Monthly Archives: December 2009

Learning a Foreign Language in Your Waldorf Homeschool

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I found this lovely post on the Syrendell blog here regarding teaching foreign language in their homeschool:  http://syrendell.blogspot.com/search/label/foreign%20language

What a beautiful blog!  Such gorgeous handwork!

At any rate, I wrote a post awhile back regarding foreign language within the Waldorf homeschool here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/02/17/teaching-a-foreign-language-in-waldorf-homeschool/

Part of that post mentions the typical way foreign languages are approached within a Waldorf school:

“In most Waldorf schools, two languages are started in Kindergarten.  Many times the two languages taught are languages that are in linguistic opposition so to speak, for example,  a Romance Language and a Germanic language other than English, or a Romance Language and a Slavic Language.”

In our homeschool, we do Spanish and German.  I admit I am fortunate in several ways in this regard:  we have many neighbors and friends that speak in these two languages that my daughter gets to spend time with, I speak Spanish in a moderately fluent way and can read and write in Spanish, and we live in a major metropolitan area so my oldest daughter  now attends a Saturday morning  German school and also  has a Spanish tutor and a German tutor.  We are also fortunate that our extended family considers languages to be important and are willing to help us with some of  the expenses for this.    My youngest daughter (age 5) just recently gave signs she is interested in Spanish and is trying to speak, so I am reading to her in Spanish and she will start German school as well next fall. 

These are the few tips I can offer for teaching a foreign language the Waldorf way in your homeschool:

1.  If you know the basics of any language, that is enough to get started.  Waldorf teaches through an immersion method, but even if you know a little, you may be able to bring in songs, verses, colors, numbers, weather, names of articles of clothing in the target language via puppetry, drawings on your blackboard and other props.  One source I like for a few rhymes in Spanish are these:

http://www.amazon.com/Deditos-Other-Rhymes-Action-America/dp/014230087X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261626274&sr=8-2

and this one:  http://www.amazon.com/Bilingual-Rhymes-Songs-Stories-Fingerplays/dp/0876592841/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261626341&sr=1-1

A Waldorf resource is Cante, Cante, Elefante:  http://www.naturallyyoucansing.com/books/cante.htm

I don’t have sources like these for German (other than music); many of the verses and songs I am getting are through our school or tutor who are all native speakers.  When the children are old enough to write,( my daughter is in Second Grade), they still play a lot of games and do a lot of singing, but they also have a workbook to follow up with at home.  Her second grade is using  a festival and song book from Hueber and the workbook is from Hueber as well.  This is the website listed on the back cover:  www.hueber.de

2.  Think about what you can offer that affect all the senses in your foreign language teaching.  Can you offer props that involve the whole body, how many of the twelve senses can you include?

3.  Work seasonally.  Many of us are coming up to a cold month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.  Can you work in songs or verses  regarding snow, snowmen, tea time, animals in Winter,  the color white for snow?  Can you use a puppet that would be cold in the snow?  Bbrrrr.

4.  Realize that Waldorf schools  work orally for quite some time before introducing writing and reading in the target language.  Look for the nursery rhymes of that culture, the festivals where you can bake and craft and involve that holiday and culture and language.

5. Realize that true fluency takes repetition and time.  It can take a good five to six years or more for a child to build up true fluency if they are not speaking the language every day.  I expect my children will be fluent in German eventually, but I also know it will take longer than her classmates who are speaking German at home.  Our oldest is doing an excellent job!

Hope this stimulates some ideas for you. 

In the post I wrote earlier this year, I mention the benefits of having any foreign language.  Many people want to do Spanish because it is so functional here in the US, but any language will provide benefits for the brain and compassion for the heart to learn about another culture.  Consider seeing if there is a church in your town that offers services in another language; that might give you a place to start finding native speakers (even if it is not Spanish!)

