Today is one of my favorite times of the year – the night before Candlemas. Traditionally, Candlemas is a day to celebrate the very beginning stirrings of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It is Groundhog Day, also the day of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord for some of us. Old is yielding to new! In some countries, the first snowdrops, a beautiful little white flower, are emerging from beneath snow.

We think of the first beginnings of light, and a beautiful candle festival helps mark the occasion.  This is a month that is often in the Northern Hemisphere is dark and cold, but if we can imagine a brilliance and radiance into it, it can become a beautiful glimmering light. After all, we begin the month with Candlemas, a celebration of light. We think of the first beginnings of light, and a beautiful candle festival helps mark this occasion.  There are so many ways to make candles, including rolling beeswax sheets, dipping candles, pouring beeswax into half of a walnut shell (and you can push in a little candle in order to have little floating lights, which are always fun for children), and you can make earth candles where you pour a candle and place a wick directly into a hole into the earth.

More than the visible signs of light, where is the light in your heart and home? If you can picture it, think of the most beautiful bubble of light that could surround you and your family. Think of everyone in your family as being happy, healthy, and smiling. This, to me, is the essence of February. Where are your connections with the people you love? If you are searching for community, I would love to hear about your journey! Please leave me a comment in the comment box below.

Having a cozy home is paramount for this time of year. This is a wonderful time to change over your nature table if you have one to mark the seasons.  Flower fairies, branches in water that are budding,  a single candle, perhaps leading up to the markings of St. Valentine’s Day and then a little Lenten dish Garden to begin the beginning of March, as Lent begins on February 18 this year,  are all appropriate. All winter greenery is taken down.

This month we are celebrating:

Black History Month – Of course Black History IS World history and American history and should be in every subject we teach EVERY month, but it’s also wonderful to take a renewed look at wonderful books and biographies this month.  

February 1 – Lunar New Year for those celebrating and also the Festival of St. Brigid

February – Mardi Gras! (until Lent, of course) Fat Tuesday is on February 17 this year with Lent beginning on February 18.

February 2 – Candlemas and also Groundhog Day. You can see a back post about Candlemas here:

February 14 – St. Valentine’s Day (you can see this post about Celebrating Valentine’s Day in the Waldorf Home

February 21- Presidents Day

Lovely things to do with children this month:

Make Valentine’s Day cards ; plan little treats and crafts for Valentine’s Day; make window transparencies; dip candles; roll candles; play board games or card games with your children;  draw, paint, model; whittle wood; make popcorn together; bake together; play in the snow – build snow forts; have snowball fights; snowshoe; downhill or cross country ski;  ice skate on a pond; read and tell stories; build forts inside; take a walk outside in the cold – look for animal tracks or berries or birds or all of the above; knit, crochet, cross stitch, finger knit, spin, sew; sing and make music together – learn some new songs; clean, scrub, dust, work around the house – rearrange furniture; go bowling or find an indoor swimming pool to swim in; write letters to family and friends; write stories together; snuggle on the coach with hot chocolate and marshmellows; cook for a neighbor; find a place of worship to attend and get involved; throw a party; clicker train your dog, cat, or other animal; take care of plants; start seeds indoors when it it is time, grow sprouts in the kitchen or a little microgarden.

Homeschooling –

This is usually a hard month for most homeschoolers. The gray weather in many parts of the country can seem endless! This is actually a great month to get outside if you can – hike, ski, snowshoe, skate. I find this really helps take the edge off!

Plan some awesome things to look forward to for the rest of the year. I will be doing some planning this weekend. Like many homeschoolers around this time of year, I realize we probably won’t get to everything I planned so it’s important to go with what is feasible and not. Children and teenagers are learning all the time and it really does all work out!

February is such a great time to re-assess what is working and what is not.  I have had conversations these past few weeks with several different homeschooling families about when to “do school” during the day.  I don’t think there is a “right” answer; every family is different.  And, because we are also (usually) the chef, driver, housekeeper, keeper of the tone of the home, and hopefully taking care of ourselves (and many of us also hold down an  outside or from  the home job while homeschooling!), we have a lot to consider when crafting a rhythm that works for the family.  Because, really, the homeschooling rhythm cannot be separate from the home rhythm.  

Farm Life- We are beginning a master bath renovation. We have three horses at our farm right now, and cats and dogs and bees. Still hoping for a garden space this spring! Hope springs eternal, doesn’t it?

Work Life– Work is always busy, although summer is the busiest time in general. I am still doing a mix of pediatric physical therapy patients, teenaged and adult pelvic health patients, and lactation patients, so some days it feels like I am all over! I completed a certificate in and became a Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist, dove into infertility to help patients working with fertility issues have a more holistic approach and to fill in the gaps of Western medicine and now am completing a certificate course in hybrid learning because I got a job as adjunct faculty in a hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy program. I am very excited about this, because I will teach from home and fly into campus for the labs, so it is perfect for me. I have an informational session regarding beginning a PhD in March, so wish me luck as I embark on that!

#Rooted! – my word of the year! I feel very rooted in FINALLY, after years of trying, of having my self- care down. It may not be as many hours a week as I would like, but many weeks I do very well with exercise, water, healthy food, and things like craniosacral therapy, massage, and acupuncture. I also am doing much better making time to do things that I enjoy. I felt like when the children were young I was good at that, then there was a lot of fun enjoying their activities, and then things just became stagnant with the aftermath of Covid. I like to read, of course, but also puzzles and coloring and creating art, and seeing friends. My husband and I also have a good time together, and we have had a little more priority on seeing extended family on my side (I don’t have any immediate family on my side left) who live far away for the past few years, which has been great. Sometimes you can go home again!

If you are hoping for community and belonging this year, I think February is such a great time to make that happen. If you are searching for a new homeschooling rhythm, February is here for you! If you need me, I am still doing homeschooling consults for my readers as well.

I hope this is shaping up to be a wonderful year for you!

Warmly,

Carrie