Not public, home, or private but Alternative or Charter schools

I know a lot of families who aren’t thrilled with their public school options, can’t afford private school, and don’t feel that homeschool is the right answer for them. If this is how you feel, maybe a charter or alternative school is the answer.

I think almost every state has something like this. I know charter schools are big in California. I recently learned about WA State’s version, Alternative Public Schools or Parent Partnership Programs. They cater towards homeschoolers but many families use these schools and don't consider themselves homeschoolers.

These schools are publicly funded but the parents have a lot more control over the curriculum and there are a variety of schedules and ways to use the schools. When you sign up with one of them you get $ to use on school supplies and lessons.

I have a friend who uses this school http://www.monroe.wednet.edu/PAGES/svec.html and gets $450 each year for each child. There are restrictions and limits on how she can use the money but it sounded pretty great and it's way better than paying private school tuition - you actually get to make use of your tax dollars. This school is in Monroe but there are kids in it that come from Everett. My friend said you can tour the school to see what it's really like. She said every school district probably has one and they are all run differently. You don't have to be in the school district though - you can go to any of them if they have room.

Here's the site for the Everett school. http://www.everett.k12.wa.us/homeschool/

Here's the site for the Snohomish school http://www.sno.wednet.edu/PPP/

Here's the site for the Lake Stevens school http://www.lkstevens.wednet.edu/homelink/index.html

Here's the site for the Edmonds school http://www.edmondshrc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=3s

Here's the site for the Shoreline school http://schools.shorelineschools.org/home_education/

Here's the site for the Northshore school http://www.nsd.org/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectionid=18

Those are just the ones in my area. I found them by looking at each school district's website and clicking on all the school names until I found the alternative school.

What are you doing for school next year?

Advice For A New Mother

I made this for my baby sister's baby shower.

Advice For A New Mother

TJED For Teens Bookclub

My dear (and hilarious) friend Juli and I are mentoring a bookclub for Teens this fall.  If you know a teen in my area who'd like to participate send them our way.

TJED for Teens Bookclub

“You were born with a great mission and purpose in this life.  The future of the world depends upon your generation finding its genius….”

For

Youth aged 12 -17

Prerequisite

Buy and read TJED for Teens by Oliver DeMille and Shanon Brooks.  These are both musts.  We will reference the book throughout the year and each person will take notes and track their progress in their own book.  This means siblings each need their own copy.  We sell the book for $18 or you can buy it online.  It’s a quick read, only 146 pages long.

Class Fee

$18 (for the TJED for Teens Book).  If you already own your own copy of the book the Class Fee will be waived.

Mentors

Jennifer Jarrett and Juli Kirry

Schedule

We will meet the 2^nd Thursday of every month from 7:00pm – 8:30pm in Sept, Oct, Nov, (skip Dec) Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, and May.   There will be additional optional meetings on the 5^th Thursdays in September and March.

Location

Juli Kirry’s home in southwest Everett

The Booklist

This will be based on the Teen 100 list outlined in TJED for Teens.

To Register

Contact Juli Kirry 206-910-6578 jkirry@gmail.com

Or Jennifer Jarrett 425-367-4660 jenjar2001@gmail.com

Keeping House and Raising/Homeschooling My Kids Can Be Done in Tandem

I have had an amazing, life-altering, paradigm-shifting week.  Over the last month I’ve been particularly stressed out and overwhelmed by my efforts to balance cooking, cleaning, and teaching my children.  I’ve questioned whether it was possible to do it all as my standards for cleanliness have continued to slip and even considered the possibility that I’d just have to live in a dirty home for a few years.  Well, Hallelujah, I was wrong.  It is possible.  It can be done.  During this month I’ve also listened, and re-listened (like 4 times) to a couple lectures from the TJED 2010 Forum and then read more from the speakers’ websites.  What they were teaching finally came together in my mind and I really “got it.”  I must emphasize it took me several times through their lectures and writings before it started to make sense to me.

Beginning on Tuesday I began applying what I’d learned and I just can’t believe the amazing results!  My house is cleaner than it’s been in years; my family is happy, peaceful, and content; my relationships with my kids have improved and Isabel especially made progress this week in learning how to work without complaining, my kitchen is full of healthy, homemade food; and I feel like a great wife and mother. 

Here are the two lectures I’ve listened to so many times now:

A Journey Through Core Phase by Keri Tibbetts, and her website where you can register and then receive her free e-book http://www.headgates.org/

Teach Your Kids to Work Their Little Britches Off by Lara Gallagher and her blog http://www.lazyorganizer.com/blog/

I have realized that I was struggling before because I had a false paradigm about the way things could or should be done in my home.  I’m reading Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits right now for bookclub and that has influenced my thinking too.  He teaches that before we can make any progress with managing our time or working more efficiently, we have to make sure we are working on the right things, that our paradigm is correct.  He likens operating under an incorrect paradigm to using a map of L.A. to try and navigate New York City (or something like that, I probably have the cities wrong).  Once you find and use the correct map or paradigm, everything opens up and you can be effective.  That is exactly what my experience this week was like.  I found the right map!  Wahoo! 

I’m going to summarize my old paradigm or false beliefs vs. the new truths I’ve learned and accepted from Tibbetts and Gallagher.  I can say that for me, this is really working and I believe it’s true but reading my post is probably not going to help you much unless it inspires you to go and listen to what these ladies have to say and then find your own way to implement the principles (assuming you come to believe they are true too).  No ones situation looks just like mine so lots of what I’m doing won’t apply to other families – but I believe the principles are true and you can find a way to apply them to your unique situation.

Might also be helpful for me to remind you what my situation is:  My husband and I have been married for 12 years and have adopted our 3 children.  Isabel is 6, Chloe and Liam are 18 months old but act more like 14 or 15 month-olds (they were born 4 months early and are still catching up).  We are homeschooling our kids in the TJED or Leadership Education model.  We live in suburbia and my husband has a full-time job away from our home.  I had brain surgery last fall and still need a tremendous amount of sleep to be functional (9-10 hours each night).  Thank goodness all my kids sleep 12-13 hours/night and the twins nap 2-4 hours during the day!  A lot of the terminology I use comes from TJED.  Core Phase refers to children ages 0-8 + or – several years.  Love of Learning Phase refers to children ages 8-12 + or – several years.  These are developmentally based and every kid develops differently.

