discussed all this over a picnic lunch, and then we made some 'land art' together, inspired by the fabulous Andy Goldsworthy, who Melanie & I both love. We collected sticks, branches, and leaves to make a sun, in honor of the longer daylight hours bestowed upon us by the Equinox, & Daylight Saving (sort of - well at least it's light later in the day...)

Yes, that's Phoenix sitting in the middle of the sun - Adobe put his hair in piggy tails, and everyone was calling him a 'she' all day.

Skyler is approving the work.

Beautiful momma Melanie...

Sweet Amman at this point then asks if he can sing a song, which turns out to be, "You Are My Sunshine..." Awesome! And everyone joins in as they continue working.

Kazha says 'hmmmm, what else does it need?'....

Placing the final touches... momma Stephanie, and the girls.

At this point, I video'd everyone holding hands and singing the song again - so cute! Don't have a way to share that here, and haven't uploaded it anywhere...

Here is Melanie in fetal position inside our sun.

That was fun!

Friday, we handled some business at home and then met the tribe and other folks at the park. Phoenix was so beat that he fell asleep around 6:30ish and slept straight through til the next morning. Saturday, first day of spring! - it was nice & warm. We busted out the kiddie pool, the kids played, we did yard work, picked up mulch, I trimmed the rose bushes, and stuff like that. Sunday, more work outside, making the front and side of the house look all nice. I rescued our violet tree (or whatever it is) that was being suffocated by ivy - pulled it all off, which was quite a job, and Atom took out two thorny bushes on the side of the house (huge job), and we did a bunch more stuff. Hard labor. Fun. No, seriously, I like it. I know it's not as fun for Atom since he does hard labor at work all week. But it's different when it's your home. Therapeutic. More pictures to come.

And if you've stuck around til the end, guess I'm not doing too bad, cuz I know this was a long one. Thanks!

last week: learning & playing

2010-03-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

   Life feels so full right now, not in a rushed, frenetic, stressful way, but in a fulfilling, energizing, refreshing, and inspiring way.... I'm totally loving it. Last was a good week, and last Monday seems like such a long time ago. I thought I'd share a recap (which I'll do here from time to time, partly for myself, because sometimes I wonder, where did the time go?)
     Most days we begin with our morning routine of waking (well, waking for the kids - I'm up from the ripe hour of 4:45 AM with Atom!), teeth, face, make bed, get dressed, have breakfast, & do some work (not Phoenix of course). All this happens in a fairly stress-less leisurely manner unless we have some place to be first thing in the morning (meaning by 9:30, 10, or even 10:30). Then I usually have to find myself saying to Adobe a whole bunch of times, "Come on, we gotta get into hustle mode! Move along or we won't make it to x, y or z." And I try to stay calm, and not yell :) (That's where the meditation comes in handy remember? Being present and aware of how I say something. The same exact thing said with a genuine smile sounds so different.) Typically, morning routine goes from around 8:15-10:30/11, but there's a flex & flow to it, just the way I like. And my girl is definitely a night-owl and late riser by nature, just like her momma.
     So then, after all or most parts of the morning routine, last week went like this:

Monday - Morning play outside in backyard clubhouse. It was totally gorgeous out, so Adobe took a bunch of stuff out into the grape arbor and made a really cute club house, and she and Phoenix played outside for awhile. Then, I called Jeneen to see what they were up to, and we decided to go join her, Stash, Haiku, Rilke, & Amelie at River Farm Garden Park in Alexandria.

What an absolutely beautiful spot. The kids had a real blast, making house, picking flowers, exploring, and frolicking barefoot. Amelie's mom Danielle joined us, and we had great talks. We stayed for about four hours.

Tuesday - We went to the homeschool drama club performance of The Crazy Zoo. This class is led by the fabulous Joshua Rich who creates a new play each session for the group based on the characters they want to play. Joshua also happens to be a fabulous pianist (sounds a bit like George Winston) so if you're looking for some new good, soothing music, check him out. Afterwards we went to Hayes Park where the kids all played for about 3 hours. Phoenix absolutely loves chasing after all the big kids, trying to keep up, alternating between boys and girls. The whole time at the park, he was off doing his own thing, alone, or with the other kids, and only asked for me once, to help him get on the swing. Then, on the way home we had a fabulous curb find of two playskool cars and a trike to add to our collection of kiddie vehicles.

Wednesday - In the morning, we went to a class at Hidden Pond Nature Center. The kids got to drag the borders of the pond with nets and see what living creatures they could find.

My first find was a dead turtle :( But, I got to bring him home so I can dry him out (aka let him rot) and do something cool with the shells.) We also found freshwater shrimp, a backswimmer, and a damselfly larvae. Here I learned something new. The damselfly is very similar to a dragonfly, but their bodies are much thinner, and usually when they're at rest, their wings are folded back whereas dragonflys' are out to the sides.)

Others found a live turtle, a couple small fish, and other cool stuff. The guide had containers at pond side to hold the critters, and then, we went back inside the main building where he identified each species, put stuff under the microscope and had a cool setup with a camera looking into the microscope that showed the image on a screen we could all see. It was very high quality & crystal-clear image. Super cool. Then, we played at the playground there for a while, snacked on our lunch, came home to defuse for a few, and then Adobe went to her voice lesson with our friend Kisha, wife of Groovy Nate. Kisha is helping Adobe prepare a song for her upcoming Talent Show party.

Thursday - We met up at Melanie's house with the families we are doing our collaborative vibe with. The mommas talked, the kids played. A good time was had by all. We solidified a little more what our collective will be looking like as we get it going to the point of rotation so that 2 or 3 of us are 'off' during that time. For the next couple more weeks, we will all be together. It is so awesome to see the kids of differing ages all playing together, not segregating themselves. Phoenix, who is the youngest, was going between hanging with the 'big boys' (a 4-yo & two 9-yos), and being babied by the girls (who are turning 6 and 8, on the same day, two Fridays from now!)

