dare I ass*u*me

Ok - so today I woke up ready for a break day which means I have time to see my kid, do some chores, and prep for the next work day. I decided to prioritize and seeing my kid rose to the top of the list. She chose going to the gym together and then working on her costume. While she was the priority I would be lying if I didn't admit that one of the Unprom errands was best done on the way to the gym so she was not quite at the very top of the list.

The errand was going to be a breeze; drop off the It's About Time artwork to Urban Arts and Crafts. They will use their handy dandy Thermofax machine to burn 2 screens while we are getting a workout and then the rest of the day will unfold just as we planned...ummm...no.

I walked into Urban and asked for them to burn the screens (which I have done for the last 4 years for various projects). The owner steps up and politely replies, "oh, I sold my machine about 3 months ago." To which I respond, "No, oh no!!" If I had said what I was really thinking I would have been escorted from the store and I couldn't have used that kind of language on a family blog :( I asked if they had any leads for where I might find another merchant with that machine and they gave me the name of a screen printer, down the rabbit hold I went. I called them immediately and they had no ability to help me. ACK!

A panic rose up inside me. I quickly reach inside my brain for the an internal GPS that I hope can get me to the quickest route for solving this problem. Here is what we know... It is Wednesday. Many people silkscreen. Tomorrow is screening day. Many people silkscreen. Many have RSVP'd. Many people silkscreen. I don't have the supplies to burn my own screen right now. Many people silkscreen, I must find those people and beg them to burn screens for me. We pulled into the Community Center and Hawk went into to workout while I stayed in the car and burned calories with my index finger.

After 27 phones calls and an amazing amount of support from a community of screeners that I never knew existed, I found a woman in Independence who was willing to do this job on short notice. I found her after I had consciously given up panicking, found a lucky penny on the ground, and decided that, if I had to, I would call everyone in the group to say there would be no screening on Thursday.

Her business was in the new Englewood's Art District and I knew it was going to be an interesting exchange when her shop window was filled with treasure chests of various sizes that were all embedded with old jewelry and other found objects. When you held your face close to the window and blocked the reflection with your hands you could see that she also sold t-shirts. She too seemed to be working on priorities.

I dropped off the art. We had a great conversation about art from found objects, Lucas, Kansas and the various uses for E6000. Oh , yeah. We also talked about silkscreening. She agreed to do the job, taught me a few things about how best to prep my transparencies next time around and promised to have the screens done by 10 am Thursday.

I jumped back in the car to head home; and to revisit my own list of priorities. It was a great afternoon. FYI - we got the costume done... well almost.

Day two - 2011

I promise I am not going to have a huge entry each day of prep. I decided to do this blog because each year I can't seem to find the right way to describe what Unprom is exactly. I know for some it is just the event, and that is great. But for many it is much larger and that is what I can't seem to get into words. The blog seemed like a way to archive this event for the kids while also serving as a way to explain this ritual to someone who has never done an Unprom.

Day two was great! Just a few families were able to come but much was accomplished!

My goals for this year are:

• Be more organized
• Follow each project from start to finish (where possible) before beginning something else
• Screen shirts early in the process
• Keep everyone as informed as possible
• Keep a blog

Today the Bringus boys (Chris included) joined in the paper machmayhem and helped to finish some clocks. The clocks used to be word bubbles which used to be clouds which used to be hieroglyphs. Who knows what they will become next year.

None of the paper mache could have been completed without all the paper tearing that was done by Kay and Susan (bummer, no photo). Not the most glamourous work but certainly an essential task! Plus there is no goo to wash off before dashing off to have the braces tuned up :)

Mike and Christy both came by to give aid and ideas. Many of you remember the story of Mike coming to our house in Kearney, measuring the barn once, and then arriving on the day of setup with a 2-story tall Sphinx with glowing red eyes. The whole things fit into the entrance of the barn without a hitch. Last year he constructed the amazing limo that graced the entrance of 2010: A Reel Odyssey.

