Unschooled Musings

Oops...

2012-01-24T19:37:00.000Z

Okay, I'm sorry for not blogging for a few days, I haven't really been on the computer too much and was a little uninspired to blog. But anyway, I'm writing now and that's all that matters :)

So, on Saturday we got 3 new pet ratties! They're 'blue' ones (basically, they're grey. But for some reason the colour is called blue...). We have named them Rupert, Jasper and Noodles, although it is almost impossible to tell which one is who...

Aren't they just adorable? I love having cuddles with them, but they keep going up my sleeve - which tickles... a lot.

I could carry on making this whole post about pet rats, but I won't in case any of my readers don't like them :P

On Sunday and Monday we had what could be called a lazy day, where we played with the ratties, read for a little bit, and played various games.

Today, we've been to a friends house, which was lovely :) We played games, watched a bit of Megamind and Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids and went to the beach, which was good fun despite the rain.

Anyway, I'm off to go and eat my pudding :D

xo, Chelsea

I love you, title reader.

2012-01-18T21:09:00.000Z

Today we visited the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, for the first time in over 4 years. We used to go to the museum at least once week, until it was closed for refurbishment in July 2008, and I for one have greatly missed the place. I used to love seeing the collection of animals, fossils, bones, old pottery and the various other delights they had, so I was really excited when I found out that they had reopened in December.

We decided to pop in and have a quick scoot around to kill time before we had to trundle off to one of the home-ed groups we go to. As we didn't spend long there (around half an hour), I don't have a full opinion on the new look yet, but I shall give you my very first impressions. Upon first entering the museum, there isn't really much of a difference than before the refurbishment (although the walls have been painted bright pink. I don't remember them being that colour before!). The first large room we stepped foot in had glass cabinets all over the walls, and display cases were placed on the floor so there was something to look at everywhere you went. There was even stuff hanging from the ceiling!

I found that the set-up of the objects in the museums collection is slightly confusing. For example, there was an elephant, a giraffe, the skeleton of a whale stood together, with a... grand piano. Yes, it was a beautiful piano - it had roses and other flowers painted all over it, but I didn't understand why it was put with two large animals and a skeleton of a whale. Another thing I was kind of disappointed by was they had put the giraffe together with other objects. Let me explain: Gerald the Giraffe (no, I didn't just make up the name, that is what he's really called), always used to be stood on his own at the entrance to the museum, and the way he was placed on the first floor allowed his head to poke through the second floor of the museum -meaning that you really got a feel for how tall he is. Now though, he's just put there with the elephant, the whale skeleton and the piano and he (sadly) doesn't look so spectacular :(

However, they still have an amazing collection of incredible objects, and I can't wait to go back for a proper look around (when I'll do a 'proper' review with pictures and everything).

After we'd ventured to the museum, we went to one of the home ed groups that is held nearby. We had fun talking to friends, drinking hot chocolate, playing on swings and slides and having a good time in general.

Anyway, I'm off now so I shall 'see' you all tomorrow.

xo, Chelsea

REVIEW: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

2012-01-17T13:36:00.001Z

'Violet has spent years taking part in her mother's elaborately faked seances, putting the rich and powerful in touch with the dead, and their success has brought them a life of luxury they could have only dreamed of and Violet the prospect of a society marriage.

The last thing Violet expected was to start seeing and hearing the dead for real. But now she is haunted day and night by the ghost of a drowned girl who won't let her rest until her murderer is uncovered. Violet must use her talents to unravel the mystery surrounding the girl's death - and quickly before the killer strikes again...'

Ah, I remember the day I received this book clearly - I stepped foot in Waterstones, and my mother saw this very book sat on one of the many shelves they have in the store. She picked it up, gave it to me, and said 'I want to draw something similar to that cover'. And that, dear reader, is how I acquired Haunting Violet.

I'd never heard of this book until that moment, but as soon as I read the description on the back of the book (I believe it is called a blurb), I couldn't wait to read it. And so, as soon as I got home I began my quest to read all 344 pages of it.

