JUST A DAY (SCHOOL & SEWING)

It wasn't a day with a special activity, or a field trip or a remarkable break through. It was however a calm day. YEAH! every mom loves a calm day. And when you are a Mom to a child who is ADD you love them even more. They kinda make you feel like it was all a dream. Not to say Ko-ko was angelic like all day (she wasn't), but it was calm. I do have to give the boys some credit for this cuz part of the calm was them not reacting to Ko-ko, and part of it was her.

We almost started school on time but as we neared our start time Runner shifted gears and returned to his usual speed...the speed of dark (opposite the speed of light). But we did get going close to that time.

We got through math in a decent time. Runner worked on his review (test of half of the math curriculum). Ko-Ko divided pie and brownies and finally through the magic of desert (yes even hypothetical desert) she finally understands dividing and as she filled out the long division question based on the pie and brownies she was dividing amongst family it all clicked. Why I didn't start division off this way? I don't know. SW got a bit of a break today and did some math games. I gave him the job of finding a math game that was based on liquid measurement. He did. He did not look challenged but everyone needs an easy learning game at times. They stick in your head better anyway.

In English all read. They had to tell the rest of us what they read about. Next Ko-Ko and Runner wrote about what they would do if they were in the story. Ko-Ko (cat in the hat) would love to have the cat in the hat come while we were away. Her account was funny. Runner (A promise is a promise) would not worry about the Quallupilluit . And he would not promise to bring his siblings, he would kick where it counts. Ah boys are so cocky. SW was to write about how he would feel if he was Percy Jackson when Percy is first at camp halfblood and he explodes the water from all the pluming in the washroom at Clarisse and her friends. At first he wrote "I'd be pshyched!" Yeah...that doesn't cut it, not in grade 6. Guess what he is doing while I type this. We reviewed our multiplication question of the day. That is going well. Tracking is going well and language we are working at. Remembering what we learn here seems tricky for us. Funny they are shy about it in front of their own siblings.

After there was playing outside and inside and I baked a cake. Indy likes helping. He likes to pour things into the mix bowl. I'd love to get a pic but my fingers are always sticky when baking. I should think ahead and have the kids do the pics.

I sew powwow regalia that I sell on line at Beth's Powwow Threads. Those of us who dance at powwow have different style of regalia and many styles are made out of material.. At one time wool, then cotton and now satin too. And applique work is popular for us (we are not all beads and feathers). The regalia I am working on is simple but I think that is what makes it striking. The one for the twin sister will be much more involved. I just love sewing though. The best part about selling regalia is that I can keep sewing. If I had the money I would just sew regalia for my kids all year long, they would have tons. I don't get why more people don't sew. For me it is relaxing. I am teaching ko-Ko a bit but want to teach them all. I would like to create a unit study on it. I am going to try and figure out how to publish it in PDF so I can print it up nice for each kid. I like when things look nice. I am very visual. The day ended with Ko-ko voluntarily looking at a book. YEAH!

Oh and the chip board in the pics is my husbands almost finished (got an hour left of it ) project...good example for the kids eh? LOL

MULTIPLICATION...THAT SIMPLES IT UP SOME

So our house has never memorized our multiplication table. I never manged to as a child (although I am pretty good at math). I also never manged to get the kids to memorize them either. We play multiplication bingo but everyone needs to find the answer. I think it is good that they know how to find the answer, and that they know that 3x4 & 4x3 are the same question. But knowing them would sure help...especially with division. So I made a multiplication chart in orange. Then I changed the repeats to blue (3x4=12 is orange, 4x3=12 is blue) Then I only had half the chart to memorize with kids....thats still a lot. 62 facts to learn...not likely in math.