Hope these ideas are helpful,

Carrie

When Both Parents Need A Break

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I hear the following scenario(s) a lot:  Mom and Dad have a preschooler; Mom is at home: Dad has a lot of commitments: Dad would like to have some time to himself; Mom would like some time to herself and therefore would like Dad to spend some time with preschool-aged child OR Dad would like to spend some time ALONE with Mom but Mom is very attached to their child and finds it difficult to leave.(And I know some mothers who feel Dad cannot handle their child and won’t leave child with Dad or child doesn’t seem to want to stay with Dad).  Whew!  Lots of different things going on here!

I have many thoughts on these scenarios; let’s see if I can sort them out bit by bit.

Scenario #1 – Dad has many commitments. Mom would like a break when Dad gets home but Dad is rather tapped out.

Here are some thoughts:

The first thing my husband said when I said, “Quick!  What comes into your head with this scenario?” was this:   “Life before children is not the same as life after children.  Can Dad back off on some of these commitments for these Early Years?”

Yup, he said that.  No prompting, just honesty!  I love that man!

So, Number One:  BOTH of you look honestly at your commitments  outside the home and ask is it essential or not?  What is essential right now is  raising your child.  That has an expiration date and the time to this child-raising is now.

Also, these times may call for tough choices if all these commitments are economically necessary.  Could you move to something smaller to live in?  Could you go to one car?  Could you cut back anywhere?

Okay, moms, before you get all happy over that (“See honey, I told you so!  You need to be home!”) please consider this:  Dad may need some time to switch gears prior to walking in the door and being handed a child. There may be several ways to handle this:   Dads, can you stop on the way home and work out?  Listen to something that settles you down on the commute home? Or Moms, can Dad have some time when he walks in the door to switch gears – sometimes feeding the children a snack or having a craft at the ready keeps the children from attacking Dad the minute he walks in the door.

And Moms, make home a place Dad wants to come home to.  If all you do is nag and complain, why would he want to be there?  Think about this, meditate on it, pray on it.

The other facets of this scenario to consider include these three things:

1. Many small children really only want their mothers at bedtime unless you have worked to make Dad the main bedtime person.  Bedtime may not be the best time for daddy-child relationship success and yet it is the time of the day when mothers are completely tapped out.

2. So, if the end of the day is everyone (including the adults)  falling apart, it may be your child is completely overtired.  If you have a three or four year old who is not napping, they most likely will be ready for sleep at 6:30 or 7. Stop trying to keep them up to see Dad get home from work at 8 PM unless your child gets up late in the morning.

3.  Moms, if you are that worn out at the end of the day, look back to your rhythm.  Does it have a balance of out-breath and in-breath?  Can you gear your whole afternoon toward bedtime?  Dinner in the crock pot so  you can spend a good amount of time outside in the afternoon?  Switch up the routine so your child has a nice warming bath with a lavender foot massage, warm food, warm bed?  Snore.

Scenario #2 – Dad would like some ALONE time with Mom, Mom is reluctant to be away from child.

I say this a lot  on this blog:  It is Attachment PARENTING, not just Attachment Mothering.  A relationship with your child is not a substitute for the intimate relationship with your spouse.  Check out the back posts on marriage here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/07/27/more-on-marriage-how-do-you-work-with-the-differences/

and https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/10/08/parenting-as-partners/

and https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/17/using-your-first-year-of-parenting-to-fall-deeper-in-love-with-your-spouse/

However, I think there are many ways one can accomplish this without leaving your child with a babysitter.  Much of this hinges on an early bedtime though.

Intimacy needs to happen sooner rather than attempting two hours after a small child falls asleep and is likely to wake up.  This time needs to be a priority for both of you.  The crafting, the computer, the TV, the reading can wait – let those things be the things that are interrupted, not the special time that holds couples together!

Scenario #3 – Dad is ready for a outings with child; Mom and/or child not sure about child having an outing with just Dad.

Mothers, you have to feel secure.  If you loved this man enough to marry him and have children with him, (and assuming things have not changed and you still love and trust this man), please give Dad a chance to do things his way with his child.  You may not choose to take your child to Chik- fil- A for lunch, but if Dad does, let that be Their Thing.  Please do not micromanage their relationship.