Friday - We took a workshop on the Chinese Lunar New Year, offered by Stacy Clark. That was fun. She read a story about the Chinese Lunar Year, meanings & symbols, the kids got to make a few different crafts and sample traditional Chinese New Year foods - dumplings and tangerines. Then, we ran a few errands, and went to Chuck E. Cheese for an hour. We were supposed to meet up with a couple of friends, but that fell through, so we came home and chilled out for the rest of the day.

Saturday - Adobe had the last class of a drama class she's been taking through Encore Stage. They did a portion of the Wizard of Oz, and Adobe was the wicked witch. They had a performance for parents at the end of class. (I'll have to get pics from our friend - I was shooting video & will share when I get it uploaded.) Afterwards, her friend Katy came over and they hung out, Phoenix slept, Atom was running errands, & I had some alone time for a bit... (That's when I began working on this post, but didn't get to finish... Domestic duties were calling me.) In the evening, we went to our friends' house in Mt. Rainier - Sara & Domingo. Great conversation, lovely raw food dinner, yerba maté, fun, & laughter. And some healing energy.

Sunday - I spent the day doing a Reiki I, II, & III Master/Teacher workshop. Very exciting to tap into something I have felt instinctively and begin down this path. More on that in another post sometime... Adobe had a double-birthday party to go to, and Phoenix and Daddy got some bonding time.

I look forward to the day when we can figure out a way for Daddy to have more freedom in his life too. He has a grueling job as a union welder, working 6 am to 2:30, or 4:30 when they're pulling tens. Sometimes even longer. Playing with fire and moving and lifting lots of really heavy stuff, while being really cold about half the year. I know it's hard to go bust his tail all day every day when we're having fun. Hopefully as I get my business going more over the next couple years, we'll have more stability and find a different way for him to make a living, hopefully being his own boss. In the meantime, I think a new job will come his way this year that is not going to be as hard on him. I'm willing it to happen.

Atom, I love you, and we really appreciate all the hard work you do, even if we're not always good at showing it; we know that as it stands right now, we owe a large part of our freedom to your hard work & self discipline! Thank you!!!

damage of "no child left behind" continues

2010-03-05T19:31:00.004-05:00

     Last week, on the heels of numerous protests occurring in conjunction with the National Day of Action to Defend Public Education, leading education scholar and former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch - and former longtime advocate of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, standardized testing, and using the free market to improve schools - appeared on DemocracyNow! to speak out against a broken system & introduce her new book The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.
     Bush's No Child Left Behind Policy has been wreaking havoc on children's education by creating an environment where teachers are forced to 'teach to the test', dumbing down & narrowing the curriculum rather than giving children a better, well-rounded education that allows for a variety of learning styles and subjects, embracing what learning should look like in the 21st century. Unfortunately, the Obama administration is only furthering the problem. In the recently introduced "Race to the Top", they have forced states, as part of the funding package, to commit to privatizing many public schools, converting them to charter schools. They have also committed states to evaluating teachers by the test scores of their students, and punishing those whose students fail to perform successfully, which is incredibly unfair to the teachers, and spurs many obvious problems. This means more emphasis on test prep and test drills - for tests that are worthless, in my opinion as an educator, in gauging what a child really knows. In fact, the mere idea of measuring or scoring a child's knowledge in such a way is ridiculous and useless. Although I happen to be one of those people who always enjoyed taking tests - it was fun for me, perhaps because it was easy for me. But I also didn't really care what my score was. In a recent move by the Obama administration, it was announced that all of the teachers in a high school in Rhode Island - the only high school, in fact, in a poor urban neighborhood - will be fired at the end of a school year. A crucial question - where do the arts & sciences come into play among all this testing hullaballoo? They don't. Watch the clip & you will hear one of the reasons why.
     Knowledge is Power. I believe that most people who become educators do so out of the desire to empower young minds by arming them with the knowledge they need to be successful in this world. But the system is broken. In fact, I'm confident that the system, modeled after factory operations, was 'broken' in many ways when it began some 150-200 years ago - not designed to create creative, independent thinkers, but efficient cogs of a well-oiled machine. And of course, many of us prevail regardless. But that's a post for another day.

return to freedom

2010-03-04T12:41:00.006-05:00

After a foray into the public school system, we have joyfully returned to freedom. This is something that is hard for many people to understand... why we do it, and what it really looks like. There is no need for anyone to take offense, or think that I'm implying you're wrong if you choose to send your child to school like most of the population.

Simply consider that one very important word: choice. We all do what we must do, and most importantly, what feels right for ourselves and our families. There are many different approaches to parenting, teaching, and learning. I don't feel that I have to explain or justify my choice to anyone; however, I'd like to try to help those I love who don't quite 'get it' by painting a clearer picture of this whole scenario. I'll have much more to say on the subject in the future, but for now, I thought it might be useful to begin with a few good notes and metaphors I found this morning as I was browsing around.

There is a movement called 'unschooling' which some people think is totally outrageous and really can't comprehend. While I wouldn't say that we are complete unschoolers (yet?), it makes alot of sense to me and greatly influences the way we live.

So, what does that mean and what does it look like?

From childplay.wordpress.com:

What unschooling is:

holistic

comprehensive

relevant

child led

passion driven

exploratory

What unschooling isn't:

standardized

cookie cutter

linear (or, maybe it is, depending on the kid!)

negligent

unlearning

lazy

Meredith, another unschooling mom who moderates the Always Unschooled listserve, says to a newbie mom trying to envision what this is: "You might also find it helpful to do some reading on the theory of Multiple Intelligences, and also personality styles, since personality plays a big part in the specifics of how people learn. But probably the biggest thing to know about learning is that it looks like life. People learn as a function of living life - we're designed to learn. Our own internal drives push us to go on exploring and discovering - it's part of human nature itself.

