Friday, October 29, 2010

Winter Squash

Last week I bought 30 pounds of various varieties of winter squash. It is 2lbs for a dollar for the locally grown squash and I am buying now before the price goes up. I cut them in half, remove and put aside the seeds then bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until tender. I scoop out the tender flesh and dehydrate it. I then throw it into my food processor and powder it. I store it away for winter and use it as a soup base on cold winter days or I rehydrate it on the stove with a small amount of butter and honey for a tasty treat.

I really do not like to waste anything and it really bothered me to throw out the seeds. I did a quick search and found that they are edible! So I tossed the seeds with olive oil and salt and baked at 350 until they were starting to brown and pop. Yum! And so much better then pumpkins seeds.

The only disadvantage was that the jar I had set aside to store the seeds wasn’t big enough to hold all those seeds. I did not want to waste the seeds so I tossed a handful into my food processor and I mixed it in with my veggie bouillon powder and wow what a flavor! The only thing needed is more onion and that is only because I enjoy a large amount of onion in my bouillon.

This year’s varieties are:
Acorn Squash
Buttercup Squash
Butternut Squash
Delicata Squash
Carnival Squash
Kabocha Squash
Sweet Dumpling Squash

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Educational Choice vs Parenting Choice



I have noticed that lately many people are viewing unschoolers as unparenters. I understand that there are parents who do not parent in the traditional sense and instead believe that their children, if given the freedom will do the right thing. I have met several families who hold this view. I cannot say that I agree with it. I have seen older children physically harm younger children while their parents watch. I have seen children harass other children while their parents watch. I have had to intervene to keep my child safe. There are certain families that I make it a point to avoid. There are classes my son enjoys and would love to take that I will not sign him up for. Why? Because there are times I need to use the restroom and I do not feel my son is safe even for just a few moments. It is a sad thing, but I cannot allow my son to be bullied because another parent believes that intervening when there child is being cruel is wrong.

If unparenting is a vital part of unschooling then we are not unschoolers. I tell my son “no”, he has boundaries and limitations. When it comes right down to it he knows the boundaries and they are fair and he generally respects them. Like all children, when he is tired or not feeling well he has trouble with those boundaries. There are some days when he needs help settling down because he is unable to do so. Usually at this point he is unable to self regulate and that is when it is my job to step up and help him.

With all that said, I do not believe I need to be rude to my child until he learns his boundaries. I do not believe I need spank him for him to learn boundaries. I do not believe in setting him up to fail so that he may learn the boundaries. I do believe that it is my job to prepare him for new situations. If there is a situation that he can not be fully prepared for or that is to overwhelming I keep him near me and I am watchful so that I can guide him as the need arises and before things get out of control.

There is a not so fine line between respectful parenting and abuse. Yes, I called it abuse. It is abuse to allow a child to go through life thinking it is ok to harm another person. It is a great disservice to the child who goes through life thinking that nothing they do has any consequences. It is our job as parents to parent. It is a big job to raise a child but it is one that all parents signed up for.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Amazing Harvest

The first thing we planted in the ground was lettuce. I have never been a fan of store bought lettuce. It does not matter the brand or if it is organic or not, I find the taste to be bitter. Lettuce has always been something I eat because I am supposed to, not because it was something I enjoyed. I resented lettuce. As a result, we only grew six varieties of lettuce in our spring garden. After eating them in the spring and early summer, I have to be honest, it was wonderful! I was finding myself reaching into the lettuce box and picking lettuce to snack on while I worked on an adjacent bed. I went from drenching my salad in dressing to eating lettuce out of a bowl like I would popcorn or chips. It was that good! There was a downside to the wonderful flavor. The lettuce did not last. No matter how plentiful the days harvest it was gone in next to no time.

Next in the ground were the carrots. The carrots were a blast. We planted four varieties and used cinderblocks to grow them in. If you have cinderblocks and want to grow carrots I can honestly say that the two work perfectly together. We had no problems with anything trying to eat our carrots and the carrots were weed free. Of everything we planted the carrots had the highest yield. The colors were amazing and the taste was delicious.