I'm not going to lie - I read two chapters of the book and didn't really enjoy it. So, it got put on my windowsill and stayed there gathering dust for about four months until 2 days ago when I decided to pick it up again - and it is now one of my favourite books of all time.

Haunting Violet is set in the Victorian era, a time that has always fascinated me - however, I've always thought of Victorian teenagers to be boring, and very prim and proper. This book, although a work of fiction, definitely made me think otherwise. My favourite characters are Violet, Colin, Elizabeth and Tabitha. I think most people would find the characters to be very relatable to their own lives, regardless of the obvious time difference.

Poor Violet has to deal with her mother being a fraud, her new found ability to see, feel and hear ghosts and a ghost that won't leave her alone until Violet uncovers her murderer. Top it all off with the problem of whether she should marry the rich and respectable Xavier, which would make her mother happy, or the orphaned crossing boy Colin who would make her happy, then I imagine she was in quite a muddle.

Elizabeth is Violet's best friend, a girl who is desperate to be who she wants to be, rather than who her mother wants her to be. I thought Elizabeth was the funniest character in the story. There isn't really much else I can say about her, other than she is madly in love with one of the men staying in the same manor house as herself and Violet.

I love the fact that the book has a very unique plot, it covers a few different genres - it has some horror scenes, some funny scenes and it's a romance too, I love books set in Victorian times, and I love the fact that the killer of the murdered girl that haunts Violet turned out to be someone that I never suspected, as usually I'm pretty good at guessing who killed/stole from/lied to who. Also, I liked that it contained historical facts that were presented in such a way that fitted in with the plot brilliantly.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone that likes ghost stories and historical fiction, and I think it's suitable for ages 13+ :)

xo, Chelsea

(PS: Please read the post below! It's just an update thing that I wrote just before the review :) )

Is anyone there?

2012-01-17T12:22:00.001Z

Okay, I'll admit it. I am officially one of the worst bloggers known to mankind. And I have no excuses, other than I'm lazy, and can't be bothered to blog. I'm hoping people actually still read this, otherwise I'd just be talking to myself - which is the first sign of madness, in case you didn't know.

So what have I been up to since I last blogged (27th of September O.O)?

On October 7th, I went to see one of my favourite bands, Black Veil Brides, in concert. I went with my 14 year old brother, Joseph, and we got kicked in the shin (by over enthusiastic dancers), slapped in the face (by a silly boy who later got taken out of the venue courtesy of security) and got shoved around (by people who wanted to get to the front row. Which didn't work by the way, they just pushed me to the front instead - which I wasn't going to complain about!). But we still managed to have an absolutely incredible time, and it was one of the best days of my life :)

That's a video of them singing 'Fallen Angels', which was the last song they performed on the night. I don't own the video, all credit goes to the person that does!

On the 23rd of November, it was my 16th birthday! I had an brilliant day, and got some lovely gifts from my friends and family. Plus, my mum made me an amazing Alice in Wonderland cake :)

On Christmas Eve it was my brother Joseph's 14th birthday. He seemed to have a good time, and is still enjoying spending his birthday money.

Then it was CHRISTMAS!!! :D It was the most epic Christmas ever, and I was lucky enough to get a new phone, some clothes, some makeup, a board game and some CD's. Then mum and dad gave me and my siblings a special present that we share - an Xbox 360! It's awesome - and I'm slightly addicted to the Guitar Hero games :P

On Boxing Day, it was my sister Tiegan's 10th birthday, so we ate more cake, played games, ate too much chocolate and then went to sleep.

On New Year's Eve, me and Joseph went to our friends house for a party, and then got home and fell straight asleep because we'd had too many late nights what with all the Christmas/Birthday/New Year excitement.

