I asked my daughter if she wanted to make marshmallows with me in the kitchen. She said yes but asked if we could, "wait til after I do my math and stuff?" Yes on the waiting. That afternoon I asked if she would like to watch an episode of our trashy romantic program on the television. She paused and sighed a bit at my persistent slackitude. "Yes, but maybe after I finish this book?"

That evening I was sitting next to my son on a bench waiting for a table for dinner. (Okay, I DID  cook a full hot square meal. But it went very wrong. We had to go out. I'm not totally slack. Sheesh.) I asked what he spent his day doing---other than walking with me and his sister in the woods. He listed: practiced my handwriting, math, music study and "not that much reading." Not that much for him is more than most.

This is unschooling, what comes of internal motivation for our own reasons. No grades. No arguing. No stress. Just learning. Mostly in pajamas.

It turns out, homemade marshmallows are fun and yummy. But don't mix half of them with flecks of crushed peppermint. Because eventually the peppermint starts to drool. And its really not good when your food drools back at you.