Such disdain amongst such beauty....

This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. That said, we had an awful time here.


Miles and miles of tulips with the most amazingly vivid colors.


We (Eric and I) tried to make the best of it. I mean, how could we not. It was like looking across the fields in heaven.

But this image says it all. She wanted to pick and stomp the flowers. She was difficult to reason with(to say the least).




So we tried the "clog train".
Maggie was happy at first but then it started. I have no idea why people think it's fun riding through mud and HUGE bumps. Apparently neither do my children.





But we still kept trying. It was just so beautiful. We asked them if they wanted to leave and if you had been a passer-by, you would have thought I flicked them in the ear (like my mother used to do). It was an honest question. They didn't seem to be having fun despite all of the "kid" activities to do.


They DID NOT want to leave. OK then!! We stayed. I have to give credit where credit is due.... Eric was in a far better mood then the rest of us(even after getting kicked in the groin, having no coffee, chasing Maggie all over the farm and getting a fly up his nose and not being able to get it out for a good five minutes). He's the best partner/daddy in the entire universe!





So we stayed. We played chase and tossed horse shoes and bounced in the bouncy house.


We found all kinds of cools things to look at. I love how they used nutshells to line the pathways, and there were a lot of pathways. Who ate all those nuts?


Any way, looks can be deceiving. The grass is NOT alwasy "greener on the other side"....

...but not in children (at least not mine) Their faces never lie!!

Facebook Question....

This is a question asked by my friend (yes,a real friend) on Facebook and my response to all the negative pro spanking responses she received such as "I would not only have removed my child, they wouldn't be able to sit comfortably for a while after it either" and this one which starts off good...but goes to shit real quick! "I always gave my children the "option of the bathroom". We would either discuss their mis-behavior....or they would get a smack on the bottom. They never knew what they were going to get". Needless to say,my blood is boiling and fully expect that I will not be hearing the end of it any time soon.

Q. "O.k., I have no little ones, but how many of my parent friends would like to give an opinion......would you let your child sit in a crowded establishment and let you child scream bloody murder and throw a fit, without soothing the child or removing them from the dining area....keep in mind this went on for over twenty ...minutes........just curious on opinions, it almost caused a brawl at the place we ate tonight".


A. "It amazes me that most of the comments assumed that the CHILD was "mis-behaving".Most children "behave" like children (crying and wiggling) when forced to act like adults. Being in a restaurant is BORING to children. Maybe the PARENTS were mis-behaving and should have thought about the type of place they were taking their child before forcing them to "behave"(like an adult).If the child was screaming and the parents were not comforting the child or making any attempted to help the child through what emotions he/she was having (being neglectful) then maybe the child was responding to the obvious shitty parenting he/she is forced to endure on a daily basis and needed someone to intervene. I absolutely believe that hitting a child is WRONG. None of us would walk up to a grown person who was in obvious distress and tell the people they were with that they should "go smack them" so they will "behave". Children are people too, and as deserving of the same respect we would offer to someone our age. Maybe someone could have asked the staff if they might go offer some assistance (crayons,crackers etc.) or like you Lisa, choose not to dine there again. It is up to the parents to decided where to eat and if the place they choose is suitable for children. If you, as the diner, do not want to be around potentially "mis-behaving" children then steer clear of "family restaurants", and try a pub or go for a "fine dining" experience. http://www.raisingmyboychick.com/2009/10/dancing-between-the-tables-on-the-personhood-of-children/


The link I posted on FB was written by one of my all-time favorite Bloggers. Her blog is "Raising My Boychick" and you can find her on Twitter as @RaisingBoychick . I absolutely love her writing and the subjects she writes about.

I'm no blogger!!!

I really should blog more. I am no writer though. The thoughts in my head rarely make it to my fingertips. That said, I have so much to say. Maybe I'll start posting pictures of our fabulous life. I've seen that a lot in the blogs that I follow. I love looking at all the photos of other families. I also love driving around at night, trying to see inside other peoples homes (I'm weird like that). Don't we all really? Don't we all like to see how everyone else "does it'. Well, not "IT", but how they live life. How they decorate their homes, what art work they have on their walls. Come on, I can't be the only one. Well, maybe I am. It wouldn't be the first time I outed myself as a freak that does freakish things. It inspires me though. It gives me fresh ideas. I just asked myself (really, just now as I was typing this) if I do it for some kind of validation. I don't think so. I get stuck. I run out of ideas and I get my inspiration from life. From peeking in on other peoples lives. See, this is why I don't blog more. I tend to ramble. Lets see if I can tie together my thoughts....um, well, I am looking foreword to our first Unschooling conference (Life Is Good). I just think of all the people I can spy on and get inspired from and I get giddy. I can't wait to meet some of my online friends and make new friends. I am in a rut. I am excited to connect with other freakish people who go against the norm. Just in case anyone was actually reading this blog, I hope this latest entry will apiece your appetite for now. I promise I will start posting more....

Discovery Health (unschooling)

I'm not the blogger I wanted to be, but I had to make sure that I posted something about this. I am so excited to see this special. I'm hopeful that they will do justice to the philosophy that I have come to hold so dear. The
Discovery Health Parenting Special on unschooling will air on March 3, 2010.
Make sure to mark your calenders. I hope that I will have no trouble remembering this date, as it will be my 7th wedding anniversary! Looking forward to a great day!!

Just a quick thought on unschooling...

Having been on our "radical" unschooling journey for awhile now, we have learned so much! One thing really sticks out...unschooling, radical unschooling what ever you call it, it all looks different from one family to the next! We do what works for our family which is coincidentally what we've always done minus school(without knowing there was a term). We are un-learning somethings with our (up until recently) schooled teenager! Trust is HUGE in our family and what I feel is the "root" of Radical Unschooling. It's as personal of an experience as it is a choice! Unique, like every child and as deserving of respect as every child! I truly feel if you and your family are happy and everyone's needs are being met, then you are on the right path...what ever that path my be!

