DF visits-Day 10, Thursday, August 4

Bagels, village, library, writing and chess!

Our late outing last night helped us sleep in until 10 am today. The kids were playing Monopoly when I came downstairs. I have been carting these two "poor" kids around so much that I've hardly had time to stock our kitchen so we had breakfast at the bagel Chateau in downtown Maplewood. They then decided to stay at the toy store while I visited the post office and grocery store nearby.
After breakfast and toy shop we headed to the Main library where I took out a few books for them to do their report about hot air balloons and the materials used to make them. They will be giving an oral presentation to their fellow homeschooling friends tomorrow, when we will meet at a county fair nearby to enjoy a tether balloon ride. They are working on the presentation together, taking turns to write their information and using books and internet resources for research.
So we had a quiet day filled mostly of reading and writing with breaks for monopoly, lunch, dinner, and one hour of TV. This was much to the kids' regret, as they tried to convince me to take them to a lake, beach or pool instead of staying at home (specially after I reminded them about their report). They charged on, worked on it and are now eager to finish and present their findings.

Hubby returned from Boston today and after supper we all attended our first chess club meeting which was a lot of fun. DD just found out about it and really wanted us to check it out.
Then hubby treated us to late-night ice cream at the village, where we got to walk the quiet streets in the warmth of the night and window shop a bit.
The day is now coming to an end and the kids are determined to get up early to finish their presentation.

So good night to all! tomorrow will be another busy (and fun) day!

DF visits-Day 9, Wednesday August 3

Ringing rocks, stalagmites, cave corals and roller coasters!

WE got going a little late in the day so everything happened a bit later than planned. Still, we enjoyed a good day full of activities.
After a good night's rest and breakfast we headed back to Pennsylvania as there were a few places that I wanted to make sure DF got to visit. We visited Ringing Rocks park and had our packed lunch there. DD took a moment to show us how to do the acorn whistle on our way to the rocks. DF had a lot of fun climbing the rocky landscape. I tried to do my best to find steady footing and hammer away on the rocks. It was unusual, educational, free and fun, so it was well worth the effort of getting there!

Then we headed for Indian Echo caverns. Being a bit on the claustrophobic side, I was apprehensive about this outing, although I never mentioned anything to the kids about it; my dislike of dark and tight places was in the back of my mind. Top it off with the thought of being a few hundred feet under solid ground and I had a secret mini-anxiety attack to keep under wraps.
Luckily I kept my cool before our excursion and was pleasantly surprised when we reached the bottom. The caverns were immense, with beautiful color rock ceilings and walls sometimes over a hundred feet tall. There was also a crystal clear water pool that had a magical quality to it.
We were entertained by the creative story of a ghost, giant and dragon that the guide told us in order to explain some of the rock formations. The place was a pleasant relieve from the humidity and heat of the outside. DF just kept saying how much he wanted to live there. I agreed emphatically. It is beautiful country right outside the caverns. We learned about William Amos, the Pennsylvania Hermit and how he managed to live in the caverns for 19 years.

By the end of our caverns visit it was 6pm. Now we were ready to close the day with a bang: A surprise visit to Hershey Park, just a few minutes from the caverns. We purchased the twilight price tickets (half off) and the kids had a blast.
DF warned us that he would not go on any roller coaster, so of course, I was not surprised when he kept running up to ride the most fun roller coasters time after time (he had said the same about the diving board, the ocean and the lake). They also rode on The Falcon, The Howler, the Music Express and other fun rides.
We had a late night, leaving the park at closing time (10:00 pm) and arriving home at 1am! Luckily for the kids, they slept while I drove.
I think it is funny, how after such a day, I found DF's head planted on a book that he foolishly thought he could read for bedtime! Such is the force of a -good- habit, I guess.

DF visits-Day 8, Tuesday August 2nd

And fun was had by all!....
After breakfast, showers and two attempts to get to the train on time we finally managed to catch the 11 am train to the city and made it to the American Museum of Natural History. We paid a small donation to enter so we only had access to the permanent collections, no special events. Still, we managed to be busy during our whole visit. We visited the American mammals wing, bio-diversity hall, ocean life hall and climate of NY state hall, where DF became completely captured by a giant model of a malaria mosquito. "I don't understand why young girls don't get how cool insects are" he said to DD. I shared his wonderment over the model, not necessarily because of the "awesomeness" of the subject but rather because of the high level of its craftsmanship. I must admit that even though I'm not a young girl anymore, I still don't "get" how cool insects are either -but he doesn't need to know that.
After a light lunch we visited the human origins hall, meteorite and minerals exhibits. By then the kids had reached information overload mode so we took a walk in Central Park. We walked past the Swedish cottage marionette theater and Shakespeare's garden up to Belvedere's castle to enjoy the view.

