JE> Sounds like you had a ball shopping!!  I had to pay the electric
JE> bill today, so I won't have any extra :( I used to play the bongo
JE> drums when I was younger and I am deaf .  Been deaf since 4 and a
JE> half and loved to play the drums.  I still love drum beats to this
JE> day.  Must be something to do with my indian heritage .  7th
JE> generation mohawk hehe.  My youngest daughter is 8th generation
JE> mohawk and 3rd generation Cherokee.  (1/4 th Cherokee).  She is
JE> going to love learning about her heritage as I plan to explore it in
JE> depth this year.  
Great!!  I'd really like to share info with you about the Cherokee nation as 

am also part Cherokee.. about 1/8 I think.  I think that is so great that you 
can still get the benefit of the drumming... do you go to PowWow's there?  
Having driven through your area lately I am aware how many native resources 
you have.
On the way home I stopped at a wonderful Native American museum in Northern
California... just north of Redwood State Park -- it has displays and info on
tribes from all over the continent.  We plan to go back there in a few 
onths,
though it is an all-day drive to get there from here... quite a nice drive 
through that area, though, with all the redwood forests..
JE> Found a homeschool support group and I like what
JE> they have here, but looks like I am going to have to call the
JE> coordinator tomorrow. :)
How's it going?  I think that because of the school district group I'm in 
ere
I won't be looking for another group.  Already the Pittsburg group has 45+
families and we are planning social outings, like park days and a camping 
rip
and other field trips.  I'm going to suggest Chaw-Se (Indian Grinding Rock 
State Park) for the camping trip.  There is a great Miwuk Indian museum 
here,
with good hands-on exhibits for the kids. :)  There's also two reconstructed 
villages with teepees of cedar bark, and a large onikare (sweat lodge) sacred 
house... there are powwows there every year.  What I really liked was a 
self-guided tour trail that taught the names and uses of many of the plants 
used by the Miwuks.  I'm into plant ID and herbs... and so the trail thrilled 
me but I was really impressed that by the end of the trail even Aaron (my 
homeschooler, age 6) was getting enthusiastic about identifying the plants 
nd
calling them by the right names. :)
Oh, speaking of hands-on exibits for kids, one of the /best/ museums for kids 
that I've ever visited is right in your area -- the Seattle Museum of 
ndustry
and History.  We /really/ had a great time there.  My kids were enthralled by 
the shipping/water industry area and I got to see quite a bit of the rest of 
the museum while they were actively playing in just that one area.  Have you 
been there yet?
JE>  ZR> I figured that since I wasn't having to buy school clothes for Aaron
JE>  ZR> that we  could spend more on education -- and just Cimeron got the
JE>  ZR> clothes this year. 
 
JE> Sounds about right.  The only thing Naomi needs this year/winter is
JE> a new coat!!  Or rather a used new coat as we do most of our
JE> shopping at the thrift stores.
That's good that you shop at the thrift stores -- you can find such good 
eals
there and kids grow out of their clothes so fast!!  I recently got some of 
Cimeron's clothes at a second hand clothing for kids type store -- the 
bargains were incredible and I got some very good name-brand stuff for very 
little money.. :)
BTW, I also have a daughter named Naomi.  How old is your daughter?  My Naomi 
is 15 and lives with my ex-husband, so I can't homeschool her... but it is 
one very nice name. :)  I picked it myself.  :)
Zaynab
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