Xocai Raw Chocolate - response to comment :)

No, this chocolate is not bitter. It has been made into several products without high heat, thus keeping it raw. Plus all raw ingredients. Yes, nibs would be more bitter definitely.

My husband, Stan, and I just signed up to sell these products and we are so excited to begin to help people regain their health and/or become even healthier. We haven't ever done anything like this but have experienced the benefits personally of a raw diet and know how powerful it is. However, raw chocolate combined with another superfood, acai, is many times more potent than a raw veggie & fruit diet since these two whole foods are the two most antioxidant-dense foods that exist according to research.

Check it out for yourself! www.mxicorp.com/products/ I think you will be amazed :)

NWA Community Builders

My friend Patricia is passionate about community building and has set up a gathering this spring to get the networking starting so people can have more avenues to get their needs met. I really like the idea and envision so many ways to connect with people through this. Last night, we went to the 3rd gathering so far and had such a great time. Benfits from going - kids playing with friends, being out in nature, new business opportunity, chatting with friends, more info about an intentional community our friends are lauching, learned of permaculture hotline, and ate raw chocolate samples. And Patricia and I are talking about collaborating about NVC. Plus I could have Unschooling United meetings there as well! That's got my wheels turning :)

Our Newest Family Member

This is Sally, our little kitty! We are enjoying her so much, she has a great personality :)

Unschooling United

Dayna Martin, who was a guest on the Dr. Phil show last year along with her husband, Joe, is the founder. I have been a member of her radicalschoolingLOA group since she started it. That group has provided much support for me just by reading the posts. For many reasons, participating in online support groups has not been very efficient for meeting my needs. I dreamed of starting some kind of phone support network but felt resistance to initializing that, really I didn't have any insight or inspiration about where to begin and how to fit that in my life.

So when Dayna announced she was starting a non-profit based loosely on the La Leche League structure I was excited and knew immediately I wanted to be a part of that!

Last night was the first phone conference with Dayna for those who want to be a volunteer UU Facilitator and the first time I've ever spoken with her. The energy of the small group was so friendly, uplifting, and excited.

I'm looking forward to being a part of the evolution of Unschooling United!!!!

Me too!

Sebastian asked me to help with Club Penguin a couple of days ago. I said yes, of course. And then I found myself having so much fun figuring out the clues for the missions that I found myself playing alone at times.......we were a team. When he would loose focus and need to be active, I would continue playing to find another piece of the puzzle.

Last night, Stan and I were chatting when Sebastian came in the room and asked for help again. We dialouged about where he was in the mission we were trying to conquer. He needed help with throwing the snowballs at the target. He had already found the life preserver, the bucket, the sheet music and befriended the yellow puffle who builds stuff out of snow. Stan looked at me amused and confused...What are you talking about, he said? I explained and told him how much fun we've been having :) I asked Stan if he would help with the snowball throwing since it was a bit challenging. ( I wanted to see if he would figure it out more easily and I would learn something from him.) Oh yea!.....he did it quickly and showed me how to use the intensifier-meter! I think I can throw the snowballs better now...hahaha! We shall see soon!

Bub loses tooth

Another lost tooth!

Less moving potential and new job potentials

Circumstances have again steered us back to where we are. Perhaps some day we will move......the potentials are many. It would be fun to live somewhere else just for the experience. But for now, the more we started seeing how things we our families were playing out, and the more recognized how we felt about it all......it just felt "right" to stay here. It Stan is offered a job elsewhere we will weigh our options but for now we are nestled in our comfy spot anticipating more wonderful things to come our way. We've stopped worrying so much about the job search. We know somehow, some way - it will all be okay.



yesterday Stan got a call from Wal-Mart requesting a second interview, this time in person for the type of position he has been wanting all along - Project Manager. We are stoked about that. The interview sounds more like an orientation, going from 7:45 to 2:00 that afternoon. I've never heard of them lasting that long. Perhaps that is a good sign!

Shelbie's 5th Bday :)

Our friends, the Orr girls came over to join us for the celebration. First we had cake and ice cream. Then we took off to go ice skating at the Jones Center. The kids are fearless learning something new I've noticed. They have ice skated maybe 5 times but they were cruising along with determination, enjoying the challenge. For Stan and I, we had more fun watching the kids....those skates hurt feet!

My youngest is five.....geez it goes so fast. I am so glad that I remember to savor the moments at least as often as I do. It is so fun watching my kids develop, change and morph into who they are.

Moving to NC...Oh my!

Well, we have decided to move! My dad, brother, and grandma are going also, so the family is migrating. So much to do! We are going to the Greenville area - Stan and I are taking a trip there soon to check it out since we've never been. I'm so excited to discover that there is an unschooling group there. Yippeee! The kids are all for it too :) More later........

