Unschoolgram: 2019 June and May

28 June 2019
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Did you see Imogen and Sophie’s Homeschooling Global Summit interview video? Before I watched it, I wondered what my daughters had said. Did their words match up with mine? Of course, they did! We’re all honest about what we share. Our stories are the same!
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One unexpected aspect of the video was my daughters’ words of love for Andy and me. I’m feeling all warm and happy inside!
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Here’s a little excerpt from the end of the interview:
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Emilie: For parents who are afraid to take the leap into unschooling, what could you tell them?
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Imogen: I could tell them that unschooling is the best decision… they could make for their family because the bonds you can grow between family members is enormous. And the amount of love for life and learning that you get from the freedom is amazing. Unschooling, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to learn about yourself and to learn the skills that you need to go through life, in general, because you will learn to be self-motivated, to follow your passions, to follow what you’re interested in rather than going with the crowd, and to be confident about your own decisions. .
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Sophie: And it will build a stronger relationship with your children than you could ever believe.
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How do we rate success? How do we know if we’ve been successful raising and educating our kids? I’m happy that Andy and I are closely connected with our kids. Our kids love life and learning. They know who they are. They’re confident and won’t be swayed by the crowd. They are using their talents to do things that will make a difference. Most of all, they know about love. For me, these things point to success. What do you think? Are these things important for you too?

27 June 2019
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Do you have good conversations with your kids while you’re driving? I do. My daughter Sophie and I have some wonderful discussions while I’m driving her to work.
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This morning, on our way to town, Sophie was telling me about a family she discovered on YouTube. There are ten homeschooled kids and all of them have done remarkable things at very young ages. One child graduated high school at 13. They all graduated from university years ahead of their peers. They speak multiple languages and play multiple instruments and dance… .
Sophie said, “I’m failing! I haven’t mastered even one musical instrument, I can’t speak a second language, I didn’t ‘graduate’ from high school, I haven’t got a university degree…” Sophie was grinning as she spoke so I don’t think she’s at all worried that she doesn’t have anything impressive to boast about like those remarkable YouTube kids. .
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Probably Sophie is no longer thinking about our conversation. She’s moved on to other things. But, as you can see, I’m still thinking about it. I’m wondering about success. How do we define it? Is it about academic achievement? Is it about developing talents? Becoming good and generous and loving people? How will we know if we’ve been successful raising and educating our kids? .
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I took this photo of Sophie while were strolling along the disused railway track that runs through our village. Of course, while we walked, we took photos and we talked. I love talking with my kids!

27 June 2019
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I made a new podcast episode!! Episode 154 is called ‘Stories from Radical Unschool Love’. As you might guess, I’m sharing a few stories from my new book ‘Radical Unschool Love’! Perhaps this week’s podcast will give you a taste of my book which I’m hoping you’d like to read. .
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I hesitate to tell you that my book is about radical unschooling because you might say, “I’m not interested in radical unschooling. That’s something we are never going to do.” (I remember saying those words!) So I’m going to tell you that ‘Radical Unschool Love’ is about unconditional love. Loving unconditionally? That’s something we all should do, isn’t it? .
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Live radically. Love unconditionally.
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https://www.storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com/stories-from-radical-unschool-love/

