A theme for February

We've talked about how I love a theme. In February I always hit health hard with my kids. I tend to interpret Valentine's Day as a time to cover self love; which has resulted in unit studies and joint reads that cover self esteem, anger management, personal health and hygiene, self regulation, growth mindset etc. Under the theme of passion in February I always cover sex education with my kids too.

In the past we've read, studied, chatted, and researched using a plethora of books over the years specifically in February such as; Usborne's What's Happening to Me? Guy Stuff: the Body Book for Boys, American Girls The Care and Keeping of You Vol. 1 & 2, Celebrate Your Body (and it's changes too), 30 Days of Sex talks for three different age categories, Good Picture, Bad Picture for two different age groups, Own Your Period-A Fact-filled Guide to Period Positivity. Now obviously, I don't limit the conversations to a single time of year but February definitely acts as a heavier catalyst for these conversations. 

[On a side note reader BEWARE, if I figure out how to do affiliate links on books I talk about I will. At the very least you'll be able to see which books I'm talking about in particular by clicking the links. Back in the day I would have taken great pleasure in simply providing a thumbnail type picture that may have or may have not included a link!]

So. 

February. 

It's historically the time the I can come into a set mindset of loving myself more as well. I don't know if I intentionally can't get myself to fall in line health and personal fitness wise during January on principle or if some other hidden psychology is involved. I surely never truly get my act together until February. This year I've got a little ongoing social date with a girlfriend to walk outside two days a week. I'm working on hopping on my Peloton consistently every week too. 

I've been cleaning up my diet and drinking my greens. I can say that since last year I'm down 15 pounds and I'm proud of that. I can admit that I was not putting in the effort and my lifestyle willed it. That has NEVER happened! Since last year around this time we moved to Washington state and we did a full 'do it yourself' move and drove across country with our two vehicles, three kids, and big ass dog. When we got to Washington my husband's job had us both hitting the ground running. When I tell you this was the fastest I've ever gotten our house up and functioning AND involved in our surrounding community, I mean it! It was a whirlwind but we are quite settling into life in the PNW. 

Additionally, being a black woman, my kids being bi-racial, and also homeschoolers we study black history and figures all year long. In February I kick it up a notch; I guess what this really means is consistency. This year we're focused on the Harlem Renaissance. Crash Course on YouTube has some excellent animated videos to kick off the study and from there we delve into the Great Migration, art, music, authors, poets, fashion, figures. It's truly excellent and exciting and unbelievable to learn about this period of time. The 1918's to the 1920's and 1930's; it was the best of times and it was the worst of times- truly!

What are February's like for you and/or your family? Are you more of a January life stacker? Are there traditions or cyclic habits that you didn't even realise you adopted? How are your healthier lifestyle goals coming? 

The Great Courses

I'm wearing out these Great Courses! I've recently wrapped up "Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture." 

I learned so many things about wolf/werewolf legend and lore that I never knew and sometimes was appalled to find out. I also loved all the many references sited throughout the class. It was an excellent starting place for my shifter research to begin and now I have so many references for more resources! When I was a kid I remember that feeling of finishing a book I loved and seeing all the references for other books by that author at the end. When I became a teen sometimes the publisher would include an excerpt from the author or from like authors in the same publishing house. Listening to the course and taking notes on the new references gave those nostalgic vibes. 

Next I happened upon The Great Courses's, "The Real History of Dracula." While I still haven't finished the course it's a great accompaniment to reading Bram Stoker's Dracula with my kids in our little Homeschool Horror Creative Writing Unit Study. The course has been giving me all kinds of little insights to add to our discussions and really has me feeling boss level intelligent while educating my kiddos! 

Honestly, Dracula, can be a tricky read with schoolbag kids due to some of the adult themes going down but I've discovered I much prefer to face challenging topics head on as my kids mature. Literature is a fantastic catalyst for nuanced conversations that might not otherwise happen. It's easy to discuss potentially uncomfortable topics in a way that feels safe and unpressurised. It was doubly charming to hear the creators of the Werewolf course, Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, echo this same sentiment within what I would call their thesis statement on the purpose and importance of the work in the class introduction. It was totally validating to hear!

The last Great Courses that I have in the works, likely to be worked at a snails pace for the foreseeable future is The Great Courses, Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques, taught by James Hynes.  Where the two former classes have a run time of about four and a half hours and the most interactive thing you have to do is listen- maybe jot some notes; this course runs over twelve hours and is stuffed full of concepts a novice pursuing writing can benefit from. 

It's actually a curriculum. A curriculum that you can borrow from some libraries for free, purchase from Amazon or Audible platforms, or even straight from the Great Courses website. Even if you pay out of pocket, it is a highly efficient and cost effective way to gain knowledge into the craft of writing. I decided to work through the material just as if I was taking a class- old school, but at home. The course is split into lessons with exercises, resources, and objectives to complete.

I printed the course materials out (it's almost 200 pages) from the Audible file and put it into a binder (also old school). Next I made myself a little schedule.  The schedule is mine so just like I love to do in my homeschool with the kids, if I want to go down a rabbit trail of learning I can do that. I promised myself I would read any and all resources of interest within the course and truly work on just enjoy the process. Enjoying the process is something I have a hard time doing sometimes. I tend to make my goal about finishing which sometimes can steal the joy from the journey. 

