Tagged a week ago by Carrie.

Three things about Addison:
~He looks alot like his Great Grandfather on his mother’s side.
~He just moved away from home.
~He’s taking the same program inthe same college that I did.

Three things about Sarah:
~She is very social.
~She is the child that looks the most like me.
~She lis the child that is most like her mother.

Three things about Meaghan:
~She is soft spoken most of the time.
~She is the child that is most like me.
~She is the child that looks like her mother.

Three things about Emma:
~She alternates between reminding me of Sarah and Meaghan.
~She has always been unschooled.
~The only home she remembers is the house we currently own.

Tags to anyone who wants to

I scored substantially higher than pwsmommy :-/

Last week I said I was planning on writing a post tonight. A couple time in the last month I was late enough leaving home that I drove the long trip through the woods in the dark. On both trips, I saw (and had close calls with) large wildlife. Tonight it was overcast and I knew I would be driving most of that distance in the dark and decided to take an alternate route which involved less wilderness. I encountered a detour about 2 hours into that alternate route. So, the trip took nearly 4 hours. So, the short of it is that I won’t be writing that post until tomorrow night.

Also, in one of the posts below, someone asked me to participate in a getting prepared for the school year type of meme. I have to decline. So far, what we have done to prepare for the school year is nothing. Nor will we be doing anything in the next few weeks. In our jurisdiction homeschoolers are not required to observe the school year and we don’t. The closest we get to it is stocking up on “school” materials because for some of them, this is the only time of year when many stores have a good stock of that type of supplies. While I recognize that in some jurisdictions homeschoolers are obligated to observe the school year (eg. record attendance), I do not want to lend further credence to the widely held belief that homeschooling is school at home. Believ it or not, I have had some ask me if we had a room set up with desks, chairs and a chalkboard.

The 9 6 7 8 places I’ve lived:

I was going to write another object based learning post but it is getting late. I saw this at Meg’s and thought it would be fun and quick to do.

Hillsburg, ON – 22 months. My parents owned a farm there.

Wirral, NB – About 20 years. Basically from earliest memories to when I went to college.

Saint John, NB – 6 months. The first 6 months of college. I didn’t really enjoy living there.

Wirral, NB – 2 1/4 years. Finished college and started working.

Fredericton, NB – 9 months. Closer to work while building a house.

Wirral, NB – 4 1/2 years. Still working in Fredericton.

Nackawic, NB – 2 months. I had a short term contract and renting and moving was cheaper than driving on a daily basis.

Wirral, NB – 6 1/2 years. This was our last stint in Wirral. Although we are currently in process of transferring the property, we still own that house.

Miramichi, NB – 5 years. If you read the archives here or in Andrea’s blog you can find out about what we did here.

And we are in process of moving again. I think we may be a restless lot.

The brainchild of Imperfect Genius, so blame her.

1) What country/region/state do you live in?
New Brunswick, Canada.

2) How long have you been homeschooling? Just getting started, old pro or somewhere in between?
Since early 1994, which makes it 12 years. Some days I feel like an old pro, somedays somewhere in the middle.

3) Write a little something about your family. Ages? Stages?
Addison – 18 and done. Currently preparing to leave for college.
Sarah – 15. Works at subway, loves playing her guitar. Phone permanently attached to ear.
Meaghan – 13. Can find her in kitchen cooking something yummy or making something interesting. She’s the quiet one.
Emma – 5. Usually up to something.

Oh, and if you didn’t catch it, Ron works in another city and we’re fixing up our house so we can sell it and move over there to join him.

4) Share some good homeschooling advice you’ve run across.
Relax. Hard to do though.

5) Tell us something you’re passionate about (besides your family and homeschooling, those are givens!).
Well, if I can’t list homeschooling, I’d say I am currently passionate about home renovations. I also have a “thing” for breastfeeding and natural childbirth.

6) If you could take the ultimate field trip, where would you go and why?
Egypt. That should be self-explanitory.

7) What is a resource you can’t do without?
Teh internets.
(Note: It is spelled that way on purpose. Geek joke.)

How do you homeschool? Classical, Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, Unschooling, Eclectic?
Ecclectically unschooled.

9) Share a website or two that you visit often – can be your favorite blogger or a curriculum supplier, just any sites you really like.
homeschooljournal.net and bloglines.com

10) Tell us about one of your favorite projects/activities/trips you’ve had in the past few months.
Well, we’re almost finished with the bedroom. We ripped up the old tiles, sanded off some of the finish, painted the softwood floor, and now we’re doing the walls. It’s going to look great when we are done, really fresh.

11) What is a current/previous homeschooling challenge you’ve faced?
Well, six years ago we (okay *I*) got really burnt out on our school-in-a-box curriculum and even snet Addiosn ot public school for two years. I spent that time deschooling (although I didn’t know what it was called then) and re-educating myself. The articles at Homeschool Oasis really helped me. Our Christian readers will love it, our non-Christian readers may still be able to get something from it. I didn’t take the course she offers, the large list of articles were enough for me, although I did wind up buying her Senior High Form-U-La book.