Experiment.  Is it better if you leave the house and have Dad and child do something at home or is it better to have Dad and child go out of the house while you stay home?  Can Dad take child for a walk regularly to build up confidence on both sides of the coin before a big date out? 

The other question is how involved is Dad in regular day-to-day care in general – it is parenting by both Mom and Dad that count. 

Dads, be patient. Sometimes you have to get through “mommy-only” phases of development.  As our older two grew, my husband and I had a phrase called “PPW” (Preferred Parent of the Week).  Sometimes the PPW was him, sometimes it was me.  Sometimes it is hard not to take it all personally, but don’t, because it just is.  These phases come and go and pass.

And please, Dad pick things that are not too over–stimulating or crazy for the under-7 crowd.  An under-7 child would be just as happy going to see a construction site for free rather than a huge tour of the museum or a carnival.  Remember that under-7 children, while they love “new” and “special” don’t need to do everything under the sun whilst they are little.  New can be a walk where they see something new, a trip to a construction site, shooting hoops in the park…it does not have to be “big and better and best” to get a child’s attention. 

Just a few thoughts in this subject,

Carrie

The Twelve Days of Christmas

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In times ago, Christmas was celebrated as a festival of twelve days and thirteen Holy Nights.  Christmas Eve is actually the first of the Holy Nights, with the first day of Christmastide being Christmas and then the Holy Nights extend until Twelfth Night on the eve of January fifth (anyone remember Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare?)  January 6 is of course Epiphany.

These Holy Nights, is one of my most personally fulfilling times of the whole year.  It is a very inward time, a time to dream and a time to plan.  I do a lot of reflecting and thinking about what I want to see in my family life during the next year and what I want to see in myself.   I try very hard to schedule nothing during this time, and to have copious amounts of time to just be.  We hike a lot during this period if the weather holds up, and otherwise just enjoy being together.  You can see my thoughts about the Holy Nights and where I was in inner work last year at this time here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/12/24/the-holy-nights/

Some families give gifts on only Three Kings Day, and some give a small gift every day throughout the Twelve Days.  It might be nice to spread out your gift-giving.  This Wikipedia definition has more about these days in general:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_days_of_Christmas

Many Waldorf families mark this time by setting up a path of stars for the Three Kings to travel on to reach the infant Jesus.  Some families make an Advent-type calendar to mark these days.  Some families make a Weather Tree, and have fun guessing what the weather will be like each month of the new year based on the weather of each of the Twelve Days.

This is a great time to play card and board games with your family, to catch up with your family and friends, to grow more intimate with your spouse or partner as you plan and dream together.

Where are you right now in your inner work?  Where are you in parenting and homeschooling? Planning for the next school year (assuming you will be starting another school year in September of 2010) is right around the corner.  Perhaps you can use some time during these Twelve Days to talk finances with your spouse regarding your homeschooling budget.  This is important; there would be expenses even if your children were in school, so you should also be thinking and planning for Spring purchases for Fall.

Where is your house?  Perhaps during these Twelve Days you can consider what projects around the house might need to get done.  Where is your rhythm, your menu  planning?

This is your time to slow down, to take stock.

Enjoy this quiet, introspective time –

Love,

Carrie

“About Curative Education” by Carlo Pietzner

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Have you ever wondered about anthroposophical  curative education?  Here is a nifty little booklet to provide a solid introduction to this important subject:  Carlo Pietzner’s “About Curative Education”.   The lectures given by Rudolf Steiner in 1924 and now collected in “Curative Education”  is the foundation of this movement.  These were twelve lectures given by Steiner regarding specific indications for specific children which grew into curative education.  This little booklet aims to introduce some of the concepts Steiner put forth in these lectures.

Steiner introduced the concept that children and adults who have special needs should be seen as those who have “special tasks to be worked through in a special way.”  There is a thought that these affected individuals are in need of “soul-care”. 