We then took the bus to the second "required" stop of the day: (as requested by the children) Dillan's candy bar. These two friends were so happy that they were literary dancing in the hallways. After ogling at every candy and running around for what seemed like hours they finally decided how to spend their $6 limit for the visit. We were all pretty done with sugar by the time we got out of Dillan's so we headed to a health bar and had a nice tossed salad supper.

Then I got my pick of activity and special treat: attending the free 4x4 concert at St. Peter's church just minutes after supper. The timing couldn't have worked out better if I tried. I had heard of the concert series a week before on the radio and made a note of it. I'm so glad I did. The music was absolutely beautiful. We got a chance to hear music composed by Bach for the organ and could feel the vibrations of the enormous instrument at our feet as the music played. We also got to see a lute played for the first time, inspect a harpsichord, study the complex music sheet used and look at the pipe organ closely. After the concert I compared the music to going into a lake and having all stress released from your body as you submerge yourself in the water, one inch at a time. DF agreed in his own way. "It cleansed my ears, brain and soul but my body was getting stiff", he said after the 1.5 hour long concert. A few people complemented me on my "very well behaved children" (they were the ONLY children there). I told them thanks, they behaved as expected.

So here we are, heading home in the subway after a busy day and I take out a surprise bag of Extreme sourhead candy that I had bought at Dillan's. The kids tried it together, then I tried it alone, then DF with me and DD tried it with me. Lastly, the kids tried them while controlling their faces. We had so much fun with them! I highly recommend them for entertainment anytime, anywhere!

Now all is quiet. They are both asleep in their in beds, waiting for another day of fun. And who can blame them? Sweet little trouble makers!

Look for photos of today's outing added to the DF album on the right.

Tomorrows' plan: a visit to ringing rocks, Indian caverns and a surprise outing, all in Pennsylvania.

DF visits-Day 7, Monday August 1st

Well, apparently DD has convinced DF about the greatness of baseball enough for him to want to give it a try. I woke up this morning at 8:30am to see them playing in the yard, with DF determined to rope daddy into practicing with them after work.
After breakfast, we picked up our dog from our friend's house and headed to the South Mountain Reservation, only a few minutes away from us. We took a short walk in the woods and enjoyed the morning sunlight filtering thru the trees. The kids raced each other in the dog park's obstacle course (no pups were present except our own).
After lunch we headed for DD's first group archery class with the New Jersey school of Archery. She is very excited to start and wanted very much to share it with DF. He had an introductory lesson while she practiced and got to be a guest in the group class.
After two hours of archery, we had lunch and headed to the mall to buy new earrings for DD. And that's how a girl knows she's got a good friend: he's willing to help her pick earrings!
You'd think that would be enough action for some but our young heroes decided to head to the pool and cool off with a splash in the diving tank.

Now it is dinner time (sure enough after practicing baseball with daddy) and the closing of another fun day; which I'm sure will end up with a bit of quiet reading and a good night's sleep. Until tomorrow comes!

I think one of the best parts of the day for me was hearing DD repeat a few words from Lincoln's Gettysburg address as she stepped up to a statue's pedestal to take a photo at the dogie park. I guess you never know how much they really retain after all...

Look for today's photos in the DF album to the right.

DF visits-Day 6, Sunday July 31st

We slept like babies in the dark, air conditioned room until our eyes opened. Or better said, until DD opened the black-out curtains and created a rockus of screeching complains and moans from it. We all agreed that it was the best sleep we had gotten in a long time! We all wanted to move into the hotel permanently. But alas, reality hits and we must go on with our day.
After a short TV show we headed down for brunch at the cafe. The food was great! DF had a delicious crab omelet that he could not finish because it was too big!
When we got the Gettysburg national park we chose to do the movie, cyclorama, museum and auto tour. What an absolutely amazing place it was!
Hubby is a history buff and was thoroughly surprised to see the sheer size of the battlefield grounds. I was most impressed with the cyclorama exhibit and the museum. It is not everyday that one gets to see a slave sale program with dozens of humans for sale, ranging from an 11 year old boy for $900 to a 27 year old woman for $1800. It broke my heart to see such items and brought me to tears to see the pain and sacrifice that took place during that time, by everyone. My visit was deeply personal an emotional, even though I was accompanied by my family and our friend, I think that each of us walked away with a very personal impression of the place.