A big part of learning is making mistakes! That's an idea school trains out of us, but discovering is all about running into something new, something that challenges our expectations or doesn't turn out the way we think.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our kids is the safety to make mistakes. We get to be their soft place to fall, the person who helps them regroup and try another idea, the person who can offer other ideas without insisting our ideas are better. That's challenging! We soooo want to be able to offer the fruits of our own learning to our kids so that they don't Have to make the same mistakes we did. It's a little humbling to realize that sometime they actually want to (not all the time, but especially as my kids get older I see them not wanting my ideas and perspectives so much any more - they want to do it their own way, even if it's harder that way)!"

This was written by a mom, Debra Rossing, on one of the listserves to which I subscribe:

"Maybe this image will help: In the traditional schooling model, you are served a pre-decided meal (like a prix fixe dinner at a fancy restaurant - you get what someone else decided to prepare that day). But before you even take a bite, the waitress comes over and cuts it up into specific sized pieces and then arranges it in the order that you are to eat it. And, you must eat a certain amount of the pieces at a certain interval. No alternating between a bite of salad and a bite of potato, no lingering over a particularly tasty bit of tomato, it must be eaten in the proper sequence and timing. Meanwhile, your dinner companions are each served something else, based on criteria of age and where they grew up. Even if their food looks interesting, you aren't to share bites from other plates, unless of course, you finish all the requisite bites for this time period that are on your plate and ask the waitress for a bite of something else you've seen. After each set group of bites, the waitress comes over and asks you question about what you ate and you need to be able to answer the way she expects - if the soup was too salty for you, but it was salted "correctly" you have to say it was salted correctly, even if you didn't like it. Periodically, they bring medical equipment over to the table to make sure you are properly digesting what you've been eating.

Alternatively, natural learning (aka unschooling) is more like being at a grand buffet. You can choose what and when and how much. If the serving utensils are a bit cumbersome for you, people are there to assist. If you're unsure about how to carve yourself a piece of the roast chicken, ask someone and they'll show you how and/or guide you in doing so. If you want more peas but no more potatoes right now, that's fine. If you want to eat each individual pea separately, to enjoy the taste and texture, great. If you ONLY eat peas for a while, then switch to ONLY cantaloup, then have a mixed plate of cold veggies, salad style, fine and dandy. And if one of your dining companions has something on their plate you've never seen before or tried, you might ask to taste it. If you see something at the buffet and don't know what it is, you can ask and someone will describe/explain it to you, making comparisons/contrasts to other foods on your plate(s). 'That's a lychee. It's similar in taste/texture to a bit of canned pear but not exactly the same. Still fairly mild in flavor and a little sweet but not as sweet as something like a strawberry.' If you decide to simply sit back and observe the environment for a bit, that's fine, there's no time requirement on your eating."

To wrap it up for today, here's a copy of the 'Curriculum Description' I submitted today to Arlington County as part of my Notice of Intent to homeschool my child, and below that a highlight from our week.

"Our curriculum is self-designed to include the major areas of academic study in an age- and level-appropriate manner—language arts and mathematics, physical and social sciences, history, geography, and anything else that surfaces as an interest. Largely using an inquiry-based approach, we call on a wide and varied list of resources including books, workbooks, the internet, online curriculums, videos, workshops, classes, museums, galleries, field trips, nature, our community, collaboration with other families, travel, and conversation with people of all ages. Visual and performing arts are often integrated into our learning processes and can spontaneously provide intriguing starting points for further probing into specific aspects of any of the academic study areas. Part of my approach in educating my child is to take into account the seven intelligences as defined by Howard Gardner—the idea that “all human beings are capable of at least seven different ways of knowing the world…. language; logical-mathematical analysis; spatial representation; musical thinking; the use of the body to solve problems or to make things; an understanding of other individuals; and an understanding of ourselves.”

Our in-home learning consists of various activities including but not limited to: reading, workbook pages—both published and self-designed, creative writing, cooking, sewing, gardening, cleaning, computer games, blogging, piano lessons, art projects, science projects, singing, dancing, spanish practice; creative play & role-playing; elaborate character development & set-building; shooting photography & video; and art & music workshops which I teach, with other homeschooling families joining us. Activities outside of the home include ice skating, dance classes, gymnastics, art, drama, nature center classes, survival skills classes, and whatever else arises of interest. While we have specific blocks of time in the home each weekday that are specified ‘lesson time’, we live in such a way that learning is a natural, organic, always-happening, ongoing process—an exciting part of everyday life!"

On Monday, we took a field trip with a few friends to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Center - an awesome kids' spot in Winchester that is very similar to the Children's Museum in DC (now closed down.)

Here is Phoenix trying on an oxygen mask at the 'hospital'.

Then there is Adobe pushing her friend Lucca in the wheelchair. The place was small, but the kids had such a blast! There was so much to do... There was a replica of a Native American longhouse, a climbing wall, an ambulance and hospital, a library, all types of cool hands-on science stuff, a cider factory, an 'infinity mirror', a fun house mirror, a place where you could build a house, a large version of a honeycomb that you could climb inside of, and on...