Pietzner writes, “The concept implies  that by appropriate care and practice the soul-activity of a handicapped person can be guided and stimulated to become a mediator between that individuality and his unwieldy bodily nature.  It postulates an intact spiritual entelechy in contrast to a damaged, inadequate or one-sided bodily foundation.  But the soul needs help and support if it is to learn to mediate between its higher intention and its imperfect instrument.  An element of “healing” must become active.  And that is the foremost ingredient in the “special soul-care” that Rudolf Steiner provided.”  Curative education sees individuality as “indestructible”  and that an individual’s uniqueness provides us with ways to help.  An individual never is only the challenges he is facing in body, but himself.  

Curative education takes place in the classroom,  in the home, through daily life and routines.  This was a very remarkable idea in 1924!  Medical care and eurythmy. especially curative eurythmy,  are seen as a hand –in-hand approach with the curative teacher.  The spiritual resolve of this teacher and this teacher’s talent is of the utmost importance.  Steiner lectured as to the extreme importance of the relationship between the teacher and the person with special needs; there is a reciprocating relationship rather than a doctor-patient, caretaker-“suffering”  person.  The inner work and preparation of the curative educator is of utmost importance as this work involves the whole person.

Steiner lectured about this inner work, saying that the curative educator must feel called to this work, that the educator must work constantly to improve themselves and to be able  to connect their own intuit and attentiveness what they observe.   Clear insight is an essential skill, this ability to observe closely and then take it inside and see how one can best help.   “Perhaps the most valid diploma of the anthroposophical curative teacher is his enthusiasm for the experience of truth….That one has “passed” is often disclosed by the smallest event:  A child has mastered a deed long striven for. ….But it is not the achievement – and these are genuine achievements- not this that arouses the enthusiasm.  It is not a question of the success of a subtle training procedure.  Rather it is the confirmation of a specific expectation, of a confident hope that has based itself on innumerable observations.”  But the curative teacher and the  individual take this journey together, and it is always addressed to the individual, not just the symptom.  Remarkable stuff for 1924 and for today.

Pietzner goes on to write that the source of curative education was Steiner’s taking of Goethe’s work further:  “This fundamental source is the teaching of metamorphosis, that dynamic principle of transformation by which the spiritual manifests itself in the physical realm.”  Steiner used the image of the lemniscate to connect the head and metabolic-limbic system, using this as a piece on top of inner work and observation for the curative educator’s use. 

There is more in this little booklet regarding karma and curative education, the curative teacher as a co-creator with co-responsibility, curative teaching as an attitude, not just a profession, but I leave you to read this for yourself and discover the gems in it!

Carrie

Breastfeeding and Dental Caries

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These are some notes I have about this topic and thought I would share:

Early Childhood Caries (ECC)

  • -Formerly known as Baby Bottle Tooth Decay or Nursing Caries
  • -Defined as the presence of one or more cavities in the deciduous teeth in a child aged 71 months or less (LEAVEN, April/May/June 2006)
  • -Recognized as an infectious disease process caused by an overgrowth of microorganisms that are part of normal oral flora.
  • -Streptococcus mutans (S mutans) is thought to be the primary cause.

Three Factors Necessary for Dental Caries:

1. A susceptible tooth – A tooth becomes susceptible through genetics ( leading to pitting/grooving, poor tooth enamel, pH level of mouth low); pregnancy factors ( maternal fever, maternal malnutrition, iron deficiency, lead exposure, stress, antibiotic use). Other risk factors include infants born via cesarean section, prematurity, small for gestational age, infant of smokers.

2. Presence of cavity causing bacteria – Typically transmitted mother to infant or from other adult caregivers, siblings, playmates to infant.

“Reducing the level of bacteria in a mother’s mouth may reduce transmission to the baby.” (La Leche League’s LEAVEN, April/May/June 2006). Ways to do this may include xylitol ( a natural carbohydrate sugar substitute that interferes with bacteria’s ability to stick to teeth), chlorhexidine rinses (this is prescription only, may have side effects, discuss with HCP).

