TestimonialsTo see a short video from a past conference click HERE.
I don't know if anything can top Albuquerque, however, Asheville would be one of my top choices of hip places in a beautiful setting. Our family loves it so much that we have looked at houses and jobs there on more than one occasion. There will be no shortage of tattoo places.
About the tattoos.....What fun that was! I wanted to say thank you to Jon Kream for the fun outing. I had been planning a tattoo for some time and sharing the experience with Jon, Ren, Danielle, and Jenny made it so memorable.
Cameron also got an ear pierced. We got some excellent pictures of the evening and I'm trying to post them today. Mary Gold was with us and probably has some good pictures to share.
My hummingbird tattoo is just beautiful as are the other body art pieces. Not only was it a deeply personal experience for me, I have the memory of the fun and camaraderie among the friends that I shared it with.
This was our 4th conference and while each has been amazing, this one in Albuquerque was by far the best.. I couldn't begin to mention all the people that touched our lives but I'm still smiling with each slide show memory in my head.
Our thanks to Sandra and her family as well as all the other Albuquerque locals. You guys rock. We can only echo all the sentiments about the hotel experience. All the smiles and positive assistance from the hotel staff was unlike any place I've ever stayed. I do hope the conference returns to Albuquerque before both kids are grown.....Can I still come even then? <g>
Diana....not only did your light shine brightly....so did Hayden's. Your beautiful baby girl, Hannah, was so present in your eyes and in the smiles and joy of every child there.
Thanks Jenny to opening your home ....we came home so inspired.
We met so many wonderful families...but there were so many I didn't have time to connect with. We shared a plane ride part way home with Bruce and Sarah Northrop from Atlanta. Their girls, Sarah and Julia, were covered with face paint, carrying their balloon collages and just glowing with happiness. It prolonged the conference magic for awhile.
Broc mentioned at the Dad's Panel that I was an introvert. I usually would rather just escape and blend into the walls in most social situations.
However, at the conferences, I feel so alive and accepted and able to completely be myself. We go not only for our children but for our family and for ourselves. Not only are we able to now give something back to this unschooling community, we continue to grow and learn more about ourselves each
year.And that is why I want to say ...Thank you, thank you, thank you to Kelly and Ben. Thanks for inviting us to your party. We had a wonderful time.
Gail and Broc and Brenna and Logan
Every year that I have attended Live and Learn has been different. It seems to me that each year there is a different zeitgeist as I experience it. One
year it seemed many mothers were concerned about “reluctant husbands” and beginning Unschooling as families; the next it seemed many were struggling with sibling issues or meeting the apparently conflicting needs of multiple family members. The conference has always seemed to be a brilliant and inspiring place to find answers, better questions, strategies, at the very least comfort and encouragement.This year I felt as if Live and Learn flowered into something beyond the kind of technical “how to Unschool” learning experience it has been in past years, to become something deeper. It is not that there were no “nuts and bolts” discussions, but I heard less of that emphasis there, more on the pure parenting and relationship building with our children, more fellowship, more just seeing Unschooling “being”.
If I were to name the overweening theme of this last conference for me, it would have to be CREATIVITY.
What an abundance of creative thinking in every corner and every direction! Creative problem solving, thinking outside of the box for parenting dilemmas, bringing a foundation of creative thinking into our lives as a path towards happiness. Of course the plethora of creative and artistic funshops.
Just prior to the Conference I had posted about the concept of missing out, specifically,
<<<Let go of the fear of missing out; it will hamper your ability to be open to the cornucopia of unscheduled sparkling brilliance.>>>>
Fact is I missed out on a lot of presentations and a few funshops that I had been interested in. I missed out on a lot of the impromptu conversations and missed much of the bonding with dear, dear friends that I have enjoyed so much in the past. Instead I feel that I met more new people, or at least new-to-me people, and got the wonderful opportunity to meet and experience and appreciate many more of the kids through hosting funshops. I had a moment of ironic reflection, and made a conscious decision to go with the flow, and stay in the moments as they came, and so I got a different cornucopia, but sparkling brilliance nonetheless.
I have come away with so much Gratitude. To Kelly and Ben, and family, of course. To all the funshop hosts of the past and future (now that I know how much it takes!). To Beth, a constant helpful presence. To Sandra for receiving my numerous boxes, for driving again and again, and so freely offering her time and energy to us. Gratitude that I can offer support to others and in turn be part of this community. Gratitude that I can live this life, this way, with my darling husband. I have to say I am pretty proud of myself for successfully being an early riser for the entire time.