My False Beliefs

1.     To fill Isabel’s love tank I must spend a significant amount of time reading or playing with her.

2.     It’s not right or possible to ask Isabel to do more than personal chores and a few, small family chores each day.  Someday when all my kids are older I will finally be able to teach her how to do all the cooking and cleaning I want her to know how to do and “get my promotion.”   (This is a reference to Cherie Logan’s statement that a Mom with older children who is still doing all the cooking and cleaning missed her promotion.)

3.     Isabel should be able to go do a simple chore by herself, without my supervision.

4.     Because it took her so long to do it, it wasn’t reasonable to ask Isabel to make her bed, clean her room, and get dressed before breakfast.

5.     Core Phase children should be read to for hours and hours, several days a week in order to inspire them to progress to Love of Learning Phase.

6.     At this point in my life, while I am homeschooling young children, it’s not possible to have a clean house.

7.     At this point in my life, while I am homeschooling young children, the only time I can really read to myself is early in the morning before the kids wake up or after they go to bed.

My New Truths

1.     Spending time working together and talking for several hours each morning totally fills Isabel’s love tank!  And after working so hard she is ready to go play independently for the rest of the afternoon.

2.     Core Phasers 4 ½ yrs old and above need to spend the whole morning working alongside Mom.  It develops the character and work habit they will need to later do the hard work of learning to read, write, and calculate.  And Isabel has never been happier than during this week of 3-4 hours of cleaning and cooking with me each day.  I see my “promotion” on the horizon.  When the twins are about 5 I will have 2-3 years (before Isabel moves to Scholar Phase) of supervising the family work while my 3 kids actually do most of it.  I finally feel like I’m really teaching Isabel how to work and she is feeling so proud and confident.  She’s happily envisioning the day when she can do everything on her own without my supervision.  She’s been saying things like, “Someday I’m going to be a good Mommy because I’ll know how to do all the chores!”

3.     Until a child has had a lot of experience working alongside Mom and learning how to do things with her, they won’t be ready/able to consistently do chores on their own, unsupervised.  My expectation that Isabel go clean her room and make her bed by herself wasn’t consistent with what she’s ready for and that’s why it would take her so long.  When I figured out a way for us to be together while we both cleaned our rooms and made our beds, she felt so much happier and motivated.  Our bedroom doors are directly across the hall from each other.  We put a gate up in the hall so the twins can’t get to our doors, open the doors and then talk while we work on our rooms.  Isabel likes to race me while we make our beds.  For almost all of the other work we do, we’re in the same room, working alongside each other at different tasks.

4.     Now that I’ve figured out how to motivate Isabel to get her personal chores done quickly, we can be at the breakfast table with personal chores done by 8 or 8:30 each morning.  That is early for our family.  I’ve made an effort to be at the table with her this week and we’ve started having our devotional at the table each morning.  It feels better this way. 

5.     Core Phase children should spend the morning working alongside Mom, with time for a daily devotional fit in, and the afternoon playing.  Work and play, in large quantities, is what will prepare them best for Love of Learning phase.  Being read to is important but daily devotional (focusing on our core book), 30 minutes of story time during the day and 20-60 minutes of evening family reading are sufficient to inspire a desire to learn to read and love books, if the available books are classics (worth reading and studying multiple times).  Seeing Mom and Dad read and study will also inspire this desire.

6.     It was such a thrill this week to discover how wrong I was!  With the way I structured our time this week, Isabel and I spent 3-4 hours each morning cooking and cleaning together.  I used to aim for keeping the kitchen sanitary, most of the time, and cleaning the bathroom before anyone came to stay from out of town, and I did a lot of cooking/baking but usually felt like I couldn’t keep up with my family’s appetite.    This week we have kept the kitchen clean all day, every day; cleaned the bathroom and maintained it; mopped the kitchen floor; vacuumed the whole house; emptied all the trashes; dusted; washed windows; and prepared tons of healthy food.  My fridge and cupboards are full of good stuff and we’ve had great dinners every night.  I didn’t think it was possible.  I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish next week.  I feel so much happier and my husband has really noticed.  He feels much more relaxed and peaceful when he gets home from work.  I’ve never seen Isabel so consistently happy and we’ve had no real discipline issues.  The twins seem just as happy as before – I don’t think they’ve really noticed. 

7.     Now that I’m getting so much work done with Isabel during the morning I can work on other things like bills, email, phone calls, reading and writing during the afternoons.  I don’t feel guilty or like I’m neglecting anything or anyone.  I hope the twins hang on to that afternoon nap for a good long while.  I know the transition period while the twins are not napping but also not playing independently will be tough but I’m not going to worry about that right now.  I am so loving today!

In case you want the detail, here is what our new day looks like:

·      Wakeup – if early enough, Mommy exercises and showers

·      Make Bed and Clean Rooms, get kids dressed

·      Make Breakfast with Isabel, have devotional around the table (song, prayer, pledge, scripture memorization, read from the Bible)

·      Isabel and I clean the kitchen together

·      Isabel and I spiff up the bathroom together (my mom’s term – it means wipe down the mirror, counter, sink, and toilet)

·      Twins go down for a morning nap if tired, if not they play while all this is going on.

·      Isabel and I do the days work for 2-3 hours.  I have a stack of cards with chores on them and I chunk them up into 5 groups, one group for each day, that becomes the days work.  These are all weekly or monthly chores.  If we are only going to be home for 3 or 4 days that week I’ll divide the cards into 3 or 4 groups and we’ll work longer on those fewer days.  I anticipate adding lots of chores to this stack – I know we can actually do it now!

·      Isabel and I make lunch.  We all eat lunch.  Isabel and I clean up lunch.

·      The twins go down for a nap.

·      I read to Isabel for about 30 minutes

·      Isabel goes to play outside or in her room for the afternoon while I work on the computer, make phone calls, or study.

·      I call Isabel in to clean up what she’s been playing with.

·      Isabel and I make dinner, set the table and help the twins clean up their toys.

·      Daddy comes home, we eat dinner.

·      Isabel and I clean up the kitchen while Daddy gets twins ready for bed.

·      We read as a family for 20-60 minutes.  The twins may go to bed during this time if they are tired.

·      All kids go to bed.

·      Mommy and Daddy read and talk and get to bed by 10pm.

To me, this is a beautiful way to live!

