Despite Shakespeare’s warnings to “beware the Ides of March”, March lives in my head as this beautiful, peaceful month of new foliage peeking out along with little spring flowers.   A month of wind and gardens to be made.  A month of sunshine tossed with splattering rain and a little wind…but a good month full of shining new possibilities just as spring is beginning to emerge!

This is a month that includes both the solemnity of Lent and also  celebration with remembrances of holy people.  We have the following festivals on our calendar:

March 1- Feast Day of St. David of Wales – He is the Patron Saint of our parish, and I have shared as many stories as I could find about him with our children.  We got to celebrate at a very festive liturgy the last Sunday in February, and we sang all Welsh music and the children’s choirs all processed with daffodils.  It was quite lovely, and set such a tone for this month! Here are two back posts on celebrating with St. David of Wales:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2013/02/28/homemaking-in-lent-inspirations-from-st-david/  and here is one regarding painting:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2012/03/01/first-grade-wet-on-wet-painting-for-saint-davids-day/

March 17- Feast Day of St. Patrick – also so much fun, so many wonderful stories and books for the book box and crafts to do and food to make! You can see this back post on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for ideas, along with ideas for other spring festivals:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/03/03/celebrations-of-spring-in-the-waldorf-home/

Holy Week and Easter – also so big that it has about six back posts or more.  Here is one to start you off about Lent and Holy Week:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2014/04/15/celebrating-lent-and-holy-week-with-children/

March  25 – The Feast of the Annunciation –  which will be marked with our parish

March 30 – St. Innocent of Alaska –  I plan to keep this one simple since this month has a multitude of saints to celebrate and Easter!  However, I do want to talk about the life of this Saint. The Orthodox Church in America has some wonderful resources for children regarding this Saint.

These are a few of my favorite things for the family:

• Making spring and herbal tonics!
• Spring cleaning with natural cleaners and essential oils!
• Deep cleaning and purging of things – getting down to the essential.  I know I am slow to the Konmari movement, but I am looking forward to delving more deeply into this.  If you, like me, you are late to the game and  are wondering what this is, here is a title to start you off:  http://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456883842&sr=8-1&keywords=konmari  …Also, the author’s book “Spark Joy”
• Also, I have plans to look at our outside spaces and outside play toys and see what needs to be removed or added to..

These are a few of my favorite things for small children:

• Beautiful, nourishing spring tales!  Try this back post: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/03/17/favorite-spring-tales-for-the-waldorf-kindergarten/
• Re-vamping the play areas – rotating out toys, re-designing the play spaces themselves so they are inviting.  I really enjoyed this post about one family’s loose part play block corner:  http://www.aneverydaystory.com/2016/03/01/whats-block-area-creating-block-area-open-ended-play/
• Gardening with children – planting seeds, telling stories about the Earth, spending time outside

These are a few of my favorite things for children in the grades:

• Poetry really calls to me in the month of March.  I hope to spend some tea-times reading lovely poetry and memorizing a few poems along the way.
• Making and flying kites
• Making spring toys that flutter in the wind – little sticks with crepe paper attached or rings with trailing streamers to run around with in the wind
• Jump roping rhymes and hand clapping games

These are a few of my favorite things for teens:

• Gardening!
• Volunteering comes to mind for teens in this month
• Hiking and being outside
• Attending plays and musical concerts

These are a few of my favorite things for my own inner work:

• This seems to be a month where I always feel drawn to start a new spiritual study.  I have not decided what study I am going to do this month, but it will be something.
• Examining closely my own prayer life

These are a few of my favorite things for self-care and health:

• Follow-up doctor’s appointments from January and February; dentist appointments
• Getting out and walking every day
• Checking Vitamin D levels through a simple blood test
• Use of chiropractic and massage
• Doing yoga
• Taking time each morning and evening and checking in with myself and how I am feeling.

These are a few of my favorite things for homeschooling:

• Re-vamping the space we are using for homeschooling
• Seeing if there are appropriate field trips
• Planning for fall.  It is wonderful to start now!

Please share with me what is inspiring you this month!

Blessings,
Carrie