Fever and a Friday fill-in

My youngest son experienced febrile seizures last night which is something I had never experienced before, and something I'd rather never see again. Febrile seizures happen when their is a sudden spike of a fever, and while frightening to witness, they are considered fairly harmless. My boy had been running a low-grade fever and experiencing headaches for a couple of days, but the fever really peaked last night to 103. Twitching, eye-rolling, moaning....scary.

Today...normal. Nothing. He wanted to go to the park and play. He's eaten and run around, talked with friends. Little kids' bodies are amazing.

And now for my Friday Fill-In:

1. My blueprint for success includes knowing yourself and what you love and taking it from there.
2. A Snickers Bar offered graciously from my son from his bottomless trick-or-treat bag was the last candy I ate.
3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is coconut oil.
4. Electing the new leader of the free world and knowing he's the right guy can be good therapy.
5. I'd like to tell you about how I lost twenty pounds...but I haven't...yet (see#2).
6. Being a decent and attentive listener is my strongest characteristic.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include going to a double-dutch demo and going to the Y (see#5) and Sunday, I want to drink coffee, play with my family, and maybe visit a friend!

Have you???

I lifted this from Debra over at From Skilled Hands.

Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to.

1. Started your own blog (obviously)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (chuckle chuckle)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (well, maybe in kickball)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car(pickup truck actually)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life(heimliched my mom)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous(Larry Bird)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (three!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

And...I VOTED FOR OBAMA!!!

Methinks I need to travel more.

How about you?

YES WE DID!!!

It's time to rejoice and shed tears of relief. The man who should be President has been elected and both the nation and the world will be a better place for it. Tell your children history has been made. Save the front page of your newspaper. Skip down the street and laugh with joy because a genuine force for peace and justice will soon be entering the White House. I have never been so proud to be an American as I am today. This is what we are all about. This is what was meant to be.
Hello, President-Elect Obama!!!! I hope you and your family enjoy picking out that new puppy!
I also hope that in eight years we also get to vote for her:



Well done, Michelle!!

It's Time!!

The Edge of An Era

He embodies what is best in our country. He speaks...and I believe. In him and in us. I am so excited to vote for him tomorrow. Wishing everyone a fulfilling election day.

Friday-Fill-In

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

1. My favorite food seasoning is hmmm..hard to pick one. Depends on the dish. I like oregano, curry, thyme...the list goes on.

2. My boys in the yard pretending is music to my ears.

3. Lucky is someone who gets to listen to her boys in the yard pretending almost every day.

4. Having a decent variety of Halloween treats available is something I take very seriously.

5. Many people worry too much about their kids eating candy, especially at Halloween.

6. Halloween candy was the last thing I bought at the store. (There's a theme here).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to trick-or-treat joy, tomorrow my plans include watching my oldest play soccer and walking with a friend and Sunday, I want to clean out my garden and watch my youngest play soccer. LAST GAME!

Just Today

Just today we awoke to a gray sky and decided to stay home all day. We kissed Dad goodbye. My oldest was sniffly and stayed in bed to read. My other two boys and I snuggled on the couch and watched "Charlotte's Web." We talked about how sad the ending is, and that we almost cried, but then we didn't.

My youngest, heart full of good feeling from the movie, decided to make tea and a PBJ for his sniffly brother and he carried it up on a tray for him. Middle boy drew him a cheerful card and placed it on the tray.

I read to them, a book about chemical engineering for kids, and what they liked most about it was how the brother in the story let his sister do something all by herself even when he may have wanted to help her.

We moved on to more books and talked about gravity. "How come the people in Antarctica don't fall off when they fall?" "Could you run and leap from the top of the Earth and land further down on the sphere?" "Mom, I get what's three-dimensional, but what's something that's one-dimensional?"

They danced to Blues music. Middle boy practiced spell-casting in the backyard with his wand that he whittled and embellished on his own. They listened to a bit of The Iliad on CD, and we talked about how one wouldn't know how to pronounce some of the names unless you heard them first.

My oldest played a game on the computer where you can run a mock Congressional campaign. He lost the first election, then he won the second time by a landslide. We discussed the Presidential debate. We watched a math video someone loaned us, and they skipped around to different parts they found interesting.

We ate soup and grilled cheese. "How about Harry Potter?" "Let's watch The Sorcerer's Stone again!" So now they are cuddled up doing that. Later, my youngest will play soccer, but that's all I know. The day is unfolding, full of comfort, choices, and family.

"When the words appeared everyone said it was a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself, is a miracle." E.B. White

Our days are not always this peaceful and agreeable, but the opportunity to live these days and enjoy them is because we unschool. The unschooling life enhances the richness of our relationships and experiences. The openness to new games, people, places, and the chance to explore the unknown is there because we unschool. The time to re-visit old favorites and to reflect on our development and on what comforts us; that time exists because we unschool. As a mom, I know to appreciate and enjoy these simple miracle of days because we unschool.