As so often happens, as I look back on the conference what stands out are moments with people. I had SO MUCH FUN with Sienna. I was privileged to hear one of Sorcha’s delightful stories while we made a crown for her together – something about finding tiny dragons. The best time might have been sitting with James listening to Mary and Ren bust myths, quietly twisting wire and making paper flowers. You know it is an Unschooling picnic when there are two 10 (or so) year old girls sitting perfectly balanced on the top of a soccer goal frame, and no anxious adult is rushing over to urge caution or tell them to get down!
There is a kind of sweet pain too, as I watch not only other people’s children grow up, but also my own. The first time I attended L&L, I had the feeling that I was seeing into my own future as I watched the little groups of “pre-tween” girls wander around together. That feeling has by no means lessened as I observe the girls who were little then becoming teenagers now, the teens becoming young men and women, as I notice Jayn evolving at each conference. Now she is one of those little girls in her own little group, or posse as they were saying. It gives me a lot of serenity to think that these are the people she will likely know for her whole childhood. The conferences are like a touchstone, each one the scene of some cognitive leap for Jayn. Continuity without stasis. She is just determined to grow older and grow up, way too fast.
And no one thinks worse of any of us for getting emotional in our safest haven outside our own homes.
I love this conference. Only the most extraordinary hardship or change of circumstances will keep us away, regardless of venue.
Robyn L. Coburn
I wanted to share an exchange between dh and I over the L&L. Several folks may remember that he came last year and had a really difficult time--not wanting to join in and being totally overwhelmed by the energy and chaos of the kids' room.
This year, the venue was so amazing! There was so much more space in general, and the set-up of the toddler areas in the rooms themselves worked out really well, I thought. Kelly did such a fantastic job, and I kept saying to Jim on the phone, "I wish you guys had come this year instead of last."
When I left home to come to Albuquerque by myself, dh and I had a talk about my need to know he was going to be a gentle parent while I was gone and to really make an effort. He assured me he would and had the kids confirm it when I returned home. ;) These open conversations among all of us have been really transforming because he's talked to them about how he wants to be more gentle and solution oriented but that the knee-jerk/ obey me know mode is so much easier in the moment. Em's been able to talk about how that makes her feel, and Jules has been able to share how hard it is for her when he raises his voice.
So, yesterday while he was at work, I sent him an email thanking him again for caring for the kids and making my trip possible. This was what he sent back:
"I had a great time with the kids. It was good for the four of us to be on our own for a while. I feel like I connected better with the kids than I have for some time."
His words brought tears to my eyes, as I realized that yes, as Ren says, we were all exactly where we needed to be.
Live & Learn really is changing all of our lives; our journey just looks a bit different than the overnight conversions. ;) The outward bound type venue of next year's conference together with the closer location and my observations from this year's conference have very nearly convinced Jim to give the conference another try. *breathing deeply and fighting back the tears* I am just so overwhelmed and grateful for this, and we've already talked about a funshop he might be able to offer.
Thank you Kelly and Ben and everyone who puts their time and energy into this amazing weekend! You are all fairy godmothers, truly!
~~Danielle
Emily (9), Julia (7), Sam (6)
http://www.organiclearning.blogspot.com
I'd also like to comment on my husband and the Conference. I've said many times over that my husband is anti social and after this conference I can no longer say that about him. He spoke to more people than I, got email addys, and made plans to visit. I got numerous compliments about him after our funshop (Families on the Road), one shattering her stereotype of guys that look like my husband (bald, tattooed, buff), but mostly about his passion for following your dreams, and his ability to inspire them. He agreed to come to the conference a few months ago, but as the time got closer he was adamant that he wasn't going, it was my thing he says and it was coming between the family. The day before I was to leave he decided to go......but he was staying in the bus. We had conversations before hand so we each knew what to expect of the other, he would hide in the bus, and we would see him in the evening. He ended up completely blowing me away! He was so comfortable, let down his guard and totally enjoyed himself. I'm usually so proud of my kids, but I couldn't be more proud of my husband and how this conference helped reassure and inspire him about our lifestyle and decision to unschool. I believe it was the people that made him feel comfortable enough to let down his guard and not worry about judgement. We've never been around such amazing families before! Since he *felt forced* into the conference I doubted I'd get him to another one, but he's already making plans for NC!
Thanks again to everyone who helped make this happen! I never expected it to bring us even closer, but it has. I may not have met as many people as I wanted, or at least the ones I had intended to, but I came away with a more relaxed hubby.....I couldn't have asked for better! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Vicki (http://www.fuhkauifamily.blogspot.com/) ~ currently in NM