Sparkling Lauren, a super special sparkling surrogacy and a "gayby"

[Mama Mia]

I'm studying psychology, and one of my professors is also a clinical psychologist. She's a mandated reporter twice over, as a professor and a mental health professional. And she's done some other work where she's a mandated reporter as well. She told my class she felt that there were very few areas of her life where she wasn't a mandated reporter. She acts as a mandated reporter 100% of the time, even if she's on vacation with her husband or whatever.

Also in CA, BTW.

Well yeah, of course, as a human being, especially one who has a lot of training in the impact, you aren't likely to turn a blind eye while kids are being abused in your presence. I was just talking about the legal obligation.

[Blahblah]

New posts. Another hippy rainbow market, handicrafts, drumming circle. Yawn.

And a new campsite. On a farm. Roaming animals. Girls barefoot and approaching horses. As usual.

[Cheetah]

New posts. Another hippy rainbow market, handicrafts, drumming circle. Yawn.

And a new campsite. On a farm. Roaming animals. Girls barefoot and approaching horses. As usual.

I agree that the latest couple were pretty boring... trying to turn a fairly dull campground and rural craft fair into something more interesting... not buying it :-). Maybe if you live nearby and it's the most exciting thing going on...

She's also been posting to FB... questions on what people think about an article on some international parenting practices such as the Danish leaving their babies in prams outside of cafes, and Asian societies that potty-train very young. But with just that... slightly superior tone of "Americans get it all wrong, all the time". And another FB post about conformity equating ugly carrots to kids who are outside of the box...

[flubber]

I agree that the latest couple were pretty boring... trying to turn a fairly dull campground and rural craft fair into something more interesting... not buying it :-). Maybe if you live nearby and it's the most exciting thing going on...

She's also been posting to FB... questions on what people think about an article on some international parenting practices such as the Danish leaving their babies in prams outside of cafes, and Asian societies that potty-train very young. But with just that... slightly superior tone of "Americans get it all wrong, all the time". And another FB post about conformity equating ugly carrots to kids who are outside of the box...

Here's me thinking it looked like a great place to go camping with the kids soon, as they are desperate to go camping! The markets look cool to.

Did notice no Aisha in the horse riding pics though.

She does sound like she's contemplating ways this new baby will be raised though - super unhealthy!

[happy atheist]

It's interesting how defensive she is about educational matters lately. The girls learned how to mount a horse! What a super useful life skill they now have! Especially since they don't generally spend time with horses! That's so much more useful than, say, multiplication.

I'm surprised the horse owner let the girls ride barefoot. Is liability not a concern in Australia?

[Blahblah]

I'm surprised the horse owner let the girls ride barefoot. Is liability not a concern in Australia?

If this was a legit horse riding business there would be regulations and saddles, shoes and helmets would be mandatory. But in Aus we don't tend to get all lawyered up if something goes wrong in a casual situation like this.

Besides, can you really see Sparkles willingly engaging in a legal wrangle and risk putting the focus of anyone in authority on her and the girls and her magnificent parenting skills? Because for sure they'd be asking why she allowed her precious daughters to gallivanting around barefoot near the horses in the first place.

[So Many Lies]

It's interesting how defensive she is about educational matters lately. The girls learned how to mount a horse! What a super useful life skill they now have! Especially since they don't generally spend time with horses! That's so much more useful than, say, multiplication.

I'm surprised the horse owner let the girls ride barefoot. Is liability not a concern in Australia?

What's stupid to me and apparently not evident to Lauren or her stupid faux hippy sycophants is that people who get an education can...wait for it...also go horseriding and also go to museums and galleries it not an either/or thing. It's very frustrating, the tone.

About the horse litigation thing, I'd say it was just a friendly gesture by the owners of the place. Australia isn't particularly litigious in situations like that and also I think there has been law reform limiting claims like that,where the danger is self evident.

[So Many Lies]

She does sound like she's contemplating ways this new baby will be raised though - super unhealthy!

Pretty stupid. It's a bit late for all that now.

[JingersFrumper]

There HAS to be a goon or two somewhere on FJ. If somebody else is (and has plat for search), now is your moment to step up and give us the dirt. (I have lurked there for years so unfortunately I am of no help here.)

I have Plat on SA... I did a quick scan of search results for the poster poopinmymouth, and didn't find anything about the whole surrogacy thing/sparkling adventures related. However, like I said, it was only a quick scan over his last few posts. I'm planning on delving deeper into past posts. If anyone is interested I can summarize any pertinent info I find. He seems to post a lot in the budget/financial forums, at first glance.

Also, I haven't caught up on the Sparkling Adventurous One in a while, yikes, things certainly have taken a turn! :pink-shock:

[thoughtful]

Comment from an admirer of Lauren:

it looks like you guys are in the flow of abundance

Looks like she is in the flow of pretentious affectation! :D

[So Many Lies]

Comment from an admirer of Lauren:

Looks like she is in the flow of pretentious affectation! :D

oh I agree. Load of hogwash. These people are seriously indulging in the flow of magical thinking.

anyway what's so abundant about all this? Looks pretty normal to me. They went to some markets, a gallery and had an impromptu pony ride. Whoopee doo.