25 June 2019
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Guess what? My second unschooling book Radical Unschool Love is now available on Amazon! I’m doing a little happy dance. I’m feeling very excited. I did it!!
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Years ago, whenever I heard the words ‘radical unschooling’, I cringed. Surely radical unschooling is a very irresponsible way of parenting? Doesn’t it lead to wild and out of control kids? I was absolutely sure we’d never become radical unschoolers. But strange things happen. One day, I realised it was too late. We were already living this way of life. Somehow we’d become radical unschoolers without even realising it. .
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Radical unschooling isn’t what I thought it was. It’s not irresponsible. It’s not an extreme way of parenting. I reckon it should be regarded as mainstream because at its heart is unconditional love. Loving unconditionally, isn’t that what we all should do?
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This is another big book packed full of stories. I share my family’s experiences, my thoughts and ideas, my failures and successes. There are sections about love, respect, connection, rules, joy, forgiveness, babies and toddlers, teens and young adults, chores and food, beliefs and values, Christian unschooling, concerns and difficult days… and more.
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Perhaps my book will open up some interesting conversations. I’d love you to read it especially if you think you’ll never radically unschool!
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Radical Unschool Love is available as a Kindle ebook or a paperback book from Amazon. It continues the unschooling story that I began in my book Curious Unschoolers. Both books can stand alone, but I think they complement each other. Together, they give a fuller picture of unschooling!
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21 June 2019
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If it doesn’t feel right, we shouldn’t do it. For example, I used to battle with my kids trying to get them to do (unimportant) things because I thought it was my duty to do this. I had to teach my children the right lessons. Life is tough. We have to do things we don’t want to do. But pushing my kids to do their ‘schoolwork’, and other things that I thought were good for them, involved me being harsh and unkind. I caused pain to my kids. Our family wasn’t always a happy place. Deep inside I knew what I was doing wasn’t right. In the end, I listened to my instincts and did what love commanded.
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Yes, love is what our kids need. Lots of it. The unconditional kind. Our kids will grow and develop into the people they are designed to be under the influence of unconditional love. .
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I guess that’s the main message of my new unschooling book Radical Unschool Love. Today, I’m hoping to finish checking the proof copy so that I can hit ‘publish’ sometime over the weekend.
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I’ve been enjoying reading through my book. I like my stories which is probably just as well because how can I expect other people to like them if I don’t! But why do my stories make me smile? Is it because they are about my family? Probably, but there’s something else that’s making my heart feel warm and that’s love. I hope you also feel that love if you read my book.
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Photo: This is my daughter Imogen. She and my other children have taught me about love.
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Reject What Doesn’t Feel Right and Just Love

20 June 2019
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I was asked this question during the Homeschooling Global Summit: how do I know my kids are learning and progressing if we don’t have any exam results and similar ‘evidence’ of learning?
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From my own experience at school, I know that test results aren’t a good indicator of learning. We can memorise, do the test and then forget very quickly. But even if we do put faith in traditional ways of assessing, do we need them to reassure us that our kids are growing and developing and progressing? .
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There is no doubt that our unschooled kids don’t know all that school kids ‘know’. My children probably wouldn’t do very well in school exams unless the subject matter overlapped with their interests. But is this a problem? No. My kids know far more than school children about many, many other things.
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We could be tempted to value what’s taught in schools more than what our kids know. We might worry that they don’t know everything they ‘should’ know. If we do this, our kids will begin to worry too. They’ll feel inferior to their school peers. Stupid, maybe. They’re getting ‘behind’. All this is, of course, not true.
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My unschooled kids have opportunities that I never had at school. They’re not limited by a school syllabus. They’re not wasting time learning things to pass tests. They’re exploring and learning about things that are important and relevant to them. They aren’t ‘behind’. They’re well ahead because they’re exploring their interests, developing their talents, and doing amazing things while discovering who they are and how they can make a difference to the world. And isn’t that more important than getting top marks in an exam that could soon be forgotten?
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Photo: I took this photo of Imogen and Sophie during a recent book photography shoot.

18 June 2019
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You’ll never guess what I did today. I recorded a podcast! It’s been a few weeks since my last episode because we’ve all been busy with other things but today, everything fell into place and I recorded episode 153 of my Stories of an Unschooling Family podcast: More Unschool Writing Ideas and Resources.
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My author daughter Imogen joined me in my closet recording studio (!) to talk more about unschooling and writing. We chatted about this topic in episode 148. This week, we answered some listener questions and we shared some ideas and resources that unschoolers, both parents and children, can use for improving their writing skills. .
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We also talked about my girls’ interview for the Global Homeschooling Summit which is happening online June 17 – 29. Did you sign up for your free ticket for the Summit? If you did, you might know that my interview goes live in a few hours’ time. It’s scheduled for June 18. Will I be brave enough to watch it? Will you be watching? I hope my interview is okay!
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And just in case you missed my last IG post, the proof copy of my second unschooling book Radical Unschool Love arrived in the mail yesterday. In this week’s podcast, Imogen and I chatted about the book and the design of its cover. .
Episode 153 is looong! If that’s a problem, perhaps you can listen to it in two sittings. Or maybe you can turn up the playback speed to X 1.5. I didn’t cut out any of the episode to make it shorter because Imogen had lots of good and helpful things to say. We hope you enjoy this bumper episode!
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You can find my podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Podbean, any podcast app, and it’s also available on the my blog.
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The photo is of Imogen with her young adult fantasy novel, The Crystal Tree.
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Please feel free to comment on this episode. If you have any questions, we’ll try to answer them. And if you like my podcast, please share it with someone who might be interested!
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More Unschool Writing Ideas and Resources