The children found the cyclorama, cannons and battlefield to be the most unforgettable.
We got home late at night, loaded with information and unforgettable images recreated in our minds by seeing the place first hand and having stood where heroes of our nation's history have once walked.

Look for photos of the day added to the DF album on the right.

DF visits-Day 5, Saturday, July 30

Saturday was the most important event of the week: the much anticipated world premiere of the kid's movie from Apple camp. Yes, we all dragged ourselves out of bed one last time for the big event taking place at 9am. The proud producers shined with happiness as their work was shown in front of their peers. They composed the music using the i pad, choose the footage and edited the piece on their own. They were very excited. Apple send them home with a certificate of completion and a disk of their work. Very cool.
We finally got to sign happy birthday to hubby and share a cake for the occasion! After some group DS playing with friends, the family packed up and took off to Gettysburg, PA, (only 3 hours away by car) to learn all about the place.
That evening the kids enjoyed the hotel pool and then we took part of a ghost walk. Although the stories were not gory or violent, they made enough impression on me! I did not want to go by myself to the basement restrooms afterward! DD was kind enough to hold my hand and come with me while hubby and DF busted laughing.

I'm sure glad I choose the "mild" tour!


Look for photos of the day added to the DF album on the right.

DF visits-Day 4, Friday July 29

Friday was a rest and leave-it-up-to-the-kids-day. So the sequence of events definitely follow a child approved pattern.
I thought the kids would sleep until mid-day but low and behold, the first thing I saw in the morning when I woke up at 8:30am was the two of them dressed and completely engrossed in reading their library books. Hey, I'm not complaining! They had a hearty breakfast, played Pokemon, rested and after lunch decided they wanted to go for a swim in a lake. Our family had discovered Sunrise Lake in one of our outings (only 30 minutes away) and DD wanted to share it with DF. So, we asked a few more friends to come along, packed the van and headed for the fun. Sunrise Lake is known for its "Wibbit", an inflatable water toy that kids love to play in. They all had a ton of fun and then some. They went on a row boat and after about 3 hours of lake play they were forced to come out because the life guards heard thunder. The lake was closed for 30 minutes so we just decided to leave. The rain was done by the time we got to the car and we got to drive thru some beautiful little roads in Morris Lewis park (the boys were playing with the Flashmaster and the girls were making plastic lanyards in the background). Our DF is absolutely amazed of how green it is here and how much it is like Vienna (his mom's native land) and Hawaii (his dad's home state). I'm glad he thinks that, being that not everyone gets to see the beauty of NJ right away. I'm glad we have gotten a chance to show him a few good natural settings. I think he is having a good time.
After the lake, I discovered a small Colombian restaurant in Morristown that I could not pass, so we had a chicken soup, arepa, beef, beans and rice before heading to the movies. We watched the much awaited "Harry Potter 7" in 3D. Again, it was a late night but it was a fun one, so that's OK. That's just what vacation should be like right?

DF visits-Day 3

I must admit it was hard getting out of bed this morning. We were all tired from the beach but the kids got up and enthusiastically got dressed to go to Apple camp. They went over their corrected math assignment and completed a new one together on the ride to camp. They are making a movie and I am eagerly awaiting its unveiling on Saturday.
We headed to Round Valley lake after, where we met some homeschooling friends. It was very relaxing not to have the ocean waves pounding on us.
Afterwards we headed home, had an early supper and the kids went to the village. DF bought a Pokemon Card game deck and the kids headed to the library. After a while we came home, played , had a snack and went to bed!
Tired after another busy day and looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!

Look for photos of the day added to the DF album on the right.

A Dear Friend visits!- Day 2

Today's Highlights: Hubby's birthday, Apple camp day 1, Sandy Hook National beach.

Today the kids woke up bright, early and ready for their first day at the Apple computer camp. While they were given instructions on the project at hand and made story boards for it, the parents got a computer safety presentation. I enjoyed it a great deal, not only because I loved being able to handle Apple products but also because I learned that both PC and Mac have very similar parental supervision features. I liked knowing that.

