Mahowald Bio

I (Eileen) and Felix are excited to travel together to join you in Minnesota. My husband George grew up in Illinois (suburb of Chicago) and I in Massachusetts. Our family resides in Northboro Massachusetts (40 minutes from Boston)

Both of Felix's grandparents grew up in Minneapolis.
Felix asked me last night where his grandpa was buried and I will look into the possibility of visiting his grave.

This is a special trip for Felix and I as I can't recall many events that he and I have ventured alone. We are a family of 5. My husband of almost 23 yrs and our fraternal 10 yo twin daughters will stay home this trip. It is unusual for Felix and I to spend this one on one time together and it is a great gift for me to experience with him.

Felix attended a few years of preschool as my twin pregnancy slowed me down and he sped up as a 2 1/2 yo toddler. That was nearly 11 yrs ago and we as a family and as individuals have grown so much.

At nearly 47 I am finally beginning to get grey hair! lol (sorry but it's so new I'm trying to still realize it!) I am ever grateful for my wonderful husband who trusts my judgement and sponsors my dreams. George's genetics had him grey in his early 30's so for him this is not a realization of middle age! (he's turning 50)
I have known the preciousness of life from a young age. It goes by quick!

I understand how Radical Unschooling can work in preserving inherent qualities of learning and developing as whole individuals. These are things I wish for my family and with the incredible work of people like Joyce Fetteroll and Sandra Dodd I have been able to live my life with my family with more joy and a more open sense of possibilities of who we are and what we do.

We began our journey by gently keeping Felix home from kindergarten as we grew and recovered from a twin birth and toddlerhood. I have always been exhilarated in learning and to be among these fine people in my immediate family is an honor and privilege.

I have a deep sense of gratitude to Joyce Fetteroll as I fell upon her work online as I kept my son out of public school. Her writing on joyful living gave back to me the gift that had begun to deteriorate under societal norms for parenting. Sandra's work has provided me material to synthesize a way of living conducive to preserving my relationships with my husband and my children. I am intrigued by Sandra's work and have gleaned her words for 5 years or more. Her ideas and those she spurs and collects have helped me be a better parent and spouse.

My kids have all learned to read and write naturally without formal practice.

Felix is a full time gamer and has many friends online. He enjoys hosting & traveling to see friends who live at a distance. Felix loves geography. He has recently enjoyed hunting with his dad. Felix has expressed aspirations for selling his many collections of beloved Bionicles and Lego sets on eBay. I suggested that Felix may want to learn some gaming via his laptop among others at the conference and he felt his time would be better spent meeting new people while there! =)

I have a meditation practice, enjoy the Internet, love playing and learning with my kids, walking & talking with my husband, hosting kids & families for play, cooking, cleaning, reading, yoga and the outdoors. I play with Feng Shei and take care of my house plants, outdoor garden and our 2 bunnies and adopted chinchilla. Can you tell I'm a nurturer.

Looking forward to our adventure and mini vacation among Unschoolers. See you soon!