But wait...what about the easy ones? The ones we know or can figure in seconds? These would be green.
Zero times table: any number times 0 is 0...green
One Times table: any number times 1 is that number...green
Twos, fives & tens: We can count that way...green
Elevens: any number times that number is that number twice EX: 3x11=33...green
Nines: use the finger trick (pic included)...green

Holay! guess what people, that leaves just 24 multiplication questions to memorize. I think we will start at number 24. Each day we will do one, and repeat it through out the day. I think we will start at the bottom

Here they are

1. 3x3=9
2. 3x4=12
3. 3x6=18
4. 3x7=21
5. 3x8=24
6. 3x12=36
7. 4x4=16
8. 4x6=24
9. 4x7=28
10. 4x8=32
11. 4x12=48
12. 6x6=36
13. 6x7=42
14. 6x8=48
15. 6x12=72
16. 7x7=49
17. 7x8=56
18. 7x12=84
19. 8x8=64
20. 8x12-96
21. 9x12=108
22. 11x11=121
23. 11x12-132
24. 12x12 =144

I am sure someone has figured this out before but I hadn't, so for us, this is a great discovery that encouraged the kids...hope it is for someone else too.

THEY WON'T MELT, I PROMISE!

Well today was warmer, about 5C with a cold sprinkle of a rain. Not a terrible day but not one I want to take a long walk in or play in. I am glad it is warming up now that it is spring, but I hate the cold. However I am no longer a child and many children do not mind a bit of chill or wet. So when Ko-Ko and Runner wanted to play outside, I sent them out.

My husband thought they shouldn't play in the rain. I looked at him puzzled. And his Mom said "you did" and out the kids went. Not play in the rain? I did too, I loved it. Today, I do not mind a warm rain on a dreadfully hot humid day, put otherwise, I'll stay in thanks.

The family that delivery the neighborhood news letter commented.
Them: Oh dear, did you know it's raining."
Me: "So I've heard"
Them: "The kids will get wet"
Me: "I got the weather proof model, they won't melt, I promise"

Really...they'll get wet? ROFL

Yep kids get wet in the bath and the shower and the swimming pool. What are people worried about. We got warm clothes for outside. We got dry clothes for when they come in. Plus the sprinkle wasn't so bad. I even let them have the camera to take some pics. So we got some kid photography for the blog today, so as you will notice (in the not fuzzy pics) my kids didn't melt...yeah, so glad I got them in the water proof model.

UNIT STUDIES

Pictures from Runners work
So I branched out this week in my homeschooling. I have been nearly a slave to the curriculum, a couple of units now and then to spice it up, and a few added subjects. It was getting a little dull. And isn't half the point of homeschooling to improve their education?

I do think the education I was giving was better then school but time to get the kids interested in learning, retaining more and showing some strive and independence.

So I branched into unit studies. I am still doing text book math most days but breaking it up some.

We have been studying what is involved in keeping and maintaining pets, including cost to start and per month. SW is looking into birds. Runner is looking into fish and Ko-Ko is looking into rodents (hamsters and cavies). We will be taking a trip to the pet store to answer some questions because yes, you can learn outside of books and the computers, people actually contain knowledge too, something I learned as a student in an alternative program called Experience Canada in my high school senior year.

We started some rock candy to learn about crystal growth. The kids are really excited about this. Runner is especially excited "You mean I can eat crystals?" Yep, you already do, it will just be more obvious. We looked at what a regular sugar crystal looks like under a microscope.

We have also been reading the "Comic History of the Universe" The kids love this and have giggled away. After wards we discuss it and draw pictures with labels and write about it.

CANADA PROMISES NOTHING

No big surprise to us NDN's (Indians) out there. Canada has made a big announcement that they promise nothing. The actual words are: Canada promises ‘qualified recognition’ of UN Declaration (of Indigenous Rights). You can read about it here

My account is as follows. I was looking for a good news story to discuss with my children today so that they know what is going on in their world so i checked out "Indian Country Today" as they are a great source of what is going on...at least in our world.

I came across that article and read it to the kids. OK, I will be up front and tell you that 9 yr old Ko-Ko & 7 yr old Runner had glazed over tuned out eyes pretty quick. (news on tv might be best for them). But SW was able to discuss it with me.

Basically Canada made this big announcement to show the world that they care about us and treat us well. I am sure some people will believe this. Unfortunately I am sure that some now believe that canada has signed the declaration...they did not Qualified recognition does not mean they signed it. They won't sign it because that would mean agreeing to all the articles and the UN already rejected them signing it with amendments and lets face it Canada is NOT going to agree to a document that recognizes our rights to land, informed consent independent government etc.

