Unschooling NYC

My friend Jeff Rutzky is an amazing guy.   He’s one of those people who is so creative, artistic and talented that you kind of hate him and love him at the same time.   He can sew, design & write books, (his latest is Shadowfolds which you can find at Amazon)  do origami & kirigami at levels that defy the imagination, cook, create almost anything from nothing – and on and on.  He has helped me with everything from iPhoto and computer backups to what kind of knives I should buy for my kitchen to support my new found cooking skills.… Read more

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we hosted a Passover Seder this evening for a bunch of friends.   I think it is the first time we’ve ever had 16 people here for a sit down meal.   The meal was great thanks to matzoh ball soup provided by Rob, the main course of roasted chicken and vegetables provided by Jeff and flourless chocolate cake and fruit torte courtesy of Kristin!  I provided seating, dishes and cutlery, although to be honest I was so consumed with making sure there were enough bowls and plates that I nearly forgot about utensils, and had … Read more

We are having people over for a Passover Seder tomorrow evening.   Mind you, only two of the people attending are Jewish (Joshua and our friend Jeff), the meal won’t be entirely kosher and we aren’t including a Haggadah reading;  so basically we are just inviting a bunch of people over for a meal on a Monday night.

Which brings me (kind of) to the point.  We were cleaning the apartment today, because traditionally you do a major spring cleaning before Passover.  This morning the focus was Ben’s room, because it had gotten to the point where walking in the door … Read more

Maybe it’s the weather.   A day of spring sunshine is followed by miserable cold and rain and although it isn’t snow, it is bone-chilling.   Or maybe it’s the fact that quarterly reports were due this week which is kind of a drag.     Quite possibly it has to do with the fact that every time I open the paper, I am confronted with another effort on the part of the powers that be in Congress to cut funding for the arts and to remove protection from wildlife and their environments (such as in the Everglades) because such protection makes it difficult … Read more

In the studio where my kids take their art class, there is a quote on the wall that reads, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”    Of course it is referring to art, but it applies to life as well.   It’s all about perspective.

In writing last night’s entry, I spent a lot of time reading articles on the predominant state of mind here in the U.S. and the most disappointing part of the whole thing was realizing how incapable we seem to be of changing our perspective.   We see the words … Read more

Spend much time in the company of Europeans, and here are the things you will NOT hear them talk about:   They won’t talk much about their work or their salary, either in a negative ‘if only I made more’ kind of way or a ‘my work is my life’ kind of way’.   You will not hear them talk about needing a bigger house, or better car, or the pressures of parenting and the need to save up for college.  They don’t drone on an on about how hard it is to raise kids or to find good childcare.   In other … Read more

I’m in the midst of reading an article about how ‘The American Dream’ has become a nightmare for many.   It is touching on some things I’ve been mulling over recently and helping me to form them into more coherent thoughts that I can write about.    But I’m not quite there yet.    I often tell people that my ideas need to sit in my brain for a while and ‘cook’ before I can express them, and that’s what is happening now.

But to give you a taste, I’ll be talking about why hearing the words “quality time” or “family time” make … Read more

A friend of mine once told me that Ben “oozes happiness”, and I think that’s a pretty accurate description.   His days are full of imagination, creativity and play, all at his own direction or with his willing involvement.   Who wouldn’t be happy about that?

Today, just as an example, he woke up and spent the morning playing with his Lego and sewing clothing for his Webkinz animals.   The kids had art today, which meant we walked up early to hang out with Marcella at Starbucks and then go to Essentials, which is a store that sells everything including Lego mini-figures.    … Read more

We took the kids and went to see “Soul Surfer” this evening.  This is the story of Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm to a shark while surfing at the age of 13, and still went pro by 17.   She is one of the top ranked female surfers in the world today.

The movie was very well done, very moving and inspiring.   Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt play Bethany’s parents, and Bethany is played by AnnaSophia Robb, who is a great young actress.    I enjoyed the fact that although the Hamiltons are evangelical Christians, the movie was not heavy on … Read more

Joshua and I went out to dinner and a movie this evening, leaving Maya, Ben and their friend Greta at our place.   They do this almost every weekend, and since Greta’s Dad lives in our building, we know they are never far away from help if they need it.  (They never do.)

When we came home at about 9:15 this evening, this is what we saw:  Ben had all of his blocks strewn across the living room floor, interspersed with Webkinz and Bionicles.  Two large hand puppets were also on the floor, as was a bow and arrow set Ben … Read more