Think For Ourselves

Everette had our weekly 'coffee date' this morning. Its often the time we can connect and discuss the agenda for our Sunday afternoon Family Meeting with the children.

Sometimes we discuss his growing business. Or we discuss books we've been reading. Or how I'm dealing (or not) with school or family issues on a daily basis. Or some habits we need to address, or the growth we see in individual children.

This morning we actually talked quite a lot about our society of sheeple (people being gullible as sheep), and how we need to take responsibility for ourselves, and help our children think for themselves. I reminisced about John Taylor Gatto's book "Dumbing Us Down" we used for discussion at a homeschool group up island.  How we are conditioned in many ways to disengage from our world and do as we are told.

Then I came home to read this about the USA.... (Canada has very much the same system/mindsets as our cousins to the south) 

Last-minute budget deal narrowly avoids the Big Government shutdown America desperately needs to balance its budget

Can the ball be stopped?  Maybe. I don't think it will be.

But I will continue to think for myself (freedom of choice), and teach my children to do so for themselves.  We will not do as we are told "just because", or because "It's always been done that way".  We will discover for ourselves what is right, what is good for us and those around us (the world), and not just what seems like a quick fix for the moment.

We will care about the future generations: have a mindset of Seventh Generation as the natives did.

Charter of Health Freedom

As a Canadian, do you have any idea that your Freedom to choose concerning your own individual Health is greatly jeopardized?  Do you know that producers of supplements and alternative health products are being denied product numbers so that they can't sell to you and I any more?

Earlier this week I went to the local healthfood store to ask about Colostrum.  (You can check out this if you are curious).  Anyways, its not on the shelves and I wanted to know why, while in pill form it is still on the shelves at a store up island (I know, because I asked Rauchelle to check for me).  I discovered that once Naked Naturals supply is gone, they won't be able to carry it either.

Why?

Because in this lay-persons words, our government thinks that I am not smart enough to read literature, research for myself, and decide for myself what products I think would be healthful for me to ingest or even use topically.  Like, I'm not wise enough to decide whether taking cinnamon in capsules would or would not help me with blood sugars.  Or that MSM lotion would be beneficial to lather on my scar tissue. Or if I might find that butcher's broom helps with my varicose veins.

Instead, they are limiting all of this Freedom to Choose so that I have the freedom to choose their pharmaceuticals or nothing.  Or grow my own, I suppose.  But then they would likely come and confiscate even that because it would appear that I am undermining Canada's Healthcare by not purchasing their chemicals to ingest.

In scenario, if I were to discover that I had some type of cancer, I would be able to chose allopathy protocol of surgery/radiation/chemotherapy; Invasive and Chemical.  Or I could choose to do nothing.
Or I could pay tens-of-thousands of dollars to go internationally and be treated by some alternative health practitioner (with a greater success-rate than North American rates concerning cancer, I might add).  But I can't go to a local business and purchase natural products (herbs & supplements, etc) that have a long history of being successfully used to help ones body heal itself.  Because it hasn't been tested in their labs and because it can't be patented,  it won't be available to us.

Why?

Because they will lose too much money.

Let's face it, people.  The whole talk about Health Care isn't about Health.  It's about Sick Care and the money they make off of the citizens being sick and staying chronically sick.  If we stay healthy, or get better ...........where is the money in that?

PLEASE!!!!  go to Charter of Health Freedom and find out how you can add your name to the petition, or sign at a healthfood store that has a petition already underway.  We need 3 million signatures by March.  There's a long ways to go, but it can be done.

Finding Farley

If you check out this interesting documentary of one young family's journey by canoe, foot and sailing from Canmore, AB to River Bourgeois, NS (where we lived for 1 year!) you arent likely to be disappointed.  As lovers of Farley Mowat s writings, they push through their challenges of rapids, too many portages, millions of bugs and achy body parts to follow the trails of Farley and experience the nature of Canada that Farley wrote about, to end up at the home of their new-found friend.

Near the end of the video when they are getting close to their destination they show Church Point, where we actually lived.  Our house was just over the hill on the other side.  As a matter of fact, the picture I have at the top of my blog here, is taken at that churchs cemetery where Layne and Rauchelle loved to go, and many of the children rolled down the hills there. 

