Photos galore!

Like many bloggers, I feel like a post just isn't a post without at least one picture. That's actually what keeps me, many times, from posting...I don't have a picture ready to go along with it...or I'm too lazy to download and upload. :) But that's not the case today! I'm loaded!

Ok, first, we bought a "new" van this weekend. We had gone to EC shopping on Friday, and I told Barry we could stop and look at some vans. We've wanted a van again for awhile. But I really wanted a Honda or Toyota, cuz they're always ranked #1 and #2 and apparently are very reliable. I was raised to buy used, and pay it off. If Barry had his way, we'd lease a new one...but that's another story! We had convinced ourselves that we couldn't afford a Toyota or Honda, because in order to get it into "my" price range, it would have a LOT more miles on it than Barry was willing to accept. So, we were planning on looking at other makes.

Well, we ended up at the Honda dealership, where we drove two vans...a 2000 Honda Odyssey with 182k miles, and a 2002 with 203k on it. The 2002 was cheaper at $5500 because of the miles (well within and below our budget). After thinking on it overnight, reading reviews, etc., we decided to go back Sat am for the 2002. Yes, it's a lot of miles. But, supposedly, the Hondas go 300-400k, and we don't put many miles on our vehicles. Besides, at that price, we're still ahead of the game. So, we now are happy van owners again! The kids are THRILLED...they have space to spread out, they have plenty of cupholders, they think the automatic side doors are "awesome", and they have their own REAR AIR CONDITIONING!!! Yeah!!! So, here's the new member of our family...

Today starts a homeschooling experiment. We're going to try "unschooling"...otherwise known as "child-led learning". After doing mucho research, I've come to peace with a trial period. Basically, the idea behind unschooling is that the kids decide when and what they want to learn, instead of being "spoon-fed" what some bureaucrat says they should know at what time. Theoretically, everyone, especially kids, have a natural-born curiosity and desire to learn what they want to know. Even though my heart agrees with this thought process, my mind is still "school-trained", hence the trial period. :) Alana has been showing unschooling tendancies for some time. She LOVES animals, wants to be a vet, and really wants to have a farm! So, when she decides she wants goats, for example, she'll read about them. In the picture below, she's looking on Petfinder.com to find a puppy...then uses the map of Wisc to see if the town the dog is in is close enough to go look at. That's unschooling.

Yes, I'm a bit petrified. So, I've installed certain rules. No more tv than they've watched before. They must read an hour a day...30 minutes of non-fiction, and 30 of their choice. And they need to keep a daily journal. And we keep morning Bible devotions as before. Math worries me more than anything...so that may go back to being "regulated". Part of my support for this idea comes from our lifestyle. My kids live a very controlled life currently. They are with me 24/7. They are told when and what to eat...way beyond the limits of "normal" Americans. I feel like they should have some kind of control or choice put back into their own hands...before they burn out or rebel. Besides, if I'm going to try an experiment like this, I should do it when they're this young, so that they don't lose too much ground. And, it IS summer afterall...this could be considered their summer vacation.


This is a picture I snapped of Alana last night at soccer. I think she's beautiful....

Speaking of soccer...it was Erin's last game last night. Her team did not win a game. Poor thing. That's tough for Erin to take, too. Unlike Alana, who's laid back, Erin is VERY competitive and serious about sports. Last year her soccer team won every game. But, I think it's good for her to learn how to lose...and besides having a few episodes of "I made the team lose!", she handled it very well. Here are a few highlights from the season...

By the way....she's SO fun to watch. And she grunts when she kicks the ball (totally reminds me of Serena & Venus playing tennis...I love it!)

And it was extra fun this year because her best friend, Claire, was on her team...and her dad, our friend, Corey, was the coach...seen here doing a very important equipment adjustment! :)