It is Finished!! ...

I became interested in quilts recently when a friend asked for help in completing a quilt that was more than 40 years old and had been pieced together completely by hand. The quilt was donated to a church organization for purposes of an auction. In keeping with the spirit in which the quilt was created, it was decided to completely finish it by hand. So, one day, my friend brought a bunch of needles and thread to our homeschooling park day and we had ourselves a little quilting bee.

Pretty soon, I found myself wanting to make a quilt of my own. So, I signed up for a beginner class, picked out some pretty radical fabric and proceeded to begin.

I discovered that sewing is very relaxing and I love creating these great works of art that are also functional and warm.

This is the back and an example of the quilting.

This is the finished product.

While I was working on it and trying to figure out what I would do with it, N asked if he could have it. I thought that was appropriate, my first quilt for my first born child.

So, "The First Spark" was finished the day after his 8th birthday.

Of course, my girl wanted to know where HER quilt was! Once I explained that I could only work on one at a time, she then rifled through my fabric stash (I've been collecting fabric for several years just because I like many different fabrics and use them for decorations), picked out some that she liked and then informed me that we needed to go to the fabric store to find some others for her quilt.

More to come.....

~~Mama )O(

The Essence of "Privacy"

My good friend, Tammy, was featured in this video clip from CNN today regarding the homeschooling situation in California.

What is frustrating for most of us in California is the insistance that the law has "always been like that" (meaning that parents cannot choose to homeschool their children without a teaching credential). It's simply not true. Many are using the private school option which does not require teachers in a private school to be credentialed. There are plenty around here, in this Hollywood area bedroom community. Expensive as hell...and wouldn't you know it? Not all the teachers are credentialed. The "authorities" better go after THOSE schools before they come after mine.

What does a credential prove anyway? That one is adept at "classroom management" or that one is an expert to spot abuse at home? What about all the credentialed teachers that do the abusing? I am not trying to devalue a teaching credential. Several of my aunts and my cousin are credentialed teachers. I'm just saying that it is not necessary in order to enable EVERY SINGLE child to be educated.

Public school is but one CHOICE. Our family chooses private school, our own private school. So, to the government I want to say quite loudly....BUTT OUT!!!

Despite what is being reported, erroneously most of the time, this fight is NOT about the interests of the child. It's about government control over a parents right to freely choose what is in the best interests of their children.

Since when does the government get to butt into our lives and tell us how to run our families??

Abuse will be happening regardless of whether a child is in a public or private school.

Jumping off of my soapbox now.

~~Mama )O(

The Pace of Today

How did I spend the beginning of this week? You can listen here .

In case anyone is wondering, we are just fine out here. We haven't changed what we are doing. And we won't. If our freedom to choose our children's education ourselves, then we will move out of the state.

~~Mama

Legal Firestorm in California

The really juicy stuff I posted to my other blog. For now, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of the latest "firestorm" in The Land of the Fruits and the Legal Nuts.

A trio of moronic, ancient and well-used-past-their-prime Appellate Court Judges have suggested--No, I'm sorry--blatantly stated--that it is unconstitutional for parents to home educate their children.

Yeah, I know. And you read that right.

You can go to my other blog to read my rant. However, be warned....you may learn things about me you might not otherwise have known. Like that I am fond of four-letter words and have a mind of my own. But then again, most of you already know that.

In the words of Bon Jovi--"Have a Nice Day".

~~)O( The Mama

Dizzyland!

We went to Disneyland! It was for the 3rd Annual SoCal Homeschooler's day. It was a great day. It was a bit cool, but that didn't hinder our fun very much. If you look closely, you will see N. He's the one raising his arms toward the center in the back. Banan-girl is just to the left of him, though you can barely see her.

She looks better here with her Rainbow Butterfly face-paint.

We went with a wonderful family we know. All the kids get along smashingly.

And here we all are:

N and his new friend, J.

Disneyland is a learning place. We learned that S gets scared by the Pirates of the Carribean ride and that N isn't crazy about roller coasters of any type. Big Thunder Mountain wasn't his cup of juice.

It wasn't bad for a weekday.

Homeschooling is FUNFUNFUN!!!

~Mama

Movin' On Up.....

Miss "S" contemplating all those sacrifices she made in order to achieve this belt. All those hours she had to wait through Mama's and Daddy & Big Brother's training classes; those Saturdays she wasn't allowed to watch TV so we could attend a class as a family; the early bedtimes on Fridays; oh yes....and all those graduation cookies!!!!

