Space Exploration

So...sometime in the spring I decided to pull together a really awesome space unit for my girl.  We enjoyed the unit, but then I thought nothing of it.  Then today, I heard my daughter telling my son how they were going to Neptune and it had cold, blue gas so they needed to get their coats.  They jumped in a laundry basket and took off into outer space...six months after the initial lesson.  Wow.  Kids are smart. They remember things.  They also need time to process info and to make it their own. This experience helped me know that it is good to present my children with new information that they may not have ever asked about.  It's enriched their lives and made one afternoon much more entertaining.  Here's some pics from our adventure!

And, so you know where I got my resources: 

• The poster is from my mom...she's a first grade teacher and isn't allowed to use it anymore.  It's isn't a part of the science they can teach now.  So much the better for me.  :)
•  We used some montessori solar system cards we got for free (there is no picture unfortunately, but please check them out!)
• Here's the Solar system coloring page we used!
• Also, if you want to have your kids cut and past the planets to show their distance from the sun, here's a good resource for that. 

Enjoy!

My Switch to Natural Products

So, one day, I was washing my mirror with Windex and I felt this nasty feeling in the back of my throat, sort of like an irritation feeling, you know, the sensation you get after a good whiff of bleach?  Anyway, I wondered, "What in the heck is in this stuff, anyway?"  So, I looked for the ingredients...and never found them.  There was just this vague statement "contains ammonia."  Okay...thanks a lot.  So what am I inhaling?  That's when I started my switch to natural, mostly CHEAPER cleaning and health products.

I also got a little sick of using a different product for everything.  Most of what I use to clean with is water, baking soda, salt, white vinegar, Liquid Castile Soap, and Lemon Essential Oil.

I'm going to share all my recipes and ways to clean on this blog, but since I'm just starting this blog, it will take a little while to get all my photos, tutorials, and recipes uploaded. As I add the info, I will add the links to this page so stay tuned!

Photo credits

DIY All Purpose Cleaner
DIY Glass Cleaner
Mop Solution
How I scrub!
DIY Foam Soap
DIY Laundry Detergent
DIY Stain Remover
DIY Suncreen
DIY Deoderant

The Desert Flower

So here we are, my first post on this empty blog waiting to be filled with something great, hopefully!  Last week I asked my four year old daughter what we should call our home school and she chose "flower" and I, of course, embellished it and said, "How about desert flower...academy?" (You know, just to make it sound like a legit situation here).  She liked it, and so the name of this website was born. 

The thing I love about living in the Sonoran desert, okay, one of the things I love is the fact that when it is seriously roasting outside and everything should be dead (including me if I didn't have AC) out in that desert, a cactus blooms.  Let me tell you, there is nothing so incredible and beautiful as a majestic saguaro in bloom while everything around is dry as death. 

It's a symbol of hope, it's a symbol of what each of us has inside: the potential to thrive and grow even in the worst of circumstances.  My journey I'd like to share is simple, it's about people, it's about life, it's about truths, and it's about watching my own flower bloom.