Be aware of the “Windows” of infectivity – 19 – 36 months (although with some children this window can start as early as six months), and 6-8 years of age.

3. Presence of Acid – Decreased saliva flow decreases the protection saliva provides of washing debris away. Children who are mouth- breathers, take antihistamines and/or asthma medications may be at higher risk for caries.

Problems Caused By Caries-

They can be painful and cause abscesses, the ability to eat and chew is compromised, children with dental caries may show “slowed growth rates or failure to thrive”, speech may be affected, if primary molars are lost to decay malocclusion may result, caries may affect self esteem of child. Having ECC is a strong predictor of decay in permanent teeth.

Signs of Decay – White spots on the surface of the teeth, usually on the front teeth, or white lines at base of teeth. This will later turn to brown spots and decay. Dentists recommend a child first visit the dentist by 12 months of age or within first six months of teeth erupting.

PREVENTION of ECC

  • -Non-breastfeeding infants are at higher risk of decay when compared to breastfeeding infants . One recent study of Jahalin Bedouin infants in Israel found that the children drinking bottles had levels of ECC almost two times the infants that were breastfeeding. (from Early Childhood Caries among A Bedouin Community residing in the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem by Livny, Assali, Sgan-Cohen, BMC Public Health 2007).
  • -Human milk is not cariogenic unless another source of carbohydrate is introduced for bacteria to feed on.
  • -Human milk does not decrease the pH of the mouth while almost all brands of artificial milk do – S mutans thrives in low pH
  • -Most artificial milks support high level of bacterial growth, while human milk supports moderate bacterial growth
  • -Components in breast milk, including secretory IgA and IgG play a protective role and slow the growth of S mutans and lactoferrin kills bacteria. Also, the calcium and phosphorus from breast milk are deposited on the tooth enamel.
  • -However, once first teeth erupt and additional foods and fluids are added to the diet, the breastfed infant can be at risk for caries just like any other infant
  • -Also, if the infant is receiving human milk by bottle the protective mechanisms of breastfeeding are compromised.
  • – Fluoride is controversial in treating caries. Some studies suggest flouride decreases the rates of caries from 50 to 70 percent, but other experts cite fluoride as a neurotoxin and that fluoride inhibits calcium absorption. Some holistic dentists are working with Vitamin D or combinations of Vitamin D, Vitamin C and calcium to try to reverse early decay. Vitamin D can be toxic at higher levels, so please discuss this with your HCP.

SOURCES

Early childhood caries:new knowledge has implications for breastfeeding families. Altshuler, A. LEAVEN, vol 42, No 2. April/May/June 2006, 27-30.

Avoiding dental caries. Fowler J. NEW BEGINNINGS, vol 19, no 5. Sept/Oct 2002, 164-7.

Big bad cavities: breastfeeding is not the cause. Reagan L. Mothering Magazine. July/August 2002.

Breastfeeding Beyond A Year

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The facts:

  • The World Health Organization recommends nursing for a minimum of two years.
  • The United Nations Children’s Fund also recommends a minimum of two years.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least a year and for as long after that as is “mutually desirable”.
  • The estimated median age of weaning throughout the world is between three to five YEARS.

Why Breastfeed Beyond a Year?

  • At one year of age, a baby’s immune system is functioning only at 60 percent of the adult levels. A child’s immune system is not fully functioning at adult levels until six years of age. Nursing toddlers grow better and have better resistance to infection.  Some of the antibodies in breast milk actually increase after the first year.
  • Better skin.
  • There is no easier way to comfort a sick child.
  • There is no better way to get nutrition into a picky eating or sick toddler
  • Nursing may help improve the dental arch
  • Comfort nursing can be a fundamental part and advantage of nursing a toddler;  a true temper tantrum tamer!
  • Connection and closeness with your child!

