Montessori in a Pink House

I have been doing a lot of traveling around the internet lately.  What I discovered was an abundance of Montessori home schooling pages.  Some I have enjoyed, gleaned from and added to my blog roll. I also realized I needed to make it clear what Montessori looks like in our home.  I do not try, nor do I wish to  recreate a traditional Montessori class room in our home.

• Montessori materials are expensive.  They are designed to be used over many years by 100's of children in the class room.  Beauty and quality are valuable and I look for ways to attain them with out over spending.  Also it is likely the materials purchased may not get used.  Maybe the girls simply aren't interested, learn the concept elsewhere, or perhaps they will use it once or twice.   I consider these things when choosing or purchasing materials.
• A prepared environment is something I strive for without spending so much time on it that the children are overshadowed. I am careful not to put so much time, energy and money into a work that could possibly not even be chosen beyond the initial introduction.  This can be hurtful (I know) and create a battle of the wills where I outright or passively attempt to make my child do this lesson.
• When I spend time in a Montessori class room I always notice how much is duplicating things from our homes.  Practical life being the most obvious. How perfect then to teach my children in the ideal setting.  I strive to honor my home rather than making it into a classroom.

So what can you do to incorporate Montessori into your home school?  You can take the philosophy and apply it throughout all that you do.  In our home school has no start and end time.  There is no separation between school and home, except for the classes attended outside of the home.  I understand many of us may not even know what Montessori philosophy is.  After all we are busy moms and Dr. Mostessori's books aren't exactly what I would call easy reading.  I will attempt to share the philosophy as I apply it in our home.

• Respect the child.
• Give them a sense of belonging.  
• Provide them with every opportunity for independence.  
• Create an environment where they can have freedom within defined limits.  
• Know your child and nurture their curiosities.  

 I am not a trained teacher and I truly believe without that training I cannot teach my child solely with Montessori methods.   I was fortunate enough that my girls were able to attend a Montessori school for their foundation.  I have friends who are AMI trained Montessori teachers.  I cannot assume that buying a lesson album online can equal the year long intensive program from which they received their certification.  Could it be helpful?  Yes.  But I would not rely on it for anything more than supplementing my child's education.- Especially my elementary age girls.
I hope this might be helpful to those of you just beginning to use Montessori in your home.  The impression can be if you purchase the right materials and learn how to use them properly you will be able to give your child a Montessori education.  I suggest focusing on the philosophy more than materials.  The best source I have found to help provide a clearer view of applying Montessori at home is the Michael Olaf catalogue.

The Boys

If you are a regular reader you know I am blessed with a stylin' family.  Although they occasionally score a cameo here and there, I wanted to give a post to the men in my life.  So here they are.  Top is my nephew Josh behind him is Shawn.  Next up my Mav, Sam (of Vixen Vintage fame) and again Josh with his son Oliver.  Then it is Terry and Shawn-that's the Terry Tweed, you can read about here.  Then an older picture I pulled out just to show how cool Mav was to be rockin' that mustache 8 years before its current trendyness.  Then lastly a better view of future ladies man, Oliver.

Just Put It On!

I am going to answer a question I have seen asked.  "How can I start dressing vintage?"

Wear it.  99% of all clothing is made to be worn.  Vintage is no different.  Although it is true you may need to be a little more careful with certain pieces.
Do not stress about having period perfect shoes to go with your fabulous early 40's frock.  Waiting until you have the timeline correct can mean certain items simply sit on a hanger and never get worn.  Now that's a shame!   There are those who attempt as much purity to their vintage life as possible, but the truth is even the perfectionist fall short, because the fact is we live in 2010.  So try not to be so hard on yourself.

There is so much information available on the interweb regarding vintage clothing and it can be interesting to find out some of the history.  But it also can be overwhelming and intimidating.  Unless you are a dealer I suggest staying away from all that business.  As you wear it you will gain knowledge and most garments will become easier to date. (ish)  Kind of like immersing yourself in a foreign language.

So put some vintage in your closet, wear it and have fun!

Life In The Pink Tower: This Instead Of That

Yesterday I mentioned I was going to share a few ways to use Montessori in the home without having to spend a lot of money.   Above you see a Montessori permanence box that retails anywhere from $25-$45.  So what can you do?  Play peek a boo!  

Life In The Pink Tower: Homeschooling

I am in the process of creating a post about using Montessori materials for homeschooling.  I want to share ways we are doing this creatively with out spending a lot of money.  That post will be coming soon, until then I just had to share one great resource, the Montessori Print Shop.   They happen to be hosting a fabulous giveaway as we speak!  So head on over and I'll talk to you soon.

