Why we do it :)

Lifting the 25 kilo weights which go onto the
fly-wires to move the stage curtains and props

A school tour came through the theater yesterday. There have been a few in our time there but I guess this one was a little more memorable than the others and not for good reasons. The children were rowdy and loud and their tour guide had to yell to be heard. Pretty standard stuff with a class I suppose but the difference between our world and that of these children is the immersion aspect.

Touring above the theater, on the left are are the
weights and to the right are the fly-wires

For two weeks now we feel that we have practically lived at the theater. My children and I have had enough but the task is not done, there is still more work and (apparently!) I'm still very much useful with the ol' paintbrush.

It's a long way down!

Unlike the school children who came through for a half hour tour my boys know this theater inside out and respect everyone and everything in it. I don't have to force them to write up an assignment about their experiences here because words like 'sets', 'flys', 'orchestra pit', 'gels' and 'gobo' have become a natural part of their language.

One to two ratio on a personal tour through the theater.

No shouting, competing or distractions and questions are answered directly in a conversation. Each of these power boxes have enough power to light three houses.

First hand they have observed and become a part of an enormous and hard working production team. When little Kangaroo takes his place in the audience on opening night he will understand that this is not just a 'show'. What he is watching is an accumulation of many months of work on behalf of a team who all need each other. He understands that there is a cast to perform and be the stars, an entire orchestra and a conductor in the orchestra pit complementing the singers, a director chewing his nails to the quick with excitement and hope, a music teacher who hasn't gone to bed before twelve for too long that is healthy, a dance teacher who works at her school by day bringing her art to the lives of children who also operates her own dance studio after hours and is now a new Mumma who is teaching choreography so our cast perform the best they can, a backstage crew who set the scene through clever lighting, the indispensable sound tech whose job encompasses the magic of creating effects like a train to ensuring that the mics are clear so our wonderful cast can be heard (I love that my boys know our visiting sound tech better than I do - they just casually walk up to him and start chatting :), the muscles who fly and push the scenery in and out and up and down the stage to create the perfect backdrop for the story, the wonderful people who created these backdrops - artists, cabinetmakers and numerous helping hands to follow direction, management - who without there simply is no show - and our incredible costume ladies who have been working since Christmas to get the (I think) 180 costumes and approximately 20 hats or more ready for next Thursday night. Little Kangaroo, my small five year old exuberant boy, will sit on opening night with his Dada and Grandma and enjoy a 'show' comprised of hundreds and even though he will only see on stage the sixty or so people who are performing Kangaroo knows that there truly is so much more than meets the eye.

Placing a 'gel' on the spot light to show how the lights are coloured on the stage. My boys even took some home to play theater with.

Operating the lights.

Flying in curtains on the stage.

Helping with the artwork backstage.

Learning a new skill and making friends.

Engaging with others.

I know I've raved a bit. But after so many years of doubt I can feel the passion and belief growing within me about how we chose to 'school'. I want to no longer make apologies for our differences or to make small talk with the negatively curious, who have no intention of opening their minds to understanding and who, through a simple conversation, have little hope of comprehending our choice to homeschool. I feel proud of our lifestyle and am overflowing with a desire to teach our children to live their life with two feet straight in it. Homeschooling and the school system both have their pros and cons and an argument for either can be fairly easily built with the right knowledge, background and passion but for now, we're squarely in the homeschooling camp. Who knows what our future holds but right now, at this moment, homeschooling is the right choice for us and I'm thrilled to feel so positive about it. So, for a little while, I've managed to burn away the second guessing and feel at peace.

We're all so very tired from our long days and late nights but I wanted to share my excitement that I believe in what we're doing. To homeschool and live our life beyond the bookwork is where we will be taking our family life increasingly in the future. The benefits are too numerous and comparably, my freaky little homeschool family, understand so much more about the real world and real people then if we were cocooned in a school, with classmates of all the same age. Where the motivation for learning is to satisfy something other than yourself and your curiosity. I want to bring my boys to the real world and this is how we have begun.

