In a typical 8-year-old fashion, she rambled from one topic to another, and I took notes (!) so I could put her words down for posterity.

Here is what Ari thinks could make her life better – take it for what it’s worth!

Environment:

• spring and fall temperatures
• likely to snow, but not ALL the time
• warmer then here (Mid-Atlantic) but not hot (remember we are in winter right now, and it’s 35 degrees today)

Community:

• kids play outside after school/weekends
• farmer’s market nearby (to help handle money/make purchases)
• bus to school (she walks all of .5 block currently)
• girl scout troop
• local service projects to help others
• good kids who behave (positive influence)/no bullies

House:

• indoor garden (so there are no pests)
• eco-friendly house with solar panels
• near the woods (Dad might not like that because we will have more sticks fall in our yard)
• creek or small river to play in; “water makes me happy”
• treehouse
• big kitchen (wants to learn to cook)
• music room w/ music stand, where no one will complain about the noise!
• arch or arbor in the backyard
• cabinet in the playroom that lock, each person has their own
• garden with veggies and flowers
• Pets: our current cat and dog, a gecko or snake, and a horse
• My room: purple with blue stripes, hooks on the walls, ways to hang up artwork w/o holes in the walls, bay window
• own bathroom, bath caddy or hanging caddy in the shower for bath “stuff”
• room in basement
• two piggy banks – one for spend and one for save
• use place mats at dinner
• hand print stepping stones, roses, swingset w/o a slide (takes up too much room)
• TV in room (<- haha little girl)
• bed for Rory in room

School:

• see Lyra (a homeschooled friend) for joint schooling
• wants to be homeschooled but would like to take classes so she can meet new friends
• learn about ancient civilizations
• choice in learning/self-choice about learning topics
• cello and piano lessons
• more algebra (with variables)
• longer times to study topics in math
• hands-on activities that actually help
• personalization/don’t use techniques that don’t help
• French and Spanish lessons
• learn more about building things
• learn about how electricity works
• biography unit
• technology class
• archeology unit

Chores Around the House:

• making lunch (if we stay at home)
• water indoor plants
• feed the dog dinner, take care of gecko (if I get one)
• start laundry, fold my own clothes
• clean own room
• each person should be in charge of a room in the house to keep clean
• empty kitchen compost bin into outdoor bin
• assist cooking dinner
• dinner table: napkins and drinks, Abby – plates and silverware
• help out Saturday and Sunday morning by talking care of Abby and feeding/letting the dog out
• Fall – help rake, Winter – shovel, Spring & Summer – mow backyard
• babysit Abby (and get paid)
• Be paid for other jobs like babysitting or writing for a magazine

Family:

• at home job for Mom so she can spend more time with us
• “Family Sharing Night” to play board games, watch movies

I LOVED this time we had together! It was amazing to see what my daughter thinks not only about what she wants her life to be like, but I was amazed about her insight into her schooling. She knows what works for her and what doesn’t and she always amazes me with what she wants to learn about.

Well, what do you think? Any ideas on how I can meet her reasonable requests?

We invited Mom, Rita (a family friend) and Sophia, my sister, over for a Mother’s Day brunch.  I made a fruit salad and whipped cream and Chuck went all out with bacon, eggs, and french toast.  It was a wonderful excuse to have family over and to savor a scrumptious meal with some wonderful people!

Mother’s Day, along with a lot of other holidays, is characterized by being too commercialized.  Often people feel the need to buy a card, buy flowers, and/or buy a gift.  In fact, Anna Jarvis, who campaigned for the creation of Mother’s Day, became disillusioned with the holiday less than a decade after the first official celebration.  “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit,” Jarvis complained, dismissing greeting cards as “a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write.”

Today, we didn’t buy a card or a gift, and beyond the food we did not spend money at all.  I think I can say with confidence that my Mom, Rita, and Sophia saw how much they were loved and appreciated!