Toys for My Kids

One of my friends commented on my clothing post and asked for my toy philosophy.  I was going to respond in a comment back to her but found I had more to say than I thought.  This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately and I much less certain about my thoughts on this but I'll share where I'm at right now.  My toy philosophy is still evolving.

I think it's important to remember that I homeschool my kids so our home environment is also our school environment--that fact influences my thinking on this subject a lot.  Also, this is what works for me - I don't think everyone should or will want to do it the same.  The goals of my toy philosophy are to limit mess potential and clutter and promote creative and imaginative play and learning.

1.  Keep toys contained and locked.  When kids are little (babies and toddlers) clear plastic bins with lids are sufficient.  When they are able to open the bins then moving the bins to a locked closet is a good idea.  I don't have a linen closet but I do have a toy closet.  It's more important to me to keep the toys inaccessible without my help.  I bought a wire closet system to fit my space and then measured the height of toy bins and set the system up to fit my containers.  I'll post a picture if I can find it on my other computer.  (Can't find the usb cord for my camera right now - so annoying!)  This closet contains 90% of Isabel's toys and materials for craft/science projects and I installed a flip lock at the top.  In addition, she has a dollhouse, tinkertoys, and blocks in her bedroom closet.  We keep most of the dollhouse furniture in the closet.  We also have games at the top of the coat closet.  Having most things in the locked closet really limits her ability to make a mess.  I usually only let her have 1-2 containers of stuff out at a time, even when friends are over.  On ideal days I remember to have her clean everything up before dinner.  On many days it sits overnight and she has to do it in the morning before we have devotional.

The twins toys are in bins in their room and it will be time soon to figure out a closet option for their stuff - maybe an armoire for their room as I don't have any more closet space.

2.  Only Keep As Many Toys As You Can Contain.  At least twice a year, usually around birthday and Christmas, we go through Isabel's toys and get rid of tons.  I put a few things in the storage shed for younger siblings to use someday but most of it gets donated.  I try to purge before her birthday and Christmas so there is empty space waiting to receive her new toys.  We only keep as much as will fit in the toy closet.  She knows the drill now and has learned that you don't really miss the toys you get rid of.  She's also learned how to prioritize her toys.  We purge without tears or trouble.  During the rest of the year we have the 1-in-1-out rule.  If she wants to add a toy to the closet it has to fit or she has to get rid of something to make room for it.

3. Don't Keep Junk.  I don't know where it comes from but junky little toys seem to appear from nowhere and inundate our home.  You know the kind - little, plastic, useless toys that break quickly and clutter your home.  I think Fast Food Restaurants (yes, I do go to them every now and then, less lately), The Dentist, and Birthday Parties are most responsible.  I give Isabel 48 hours to play with these type of toys and then we throw it away.  She's used to this and doesn't have trouble with it.  I also make sure that I never, ever buy these types of toys.  It's tempting when you are filling stockings, easter baskets, and birthday party bags but I refuse to do it!  I don't want them in my home and I doubt anyone else does either.  I consider them a waste of time, money, and space.

4.  Buy Books, Bandaids, and Art Supplies Instead.  I hardly ever buy toys.  The last time I can remember buying anything was over a year ago (Tinker Toys).  Grandmas and Grandpas have so much fun buying toys for the kids that they keep us more than stocked up.  When I'm shopping for Christmas, birthdays, stockings, and easter baskets I buy books, art supplies, and other things that I wouldn't normally buy my kids like over-priced character bandaids and fancy character toothbrushes.  Santa is famous for these at our house.  I also buy the music for ballet suites on CD for Isabel - she loves these.  I find these things get used a lot more and add to my kids' lives rather than cluttering and overwhelming them.  My kids are not used to getting much besides books on a regular basis and I only get a very few things for birthdays and Christmas so I think they appreciate gifts a lot.  I love the chapter about Christmas in Little House in the Big Woods.  It really puts things in perspective for me.  Those kids had nothing but they didn't feel poor and they truly appreciated their Christmas gifts.  They understood what makes a happy life and it wasn't things.

5.  "Dull and Lifeless Toys".  This is a new idea I'm still mulling over but I think I agree with it for the most part.  I got it from a TJED 2010 Forum lecture by Keri Tibbetts: A Journey Through Core Phase.  Tibbetts only gives her kids a small assortment of what she calls "dull and lifeless toys."  This means no batteries, lights, sounds, or buttons.  She even says no to toys that come in a set with lots of pieces and are scripted or designed to be played with a certain way.  She believes that kids will supply the creativity and activity to make the dull and lifeless toys fun.  By giving children scripted and entertaining toys we stifle children's creativity and their desire to do the hard work necessary to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic.  This is really important for me to consider as a homeschooler.  As I said, I'm still thinking about this one.  I want to listen to Tibbetts lecture a few more times to really understand her argument and consider it.  In her favor, she has a nine year old who learned to read at seven  and two years later read and enjoyed Ivanhoe, something I have yet to do.  She attributes this to the environment she's created in her home - I think she may be right.

I guess I'm struggling right now with the fact that my little boy LOVES toys with music, sounds, and lights.  I do see though that by playing with these he uses no creativity and does no work, just gets entertained.  I don't want to stifle his natural ability and desire to think and play creatively.  Also, this might break the Grandparents hearts if I asked them to not give us battery toys anymore.  I've always been skeptical of "educational" toys, videos, and computer games.  They seem much more like entertainment to me than education. Hmmmm......

Update:  I did decide to go with dull and lifeless toys and the result was pretty amazing.  I wrote about it here.

TJED Forum 2010

Every spring Diann Jeppson and www.tjedonline.com host the TJED Forum in Salt Lake City.  I have never been to one but I plan on going next year, 2011.  I won (in an online auction) the audio downloads for all the classes from 2009 and was so thrilled with them that this spring I bought the audio downloads for all the 2010 Forum adult classes as soon as they were available.  Each download is only $4.  If you want more than 23 of them (I did!) it’s a better deal to just buy all of them for $95.  So that’s what I did.  If you have youth 12-18 years old, they may be interested in the youth forum downloads.

These lectures are so inspiring and rejuvenating for me.  They totally fill my tank and get me going.  I highly recommend them—not just for homeschoolers.

You can read about the content and presenter of each lecture here and then pick those that apply to you.  Here is a list of my very favorites, the ones I will listen to multiple times and I’ve included recommendations on who I think would enjoy and benefit from them.  This reflects my personal interests and the stage my family is at.  There are some great ones I didn't list that may be more relevant to you.