15 June 2019
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Are you a morning person? Do you like getting up before the rest of your family? I do. This morning, while everyone else was sleeping, I wrote a blog post. I sat on the sofa wrapped in a blanket and shared some thoughts on ‘The Secret Thrill of Getting Older’.
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Of course, the photo is of my daughter Imogen (my writing buddy!) and me.
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https://www.storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com/the-secret-thrill-of-getting-older/

13 June 2019
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The other day, Imogen, Sophie and I went to a local river to take some photos of each other, the beautiful scenery and books. When we arrived at this fallen tree trunk, I asked Sophie to sit on it, and then I said, “Do you remember how we filmed ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ here?”
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A couple of years ago, we spent many mornings at various spots along this river filming Imogen singing different songs.
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“We filmed ‘Connemara Cradle Song’ a bit further up the river from here. Do you remember how Dad came with us. I don’t think he liked getting up so early!”
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“What was the name of the Beatles song you sang here on these steps?”
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“Do you remember the fat dog we saw when we were filming ‘Safe and Sound’ under these trees?’
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It’s funny how places become associated with different memories. After we’d taken our photos, I stood still and remembered and part of me wanted to go back to those music video making days and do it all over again. I feel a bit sad that time has moved on and we’ve got involved with different things. At the same time, I like being where we are today. I suppose life has different seasons. Things change slowly and then one day, we realise we’re moved onto a new one. .
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What is ahead of us? Where will we go? I don’t know. Probably we’ll be doing things that we can’t imagine right at this moment. Maybe even things that seem impossible. Because, so far, that’s been the story of our unschooling life.
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So what season of life are you in at the moment? And are you ever surprised by where you are and what you’re doing?
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11 June 2019
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The other evening, my daughter Sophie said, “I’ve found some photos of you that I took when we walked along the railway line together. Do you want them?” And I said, “Yes, please!” Now I’m sharing one of those photos because, if you remember, I decided I can’t hide away because I’m worried about my appearance. I want to be in the picture. I want to be a visible part of my family’s story.

8 June 2019
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The other day we were talking about ‘doing enough’. I described a morning I’d spent with my teenage daughter Gemma-Rose and said, “Did we do enough? Probably most people would think we didn’t do much at all… We spent a lot of time talking and listening and soaking up the joy of the moment. And learning things that have nothing to do with maths but everything to do with love.”
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I’ve been thinking about how our time with our kids is limited. We won’t always be able to sit and chat and listen, give our children time and space to find out who they are, what’s important to them, what they believe… Give our kids what they need so that they know without a doubt that they are loved and uniquely valuable people. If we don’t use this opportunity now while we have it, we won’t be able to reclaim it later. But, of course, it will never be too late to learn such things as maths if we do discover our kids are missing some needed piece of knowledge.
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Perhaps parents worry more about ‘doing enough’ during the teenage years. Time is running out. Will our kids have all the knowledge they need? Should we cram more facts and skills into them? Or should we give our teenagers what they really need? Should we love and enjoy them and pass on our confidence that they will get where they want to go?
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This is my daughter Imogen. She and sister Sophie joined me for episode 147 of my podcast: A Big Chat About Unschooling Teenagers. What do our teenagers need? Why don’t we ask them? Sometimes we think we know what is best for our kids, but is that really true?
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A Big Chat About Unschooling Teenagers