We aren't fanatics of Farley Mowat s writings.  We ve read a few, and watched "Never Cry Wolf", and drove past his house to see where he lived. Everette even ran into him at the post office, and my friend s husband won a bid when the Farley Mowat was up For Sale (but he cancelled his bid, cuz what does one do with a big ship like that in your backyard, hey Jennifer?) but I was taken more by the fact of them doing a cross-country journey more difficult than ours, and ending up in the very same town.  I thought that was cool, and we could identify with much of the scenery that they experienced except for the up-north and Newfoundland aspects.  Obviously theirs was a much slower paced journey fraught with bugs beyond belief (right there, I'd bail) and were more fit, likely, than when they began.  I wouldn't be doing that journey with our children, that's for sure, but maybe one of our children will want to do it themselves when they are older.  They certainly enjoyed the film, and identifying with some of the scenes. They have a good taste and feel for this big land, and I'm so glad we have given that experience to them. And experienced it for ourselves too.

Highway of Heroes Tribute

I picked up a book at the library earlier this week called "Highway of Heroes" by Kathy Stinson, because it looked like a fresh-off-the-press picture book I could use with the children Lest We Forget. And so I read it to them yesterday, and I learned something. Somethings. And one of them is how emotional I can get about those who have died so that I can live in a relatively free country.

The Highway of Heroes was not a staged event. It grew, from the respect that Canadians have for those who have given their lives to protect our country. When a soldier returned to Canada in a coffin and was being transported from CFB Trenton to the coroners in Toronto, people started to gather on overpasses to pay respect to the fallen soldier, and his family. And every time another soldier returns for a final convoy lead by the hearse they are travelling in, the people who stop to salute or fly their Canadian flags from overpasses increases so there are now crowds on each of the 50 bridges they pass under.

I don't care what country you are from, or what your political stance on The War is. But I do think there ought to be respect for their courage and commitment, and to show respect and compassion on their families at this time of loss.

This moved me to tears.



Lest We Forget.

In Flanders Fields

Lapbooks

I heard about making Lapbooks years ago from other homeschoolers, but we just never did them at all.   I guess I just didn't see what all the excitement was about, and the children and I were busy scrapbooking our life.

But I now have a new appreciation for Lapbooks, and I see a spark that has ignited an excitement in several of the children, particularly Maret who has been busy working on all things Horsey.

Inside this refolded folder she has several small reports on pedigrees, common horse names for the USA and the UK, the top 10 Race-horses, etc.

And the exciting thing is that she is self-motivated to do the research, do tidy printing, and work tirelessly on something that ends in a project she can hold and proudly share with others.




Gaelyn, needing more help from mom, has also accomplished a few Lapbooks.  Hers are actually more of a coming together of work she's already done.  I just put it into a Lapbook form so she can show it off in a more pleasing presentation.

Here's her book on Parts of a Flower, and includes some info on the need for sunshine and water and nutrients that she narrated to Mom. There's also a cross-word she did, and some flower pedals she drew for a little math practise, and several different types of flowers she coloured along with a diagram of a flower that she labeled the parts.
The rose below was partially covered over (on purpose) when I was printing it off so she had to try and draw in the other part of the rose as to what it would look like.

This was a flip-up book Gaelyn did to help her with the Days of the Week.  So sweet what she drew to help her remember the names of the days.  Hard to see for some of them, but let me explain.
Monday is a moon and stars.  Good connection between Monday and Moon-day.
Tuesday is a pointing finger.  As in "I am choosing some candies.  Choosing sounds like Tues....day!"
Wednesday has a picture of swirling wind.  Wed  ~~ wind.  Sounds close to me!!
Thursday gets a 3, because it starts with the same beginning sound, Th
Friday has challah, because we often celebrate the beginning of Sabbath with the traditional braided egg-bread, challah.
Saturday is a day of rest, right, and we sit on chairs.  Sat.....on a chair.
Sunday, no brainer.  You got it!  It's a Sun.

Gaelyn had (close to) tonnes of loose papers that she was doing copywork on from Draw Write NOW! books, and I lumped the farm and other animals all together in an accordion type thing.....



and now she can flip through her writing and see it like a book (that's actually taller than her when it's all pulled out).  She has some simple drawings she can look at, too.