She's doing fantastic. We can not bring her to a class without many compliments on how focused she is and how well she does. And then on Saturdays--she giggles her way through the rolls and the throws and the sword katas. She's SUCH in inspiration.....

And here is Shihan Woodard gleefully handing her her belt.

And she said "Domo Origato Goziamas Shihan"!

~~Proud Mama

History Channel's "Human Weapon Series"

If you want to know more about what we are doing in Taijutsu, you can check out the History Channel TV show "Human Weapon". If you can find it in the archives or on episodes from Netflix, our sensei, Shihan Matthew Woodard was in Japan when the show's hosts, Bill and Jason traveled to Japan to study at the Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Dojo with Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, Grandmaster of the nine schools of ninja arts in Japan.

Here you can find some more information on Hatsumi-Sensei and the art of Ninjutsu
http://shinkentaijutsu.com/content/bujinkan.php

and here about our Dojo. http://www.secretstobetterkids.com/woodard/

Shihan Woodard, training with Hatsumi-sensei during the filming of this show and was able to be part of the show. Jason Chambers is seen carrying our Sensei on his shoulders during Ninja conditioning training.

Hollywood Fun

Recognize this guy?......

Now, can you pick him out of this photo?

AND who are those other great looking people in the photo???.............

My "bonus-sister", J, is married to producer-guy, (whose name is the same as my guy's only with a different letter at the end). He has a great relationship with LeVar Burton, who is well known as Lt. Cmdr (or Cmdr--depending on the movie) Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mr. Burton is also well-known as the host of PBS' Reading Rainbow. Mr. Burton is currently wrapping up a film called Tempting Hyenas that he directs. (He also has an acting role in TH.) We helped out my "bonus-BIL" (who is credited as a producer on TH) by showing up on a set this past weekend to act as extras in some filler material that may be used between scenes.

You can keep up with the information on Tempting Hyenas by checking out www.imdb.com.

Mr. Burton is a gentle, wonderful, personable man. His appeal to children was apparent in his dealings with N and S (though S was a bit on the shy side). I am certain we will be seeing more of him as time progresses (and as J receives her Black Belt in December).

Sometimes we get to do some of the "fun" Hollywood stuff.

Today is Thanksgiving (which most should know unless you live in another country or under a rock). We are missing our distance family and friends. Sending you love and joy and lots of gravy covered, yummy, turkey.

Gobble-gobble.

~~Mama ~~)O(

Hi-YAAAAA!!!!!

Well, that isn't REALLY what we say...more like "Whoa!" and "Yeah!". But isn't S.he cute?????

Look at that pious concentration (the ONLY time she's likes this, we assure you....) as she takes off her very first belt, (white) and prepares to accept belt that will unlock the "next level"
(yellow).

Mr. Woodward presenting the youngest student (currently) at T Dojo with her new belt.

She has the BEST rolls! Ah.....to be so flexible and young again.

Not to be outdone, N and Daddy also advanced (the graduation was after this photo was taken). They are now at the Green/White Stripe level and Mama is Red/Black Stripe level.

The elder 3 of Z Family are all on track for Black Belt next October. Mama will be accelerating some classes in order to catch up to N and Daddy either in December or February.

What an amazing journey this is.....the best we've all undertaken. We will "Stand Tall, Stand Proud and Stand Out From The Crowd".

Best,
~~Mama Z. ~~)O(

Are you "blown away" by our blog updates???

LOL!! We might be! The Santa Ana's have arrived! As you can see from this satellite image I found today, it's a wee bit smoky over this way!

The fires began in Malibu. It was very sad to see that Castle Kashan was one of the first victims. While it is never good to see any loss; of structures rather than life, I am thankful.

There are quite a few fires burning in the area. This time, not many are affecting us directly other than smoke. The closest fires, in Piru and the NightSky fire in the Santa Rosa Valley in Camarillo, are the closest with small spot fires in and around Simi Valley. My dad and MIL called yesterday with concerns. It is touching and I know that everyone out there is thinking positive thoughts for us. Seriously, though, my excuse fro staying at home the past few days has been that I am more concerned for a tree or branch falling on my car than any fires activity. I saw no less than 6 crushed vehicles in a jaunt 2 miles to the post office. Esshhh......I'm staying inside. It gives me an excuse to prepare for my next undertaking.....NaNoWriMo.....(for more details, see my own personal blog-- FeenyxRises -- click the link over there ----------------------->

The kids are so much fun! I spend more time during the day feeding them than much of anything else. We just had a totally fun day out at Riley's Farm in Oak Glen, CA http://www.rileysfarm.com/index.html


Here's a few photos:



The kids were impressive with their ability to actually write with quills and ink.