For Concerned Citizens

**** A Renaissance of Kings by Andrew Groft

***** Becoming an Effective Influence by Julie Earley

**** What’s Classic About the Classics by Kelli Poll

**** Stories that Build Statesmen by Marlene Peterson

**** What is Georgic’s Anyway by William DeMille  (especially for anyone with a personal mission to Feed the Hungry)

For TJEDers and Homeschoolers

**** Unity in Community by Diann Jeppson

**** Ingredient 20, The Closet by Mary Ann Johnson

***** Journey through Core Phase by Keri Tibbetts

**** Nurturing a Love of Learning by Shauna Bird Dunn

**** Nurturing Excellent Writers by Andrew Pudewa

**** Co-op Scholar Mentoring by Dr. Jesse Meeks (great for mentors and scholar phase youth as an alternative to LEMI classes)

**** Putting it Together Day By Day by Angela Baker

**** Mentoring En Masse by Mary Beisinger

For Parents

***** Teach Your Kids to Work Their Little Britches Off by Lara Gallager

***** How to Teach Kids Who’d Rather Make Forts by Andrew Pudewa

**** What’s Classic About the Classics by Kelli Poll

**** Stories that Build Statesmen by Marlene Peterson

***** Teaching Self Government by Nicholeen Peck (Love her book!)

**** Motherhood: The Greatest Call by Rachel Keppner (especially for Moms)

**** The Power of Calm by Nicholeen Peck

For Entrepreneurs

**** Launching a New Business by David Grant

For Anyone Who Wants to Achieve Excellence (or help someone else do it)
***** Get Your 10,000

New Blog about Mom School

I started a new blog to document the goings on of the Mom School me and two friends run for our kids.  Check it out: Little Acorns.

Dressing My Kids

I have a personal philosophy on clothes buying, especially for my children because it has to be done so often.  I have a lot of fun dressing my kids up and I’m kinda picky. I have always enjoyed fashion, one of the reasons I follow The Sartorialist blog, and I’ve learned that even children can become fashion victims at their parents hands.   

I hate the mini-rockstar/tough kid style that seems to dominate a lot of kids clothing.  I want my children to look like the sweet, innocent, precious little ones that they are.  I tend toward classic styles that I could see me or my husband wearing. Ok there are a few things I put my kids in that no respectable adult would wear like ruffle bum pants, wildly striped tights, and rompers – I can’t resist.  I’d like it if my kids skipped the whole teenage dressing thing and moved straight into dressing like adults when it’s time.  Laugh if you will but I’ve witnessed kids who’ve done this and no, they weren’t outcasts.  They fit in with their peers just fine and looked stylish.

So today as I was unpacking from a week out of town I started going through the twins clothes and that turned into an inventory project which turned into a fall clothing planning session.  I know, it’s only May, but I love shopping for clothes in the fall better than any other time of year and all the new stuff will be in the stores in 2 or 3 more months.

So here is my clothing philosophy, favorite stores, and plan for this fall. 

1.     Only buy it if it’s a “10”.  One of my friends shared this gem with me.  When you’re tempted to buy something rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 and only buy if it’s a 10.  It doesn’t matter what a great deal it is, if it you don’t love it you won’t use it.  If you have the slightest hesitation, just don’t buy it.  Wait for something to come a long that you just love and have to have.  I spent 2 very cold winters in Seattle waiting to find the perfect coat.  I wasn’t willing to spend money on anything I didn’t love.  Finally in the 3^rd winter I found my lovely green wool coat and I truly adore it.  I get compliments on it all the time and I’m so glad I didn’t settle for something else or waste my money on something I would just get rid of later.  I will have this coat for at least 15 years.

2.     Buy things that last.  Some clothing items just won’t last more than 1 season no matter how much you spend but I’ve found that it pays to spend a little more for high quality items that will last and to choose styles that are more classic so they can be worn years later.  Obviously kids wear things for a year or less but high quality items make great hand me downs.  5 years later, my Chloe is wearing many of Isabel’s hand me downs.  It’s worth noting that most of these clothes have also been worn by 2 or 3 cousins and they still look great.  And because most of them were “10”s I still love them.

3.     Choose your best colors.  Everyone looks best in certain colors and not as good in others.  Spend some time figuring out what colors those are for you and your kids.  Only buy things in colors that look great on the individual.  My girls look good in many of the same colors but there are some that Isabel looks good in and Chloe doesn’t, like pale pink.  So now when I shop for Isabel I try to choose colors that look good on both girls.  If you have a sort of dominant color scheme for each person it makes mixing and matching their clothes to create outfits a lot easier.

      My son looks really good in bright blue, navy, orange, and bright yellow so I buy most of his things in these colors and all his stuff coordinates.  My girls look great in orange, bright pink, yellow, red, and deep lavender.

4.     Less is more.  I’ve mentioned before that I keep my laundry in check by limiting the amount of clothing each member of the family has.  This cuts way down on laundry, makes getting dressed easier because there aren’t so many choices, and allows me to spend more money for high quality on fewer items.  I’d much rather have 2 really nice shirts than 8 cheap ones that won’t look good after they go through the wash.

5.     Have a plan.  This may sound neurotic but for me it’s fun.  I actually have a written plan of what I want to buy for each child twice a year.  I do my biggest shopping for Fall/Winter and just fill in with a few things for Spring/Summer.  This doesn’t work as well for infants because their sizes change often and unexpectedly and you can’t always predict what size they will be at each season.  Start planning once they get to 2T and can most likely wear the clothes for a year.

My plan for each child includes shoes, outerwear, 2 to 3 church outfits, PJs, and 6 everyday outfits.  Buying whole outfits is key.  If you just have a bunch of cute separates that don’t go together you’ve just got a pile of useless clothing and that person will always have nothing to wear.  It can feel expensive and time consuming to get several complete outfits but it will ultimately save you time, money, and stress.  Make sure you have the socks, tights, shoes, and belts to really make outfits.  And because I have a personal color scheme for each of my kids, it makes mixing and matching to create many outfits, easy.  So even if you only have 3 or 4 complete outfits, if each item is a high quality “10” and they all color coordinate, you can mix and match the pieces to create dozens of outfits that you love.  Many items can be worn more than once before washing.  Some little ones do get dirty every day but probably not every item of the outfit is dirty.  Maybe your son needs more shirts than pants to deal with this, for example.  PJs can almost always be worn 2-3 times before washing. 