So what did canada agree to or sign, or are going to agree to or sign? NOTHING That's right. Big announcent to do nothing new, or better. Just a big announcement to make them all feel warm and cuddly inside. The only thing that will impact us NDN's is that there will now be a bunch of canadians walking around arguing about how good they treat us, and they even signed a declaration to ensure our rights...they will believe this and argue this with us completely...certain they are a country run by good guys.

Hey I wonder how much it costs the government to make an anouncement that they will soon agree to and sign nothing?

UNTITLED

I had a few things I wanted to write about today but when I read them over they were
B-O-R-I-N-G! So I got rid of them. Weird, cuz there is so much to write about today. Ko-Ko's room is almost done being built. She has been sharing with her brothers but is getting to an age where she wants some privacy, yet she also enjoys their company...sometimes. So the big huge room they share together is becoming two rooms. We didn't get to school work today cuz my husband really needs some order down there in order to finish.

I have decided that my homeschool style is a little to school at home. So I will be taking a more eclectic approach. Math will still be the same. So over the rest of the year we will see how that goes. I tried to write about it, but thats probably better to write about it as it actually happens.

Obama got his health care bill passed. Thats huge. Whoever thought that the U.S. government would get over their socialism-phobia enough to do something good for their people. Really they already have some socialist based ideas so I was never so sure why they were so against health care on the basis of socialism. What exactly do those right wing types think free education (public schools) is? Social assistance (welfare)? Low income or public housing? Anyway, yeah for the U.S. The people finally have what they deserve.

So there is no shortage of things to talk about today. I just couldn't get out more then a few sentences about each thing. So I wrote a blog about everything, or nothing, or maybe both.

So I will leave you with the cute shot of the day. Indy watching sesame street in the rainbow chair with his sesame street toys.

HOMESCHOOLING WITH TODDLERS

Thought I'd post about this because it was a struggle at first but now is going smoothly.

Toddlers love imitating big people, and to a 2 yr old, you are big if you are 7...probably even 5. This can be very helpful.

At first I tried entertaing Indy while teaching the others, but I was distracted on both fronts. Next I tried to get Indy to do his own undirected thing....he did. Yep that was a bad idea he explored the house way to well. We don't have any real dangers lying around but we have many things to make a big mess of.

Final solution came in parts.

THE LAYOUT
We have 2 rooms where book style schooling happens. The tiny office / sewing room and the living room. Ko-Ko is ADD and really works best in a separate room from her brothers. Being with her lets her get the support she needs without it being obvious when she needs lots of help. This has also encouraged Runner to be a bit more independent. So the boys work in the living room and come into the office for direction and assistance. This is also a recent change as we were all together in the living room until this became a growing struggled for Ko-Ko. Grandma Claus had that sollution. One day when we move I hope I have a school room.

...anyway, back to the subject at hand...

So Indy has a little toddler sized table and chair beside my desk in the office. Here he plays lego and playdough and colours. He loves to colour in colouring books while the kids work in workbooks. And when they use their whiteboards, he colours on his. He also has a journal just like theirs to colour in. This must make him feel that he is doing the same thing. He gets bored now and then and we read a story or two and he wanders around.

So the sollution should have been obvious. Include Indy. But we all know that the simple answer isn't always obvious especially when we are struggling. Indy showed me the sollution by the things he wanted while we were all busy. When i was still enough to realize, I jumped on board and our days have been easier ever since. Good luck all.

RIGHT WING INDIAN?

So I was asked (in conversation), "do you think your a right wing Native homeschooler?...and not for the first time.

I thought about this. Right wing christians (where the term is usually applied) are not just very conservative in their religion, it is more, often political.

We are traditional in our beliefs, follow some of the teachings more strictly then some others. And politicall? Yep I am a bit of a zealot in my political beliefs. (I hear my friend T, laughing at the wrords "a bit"). I am not alone, especially in this house.

if conservative in beliefs (regardles of which beliefs) and hard core about your political views defines right wing then perhaps I am...wonder what the dictionary (or web version) says.

Noun

• S: (n) right, right wing (those who support political or social or economic conservatism; those who believe that things are better left unchanged)

WordNet home page

Yeah, sort of. Some change is good, others not so much. I am a right wing McDonalds eater though...I never change my order, same thing every time.