In between these events, we decorated the house, did Christmas shopping, got frustrated whilst Christmas shopping, bought 'secret santa' gifts - although it wasn't very secret, because my siblings kept yelling who they had to buy gifts for, got visited by a naughty fairy named Freckles (don't ask...) and got ill with coughs and colds. Oh, and I dyed my hair blue:

Anyway, I'm off to blog a book review now on a separate post (yes, two posts in a row!) otherwise this post will end up being way too long.

xo, Chelsea

ABC...

2011-09-27T21:57:00.000+01:00

A. Age- 15

B. Bed size- Single :P

C. Chore that you hate- Err... cleaning my room?

D. Dogs- I just love all dogs!

E. Essential start to your day- Coffee. Or tea, but normally coffee.

F. Favorite Color- I go through phases, but right now I love khaki green.

G. Gold or Silver?- Silver.

H. Height- 5'3"

I. Instruments you play- Keyboard, learning guitar!

J. Job title- None, yet.

K. Kids- Cute, most of the time.

L. Live- Devon in England.

M. Mother's name- Julia

N. Nicknames- Chel. My 13 year old brother calls me Vampy sometimes.

O. Overnight hospital stays- Never stayed in a hospital *happy dance*

P. Pet peeves- When people don't match their foundation to their real skin colour. It's just not attractive.

Q. Quote from a movie- Anything from Mean Girls.

R. Right or left handed- Right.

S. Siblings- 4.

T. Time you wake up- I want to say that I wake up at 5.30am every day, but I would be lying. I normally wake up at about 10am +...

U. Underwear? What kind of a question is that???!!!

V. Vegetable you hate- Beetroot!

W. What makes you run late? Perhaps the fact that I stay in bed until ridiculous- o- clock contributes to me running late...

X. X-rays you've had- I've had x-rays done on my teeth.

Y. Yummy food that you make - Risotto, Macaroni Cheese with Cauliflower and Tomatoes, Pizza, Bread, Cakes, Chilli... I love cooking.

Z. Zoo animal- I love all animals! I can't choose :/

Oooh, look what I got!

2011-08-07T16:27:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone :)
The wonderful Cat from Life Through a Cat's Eyes has given me an award! Yay, thank you!

Isn't it pretty? :) Apparently, now I have the award, I have to tell you 7 things about myself. So here goes...

1. I am completely and utterly ~~obsessed with~~ dedicated to the band My Chemical Romance.

2. My 'new' bedroom is going to be vintage/Alice in Wonderland themed.

3. I spend too much time on Youtube, mainly listening to music or watching stupid, pointless videos.

4. I'm not very interesting, as I'm sure you can tell from these facts.

5. I am finding very hard to write down any more things about me.

6. I love rats. I once had 12 pet rats all at once.

7. I like old movies. Especially if they have Audrey Hepburn in them.

Now I have to pass this on to a few people, but most people already have it. So, if you want the award, just take it :p

I'm off to do some baking now.

Chelsea xx

TGDB: Day Two

2011-08-07T12:49:00.001+01:00

Date: 7 August 2011
Starting time: 12.41pm
Mood: Annoyed. My 13 year old brother keeps putting his music on really loud, so I can't really hear mine.
Outside my window: Rain.
I'm thinking: That my brain really is made up of 99% song lyrics XD
I'm reading: 'Rosebush' by Michele Jaffe
I'm listening to: The Only Hope For Me Is You by My Chemical RomanceI'm wearing: A long grey jumper from H&M, black studded denim shorts from New Look, black leggings from New Look and my spotty slippers from ASDA :D

Yesterday, I: Found an artist on Youtube that I adore.
I'm excited for: My birthday. Yes, it's in November. No, I don't care.
I'm sad because: My 13 year old brother keeps putting his music on really loud.
I'm hungry for: Coffee. Again.
The song stuck inside my head is: The Only Exception by Paramore.
I want: some coffee.I love: Skittles sweets/candy.

I loathe: Country music >.<

This week, my goal is to: See my last daybook.

Did I meet last week's goal?: See my last daybook.