I'm off to clean up the house before the winds die down and I can clean up the yard.

~~Mama~~

Way too long

As the title suggests, it has been WAY too long since we last posted to the blog and that requires rectification. Since it's been so long since we last posted there are quite a few things that have been happening here:

I had some minor surgery on my hand (taking out a ball of fibrous tissue) which went extremely well. All that's left is a very small scar. The hand has healed up nicely. Other than that, I've been keeping myself busy with work, business, kids and fantasy football. :-)

Momma has been busy as usual with the kids. She is super, and does such a wonderful job raising our incredibly special children. She also excels at continuing to expand their knowledge
and experiences through local trips. These pics are from a recent trip to Kidspace, an interactive museum in Pasadena, CA. http://www.kidspacemuseum.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index

N is growing like crazy and doing extremely well with his reading and martial arts. That brings me over to the little one, who is the newest member of the family to start taking classes. She may look like a cute blond marshmallow in her outfit, but don't let that fool you. She packs a whallop when she throws that knee out!

The weather over the last few weeks has been a bit cooler and we've even been getting some rain (and boy do we need it). The last two days have been gloomy by CA standards, but I have been glad for the change in pace. The Santa Anas have not really hit us too much yet, though that is likely to change in a few weeks or so. If it were up to me, I'd rather skip them altogether. Personally I prefer winter to wind. I know that goes against all CA theory on weather, but it's hard to have a frame of reference when the temperature variation is only about 30 degrees! :-)

Overall, the West Coast Z's are doing well and flourishing. More to come soon.... I promise :-)

Daddy Z

The Final Chapter....

After much hype, waiting, anticipating, cajoling, begging, gnashing of teeth, disappointment of early spoilers.....

It is over.......

*Phew*.....finally. We didn't take any chances in our house, Daddy bought several copies of the book. One for me to read, one for him to read and one to give away.

I won't give anything away, but let's just say I was stunned, shocked, saddened and relieved. The story is finally complete.

And it was AWESOME!!! Ms. Rowling....you are brilliant! And we'll miss waiting for your wonderful stories....We hope you keep writing more, even though we know they won't be about Harry and Hogwarts.

~~Mama

Translatio Imperii!!

It has been a bit since I've put my perspective out on the blog, and now when I do I end up using Latin. So why use the dead language and even more pertinent... What does it mean!!!
Well, I used Latin for a few reasons,: 1.) It sounded cool ; 2.) It grabs attention and 3.) I wanted to make this announcement sound much more formal.

Now to what it means. Translatio Imperii is "transfer of rule", or the succession of a great power in favor of another.

Of course, now I've explained why, and what the phrase means, but not the most important question. Why is this phrase even significant?

Now for all of you that are not from the East Coast, this is not going to be quite as awe inspiring as those that knew me growing up.

For those of you that know my history with the game of RISK, this is why I am making such a formality and using Latin.

My son has handily defeated me in only his second attempt of playing RISK.


He hit me with 2 RISK trade-ins in a row at 30 and 35 armies a piece. If that weren't bad enough it also doesn't hurt that he inherited this weird ability to roll lots of 6's. :-)

All hail the new Pax Zawroticana!

~~Daddy

Hot Fun

...it's summertime!
Jeez-Louise! I can't believe how fast time goes. Here it is already July and I feel like I just put away all the Winter Holiday decorations. Pretty soon....(like next weekend!), they (those at the Mall) will be putting out the Hallows decorations.

Tonight it is a gorgeous night. The day was sizzling !HOT! But, it's summer in Southern California. So, I know I can't expect anything less. I am on my patio in my lounge chair (with the laptop and a wireless connection....got to LOVE technology!) sipping a cool drink, watching bats fly through the yard as the sun goes down and all those yummy bugs come out of the caves they have been hiding in all day. But "bugs" around here isn't at all like in New England. It's way too dry here for mos-qui-toes.

The summer has been going for a couple of weeks now. Our "year" activities with the other homeschool group finally wound down. Girl began a dance class and Boy is taking a rock climbing class (indoors with A/C--thank the gods!). They are both on the same day, so there is minimum running around for this mom.

