Overheard this evening

from Ashlyn, our sweet, eight year old Pyxie girl:

"Whew! Loryn...you smell like poop. And not the good kind, either!".


I'll admit...I laughed so much. Leave it to Ash to say something like this. I, for one, never realized that there was a "good kind" of poop smell. Some poops definitely smell better than others (or, should I say, some are less offensive smelling than others), but I'm not sure where she got this particular bit of info.

*CLARIFICATION* I just asked Ashlyn what she meant earlier, when she said that. She informed me that there are "Golden Poops", (I'm capitalizing, because she made it sound like a proper noun situation) and those are the best kinds, and the one that Loryn had done was definitely not a Golden Poop (emphasis hers).

Well, boy do I feel like an idiot. I had no idea. ;-)



Ash also told her first "real" fib yesterday, about her long fingernails and the fact that her Dad had cut them for her (he hadn't...she bit her fingernails, because she didn't want us to cut them with clippers).

I don't think she lied to get out of trouble, or anything like that. She knows we don't care if she bites her nails (she used to do it all the time, because the sensory overload of the fingernail clippers was too much for her). I think she just had fun telling her story. When I found out that Dave hadn't cut her nails, she giggled and immediately said, "Oh, I forgot...it was Shelby". (?)


Also tonight, Tori told me "I can't wait till I'm 10!"...and a split second later, "When do you think I'll get my period?"!

Dear Gawd.

We Got a Wii!

Dave and I managed to find a Wii just in time for Ashlyn's Birthday.

And No, we don't normally splurge this big for one kid's birthday, but we had been trying to find a Wii since they first came out, with no luck.

Ashlyn hadn't been very helpful, either, as far as telling us what she wanted for her birthday...except that she'd like a Wii. *sheesh*

So fate stepped in, and I found one when I went grocery shopping one night. I called Dave to tell him, and he had just two words for me:

"DO IT!"

Ash proudly shows off her Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

Ashlyn's 8th Birthday, June 16

From left to right: Shelby, Ashlyn, Loryn (standing), Dave, and Tori.

Shelby, Tori, and Ashlyn Feeding Catfish

Taken at my Aunt Brenda's and Uncle Wayne's farm, in Alberta, Virginia.

Recent happenings, and interests

Lately I keep screwing around with the template here at A Beautiful Child. I like the look of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d-out pages, but there are so few color choices that I keep putting other standard-sized themes back in. Hopefully, I'll stay here (with this theme) for a bit. When the blog loads and everything is all squished together, it just gives me a headache.

So, here's a quick summary of various interests around here:

Loryn: Way into Bob the Builder lately. Thank God for Sprout TV (and DVR)!

Loryn has had a good couple of days, though we're not making much progress with the potty training. Poop issues are getting better, though, and I'm thinking our healthier diet is helping that along. I've been researching a couple of very strict diets (Specific Carbohydrate Diet and GFCF), but am undecided as of yet which one to go with, or whether to go with one at all. There is just too much info available online. Each diet/therapy/specialist claims to be the be-all, end-all...the "answer to your prayers"!

*snort* Like I pray!


OK...back to the other kids.

Ashlyn: Is busy memorizing multiplication facts, and Chinese characters. She likes to write several lines on a little notepad, then read them off, over and over. No rhyme or reason...she'll just write 11 x 3 = 33, 7 x 8 = 56, etc. The Chinese characters she's picked up from a Chinese calendar we have, and some old Manga books. She's also been playing some PS2 games, especially Smackdown VS Raw 2007, and loves a DS game we got for Easter called Cooking Mama.


Tori: Reading lots of books (The Dark Hills Divide series, also Eva Ibbotson's Witch books). Shelby has banned Tori from reading anymore Harry Potter until she reads some other books first. Tori does tend to read the HP series all the way through, then start right back from the beginning of the series. ;-) This bothers Shelby, for some reason, hence the "NO Harry" rule for a while. Tori is also playing lots of Rune Scape and Maple Story. Lots of discussion about money here lately, as Tori has been blowing through Nexon cash cards left and right, buying "accessories" for her Maple Story character (and pet).



Shelby: Still into Manga (all things Japanese, really), reading, knitting, teas, and music. We've been playing around with shooting our own videos lately, you've probably seen some here already. Shelby wants to start getting up early to run, but hasn't managed to get up "early enough" yet. (She's shooting for 6:30...I have no idea why). We did just join the local YMCA, and Shelby and I are both looking forward to Yoga classes, exercise equipment, swimming, etc. Her taste in music is impressive (even to ME, self-proclaimed music junkie that I am!) and we've been watching some pretty neat things on Netflix (like The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and the DVR (I recorded Janis, a documentary about Janis Joplin, also Awesome! I F'in Shot That!
a live performance shot by audience members at a 2004 Beastie Boys concert at Madison Square Garden). I've got concerts by The Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded, and I've saved future episodes of the Storytellers sessions (Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, and The Dixie Chicks).

I love that we're all able to delve so deeply into what we're passionate about. We learn so much by following our passions and interests, and that is truly what Unschooling is all about.

Overheard in our home today...(Take 2)

"Money, I love you. Money, I need you. Money, come to me NOW".

This, from Ashlyn, who was holding her little Asian-inspired fuschia purse while chanting aloud.

When I caught her in the act, she quickly told me, "Mama, I need more money, and I think if I say this over and over, money will just come to me!".

Crikey. Now this kid is following The Secret? What next? ;-)

Ashlyn

Not really asleep, just pretending.

Ashlyn is 7 years old, and she, too, is diagnosed with Autism (like Loryn). I'd say she's more in the Asperger's Syndrome category, personally...though no "label" changes anything about our kids, ourSelves, or the way we live our lives. Really, sometimes a label more easily explains a meltdown, or little "quirks", but friends (online and IRL) and family members who know and love us are already understanding and supportive. Why worry about what others think? This is one of my struggles, personally...there are days where it's all I can think about when we go out with the girls.

Ashlyn (or "Ash") just got a guitar for Yule/Christmas, and is ready to start guitar lessons ("SOON, Mama!"). She loves We Love Katamari (PS2 game), and enjoys playing games online with Loryn's help (sometimes, a hindrance!). She has an imaginary friend or two, and has just recently started reading her "own" Manga books.