Unbelievable!

H1N1...to get or NOT to get!!

A friend sent this to me...thought I would pass it along. If you have any information you would like to share, we would love to hear it! We have members of our family that have low immune systems and we are on the fence about this issue. We really would love ANY information you might have!





Merhia,
Someone sent me this about the H1N1 vaccine. Don't know if it's helpful or not, but since you're questioning it I thought I'd send it along. Especially with what it's saying about autoimmune diseases.

A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT ON WHY NOT TO HAVE THE SWINE FLU VACCINATION:

There's some really good information on protecting ourselves with nutritional knowledge in this letter from Russel Blaylock, MD



A letter from RUSSELL L. BLAYLOCK, M.D.

(His credentials follow in the letter.)

No one should take the swine flu vaccine. It is one of the

most dangerous vaccines ever devised.

It contains an immune adjuvant called squalene (MF-59)

which has been shown to cause

severe autoimmune disorders such as MS, rheumatoid arthritis

and Lupus. This is the vaccine adjuvant that is strongly

linked to the Gulf War syndrome, which killed over 10,000

soldiers and caused a 200% increase in the fatal disease ALS

(Lou Gehreg disease).

This virus H1N1 kills by causing a "cytokine storm," which means that it cause the body's immune system to overreact and that is why it is killing young people and is a mild disease in the elderly.

(The elderly have weakened immune systems.) This vaccine is a very powerful immune stimulator and carries the real possibility of making the lethality of the virus much greater.

One's best protection is vitamin D3. One should take 5000 IU

a day now and when the disease begins to spread increase the

dose to 15,000 IU a day. Vitamin D3 modulates the immune

reaction, reducing the chance of an overreaction and

stimulates the body to produce what are called antimicrobial

peptides, which are powerful killers of viruses that does not

involve immunity. This is dose related, which means the higher

the dose of vitamin D3 the better the protection. Fish oils

(the best is Carlson's Norwegian lemon flavored fish oil) also

reduce immune overreaction. One teaspoon a day should be

sufficient. For severe symptoms, one teaspoon twice a day.

Antioxidants of various kinds also help. This includes,

quercetin, curcumin, grapeseed extract, vitamin C and natural vitamin E.

A good multivitamin/mineral is also essential.

Feel free to spread this around. People need to know how to protect themselves.

Russell RUSSELL L. BLAYLOCK, M.D. Dr. Blaylock is a board certified neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. He attended the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed his general surgical internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston , South Carolina .

During his residency he ran the neurology program for one year and did a fellowship in neurosurgery after his residency. For the past 25 years he has practiced neurosurgery in addition to having a

nutritional practice. He recently retired from both practices

to devote full time to nutritional studies and research. During his residency training he worked with the eminent neurosurgeon, Dr. Ludwig Kempe. Together they developed the transcallosal removal of intraventricular tumors, which is still used today. Dr. Blaylock presented their cases utilizing this technique to the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. They also developed the ventriculolymphatic shunt in the treatment of hydrocephalus. In addition, they conducted neuroanatomical studies together with the aim of developing improved approaches in vascular intracranial surgery.

It was during his residency that Dr. Blaylock did much of the

primary work on intraventricular monitoring of craniocerebral

trauma patients, which was reported in the scientific

literature. He also worked closely with Dr. Peter Jannetta

during Dr. Jennetta?s early research on vascular compression

of the cranial nerves as a cause of trigeminal neuralgia and

hemifacial spasm. Dr. Blaylock was one of the first

neurosurgeons to utilize high-intensity nutritional

supplementation in craniocerebral trauma patients, which met

with great success. Dr. Blaylock has written and illustrated three books. The first book was on the subject of excitotoxins

( Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills ) and how they are related to diseases of the nervous system. His second book, Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life , covers the common basis of all disea ses, nutritional protection against diseases of

aging, protection against heavy meta l toxicity, the fluoride

debate, pesticide and herbicide toxicity, excitotoxin update,

the vaccine controversy, protection against heart attacks and

strokes and contains a new chapter on omega-3 fats. This book

has been newly revised as an oversized paperback. His third

book, Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients , was released in

April, 2003 and discusses the ways to defeat cancer, enhance

the effectiveness of conventional treatments and prevent

complications associated with these treatments. In addition,

he has written and illustrated three chapters in medical

textbooks, written a booklet on nutritional protection against

biological terrorism and written and illustrated a booklet on

multiple sclerosis. He has written over 30 scientific papers

in peer-reviewed journals on a number of subjects. Since the publication of his first book he has been a guest on numerous national and international syndicated radio programs and appeared on the 700 Club several times. He appeared on

Nutritionally Living with Dr. Ward Bond. Presently, he is engaged in a monthly radio program discussing his book, Health and Nutrition Secrets on Raymond Francis? program Beyond Health . The series will run for 12 months. He lectures widely to both lay and professional medical audiences on a variety of

nutritional subjects. Dr. Blaylock serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association and is the associate editor of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons ,official journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. He has a monthly nutrition newsletter, published by NewsMax.com , The Blaylock Wellness Newsletter . Dr. Blaylock serves as the medical consultant f or the Fluoride Toxicity Research Collaborative .He was recently awarded the Integrity in Science award by the Westin Price Foundation. Presently, he is a visiting professor in the department of biological sciences at Belhaven College in Jackson , Mississippi . At present he is a member of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, the American Nutraceutical Association, the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionist, the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, American College of Nutrition,American Association for Health Freedom, National Health Federation, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. He was recently appointed as a member of the Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. He was also recently appointed as a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Life-Extension Foundation .