[happy atheist]

A new post is up: a day in the life of unschooling.

Aisha looks at some anatomical diagrams (because she had a tick near her ear).

Lauren checks everyone for lice.

Movies on ipads.

Legos = math (yes, even for the 9-year-old)

There is a little bit of reading for Aisha, and some bird identification. That's about it.

Lauren talks it all up like she's a super educator, using all the buzzwords, but the majority of the day is just spent running around outside.

There's nothing wrong with running around outside, and some of the play could be educational, but taken as a whole, there is little-to-no learning going on.

Perhaps my favorite item:

I notice that in browsing through the book, Aisha very carefully holds two pages together. When I ask her about that, she explains that she’s not really comfortable looking at the childbirth photographs on the previous pages. So she skips them! Clever girl.

[ViolaSebastian]

The only reading you see is Aisha reading a graphic novel. :? Aren't at least Brioni and Aisha old enough to be reading 'The Diary of Anne Frank' on their own?

[shedemei]

If Aisha's into graphic novels Lauren could at least incorporate them into her learning.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s?k=the+manga+guide+to

[ViolaSebastian]

I agree, I have no issues with graphic novels in and of themselves or kiddos reading them...just find it worrisome that that seems to pass for the only independent reading she's doing...

[utter solitude]

Anyone else notice the update to the siderail?

"Looking forward:

Europe

Our travels will take us to the northern hemisphere for autumn, but the girls are still hoping to experience snow!

North America?

Funds permitting, we intend to visit in 2016 but won't plan an itinerary until late 2015."

[Cheetah]

If Aisha's into graphic novels Lauren could at least incorporate them into her learning.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s?k=the+manga+guide+to

I love these! My youngest kid (now 9 1/2.... a little older than Aisha) can and does read longer, meatier novels occasionally, but on his own prefers graphic novels and cartoons. He'll read anything with pictures, though, so is just as happy with the Manga Guide to Physics and the Cartoon History of the Universe, etc as he is with yet another Garfield book...

[church_of_dog]

Anyone else notice the update to the siderail?

"Looking forward:

Europe

Our travels will take us to the northern hemisphere for autumn, but the girls are still hoping to experience snow!

North America?

Funds permitting, we intend to visit in 2016 but won't plan an itinerary until late 2015."

I believe both of those blurbs have been on her site for several months now.

[utter solitude]

I believe both of those blurbs have been on her site for several months now.

Probably, but I just noticed it XD

Sometimes I feel like she's living out a childhood dream of travelling the world...

[Trynn]

The diary of Ann frank? Really? I'm not sayin she shouldn't eventually read it, but she just lost her brother and hasn't been allowed to even grieve properly. I don't think I would have her read Ann Frank at this point.

It's a good book, but it's also depressing as hell, which is not what Aisha needs right now.

[utter solitude]

The diary of Ann frank? Really? I'm not sayin she shouldn't eventually read it, but she just lost her brother and hasn't been allowed to even grieve properly. I don't think I would have her read Ann Frank at this point.

It's a good book, but it's also depressing as hell, which is not what Aisha needs right now.

I was disturbed by that, also, especially given their recent viewing of art that equated cow slaughter to the Holocaust... The fact they likely see the two things as equal is disgusting, imo. I don't think they understand at all the context of the Holocaust.

That, and I'm shocked they were playing in/so close to a body of water. I cannot imagine that at least one of the girls is not terrified of water on some level.

[Cheetah]

The diary of Ann frank? Really? I'm not sayin she shouldn't eventually read it, but she just lost her brother and hasn't been allowed to even grieve properly. I don't think I would have her read Ann Frank at this point.

It's a good book, but it's also depressing as hell, which is not what Aisha needs right now.

Not sure about the reading level (haven't read it in years), but emotionally it's a teen-level book, not a story for a 9 year old (or younger...).

[FJismyheadship]

I read it when I was nine, but I wasn't traveling the world with a gypsy mother who couldn't be bothered to properly take care of me, who didn't want me to grieve the death of my brother, and who was also about to give away another brother.

[Mama Mia]

I read it when I was nine, but I wasn't traveling the world with a gypsy mother who couldn't be bothered to properly take care of me, who didn't want me to grieve the death of my brother, and who was also about to give away another brother.

I read it when was nine, everything was fine at home, nothing to grieve and I was a voracious reader who read many books aimed at adults......I still freaked the fuck out and had nightmares for, literally, years. Couldn't stand to hear anything about WWII until well into adulthood. Could not process that level of evil. I would never recommend it for a little kid.

[DaffyDill]

From her recent blog post:

We’re experiencing early spring

Actually, August is still winter in Australia, even though temperatures vary wildly across the country due to it's size, but yep, still officially winter no how much you may not want it to be. â„ï¸

Edit: Being another voracious reader, I read Anne Frank when I was around Aisha's age too, but like the other posters above, I hadn't been through the loss of a baby brother etc. Aisha has.