M.I.A

With only eleven days until the opening night of The Music Man at our community theater, I'm finding spare time to sit still and update Iri'ni to be a bit of a luxury. I will try this week as I have some great stuff to share but with long days at the theater, helping where we can and nightly rehearsals beginning tomorrow until opening, I think I'm kind of wishing for the spare time.

There is no balance at all in our lives at the moment but in recompense I'm madly in love with working backstage and hanging out with my new artsy mates. It's a really great time in my life right now but that balance I mentioned, or lack there of, I justify to myself that our children are learning a ridiculous amount about theater in general and an enormous appreciation for the incredible amount of work that goes into producing a show. They are also learning a very difficult but important lesson. They already know that they are completely without a doubt more important than anything or anybody in my life, but for just a small time, while we are an active part of something much larger than ourselves, what we want has to go on temporary hold while we help see this show through to launch. It is just for a very short time.and then it will all be over and life will go on as before.

There remain only eleven more days until the show opens.

Three shows and then The Music Man is finished.


As a homeschooling family volunteering so much of our time to a creative community project, I did have a very real fear that amongst other worries (you know, like negligence on my part :P), that our presence would be more hampering then helpful. I needn't have worried. The backstage crew and the theater staff are more than I could have hoped for. Wherever possible my boys are included and thought of. I know we are welcome and my boys feel like the theater is almost their second home. In fact, today I skipped out of rehearsal to see how things were going with our backstage crew (it's hard to keep away, when there's so much to be done) and one of the hardworking guys who is up to his eyeballs in construction to be done before the show opens said half joking, but mostly serious, 'Are you coming in tomorrow?' I reply, yep, of course, to which he replies, 'Right answer!'. Can't get more wanted then that really! So, to my relief, we're not in the way and we are wanted.

Kookaburra has been playing on the stage for the past week flying paper planes up and down the seating areas. He feels completely at ease and the stage doesn't frighten him. For a reserved little guy who even has a stage name, a line and tiny comedic role I feel thrilled to bits that he is so at ease on the stage or rather his playground.

We have all learned so much more about theater production in the past week and consequently have a greater encompassing view and appreciation of the show production then if we had remained safely tucked away as cast members.

I appreciate so very much this amazing time in our lives and the very special moments I'm sharing with Kookaburra during and after rehearsals.

Getting up the gumption to ask if we can help has also brought some very special people into our lives. I'm so very excited because a future has been painted for me where I'll be joining a small group of friends for weekly artsy gatherings in which I can gain mentoring and tutoring from my experienced artsy comrades. I keep pinching myself. The flurry of emotions in me this week came to a peak on Thursday night when I was so swollen and overwhelmed with all these feelings of hope and desire that I actually burst into tears when visiting my friends home. Honestly though, it was after viewing his home full of beautiful and original artworks and the knowledge that he sculpts as well kind of was going to make me cry regardless of anything else. I burn to create and the mere thought that I may finally receive tutelage in any fashion very soon, I'm utterly overcome with disbelief.

But here's the hard part.

Life is real.

Part of me is keeping my feet firmly rooted to the ground because for whatever the reason may be sometimes promises and hopes don't come through. But, if that were to happen, I know I'll be miserably disappointed but still through this past week with these arsty guys and our time at the theater I feel inspired and encouraged to go on with my drawings and sculpting alone because truly -

nothing ventured, nothing gained.

So Hurrah! for Courage and the Beautiful belief in Dreams!

Pick up a brush...

relax...

and have fun :)

I so loved hearing those words. Very wise and welcoming words from the artist my boys and I are hanging out with at the theater this month.

Painting a train carriage

Putting numbers on the precious books.

Even Little Kangaroo is encouraged to jump in and paint a few little symbols on those fantastic books. We're currently painting in the library scene of The Music Man.

Painting his very own bookshelf!

We're working with an incredibly talented artist to help create some of the backdrops for the musical showing here at the end of the month. It's tiring managing my boys whilst they're here at the theater but with well packed bags, a movie or two, and the welcoming backstage crew we are getting to have a hand in a few things and we are learning so much, and managing the time when The Natives need to be occupied with other things.