The Myths Surrounding Extended Nursing:

  • “If a child can ask to nurse, there is something wrong with doing so.”
  • “Once a child no longer needs mother’s milk solely for nutritional purposes, there is no sense in breastfeeding.” Or “Your child would eat more solid food if you would just wean him.”
  • “After a certain point, the nursing relationship is more for the mother than the child.” (This is especially said regarding 4, 5 year olds who still nurse)
  • “Extended nursing will spoil a child.”
  • “A toddler who is still nursing is too dependent on his or her mother.”
  • “If you weaned your child, your child would not be (insert behavior here)”
  • “Comfort nursing encourages the toddler to turn to food for comfort”

All myths; if you need help in refuting these myths please, please contact your local chapter of La Leche League:  http://www.llli.org/

Handling Pressure to Wean:

Weaning deserves thought and respect as an important rite of passage in a child’s life.

Please see the other weaning posts on this blog:

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/06/25/weaning-a-child-who-is-over-the-age-of-4/

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/02/04/weaning-with-love/

Happy mothering,

Carrie

Cultivating How To Hold The Space : The Inner Work Of Advent

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I talk a lot on this blog about the need for parents to hold the space for their children, and many families wonder what that would look like or how that would happen.

When I talk about this notion of  holding the space I mean it in a kind way, in a loving way, in an authentic way, but in a way where you are the wall a child can bounce off of.  If you were the Queen, you would not be running around like a chicken with your head cut off (my great-grandmother’s saying!), trying to accommodate three or four children’s wishes and desires of any given moment.   Instead, you would be calm and collected.  You would have a kind way but a Queenly Way.  You would probably think before you decreed something, and you probably would not explain the heck out of yourself.

How can you be the Queen of your home?

If you have children under the age of 9, you are going to know that children under the age of 9 are prone to “emotional excess”, one of my favorite expressions that Donna Simmons of Christopherus Homeschool points out. Children of this stage are beings of will and movement, and you would expect things such as hunger, sleep,  and over-stimulation to play a role in behavior.  And being Queen, you would come up with ways to make life flow smoothly.

Perhaps you would lay out clothes the night before and expect that many children want to be dressed by their mommies even when they are 5.  And you would decide, ahead of time, if this was okay by you or something that would Shove Her Highness Off Into The Moat.  This way you could be proactive about such issues within your home, and not reactive.  You might consider having a rotating menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner so there is no treating The Queen as a short- order cook.  There are many other areas where the thought of thinking and planning ahead could come together for the benefit of your family. 

You would not be swept away by the torrents of wee ones’ tantrums and emotion because you would know your number one job would be to hold the balance when your child cannot hold it for themselves.  This does not mean to be an unemotional  rock, but it does mean you can understand how words can be just words, feelings can change on a dime and if you can just hold on, your child will eventually calm down.  You will understand that you are being a rock for your child to hold onto so the torrent of emotion doesn’t escalate for the child.

Again, this does not mean being unfeeling!  You can hold your child, pat your child, move your child, but you may  not fall apart with your child as they fall apart.  You may not unleash your own torrent of emotion on a small child and expect them to not crumple in front of you.  Behavior that is not fabulous in an under-9 child generally needs to be treated in the same ho-hum tone you would use to ask a child to pick up a book off the floor.  Then you can move into having the child FIX his poor action, because the child is a WILLING and DOING being at this point.  He needs to DO to fix it!  But he cannot fix it if he is falling apart and you are falling apart with him!  He is learning; help him!

For children over the age of 9, as Queen you would realize feelings are predominant.  Feelings were also important before, but feelings were more in an undifferentiated kind of state. Now feelings are so specific!  Being Queen, you would be able to hear feelings expressed immaturely ( meaning not always in a way pleasing to the Queen’s ears!) and still be able to be a calm rock with a ho-hum attitude to help the child learn to fix this challenge!   Feelings can be acknowledged without judgment because most of all,  The Queen is a problem-solver, and if she can model being calm, solving the problem, being respectful, then the child will as well! 

For children over the age of 14, they are interested in your thoughts, in the nature of constructing an argument, in your thoughts and why you think that and how you got there in your thinking.  It is hard!  Don’t you remember being a teenager?

