White and Nerdy

All 12 NLSVers (Natural Learners of the Shenandoah Valley) who attended the Weird Al show (May 2, in Glen Allen, Va). None of us kewl Moms are in this pic, unfortunately.

Tori is to the far right (in white shirt), Ashlyn is grinning in the center (kind of), wearing a light blue jacket, and Shelby is to the left with her friend, with short hair and yellow hat.

We all had a great time. Weird Al rocks!

White and Nerdy II

A better shot, but not everyone is included. I think some of the boys were hiding.

Shelby, Tori, and Ashlyn

Rockin' out at the Weird Al show, May 02, in Glen Allen, Va

TV as school?

One of my good friends and fellow unschoolers posed this query on our local online homeschool group:


I know many of you don't do TV at all or only in a very limited capacity. But for those of you whose families *do* watch: what are your favorites? What should we check out and be able to "call it school"?

Here is my reply, which took a couple of hours to put together. Lots of good stuff here. So much, in fact, that I got a little lost hopping from link to link, reading reviews and articles and planning future tapings on our DVR.


Well, you know us...we learn from every thing! Books, TV, music, internet...they're all equally valuable here. I don't like calling any of it "school" though...*ugh*...what an ugly word that is . That's why I like the NLSV "Educational Freedom" parties. No mention of that vile place whatsoever!

Anyway, here are some rambling thoughts about what kinds of things we've been enjoying lately, specifically from television.

MHD (High Def Music): I just recently blogged about some of the cool shows I've recorded on MHD. Chili Peppers Live in Milan, Storytellers-Green Day, etc. All good stuff.

VH1's Best Week Ever (Oh, come ON...a good dose of pop culture is just as good as Shakespeare anyday)! We don't watch much on VH1 at all, except for this little gem. Oh, and their I Love the 80s (and 70s and 90s)!

On BBC America, we're watching Robin Hood (another good friend suggested this one to me). Also, on BBCA, Whose Line is it Anyway (the original, British version, of course)!

Oh hell...I'll just make a list of some of the stuff I've got saved (or am set to record) on the DVR.

On NBC, we watch The Office, 30 Rock, and My Name is Earl. These are just fun to watch together...no real learning going on, unless you consider the human behavior element in these shows ( if you've ever worked in an office, you'll know that The Office is spot on)! Arrested Development, natch...still the best show ever. I record it for the hell of it...we already own the entire series on DVD. It's just that good of a series.

HOLY CRAP...You can watch all the episodes for free on MSN, right now! GO do it!


OK, on to the impressive, snobby stuff! ;-)

PBS HD: Everyday Edisons

BBCA: ShakespeaREtold: Much Ado about Nothing

Caligula: Reign of Terror (not sure which channel this was on, probably History)

The Planet Earth series on Discovery HD

On HCI (History International):

Investigating History: The Holy Grail
Adventure of English (history of the English language)
Strange Egypt
Naked Archaeologist (Jesus: The Early Years and John the Baptist)
Infamous Murders (Murder by Decree and Intent on Murder)
What the Victorians Did for Us
The Worst Jobs in History (Shepherd boy, nettle farmer, sin eater...good stuff)!


On Discovery Health I'm recording Reality Matters: Teen Sexuality and Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander: Chocoholics Unite!

On Biography: Ancient Mysteries with Leonard Nimoy and The Unexplained: Cannibals

On ALTVN (I admit, I have NO idea what ALTVN stands for...if you know, give me a holler. I'm stumped). Anyway, two shows that looked promising were: Til Debt Do Us Part and Fixing Dinner.

((Hmmm...both of these showed up as Canadian TV shows...the plot thickens.))

On HIST (History Channel, duh), I'm recording Spider Man Tech and The Amazing Story of Superman for my geeky fan-boy. OK...for me, too. Comic lovers unite!

Other, random shows we usually record: Law and Order SVU, Legends of the Hidden Temple , on Nick GAS, The Magic Schoolbus, on TLC, Penn and Teller: Bullshit!, on Showtime, Weeds (also on Showtime), and Heroes (NBC- Just started watching this one). OH, Gray's Anatomy (Yes, I'm a chicky-poo).

Of course, I'm recording American Idol, but I root for the worst singers. I'm that girl.

Happy TVing!

May Day happenings

Today was our last day of Homeschool PE, in Harrisonburg. I got sunburned while pushing Lolo on the swing, but I don't think she cared. That kid loves to be pushed in the swing. My girls were pretty quiet on the way home...I think they're gonna miss their Tuesday classes. Their teacher, (Miss Lauren) really is a sweet girl. I can tell that she really enjoys our little group. I meant to bring my camera to snap a few "Last Day" pics, but forgot it in the rush to get out the door...bad mama, huh?

Tomorrow! We just can't wait till tomorrow! A group of us from co-op are taking our kids to see "Weird Al" Yankovic in Richmond! I think I'm as excited as the girls are! Poor Dave, I think he'd really want to go, but he's gonna sit this one out (he probably doesn't want to be with a bunch of women and their kids, anyway)! :-) He'll stay home with Lolo, while I take Ashlyn, Tori, and Shelby, along with Adesa and her two boys, Connie and her son, Danette and her four kiddos, PLUS we're meeting a couple of boys from our homeschool group in Richmond (they're staying with relatives, so we'll meet them outside the arena).

I think it's gonna be a good time.

Here's a little blog-quizzy thing I found whilst blog-hopping. Personally, I think it's pretty accurate.

You Are an Indie Rocker!

You are in it for the love of the music... And you couldn't care less about being signed by a big label. You're all about loving and supporting music - not commercial success. You may not have the fame and glory, but you have complete control of your career.

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

Happy May Day, everyone!