A Life of Magic: Stephanie Sims' Interview

Somewhere near Salt Lake City, Utah, right now, there's probably a little bit of magic going on.

Stephanie tries to help her family live a life of magic and blogs about it here. It sounds to me like she succeeds very well at creating a peaceful and magical place for her family.

But, every once in a while, just for a change of pace I guess, someone might get a little bit cheeky...

1. How long have you been homeschooling (or if finished, how long did you homeschool)?

My children - Trevelyn (son, brand-new eight) and Madeleine (daughter, just turned four) have never been to school. [grin] The closest we've come were homeschool co-op classes or Gymboree where Mama got panicky and stressed about the need for Sitting Down And Listening. Neither one lasted too long. Didn't make much sense for us.

2. One of the main benefits of homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility it allows. Can you give us a few examples of how this freedom and flexibility benefited you (your family)?

Flexibility doesn't really come into play for us, as we know no other way.

I mean... even if something isn't flexible or negotiable, it is for us. Which could quite possibly [ahem] be irritating to some of the souls around us.

I don't mean to be dismissive or rude... but Freedom is as needed as breath. Not only from a rebellious (and possibly anarchist, lol) point of view, but spiritually.

I want my children to live their "Grandest Version of the Grandest Vision" they have ever had for themselves, as Neale Donald Walsch so beautifully put it.

I figure learning and living in Freedom without limits (as best their dad and I can manage) will go a long way in facilitating that ideal.

3. Another benefit of homeschooling is the fun factor. Can you give us a
few examples of some especially fun times you had as a result of homeschooling?

When my daughter was born, my mama gave me, or rather, Madeleine, a book called "My Mother Gave Me The Moon," written by Patrick Regan and illustrated by Becky Kelly.

She (my mother) wrote an inscription that said something like how lucky Madeleine was to be born to me, and that she would be loved so, so much.

I didn't feel that I was that "wheel barrow races and butterfly chases" Mama, but I knew that I wanted to be.

I wanted it with everything that I was.

I wanted to provide my children a life of magic... to fill their lives up with so much of it that they took it entirely for granted... and believed that it was the only way to live.

I wanted to transfer special and occasional life magic into everyday Ordinary Life Magic.

In keeping with that wish, I keep track of our days and moments, and do my best to provide my babes with lots and lots of it.

Sometimes I think that others perceive us as just the Ordinary part... :), and that's fine too. If there's so much frolicking and goodness going on in the world that it seems ordinary, that can only be a good thing.

4. We all have funny experiences while homeschooling. Can you share one
of yours with us?

It's a good thing I blog and write some of these things down!
This one seems appropriate...

Upon getting off the telephone from making plans with friends, I go to the den (it was a madhouse back there) and let Eric in on The Events Of The Day. He's in a grump.

"What?" I ask.

"I'm working on my my ipod (library) and Trev just comes and turns off my computer, and laughs hysterically!"

He's frustrated, so I take Trev into the livingroom.

"Bud... how would you feel if you were working on a new really cool Spore creation, and someone just turned off your computer, causing you to lose it?"

"That would just be rude!"

"But how would you feel?"

"I would feel angry...." he says with a non-repentant and mischeivous smirk.

"What's going on?" I asked, wondering if he was feeling disappointed that Eric wasn't playing with him or something (heaven forbid Daddy ever taking two minutes for himself)... "How are you feeling that you would do that?"

"I'm just feeling....cheeky! You know what cheeky means, right, Mom?"

"Yes, I know what cheeky means," said I with a straight face.

I think we all have tons of stories like this - particularly if we respect and encourage our children's individuality... like after a month-long binge of Cartoon Network a little boy turns off the tv and wants to know what a minotaur is. And extends his arm and motions, "Ladies, first."

Life itself is humorous and spectacular and amazing and Magic.... if only we'll honor it as such and let it be.