Sunday Surf: Jinxed Myself

So I just HAD to go and suggest 7 per week, right? I jinxed myself into not having enough to fill 7 slots. Still, what I have was worth sharing...

• The stories of 3 unschoolers and how they're making their dream careers into reality. This article also includes some examples of how unschoolers can get into college. This had been a concern of mine, so I really appreciated this one: Zero Tuition College: The TEDx Talk.
  
  
• There has been lots of talk lately about traveling, probably with the upcoming holiday. First, there was a guest post (Natural parenting & air travel with young children) on HoboMama. Then there was a joint giveaway with Hobo Mama Reviews and Natural Parents Network: My Pocket Games or I Spy Sensory Stick (great for travel)! And finally, Hobo Mama wrote about her experience with the invasive new TSA screenings for children and pregnant women. All of these lead me to want to share the actual link (I'm getting to it!) here: 4th Amendment Wear. It is underclothes for children printed with "Read the 4th Amendment Perverts" in metallic ink. They also offer adult wear that has the entire 4th Amendment on it.

  The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, meant to prevent unwarranted search and seizure, is readable on TSA body scanners.

  This looks like great passive aggressive protesting, if you actually will go through the scanner.
  

Metallic Ink-Printed Underwear

Really, I managed to squeeze 6 links into the 2nd on the list, so officially I included 7 links, right? Just go with me on this one, k, thx!

Wordless Wednesday: November Photos

She has her Daddy's eyes.

Our Little Chef

Sasha in her "Hooker Boots"

Daddy & Sasha sleepin' on the couch

Asleep on her Taggies Bear

Laundry Day

Box Full o' Sasha

Sunday Surf: 7 Days, 7 Links

Let's see, week 1 I posted six links. Last week (week 2) I posted seven links. Seven seems like a good number for a weekly link list - what with 7 days in a week and all. So today I have seven more for you. Feel free to come back every day and choose a new link. (Alright, I really do surf all your blogs every day, or at least watch for new entries.)

• I tend to follow a blog to a blog to a blog. Saturday I followed to an entry (blog / post / article? I never know what to call these darned things!) that cracked me up! I so enjoy it when Mothers get down and dirty with the nasty truth online (or in person, for that matter)! Check out Secret Mommy-hood Confession Saturday for a good chuckle.
  
  
• Last week I linked an article by Alfie Kohn. The topic sticks with me and apparently with Hobo Mama, too. Last week I followed one of her links on needing to be seen. It offers a touching real-life example of how to let kids know that you notice them, without offering your approval. I felt the link was worth passing along, obviously. It seems I have to steal one link from her every week, I think. Thanks Hobo Mama!
  
  
• Then I often have to actually link directly to Hobo Mama as well. She has continued to think on this same topic and yesterday wrote why "good kid" bothers me. This praise and approval vs unconditional love thing is really quite the food for thought! It has me analyzing how I have interacted with my 12yo daughter as well as trying to improve my habits for both my girls' benefits. She goes on to express that our children really ARE good, so why shouldn't we express that to them as well? There are, of course, more links there to follow on this topic!
  
  
• Do you know How to Spot a BPA-Free Store Receipt? I did not even know this was an issue! I guess we didn't know it about plastic until it hit the news, either. But seriously! They're crinkly, my baby loves to get her hands on the receipt! This also has me wondering about the weird paper we use at work. Oh dear.
  
  
• My husband and I had already decided to eventually try for a boy (the plan has been to conceive this coming Summer). It has been discussed again recently, and I brought up circumcision. His attitude has been "my son will be cut!" He wanted me to argue my point immediately, while I wanted to wait for gender confirmation (we're not even pregnant!). He pressed. I told him I'd need to do my research first.
  
  

  

  That night I inundated him with links in his FB mail! He doesn't want to have to clean out smegma. Mind you, I do most of the "dirty work" when it comes to our baby. Also, as Paul M. Fleiss, M.D., M.P.H. points out in The Case Against Circumcision last year, that "cleaning" is a myth. You actually shouldn't pull back your son's foreskin at all. No one but your son should do that.
  
  In fact, I even argued that we don't clean under our daughter's prepuce. I thought this was quite the witty example, if I do say so myself! Dr. Fleiss wrote an entire book (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Circumcision) on the subject. You may feel like you're reading a book from this one article, but there is an absolute wealth of knowledge offered there!
  
  
• Seeing Past What it Seems... I got this link from The Organic Sister and I think she said it well, "If we could all read and remember this..." I just don't think I can preface it any more specifically than that. Go. Read. See.
  
  
• Oooooh, Code Name: Mama, this is a good one! Gossiping About Our Children is short and to the point (so if you only have a few minutes today, pick this link). I am a bit of a gossip. This one makes a very important point.

I hope you've found something here that touched you and applies to your life. If not, I hope you at least had a good laugh or found some interesting stuff. Tune in next week for seven (?) more links!

Wordless Wednesday

Babies are the Theme of the Day

It occurs to us that if I am going to leave my job, then we don't need to plan a pregnancy around the industry peak season. Elmo thinks we should start trying right away and is not concerned with birth month in the slightest (even if that means multiple September babies).