I'm investing our time in the immersion of a positive environment and exposure to great role models. For us these are some of the keys to growing 'can do anything', happy, well rounded young men, I think - I'll get back to you on that in about ten years okay :)

What I do know is that we're all gaining so much by volunteering our time at the theater and I cannot believe my luck at falling in with such a great crowd.

The Fairies' House

What happens to fairies when wintry winds blow?
Who cares for the darlings, and where do they go
When the trees drop their leaves touched with crimson and gold -
When flowers have faded and sunsets are cold?
What happens to the fairies when summer days die?
Where do they wander, and where do they fly?

Taking their bedding of rose-leaves and down,
They hurry away at the back of the town -
Away from the winter. They leave in a trice,
With everything packed on the backs of mice.
They flutter and follow through the hollows and bends
Down to the forest, where birds are their friends,
Down where the berries grow safe they will be,
Hidden away in a house in a tree.

Windows they have there, and carpets a score,
A knocker and bell on the stout little door,
Saucepans and dishes and food till the spring;
The sweet little creatures won't want for a thing,
The baker, a goblin, will call there with bread,
And the pixie-folk sell to them apples of red,

And dear little rabbits, with small furry tails,
Bring lots of thick honey in tiny brown pails.
The spider will weave for them shawls thick and warm,
And a bull-dog ant see that they come to no harm.
then, when it's night-time and fierce the wind blows,
A possum will sleep with his tail on their toes.

from The Pixie O'Harris Fairy Book

The following are little snippets of The Natives Conversations as we went out Fairy Tracking early Wednesday morning:

'Look at the dew... cobwebs... spiders... the fairies have already painted the flowers...

It's prickly... soft... sticky... I like this flower better, this other one doesn't smell nice...

Hey! There's seeds on the underside of this!...

This will make them (the fairies) a nice warm blanket... make jackets for winter... shelves for their home...

Putting these sticks together like this make a strong shape...'

They said so much more and our whole day disappeared in a blur of creativity and exploration. Please visit Eileen at Little Acorn Learning and explore her guides, they are beautiful and magical and have been a delightful addition to our home life.

Psst! During March, Eileen is giving away a week of her March Enrichment Guide so you can get a little taste of the creativity she has waiting for our children.

he he... blogger is determined to be stuck on italics tonight so I shall give in and let it be.

Now it's getting Difficult

Last nights rehearsal was late.

Kookaburra went to bed extremely late.

Nearly 11pm.

Ridiculous!

It will be the same again tomorrow night and Friday night. There is rehearsal for the musical scheduled for Sunday and then the three nights again next week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then we jump into the two weeks of solid rehearsal of every evening. Right now, looking down the barrel of crazy late nights with my nine year old son I'm asking myself why we decided to commit to such an intense activity. Well, and I say this with a very tired sigh, I believe in exposure and opportunity through and through. It's my policy I suppose. Get us out there experiencing real life and real people and I guess real difficulties and the huge joys of real life. When we're done I'll rein us back in for a bit. Cushion us for a while and hide out at home once more finding a good rhythm again. We are going to need it desperately.

Life is so laughable and I'm really here forever as it's student. I spent three long evenings last week poring over materials and planning meticulously what I and my boys would like achieved this week and mapping it out and preparing right down to the the materials organised neatly in their baskets. I shouldn't have. I should have known. In my heart I did, but my dumb old head was in denial. The truth of our situation is that we need to take a break from our lessons. More than anything my boys and I and Dada over this busy time, we are going to need to connect richly and as much as we can.

We need siesta's!

And our great books.

And lots of crafting.

The Native's want to keep going with their lapbooks and I'll try to continue with their book studies , but everything else can happen naturally. And it really does, if I'm willing to let it - which is so very difficult for this brain washed old school girl.


So what has happened today was a fine lesson in doing too much - and it's fall out. The too much wasn't from planned lessons either, it came simply from failing to relax and replacing our lessons with busyness. Late this arvo I was spectacularly Bad! It still amazes me how I can still be rabbiting on at my little boys while a little part of me has stepped aside to watch the car wreck I'm inflicting upon us. But, I'll leave it there because my lesson has been learnt, my apologies made, tears wiped! And instead I'll move on to dwell on the great because the rest truly was.