12) Share an accomplishment, something about you or your children. Come on, brag about it!
Addison is a crew trainer at McD’s, in line for a manager position. Sure, we all joke about it, but the job is *hard*, especially if you are a teen. Sarah is a sandwich artist at Subway and is doing awesome there as well.
Also, my teenagers will hug me and tell me they love me. Even when I don’t force them and they don’t want anything.
I also run homeschooljournal.net. Getting that up and running and making changes that work gives me a real sense of accomplishment.

13) What are you looking forward to over the coming year?
Moving and getting all that settled.
Seeing Emma become a fluent reader.

14) Name three things you like doing in the summer with your family.
Going on long exploratory drives. At least I think we like it, as we do it often.
Getting together with family I don’t see often.
Getting together and eating.
Going to the beach.

15) Have a favorite homeschooling quote? Share it here.
“Birds fly, fish swim, children learn.” – John Holt

Ok, I’m not a mother, but you can take the quiz here

The “Know Thyself” mother

“I believe the joy of motherhood is self-discovery—for them and for me.”

* Sensitive and family-focused, the INFJ mother looks for and encourages the unique potential of each child. Self-knowledge may be her byword. Her aim is to help each child develop a sense of identity and cultivate personal growth. In fact, she may value the mothering experience as a catalyst to her own personal growth and self-knowledge.
* The INFJ mother spends time observing and understanding each child. She is drawn to intimate conversations and seeks a free exchange of feelings and thoughts.
* Sympathetic and accommodating, the INFJ mother strives to meet the important yet sometimes conflicting needs of each family member in harmonious and creative ways
* She is conscientious and intense as well. Probably no one takes life and child-raising more seriously than the INFJ. She approaches mothering as a profession requiring her best self.

This is really simple to take (as long as you already know your profile). I decided to post it because Andrea had done it. Earlier tonight, when I read the post in her blog I opened the link in a new tab. I got called away from the computer. In the midst of the disruption Andrea and I decided to test a small change I’d made to a plugin. When she sat down to the computer she noticed the tab and told me that you just filled in your profile. I told her to go ahead with mine. The next thing she said was, “sounds just like you.” In any event, it is interesting to see the jung typology applied to the perspective of parenting.

I’ve been picking up these quizzes from Jax & Tim:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I am from worn step treads, from second hand sales and firewood.

I am from the modernized farmstead.

I am from the timothy, the clover.

I am from arts & crafts and Canadiana, from Frank and David and Bacon.

I am from the dramatic and vocal.

From I said and I think.

I am from beginning to end. From do the work that is there to do.

I’m from farmland in Upper Canada, from potatoes and corn.

From the Joe was stepping on the chickens and Joe wasn’t Joe anymore, the tunnels and hidden forts in the hay, and the Great Grandfather who looked just like me.

I am from cobwebs and memories, from photo albums and carefully organized cases in the attic.

HT: Andrea & Jax

Despite your size, as Mr Beaver you are decisive, confident and bold. You are brave in times of need and show great loyalty to those you respect.

HT: Here in the Bonny Glen

You Should Get a JD (Juris Doctor)

You’re logical, driven, and ruthless. You’d make a mighty fine lawyer.

HT: Making it up

HT: Mommy Brain

Yep, another meme. In this one, the most popular book to movie adaptations are listed. B indicates I’ve read the book, M indicates I’ve seen the movie. I’ll also add in parentheses which one I liked best. Feel free to play along at your site. Let me know if you do!

1. B – 1984
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. American Psycho
4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
5. Brighton Rock
6. Catch 22
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
8. A Clockwork Orange
9. Close Range
10. The Day of the Triffids
11. Different Seasons (includes The Shawshank Redemption)
13. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (aka Bladerunner)
14. Doctor Zhivago
15. Empire of the Sun
16. The English Patient
17. Fight Club
18. The French Lieutenant’s Woman
19. M – Get Shorty
20. The Godfather
21. M – Goldfinger
22. Goodfellas
23. Heart of Darkness
24. The Hound of the Baskervilles
25. Jaws
26. B,M – The Jungle Book
27. A Kestrel for a Knave
28. LA Confidential
29. Les Liaisons Dangereuses
30. Lolita
31. B – Lord of the Flies
32. B – The Maltese Falcon
33. Oliver Twist
34. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
35. Orlando
36. The Outsiders
37. B – Pride and Prejudice (not finished readin it yet)
38. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
39. The Railway Children
40. Rebecca
41. The Remains of the Day
42. Schindler’s Ark (aka Schindler’s List)
43. Sin City
44. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
45. The Talented Mr Ripley
46. Tess of the D’Urbervilles
47. Through a Glass Darkly_
48. B – To Kill a Mockingbird
49. Trainspotting
50. The Vanishing
51. Watership Down

My additions:

52. B,M The Bourne Identity (loved both)
53. B,M The Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum (loved both)