Also if you save up and then plan to shop for a whole season all at once it’s easier to coordinate the wardrobe and get complete outfits.  Also, retailers often have sales on new merchandise in the Fall so you can definitely get all the sizes/colors you want.

And if you have a checklist of things you want to buy for next year, shopping end of season sales can be very productive.  For example I know I’ll want 2 pairs of little boy lightweight church pants in size 2 next spring so if I see some I really like on sale this summer I can get them and check off those boxes on my checklist.  It also prevents me from going crazy and buying more than I need.  I’m always tempted to get too many dresses for my girls. 

I have a friend who dresses her kids adorably in mostly designer clothes from the Goodwill.  With a plan and shopping list you can do this too.

Also, when Grandma generously sends adorable clothes for the kids, you can check things off your list and avoid buying more than you need.  Do the same with hand me downs from family and friends.  And be discriminating.  If you don't love the hand me downs or they won't look good on your child, don't use them.  Why let something you don't like take up space in the chest of drawers or add to your laundry?

6.     My Favorite Stores.  I do a lot of online shopping these days.  Here are my favorite stores for kids clothes.  I almost always buy things on sale.  The one sort of exception is Mini Boden.  Their stuff usually sells out at full price.  But if I buy things all at once at the beginning of Fall I get 15% off my order.

Mini  Boden  - this is my very favorite.  It’s an English brand that’s classic and sweet and pleasantly quirky. 

Janie and Jack – This is Gymboree’s upscale cousin.  I love the classic, tailored style of their stuff and the quality is excellent.  Tucks, smocking, and peter pan collars abound.  They have great sales regularly.

Gymboree – I don’t like this as much as the first two but I do find some good stuff here and the quality is great.  If you can figure out how to use gymbucks you can save 25% - 50%.  Also they have regular special sales for customers on their friends and family list.  Their outlets are good too if you can find one near you.

Nordstrom – I only buy things here on sale and I have to weed through quite a bit of rockstar/tough kid clothes but they do have high quality stuff that I like.  The Anniversary sale every July (I think) is all new fall stuff at 15%-25% off.  The Nordstrom Rack is great if you live by one and take your checklist so you know what you actually need.

Shop It To Me - This is a website that will send you email notices whenever your favorite online brands or stores put items on sale.  You tell them what type of clothes and sizes you want and then twice a week they send you emails with dozens and dozens of items on sale.  It's easy to scroll through the pictures quickly and check out the 1 or 2 things that interest you.  Especially useful when you're looking for something specific like a winter coat.  Just keep checking the emails until you see what you're looking for at a great price.

7.     My Fall Plan.  Here’s my plan for each child this fall.  I already have some of this stuff, especially for Chloe, and will get the rest when Fall clothing hits the stores.  If I don’t love what I see I’ll wait and watch for the good stuff to show up. 

Liam

o Sneakers

o Rain Boots

o Sunday Shoes

o 4 pairs of PJS

o Coat

o Hat/Scarf

o Mittens

SUNDAY (2 outfits, 1 of them for Christmas)

o 1 Suit

o 1 pants

o 2 LS shirts

o 1 Sweater vest

o 1 Sweater

o 2 pairs of socks

6 Everyday Outfits

o 3 jeans

o 2 pants

o 1 sweatsuit

o 6 LS shirts

o 2 hoodies  (1 of them for the sweatsuit)

o 4 sweaters

o 6 pairs of socks

Chloe

o Sneakers

o Rain Boots

o Sunday shoes

o Casual Mary Janes

o 4 pairs of PJS

o Coat

o Hat/Scarf

o Mittens

SUNDAY (3 outfits, 1 of them for Christmas)

o 3 dresses

o 2 tights to match

6 Everyday Outfits

o 2 jeans

o 1 sweatsuit

o 2 skirts

o 1 dress

o 2 tights

o 5 LS shirts

o 2 hoodies (1 of them for the sweatsuit)

o 4 sweaters

o 4 pairs of socks

Isabel

o Sneakers

o Rain Boots

o Sunday shoes

o Casual Mary Janes

o Dress Boots

o 4 pairs of PJS

o Dress Coat

o Puffy Coat

o Hat/Scarf

o Mittens

SUNDAY (3 outfits, 1 of them for Christmas)

o 3 dresses

o 2 tights to match

6 Everyday Outfits

o 2 jeans

o 1 sweatsuit

o 2 skirts

o 1 dress

o 2 tights

o 5 LS shirts

o 2 hoodies (1 of them for the sweatsuit)

o 4 sweaters

o 4 pairs of socks


Update: My sister just asked for my help developing a clothing checklist for her first baby, a little boy who should be here by October.  Here's a link to the post she did on her blog with the list we made.

Update:  Here is a recent pic of my kids in their 2012 Easter outfits.  Also, I've slimmed down my checklist some.  I'll post a new one soon.

Granola Bars

Here's my latest favorite snack.  I adapted this recipe based on one a friend gave me.  For my family, this is a delicious, guilt free, healthy snack.  I like them as much as cookies.  The recipe is very flexible.  Experiment with the ingredients and come up with your own version.  My recipe is doubled - divide in half if you want less or your mixer is on the smaller end.

9 c rolled oats

3 c whole wheat flour

2 t baking soda

2 t vanilla

1 c chopped pecans

2 c craisins

1 bag of organic chocolate  chips

1.5 c melted butter

2-4 c liquid sweetener (I use honey and maple syrup)

1.  Mix all the dry ingredients.

2.  While mixing on low, slowly add melted butter.

3. While mixing on low add liquid sweetener until mixture starts to come together--not one big ball but enough so that you can press it together.  Experiment with this and you'll find the texture that works best.  

4.  Press into a large jelly roll or bar pan. 

5. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes

6.  Cut into bars.  Keeps well in an airtight container - but it won't last more than a couple days if your family likes it as much as mine does.

It would be good crumbled in a bowl like cereal with milk over it.  I'd love to hear other people's versions of this.  So many flavor possibilities....I want to experiment with ripe bananas and coconut butter.