This morning was brilliant! Relaxed and fun. So very natural and wonderfully happy. I should have kept on as I had begun and we would have been fine. Apart from their jobs and breakfast I let our boys do as they please while I figured out what to do with us - which obviously means clicking on the latest blog posts of crafty peeps. The Magic Onions latest post was about making an Easter Basket from felt. I sigh. I've been wanting to felt forever but it just isn't in my budget. But Marvelous Donni suggests using an old pure wool or cashmere sweater for felting and gave great simple instructions which sounded completely doable. Lacking such an item immediately on hand my boys and I, Kookaburra was particularly inspired by this project, headed to the op shops in search of such items. We wandered for a while in the thrift shop to no avail until Joy! as we headed upstairs our eyes alighted on a high shelf full of PURE WOOL BLANKETS - $1!!!!!! We're yet to begin the felting as we still need golf balls for the process, but it makes complete sense that felting old wool blankets is a frugal alternative and will open up this wonderful craft to us (me!).


The thing is though, I just need to reclaim those wool blankets :)




I'm a big fan of A Magical Childhood. So during my inspiration clicking this morning I popped over there for some fresh ideas on how to make today magical. Well number 2 was a great option:

'2. Let each child pick out something brand new to try at the grocery store. Look in the international foods and produce section for particularly fun and unique items.'


Too easy!


Hello Marble Marmor Dan Cake from Norway!

My boys incredulously stood there in the prepackaged baking ailse with lopsided grins across their faces asking if they really could choose this and eat it - numbers, preservatives and sugar laden horror :D! And Mumma said 'Yes' :D! It's nice to relax a little.

Today we had a stand still memorable moment.

Standing in the dairy aisle playing a clapping game I played as a school girl, with my little sons.

Did you play this too?

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
(clap your own hands, clap right hands together, clap your own hands, clap left hands together, clap your own hands, clap your hands and your partners together straight on three times)
To see what he could see, see, see,
But all that he could see, see, see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.



I found this chant and clap game in my great library find Let's Play - Traditional Games of Childhood. A beautiful book with easy and quick ideas for simple play.

Okay, so I'm learning, as always, that less is more. Quality versus quantity. For now I need to let a few things go so we can enjoy this special time while we get to be a part of something awesome.

We have a little saying we call to each other as we leave our home for work or play:

Nice Words, Gentle Hands, and Shining Face (be happy!)

I think this may be a wise mantra for me to bring into our home with a good focus on me as well as for my children :)

bit of this and a lotta that

It's terrible losing my blogger mojo. I have stacks of photos of interesting and fun things that we've been doing and blogging just hasn't made the cut of important things to do. So sad though because I love recording our doings.

So what to share? It's difficult to choose!

We did a great experiment triggered by Backyard Science on ABC schools TV through which we discovered The Science Toymaker online. We'll be chipping away at these 'toys' I think. I have some very excited little boys :D thanks to this find.

The experiment was called a Cartesian Diver and for great video instructions and loads of fantastic info on the science of the toy, just follow the links. My boys spent the whole of Friday arvo playing and experimenting by adding different weights to their divers through the addition or removal of blue tack and paper clips.

Our weekend was the most chilled that we've experienced in a long while. Mr E's Mum and Dad came up from Brisbane to visit and as always when we parted we were left a little sorrowful over the length between visits. We ate, drank, talked, and ate some more. Our boys received belated Christmas presents from their extended family - David Attenborough's Planet Earth, from their super fantastic Aunt, an absolutely awesome present But the other gift... I couldn't believe it when they unwrapped these huge water pistol gun things. Neither could our boys. They were pretty darn ecstatic and by this time I felt it was just too mean to say no. I feel a little like a joy killer sometimes, but water pistols! We have managed to keep them out of our home for nearly ten years so I guess we didn't do so bad. I'm not going to pretend like it wasn't fun though, to see our boys running madly through the rain splashing each other with the super soaker. So I guess it'll be something I'll get over. Just one of the many minor adjustments we make in our parenting as our little men grow, and we're always growing as parents.

