the network for radical unschooling families

Laura bowman's Blog (20)

what do you want to be when you grow up?

i love how conversations amble along…you start in one place and end up down the street in a completely different neighborhood. yesterday, silas and i had a conversation like that. we were in the car on the way home from the orthodontist and somehow we started talking about moving, i think because scotty is finishing school this year and there was some brief discussion the night before about “what if we had to move away if he got a job somewhere else, etc.” he asked why people always want to…

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Added by laura bowman on May 10, 2013 at 10:38am — 3 Comments

what a difference a year can make

last year, samuel started recording music in his bedroom. he was frustrated with not being able to find anyone to start a band with and decided to just do it all…

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Added by laura bowman on March 15, 2013 at 5:24pm — 3 Comments

my teen partners

i made a joke earlier today that watching any series on netflix was a full-time job. and it’s true. but it got me thinking about the many different “jobs” i have had over the years under the single title of “mom.”

this year all three of the kids are turning milestone ages: 13, 16, and 18. my mind has been on this a lot lately. i’m reminded of when they were all 5 and under and people would ask what it was like to have 3 young children. i would often describe it as having 3 very…

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Added by laura bowman on March 12, 2013 at 11:30am — No Comments

calvin & hobbes and unschooling

for anyone who has ever asked these questions: what IS unschooling, really? but if you don't MAKE them learn, how will they? do you unschool in the summer?? or said things like: kids can't learn without structure or curriculum. if you don't make them read every day, they won't learn to read by the right age!! i don't see how following their interests can lead to learning all the right subjects!!

to which i give you...calvin & hobbes...…

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Added by laura bowman on June 19, 2009 at 9:00am — 5 Comments

been out of the RUN loop

i've not felt that i had much to contribute to the forums lately. but i'm hoping to set aside some time for a chat or discussion soon. just wanted to post something and say "hi...i am not dead!"

Added by laura bowman on May 24, 2009 at 9:29am — No Comments

parenting journeys

my friend, cheryl, wrote a really nice post on her blog...it felt really familiar. i commented on it and realized that my comment might make a good post since i've not been doing much at the posting helm lately. here is my comment to her post:

"isn't it amazing how quickly things can change...from peaceful to chaos in just seconds? BUT, it's also amazing how much of an impression our general attitude and… Continue

Added by laura bowman on March 6, 2009 at 7:36am — 4 Comments

the fun week that ended in a cloud pajamas and rainbow colored body art sleepover

we have been having a fun week hanging out with taylor and karina while austin is out of town on business (i.e. not having as much fun as us!). monday, we went SHOPPING at petsmart, gamestop and then wal-mart...i don't think i've ever spent so much time at any of these places when i had such small lists. kids can have fun ANYWHERE apparently!!! i have to admit it was fun for me too because i played a wii game at gamestop that had me totally hooked (i'm not much into video games really but when… Continue

Added by laura bowman on January 10, 2009 at 9:33am — 4 Comments

CPSIA!!!!!

since i don't sell items for children, i guess this one went under my radar. but now that i've found it i want to spread the word. i'm not so good with the words when it comes to legal schmegal stuff so i'm gonna leave it to one of the best posts with helpful links that i've found so far:

http://www.5minutesformom.com/5127/cpsia/

help out any way you can, there are lots of links to get you where you need to be, at… Continue

Added by laura bowman on January 4, 2009 at 12:00pm — 2 Comments

end of the year...

i just finished doing the grade reports for the end of the semester...for the first time. it was easier than i thought it would be!!! we decided this year to go with homelife academy to get ourselves ready for the fact that, starting next year, we would not be able to homeschool samuel since he will be high school aged. in tennessee, if you do not have a bachelor's degree, you cannot homeschool a high school aged child. the only way around this is… Continue

Added by laura bowman on December 20, 2008 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

Thyme for Toast

My husband, Scotty, has been out of work for nearly a month now and while he's been trying to find a job we've now had the time to work on a business idea that we've had for a long, long time. i just wanted to share a little bit about it here with everyone because we're really excited!! yesterday, he did a segment on a local show to demonstrate his skills and promote the new business. i hope you all will check it out AND if you like it write into the show hosts (amy@daytimetricities.com and… Continue