I'm loving life; it feels so good having my two munchkins together again...

extending into heavens

2010-02-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

This is a composite piece that began back in the 90s & has had its most recent incarnation last year as a gift for my husband Atom. I made the drawing with him in mind when we were dating in our early twenties. The poem was a separate stroke of inspiration, I believe when I still lived in New York, around the same time, created on an old typewriter. At some point I combined them using a scanner & photoshop. I performed the poem in Ireland as part of a show my friend Vivian conceived entitled "In Her Shoes". Some parts of this were digitally painted, then this version was printed, and finished with watercolor & clear embossing fluid that is shiny and raised. Enjoy.

there is no religion higher than truth

2010-02-22T08:10:00.003-05:00

Aah, the New Year. The first couple of months are always an interesting time of year for me as I move from the struggle to sort out what's meaningful from the holiday chaos/charades/consumerist whirlwind that everyone seems to find themselves sucked into, in one way or another, from the end of October into January. If I'm in a cynical mood, 'the holidays' could be seen as one excuse after another to buy a bunch of crap that you or someone else doesn't really need, get drunk, eat too much, overindulge, and get caught up in a whirlwind of empty sentimentality & token phrases that don't actually mean anything. But I can also enjoy certain aspects to a degree - I have to say, I do actually like some of the Christmas music, the decorations, pretty lights, the spirit of celebration; people tend to be a little more friendly to each other, and exchanging gifts can be fun, if you don't go overboard with it. When I'm in right mind, I know that this time of year, winter time, is simply a time of rest & renewal, a time to appreciate the beauty & wonder of Mother Nature, to pull close the ones we love & tell them "Thank you. Thank you for being a part of my life. Thank you for being the beautiful person that you are. Thank you for helping me to learn & grow in this adventure as a human being. Thank you for loving me & receiving my love."
   Thus, my relationship with 'the holidays' is kind of like my relationship with organized religion. It's just not in my make-up, my fabric as a human being. I knew from kindergarten and first grade in a Catholic school in rural Indiana that it was not for me. I felt a lack of questioning around me, incongruities, and I was suspicious of the Story of Creation (On the first day, God created.... On the second day... and On the seventh day he rested....) that was being taught as a literal occurrence. And, there was Real Life at that point in life - the reason we moved to Indiana. My grandfather killed himself because my grandmother was becoming mysteriously ill; just when they were ready to settle into retirement in Florida where they had just bought a house, life took a drastic turn in another direction, and he just couldn't bear it. Shortly afterward, they discovered that my grandmother had 16 brain tumors, from cancer that had started in her lungs and spread. Within one year, she deteriorated to the state of infancy before my very eyes, and early one morning, she passed away, as I lay close by sleeping. The relationships were all complicated emotionally - I could write a whole chapter on that alone - and honestly, only now, 30 years later, do I consider how those particular events must have shaped me. It was the end of a husband & wife, the end of a father & son, the end of a son & his mother. And I was just at the beginning.
   So, I found myself feeling total rejection of organized religion and Christianity in particular, for many years. However, I was decidedly not atheist. This led me to ask alot of questions, read different things, have lengthy conversations with my dad, my mom, and others, and to arrive at some interesting hypotheses. At some point, perhaps when I was 18, 19, 20, I began to realize that perhaps I was missing something by my general dismissal of organized religion. I began to read, alot - esoteric teachings especially, and embrace the good things many of the main religions have to offer. I read up on certain religions, read some of the Bible and the Qu'ran, teachings of the Buddha, and delved deeper into what was at the heart of each of these teachings. And a pattern emerged. I began to feel that in many ways, they were each saying the same things - just in different languages. Some of the details were different, and all, it seemed to me, were diluted or distorted in various ways from the original teachings, for a variety of reasons - probably first & foremost, no separation of church & state, of religion from law, for centuries upon centuries. That's a topic for a whole 'nother post.
   The point is, I realized that it's all about what speaks to you, what helps you find meaning in life, what helps you move forward when the burdens of life seem too much to bear. So, if Jesus is your homeboy, that's great; if it's Allah that you praise, that's great; if it's the Buddha, Krishna, or whatever other name you choose for the Higher Power, or even if you are an existentialist, atheist, whatever, that's great, if it rings true for you. We are all seeking balance in our lives, reacting to & interacting with our upbringings, our cultures, our surroundings, our peoples' stories, our own personal stories.... Where religion translates to war is when one people try to force their way on another people, when people try to control one another, try to say that their path is the only Path... We are a people of many languages and many ways, but we are family.
   "There is no religion higher than truth." And there is no Truth higher than Love. It is written on my soul.

why do it?

2010-01-29T15:31:00.003-05:00

Why do I make art? Why do I love photography so much? What inspires me?

This is a re-post on Inspiration from my photo site & blog that I wanted to share here...

My love affair with photography began when I was a child... with taking pictures of things that captured my eye or caught my breath - a ray of light, a shadow, an abandoned man-made object in a state of deterioration, anything in the process of decay, patterns in nature, textures, symbols of our mortality, metaphors for the passage of time, beautiful representations of life's wonder, and so on... When taking pictures of people, I always appreciated the beauty of the moment and enjoyed catching them just be-ing, doing whatever they were doing. I'd always cringe inside when I went to take a picture of someone and they'd stop, pose, & smile for the camera. It is the essence, not the facade, that interests me.

As an artist, my work deals loosely with the cycles of birth, life and death, which encompass human perceptions of time and space, ‘life story’, imagination, and consciousness of the world around us and the people with whom we interact. Every person lives a journey - some story that takes them from being born some time, some place, to dying some time, some place. In a sense, my work is an ongoing ingestion and digestion of everyday realities, of my experiences & memories - both recent & distant. It is the human experience and the wonder of the natural world that feeds my work more than anything else. As a fine artist, I express stories through visual metaphor. As a documentarian, it is the the moment, or collection of moments - seemingly frozen in time - which speaks volumes. It is my role to bear witness and express what I see through these eyes, in the form of beautiful photographic art.

