Fox 21 News Television Interview 1-17-2012

Aly Myles, a reporter for Fox 21 News Television is doing a series on alternatives in education and interviewed Rebekah, Annabelle, and Joel (and JO ANN) at the rink on 1-17-2012. She was especially interested in our style of homeschooling called Unschooling, but was also interested in the kids' intense and busy schedule and life! It was so much fun!

• What is unschooling? - by Aly Myles, Colorado Springs Fox21 News

Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing - Martin Lurther King Day 2012

The weather wouldn't allow us to do downhill skiing, so we settled for a wonderful day together playing in the snow.

The Schneider-Farris Family's Annual Greetings and News

Every year, in December or so, I get a bunch of holiday greeting cards via snail mail. Every year, I have every intention of writing the people who took the time to think of us letters or notes or cards back.

The internet, sadly, had made me very lazy in "that department." It's just easier for me to write one big update and post it on this blog for those who care about the Schneider-Farris family to read. (...I still hope to answer those cards though...eventually...)

Anyway, it's time for another annual summary of what went on with the Schneider-Farris family in 2011.

Actually, 2011 was not the happiest year. It seemed to be a year where we heard about many deaths.




On January 29, 2011, my wonderful mother, Edith Kadison Schneider, passed away. She was 88, almost 89, and had a wonderful life. My parents had just celebrated their 60th anniversary on August 20, 2010. Mom got sick in early September of 2010. We are very grateful she lived so many months after we found out she had cancer.

Then, in the August of 2011, my best friend's father-in-law, Mel Curtis, died. What was really hard on me was that my father had had a wonderful time meeting Mel the day after my mom's funeral. In fact, Mel had cheered him up. Marion was holding Mel's hand (just like in the movies) when Mel breathed his last breath.

I also have another close friend who lost her sister in 2011 and another acquaintance whose young wife died after a long battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. A friend from our Atherton House days lost his mother. We have fond memories of his mom, so hearing about her death made us sad.

Also, in the summer of 2011, my dad's first cousin died tragically when he wandered out of a hospital room after being sedated for a surgery and was lost in the Arizona heat.

Hearing about all these deaths made 2011 just a very difficult year.

The other thing that made 2011 so very difficult, was there was an interruption in my children's ice dance training that made things very uncertain regarding skating altogether. That, along with so much personal sadness, just made 2011 stressful in general.

On a very positive note, all three kids attended Ramah Outdoor Adventure in the summer and had the BEST time! In addition, a huge highlight of 2011 was Rebekah's Bat Mitzvah which took place on June 17, 2011. It was a wonderful experience for Rebekah, but also for our family. My dad came and so many wonderful friends we've connected with in Colorado Springs (both Jewish and non-Jewish) attended. My brother, Billy, and his son Charlie, couldn't come, but his wife Amy and my niece Phoebe came. Rebekah was wonderful and Rabbi Levy who was the rabbi at the time at Temple Beit Torah made everything come out "just right."



We also had a wonderful beach vacation in California in late August and another wonderful vacation with my dad in late December in Colorado. The beach does something to heal the soul and so does playing in the Colorado snow!

I also made a wonderful new friend named Bernice (who is also a rock singer!) who moved to Colorado Springs in August of 2010 from Florida. Her family got to join us for a day at the Schneider family's Colorado vacation home and all of us played in the snow. My dad really enjoyed visiting with Bernice and her family.  We spent Thanksgiving with Bernice's family and it was wonderful!

Earlier in the year, Bernice organized a wonderful hike in the Colorado mountains. I continue to be thankful that our family lives in such a beautiful place!  When I hike in Colorado and see the mountains, I am just so grateful.



We celebrated Rosh Hashanah in the mountains with my dad. Also, Bernice's family came.

We also traveled for skating competitions. Annabelle, Joel, and I and also my dad, went to Indianapolis for the INDY Challenge pairs competition and our entire family went to Midwesterns in Fort Collins and then Annabelle, Joel, and I and also my dad, went to Junior Nationals in Lansing. Annabelle and Joel won the Pikes Peak Classic for Pairs and Dance in September.



As 2012 begins, Annabelle and Joel have increased their training hours. Joel is extremely motivated to do the best he can at pairs this year. The kids have a goal to make nationals, and also master a star lift and double twist. Rebekah is looking for a new skating partner for either pairs or dance since Joel is putting all his efforts into pairs with Annabelle now.

I'm also very excited since I'm going to San Jose, California soon with my best friend, Marion Ennis Curtis, to the 2012 US National Figure Skating Championships! The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships will take place in Colorado Springs in early February, so it's going to be a great time for me to watch skating and write about it!

I continue to love my job as About.com's Guide to Figure Skating and continue to make more skating friends and contacts through Facebook. I absolutely love it when someone "friends me" on Facebook and tells me they are a fan of my articles!  I've been with About.com over five years now!



I also ended up getting another "writing gig." I'm the Colorado Springs Ice Skating Examiner. Getting to also write about local skating stuff in Colorado Springs is so perfect for me. It's great to get paid for writing about skating for both websites. It just seems like the written word keeps flowing out of me and now I have a place to put everything I have to say.

The kids continue to love Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy. Rebekah and Annabelle learned violin and guitar in the Colorado Springs Conservatory program that is included with Mountain Vista enrollment. All three kids continue to take part in fencing with Mountain Vista too. Annabelle got to be in the Parade of Lights again since she took part in Mountain Vista's baton twirling club. Rebekah continued to do Kung Fu. In the Spring, the kids we also involved with Yearbook Club and the Drama Club. Annabelle took part in Mountain Vista's Drama Club in the fall of 2011, and hopes to continue in 2012.



Joel also played hockey again in 2011 at Colorado Sports Center. Joel began his first job in 2011 too: he is teaching learn to skate at the Colorado Springs World Arena. Joel and I subbed the hockey classes there together and Joel also subbed some of those classes on his own.

We also had a blast as a family getting to go to a live Weird Al concert!  Little things (like laughing) make our family so happy.......

Another fun event was attending "The Blessing of the Jewish Pets!"



We also said good-bye to another car in 2011. The little white VW Cabriolet's transmission broke. (That was a pretty bad car anyway...it had no heat and didn't lock, but what could you expect from a $500 car?) We now have a red Dodge Avenger to replace the VW car that at least locks and has heat.

Speaking of heat...our heater in our house went out in April of 2010.  That didn't matter too much in the spring and summer, but as winter came along....brrrrrrrrr!  Blankets and space heaters didn't really help in January or February of 2011, so in March we finally got our heater fixed.  I now appreciate heat!

Anyway...as 2012 begins, I am thinking about happy thoughts and I do hope wonderful things happen to us and others. Happy 2012!