OK So maybe I am. Wierd to think about my views that way. Maybe that is why I get right wing christian homeschoolers on the net, where we come at things from a similar angle but not so much in person, cuz although we come about things in the same way, we have VERY different opinions. And I so do not want thier religion in my kids schooled life just as they don't want mine in theirs.

So I will go about my life being traditional, being staunchly opposed to cross cultural adoption (cus it destroys culture, languange, religion and lives). Pissed by wannabes and snow flakes and new agers stealing and basterdizing my beliefs. Staunchly not canadian or american (I am Lakota, my husband is Mohawk, thats our Nations), and various other views. And i will do so understanding (perhaps) where others are coming from. Because those I clash with are really pretty similar to me...except those new agers...i will never get them ;)

INDY TURNS TWO

St. Patty's Day rings in Indy's second birthday. We wore the green and celebrated it as a St Patty's Birthday. My husband is half Mohawk and half Irish so the kids remember they are part Irish for the day. We had Pizza, or as Indy says "Itza!" He loves his itza. So Grandma Claus made a green pastry. I made key lime punch and key lime ice cream cake decorated like Oscar the grouch. (recipes below). My sis came early before work and brough Indy a tricycle. We took hime out for a good ride. the rest of the family bought and made elmo gifts as well as a cookie monster stuffy. Indy puts the cookie in his mouth and says "num num num num". Some of the Women who helped me birth Wahtha at home 2 years ago came. We all had good times and good laughs and he enjoyed all the kids and Aunties. He liked having Grandma Claus home too (she took the day off). The kids enjoyed all being together with the other kids in the community too.

So how did I make a checkerboard ice cream cake and can you do it too?

YES!

Step I, make 2 white cake mixes (I like betty crocker suppermoist). I made these the night before when the kids were in bed. Kids can make your baking fall and ruin if they run, shout and general happy kid stuff. Otherwise do it mid day when you can send them all out...preferably to the park as that lasts longer then the backyard,,,a t least in my house.

Set aside first cake mix. In second cake mix, stir in 1/2 a package of lime jello and green food colouring).

You must have a checkerbord pan set. or make your own. Three round pans. each pan is divided into 3 circles. 2 go green, white, green, the 3rd go white, green, white (this is the middle one). After fully cooled remove from pans.

Take one (or two, your choice) containers of key lime sorbet. To change the flavor change the sorbet, ice cream, jello and food colouring.

with slightly softened sorbet, use a knife and slice out some sorbet and put ontop of first cake layer (rounded side down). After cake is covered at a thickness you like use knife to smooth, add middle layer, repeat then add top layer.

Put in freezer for 3 hours (or more). Then ice, decorate and re-freeze until you serve. If in freezer longer then a day then cover air tight. You can prepare this upto 3 weeks ahead.

I got the icing off the internet. I googled "pure white frosting". don't use a cream cheese icing it will be to sweet.

The Punch - more key lime.

5 3/4 cups citus punch (I made some frozen citrus 5 alive and used that)
2 cans frozen limade
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 liter key lime sorbet, softened
2 liters (1 bottle) lemon lime soda (I used 7 up)
lime slices
several drops of gren food colouring until you like the shade of green.

Mix it all together, float lime slices on top, refrigerate and serve.

MORNINGS, IT'S A LOVE - HATE THING

I am not one of those groggy bleary eyed morning monsters who just wants one more hour, and then another one. I am out of bed i n 5 - 15 minutes of "time to get up". there are of course exceptions where I fall back to sleep, but I am only human, Granted a Lakota human so thats near to perfection ;) I get up in the morning in a decent mood, get the kids started on their day& then have my bath (it's my 20 min of me time that I think every Mom needs). I get dressed and come downstairs (this is the hate part) cuz this is when I see the daily mess and worry about cleaning it before we start school and I feel like a crazed person. I know many Moms would say to relax, it is not the most important thing in the world but to me in that moment it is, and it isn't even that bad. Our floors must always be clean cuz Grandma Claus and Aunty Claus are diabetic and a tiny pepple could go unnoticed stuck to the bottom of their feet and then turn in to a cut which into a diabetic can turn into a major injury. Aunty Claus is still healing her foot from such an instance from 11 months ago...so floors must be swept clean regularly. Then Ko-Ko and I do not function well in mess. So tidy means we think straighter...oh joys of an ADD brain :(

We are having March Break, along with the public school kids and yet, I can not move away from my hate part of the morning. I do not like the crazed "Let's Get This Done Now". I like that I am keeping a clean house, and with 9 people it's not like we can set aside a day for cleaning, everyday is cleaning day.