6 June 2019
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Technology is often blamed for getting in the way of close family relationships. But are there times when it can draw us together? And can light and fluffy conversation topics lead to deep and serious discussions? And even if they don’t, isn’t it good to have fun and smile with everyone in our family while talking about the trivial things of life?
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I wrote a blog post about these questions: ‘How Light Can Turn into Deep and Serious.’
I’ve written 3 blog posts this week. Oh my, that’s unusual! Could I be getting back into the blogging habit?
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I took this photo on a Sunday morning while we were enjoying a leisurely breakfast while discussing the latest royal family goings-on!
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How Light Can Turn into Deep and Serious

5 June 2019
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I’ve been thinking about time and love and learning and doing ‘enough’…
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Early this morning, my daughter Gemma-Rose and I went to town so that we could run around the lake. And then afterwards, we went to McDonald’s for hot chocolate and coffee to warm us up. (It was a cold morning!) When we arrived back at home, we showered and did some chores. And then we had more coffee. We took time to chat with my other girls. Then a parcel landed on our doorstep. It contained gym clothes. Of course, the girls had to try everything on. Then we talked about clothes and design and exercise and all kinds of other things. About 11am, with another hot drink in our hands, we settled down, with cats on our knees, to watch an episode of The Portrait Artist of the Year competition. (We found episodes on YouTube.)
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Somehow lunchtime has arrived and I’ve been thinking about what we achieved this morning. Did we do ‘enough’? Probably most people would think we didn’t do much at all. But we did. We spent lots of time talking and listening and soaking up the joy of the moment. And learning things that have nothing to do with maths but everything to do with love.
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When all my kids have left home, I don’t want to look back and wonder, “Did we do enough?” Did I spend enough time loving and enjoying and sharing with my kids the most important things in life?
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Will We Have Done Enough?

1 June 2019
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My daughter Sophie began working part time when she was 15 so that she could earn money to support her passions. Several days a week, she’d work as a barista. Sophie still had plenty of time to explore her interests.
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But just recently, Sophie has been working longer hours and she’s also studying for a certificate in fitness. There hasn’t been much time for the things she enjoys such as photography and videography and writing.
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Not so long ago, Sophie and I went on a photography outing together. It was like the ‘old’ times when we’d regularly wander through the bush with our cameras while chatting about our dreams and ideas. As we were strolling along, Sophie suddenly smiled and said, “I feel like me again!” Yes, life can get so busy that we don’t have time to be ourselves and do all the things that are important to us. We don’t get enough opportunities to feel fully alive.
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I’ve been thinking about how I want all my kids to feel that joy of being themselves as often as possible. I don’t want them to have jobs that might be well paying but drain the life from them. I know Sophie will love working in the fitness industry so I think she’s heading in the right direction. For some strange reason, she enjoys pushing herself to her sweaty limit in the gym or while running. And she’s passionate about helping other people get fit so that they can live full and active lives too.
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If Sophie hasn’t got a camera in her hand, she might have her running shoes on her feet. Or she might be operating a coffee machine. But coffee is a means to an end. It’s not the end itself.
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If I had to choose a few things that reflect what’s important to me – not including my family! – I’d include my running shoes and my laptop which I use for writing. So how about you and your kids? Are you doing anything that brings you alive? What things reflect what’s important to you?

26 May 2019
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I used to love having lots of empty days to fill with unschooling adventures. I’d get up each Monday morning feeling excited about the week ahead. What would we do? Where would we go? What would we learn?
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Unfortunately, at the moment, we don’t have many free days where no one has work or other commitments. But we still try to fit in some special times whenever we can. Having adventures together just requires more thought and planning than it used to.
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Photo: Sophie and I are having a picnic breakfast at the lake before Sophie goes to work.

26 May 2019
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Who am I? I’ve been thinking about this question. What makes us who we are? Are we constantly changing? Or are we always the same at our cores? Perhaps we spend our lifetimes getting rid of everything that prevents us from being who we were created to be? Do we need to see ourselves as we really are instead of how people have led us to believe we are?
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My kids know much more about themselves than I did at their ages. And I wonder why? Do kids’ beliefs and opinions develop when we listen to them and value what they’ve got to say? Is it important we give our kids the time they need to explore their ideas and talents? If we accept our kids and don’t try to change them, will they realise that they are unique and valued individuals? Will they like who they are? Will they be confident? Will they know they can go out into the world and make a difference?
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So who am I? And who are you?