This morning we were changing out cages for one of his tarantulas and found that several of our cages have tiny baby crickets. We learned a bit about cricket reproduction today. They apparently won't harm anything, so there is no concern. They'll likely die due to lack of food. Whew!

Meanwhile, we suspected that his Rose Hair (Grammostola rosea) had molted and rolled up her "garbage" into a bag. She has, however, been guarding this "garbage bag." Seemed strange, but we figured we'd just wait her out, then get it and dissect it! I have all the molts of my Anansi.

Ghost guarding her treasure

Today she finally stepped away from her garbage for a bit, so my husband attempted to remove it. She kept coming back every time he tried. After 20 minutes, he finally got it! He set it aside in a little jar for me to check out when I got home. I poked it a little. It was very soft until a point, then it seemed... crunchy? It was hard to describe. I didn't have an exact-o, so I just gently (old shells are delicate) gripped the web and pulled apart. I tugged a good half inch or so apart, but there was still more. I gripped deeper and pulled apart. Imagine our surprise...

Grammostola rosea egg sac!

This particular species of tarantula can lay anywhere from 80-1000 eggs at a time! Oh dear. And Elmo feels SO awful about fighting to get her babies away from her. No wonder she was guarding it! I must say, he is so cute feeling guilty about doing this, but we really never dreamed it would be eggs! We got her from a pet store! It isn't likely she has been exposed to a male! Ca-razy!

For now, we've put the sac back, but a few eggs fell out. She is back to guarding it and I'm hoping she'll repair it. We don't know what we'll do next, but gestation period is 6 short weeks! Then those little slings (spiderlings) will be so tiny they might fit through the slots in the lid! I've emailed and posted questions about what we should do and now we wait.

So babies seem to be the theme today. I just completed my menstruation, so I'll be ovulating very soon! It seems like all signs point to NOW. So... who knows what the future may hold. I currently have an IUD, but have heard they're not difficult to remove. More discussion is definitely in order!

Sunday Surf: Same as the First (not really)

I think I did better this week gathering links to share! There still may be one or two that you've seen elsewhere already, but I'm sure each reader will find something new!

• CrunchyVTMommy has a gift for rants. In her post, Is Motherhood a Prison? she goes off about a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Erica Jong. The article argues strongly against Attachment Parenting so I stand with Crunchy when she calls Bullshit! The reasoning in the WSJ article is ridiculous and Crunchy points that out in detail.
  
  
• A dear friend of mine gave me a DVD introducing me to Alfie Kohn a year ago. I was immediately a fan! There was one bit, though, that I had a little trouble grasping. It is the part where we shouldn't praise our children. I was trying, though, to just thank my daughter when she does what I want, rather than specifically praise her. This only fits so many situations and eventually feels like you're still praising, just with different words.
  
  Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!" by Alfie Kohn went into more detail than the DVD did and really helped me get a better grasp on the idea. I read bits to my husband (who is also on board) and this helped him, too. We're still working on adjusting our habits. I see my older daughter sometimes fish for praise or praise herself for little things and I wonder if I could have served her better if I'd learned this lesson sooner. And is it too late to fix it? I don't have full custody, either, which makes an effort to "fix it" even more difficult. (Hint: I welcome comments and suggestions!)
  
  
• Oprah Sexpert - Buy Your Teen Daughter Her First Vibrator
  
  <pause>
  
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  Um... yeah. I kept this link open for about a week, while I considered writing an entire post about it. I'm still not sure what I think. I firmly believe that you should answer your child's questions honestly, but only answer as much as they ask. If you go too far beyond the question, you most likely give them more information than they want or for which they are ready. So please, read this article. Let me know what you think about buying your daughter her first vibrator. And do you think Daddy would approve?
  
  
• After my recent life-altering decision to change my work (and stop working FT outside the home), I have been hunting for work at home options. The Work at Home Woman looks to be a really good resource for this. So I thought I'd share it with you, in case any of my hundreds of readers (ha!) are also looking for some from-home income.
  
  
• During my recent soul searching and research, I've mentioned Unjobbing. Unjobbing: The Untraditional Choice of Working for Oneself looks like a good explanation. Unjobbing seems like the perfect way to support unschooling. To set an example. It makes me wonder, though, am I at a disadvantage because I wasn't unschooled?
  
  
• Grumbles and Grunts offered a great post this week titled breastfeeding a toddlby: the myths and the reality that could have easily been a part of a Carnival of Natural Parenting! In fact, she even links The Natural Parents Network! The title of this blog post is self-explanatory, but I will say that it is a great resource to women facing opposition to extended breastfeeding! You'll find replies to every argument you've received and some you might never have heard! (I know I hadn't heard all of the arguments there before.)
  
  
• More School Randomness offers a beautiful and yet sad comparison between school and unschool (or even homeschool). I was additionally saddened, though, by "For her, unschooling is not an option." I didn't think leaving my current workplace was an option for me. I've recently opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart to the possibilities of the world. We should all be able to follow our dreams, including unschooling our children if that is what it takes to make us happy!