Kookaburra pulled me aside before bed and asked my opinion of the water pistols (more like mega guns!). I was pleased with his consideration. He said he knew that this was something that we (well... I) didn't want in our home but after some chatting I reassured him that with a pure intention of fun and a few ground rules ('give each other room fella's!') I can't deny the fact they were having harmless fun with their new toys. It seriously wasn't that long ago when I was hooting and hollering through my own childhood yard, shooting up my baby brothers as a cowgirl and lo and behold, none of us are scarred or malicious from the experience. So the Water guns can stay.

Sunday passed in a lazy haze of endless cups of coffee and a continuous dragging out of games to play. A beautiful way to spend the day. I did more planning and am excited about my purchase from Little Acorn Learning of their March Enrichment Guide. I can't actually say anything about it due to copyright but I'm so pleased to have a laid out way to bring the magic into our home again.

Today we began with some nicely stacked (overwhelming) piles of books on our kitchen table and progressed outside for some yoga and games. Received warmly by Kookaburra but Kangaroo wants me right beside him, being hands on. It's nice to be needed. After this he was off and pleased to give the Yoga a go.

Hmmm.... What else?

Well, we've had cloud watching and painting, hat decorating for the musical and so many other things which is keeping us all pretty busy and happy.

This week we're hoping to get to two free workshops run by Landcare. One on Reptile identification and the other about identifying our foreshore friends - they're not all seagulls they're saying. We can't wait!

I hope I blog more often because this was a mega overload catch up before I zip to quickly put together some tea for my men and head out to musical rehearsal with my Kookaburra.

Life is busy and we're balancing it okay but as always, I need more sleep. Today I've been snippish and snappish with my boys and they really don't deserve my being frustrated with them over such small things (but honestly, boys farting while I'm eating always irritates me :P).

Till next time, I hope life is peaceful and fulfilling for you all.

.............................................................................

Exciting news!

So whilst downloading my photos for tonight's post our big boy, I'm so proud of him, walked in bubbling over with news. He's just returned from his Karate lessons and announced happily:

'I'm going to have my first grading for Karate on Wednesday night. I'm going to be a Yellow belt!'

I Love my boys :) I love being their Mumma. Bad Smells, triumphs and all.

Snapshots of our 'Wicked' Day

We'd been waiting ever so patiently since last August to see our very first stage musical and wonderfully, as a family. I was apprehensive about the family friendliness of this musical but after scouring the net for every piece of video of the show I could and through seeking the advice of friends who had been to see it, I was able to piece together enough of the show to have a fairly accurate visual. Upon this information Mr E and I were able to make enough of an informed decision to chance it. After all, it's a mega load of dollars to have to walk out on.

We took our seats in the middle of the third road and I could feel excitement thrill us as we took in the amazing set. And then the music began! If you haven't seen or even heard of 'Wicked', check it out. Truly amazing. I frequently stole quick glances at the faces of all my boys in the dancing light cast from the stage, they were rapturous.

Wicked was truly amazing.

We wandered out of the Lyric theater on a total high with Wicked music drumming through our heads (and has remained there for the past week) but our thoughts turned pretty quickly to the hunt for an apparently new Max Brenners hiding away somewhere at Southbank. A misty, silvery drizzle began to gently fall upon us as we hurried in our hopeful search for the elusive chocolatier. It was such a romantic and blissful feeling to come in out of the cool wet air into the warm restaurant and then wrap our hands around intensely rich, hot chocolates.

A simply pleasurable day.

I love my men and it was so nice to be with just them. Even though we were surrounded by people wherever we went whilst in Brisbane, the busyness of the people couldn't touch us. Wrapped up tight in the cocoon of our family's togetherness it was so easy to get lost in us.

This is why we love to get away. The experiences, exposures to ideas and the wonder. And happily the exclusivity of our family unit. When we escape like this I feel like we float in a temporary bubble of complete happiness. Just for that moment no stresses or worries can touch us.


The display outside the theater was uber cool:

Loved that and this....

A chance for a lovely photo with my boys....

We traipsed back through South Bank over the Goodwill Bridge where bikes zoomed by at frightening speeds and over enthusiastic fitness peeps hammered the concrete past us, Kangaroo was inspired and took off in a run. He really makes me laugh!

A perfect end to a perfect day.