I am all about bringing back keepsakes and family heirlooms. Especially in this digital age, when everyone has a point-&-shoot or a camera phone, I think printed photographs are really important. We all (myself included) have hundreds or even thousands of pictures that live in our computers, and we rarely see them other than as a flash on the screen from time to time. There is something to be said for an image that is tangible, right there in front of you, that you can linger upon, hold, & touch. I read recently that looking at photographs of loved ones can be a healing experience, especially if they are far away or no longer with you. No surprise there - how could a rush of love not be healing, even if it's mingled with pain? And even if it's someone you see every day - people change, all of us, and there is something really special about being able to remember someone just as they were at a certain moment in time. You see a photograph, and memories come flooding back.

As an artist, I share with you a bit of my story & the beauty I find in life. As a photographer, I help you tell your story. The way I see it, I don't capture the moment, I set it free, so that it can live on, for a lifetime, or more...

What makes you tick? What inspires you? What do you love about what you do?

today was a good day

2010-01-23T02:52:00.002-05:00

Beautiful Adobe woke up wart-free this morning. Our beautiful girl developed a wart on her chin some months ago. First it appeared as a tiny little bump, and then it grew, and grew, and grew. Atom teased her that she got it from being mean to her parents. She was very self-conscious about it. So, last night Atom proved his skills as family surgeon. He very carefully cut it off with an Exacto blade. Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but it barely hurt her at all, and it seems to have worked like a charm. So that was great, because it made her so happy that it was gone.
   I've been in a bit of a funk recently - I think partly that the suffering of the world has been weighing heavily on my heart. But today was a pretty good day. Trying to stay in the moment helps me so much. Phoenix and I went to visit with our mama friend Jeneen and our two smaller friends Haiku & Rilke. It was kind of a surreal morning somehow. We haven't seen them in over a year, and it was very grounding. On the way there, I was listening to WPFW & they happened to have a show which was addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Atom & I have been talking about that recently, & I've realized that I know very little about what is at the heart of the conflict. So I turn on the radio, & there was a program that helped make the whole picture a bit clearer to me. Then, I was very moved by something the hostess said at the end of the broadcast, which is that the people have Haiti have paid a great sacrifice - the souls who gave their lives in this catastrophe have brought people together, united the human family in compassionate acts to help our fellow brothers and sisters, whether we send them food, money, doctors, or our love & prayers. And that is exactly what humanity needs right now, solidarity, compassion, empathy, love, and peace and justice, which are much harder to obtain.
   So I really appreciated what she had to say, & then we had a wonderful morning with the munchkins, playing at their house, snacking, chatting, strolling, & exploring down by the creek... For a little while, it was raining little ice balls & then started to snow, big fat wet clusters gently floating down through the sky. Wish I'd gotten a picture dangit! It was captivating.
   Then we had some lunch together, Phoenix and I came home (he was screaming & crying - he did not want to leave, but passed out within 5 minutes of being in the car), I did some work, picked up Adobe from the bus stop, invited one of Adobe's newer best friends Katy over, all went for a treat at the local coffee shop.... Then we came back here, the kids got to play, Atom & I hung out in the studio for a long while diggin' deep in conversation while he tidied up & worked on a xylophone he's making from wrenches, ordered some Thai food, and little Miss Adobe got to have Katy spend the night.
Yeah. It was a good day. And now, I'm exhausted. Time to fold up.

meditation for sanity

2009-12-30T09:40:00.001-05:00

ten minutes of stillness each day makes all the difference in the world. to keep me from killing my family - just kidding :) but really, life is stressful, especially when you're trying to balance so many roles and responsibilities. now, generally speaking, i'm not an angry person, or one to just fly off the handle. in fact, i have been told in the past that i have the patience of a saint. but lately, it seems i've been losing my ground. there has been a lot of yelling going on in the house. this is hard to admit publicly, but i know most families probably have those moments. it doesn't feel good. when i can see myself from the outside, i think "whoa, who is that?!" and i've heard myself saying way too often "aaaah, you guys are driving me crazy!" the forces of evil are trying to infiltrate our (mostly) peaceful and lovely home. we are all fire-y in this family. i have been praying for help to use my fire to warm people, not hurt them. so much of it lies in how you say something to someone. this is very important to remember, whenever possible. you can say the exact same thing two totally different ways, and it will be received quite differently depending on how it is delivered.

so, my routine has been to make a fire in the morning after atom leaves for work (i get up with him at 4:45 a.m.!) and meditate, sit quietly, whatever you wish to call it for a good ten minutes or so. and i finish with a wish or two, or a few... if i don't do it first thing, i try to make sure it happens fairly early in the day. i haven't done this regularly for a few years now, sad to say. i've been back at it for 3 weeks or so, and it really does make all the difference in the world. when a stressful situation arises, i stay calm; even if the impulse arises in me to fly off the handle, i usually catch it before i blow. and there is a difference in my way, my tone of voice, my body language. i am the peacekeeper, the mediator. i can help those around me to stay calm & see their way through conflict to resolve. i love it. i love my family.

have you had any experience with this?

check out groovy nate

2009-12-30T06:36:00.008-05:00

after much anticipation, the "Meet Groovy Nate" CD has launched! you can buy it on the
Groovy Nate site. support a local artist!

for those of you who don't know, Groovy Nate is an awesome children's entertainer who performs regularly around arlington, alexandria, and the d.c. metropolitan area. he and his family happen to be good friends of ours. a papa of two, he and his wife kisha have been developing the groovy nate thang for the past several years, and now, the release of his first CD! kisha writes a majority of the material and has done alot more behind-the-scenes work than i initially realized, as the director and vocal coach, among other things.

nate puts on a highly engaging show - if you have young ones and haven't had the pleasure to see a Groovy Nate show yet, go to his site, and find one! and grab a CD while you're at it. you're in for a real treat. he incorporates puppetry, beat-boxing, and other sound effects, as well as guitar & vocals. his show is very interactive, & he has the kids movin' & groovin', callin' out, & crackin' up. nate also offers workshops & birthday parties, and performances can be tailored to a specific theme upon request - see his site for more info.

now, one of the coolest things about his CD for me, besides it being fabulous, is that this is my daughter adobe's vocal debut! she is featured in several of the tracks, along with nate's two children & another friend, and she has a solo on the track "Inside Beauty". another thing that i really love about this CD is the quality musicianship & variety of music styles from track to track - blues, hip-hop, reggae vibes & more.

if you've already checked it out, or once you do, i'd love it if you'd leave a comment! thanks.

