Making it Up As I Go

It’s been a while.

What have we been doing?

We’ve been to Alabama and back,  where we saw old friends and enjoyed being around family. The trip gave me lots of time to read- I finished 3 books in a week, and then have been dabbling around in other books ever since, not finishing anything.

If you’re curious, I read:

The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, which was excellent and has me reassessing our approach to next years curriculum.

Bringing up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman, which was fascinating, and has sent me off on a French binge. I’ve tried out a couple of ideas she talked about (like kids having breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner- that’s it, no other snacks) and they’ve been incredibly effective. She brings up a lot of interesting points (for example, a child is 1 and not sleeping through the night. In the US we have the tendency to think that it’s just a quirk of the kid, that’s just how they are. In France, they see it as abnormal, and a situation that needs to be fixed for everyone in the family’s well being). I didn’t agree with everything she said, but it was a very interesting book.

For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence by Alice Miller was another fascinating  book, looking at the accepted practice of child abuse in pre WW2 Germany and how it affected children’s lives and psyches; in particular how Hitler would have been afffected by his upbringing, and how a country’s worth of people raised in the same way would easily have followed his commands once he was in power.  She also looks at a young woman who is addicted to drugs and a young man who was an infamous child killer, and how their abusive upbringing led them to act in the way they did. Very interesting, and extremely sad.

Now I’m reading Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, which I’ve read before, and which is so so good. It’s really interesting reading it after the child abuse book- seeing how we are raised influences so very much.

I realized that I never posted my February inspiration board, and I only just created my March board, because I was having a hard time finding a focus this month. But here they are, because I know you were waiting with bated breath.

As you can see, apparently I was really feeling the big hair last month. 🙂 We went to Disneyland, and to see Lenny Kravitz – the man is amazing. A true rock star. I worked on quilt tops, and have 2 quilts to put together that will go on the girls’ beds. I’m actually hoping to get them done this week. I made some stuffed animals, and did not finish Ender’s Game, clear off my desk, or work out enough to get Gwen Stefani’s abs. But isn’t Elizabeth Taylor to die for?

Here’s this month:

I’ve been feeling really introverted this month- I just want to stay at home, preferably with rain outside, curled up in bed with a book. And hot chocolate.  I need to make more marshmallows because I’m out. I’m hoping to finally finish my India color inspired quilt for my bed- it’s king size, so it’s been a bit intimidating. But I’m simplifying, so hopefully it will be finished soon. I watched Vicky Christina Barcelona last night, and I love the mood of it, the colors, the characters, the whole thing.  And I just love that Fantastic Mr. Fox poster. I’m trying to figure out how to make a Fantastic Mr. Fox stuffed animal, a process that I’m beginning to think may require re-watching the movie. Oh the torture. 🙂

What have you been up to?