Do you ever feel as if the idea of having a simple, healthy, peaceful family life with joyful and peaceful family members would involve so many things and so many steps that it seems unattainable?

Since I began this blog in 2008, I have had the sole mission of helping families find peaceful parenting in a hectic world. We began homeschooling because we wanted our children to be healthy, so the mission of The Parenting Passageway has expanded slightly over the years to include the ideas of developmental parenting and health leading to peace, and now I even have more ideas about simple living and homesteading for peace and health since we have moved to our farm in 2021.

It sounds like a lot, but it always comes back to what is healthy also promotes peace. If you have smaller children, or perhaps you have much older children like me and feel like you have lost your way a bit from the things that were mainstays when your children were smaller. Let me help you narrow your focus for this month!

If you think about the month, there is a mood to it, a theme, or seasonal arcs. To help you figure that out for your family and where you live, you can always start with the monthly anchor kinds of posts that discuss the festivals of the month and ideas for working with children for the month and adapt it. I have done this for years, but here is the latest one for November 2022: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2022/10/30/november-light/

Here are some ideas for action steps:

My advice is to get a notebook or planner and write down some of the moods, stresses, challenges, joys as you go through this month. It will help you to look back next year and remember that October was always crazy in your family or July was endless or whatever typically happens for you where you are right now. You can’t plan ahead and be proactive and lead your family if you have no idea what happened in the past.

If you are concerned about health, or maybe like me you got into homeschooling or homesteading due to concerns about health in children, try some of the ideas here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2017/11/03/homeschooling-from-rest-the-rhythm-of-health/

This month, I am focused on exercising four days a week ( I use BODI, which was formerly Beachbody on Demand. No affiliation or anything, it just works for me!) and I am still enjoying juicing: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/18/give-us-our-daily-juice/

If you are concerned about discipline, try this very early post (oldie but still a goodie!): https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/10/16/gentle-discipline-as-authentic-leadership/ and this one: https://theparentingpassageway.com/gentle-discipline/

If you are concerned about homeschooling over the holiday season: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2018/03/01/planning-waldorf-simple/ and this one about homeschooling in December: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/12/18/what-to-do-with-homeschooling-in-december/

Creating warmth in your home this month: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2012/11/04/warmth/

Finally, large attitude of gratitude: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/11/23/an-attitude-of-gratitude/

You can follow along in my stories on Instagram for some of the farm projects this month, and bread baking. I would love to hear what you are up to, and if you have an IG account, please drop it below!

Many blessings to you,

Carrie