Tag: projects

Personal Growth and a list of upcoming projects

One of the most important factors of unschooling is for the parents to be continuing their own education.  I do not mean going to school, I mean continuing to discover new interests, to grow, to study, learn, and gain understanding.  If we, as parents, aren’t constantly learning and growing and having enthusiasm for things, if we aren’t being role-models in this that we want our children to be doing as well, then why would we expect our kids to.

And so, I thought I would share some of my own current interests/studies/areas of growth.

  • I am working on several websites that require me to learn more .php (the programming language that runs most of the websites you use nowadays including Facebook).  And thus I studying both .php and the new, updated WordPress. This is interesting stuff though mind boggling.
  • I am continuing to study herbs–especially ones that grow naturally in our area, learning to recognize them, to use them, and how to make various herbal remedies from them.  I am doing this partly out of necessity–our oldest is unable to use a lot of those sold in the store due to extra ingredients she is allergic to, but also because I find it fascinating.  In that vein I picked up a Rodale book of Herbs at the library sale which is awesome and a friend sent me this website: http://altnature.com which is also awesome.
  • I have been reading 2 books I picked up at the library sale: One a PA cookbook full of information about various parts of Pennsylvania and where the foods native to the state came from.  Also a complete volume of thhe short stories of Sherlock Holmes.  I have read nearly all before but it is fun to read straight through.
  • I am continuing to grow as an artist–practicing new techniques, studying other peoples work that I admire, in order to be a better artist.
  • Along the vein of webdesign and art I am considering a redesign of my multiple sites. I am considering combining the three into one usig a technique I have recently learned.  I am also considering turning Elasah.com into a multiartist website if my friends who are also Christians and artists would like to join me.  It was my original intent for the domain and I am finally at a place where I think it would work. I would like to collaborate and discuss our growth as artists as well as share our current projects, lifting one another up.  I would also like to redesign the webdesign site in such a way that ist would be informational and answer many of the questions multiple clients ask me.  I am also planning to go through and retag the posts on this site so it is easy to find older posts, and possibly reorganize things–in for a penny in for a pound, even though I have several other projects I really should finish before I do.
  • I am also attempting to redesign the kids rooms.  They have all hand-me-down furniture which is no longer suitable in purpose.  (Especially the girls who are entering the preteens and have a very different goal for their room than they once did.)  We are trying to figure out a way to use their limited space better while enabling them to do all  that they do in their room easily without leaving a mess.  Also we are planning to pull up their carpets soon.  I am working out the logistics of this all and thinking it is going to occur soon.  The kids are actively involved in this project and have much to say on how to go about it.
  • I am continuing work on some drawings for a potential project that isn’t due till June 1.  I am taking my time on it but it seems to be going well.
  • I am considering some potential short drive day trips that I would like to do with the kids this summer if the car is cooperating–Lake Erie, McConnell’s Mills, Moraine State Park, to name a few, as well as some potentially longer trips exploring our state of PA.

Wordless Wednesday (or look at our new play shelter!)

Cool damp weather brings out the worst in me–this week I am taking it easy as I am relying on my herbal supplements, eating right, and wisdom to keep my arthritis from having a full-fledged flair-up.

So of course I would decide to help the kids build a new shelter today, this time out of wood and tarps instead of just bungee cords and tarps. 🙂

It is comprised of an old apple tree, an old wooden climbing toy, scavenged wood, tarps, lots of bungee cords, some nails, plus an old sliding board from the climbing toy. All aspects of this shelter were scavenged, nothing was purchased for the project.


Yes, this project included hammering, and sawing, and carrying heavy things. Yes, I know those are not wise things to be doing when you are already fending off an attack of rheumatoid arthritis.

(The kids helped a lot and did a lot of the planning though I had to do the sawing and some of the carrying and hammering.)

It was well worth it. I spent the rest of the day resting and playing Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon, huddled in a pile of blankets trying to keep warm–which was nice in its own way.

I have actual work I need to do but was not up to that so just sat and rested.

The kids spent that time playing in their new shelter and discussing how the next one will be even better ( Rachel spent quite a bit of time perusing Issac’s new “The Dangerous Book for Boys” for how to build a tree house–I have a feeling that will be their next such project. :))

(This shelter is nice because it is out of the wind and when we do get snow will provide a place for the kids to get out of the elements without having to climb the hill to our house. 🙂 They can’t wait for snow!