(photo: © artis mooney. groovy nate leads a princess parade through the woods at a birth day party.)

for solstice: snow, glorious snow

2009-12-24T09:19:00.002-05:00

what glorious fun, to get dumped on. we really got a good heaping of snow, and we had a blast with it. it's a bit surreal, days later, to still see these piles of white stuff obstructing paths & parking spots, and turned into sculpture, all around the neighborhood. i think that's what i like the most, the temporary transformation of our surroundings. it was so beautiful, snowing non-stop for almost two full days; and you just stay inside, mostly, and watch it fall. it inspires awe & stillness. we had tea and hot chocolate, baked & ate special treats, sat by the fire, and made paper snowflakes. to honor solstice and the spirit of renewal, we did some cleaning & began a decor overhaul - clearing the tops of shelves and the mantle and arranging our treasures and trinkets again, and changing up the wall art (especially because we just got our beautiful new canvases!).

then when the snows stops coming down, it calls for our action, in one way or another, whether it's work or silliness. on sunday we shoveled, alot, so atom could venture out for his mandatory midst-of-snowstorm-excursion. then, we got out with the kids on monday and played, running around, having snowball fights, making snow angels and a family of snow people.

i LOVE canvas prints

2009-12-17T17:00:00.002-05:00

just got my first canvas prints in last night, & i am so excited, i can't even tell you! i waited anxiously all day yesterday for the fedex guy to arrive, and of course, they didn't come until i was away last night teaching. which is good, because i very well may have tackled him/her before they got off the truck. by the time i came home, atom had unwrapped them, & they are so beautiful. one is for a client, one for atom for an anniversary present, & the other 3 just for all of us to enjoy. everybody should own at least one of these. i've been gaga-ing over them all day. especially as a fine artist, it is so exciting to see these gorgeous photographic works of art adorning our walls. especially since they're our photographs. thanks simply canvas!

new traditions

2009-12-16T10:29:00.001-05:00

it's been awhile since i've posted, but as we approach the season of rebirth, i feel inspired, and i guess it is a good time to begin again. this is a great time of year, when everyone gets in the giving spirit, but it's always felt a bit fictitious to me, a bit suspicious, a bit random. i mean, even if you're christian, & you're ostensibly celebrating the birth of jesus christ, it has been shown that in all likelihood, his birth was not on december 25, and perhaps not in this month, or even in this season. i figure that this holiday was created to give the economy a little end-of-year stimulation. i believe most of the other american holidays were created for a similar reason, and thus, i have always felt a there is a lack of connection on these holidays with anything much more than consumerism. the associated sentiments are nice, but i don't really need an excuse to show love or gratitude to those close to me. and i certainly don't need to stress about how much i can afford to spend and who i need to get presents for. what about random acts of kindness? it was different when i was a teenager and my dad would just hand me the credit card to shop for our family and friends, and i didn't really have to think about the bill on the other side. as an adult faced with the reality of living check to check, the whole scenario didn't quite make sense. so for years, i simply declined to participate.

well, of course, when you have children, that's a bit harder to do. we've struggled with how to deal with this. we talk about what's really worth celebrating at this time of year, and have avoided stressing out and spending frivolously just 'because' that's what other folks do at this time of year. at the same time, we don't want to be scrooges, and we do want to take advantage of extra time spent together during this time. and of course, giving and receiving gifts is fun.

so this year, we're starting a new tradition. rebirth & the return of light - solstice to new years'. we will recognize the solstice in some way - perhaps a nice dinner or a small party. it may not be on the solstice since that's a monday, not sure yet. solstice is worth celebrating because it signals the beginning of winter - a time of rest & renewal for all life - when everything goes dormant & prepares to spring forth in the warmer weather. this is a time that's great for hibernating indoors, going for invigorating walks through the woods when your favorite spots look so different, having warm tea, and snuggling together by the fire. even more cause for celebration is the fact that little by little, daylight returns & the days begin to get longer.

then, to continue the celebration, in honor of reflection & renewal, we look forward to another year together as a family, & we will show our love for one another through gift-giving on new years' eve. that way, we get more time to make gifts if we like during winter break when everything slows down, and shop for gifts after christmas, when everything's on sale. then everyone can get a little more of what they want, & we can spend a little less. brilliant, right?

the other component is the tree. it is sad to me how many large, beautiful trees are cut down every year just to be enjoyed for a couple weeks in someone's home, then to be discarded onto the curb for trash pickup. (i'm not bashing you if you do this, but just think about it...) we plan to buy & decorate a live tree, which we can keep inside until spring if we like, and then plant it in our yard. we can enjoy it year-round, and watch it grow (for as long as we live here), and let it serve as a reminder of the fun times we had in 2009.

we'll see how it goes this year, and maybe this will be our family tradition for years to come. whatever you do, think about what it really means to you. and if you're able, donate something to those in need, in whatever way that makes sense to you. i am donating a bit of the money i would spend elsewhere during the holiday season to charities that support causes that touch my heart. more on that in another post...

happy holidays everyone!