Added by laura bowman on December 6, 2008 at 9:29am — 2 Comments

the complete tales (although late and fuzzy) of our live and learn experience

here are the links to all the posts i made for our live and learn experience, enjoy:

day 1

day 2

day 3

days 4 & 5…

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Added by laura bowman on October 29, 2008 at 11:40am — No Comments

authentic choice

choice, that's something i think about an awful lot. especially authentic choice. this post has been in my head for so long i may have forgotten most of what i intended to say. but i thought i'd do it anyway. forgive me if i ramble =) i put up a clothes line this summer. the first time i've had one since 2002, because that was the last time we were in a house. i've used it all summer and have loved it! but about a month ago, it was just yucky for days and so i decided to use…

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Added by laura bowman on October 10, 2008 at 9:09am — 11 Comments

not enough words

this is my contribution to the blog carnival for october 'your unschooling tribe.' it was originally posted on my blog on july 11th, 2008.

there is this "truth" that has formed in my mind over the years. years that take up the better part of my life. it is based on a specific set of beliefs i had about myself. those beliefs are that i do not know how to make friends...and when/if i do, i can't keep them. also, that i am unlikeable and easily forgettable, socially dysfunctional and… Continue

Added by laura bowman on September 28, 2008 at 9:30am — 3 Comments

girl music

scotty came in from mowing the other day to find me dancing (jumping around??) in the kitchen while making lunch. this is not unusual. and not why he had an odd grin on his face. i said 'what?' and he just laughed and said 'you're listening to rage against the machine and i'm listening to ani di franco.' he just thought that was funny because it's not your typical scenario. i guess girls are supposed to like girl music and boys are supposed to like boy music. that's just never been the… Continue

Added by laura bowman on September 26, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

imaginary conversations

do you ever have those? imaginary conversations. in your head, with some imaginary person. i had one the other night. samuel had asked me where chattanooga was and i told him. i later thought a little too much about it and it led me to this conversation in my head with some faceless imaginary person:

person: why doesn't he know that already? don't you make him learn cities and states and such?

me: well, he just asked me and so now he knows.

person: well, don't… Continue

Added by laura bowman on September 22, 2008 at 9:19am — 1 Comment

my vent tonight!

we came home from my dad's birthday party and there were three kids playing in the road. the boys went out to talk with them and came back in very disturbed. these kids had found a dead chipmunk (can we all say 'awe'?). prepare yourself...they were hitting it all around the street with a bat..and laughing hysterically. i went out to talk to them about it and 2 ran back in their house. i asked the one boy left to please stop doing that. he said 'they were doing it too!' and i told him that i… Continue

Added by laura bowman on September 20, 2008 at 6:18pm — 7 Comments

spelling bee?

i've been reading rue kream's book "parenting a free child" (finally!)...and i came across the section about spelling words for your kids and it reminded me of this one time at a homeschooling group we got on the subject of spelling bees for some reason. scotty, in his usual stand-up comedian way, made a joke that went something like this:

here's what a spelling bee would look like for unschoolers

spell the word "perception"

child looks over at parents and… Continue

Added by laura bowman on September 16, 2008 at 8:40am — 7 Comments

me too me too...20 questions!!

1. What is something that Mom always says to you?

i love you - samuel

you say a lot of things - silas

i love you - sadie

2. What makes Mom happy?

us - silas

living in our own house - samuel

art, making necklaces - samuel

singing and dancing - sadie

hot fries - silas

3. What makes Mom sad?

us not being around - sadie

if we fight - samuel

4. How does Mom make you laugh?

says funny things - samuel

5.… Continue

Added by laura bowman on August 10, 2008 at 11:00am — 2 Comments

learn something everyday...

we had an awesome time yesterday!!! we hung out with our friends here in east tennessee as well as some new friends from out of town (and in this group). check out my "other blog" that's on the left side of my profile!!