Now when it is done, I feel much more serene, unless of course it is one of those mornings where my kids were replaced my Captain Useless and his team of lazy bandits...then we have a bad morning. I wonder what my kids interpretation of morning s with me are. I should ask, when I get the nerve to do so, I may not like the answers i get. Have you ever asked your kids their opinion of you? It can be funny; if you have a sense of humour about your strong points and your short comings.

This morning Ko-Ko entertained her cousins, Runner played with Indy and SW decided to cook bacon and breakfast sausage for all. Sunny Not is in bed because i see no point in disrupting the natural sleep cycle of teens if I don,t need to. So I cleaned myself with out barking orders, so I am proud of me this morning. Having a good morning makes this critical analysis of myself easier...much harder on a bad morning. :)

THE COUSINS

Well the cousins came down today for the night. They were excited that we don't have snow so they brought their bikes and biked round and round the cul de sac. Cousin Princess just turned 7 and Cousin Little Miss will be 4 on the 1st of spring. Their Mama is a country (north of 7, which is very country) girl and a little scared sending her girls to the city with just Dad and Aunty so rules rules rules. No going to the park (across the street from our cul de sac) with out an adult...not even with SW (age 11) or Sunny Not (age 13, 14 next month). *sigh* at least we talked her into the yard and cul de sac. So they played on the trampoline (so much safer then crossing the street...lol) and rode round and round. When bored we all went to the park. i got some good pics. I will only post the pics of my kids to be fair. It is turning out to be a nice spring break...it actually feels like spring :)


ON OTHER THINGS
SW is being sullen. I don't now what is bothering him but his sullenness became disobedience which has landed him on my but monkey list (he/she who runs little errands as needed, mostly laundry, all day). So that produced more sullenness, but wisely compliant. I dread the thought it may be hormones...arr...why do they have to become teens? Sunny Not hit the puberty hormones early and came out of it as she hit teen carelessness. So the sullenness is over but the not filling me in on not coming home to go to a friends after eating dinner out with the girls, cuz she was going to call later or the don't mentioning that she is heading one rez over at the powwow cuz she thought she would be back before I realized she was gone...yep teens are fun. So I have decided there is teen behavior and hormone behavior.

Teen behaviour is irresponsible, As they test their expanding independence they make some poor choices...if they learn fast then we will be less stressed. Now Sunny Not goes between my house and her Dad's and we parent different so I am waiting to see if teaching independence early on makes a difference in the other kids when they hit this stage...I'll know in 2 yrs, since the first 4 are all 2 yrs apart.

Puberty is the emotional swing. Sullen, angry, temperamental. All that fun stuff. And as Moms we had reminders of how hormones mess with ya while we were pregnant with our sullen little sweethearts....for me that last time was just a few years ago...so (in about ten years) I will probably have my last emotional mess of a child in puberty when my oldest is an emotional pregnant mess....I planned that well didn't I. Well at least I am not in this alone. I do wish however we had more kids his age in our homeschool group. We have one or two but we haven't met them...I should perhaps try to arrange a big kid event...maybe this will help if he has someone to be an emotional mess with?

QUEBEC SHOWS IT'S RACIST HAND...AGAIN!

You may think I am bringing up a Native issue. There would be lots to chose from. Sometimes I think Quebec is the most racist province in Canada, it's bad enough the way some "multicultural" canadians behave but in Quebec these attitudes are supported in their government. So what am I on about? An Egyptian immigrant in Quebec has lost her job for refusing to remove her niqab (very conservative religious headdress) link So what has happened to religious freedom in canada? Well us Indians can tell you it does not apply to brown people. I know proud white and black canadians are wanting to disagree with me, but it's reality. My people spiritual leaders can't even marry us or bury us. Now an Egyptian-canadian cannot wear the headdress of her religion. Some I am sure think she should assimilate (such a racist ideal). This is not about cultural freedom this is religious freedom. Chocies of religious modesty should be clear freedoms that should not EVER be stepped on! And the reason they argue are ridiculous. That she can't intigrate wearing a niqab. Why? Because canadians are to racist to make friends with someone who dresses different? We need to stand up and speak in support of this Women and others, especially Woman. How would we like it if we were told we had to dress in a way that we did not find modest enough...especially not spiritually modest enough. Quebec needs to be reminded that their arrogant white do it our way attitude has to go. They want their culture and language respected...time to show that same respect to the rest of us...especially all the diffrent brown us's