I hope you found some links here that interest YOU, too! And please, if you have links you think I would like, share them with me!

Following a Chain of Inspirations

I'd say it all started about a year ago. I was newly into Elimination Communication to go along with my new baby. Somehow I stumbled upon Hobo Mama's blog. I don't recall what search I did or what link I followed, but I immediately appreciated her honesty and writing style.

I soon created my own Blogspot, mostly so I could have a pic next to my comments on her blog! Then it evolved into a place to blog about Sasha's food experiences. Then I wanted it to evolve more, into something similar to Hobo Mama's blog. I already have a LiveJournal where I journal more personal stuff about all aspects of my life. I've had it for years and even have a project running (though currently paused) where I am entering my diary entries from my childhood! (Yes, this includes the extra embarrassing ones from my teen years.)

I half-jokingly volunteered to be a guest blogger (she was requesting volunteers!) on Hobo Mama's blog, thinking I surely didn't have enough experience or something. She gladly accepted my offer and I was SO excited and flattered!

Hobo Mama teamed up with Code Name: Mama to create the Carnival of Natural Parenting. Mind you, I don't think I had ever heard of this kind of "Carnival," though I recall when Web Rings were big. As I read Hobo Mama's Carnival posts, I also followed links to read (and comment!) on others. I also enjoyed her Wordless Wednesday posts and the links to others. I toyed with the idea of participating in a Carnival of Natural Parenting.

Finally, I did it. I signed up. Mind you, I wrote the piece (in one sitting!) and then submitted the form. After all, I didn't want to volunteer without knowing I could put out the material!

I have now participated in the last two carnivals. I post WW weekly and am starting to put together a weekly Sunday Surf. In the back of my mind, I hope Hobo Mama isn't creeped out thinking I'm stalking her. She simply inspires me!

Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama had another joint venture: The Natural Parents Network. I have been trying to volunteer, but haven't really had the time to commit to a project for them, though my nursing "better than candy" pic was featured on their first WW post!

Meanwhile, it seemed I kept stumbling onto blog entries and links about unschooling. I was doing some real soul searching about my current career path and the minimal time I am getting to spend with my family. I had all but decided to unschool, but didn't feel it was an option for us with me working FT outside the home. While reading on The NPN one night, I followed a link to someone's blog. As I said in my recent Educating Our Children - Huge Decision post, I came upon an article: It was 5 Things Your Unschooler Needs to Know on Enjoy Life Unschooling. This article was my final straw for this topic. I knew I needed to find another way to support my family, a way to do it from home, so I could unschool. It was time to stop accepting and assuming that I had no other option than that hell hole that steals me away from my family for 40 hours every week. I dove into researching my options. I have worked from home before (for 8 years), I was sure I could do it again now!

Then, in a recent Sunday Surf, Hobo Mama linked The Organic Sister's blog entry on Unjobbing. Wow. Very much like the Unschooling article had been a wake up call, so was this article. I had never even heard of Unjobbing, but it made sense! I linked both of these last articles in my Sunday Surf: First Edition. I think this makes the third time I've mentioned at least one of them.

Since then, I've contacted The Organic Sister, followed links to more blogs, and done research on how to do what she and her family do: unjob and unschool, from their adventure on the road! I have always envied people that were brave enough to pick up stakes and move to a new town. I've been jealous of people that make the time and save the money to travel. I want to see the country, too, and maybe even the world!

Based on so many things I have been reading, I knew I could find a way. I dug out some sticky notes and a highlighter and started making myself notes. I wanted a budget I could SEE, a visual representation of how much money we have flowing out of our account. I have these sticky notes of bills in groups of entertainment, utilities, etc. And then I have another area, my sticky notes of "to do's," ideas, and things to consider further. It is kind of like my living Vision Board. I got that idea from The Organic Sister, too. I've been reading her back-issues, if you will. I got to one of her monthly listings of sponsors and while I'd seen her links before, one caught my eye: Extended World Travel. (That link and the one in my side bar is my own affiliate link now.)

I read the entire page. It was a long ad! But I was... inspired. I'm trying to trim my spending, but something told me that this eBook was worth the cost. I hoped I was right! On a whim, I bought the book last night. I immediately began to devour it! I stayed up and read 2/3^rds of it last night. I had to tear myself away to get some sleep, since today was my early day at work!

I finished the eBook in no time! This book has some amazing resources for making my dreams come true! I was right on that gamble, it was worth every penny! I am on the right path and now have more resources at my disposal. I've set myself a sort of deadline, though we've got to work out another pregnancy with that plan, too. Today I've added pictures of places I'd like to take my family: Oregon, Florida, and the Grand Canyon for starters!

Oregon
for the huge trees!

Florida
Sasha can meet Daddy's family

Grand Canyon
a majestic view I want to share with my family

My current plan is to hit the road by next Fall. However, we have planned for me to be quite pregnant at that time. We have more research, saving, and decluttering to do! I've already started getting rid of things! Hopefully I'll have even more fans in the next couple of years and can start visiting YOU, too!