They worked on their math assignment in the car. By the time we got home and after a quick outdoor lunch, they were ready to start working on their assignment from camp. Honestly, they did not have much time.
We picked up a friend, waited for more, packed up the van and headed to Sandy Hook Beach to play in the surf, meet homeschooling friends and enjoy their free summer concert series. We took the bikes with the intention of bicycling to the light house at some point but the the reality of it was very different once the kids hit the waves. They did not want to get out of the water!
Oh well, hopefully we'll get to it before DF goes back west. If not, I'm sure the lighthouse is not going anywhere anytime soon. They kids had a blast and ended their day by eating a large order of steak and shrimp each. DF made new friends and we all enjoyed each other a great deal.
Best of all, they were in bed within 10 minutes of getting home; showered, teeth brushed and sound asleep! - no struggles!

I have placed the DF photo album to the right of this post. Enjoy!




Thursday, July 28
Planned: Apple computer camp day 2 and homeschoolers lake outing

A Dear Friend visits!- Day 1

After their longest time apart (5 months) since our daughter was six months old, she is reunited with her best buddy! We love having him over to share all the wonderful new things we are discovering here. I will attempt to make a daily highlights summary for his family to keep up with our outings and experiences here. This two week period will reflect some of our "summer schooling". I will try to incorporate some Math practice or games on a daily basis.
I love to see how these two kids choose to spend their time together. It is so nice to see them interact. They know each other so well!
Today's highlights:
Cherry seeds spitting contest in our yard , Pokemon card game,writer's cafe (creative writing class), pool: swim & diving, DF catches fireflies in backyard while DD plays her guitar and writes.

It has been a hard day in a hard week of a hard month and a hard year.

That's basically what I tell myself after a day like today.
With all my hopes and ideals pushed aside, I look at myself in the mirror and ask sincerely:
"Why on earth would you want to keep this kid at home? Are you crazy?"

There go my grand ideals of family unity and understanding crushed by a screaming, impetuous 9 year old. Fears of years to come fill my heart like a dark and heavy mass of crude oil which drowns life from anything it touches in a devastating ocean spill. Never mind the doubt of not knowing if this crazy idealistic notion of mine will work out. Sometimes if feels like I am alone between a rock and a hard place. School has made it so hard for me to homeschool my daughter, in so many ways. I hate living in a society where a young person's worth is judged by the grades they get, the school they attend, the possessions they have, the clothes they wear. It is all around us from coast to coast and it is inescapable.

I have heard horror stories from my non-homeschooling friends about homeschool children who end up hating their parents and barely talking to them as grown ups. I have heard stories of brilliant 45 year old homeschoolers who never left home and still work endlessly on elaborate projects in the basement because they cannot hold a job. I have heard stories of the neighbor's kids who were in and out of school, and only the ones who went to school the most turned out somewhat "normal". The rest are druggies and failures.
The problem for me is that I like the people who tell me these stories. Should I still call them my friends after they share their valuable anecdotes with me? Should I share my stories of school kids slashing their wrists because they don't get an A in a test? or the one about the girl who killed herself by running into the highway after school because her boyfriend dumped her? Should I share the stories of kids who are bullied and are made to feel worthless by their peers on a daily basis? or the one of the girl who was beaten by other girls near to death with a bat as a sport for being the "different"one? Or the story about the bored school boys who beat a hard working immigrant to death while sitting at a park bench? Should I tell them that these children thought their actions were amusing enough to tape and post on "YouTube"?
Would they still like me and have me over to their house as I do if I point straight at the failures of the system they have chosen to be a part of? Do I need to be part of that system to be recognized as a thoughtful and feeling individual in their eyes? I am sure they would excuse those incidents as freak occurrences that their children would never experience. Why then do they tell me their homeschooling stories with foreboding warning tones in their voices?
One of my non-homeschooling friends already warned me (when my daughter was seven years old), of her strong character, independent mindset and desire to experiment with the unknown. Apparently our daughter is doomed by her own nature. Thanks friend, but I don't happen to see those things as downfalls.

I know that the survival instinct in humans is augmented by fear. So I can't help to ask myself: what am I most afraid of?
The product of a regimented, institutionalized "people factory" system or the product of my own mistakes? What drives me to want to homeschool my child tomorrow, after a day like today? Is this a mistake?
It seems like life would be so much easier if she just went to school. She could play to be busy all day, blend in with the sassy crowd and come home to talk about other girls who are not like her. She would be accepted at camp as a regular girl by her peers, not a weird "homeschooler". She would "fit in" to everyone else's standards, would go to tutoring services when she has a problem in school and to camp whenever she is off from school. I would have a clean house, other adults to talk to in a somewhat interesting job, time to myself, money for a maid service, or a dance class... Then reality sets in.