17 May 2019
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Today I sat inside my wardrobe (closet) for an hour. Do you know what I was doing in there? I wasn’t sorting out my clothes. I was recording a podcast! .
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Episode 152 of my Stories of an Unschooling Family podcast is called ‘Stories from My Closet’. This week, as you might guess, I’m telling lots of stories including another one from my book Curious Unschoolers.
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If you’d like to listen to my podcast, you can find it on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Podbean, any podcast app, and it’s also on my blog.
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If you listen, let me know what you think. Does the podcast sound different from normal? Does it sound better? I hope so. That’s why I recorded this week’s episode surrounded by my clothes!
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Photo: In episode 152, I talk about the interview that I did for the Global Homeschooling Summit. Tomorrow, it will be my daughters Sophie’s and Imogen’s turn to be interviewed!
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Stories from My Closet

Do some aspects of the various methods of homeschooling appeal to you? How about living books? And art and nature study? What about the classics? Journaling and drawing? Years ago, I was drawn to Charlotte Mason’s ideas because I wanted to surround my kids with beauty, truth and goodness. Unfortunately, Charlotte Mason didn’t appeal to my kids. But this doesn’t mean I haven’t been able to expose my children to all that’s beautiful, good and true.
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Living books, beautiful paintings, nature, poetry, Shakespeare, noble ideas etc… aren’t the exclusive property of a particular homeschooling method. They are part of our fascinating world. Our kids could come into contact with them just by living life. And if they don’t, we can always strew them. We could hang a painting on the wall, invite our kids to explore nature with us, offer to read some good books including religious ones to them, invite them to watch a Shakespeare play with us, strew a poem, say “I’ve been thinking about…” and share some thoughts and ideas. We could keep a journal, draw pictures, write stories… our example might inspire our kids.
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Of course, we can’t force our strewing on our kids. So yes, they may reject our invitations. But I’ve discovered that my kids, being curious people, often get caught up in my enthusiasm and so are very open to my strewing suggestions.
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It might seem better to surround our kids with beauty, truth and goodness the Charlotte Mason way because kids won’t be able to reject what we’d like them to learn about. (Of course, they might like what’s in the plan. Then again, they might not.) But it seems to me that it’s better if kids have a choice. Then when they do choose to read a poem, listen to a book etc they’ll be fully engaged. Their hearts will be wide open, ready to absorb all that truth, beauty and goodness. Of course, we can live a life of beauty and goodness ourselves. Our example is the best way to pass on anything to our kids.
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Photo: My daughter Sophie is capturing some beauty with her camera. She’s taking photos of big sister Imogen!
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Unschooling When Charlotte Mason Also Appeals to Our Hearts

10 May 2019
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Do you ever worry about such things as maths? Surely unschooled kids should learn this subject formally even if we’re relaxed about everything else? We never know when maths might be needed. And even if our kids never use it, isn’t it good for them to learn it? Kids need to do difficult things and things they don’t want to do. So we should push them to do maths whether they like it or not. It’ll be worth the battles. Or maybe it won’t.
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It’s funny how we cling to old ideas even when we suspect they’re false. Letting go of them is hard. Perhaps we want someone to encourage us to keep pushing our kids to do maths, because trusting that our kids will learn all they need to know in their own way and time is scary. Maybe we can think of a dozen reasons why kids should do a formal maths course. .
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But are our reasons valid? Are our fears justified? Will our kids really be at a disadvantage if they don’t complete a higher maths course?
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I’ve been pondering unschooling and maths for a long time. I insisted my older kids learn maths in a formal way. I let my younger ones learn maths in an unschooling way.
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If you’d like to read more about our maths experiences, there’s a big maths section in my unschooling book ‘Curious Unschoolers’. I share our stories, my thoughts and observations, and why I had no option but to let go and allow my kids to learn maths in their own way and time.
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So do you worry about maths? Or have you discovered that it’s quite okay to let go and allow kids to explore maths in the same way they explore everything else in life?
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9 May 2019
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When our kids are following their individual interests, isn’t it difficult keeping up with everyone’s needs? How can we help a lot of people all at once and still see to our own needs as well? Unschooling might sound impractical. Does it produce self-centred kids who expect parents to be on hand at every moment to help? I don’t think it does.
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When we help our kids, they also learn to help. They follow our example. In our family, everyone helps each other. And when there’s no one available to help, my kids get on and do things by themselves.
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Unschooling encourages kids to be sensitive to the needs of others. Kids are considerate and willing to make sacrifices when necessary. Just like parents. At least that’s our experience. How about you? Have you also discovered that unschooling is not a self-centred way of life, but one where everyone works together so that everyone’s needs are met?