Ending time: 12.49pm

TGDB: Day One

2011-08-06T16:05:00.002+01:00

*** I'm doing this daily instead of weekly. Just 'cause I can ;) ***

Date: 6 August 2011
Starting time: 3.57pm
Mood: Tired: I was up until 2am this morning trying to catch a mouse D:
Outside my window: A grey, cloudy sky.
I'm thinking: About a colour scheme for my 'new' bedroom.
I'm reading: 'Rosebush' by Michele Jaffe
I'm listening to: Blood by My Chemical Romance
I'm wearing: Grey skinny jeans from GAP, a sugar skull/skelanimal style top from the basic line at Zara, a black and silver military style coat/jacket from New Look, and my glow-in-the-dark skeleton foot Dr Martens :)Yesterday, I: Started drawing again. And I enjoyed it.
I'm excited for: Getting my 'new' bedroom. I mean, I'm in the same house as before, but I'm having a room all to myself :p
I'm sad because: I'm not sad, at the moment (:
I'm hungry for: Coffee. I drink wayyy too much coffee.
The song stuck inside my head is: Nine in the Afternoon by Panic! At the Disco :D
I want: to go to Alton Towers.
I love: my family.
I loathe: People that are mean to my family.This week, my goal is to: blog daily!Did I meet last week's goal? I didn't set one last week D':
Ending time: 4.05pm

Hello???

2011-05-07T11:04:00.000+01:00

Is anybody there? *looks around hopefully*

Oh phew, YOU'RE here! I'm a happy gal now ;)

I am sorry that I've abandoned you yet again. I know, I know. I'm the worst blogger in history...

So what've I been up to lately? Well...

- I've seen the UK's largest marble run at the House of Marbles. The marble run is called 'Snooki', but for those that were wondering it doesn't have big, poofy hair and overly fake tanned skin (reference to the TV show Jersey Shore):

See? That's it, up there ^^

- I have been witness to many 'Tazzy' smiles (Tazzy is my 6 month old sister Taisia's nickname):

Cute, right?

- I was a Palaeontologist for the day :) Yesterday we all went fossil hunting at Charmouth in Dorset, with some other home educators. I found some belemnite fossils, some fools gold and a rock with pretty crystals inside. I may (or may not) upload photos soon!

Obviously I've done more, but that's the stuff that I remember most :P

I PROMISE I'll try to blog tomorrow!

Chelsea xxo

Buckland Abbey...

2011-02-18T19:06:00.000Z

Hello lovely readers :) I am so sorry that I've abandoned you for so long. So much for New Years Resolutions eh?

Anyway, today we've been to Buckland Abbey, which is a National Trust owned property where Sir Francis Drake used to live. We went with a rather busy home ed group, which was nice.

We all got the opportunity to dress up in Tudor style clothes, and of course I, with my new found love of playing dress-up, took it. I will post photos up soon, but basically I was wearing a long peachy coloured dress that tied at the front, with a creamy-peach, floral underskirt, and a beige shift underneath. I also wore a white cloth hat.

I asked a lot of questions, which is quite unusual for me, and one of the guides said that she had never seen any child quite so interested in plates and cutlery! I took that as a compliment lol!

That's all I can think about writing for now. I'll try and edit this post soon so I can add pictures if I remember.

Thanks for reading, and I will hopefully be a better blogger from now on...

Chelsea xxx

2011-01-03T20:51:00.000Z

Hello there (: How has your day been?

Mine has been good, I've done some Maths, Science & English workbooks, plus played on the Playstation with Callum. I've not been out anywhere, and sadly I didn't get up until 11.00am this morning so practically half of my day was wasted in bed :P Still, it was cosy lol.

Anyway, I'd better go because dear Harry (the cat for those that don't know) is coming to see me, and in order to do that he feels as if he must walk all over my keyboard...

Sorry for such a short, boring post!

Chelsea xoxo

Drawing...

2011-01-02T20:55:00.000Z

Hello again :) I hope that your day has been a good one.