A negative point, thus far, is that a lot of the suggested reading neatly listed at the end of each lecture are works that are out of print, hard to find, or unappealing (mainly due to them being dated). Overall it's only a minor set back being that there are plenty of modern day craft books that I have my eye on or that I even already own and have not read through. I'm sure will suffice as supplements. 

After Lecture 2 one of the books on the suggested reading list was Stephen King's, Salem's Lot. It's a rabbit hole I chose to hop right on down. This book has been on my TBR list for years. So many craft books and classes site King's book in examples or as influence. Aside from his, On Writing, book I have not read a Stephen King novel since I was a teenager. It's been a neat and sobering experience to read his work as an adult. I'm about a quarter of the way through  and getting a bit antsy for things to come together. I feel like I've met every. single. person. in that measly town!

Anyway, as expected the course starts with beginner concepts and then progresses. Right now I'm at the point where we discuss getting into the writer mindset and the lesson also outlines bare bottom objectives like where to start when you actually do start to write and also how to start. Hynes starts out with the stereotypical adages of evocation and Show, Don't Tell. They are concepts that are completely overdone but entirely critical. I expect any standard class offering a comprehensive education in how to write will eventually include them. Hynes provides excellent examples and commentary so I'm not mad about it. 

The beginning lessons were quite exciting to me because I taught similar concepts in my teen co-op class this past November. We had the opportunity to participate in National Novel Writing Month as a class. It was such a fun and enriching experience that every single one of my students utilised and was excited about. I had fun giving the kids writing sprints, teaching them how to specifically start, and rooting out how and when "to show." It was cool to see I was on the right track with my course materials and layout from someone I feel is validated to teach through their credentials and accolades. Me personally, I'm just winging it- figuring things out with no official training!

With The Great Courses there is such a vast variety of subjects to explore. I also have James Scott Bell's course, How to Write Best-Selling Fiction. If I'm not burnt out, I plan to deploy that course next straightaway.  I whole heartedly stand behind the notion that these courses abound in laying the groundwork of research and development within any given subject. I would encourage everyone to use them as a starting source to build upon and give you structure when exploring a topic of interest. I look forward in sharing what I've scratched up through these courses on the blog. 

January good.

I like the general theme of new beginnings that threads through the month of January. So many people balk at a New Year resolution but I tend not to be so sour about folks making changes this month. It makes sense to me. I think it's important to personally evaluate/assess/re-assess. Shouldn't we all eye ourselves with a bare lens of honesty and ask 'what can I do different?' or, 'how can I improve?' January should bring up questions such as, 'What in my life is not quite serving me any longer?' 'What can I do about that?'  I like that at the very least once a year, collectively, folks mindfully and wilfully touch that stone. Even if only for a brief month's time. 

One of the many positive things about being a military family is that it's packed with tangible milestones and the chance to start something new again and again with each job or duty station. As a family, we move every 2-3 years being a part of the military. We've done this for about twenty years now. While we've struggled through some moves and beasted others, overall I still get excited each time we relocate. It's a chance to refine things and try something different on a large scale. It can be revitalising. 

So. 

January. 

It's a great time to reflect and try something new. 

We are doing several something news in the month of January in our household. This new year is an entire season of change and fine tuned recommitment to various things. I've personally re-committed to my writing. I'm back onto studying craft.  I'm locked in with a focus on writing with my students at co-op and even with my children in our homeschool. I have some specific goals; one of which is to focus on completing at least one of my novels this year. 

I enrolled in a paranormal romance writing workshop through AutoCrit that really has me excited and motivated. As a supplement to the workshop, my library lets me have access to the Great Courses for free, so I've been listening to The Real History of Dracula and taking notes. One of the stories I have sitting is actually a shifter based paranormal romance but maybe my writing future holds vampires as well!  If you are an Audible member you have access to The Great Courses, Wolves and Werewolves in History and Popular Culture if you're into that kind of thing. It's next on my list.

It's been fulfilling to make writing fun again through this blog and even with what I'm teaching my children. My eleven year old asked about doing a horror writing course, so I've been creating one for her and my son. I'm utilising RL Stine's Masterclass as a main resource/ spine of the curriculum but we're studying key figures and elements within the genre as well. We've done author profiles, writing sprints, copy work, curated genre research lists, watched videos, read articles, and have been listening to Dracula on Audible together. We are ripping apart and combing through that poor book and it's all been a blast. Secretly, I have to admit, I've been pumped when my kids have started recognising horror devices being employed in a show or spooky scene we're watching on television.

With the way my mind is set up I am always resolving to do something or other and I tend to not be able to let the thoughts go until I jump in and start. Most of the time the obsessions don't singularly hit in January so I start when the spirit moves me. Still this January I finally starting making that homemade pasta I've been thinking about. So far we've had fettuccine, spaghetti and homemade lasagne pasta sheets. My closets have embarked on an editing journey, and I decided to lose thirty pounds for good- though I haven't put a plan in motion on that yet. We'll have to see how many of the new try's become a way of life in our house. I love the different influences we've picked up over the years even though sometimes I do overwhelm myself with all the trying. Still, when the curtain finally closes on my life I will have done it all due to this somewhat annoying trait of mine! I know I'm a Jack of all trades and a master of not a single one- it's a satisfying life trying all the things. 

What type of things have you and your family resolved to do in this new month, new season, and new year?