Mentoring the Hero Generation

I'm so excited for this seminar.  Most TJED seminars I've attended have been pretty expensive but worth every penny.  This one is cheap and will be amazing.  I've seen this presenter before and she's so inspiring.  Come with me!  Here are the details:

Mentoring the Hero Generation


Presented by: Aneladee Milne

April 17, 2010
8:30 am- 5:00 pm
Renton, WA
Pre-register $30, $40 couples
Send check to
Moira Caswell
LEAPS
4417 S 338th St
Auburn, WA 98001
Questions? leapsinfo@yahoo.com

Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Adams and your children all have something in common--Parents. You can make the difference. This entertaining and inspirational seminar will cover the following:

Your children have been identified by historians as the next Hero Generation. Find out what this means and how your children will be the heroes of the 21st Century. Learn more about a Thomas Jefferson Education and how implementing its
principles in your home can make your children want to study in their spare time.

Get a vision of Scholar Phase so you can guide your youth in gaining a vision of their mission. Learn effective parent mentoring skills. Effective parent mentoring can make all the difference in the success of your young scholars.

George Wythe College invited Aneladee Milne to present this seminar with Oliver DeMille. Now it comes to you!

Meet the Presenter : Aneladee Milne is a pioneer in applying Thomas Jefferson Education principles, presenting on the application of leadership education throughout the western United States and Canada . She is the co-owner of
Leadership Education Mentoring Institute (LEMI). She is one of the founders of the South Davis Liber Academy. She has mentored students who have won the George Wythe College Andau Scholarship for the past several years. Aneladee and
her husband Don have home schooled their six children since 1989. She is a graduate of George Wythe College, author of The New Commonwealth Schools, co-author of the Lost DaVinci's, and several "Scholar Projects" such as The Key
of Liberty America, Key of Liberty Canada and the Shakespeare Conquest.

I'm a bookseller!

After years of dreaming, I'm finally doing it.  I am in the book business.  Someday, maybe I'll have an actual store but for now I just have a few boxes of books that I can sell out of my house.  My inventory is mostly books from the TJED lists, classics for children and adults.  I'm not the cheapest source for these books but if you live near me, I'm pretty convenient.  A lot of these titles are not found in your typical big box store, though they will happily order them for you at no additional cost.  And I think amazon.com carries them all, usually at a discount.  Order $25 or more and you get free shipping.  One of my favorite online stores is www.classicbooksandgifts.com.

I also have a lot of luck finding great deals on the bargain shelves/tables at big box stores and Half Price Bookstores.  Lots of my friends get great deals at second hand stores like Goodwill.  There are lots of ways to get cheap books.

But if convenience and a TJED focused inventory are important to you, and you live close, I might be able to help you.

Let me know if you want to stop in sometime and peruse my books for sale.

Rachel's Mine

Rachel and Oliver DeMille are the authors of several TJED books, founders of George Wythe University and the family that started the whole TJED thing in the last 20 years.  I am very inspired by them both.  Rachel writes a great column on the tjedonline.com site called, Rachel's Mine.  I particularly loved her recent article, Kindling, Carrot Sticks, and Kidschool.  Check it out.  You have to register your name and email with the site to access the content but there are lots of great free things there.

I’m Thinking about Homeschooling…AGGHHHHH!

Is this you?

Most people I know who have decided to homeschool did not come to the decision through a peaceful, stress-free, planning process.  As soon as they allowed the possibility to flit through their head a racing heartbeat and cold sweat followed.  Most people push this “ridiculous” idea right back where it came from and move on.  But for some people, the idea just won’t leave them alone.  Eventually, they verbalize this thought to someone who most likely looks back at them with wide, stunned or even horrified eyes.  So, they try to forget about homeschool.  But the idea just keeps nagging at them.  If they are lucky they soon find a family or two of “normal” homeschoolers and they may be gently ushered into the world of homeschooling.  But for many, they make the decision to homeschool all alone and a panic attack ensues. I recently spoke to my sister’s friend who was in exactly this spot and it made me wish I had everything I wanted to say and share written down and neatly organized.  So here is my offer of help for anyone who finds themselves in a similar place.

If you are just exploring the idea, keep exploring and don’t commit until you and your husband KNOW it is the right thing for your family.  I’m a big fan of homeschool and I think anyone can succeed at it but I also firmly believe that each family needs to do what’s right for them.  Whatever education system and philosophy you choose to participate in, your experience will be better if you are united as a family and choose it together.  And honestly, it will be doubly hard to get through the hard times (which will occur no matter what you choose) if you and your spouse are not on the same page.  So if you have decided homeschool is right for your family and you’re trying to stop yourself from totally freaking out, proceed.

You are now facing several decisions as well as lots of fears and concerns.  Here’s what I recommend for dealing with and alleviating these things.

1.  Find Out What Your State’s Legal Requirements For Homeschooling Are.  It’s different for each state.  Some states make it easier than others but usually it boils down to a few forms that have to be submitted every fall.  Google “homeschool in [your state]” and you will find state homeschooling organizations that will probably have it all outlined for you.  Even better, find someone in your state who homeschools and ask them to help you figure it out.  I’ve noticed that the paperwork/requirements sound a lot simpler when explained by a real live homeschooling parent than all the legalese that appears on homeschooling websites. 

2.  What Educational Philosophy will you follow?  If you already know the answer to this, immerse yourself in the philosophy’s literature.  If you don’t, you don’t need to decide right away.  Plan on learning about your options, trying a few things out and taking AT LEAST a year to settle on something.  

There are homeschoolers who use a K-12 program that looks just like public school with a virtual teacher, standard curriculum, homework, and a lot of guidance/requirements.  On the other extreme are unschoolers who don’t do anything that “looks” like school but swear that their families are getting great educations.  In between are a billion other options.  You don’t have to investigate all of them.  I believe you will be led to the one or few that are best for your family.  Put your feelers out, see what comes back and check out the things that resonate with you.  You don’t have to adopt one philosophy either.  You can be an eclectic homeschooler and do a little of this and a little of that.  As a reminder, my family has chosen Leadership Education as our educational philosophy and I’m pretty biased in favor of it so take what I say with that in mind.  Homeschool conferences, usually held throughout the summer, are great places to get exposed to different philosophies and ideas.  I’ve never been to one but I hear they are fabulous.  They can also be overwhelming so don’t go to one yet if you are afraid this could be bad for you.

3. Take It A Year At a Time. You don’t have to decide what you are doing for school for the next 12 years, just focus on this year.  Every summer you can reevaluate and adjust as needed.  If you discover mid-year that something is really not working, you can make changes then too.  