Following on with one of my resolutions, I have been learning to draw! I drew this picture of Edward Cullen from Twilight peering through a wall:

It sparkles in certain light, because I coloured his skin in with a sparkly white eyeshadow. It probably won't stay on for long, but I will love the effect whilst it lasts :D I know the drawing isn't very good, but I am LEARNING to draw and I am very pleased with it.

Other than drawing, I've been making choccie coins and Facebooking for most of the day. I got up at 1.30pm (because I am recovering from New Year's Day). Tomorrow I will start project work.

Bye!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.001Z

Why hello everyone, and a very Happy New Year to you all :) I hope that 2010 was a good one for you, and that 2011 will be even better, with all your dreams coming true.

Anyway, I don't know about you guys, but every year I make New Year's Resolutions (just like millions of other people on this planet, but hey- lots of people don't!). Sure, I'm guaranteed to break almost every single one of them, but I do try. So here are my resolutions for 2011:

- To blog daily. This one is a biggie, because I am a terrible blogger, just incase you hadn't noticed!

- To live, not exist. Because sadly, I am one of those people who sit around on the computer a hell of a lot. And yes, although I do go out and socialise, I'd like to do it more :)

- To do more "written work". I guess I do quite a bit of 'schoolwork', but I can't really prove it, because I never write anything down.

- To learn to draw. Because sadly, I can't.

- To complete at least one story. I don't care if it gets published, but I want the satisfaction of completing one :)

- To complete NaNoWriMo. Last year I sucked.

- To drink more water, because I used to drink loads, and now I don't drink enough :o(

- To be healthier. Just because it's good to be healthy ^^

- To be a nicer person.

- To help around the house more. That includes keeping my room tidy ^_^

So there we go. I probably have more that I can't remember to type out, but I think I have written down my important ones. Let me know your resolutions!

Love,

Chelsea xoxo

Proof that I Socialise...

2010-08-21T11:31:00.003+01:00

It always makes me giggle (and sometimes want to tear my hair out) when people say that home educated children don't socialise. The first thing that I get asked when I tell someone that I am home educated is nearly always "but what do you do about friends and socialising?". Well, to answer this question, I normally just say "I pretty much do what every other girl my age does", and that is either because a)- it is the first thing that pops into my head, or b)- it's the quickest way to explain. BUT, today I will give my precious readers the privilege of a longer answer.

I (as a home educated nearly 15 year old), socialise by going shopping, either with friends or on my own. Now, talking to the shop keeper working in my local co-op store is socialising in some form isn't it? And obviously when I go clothes shopping with friends, that's socialising too. I also socialise by going to various home education groups- we're not locked away under the stairs you know! At these home education groups, we can do various arts and crafts, play hundreds of games- in board game form or roleplay games-, sit and chat to each other, OR, go on various outings to various places together. Why just yesterday, I went to a village near us called Cockington, for a guided walk around Cockington Court, with a home ed group (where surprise surprise- we all socialised!!!). I had a wonderful day, and I learnt a lot. Need proof? Okay then...

Now, I spoke to every single one of those kids, and some of the grown ups too. I don't have any more photos of Cockington, because it was raining really badly yesterday. BUT, can you only socialise with friends? Or can you socialise with family too? Of course you can! We also went to Brixham yesterday, so this picture is of me and my siblings attempting to catch something in some rockpooling nets that we bought the other day. The beach had no rockpools, so we had to make do with the sea instead lol.

And sometimes, we just chill out at home:

We have been to Dawlish Warren and Decoy Park recently, with a home education group. We constantly meet up with friends in our home, and are always invited to go over to theirs. We meet up at parks, historical houses, tourist attractions, and other places of various educational interest. We have "not-back-to-school" picnics, and we are currently planning to have a home educators BBQ. So as you can see, we are not locked away all day, someplace dark. We are not forced to do schoolwork for hours on end. We do happen to get out and about, and meet friends. And we do enjoy ourselves, and have fun whatever we do.

I have the best friends in the world, and I am grateful for every single one of them :)

Chelsea xxx