Jesus following, natural living, Somerset homeschooling mum to Acey. Here is our blog to share with family and friends and anyone else who might be interested, about our home ed journey.


John 13:34 - ''A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.''

Monday 28 May 2012

Raw halva recipes...


Yesterday I decided to make some delicious raw halva, and thought I would share my recipe. It is SO easy to make, and I have included two recipes here for different flavas..both equally moreish! Mmm...HALVA!

Raw chocolate halva

For this recipe you will need:
One cup of Raw Tahini
1/4 cup of coconut butter
4 tablespoons raw agave nectar, or you could use another sweetener such as raw local honey.
1/4 cup cacao powder

Add all ingredients into a blender and give it a good whizz! Then take it out and mould it into a pretty shape and roll it in some cacao powder so that it is well covered! You could also sprinkle some superfoods on the top such as yummy hemp seeds, or goji berries. Refrigerate for a good few hours, then slice and serve... Be warned... this recipe contains cacao and will make you blissful and filled with ecstatic thoughts! ;)

Raw hemp halva

For this recipe you will need:
One cup of raw tahini
1/4 cup of coconut butter
4 tablespoons of raw agave nectar, or raw local honey.
1/4 cup mesquite powder
1 tsp maca powder
2 tablespoons shelled hemp seeds
a few drops of hemp oil for extra healthy hempy benefits ;)

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend it up, baby! Mould into a pretty shape and roll it in some mesquite powder, or you could use cacao powder which also works well with this recipe (what DOESN'T cacao work well with?)
Sprinkle with hemp seeds, refrigerate for a couple of hours, and ENJOY! <3


The reason it is illegal to grow hemp in this country is because of the many amazing health benefits! If the governments really cared about your health, they would ban cigarettes, alcohol and most of the food that is being sold in your stupormarkets! Just some of the benefits include; Smooth skin, increased stamina, faster healing, increased vitality, induces a calm feeling, enhances immune function, reduces pain and swelling especially good for arthiritis, can help with PMT, treat bacterial infections, improve brain development in children, and the oil has been known to naturally help with the healing of cancer patients, aswell as preventing cancer. Hemp seed is one of the most complete sources of vegetable nutrition known to man; it is 33% high quality protein and a rich source of essential fatty acids (EFAs) including Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 which are present in the ideal ratio for absorbing into the body. It cleans the air, improves the soil and helps prevent global warming!

Peace love and HALVA! xxx



 

Friday 25 May 2012

Wild summer inspiration

It's been a wild kind of week!


The sun has been shining very warm all week - Gaia has truly awoken and the earth is becoming abundant with tiny little green shoots poking their heads through the earth - succulent strawberries are beginning to show in pots and along the sidewalks, the beginnings of beetroot, courgettes, lettuce, chard, kale, sweetcorn - sweet little blue forget-me-nots are saying '' look at us, never forget our beauty'' accompanied by buttercups and delicious daisies to go on cakes, herb robert and cow parsley to look pretty in a vase on the table. Everywhere you look there is green and you are reminded of nature - waist high nettles and overgrown grasses all around, birds singing more loudly than ever this year it seems, singing songs of praise to the creator, a vast ocean of concrete with tough dandelions cracking through. Nothing can stand in their path! Happily awaiting the arrival of nastirtiums and marigolds to make salads colorful, evenings spent with eccentrically amazing friends and family... Dipping in the lake after a walk in the hot sunshine, wearing your best frock. I remember (and predict) long dusky romantic walks along the canal and in fields. Bright blue pretty damselflies hovering, dandelion fritters, bees buzzing in amongst the lavender, seeds flying past in the breeze. The sun sparkling on the ocean, and sandy seawater in your knickers.

All alone on the allotment at 9pm the birds are still singing, the moon is waxing and bright - little flowers close their petals to go to sleep, all alone in my flowery summer dress I dig my feet into the earth and water my toes, aswell as the plants. These are the times to give thanks to Yashua.. The night to myself, I am walking home, breathing in the sweet smell of pansies and then I spot them -  the potential for jellies and cordials from my favorite abundant tree... that really confirms summer is here - ELDERFLOWERS!! Nature is the best classroom...


Sunday 20 May 2012

Home Education Is: finding a helicopter in a field and watching it take off...

This week has involved - Swimming with Nanny, playing in the woods with friends - two days in a row! - playing at some friends' house - science experiments at home ed group, playing in the park lots with various friends, meeting friends for lunch, going along to a new home ed group, going to Hestercombe gardens and discovering a helicopter in a field and watching it take off, and working hard on the allotment!

The sun was shining when we went to the woods with Olivia, Rob and Jacob on Sunday. They had great fun climbing trees, swinging on rope swings and chasing eachother with sticks - I mean swords..




The next day, when we went to the woods with David and Eve and Rhys, it was NOT so sunny, but still fun!

Did you know that red cabbage water reacts the same at litmus paper? At home ed group we did some acid/alkaline experiments by adding various different things to the cabbage water - which created a very colorful explosion!