(the image above was taken at alexandria's annual scottish christmas parade in 2006. the gentleman was a bagpiper and epitome of what i think the real santa would look like. © artis mooney 2006)

conserving water & saving energy

2009-03-05T07:01:00.009-05:00

water and electricity are not limitless resources. i'd like to share a few tips for conservation that i try to practice, in my home, and wherever i go. these may be things you do already, or maybe you'll get some fresh ideas here.

first of all, as my family and i fantasize about living off-grid at some point, i try to behave (as much of the time as i can remember) as though our main supply of water comes only from rooftop collection and use of greywater (this is a wiki link on it, but if you research, you can find out much more about it). if you behave as though that water coming through the taps, and into your toilets, washing machines and hoses is limitless, it's easy to just let it run at leisure, thus wasting a lot of water. so, if you can, start there, really thinking about the fact that this water does not magically appear at your house, but comes from somewhere, going through a lengthy, energy-consuming process before it arrives at your house usable (and theoretically potable).

then, there are some other simple things you can do that will greatly reduce your water consumption, and probably your utility and electric bills as well.

never let the water run just to run. turn it on only when you are actually using it to clean something or yourself.
lever-type faucet handles, as opposed to knobs, help greatly with this endeavor, as you can bump it on or off with your wrist in the middle of tasks. (of course, those automatic hand-activated ones are more convenient, except they're expensive, and they use electricity.)
when washing dishes - give the dirties a quick rinse-down. if you've got something that's particularly dirty, put a little water in the bottom of it, then turn the water off, and use that water to give it a good scrub rather than just running water over it while you try to remove the caked-on food. soap up several items, then turn the water back on and give those a quick rinse. keep in mind, you don't have to have the water on full blast. keep the water flow as light as you can while still accomplishing your task. rinse silverwares a handful at a time instead of one piece at a time. then, water off, soap up some more, water on, rinse quickly, etc.
limit hot water use. alot of people use hot water when washing dishes and clothes because they think it's going to better sanitize. i've read that this is a great misconception - the water would have to boiling to kill any additional germs. i have not tested this scientifically, but it makes perfect sense to me. so, i almost always wash the clothes on cold. occasionally, i do wash whites on hot with a cold rinse if i'm bleaching them, but this may even be excessive. i'm not sure that it makes the whites any whiter, but that's what the washing instructions say to do. make sure your laundry loads are full whenever possible. it's a real waste to wash smaller loads. i almost always use cold water when washing dishes. now, i have to admit, when it's freezing outside and quite chilly in the house, i do spoil myself with a little warm water when rinsing dishes. remember, if it's hot water, you're using more energy.
dishwashers - opt out of high-temp wash and the heated dry cycle. yes, you may have a few spots on your dishes. so what? make sure your dishwasher is totally full when you run it.
hang a clothesline if at all possible. now, another admission. we don't tend to use the clothesline as much during the winter months. but the rest of the year, we use it for pretty much every load we wash. and it's lovely. there is nothing like crispy line-dried sheets. yes, it takes a bit more of your time, but not that much. and when it's nice and warm out, the laundry dries almost as fast as it would in the machine. it's a really nice ritual and sometimes helps me feel connected to my forebears. i think about the grandmothers and great-grandmothers (grandfathers too hopefully, although this was probably considered "women's work") and on back who not only hung the clothes on the line but also washed them by hand. if you don't have the space for a line, consider a rack to dry at least some of your clothes. you'll still be saving some energy. something is better than nothing.
when brushing your teeth, turn the water off. wet your toothbrush, and turn the water off. brushabrushabrush. then, only when you are ready to rinse, turn the water back on.
when bathing, take a quick shower most of the time. i think alot of people do this already. i treat myself to an occasional bath, but most of the time i take a shower. you use a lot less water. put the stopper in when you start the shower, and that way you are aware of how much water you are actually using, it's not just unmeasurably going down the drain. plus, your feet get a good soak. try to keep your time down. if you're bathing kids, a hand-held shower head works wonders - you can do a bath-shower mixture. and, call me a dirty hippie if you like, but do you really need to bathe every day? unless you have a job where you get really dirty, it just seems excessive to me. imagine how much water is being used if a family of four is each bathing every single day - that's alot of water. how about every two or three days for adults? the kids - again, unless they're doing something where they're getting really dirty, or they're hitting puberty and starting to produce all kinds of fun smells - isn't once a week enough? even better, if you can get more than one person going at a time, that's awesome. sometimes the kids and i do a family shower. that saves alot of water. even better, adults, hop in with your partner if you have one and have some fun! if you really want to be diligent, get wet, turn water off, soap up, shave, etc., and only turn water on when you are rinsing yourself.
"if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down." if you haven't heard this expression, i'm referring to the toilet. flushing the toilet all the time is one of the biggest wasters of good clean water. some people think this is gross, but really, just keep the lid closed. use a small amount of toilet paper when you wipe, and you can put it in the trashcan instead of the toilet when it's just pee, that way the toilet won't be filling up with paper. now i've noticed around our house that sometimes when different people's pee mixes, it can get particularly smelly. once it starts to really stink, we'll give it a flush. but generally speaking, it's not bad at all. you can save alot of water this way.
get or make a rainwater barrel for watering your plants and garden. you can set this up so it collects the water from your gutters and use it whenever possible. if you look online, you can find tons of companies selling these. we don't have one yet, but it's on my wishlist.
last, limit your electricity use. go with daylight and candlelight as much as possible. turn lights off when you're not in the room. (my husband is always getting on us about this one.) unplug things when they're not in use - they still draw electricity even if the appliance is off, unless you have them plugged into a power strip which you can turn off. that stops the flow. this one takes a bit more diligence and i'm not always good with it. dress warmly during the winter and try not to keep the heat cranking all the time. in the summer, try to go with fans and windows - open or closed, depending on your sun exposure. experiment. keep a mister (spray bottle) handy in the heat of summer. if you fill it with water and put a few drops of your favorite essential oil in it, a few spritzes are quite refreshing and great for an attitude adjustment.