May 8 2019
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Would anyone like to listen to an audio version of the first 3 parts of my unschooling book ‘Curious Unschoolers’? In this week’s podcast, episode 151: ‘Stories from Curious Unschoolers’, I’m sharing the first 12 stories. I hope they will give you an idea of what my book is all about. Perhaps after listening, you’ll want to read the whole book. Well, I hope you will!
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You can find my Stories of an Unschooling Family podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes), Podbean and any podcast app. There’s also a podcast widget on my blog.
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Yesterday, I received my copy of Curious Unschoolers in the mail. (I only had a proof copy before.) Now I need to have a book photo shoot so that I have some photos of it to share. Perhaps Imogen and Sophie will help me. They know all about book photo shoots. In this photo, they’re taking photos for Imogen’s IG account @write.rewrite.read .
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So will you listen to this week’s podcast, episode 151?
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Stories from ‘Curious Unschoolers’

7 May 2019
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Is it crucial that we continue unschooling our children through the teenage years? I asked my daughters, Imogen and Sophie, that question and they said that teenagers need lots of time to continue exploring their interests, thoughts, ideas and opinions. We could tighten up, maybe introduce more structured learning, and keep our kids busy fulfilling our goals. But if we did that, would our teenagers have the opportunities they need to discover their strengths and talents, try out their ideas, and find out who they are and what they believe?
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When our children go out into the world, we want them to be confident. They need to feel comfortable with who they are. So many kids end up following the crowd, adopting their opinions and attitudes and interests because they don’t have any of their own.
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If you’d like to hear more about my daughters’ thoughts about teenagers and what they need, you could listen to episode 147 of my stories of an unschooling family podcast: A Big Chat About Unschooling Teenagers. I’m constantly surprised by my children’s thoughts and opinions. They have so many insightful things to say. It’s good to listen to our young people, isn’t it?
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A Big Chat About Unschooling Teenagers

May 6 2019
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Do you have any teens in your family? Do you worry that unschooling might jeopardise their futures? Or do you think that it’s crucial to continue unschooling through the teenage years?
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I’ve recorded quite a few teen-related podcasts with my daughters. And there’s going to be a teenager section in my second unschooling book Radical Unschool Love. (I’m hoping to get that published soon!)
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So that’s a bit of teen info (just in case you’re interested!)
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3 May 2019
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I found a 5-star review of my book ‘Curious Unschoolers’ on Goodreads!
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“If you’re a progressive mom but the word “unschooling” still makes you cringe… THIS is the book for you. SO SO SO SO GOOD. I will read this again and again.”
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Any reviews for Amazon and Goodreads would be gratefully appreciated especially if you liked my book!
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These are more photos of my kids at the lake. Without my children I wouldn’t have a book! Also, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It’s funny how years ago, I thought that parenting was all about bringing up and educating our kids. I was going to teach them. A one-sided affair. I didn’t realise that I would grow and develop and learn as well. We learn so much from our children, don’t we?

