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Life is like... | Day 123 of my 2023 Journal
One of the things we do most in our unschooling life is to talk. Many unschooling families tend to say the same: We talk and talk and talk. And doing so, we learn, we grow, we connect.
Mont Saint Michel | Day 122 of my 2023 Journal
Once more, we woke up at the beach and joined the early birds running for a cold morning dip. What a wonderful thing to do in the morning, and so much fun with friends.
Moving on, we spent a good hour in and around BioCoop, while Jesper had a Zoom meeting. We made our morning bowls, prepped the lunch, and organized the van before we drove off to Mont Saint Michel.
Cold salt water morning | Day 121 of my 2023 Journal
As I am writing this, I will admit I am exhausted. I rolled out of bed at eight and joined the cold dip challenge. It was indeed cold.
We are totally hooked. It is such a great start to the day.
We are totally hooked. It is such a great start to the day.
Worldschool pop-up event | Day 120 of my 2023 Journal
The pop-up event has officially started. Twenty-two more families were arriving on top of the 14 already here. We are excited to reunite with old friends and to get to know more like-minded people. It is unique to be around so many people for us, so many on the same page as us.
Everything Stops | Day 119 of my 2023 Journal
I get to learn over and over to trust the process. Live unfolds beautifully. And that there is no need to panic. Any panic works against the unfolding of things. To be fair, it is not that bad when everything stops for a while. It is a pause—a pause to remember how blessed we are and how much love there is in this universe.
The Marsh | Day 118 of my 2023 Journal
It is very moist here. Rain comes in and out, grass full of dew in the morning, and the marsh vibrating with a baseline of water. We have been told it comes and goes with the seasons and that the spot of the castle, which is called an island literally, was picked originally by the Vikings because it was so well protected by the unpredictability of the landscape surrounding it.
Parachute guy, the women, and yet another bonfire | Day 117 of my 2023 Journal
During D-day, one of the parachuters had the bad luck of getting stuck hanging from the church tower. As the village at the time was taken over by the Germans, he hid himself in plain sight by pretending to be dead.
Climbing in Caen | Day 116 of my 2023 Journal
To be challenged into a comfort zone is a very healthy thing. When we do things we would normally not do, we discover new elements of our vulnerability and sometimes new strengths. Even in our lifestyle, we seem to fall into habits, and though they might be good, it is always healthy to challenge them, to stop and think about them, to learn new ways, and get new ideas.
The Bayeux Tapestry and how we absorb | Day 115 of my 2023 Journal
The way history is taught in schools, dripping from a curriculum, emerging from books written for “children” underestimating their intelligence will, for most students, forever be irrelevant. There is no way learning will ever be meaningful if it is not: 1. Voluntary - 2. Makes sense - 3.Is relevant.
Hotel Beaumont and Starwars | Day 114 of my 2023 Journal
Just like the Hotel Beaumont was in many ways a re-play, we can never enter the same river twice, and watching Star Wars with Fjord was like visiting the museum in the morning, a lovely new way of engaging with something known.
Mama Mia Marathon | Day 113 of my 2023 Journal
It is so lovely to see a group of teenagers not afraid to show up in their nightgown, not afraid to be silly, not afraid to wear a pink unicorn jumpsuit, not afraid to fall asleep during the movie, not afraid to ask “stupid” questions on the plot. It was especially lovely to hear them all sing along to the wonderful Abba songs.
Playtime | Day 112 of my 2023 Journal
Free play is at the center of Peter Gray's thinking, and I agree very much, especially with the “free” element. Play is this funny adult construction: We call it “play” when children interact with the world in their own free way, and we call it “creative space” or whatever when adults do the same. The looking down upon children's activities soaks through so many layers of adult thinking. Most adults find play a waste of time.
Happy Birthday to me | Day 111 of my 2023 Journal
On my birthday, honestly, a few days ago, as I was “falling behind,” I did not have to plan anything. The castle stay is already a party, and there is no way my birthday is more important than my children hanging out with their new friends.
On math and unschooling
What if math was voluntary? What if we recognize the fact that all math, including high school level, can be learned by a motivated person in 3 months? Six if we take it easy.
The Big Bad Curriculum | Day 110 of my 2023 Journal
Children are fed into the schooling machine, and inside that machine is an agenda, a vast and complex and not very transparent secret agenda called The Curriculum. Everyone working for the machine has to serve The Curriculum.
The deschooling onion | Day 109 of my 2023 Journal
As my parents divorced early in my life and hated each other throughout the rest of their time, my little person became a battlefield. They would always look for the other person in me and come after me if they saw an influence they did not like.
Well Behaved | Day 108 of my 2023 Journal
Free children just live their lives and can read a room, take care of others, keep themselves clean and healthy, and create good vibes and a meaningful life for themselves and those around them. It is not behaving. It is living.
The Vikings were here | Day 107 of my 2023 Journal
And as the Vikings left Scandinavia to settle and travel all over, I sometimes feel I never really left my culture. I just built upon old traditions when I became nomadic. Our friends in Catalunia always called us Los Vikingos. Maybe it is not all that wrong.
Co-living with freedom people | Day 106 of my 2023 Journal
We are all freedom people. This makes it all very easy. We are probably all grateful to spend time together fighting off similar demons while living in a large group for a while.
Climbing in Caen of my 2023 Journal
To be challenged into a comfort zone is a very healthy thing. When we do things we would normally not do, we discover new elements of our vulnerability and sometimes new strengths.
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Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad
Cancer-surviving psychologist, former single-parent; co-sleeping, yogi, gluten-free, primarily plant-eating; happily married, stay-at-home, organic barefooted hippie and mother of four, living in a bus, knitting teddy bears and learning languages, counseling and enjoying sunsets.
Coaching: Do You Need My Help?
I advise personally and from the heart, present and releasing. I know the way out of the darkness and the frustrations, the way to your true self, the way you must go to live an amazing life.
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