Christy has been busy designing the prototype for this year's invite. I got a sneak peek at the end of last week and was wowed! I can't wait for you to go to your mailbox and find this gem.

Ann stopped by to talk about her plans for the souvenir bags for this year. A really nice surprise is in store for everyone's hauling needs this time around. All paid members get a souvenir invite. Those who RSVP for Unprom by the deadline get a bag & cd as well.

Ooo this is going to be fun! - Thanks for a great day everyone :)

Day one - 2011

So today was the first "official" day of Unprom prep for the 2011 event. We have gathered a couple of times prior to today but we were just stretching our creative muscles; like a marathoner running to the mailbox 3 weeks before any real endurance is needed.

I got the reminder about prep out later than I had planned. I just returned from 2.5 weeks in the deep woods of Oregon basking in the glory of limited technology. I returned last Wednesday at Midnight and the ludite in me came crashing back to my real life like an Apollo capsule dropping into the ocean with only 2 of the 3 shutes open. It took several days before I could come back into the house and another before I could face email. I want to make all sorts of sincere apologies for not getting the reminder out sooner but I am trying to be less apologetic for being me. Sorry about that :)

First day attendance was low... okay it was non-existent until 4:00 when Cheryl arrived with Mieke and Derek. I was so happy to see them because they distracted me from the small panic attack that I was having about the slow/no start on the first day of prep.

Cheryl and I had some much needed time to catch up. It had been almost 10 weeks since seeing each other and I felt lucky to have her all to myself. We caught up on life, knitting, LEARN business, and my ramblings about this year's Unprom plans. Mieke and Hawkin hung out with/on the horses. Derek busied himself with a creature of another sort. It was a Dr. Seuss meets Dr. Doolittle kind of an activity.

The first day was a great success. Not much got done for the Unprom but much was discussed. The presence of such a friend reminds me that the importance of community always outweighs the demands of the To Do list.

Oh yeah... and Derek and I made this movie:

What the *&$% is Unprom?

Each year our homeschooling group creates an event that is a combo platter of costume ball/carnival/potluck. The Unprom is what we have called it for as long as I can remember. Each year we are motivated by a theme that challenges us to create decorations, music, costumes, food, and games. Several weeks of preparation culminate in an afternoon and evening of community in celebration.

The event originated out of a desire to fill what we (the original group of fledgling homeschoolers that all started this journey of homeschooling about the same time) thought might be gaps in our children's experience resume. As really newbie homeschoolers we pondered whether our kids might pine for things to discuss when their schooled friends conversed about their own "milestones" of youth.

At the time 2 of my own kids were young teens. I had been questioned by schooled relatives about deficits in their social experiences & I didn't have the lead sneakers that I now wear to keep me grounded when I discuss homeschooling with the schooled world. In trying to travel a new path with a very limited map I often found myself reaching for the familiar to guide me. Replicating the status quo with a twist seemed like a good place to start.

With the 2 oldest kids in our small group of secular homeschoolers I started pushing for some of the "milestones" that I thought might help them traverse the social gaps that I had been told that a life of homeschooling would present for my kids. One that always makes the Top 5 list is What about Prom?

Since 2 teens doesn't make for the perfect Prom (especially since they were siblings) we agreed that an all ages event would be the next best thing. We could increase the numbers, fill up a dance floor, and have more than one plate of cookies from which to choose. Thus the first Unprom was born and the void of Prom would be filled by the Unprom.

I realize now that I pushed for the first Unprom due to a fear of lack. Would this choice about our children's education leave them with deficits that they will view as a burden? And though it was conceived for one reason, it has been cherished and continues for completely different ones. The process of building something together that can be celebrated as a community is an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. After 18 years of homeschooling and 10 Unproms, one thing has become very clear to me, our kids have plenty to talk about when the conversation turns to milestones.