Barbara Coloroso, in her book, “Kids Are Worth It!  Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline” :  “If you are raising adolescents, you are in a high-risk category for a coronary.  You’re up against someone dealing with a major hormone attack:  feet are too big, hands are too big, bodies are too big or too small, voices are up, voices are down, zits are coming out all over their faces.  They come to the front door, all smiles; two minutes later they are in the bathroom crying.  You ask what happened.  “She used my comb.”  “He wore my shirt.”  “She didn’t call like she said she would.”  Are we going to make it through this?  Yes, but we can’t keep hooking in to our kids’ adrenaline.”

A Queen is the Ultimate Helper, problem-solver, balancer, peacemaker.

Can you be that Queen for a day?

Carrie

Cultivating A Rhythm for Your Personal Care: The Inner Work Of Advent

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Hi to all of you wonderful mothers out there!  Today I have some very special thoughts for you!

I am sure you have all heard the saying, “When mama ain’t happy, no one is happy.”  YOU set the tone for YOUR home.  Your home, your words, your gesture, your mood are all the reality that your children know.  They have no idea until they are older all the myriad of choices and reflection of values that go into your style of parenting!

So this flows from you! You are special and wonderful and chosen to be this child’s mother!

And the only way to set the tone in your home is to be able to take care of yourself.  If you are physically not well, emotionally not well, spiritually not well, then how can you run your home well?

So, as part of your inner work for Advent and into the Holy Nights (the 12 Days of Christmas extending from Boxing Day until Epiphany) is to think about these areas and plan:

PHYSICAL HEALTH/OUTER APPEARANCE:  Okay, mamas, when was the last time you had a comprehensive physical check-up?  Dental work?  Do you use any alternative care such as chiropractic, homeopathic, body work?

Are you suffering from depression or chronic pain?  Have you spoken with a health care provider about this at all?

Finally, and I know this can be a sensitive subject, but how are you eating these days?  Do you exercise?  Do you drink water?

One thing my husband said to me the other day was how happy he was that I take care of myself because he had known so many women who let themselves go after marriage and children.  I will be honest with you all, I want to look attractive for myself because I feel better when I feel healthy and beautiful, but I also want to be attractive for him. I think part of being married is that we want to be attractive for each other.

Do you get up and get dressed and feel beautiful every day?  Have you bought any clothes for yourself this entire year? Shoes?  Do you wear skirts at all?  Sometimes just little things make a big difference in how you feel!

It seems as if being a mother often means we take care of everyone else often to our own neglect.  I am asking you to think about these areas and devise a way to put yourself first here and there.  Talk to your spouse or partner about how they can help you make this happen.  This is especially important in homeschooling families where we are always with our children; you need to carve out a little slice for those appointments and exercise.  Get out your 2010 day planner and see if you can make it happen this coming year!

EMOTIONAL  HEALTH:  How are feeling these days?  Do you need a mental health tune-up these days?  Can you do this yourself by getting more sleep, carving out some time for yourself, exercising – or do you need an annual mental health check-up just the same way we need an annual physical check-up?

I am a big believer in support for the journey – support through family, through friends, and yes, through mental health professionals if need be.

One interesting project for you to consider for the New Year is the notion of biography.  The book “Tapestries” by Betty Staley is a really interesting perspective on Steiner’s seven-year cycles for adulthood and I wrote notes to all the chapters of that book on this blog.  This book is well-worth your time; find out where you are, think about where you have been.  Then think about where you will go!

Another thing to consider for your own development is the artistic piece.  Just setting aside one hour twice a week to wet-on-wet watercolor paint yourself can be such a meditative and healing experience!  Think about what artistic work you would like to try and schedule a time!

SPIRITUAL HEALTH:  How do you bring joy into your parenting and your homemaking?  This journey should be one of joy!

For inner work, I recommend exploring any spiritual or religious path you feel drawn to.  I think it is actually important to have something higher to believe in and draw upon, to connect to, as you do this most important work.