4 May 2019
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These two beautiful girls are Gemma-Rose and Charlotte. Of course, there are lots of stories in my book, Curious Unschoolers, about my daughters. I wrote a lot of unschool maths stories based on Gemma-Rose’s experiences. Charlotte is my very independent child who gave herself an excellent education without much input from me!
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Curious Unschoolers is available from Amazon as both Kindle and print books.
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3 May 2019
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Imagine sitting at the kitchen table together and chatting about unschooling. We’d drink tea and ponder all kinds of thoughts. We’d share ideas and encouragement. We might become real life friends.
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Yes, what if we could meet up in person? What if that were possible? I guess if we live within reasonable travel distance of each other we could. Would that be something good?
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And if getting together isn’t feasible, there’s always my book:
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. ‘… perhaps you can imagine us sitting around your kitchen table, mugs in our hands, chatting about unschooling together.
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I’m going to share my family and our experiences. We’ll ponder ideas and thoughts. Our conversation will go deep and wide. It’ll be honest and real. And it’ll be flavoured with love and gentleness.
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I hope that you’re going to get excited about the possibilities. I want my words to encourage you, if you haven’t already done so, to set out on an unschooling adventure of your own…’ from the introduction to ‘Curious Unschoolers’.
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3 May 2019
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Imagine sitting at the kitchen table together and chatting about unschooling. We’d drink tea and ponder all kinds of thoughts. We’d share ideas and encouragement. We might become real life friends.
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Yes, what if we could meet up in person? What if that were possible? I guess if we live within reasonable travel distance of each other we could. Would that be something good?
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And if getting together isn’t feasible, there’s always my book:
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. ‘… perhaps you can imagine us sitting around your kitchen table, mugs in our hands, chatting about unschooling together.
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I’m going to share my family and our experiences. We’ll ponder ideas and thoughts. Our conversation will go deep and wide. It’ll be honest and real. And it’ll be flavoured with love and gentleness.
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I hope that you’re going to get excited about the possibilities. I want my words to encourage you, if you haven’t already done so, to set out on an unschooling adventure of your own…’ from the introduction to ‘Curious Unschoolers’.
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1 May 2019
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Do you ever worry about getting older? I must admit that I’ve had lots of problems with ageing. You might know this if you read my blog or listen to my podcast. “How old are you?” “I’m about 30 on the inside. (My outside is looking a bit older.)” Yes, I’ve explored this issue many times. Usually, I return to it each year on my birthday.
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Guess what? Yesterday was my birthday! So what will I say about ageing this year? I’m going to tell you how grateful I feel. Another year of life! Another year of unschooling adventures with my family. Another year where we have grown and loved and helped and encouraged and forgiven and enjoyed life with each other. This year I don’t mind getting older at all.
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If I were younger, I wouldn’t have been able to take this photo of some of my beautiful children. How could I have so many wonderful teenagers and young adults if I were only 30? Impossible! Yesterday, my family made me feel very special. I am loved so very much. My 58th birthday was perfect!
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Yesterday morning, we had a birthday breakfast together in town. Then we had time for a walk around the lake before most of my kids had to go to work. Duncan, Gemma-Rose, Charlotte, Sophie and Imogen are sitting on a bench in the children’s playground by the lake. (Felicity, Callum and, of course, Thomas are missing from my photo.)

1 May 2019
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You might know that it was my birthday yesterday. But you won’t know about the life changing gift my son Callum gave me.
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Today, a big box arrived in the mail. We eagerly removed the wrappings. “An urn!” We all grinned. For years, we’ve been boiling the kettle twice every time everyone has wanted coffee or tea. “We need an urn,” we kept saying. “A kettle doesn’t hold enough water for a family as big as ours.” Well, now we have an urn. Life will never be the same again!
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This is my daughter Imogen. She arrived home from a funeral just as my birthday urn landed on our doorstep. A funeral? Yes, Imogen was asked to sing at a funeral. I’m sure her voice made a difference to the Requiem Mass and was appreciated by the mourners. Using our talents to make a difference. I’m always talking about that. Well, my son Callum has certainly made a difference to our family’s life with his gift of an urn.
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The urn’s full. There’s plenty of hot water. Why not pop around for a cup of tea? We can sit at the kitchen table with our mugs and chat. Shall we talk about unschooling, how it’s an amazing way of life?