Snowy pics of 2010

Day 3 of experiment school.....
Well M has been on a school roll for 8 days now but today was her third day due to the school being shut because of the snow and M being ill. She was a bit nervous about going yesterday after a weeks break but it is always her choice. I dropped her off and when she got home later, she seemed to have had a good day because they had done art which she loves. She doesn't talk much about the work they do which is odd but I leave her to that. She did mention how she has to write about the rain forest today. I asked her had they taught her anything about it and she said no, she is just supposed to write about it!! She also mentioned how she got "told off" because a girl asked her a question while the teacher was talking and she answered! I have told her she can stay at school as long as she wants and when she has had enough to let me know. I did explain though that I am planning some trips out which we would have to do twice at weekends so she can come.
This morning I had overslept due to teenagers keeping me awake so it was rather rushed to eat, dress and get out in 20 minutes. The pavements are slippy ice now so walking to the school takes nearly half an hour. I am enjoying the ritual of an early morning walk, grab a paper and brew when I get home, but am also finding my morning whizzes by really quickly because of the hour taken up by school drop off. Oh well, I see it as a learning experiment and have the de-reg letter saved up should I need it soon!

On Monday it was D's 14th birthday. We had an arts award session at my house in the morning, which means there are no more sessions now before they have their files moderated at the end of January. Eeeek!
D mostly got cash which she may decide to spend at some point. We ordered Chinese take out and had tooo much food that evening lol. We bought cupcakes and put candles on and I got some lovely photos on my phone of her.

She has also had 2 sleepovers here and has plans to go to the cinema today and maybe shopping later. Ah, the chilled life of a 14 year old!

I have put off phoning the exam centre I am trying to arrange for A to sit an exam at, as it always seems really complicated when I call, yet I must do it today as I HAVE to book a centre. I also have to e-mail a survey A has done for people to respond to for her Sociology. I bought myself this with the idea I can make a daily list, over my brew each morning so I don't forget stuff I need to do but I am currently out of sync due to the horrible virus I had over Christmas - which may have been swine flu but didn't do a test to find out. Consequently my energy is very low and I am having trouble getting myself into gear. Hoping that improves soon.

Happy New Year!

2010 sees the streets here with up to 30cm+ of snow. I can't actually remember now when the pavements were not covered in snow or ice. The snow is preferable as at least you can walk on parts of it, but in a few days after frosts every night it will again become difficult to walk. All the main roads here are kept clear but that is tricky if you can't get your car to access the main roads. Also on the news last night it appears the council here has 5 days of grit left and this weather is set to continue longer than that so it looks like a bad situation.
If we had snow like this yearly I think we could cope because we would have snow chains and snow gear. But because it is freakishly rare everything comes to a stand still. I have enjoyed all the phone calls this week cancelling the kids activities meaning we haven't had to leave the house in the evening. I don't mind attempting it in the day when things have thawed a bit. Although saying that at some traffic lights the other week, my brakes locked on ice and had there have been a car in front I would have crashed. It was scary but worse was I hate the feeling under your foot as it happens. I wasn't even driving fast but having no brakes there when I need to stop is not something I want to repeat.
I have had to head out daily to the shops to buy things like milk as I can't get my Mum's car out of our roads. Today's plan involves shovelling the snow in the hope the car may be able to be used again. Not least because I don't want my Mum walking to the shops. To get to the local shops you have to go up a hill then down a hill and subway, fine if you have a snowboard or skis mind!

Anyway we had a nice Christmas, marred by a virus we have all had. Symptoms ranging in severity but when I was ill with it I was worried it was swine flu and still don't know for sure it wasn't. I am on the mend now after over 2 weeks of cold, then awful cough, then high fever, aches, pains and shiver. J has had fever for his 3rd day now and M still has the choking cough but not much fever.


M actually did one day of school this week. She was excited about trying it out, I think thinking it would be like a holiday club. When I collected her she wasn't happy and I realised when I got her home, she had not eaten or drunk ANYTHING all day. The children have to leave lunch bags outside so her food and drink was too cold and left untouched. I think she will try school again but it has since been closed because of the snow, but I was keeping her off anyway as her cough is awful and exacerbated by the cold weather.
On the walk to the school we looked at some fab icicles I took a photo of, so we had done science before we even got there!

That brings me onto schools. I have a confession. I DON'T LIKE SCHOOLS.
I used to worry about saying that but now I don't. I know most people will never be able to understand my objections to it. I mean it is after all a lovely place for kids to be, where they are excited and learning all the time and socialising aren't they. Well NO actually they aren't, but my kids however, living in the REAL society with REAL opportunities are.
In fact whilst thinking about this the other day, an analogy came to mind.

If a seeing person was trying to describe colour to a person who has never had sight, although the blind person may have their idea of what colour is in their minds, they can never really truly understand what blue is, or red is. I have realised this also applies to home-educators and parents who don't. I can explain home-education and learning etc to a non home-educator, but unless they have actually experienced it for themselves they will never TRULY get home-education, they just won't.

This year is a powerful one for me. I have decided against tiptoeing around peoples feelings about me home-educating, namely my friends who don't. I am actually going to refuse to answer anymore prying questions about it as I don't pry into why they make their decisions that way yet because I do something different, somehow it is seen as okay to grill me. I also hate the awkward air feeling if you mention anything about home-education. Well I am fed up of it now and not going to play the game anymore. I am out and proud :-)