I've unloaded of most of our scrapbooking paraphernalia, which was hard for me but I did it, and so now the Lapbooking is helping me feed the creative side of me.  And its giving a real boost to the children as they see their hard work being displayed, as if it is treasured.

These are humble beginnings, but I know the children will get more and more creative, and more skills to keep them tidy and well displayed.  Mitchell and I worked on the Months of the Year, and are now collecting information for one on Ancient Egypt.  Gaelyn will be doing one on the Provinces and Territories of Canada, and Toveli will hopefully do something about plants (the bug hasn't hit her yet).  Danaka is actually doing one on some Maths Formulas to help her remember them, and likely something on the Elizabethan period.

If you are interested in checking out Lapbooks, there's loads and loads of stuff online, some free and some not.

Go for it.  We are having a blast.

Thousand Islands

Ever wonder where the name for the salad dressing came from?

In the St. Lawrence River between Maine and Ontario but on the Canadian side are the beautiful Thousand Islands.  The drive we took along this part of Canada from Ontario back to Cape Breton was a highlight for me.  I'd always wanted to see the waterway that played such a big role in the history of this great nation.  And when we drove along the Thousand Island Parkway, a 'green highway' on a sunny summer afternoon, we all decided that this would be a lovely place to return to, and even sail a lifetime (well, maybe just a lifetime of summers) amidst these islands.

Growing up I'd use Thousand Islands Dressing if ever I had to  eat salad.

Now of course, my eating habits are much different.  Thankfully, and healthfully.

I'm not looking for a replacement for that dressing, but I recently did come across a dressing that is named "Thousand Islands" and its Maret's favorite.  So, here it is for you to try.

"Thousand Islands"

2 oranges, peeled and seeded

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp raw honey

2 Tbsp nama shoyu or tamari or Bragg's amino acids

1/4 cup raw almond or cashew butter

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice

4 cloves garlic

Make this creamy dressing in your food processor or blender, and enjoy.

I don't recall where I got this recipe from, so I unfortunately can't give credit where it is due.

To the Fort

In celebration of Banff National Parks 125th Birthday, some Canada Parks were offering free admittance today, so our family headed over to the participating Fort Langley Historical Site

where we spent 4 delightful hours and got ourselves some sore legs and very wet children.  Enjoy the pics.

An HBC (Hudson Bay Company) flag

A fun puppet show the children loved about Biodiversity and a spider coming to appreciate its own unique characteristics.

Children always love the animals.

Inside a soldiers' tent.

Inside a Cooper's barrel.

Inside a picture!

This hung on the wall beside a bed.  They would keep their candles in this metal box to keep the rats away.  After all, the candles were made (attractively for rats) with animal fats!

The fellow in the middle was a great story-teller, imagining he was the captain of some voyageurs traveling by canoe from Fort St James to Fort Langley with a portage at Hell's Gate. The guys on either side were 'acting out' what life for them might have been like being voyageurs.  Here they carry 100 lb packs of pelts on their backs, using straps around their foreheads.  Their bellies would be wrapped time and time again with fabric (up to 40 feet long) to help support their abdominal muscles to prevent ruptured hernia's and spilled guts!

Up on the fort wall, on a corner with a view of approaching Indians.

I think Gold Panning was a big hit for the family.

But Laars preferred to float 'boats' of bark in the overflow of the sluice box.

Anders enjoyed all the different furs.  This one was a grey wolf.  

 

This other fur was from a Timberwolf, much bigger.

The children almost always enjoy a coloring opportunity.  Here Maret and Tov are coloring eagle heads to make hats.

Another successful unschooled day.  Anders asked, "Can we come here tomorrow?"

Happy July 1st

Happy Birthday to fellow Canadians.

This is the day we typically dress in red, go to the Parksville parade and later on have a BBQ then watch the fireworks after dark. But today got rained out. The children were disappointed, but mama was glad not to have to argue about the candies that get thrown out to the parade spectators. To Anders, Parade= Candy. Argh!!

I hope to remember to light the sparklers tonight with the children as they think that's a thrill. Maybe some popcorn, a good movie and some snuggles, and it will be a successful Canada Birthday Party for the Johnson's.