Seizures and Skulls

We took out our Halloween decorations recently and, in true pink house style, decided to make a party out of it!  Pearl had been wanting to make a pumpkin pie to compare with pumpkin bread and my sister had just given me a new fondue pot-  I'd never had an electric one before.  I like it!  We watched a Winnie the Pooh Halloween dvd.  We pretty much are scaredy cats so that's about as 'horror flick' as it gets for us.  (For example I just noticed the ghost like looking steam in the photo of Pearl and I'm a little creeped out.)  You also see our dog Joey having a seizure, which is truly scary.  (one of his many breed specific ailments-not sure if we get another dog it will be a purebred.)

Hi Brow/Lo Brow

Let's talk eyebrows!  Mine were left au natural until I was about 21.  At that time I began wearing them thin and sleek.  I wore them this way about 8 years.  I have always used a MAC small angled brush with their concrete eyeshadow for my brows.   Two reasons I quit the thin brow were time and I heard thin brows make a person's nose look bigger.  Now I simply give them a bit of cleaning up and a little boost at the arch.  Recently I noticed something different, I needed to 'clean up' the top of my brow.  I have always worked from the bottom up and never plucked above.  It now appears I need to and I wonder if it is an aging thing.   What are your best brow tricks and tools?

Edward Joseph McDonald 9/7/32-10/15/09

My dad died a year ago today.  I really wish he hadn't.

Freedom Of Expression

This trip to the coast was last month.  We visited the tide pools as our kick off to the school year.  We had a great time and the weather was great for the Oregon coast.  Lots of creatures were discovered and the girls were able to absorb the habitat.  When we got home I read a little book to them about tide pools and then thought it would be fun to create a diorama.  Although the project was done I can say it was not enjoyed.

  I have discovered children do not want us telling them what to make.  There is such a difference when creativity is self initiated.  For this reason I now have an art response box that stays on the shelf for their choosing.  This contains  paper, paint, markers, pencils, scissors, tissue paper, and glue or similar variation of materials.  This gives them the freedom to to make art that truly belongs to them.  

They have always had art materials available but the box is something we use for "school".  Whatever subject we are studying they are encouraged to use art as one way they might choose to process the lesson.  Teaching a new mediums is helpful and they should always be shown the proper way to treat and use the materials.  But as adults we need to make sure to protect their freedom of artistic expression even if it doesn't turn out how we would like it to. 

BTW I have to say I prefer blank paper over coloring pages and dislike "how to" drawing books for children.

Life In The Pink Tower: Baby In The Kitchen

A couple of fun activities we have done lately.  The first set was a "think fast, need to get dinner made-baby underfoot" solution.  Empty egg carton and a few dried beans did the trick.  (Although next time I'll use less beans.)  She did think it was fun to pretend to put them in her mouth and look at me for a reaction.

The second set is slicing bananas.  This type of slicer I highly recommend.  I was making banana bread but this could also be done simply for a snack.  Notice she has her cheeks full!  I did a shot from above so you can see al that is needed to prepare each activity.

We really do not need a lot of expensive toys that serve limited purpose and end up collecting dust in the garage.  There are so many great things readily available in our homes.

An Eventful Week, Minus the Internet

I loaned the happy couple Mav and I's wedding topper.

My sister, her new husband-Perry, and her children Solanah and Josh.  (I know she looks too young to be their mother!)

Grace was the flower girl.

My friend Stefany and I both showed up in black for an afternoon wedding.  Rules are made to be broken.

Our Family

By Terry Tweed

We had over 60 bday party guests!

The theme of course...DOTS!

M&M's are round, so we had a big bowl of them!

Ruth and her friends made the "cake"

Dotty staring down Twila Jean's sweet boy

Happy Birthday To You!

I have been with out internet for a week!  This means you missed two big events.  My sister's wedding and Dotty's 1st birthday party.  There are so many wonderful photos to share I may need to use them in a future post.

I Love Him From Here To Eternity

16 years ago today Mav and I were in Hawaii.  He took me out to view the sun rising up from the ocean, because we lived on the West Coast this was special.  He also proposed while we were out there.  (He's extremely romantic, that guy of mine.)  We were right at the From Here To Eternity beach-if you've never seen that movie, do it now!  Funny thing, I am kind of snoopy and suspected he might propose on this trip. (we had been looking at rings before we left) While he was in the shower I had gone through his bag and felt what I knew to be a ring in one of his pockets.   This was on our first day there, but he waited until the very last day to propose!  I kept thinking he might have changed his mind. 

 We went back exactly one year later, again at sunrise.  You see me there in the B+W photo.  I have on a jasmine lei given to me early (obviously) that morning from a much loved old tattooer we were visiting.  He knew our love was special.

We have been back with the girls twice since.  I love taking them there.  The men in their lives sure are going to have a tough act to follow!

The shirt is a repro of the one Montgomery Clift (swoon) wore in the movie.  I bought one for Mav years ago to commemorate our special place.