 And we also went out to the park and did some experiments with fizzy drinks and mints - here's the result -

On wednesday we met friends for lunch at Root's cafe and our friend Tushie gave Acey some amazing new dressing up clothes -

On Thursday after playing with some friends in the park, we went along to a new home ed group which was really nice. First of all we went to a playing field/park and the older ones played rounders, while the littler ones played in the playpark and then we all went back to the hall where a music lady did some dance, music and drama type things with them. Acey didn't know anyone there, and so didn't want to participate, but hopefully if we keep going he will! Everybody there was very friendly.

On Friday we went to Hestercombe gardens with Hayden and Artie, and came across this Helicopter in the field...at first there was nobody in it, but soon after, there was and it was very exciting watching it take off, and the big propelors spinning around. If they had been sat behind a desk in a classroom, they wouldn't have came across this, and it's things like this that remind me why home ed is so special...We are very lucky to have made this decision, even though there are obstacles in the way sometimes...




And here is our allotment...

Saturday 12 May 2012

Fabulous Autonomous maths and english fun






We've had a relatively quiet week this week. We have properly sat down and done some maths work, from one of Acey's workbooks. This is the first time we have done any proper adding up and taking away, and I was so surprised to see that Acey picked it up straight away, like he'd done it millions of times before. We have got a special notebook especially for doing sums in too, and I wrote a list of about 20 sums, only two of which he got wrong. I was very impressed seeing as this is the first proper maths we've done. Acey really really enjoys and loves doing it...

And another revelation this week... I am really overjoyed at this one... Acey picked a book up, and read it. And then another. And then another. I realise most school age children are most likely already reading by this point, but as Acey is learning at his own pace, I was starting to wonder if the day would ever come, and was in all truth - starting to get a wee bit worried about it. There was never any need to. We have a couple of first reading books, which I got from Oxfam and he was so so proud of himself for reading that he put himself to bed and read a bedtime story all to himself. Big hugs of encouragement were had. Am going to stock up on some Oxford Reading Tree books, and we might get Reading Eggs too, this is a way of learning children can do on the computer through playing games.

This child led autonomous education is working so well for us, sometimes I feel a bit wobbly wondering if I am doing the right thing, but things like this really confirm it.

And that's it really this week, we had Jacob over to play on Tuesday, and friends Hayden and Artie to play on Thursday when lots of balloons were filled with water and there were three wet boys, but hey - they had fun! Acey spent some time with his daddy on Friday, and enjoyed building a new lego hero. And then nanny took him swimming.

Oh, and we are very excited that our first seedlings have appeared too. The problem is, we can't entirely remember what they are - we think courgettes, pumpkins and sunflowers but time will tell I guess!

xx

Sunday 6 May 2012

Sun, sea and Glastonbury Tor





This is what we've been up to this week..

On Monday we went to the library and came home with books about Postman Pat and a Jamaican counting poem book about fruits. It rained and rained in the evening and we played with some instruments that sounded like rain including a curiously large bean all the way from Jamaica...



On Tuesday we had a most magical day with our friend David at Glastonbury where we parked in 'Leg of Mutton Road' and found it hilarious, and then we went shopping, and for a walk up the tor where we saw lots of funny sheep, and a man found Acey's sword (after it was dropped on the way up) and knighted me with it! Acey had fun running around the tor for about an hour and introducing himself to everyone. On the way back we saw some home-ed friends from Cornwall who were in Glastonbury for a week - we only saw them briefly in the end, but Acey was delighted to meet another little long haired home ed boy (who shared equal octonauts enthusiasm)!








On wednesday we sat out the back in the sunshine and learnt about money. We have these new money snap cards. I am amazed at how quick Acey picks up on mathematics, we are going to focus alot on this now while he is interested.


On Thursday we went to play at Annabelles, and met some AP friends, and Acey had lots of fun playing with his friend Jacob. On Friday we didn't do alot, the weather was a bit rubbish - we just stayed in and planted some courgettes, peppers and a couple of sunflowers.

On Saturday our lovely friend David took us to the sunny beaches of Devon, we went to Barricane beach where there are meant to be lots of pretty tropical shells from the gulf stream. We found a few as well as some anemones and mermaids purses, but then got chased away from the fast tide!




Afterwards we went to Woolacombe and had great fun rolling in the sand and jumping over the big waves and getting soaked (luckily we bought a change of clothes)! Next time we go there we decided we will hire a wetsuit and little surfboard, I have fond memories of doing that on this beach as a child. And then we went to lovely Ilfracombe and sat looked at the boats on the harbour, had some chips and went for a walk up the hill to St Nicholas chapel..It was warm and beautiful.





Acey was very tired out after our week, so today we had a nice day relaxing at my mum's. And that is all. I have applied for a job which I could do from home which would be perfect for me to stay at home with Acey. Pleeease pray that I get it xx