Sebastian and the internet!

Sebastian truly enjoys being online. And I have no idea exactly how much or what all he is learning but I know and trust he is! Some things I can "see" like he has learned to spell his name and then there are other things like all the questions he asks that are prompted by being exposed to new concepts. He is so curious, of course, but he asks questions like there is no tomorrow!

The past few months he has been playing Toontown and Club penguin. Here is a collage we made of CP pics he took. He doesn't play Toontown so much anymore though.

Making princess masks

The many faces of Sadie...

GG is the Queen!

My grandmother (GG) won the beauty contest at her living facility so she got to go to the regional one a couple of hours away. Well, she won that one too! Sadie and Papa went to that one in Little Rock. She didn't win and she was relieved - she was tired of traveling! My dad went with us, which I really enjoyed, and and on the way home we stopped for pizza and then he took us to one of his favorite fishing/swimming spots on the way home.

Devil's Den State Park

Stan took the kids (ours and our friend Olivia) to Devil's Den while I stayed home and cleaned....last October ...so it's out of order. Many will be because I am playing the make-up posting game :)

Wanting to eat MORE raw foods!

Last summer I decided to try raw foods and see what happened. We saw so many benefits for each of us. Some of the things we ate have become part of our regular menu but we slowly went back to what was easiest. Now that we haven't been doing it pretty much full throttle, Stan and I are wanting to get back to it! Even Sadie is wanting to eat mostly salads. Here are some pics of that glorious time of eating yummy raw foods!

Sebastian learned to spell his name!

With only
...Mom will you type in my name?
...Let me write it down so you can do it. :)
...Will you copy your name on this thank you note?
...What's that letter again?

Then one day he yelled, "Mom come look!" And he had typed the whole thing in correctly. Yahoo! I totally trust the process (ok, I do have my moments!) but it sure is nice to see something tangible, or uh, virtual?

Compassionate Communication Celebration

AKA....NVC (nonviolent communication) is a subject receiving a lot of my attention lately. It fits so well with unschooling/consensual living/connection parenting/marriage. My guy is interested it in also which is so HUGE to me and we both have experienced its wonderful effects. At first, I dove into it thinking I was going to master it in a short time...HAHA...old habits die hard, huh? I have the tendency to plunge into things sometimes and feel hurried which ultimately means I put pressure on myself in many ways. And then?....I get crabby! Go figure. So I've adjusted my pace to one that is more appropriate for me and -abracadabra- it's easier to learn! I just have to laugh at myself.....it feels so good! Stan and I also introduced it to the kids with a puppet show. They were rolling over our storyline...which was a true one btw, and wanted to have a turn.

Anyway...I subscribe to nvcacademy.com. It's $10 a month for a variety of stuff. It's worth it even though I use it less than I intended. And the 1st month is free!

Pursuing Passions...

Sadie...acting. At the local kids theatre and preparing for a national competition that showcases people who want to enter the industry.

Sebastian....gymnastics. Here is Bub listening to one of the instructors explain about what to do on the rings.

Shelbie....ballet/tap. Here is a video of her in the first class.

Stan's Departure from the College

On the 30th of November, Stan was asked to resign or get fired. He resigned, a bit nervous about what was next, but very relieved. His job had become very tense and he worried about it for many reasons for over a year prior to that day. I had suggested many times that he look for another job....it was stressful for me also. He manifested his own way out - his last month with pay and only on a consulting basis (he was the IT manager at a community college). Then in January his prior boss from the college who had left the year before contacted him and he ended up hiring Stan as a freelance consultant for 3 times what his salary had been on a per hour basis. So he has worked way less, for way more pay, and has been home way more! It's nice that we all get to spend more time together - Stan is getting to experience "our world" from a different point of view, although having him here creates a different atmosphere. It's felt like a 3 month weekend almost!

Wow!....it's been exactly a year!

I've been wanting to blog more and realized I had started my blog last year, in February. Then I get on here and see that it was exactly a year ago today. Freaky! My intention was to do this regularly, however, the way it turned out was I would think of a subject to write about and then get swept away in the winds of our busy, fun life and thus forget! I did manage to create some drafts along the way that are awaiting my attention, and I have more ideas for drafts to muster up. Well, in reflecting on this anniversary......it's been a great year. Challenging as well, but in a way that has helped me zero in on what I want to attract and let go of what doesn't serve us. And that incorporates mostly mental intangibles on my part but includes some material stuff as well. It's been an organizing year I suppose. Organizing my thoughts, desires, time, dreams and the house. It's been a great year! We are definitely relaxing more into the unschooled/organic lifestyle. Life is awesome :)