We planted more vegetables including potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, squash and melons and harvested an abundance of knowledge that we plan to use to sow next years crop.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Dyslexic Unschooler

We are unschoolers. There, it is said. There is no set curriculum being used. There is no predefined course of study being followed. There are no skills that must be learned in a certain order. Yet I already know my son has dyslexia that is caused by a problem with his brain understanding what his eyes see. And I know that he will not out grow it.

How can I, a mom, with minimal formal education, untrained to identify learning disabilities, know that a 6 year old, barely of first grade age, has dyslexia? Simple, I’m his mom. I have watched him grow. I have been with him throughout his journey of life. More importantly, I pay attention and I listen. I listen as he proudly exclaims that a magnet on the front of a friend’s refrigerator says “dog” when it says “god”. I have paid attention as he proudly says the letters and numbers that he sees and when I look I see that he has said the wrong letter or number. I have watched him struggle as he tries to tell colors apart but gets them confused. I have heard his cries of pain because no matter how much he wants to, he can’t.

I am even going to go so far as to say I know what the problem is and that I know what the solution is.

He has Irlen syndrome. He needs Irlen lenses.

How do I know? Simple: I am his mom.

That and I have Irlen syndrome and I understand his pain and how no matter how hard he tries that he just can’t. I understand the pain he is in unless he is wearing sunglasses. I understand when he cannot tell an “o” from an “u” or brown from gray or a “p” from a “6”.

Irlen lenses are not cheap. I am on a strict budget but my goal is to get Irlen lense for my son in 2011.

When it comes to dyslexia and learning to read it is not a matter or readiness. He could be 30 years old but unless the underlying problem is resolved he will never learn to read fluently.

I tried to find information about unschooling and dyslexia. I could not find anything helpful. Most of what I found was from other parents who believe that when the child is ready they will learn to read. I agree that a child with no learning disabilities that hinders their ability to process information and who has lots of exposure to an environment rich in the written word will learn to read and that the timeline will vary greatly. I disagree that every child, regardless of difficulties in processing will learn to read and I think it is a great disservice to the child to not treat the underlying problem and assume it will all work out in the e
  
To view sample distortions that people with Irlen syndrome see when trying to read please visit: http://irlen.com/distortioneffects.php

Monday, October 25, 2010

Food Solutions

I am passionate about creating unique recipes and having healthy foods to eat and saving money. Due to our budget limitations I cannot afford to have local, fresh, organic produce year round.

My solution? Buy in bulk when the prices are low and the crops are abundant to preserve for when prices are sky high or the food is unavailable. I primarily dehydrate and freeze the food. I would like to learn how to can but for right now dehydrating and freezing more then serve the purpose.

While buying large quantities is a great solution it does not satisfy my desire to have a large variety of fruits and vegetables in our diet. Even now with more and more heirloom varieties being grown and sold at the markets and stores I still am left wondering where I can find more varieties. Every few years I get lucky and find purple carrots but generally I am limited to 3-4 carrots and then only if I buy everything in the store.

My solution? Learning to grow our own food. This past year I started gardening with a friend. I am happy to say that we had a successful harvest. The fruits of our labor were not all edible and a good portion of what we reaped was in knowledge rather then edibles but that was just fine with us. We now know what to do and, more importantly, what not to do next year.

The colors of our carrot harvest.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Who are we?

I am a single mom to a wonderful little boy. We garden. We learn. We travel. We live our life instead of living vicariously through others. We are on a tight budget and have founds ways to maximize every dollar.

My son (Cowboy) is 6 years old and is a history buff. He is currently fascinated by American History and wants to visit every National Park. When he is not sleeping he is listening to audio books, digging in the dirt and sand, building various structures around the yard and riding his bike. I am just your average mom,  I ensure that my son is getting a proper education, eats healthy foods and is always dressed warm enough in the sweater I knitted.

In short, we are just like everyone else. I save leftovers for us to eat another day by dehydrating them. I drive a van and chauffeur my son all over town, the van just happens to have a closet, sink and bed in the back that is perfect for extended field trips.

We are hoping to get a couple of pets in the next year or so but we are undecided on what type to get. I want sheep, cowboy wants goats. 

We have a few things that make us unique, like the fact that we are both on the autism spectrum (I was diagnosed at the age of 12 and Cowboy at the age of 3) but when it comes right down to it we are just your average everyday family.