It has been a hard day in a hard week of a hard month and a hard year. We've had more than enough of those to spare around here lately.
Sometimes this lonely path is not easy to follow. Sometimes it seems like every step hurts more than the previous one and I just want to stay put and not walk anymore.

Sometimes I just need someone that I like to give me a hug, pat me on the back and say "It will be OK. She's wonderful, you're doing great. She'll be OK."

I miss you more than you can imagine my dear friend.

We made it and all is well!

As always, it seems like it has been a decade since I updated our blogg. A lot has happened since then. We have left our dear friends and home of 13 years behind in sunny Burbank, California and are now residents of the garden state: New Jersey. We even have the license plates to proove it! I guess it's official now.


Hubby is enjoying his new job a great deal and Laura and I are enjoying meeting new people and finding new adventures. Although we also miss our friends a lot!
In the past few months our homeschooling style has changed from "classic, school at home" to "crazy, survive relocation" mode. Honestly, academics have not been a priority in the past few months. DD has been reading nonstop (from classics to comics) during this whole process so I don't feel so bad about it.
















We have been here for almost 4 months and just now I feel like we can really start to stretch our weary traveling legs and be comfortable with our new surroundings. The warm weather helps.
Now that our necessities are all unpacked and I have a clue of where I am, our priority (besides school work) is to meet as many people as we can. I feel like I have to jump on it; at least while the weather is warm and before we have to go into (a somewhat feared) hibernation mode for our family's first and long, north eastern winter.

Our time of arrival was perfect. Well, minus the rainy move-in day. We got to see enough snow on the ground to see it melt and welcome spring. DD has enjoyed wet spring days walking around and seeing nature awake almost overnight. The changes happen so fast and are so large that it is a wonder, specially for us, coming from a place where flowers are always in bloom. Spring term homeschooling events were just beginning so she was able to have some group classes. She participated in the town's softball spring league and a few fun events with her new Girl Scout troop.

I am as happy as a clam because I got to go back to one of my favorite places on earth: The Art Students League of NY. Memories of old come back not only to my heart but also to my hands.I am very excited because now I can take an occasional drawing or painting class in the weekend, while hubby is home. I can sign up month to month or just drop in. Flexibility is the key here. It feels great to draw like that again! I am slowly getting myself where I used to be. Here are a few one minute (L) and five minute (R) sketches from my first class. There's hope! Life is good.











Not everything has been peachy roses though. Our DD is acting like a perfect nine year old who was yanked from all she knew suddenly: sad and angry at times, excited and eager to find a new adventure in the next moment. It has been like riding on a roller coaster at times. We don't blame her for it and we are trying our best to help her deal with it all. After all, it was late January when we figured out that we needed to leave by March 3rd if we wanted to move as a family.

She truly becomes her beautiful self again whenever she has a puppy or animal in her arms. So...we have been petting a lot of small creatures lately. Here she is at the dog park, borrowing a little joy. Two of her visiting requests have already been fulfilled: she has visited the biggest candy store and the biggest toy store. Yes, we are trying.
Regardless of how hard it has been, I am glad that we did it in such a way and that we came here together. We had already spent too long and too many important days apart!

We live in a pretty city/town considered a suburb of Newark and I think myself lucky to be here right now. We are only 30 minutes by train to NYC (perfect for hubby's commute and day trips) and minutes by car to beautiful woodlands, lakes and playgrounds. We are really enjoying house hunting in the area.

The people we have met have been very nice and welcoming. Although there are not many homeschooling families in town, the ones we have meet have been wonderful, caring and warm towards us. In our short time here we have already been part of many unique and fun events. Also, our daughter's new Girl Scout troop and leader have welcomed us as true Girl Scout sisters: with open arms.
Still, the sad reality hits almost daily: we will not have our closest friends be so close to us anymore. We miss you guys! We wish we could have brought all of you here. At once. With us. In other words... come visit anytime!

We are looking forward to a fun and busy summer. We are vacationing in our own hometown! Everything is new for us around here so we are staying close to home to learn the ropes. DD is doing swim lessons, guitar and travel softball league. We are also excited about starting a new JOAD class for homeschoolers that we hope to continue in the fall.

But enough said... as a picture can say a thousand words (and as the clock ticks), I have about a hundred of them to share. Click on the albums to the right to see more of what has been going on around here!