4. Demystify Public School and Homeschool.   If you’ve never spent real time in a public school classroom you probably have some totally unrealistic ideas about what goes on there.  I’m not saying it’s bad – a lot of great things happen there.  My best friend was a 4^th grade teacher for several years and I visited her classroom many times.  She’s the best teacher I know.  She once told me, “If I could have a class with just 5 kids, at the end of the year I could give you 5 little geniuses.  But I can’t do that with 25 kids.”  Yes, the teachers have been specifically educated and trained for this but even the best ones, like my friend, only get to use a fraction of their skills and knowledge to teach in the public school environment.  They spend most of their energy on classroom management, not teaching.  Seeing is believing.  Find a teacher who will let you visit/help in their class and you will see what school is really like.  It will help you feel less stressed about trying to do it yourself at home. 

      You probably have some unrealistic ideas about what successful homeschoolers do in a typical day too.  Find a family who will let you be a fly on the wall for a day.  You will learn how much can be accomplished in the home environment and see how it actually happens – it’s not magic and you don’t have to be superwoman to pull it off.  There are families that follow a rigorous K-12 curriculum with Mom putting together daily lesson plans and elaborate field trips.  I must confess that I don’t know how they do it—the few I’ve known do seem ultra stressed or have a lot of paid help.  What I do, Leadership Education, feels easier, more family friendly, and the most effective.  But that’s my bias.


5.  Find The Right Resources. There are thousands of homeschool websites with curriculum for sale, project ideas, networking groups and online communities.  Once you know which philosophies you want to explore (choose just a few) find the best resources associated with them.  Ask your friends, join the online community, talk to people, you’ll find what you need.

Here’s my list of resources

a.     A Thomas Jefferson Education

b.     Leadership Education (My favorite of the TJED books)

c.      TJED Home Companion

d.     TJED for Teens

e.     www.tjedonline.com (sign up for a monthly subscription for additional resources each month)

f.    https://www.facebook.com/groups/TJEdDiscussion/  (Facebook group)
g.  www.familyforum.co  (Annual Family Forum event in SLC and the audio downloads of past years talks and classes)
h.     www.familyforum.co/store/family-builder  (The Family Builder Training Program)

i.       www.gw.edu (get your own leadership education)

j.       www.goodreads.com (Become my Good Reads friend if you want to see what my family reads and my reviews of the books we’ve read.  Find other like-minded Good Reads friends and scour their bookshelves for ideas.)
j.  www.tjed.org/twih/sample/  (This Week in History, online resource for bringing history to life)

k.     www.mathusee.com (I don’t recommend using this as curriculum and requiring your kids to do it every day, just have it around and when your kids ask a question with numbers, get out the manipulatives and show them the answer.  Let them “play” with the workbooks as often as they like.)

l.       Core Knowledge Series (I don’t recommend using any curriculum as curriculum, just have it around as a resource.  These books are great for helping you see what is age appropriate, giving you additional ideas for things to expose your kids to, and as a springboard for deeper studies.  I love that these aren’t just lists, they actually contain the content they recommend.)
m.  The Student Whisperer (on Mentoring Scholar Phase)
n.  For the Love of Learning: Give Your Child a LOLIPOP Education  (all about Love of Learning Phase and organizing clubs and classes for kids ages 8-14.)
o.  The Life of Fred (Math Curriculum that teaches math through a series of very amusing stories.  Covers beginning math all the way to calculus.)

6.  Fill Your Tank.  If this homeschool thing is right for your family you will know it and at some point, you will feel great clarity, peace, hope, excitement and enthusiasm about the whole thing.  Then, you will panic again.  It’s a cycle that most people go through several times.  This is normal.  The key is to keep your tank filled.  Figure out what inspires you, makes you feel at peace, gives you clarity, hope, and enthusiasm and get some of it regularly.  For me this is book clubs, talks with my TJED friends, TJED seminars (attending them live or listening to them), reading with my kids, reading with my husband, dates and getaways with my husband.  If you keep your tank filled, your panic attacks will be less frequent and less severe.  You will start to recognize the cycle and head off the panic attack before it really hits.

7.  Only Talk About This With People Who Will Support You, For Now.   Some people will take the news that you are homeschooling very badly.  That does not mean you are doing the wrong thing.  You and your husband are the only ones that need to agree on this decision – if you KNOW it’s right for your family, you don’t need anyone else’s permission.  But, at the beginning of this journey, you do need support and encouragement and you really don’t need anyone else’s doubts piled on top of your own.  So protect yourself.  Don’t discuss it with anyone who just wants to talk you out of it.  Later, when you are feeling sure of yourself you can have a long discussion with them, hear all their concerns and maybe even resolve some of them.  Sometimes a loved one just needs a chance to express all their fears and concerns.  They care about you and your kids and they are afraid.  Or, they may think your choice, being so different than theirs, is a judgment on them.  If you can listen sincerely and not engage in a debate, it may relieve some pressure and tension.  As you plod ahead on the path you’ve chosen your family and friends will begin to see the proof in the pudding and most of them will line up in firm support of you.  My best friend, a public school teacher at the time, didn’t really want to know anything about Leadership Education until she started noticing how much my oldest daughter was learning and doing as result of our homeschool.  After reading A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille, she realized she wanted to do this too and is homeschooling her daughters. 

Good luck!  Tell me how your journey is going.  I love to hear other's experiences with this.  

Online Coupon for Spud

I just got my spud.com grocery order (yea!) and noticed a coupon code for my friends who sign up.  If you are in Seattle, Portland, LA or San Fran and want to give it a try use this coupon code for $5 off each of your first three orders and $10 off your fourth.  CRSEA-JARJEN

Bad News

I just heard from the twins birthmother - she had a miscarriage.  Very sad.  I was looking forward to another little one.  We'll make the best of things and enjoy the three we have.  Plenty to keep busy with and enjoy.  I may be able to do two consecutive semesters of school now.

What I Don't Do

I discovered, in the last few years, that the secret to getting a lot done is in what you don’t do.  Whenever I find a new, inspiring friend who seems to accomplish amazing things and who I’d like to emulate in one way or another I try to learn what it is she doesn’t do and this helps me determine if/how I could also do some of things she does.