We do devotions in the morning and at night, and I also do a Bible study during my Quiet Time  each day.  I also pencil in nights to read Steiner and to study these works.  Every family’s plan will look different, but what is most important is that you have a plan! 

When will your daily time to pray or meditate be?  Children perceive our thoughts and our soul in the very gesture of what we do.  Inner work and striving is such an important piece of all of this!

Make some time for you,

Carrie

Feedback Please!

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At some point in the future I would like to move this onto a website and have it be more than just a blog.  One thing that increasingly concerns me is that there are now something like 400 posts on this blog, and I would like to have more permanent pages so it is easier to find things – maybe pages by chronological age of the child or parenting topic.

I hope at some point in the future to gather some of the scattered information and compose them into e-books as well. 

Any thoughts for what you all would like to see??

This blog got 700-something hits a MONTH in the beginning (last November) and is now getting over 1000 hits a DAY! Now that’s progress!  Thanks everyone!

Thank you for reading!

Carrie

Favorite Waldorf Resource #1: “Joyful Movement”

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Why is this one of my favorite Waldorf resources?

1. Did I mention I am a pediatric physical therapist?

2. Despite the perception that the Waldorf Early Years is one gnome and fairy fest (and I mean that in a loving way, not a snarky way because don’t we all love the gnomes and fairies?), the Waldorf Early Years are truly about working with a child through his or her body.

3. The Early Years are about protecting all of the 12 senses and for developing  the lower four of Steiner’s 12 senses and we do this through the way we act upon the body.

4. Most parents have little understanding of how to bring developmentally appropriate movement to their children.  (HINT:  It is not through organized sports as early as possible, as much as we all love a good baseball or hockey game!)

5. Uh, did I mention I am a pediatric physical therapist? LOL.

That is why this book is so wonderful and one of my favorites. There is nothing else out on the market like it for the Waldorf homeschooling family, and actually ANY parent would be enriched by reading it and implementing the things in this book!

Chapter 1:  Waldorf As Therapeutic Education (with a word about that most famous of topics, Waldorf Guilt!)

Chapter 2:  Creating a Nurturing Environment (Birth- about 18 months; Toddlers-3 Years Old; Ages 3-7; Ages 7-9)

Chapter 3:  Ideas and Advice :Bilateral Coordination/Body and Spatial Awareness (broken up into under age 5 and over age5); Fine Motor Skills for Hands and Feet’; Balance and Coordination (broken up into under age 7 and over age 7); Listening/Silence; Touch; Visual; Warmth; Memory; For Dreamy, Sluggish Children; Calming Down/Centering; Getting Into the Body/Gross Motor Skills; Smell, Taste and Touch At Home; Dominancy of Hand, Foot and Eye; Horseback Riding; Gardening; Being in Nature; Active Math; A Waldorf-Inspired Backyard Assault Course (ages 6 and up)/ A Backyard Obstacle Course; A Summary of Things to Be Aware Of

Chapter 4:  Songs, Fingerplays, Movement, Verses

Including Opening Verses, Closing Verses, Waking Up and Going to Sleep, Giving Thanks, In the Kitchen, Counting and Numbers for Kindergarten/First Grade, Autumn (any age), Winter (any age), Spring, Summer, Nature (any age), Fantasy and Fun, Tongue Twisters, Using the Hands:  Finger Plays and Clapping Games, Movement Verses, Clapping Verses for Older Children and other Ideas,

Chapter 6:  Groups (and yes, it does say Chapter 6 and I can’t find what page Chapter 5 is on as a heading)

This book is 101 pages long, so each section is only a page or a few pages.  And like other Christopherus books, it is spiral bound with paper covers.  (I personally always wish the covers were something sturdier). 

As you can see by the outline of the chapter headings, this book is one that will see heavy use through multiple ages and children, so I feel it is a worthwhile investment to have a book of your own.  

Here is a link to this wonderful book:  http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/bookstore-for-waldorf-homeschooling/publications-for-grades-1-through-5/joyful-movement.html

Happy budget planning,

Carrie