New

I guess we shouldn't have been surprised. She had been pregnant for a loooong time and she had to give birth sooner or later. Our little Tiger-Lily gave birth to four little kitties last night in Liv's bed while she was sleeping. I was awoken this morning at seven with a gentle poke on the nose and Liv whispering, "Mom. Tiger-Lily had four babies in my bed." I thought it was a ploy to get me out of bed early so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. An hour later she said very quietly, "Mom, you are going to be so surprised. Tiger-Lily had her kittens in my bed." This time I thought, " She wouldn't say that twice if it wasn't true..." so I jumped up and there they were - so little and fluffy. Tiger-Lily must have crawled under Liv's quilt some time in the night. There was blood and muck all over her sheets and her pj's, but Liv was not the least bit fazed. Tiger-Lily looks exhausted and a bit bedraggled but she's a great little mom. She's been lying there nursing them and purring all morning.

The kittens look just like the fuzzy black tom cat that was prowling and howling around our house for months. Two of them are pure black and two are black with tabby faces. These cats are going to be something else if I'm right about their parentage. Houdini is a fierce and fearless tom and Tiger-Lily is a very wild huntress ( a sparrow a day keeps the doctor away).

Cats aren't the only things being born in our house this week. Liv's sea monkeys finally hatched. We had just about given up hope when I spotted tiny tiny tiny creatures swimming frantically around. Liv has named one Leelee and written a story about it. These little things (they are some sort of shrimp I think) have provided lots of opportunities for learning. I'm always surprised by what my kids actually learn from - and how much learning can go on in a very short period of time when they are motivated to learn by their own passions.


OK - so this one wasn't actually born, but it is new to us and is causing quite a stir amongst the neighborhood kids.


Derek was up almost all night last Saturday working on painting this bike for Liv. Derek and I were crazy about it right away but Liv couldn't quite see the coolness of it. She loves it now that all the kids in the neighborhood want a turn riding it. Liv is not one to care about cool. She reminds me of that quite often. When I say things like , "Oh- that's a cool out-fit Liv." She barks back "I don't care about being cool!" I could go on and on here about the freedom un-schoolers have to do what they want - and be who they are... but this is my free afternoon and my sewing room beckons. Only three more hours until Derek and the girls return...