It’s a fact that we all have the same 24 hours a day to do things.  How we each spend that time varies wildly.  No one can do it all.  And there are times in life when the choices you made earlier mean you don’t have a lot of wiggle room now, like when you have a houseful of babies and toddlers, a really demanding job that you want to keep, or a time-consuming volunteer assignment.  Yes, some people can operate on less sleep, work faster, or multi-task but that really doesn’t explain how most of the “amazing ones” do what they do.  Their secret is in what they don’t do.

Please don’t think I’m trying to lump myself in with the “amazing ones” as I share my don’t list.  I just thought it might be helpful to know all the things I don’t do.  I’ve traded a lot of things in for more time and I’m generally happy with the choices I’ve made.  Also, I am NOT suggesting that my choices are “the best ones” or trying to convince anyone to make the same ones.  I’m thinking for myself and I want to inspire others to think and choose for themselves, which means we will likely choose different things.

1.  I’m not very social. 

Other than 3 nights a month for booklcubs/classes with my home school group, I don’t do much socially.  When my husband is not at work (nights and weekends) we spend time as a family.  On occasion we get together with another family but not that often.  Most evenings are divided between time together and time where we aren’t interacting but are in the same room doing our own things.  This is when I get a lot of reading done.

2.  I don’t do my hair or wear makeup, often.

My college roommates would really laugh at this.  Back in those days I would spend over an hour every morning on hair and makeup and then after school, wait for it, I would take a shower and do it all again so it would be “fresh” for my evening social activities.  Ridiculous, I know.

After brain surgery I had a shaved patch of hair on the back of my head and had to wear an eye-patch for a couple months, which totally defeated the purpose of doing hair or makeup so I didn’t.  I lost a lot of vanity and it became a habit and I found better ways to use that time in the morning.  I do makeup for church, dates with my husband, and anytime I want to look my best but I think my kids prefer me in a chair with a book than in the bathroom with hair and makeup done.  I don’t really care what random strangers think of my looks and I know my friends love me regardless.  My husband loves me either way but I know he appreciates my efforts for our dates.  Looking my best is one way I show respect for God, hence makeup for church.  My hair is finally growing in more normally and I desperately need a haircut but I don’t think I will go back to the days of blow-drying and flat ironing.

3.  My house is not that clean.

I hope this will not always be the case but I’m not willing to give a lot more time to it than I already do.  Ideally, one day, I will have enough storage for everything in the house to have a neat, accessible, place behind closed doors but today, I don’t. So I’ve purged and purged and purged but I still don’t have a good place for everything which means there is a bit of clutter about which makes cleaning a little more difficult.  And, I have very active baby/toddler twins that I must watch while they are awake. As my children get older, they will help with a lot of cleaning but that’s a few years off.  So I try to keep the kitchen and bathroom sanitary, not necessarily pretty, and the living room and bedrooms get picked up once a day and vacuumed 2-4 times a month.  Laundry gets done every week but not always folded and put away.

4.  My family doesn’t have a lot of clothes.

This is my secret for getting all the laundry done in a day.  When the twins were first born, we all had way too many clothes.  It became possible to do two loads of laundry every day in a week and still have piles of undone laundry lying around.  So, I purged.  I didn’t touch my husband’s wardrobe, that’s his affair, but I have noticed him purging on his own.  I got rid of everything we don’t wear.  Then I looked at what was left for the kids, I picked my 10 favorite outfits and got rid of the rest.  I didn't really need to do this with my wardrobe because it was already so small.  I never keep things I don't wear and only have a small wardrobe of things I like.  We only need enough clothes to get through the week, not two or three.  With the babies, I also had to get rid of a lot of blankets and burp cloths.   That eliminated A LOT of laundry. 

5.  I don’t do yard work. 

I’m not proud of this one and would like to change it, just haven’t made it a priority yet.  Our yard is pretty bad looking as all my nice friends could but wouldn’t say.  In the summer my husband mows the lawn.  I’ve weeded maybe twice in 3 years and pruned a rhododendron, very badly, once.  I did do a bit of gardening last summer and loved it.  I hope to spend time in the yard this spring/summer.  We have a play area with swings.  I need to get a second baby swing and then I can pop the twins in swings while I work in the yard. 

6.  I don’t go a lot of places.

As home schoolers, being at home is pretty important.  I don’t have to drive anyone to school, which is nice, and I’ve chosen not to enroll my kids in many classes or other activities so I don’t drive them many places.  I would like to get Isabel in swim lessons soon.  We go to our homeschool group once a month, a field trip once a month and to the park or a friend’s house twice a month.  We go to church every Sunday.  Other than that, me and the kids don’t go out during the day.  I have nearly all of my groceries and produce delivered.  If I really need something my husband will kindly pick it up on his way home from work.  Sometimes I make a solo errand run on a night or weekend for diapers, toiletries and other odds and ends.    I don’t take the kids to the library often.  Instead I use the library website to put books on hold and my husband picks them up every week.  We do most of our book and clothes shopping online.  Sometimes for fun on weekends we all go to the mall or bookstore together.  Yes, we are a sight. 

7.  I don’t facebook the way most people do. 

My husband recently convinced me to sign up for facebook.  I have it set up so that I never get any emails about anything from facebook and when I check my facebook page I skim over everything and only respond to messages from friends and a few comments here and there.  When I blog about something I want to share, I post a link on my wall.  I know facebook can take up a lot of time but I don’t spend much on it.  I prefer goodreads.com and blogs for connecting with distant friends and family.

I’m sure there is more that I don’t do but that’s the big stuff that comes to mind.  What’s on your “don’t do” list?

UPDATE:  I just remembered a very important one.

8.  I don't berate myself for what I don't do or don't do as well as someone else.
I've chosen the things I do and don't and even if it's not all perfect, what good will it do me to feel bad about it?  If I haven't chosen to do it, it's not as important as the things I am doing.  If I need to add something to my do list then I can work on that but not by dwelling on what a rotten person I am for not doing it.  I just don't believe in that kind of thinking.  I am not superwoman but I am capable.  If something really needs to get done, I can do it.  But first I'll have to decide what not to do, so I'll have time for the new something.  And what is the point of comparing myself to anyone else?  I don't do it.  If I want to be really good at something I'll have to put more time into it.  How my effort stacks up against someone else's similar effort is irrelevant.  I love to be inspired by what others are doing but I don't waste my time comparing myself to them.  I get good ideas and move on.