Link back to my post the wearing of skirts here to see that many of us make religious and cultural dress choices that may not be made by all

AH, MARCH BREAK :)

Yeah! it is March break! I am relaxing, my kids are out playing and exploring the neighbourhood, the snow is gone and it has been warming up for the past week. Another 10 C day ahead. Indy is out with them and loves feeling free as a bird. I walked up to the park to see if they were there so I could geet some pics. They left Indy to me for a while and climbed some trees. I got some good pics of him on the climber, happy to be able to do it all on his own. Then I went back to get ready for lunch 9we are late lunchers). It is good to know they are all playing together and they will be happy that I did lunch for them (usually we either all get our own or all work together making lunch). I love spring, we got a good March Break ahead of us, I can just tell.

KO-KO HITS THE CAPITOL

MY TRIP TO OTTAWA

I went to a hotel in Ottawa. The car ride was very long (2 hours). We had to play a game that only Mom and Runner liked. Then my brother (SW) stopped and started to play his DS. Sunny Not took it away from him. I stopped and played another game. Then we played our DS's. Then we got there soon.

My Mom took a long time getting our hotel room in the hotel. Then we got there and started to unpack our stuff. Next we watched some t.v. After that we went out for lunch. After that e, Ashah, my Mom, Okaga & Wahtha got on our bathing suits and went swimming. Then we went back to our hotel room.

Our hotel room had a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. After we were dressed again wee went for a walk. On our walk we got supper but first we went to a candy store. It was called Sugar Mountain. We went back to our hotel room where we ate supper & watched more t.v. After supper we all went to the pool again except my Dad & Wahtha who stayed in the hotel room and slept. We got to the pool and went swimming. After a while Okaga and Ashah went to the lobby to go on the computer. They came back to get us at the pool at 9:05pm. Then we went back to our hotel room.

At the hotel room we got on our pajamas and wathced some tv and took pictures and talked before bed. Mom and Ashah unfolded the couch and Quanah helped. Then we woke up our Dad and us kids went to bed. So did Mom and Dad. Ashah played her I pod touch. Me & Quanah played our nintendo's. Then I listened to a dog play a song n my DS. Next I turned it off. Wahtha woke upand kept calling me, I pretended to me asleep cuz he always calls me. So Wahtha pushed Quanah off the boys bed. We kept talking after Wahtha went back to sleep. We all fell asleep.

When we woke up we had showers & we got dresssed. We went to the 4th floor to have breakfast. Then we checked out, packed up our car and went to the museum of civilizations. We learned about us Indians. We went to the kids section. Then we went home on Sunday. We all had fun.

RUNNER WRITES ABOUT THE CAPITOL

The Buildings On Our Trip To Ottawa

March 8th 2010

Hi my name is Runner. The day before yesterday I went to Ottawa with my family. We stayed at a hotel for two days and one night. While I was there I looked at tall tall tall buildings and took pictures of them too; like the one in front of our hotel. We walked around Ottawa for about maybe an hour. Mom and Dad disagreed about which way to go and which way not to go. We ate lunch at a mexican resturant in Byward Market. I had 4 mini pogos and about two hundrend and fifty fries with ketchup. It was good. I liked seeing the parliment buildings. I also liked seeing the locks at the canal and the bridge. The canal goes all the way home to Kingston. At the canal I saw stairs that went down to the locks. When we were at the canal I could see (in the distance) a building made out of almost all glass. We walked by the U.S. Embassy abd up a huge staircase. If i had climbed the fence I would have been in the United States! I wish I had been allowed to climb the fence but Mom and Dad didn't let me. When we were at Ottawa we went to a store called Sugar Mountain. I got a Pop Shoppe orange pop and I like it. At the museum on Sunday I saw another building, a copy of the Eiffel Tower made out of tooth picks. I took a picture. It was fun in Ottawa

Thee End.