The biggest issue right now is our park day for the "elf" group. For three weeks now we have trucked on out to our usual, quiet, wide open spot and if none of us had a calendar we would have all known it was summer anyway. Our park was completely crowded! Here is N's reaction to all the kids in the park now:


Actually, this was taken after everyone had cleared out. But it's a very funny picture so I have included it.

That's all the news for now. We are missing everyone.


~~Mama

Come Now.....

....what masks? What Dances Shall we Have? Call Philostrate!.....

Oh! Our little budding thespian has completed a wonderful study of Shakespeare. He performed as Duke Theseus in "Pyramus & Thisbe" (the play within the "Midsummer Night's Dream" play)

He was wonderful! (Though I am a bit biased....his teachers all did say he was wonderful, too.)

*sigh* I've almost gotten to where I can understand the Old English language. Maybe I'll just stick to the children's versions of the Bard's stories........

~~Mama

On a Roll!!!

After not being able to blog for so many months, I'm catching up nicely, I would say. This photo is me, JB and JW, enjoying Mother's Day with our families (and some champagne among ourselves).

Daddy and I and the kids have been working on the yard during our "wet" season (translation; only have to water twice a day). Things are coming up ROSES!


(ABOVE) This bush was here when we moved in. I have no idea what it is called, maybe "Sexy Rexy". But it's pretty and produces a ton of flowers. They have a delicate scent, if any at all and the bees are crazy about them.


This is my "Double Delight" bush just outside my kitchen window. These flowers are very strongly scented and they are "delightful" to behold. I never thought I would ever have any type of rose interest. But the more I care for them, the more they produce. In some parts of California, (like Lancaster which is in the middle of the desert) rose bushes thrive wildly with little or no care. Go figure.... one would think roses are delicate. I'm learning that this is not the case.

We are coming up on two full years here. The enjoyment we have here is so wonderful. It's a great place to be all day long as a homeschooling family. Not that we are here as much as that last sentence makes it sound. Between two park days a week, classes, playdates, field trips and oh yeah, that reading and writing thing, we have to PLAN to stay home! But we are never bored and are totally loving our life.

Many Blessings to All

~Mama

Hear Ye! The Lostus of the The Firstus Toothus!

Boy has lost his first tooth! He was determined to have the tooth fairy visit that night. He worked it loose himself and pulled it! What a smile. He got 4 Quarters!

Our little thespian is going to be Duke Theseus in "Pyramus and Thisbe". This is the current gathering of costumage: (we still need a crown).


Not to be outdone, Girl has been "reminding" me every day that I need to get her into a dance class. She is very persistent. Here is playing with the globe that JiJi got Boy for Solstice. (They like to fight over it). She's picked out Greenland. She really likes the music there. I hope she doesn't start her dance tour there.

Fog City Getaway

My first images of California are of this bridge. Is there anything like it in the world?




The photo above was taken at Baker Beach, just West of the Presidio.

We checked out Alcatraz. There was even a former inmate, Darwin Coon, there that day plugging his book, Alcatraz; The True End of the Line.

We stayed in this GREAT little place, Hotel Del Sol in the Marina District.It is the BEST place for kids. There were cookies and milk every night, videos for loan, games, *BRIGHT* colors (see photo below) and it was remarkably quiet for being in the middle of the City.



Our favorite babysitter attends SFSU. We got to drag her to the Exploratorium. I don't think she liked it much. (I'm being sarcastic.)




We wandered around Fisherman's Wharf, ate clam chowder from a bread bowl, had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and even found the USS Pampanito.

As I have done my time with the military, I choose to stay topside. Submarines are way too close quarters for me.




















It was windy (not on the submarine) alot and we throughly enjoyed ourselves for the rest of our trip. I remembered what I originally loved about California. Things you can only find up north; Eucalyptus on the Bay breeze and fresh green vistas. But in the end, we returned home to SoCal safe and sound after having left a teeny bit of our hearts in San Francisco.









~~Mama

A Spring-y Celebration!

We celebrated the arrival of Spring on "Irish Day" (you'll see the date on the photos, so you'll be familiar with it) with some very good friends. (Translation: we ate corned beef and drank to everything Irish we could think of.)

The kids had a spectacular time as did the adults and we all went home happy and full of good cheer, I mean...Cheers...





We would normally do a celebration of Spring, but....alas, we all forgot. Too stout with Stout, I guess.

Cheers!
~~Mama