The owners of the house where we've been staying left earlier today for a vacation while we were available to care for their horses, cow, sheep, dogs, cats and greenhouse and gardens. Little hobby farm happening here. And its always a challenge for 'farmers' to get away for vacation time.

So we've spent some time today cleaning, de-cluttering, organizing our stuff to be a bit more comfy while its just us here. Besides, we are packing up again and heading to the mainland once the Gray's return, so we are On The Road Again in less than 2 weeks, & its time to 'clean house'.

Homeward Bound

.....back to Beautiful British Columbia, the land where all of these Johnson's were born.  Just a tad bit excited.

We were awoken by Laars at 5am this morning, asking again for water (I think it is yesterdays pizza that made him so thirsty) and we decided that it was a fine time to get up and packed and on the road.  We missed a formal 'Goodbye' to Michelle & David, but fortunately we said "Thank You" several times last night, and were able to leave a note for them.  Their kindness was grand and we are grateful for them opening up their home to us.  The children enjoyed a fun evening of dress-up and play which gives a great balance to the hours of driving every day.  Thanks again, MacLean's.  May God bless you for your hospitality.

So, we were on the road by 5:50am, and although the traffic heading into Calgary seemed quite heavy for that time of morning I'm sure it would have just gotten heavier if we had left an hour later.  At least it kept moving all the time.

We stopped for breakfast at Burmis,
and while we were getting all our breakfast stuff out onto the picnic table, I guess Anders went down into a ditch area to relieve himself (unknown to me).  But then I saw him waddling back to 'camp' looking like this....

I asked him what was the matter.  "I dribbled in my underwear!"   Oh, how sweet he is!!  And so honest, and unashamed.

and once we were all packed up we drove only a few kilometers and discovered the Frank Slide, so we stopped there for a view of the slide and to learn some history.

At 10:35am we crossed over into British Columbia!!   Yahoo.

We stopped to fill up our waterbottles at Alexander Creek and the children all said "That water tastes wonderful!"  Ahhh, fresh BC mountain water.

We stopped for lunch west of Cranbrook where it was warmer than many of our roadside lunches.  Mind you, breakfast was a bit warmer than 'normal' too.

We took a pause in Sparwood to see.......

The World's Largest Truck.

And we were delighted to see the old Overwaitea Foods sign (most have become Save-On-Foods or ????? Price Something-or-other.....I can't recall)  And I was able to inform the children of why Overwaitea is called such a name. 

The store owner of the first Overwaitea used to sell loose tea by weight, and always gave the customer more tea than they ordered, without charging them for it.  Much like how the "baker's dozen" got started.  Thus it was Over-weight-tea or Overwaitea.  This store, like a couple of others in southern BC have the symbol of a green teapot to go with it.  I don't recall seeing that before.

We took a long time to climb and descend from the Kootenay Pass at which the summit was 5757 ft.

With all of the driving we've done in the past 2.5 yrs, across Canada west to east; from Cape Breton to Arizona; Vancouver to Arizona; Arizona to Cape Breton; now Canada east to west......we've only gone thru 2 road checks that we can remember.  One in Quebec on our first cross-country trip, and today outside of Salmo, BC.  Just checking that driver's license was current.

Everette had a fixing for ice cream, so we stopped at Erie Lake to gobble it up as an afternoon snack.  Actually, it's 4pm in BC (time change) so that'll be our supper.

Toveli was asking "Why is the lake creepy?"  Everette asked her "Why do you think it's creepy?"
Tov replied, "Mommy said it was creepy!"   

Mommy said it was "Erie".  It's Erie Lake!!! hahaha   (too many mosquitoes for me, though)





We are stopping in Grand Forks with some long-lost friends, Rose and Sid. 

I met Rose 30 years ago at our church in White Rock.  She's been a great friend to my mama.  And Sid was actually married to a cousin of my dad's (then widowed), but I didn't know Sid back in those days.  Anyways, they moved to Grand Forks years ago, and we finally got to visit them here.


We went for a wonderful walk, heard the beautiful birds, saw a marmot, and lots of deer.  We had great conversation, Laars dug the dirt up for a mile or so, and the tub was left with a dark ring after we got back to Rose's.  It was a perfect evening.

Laars was tasting the dandelion puffs.  Didn't like them.

 Rose