Coloring Outside the Lines

Okay, I'm just rambling today. Don't expect this to make sense.... I've decided to make the month of January about coloring outside the lines... with God, home, homeschool, family, etc... I guess it's a bit like thinking outside the box, but more looking back to simpler things while living in this mega-techno world...

So here's the question:

When did we stop coloring outside the lines? Was it around the same time we stopped playing hopscotch, jacks or skipping. When did that happen, by the way? Was it when we got to junior high and it became "not cool", "too baby-ish?" Or maybe it was after the first time someone said, "why are you doing that, it's lame?" When? I must search for the answer to this quandry....

The other day my daughter began to skip as we left a local store. I started to say stop and a guy behind me, dressed in dirty jeans, a sweatshirt and construction boots, carrying a bucket of joint compound said, "Don't say it, just skip along. Trust me." He looked at my kids, grinned and started skipping to his truck. What! The gauntlet had been thrown down, the challenge issued. I stood there for half a second and looked around. Hmmm... Those who know me, will nod their heads, yes, when I say this - I skipped... I skipped mightily my friends! The construction guy, me, both of my kids, and a few other kids leaving the store ~ all of us ~ skipped. It was so much fun. I can't believe I was going to tell my kids to stop. I mean, come on, I'm supposed to be the calm, cool collected adult, right? I'm Mom! Well, we went home that day and played hopscotch on the porch. The next time we sat down to color, you guessed it, OUTSIDE THE LINES, people!

Some people will say it's "being corny", some will say it's" being juvenile", who cares. It's more important to me to keep my kids as kids for as long as I can. Showing that mom can be fun and goofy as well as a teacher, guardian and disciplinarian. I don't want to tell my kids about the fun things I did as a kid, I want to show them.

When I was in grade school, my mom had a dear friend whom she worked with. I spent day after day at her house, playing with her kids. Her daughter and I would play outside from sun-up to sundown. We'd ride bikes, play games, swim, invent our own fun. Those are some of the happiest times of my life. I recently touched base with my childhood friend on FB and it's been so fun to reference some of those childhood memories. I want my kids to color outside the lines and realize that life is out there and it needs to be experienced.

When was the last time you lay down on the ground to watch a bug crawl across an overturned log? For me, it was this past summer at Parvin with my son. When was the last time you sat down in the shade of a tree on a hot summer day and just played with the grass? That would be this summer for me... I actually spent an afternoon with my kids watching the grass grow! It was soo cool! We watched, we talked, we laughed. What about stopping to watch an eagle watch the field from a nearby tree? For me, it was two weeks ago right after a big snow storm. I could go on and on, but I won't right now. There are so many more questions for this topic and we'll explore many of them this month...maybe even this year. This blog might go in that direction. I'm already getting that feeling.

Sketches of Ornery Acres for the coming weeks; we jump back into homeschool here at, Ornery Acres, with lots to do and projects to start. Josh is designing and building a roller coaster with his K'Nex and doing a project on nanotechnology (yes, he's 9). He's also got several cocoons in hibernation, so he's tending to them and preparing his ideas for our garden next year. In addition, he's keeping watch over several insect nests and hatcheries he's found near our home. Aislyn is prepping canvases for her latest art projects and has commandeered me to take photos so she can use her newest art device to paint from said photos. Charlie is working hard as usual and has too many palns to even begin to get into here. As a family, we are looking at ways to re-purpose objects in our home, and wherever we find them, to make many different types of planners, journals, letter box kits and the like to sell as a home-based business. Personally, I'm designing several items in different categories within the planners, journals and letter box kits. In addition to teaching, everyday household stuff and tutoring.

Well, that's it for now. It's getting late and I'm actually tired. Join me here soon, grab a crayon and let's get coloring outside the lines.