remember, we are lucky to have the resources we do. there are thousands upon thousands of people living across the globe without running water or electricity, voluntarily or involuntarily. who knows where we are headed? we may hit a point here in the states where these resources become extremely limited, if not unavailable, also. we can prepare ourselves by practicing now, and in the process, perhaps contribute to loss prevention.

that's all for now. if you have any further suggestions or want to share things you practice in your own home, please post them by clicking the comments link below this article.

not all doom & gloom + teleporting

2009-02-11T08:31:00.005-05:00

just wanted to make clear that my posts will not be all doom & gloom since the last two posts were of the 'warning' type. but i do want to hip people to some info they may not be aware of. do what you will with it. many of the posts to come will be in the direction of affirmations, in other words, 'do this.....for a healthy life' rather than 'careful! don't do this!' i'm not an alarmist, and i believe it's important not to live a life of fear, and to constantly strive to shape words and thoughts in the affirmative rather than the negative. more on that another time...

a quick addition to this, just wanted to share an article my friend beth caporaletti had linked on her facebook page. pretty interesting: Scientists Teleport Matter More Than Three Feet.

i think i've got my own form of teleporting going on when i reach out and 'touch' someone, local or clear across the country, globe even. i've gotten really good at this. i like to call it 'psychic paging'. i'm thinking of someone, and next thing you know, they call, or write. the phone rings and i know it's them. or i'm thinking of them and try to contact them but miss them at that time. then later they say, 'that's so weird, i was thinking of you right around that moment you contacted me.' it happens so much it doesn't even surprise me anymore.

danger of plastics, in the microwave and in the car

2009-02-10T10:15:00.006-05:00

this is a repost of an email reminder i received that i thought i would share, just in case you don't know already.

i relegated the microwave to the art studio months ago, to be used for heating wax, melting plastic, or blowing things up :) - we use a toaster oven or the stove for our food.

Cancer Update from John Hopkins
(This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.)

No plastic containers in microwave.
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave.
A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don 't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the Microwave using plastic containers... This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

ALSO -------------------------------------
Bottled water in your car - very dangerous. This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and said this same exact thing. This has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especially in Australia. A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the Doctor told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car. The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle when you can!

LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND / DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE

high fructose corn syrup - gotta give it up

2009-02-04T07:17:00.006-05:00

i've already heard many bad things about high fructose corn syrup, and yet in the past couple years i've slipped again and have been ignoring it to some extent. pick and choose your battles as they say. yes, i've had my fair share of cokes and candies and other seemingly delicious products over the past few years. and have even dropped my guard enough to allow my daughter to consume some of these sinful items as well, on occasion. not anymore. this battle has begun again. and it is difficult, because it is in everything. read your ingredient labels.

why is it bad? for one, in layman's terms, and from my own research and common sense, the pesticides used on non-organic corn are some of the absolute worst. research atrazine, to begin with. unless you are committed to eating organic (at least your produce), you are consuming alot of pesticides. why is that bad? from an article titled The Dangers of Pesticides to Humans on purezing.com: "Pesticides effects on humans are damage to the nervous system, reproductive system and other organs, developmental and behavioral abnormalities, disruption of hormone function as well as immune dysfunction." read the full article. especially if you have children.

i believe that high fructose corn syrup is directly related for a panoply of health problems that have inundated our society during my lifetime, including obesity and autism. the incidence of autism has sky-rocketed in the past 20 to 30 years, this just happens to coincide with the period when HFCS started being put into everything. do your own research, there is plenty of information out there. a really great video on youtube by dr. vincent bellanzi addresses HFCS and the dangers of processed 'foods' in general.

well, now, some researchers are coming out with a study announcing that toxic levels of mercury have been found in high fructose corn syrup, which has found its way pervasively into our 'food chain' over the past 30-35 years or so. it is the 2nd or 3rd ingredient in so much of what the average person consumes, including sodas, candies, salad dressings, barbeque sauce, jam, yogurt, gatorade, nutra-grain cereal bars, and the list goes on... read an article on it by reuters uk that goes into more detail. or you can watch or listen to a segment on this, (and the recent story that came out about salmonella-contaminated peanuts that were shipped out by a georgia plant) on democracy now!. there is some really great specific information in this segment about how this mercury got into the HFCS and the FDA's role in this.

there are tons of chemicals in the foods most people typically eat. in my opinion, the FDA and the AMA have been conducting a mass experiment on the american people over the past 50 to 60 years. what we call 'organic' farming today used to be the norm. but that's the subject for another post.

the bottom line is, we all indulge from time to time, but there are so many delicious, truly healthful things you can eat. overall, a good rule of thumb is this: the ingredient list should be short. if you can eat whole, organic grains, fruits, and vegetables, locally grown when possible, and foods with the least amount of processing and preservatives possible, your body, heart, & mind will thank you.

boundless voice beginnings

2009-01-30T10:30:00.001-05:00

this is a test of the artismooney broadcasting system...

i've been wanting to start a public blog, even though as yet i barely have time to publish to my personal blog, and make changes to my website.

but i have to do it. i have so much going on in my head all the time that i want to write about. and as my other blog and website are made with iweb, i figured i'd check out this blogger thing and see how i like the format.

if you happen to be stumbling upon this, here, sometime in the future, you will find ramblings about all manner of things, including holistic health practices, musings on politics, childrearing, 'homeschooling', teaching, the history of institutionalized schooling, the (brief) history of institutionalized childbirth, love, travel, daydreams, food as medicine, adventures with my art & photography,... the possibilities are boundless.

in the meantime, check out my website, www.artismooney.com to see some of my art & photography and learn a little more about me.