Category Archives: Homemaking

Toys! Toys! Toys!

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One of the most common questions one hears in the Waldorf World is about toys –  those beautiful, expensive, wooden, natural fiber toys.  How does one transition into those, what does one do with the plastic toys, how does one handle inappropriate gifts?

Uh, pour yourself a cup of tea and come back, because this is a big subject.

I really respect all the natural toymakers out there and Waldorf sellers of natural toys.  They are wonderful.   (Also, I am not against plastic toys at all, some of them – legos come to mind, some families love Playmobile or matchbox cars).   However, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding toys, before you start adding to your child’s toy collection with natural toys.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you do not need many toys at all.  I wrote a post about this awhile back, why not click over and see if it resonates with you?  Here it is:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/23/holiday-gifts-for-children-how-much-is-too-much/

Kim John Payne also gets to the heart of this in his book “Simplicity Parenting” (for a review see here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/26/favorite-waldorf-resource-2-simplicity-parenting-using-the-extraordinary-power-of-less-to-raise-calmer-happier-and-more-secure-kids-by-kim-john-payne-and-lisa-ross/)  I believe Marsha Johnson also has a wonderful article in her FILES section of her Yahoo!Group (www.waldorfhomeeducators@yahoogroups.com to join) addressing this very topic.  Both of these resources talk about the positive effects of LESS. 

Under this topic, I  have to mention that a beautiful wooden kitchen is still a beautiful wooden kitchen, but a box can be a kitchen, a spaceship, a house, a cave…the possibilities are endless!  So, I guess my point is that whilst I too love the wooden toys and natural toys, do keep in mind that the simplicity of it all should be in toys that can be more than one thing, toys that can transform as a child’s play flows from one thing to another.

Toymaking with children or with your children in mind is also important.  You don’t need a lot of skill to start, and the book “Toymaking With Children” really lays this all out for you:  http://www.amazon.com/Toymaking-Children-Freya-Jaffke/dp/0863153674/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266602196&sr=8-1   Why not consider making your own toys?

The second thing to keep in mind is the age of your child and the development of play, so you know what toys are appropriate and needed.  This way you do not put out all the toys a child from birth to seven will go through at once, but only the ones specific for that age and only a handful so you can rotate them in and out.

Ages Birth – Two- and –a- half:  Their own hands and feet are the best toys in the first year, and perhaps I would add a beautiful mobile or Nature Table to look at.  Around the toddler years, one could add a VERY SIMPLE knotted or  bunting -style doll.  There are instructions on how to make one of these in “Toymaking With Children”  Meredith has a nice post regarding dolls here over at Waldorf Reviews:   http://www.waldorfreviews.com/?p=66

Wooden spoons, pots, bowls are all welcome as well, along with baskets to fill and dump, and also some playcloths to set up a corner in which the child  can hide or rest.  I would also add blocks, pails for the sandbox, a basin to put water in for play. 

It is important that every toy has a home and is cared for with love and reverence.  A doll should be included in your rhythm as part of the family and cared for with love.  🙂  Here is an article from Gateways regarding the relationship of the child to the doll:  http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal_Articles/GW56raichle.pdf

More Notes About Play During This Period:  “Toymaking With Children” has this to say about birth to the third year:  “The adult’s actions are absorbed not consciously but lovingly.  At first, children limit themselves to apparently purposelessly imitative activity.  They go around the room like their mother, picking up things which she has just tided away, only to put them down again somewhere else.  When the mother fills her pot with potatoes, the child fills a basket or cart with building blocks.”

So, being able to show your child some WORK is of utmost importance.

Ages Two-and-a-Half to Age Five:   This is where fantasy and imaginative play really emerge.  The children of this age take the toys and pretend they are whatever they need at the moment – things for a store, things for the farm.  Open-ended toys such as playsilks and clips to make a house is wonderful, playstands are often used at this age, and baskets filled with open-ended objects from nature such as shells, stones, pinecones, etc that can become whatever the child needs in the moment. 

Playing in nature is very important at all ages, but especially at these ages.  Mud, sand, water are all the child’s playground. 

Work hard into picking up WITH your children and making it fun; they will not go and pick up by themselves with just a verbal command.  They are imitating you, and you get to be the leader of a fun game for cleaning up.  Put the time for clean-up into your rhythm.

Ages Five to Seven Years:  A doll with arms and legs to dress and undress is important at this age.  Simple toys and crafts Waldorf sellers that focus a bit more on fine motor skills may be appropriate at this point for those times of inbreath, but time in nature and developing gross motor skills is still so important – can your child ride a bike?  Walk on stilts?  Do the monkey bars?  Swim in the deep end?  Jump rope?  Play hopscotch?

You might be saying, this is wonderful, Carrie but what do I do with all of my plastic toys?

Families I have known have approached this in several  ways.  First, do sort through the toys and discard the ones that are broken.  Your children may  enjoy finding toys to give away to goodwill, but in my experience, many children do not.  Yet, many parents feel badly about going through their children’s toys and donating them.  Sometimes what works is to leave out a few toys and put the other toys in boxes for rotation into the play area.  If you arrange your toy area in a beautiful way, you may be surprised about your children being more content with LESS.  You may even be able to donate a few of those boxes of plastic toys as no one asks for them ever again as some more open-ended toys come in to the space.    I also encourage families going through this to cut back on media and plan some activities outside. Get the children involved in your practical work.  Set up play scenarios to show them how this would work.  Tell them fairy tales, spark their imagination.

Here are a few back posts to help:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/10/29/more-about-fostering-creative-play/

and this one:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/10/05/fostering-creative-play/

Most of all, please be confident!  You are not taking toys away from your children but increasing the quality of their play through the power of less!

Many blessings,

Carrie

Dads Out There?

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Most of what I write is geared toward  mothers, but I am becoming aware of a number of fathers who also come to this space!  Hello to all the fathers out there!  I appreciate you being here!

At the end of last night’s show (see www.thewaldorfconnection.com), a Dad called in asking how to make use of the limited weekday time with the under-7 child.

Families do things all different ways; I have seen families push back bedtimes so the children can play with Dad, have a snack with Dad, etc before bed.  Some children do wonderfully with this and some children go waaaaay off the deep end with this end and the night ends with tears and do better with Dad parenting them to sleep – walking a small child around, singing to their child, back rubs, massages, telling wonderful stories.

I have harped on this time and time again:  you are creating your family culture together.  Parenting is in the doing!  Mothers, give up control and parent together.  You love this man enough to marry him, to have children with him, he is the parent as well!    Mothers  will wail to me,  “But he doesn’t do it the way I do it!”  Uh, yes, isn’t that the point?  There is a place for mothering and fathering and we are thrilled to have both! 

Children need to have their fathers; fathers bring so many wonderful things to the table for children.  I will write more about this in the future, but in the meantime, here are some back posts to read and ponder:

An old favorite: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/01/23/the-necessity-of-mothering-and-fathering/

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/07/27/more-on-marriage-how-do-you-work-with-the-differences/

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/05/18/fathers-and-daughters-part-one/                                                             https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/05/20/fathers-and-daughters-part-two/

Dads and homeschooling:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/12/15/a-letter-to-all-those-dads-undecided-about-homeschooling/

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/01/20/dads-waldorf-homeschooling-and-parenting/

https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/23/when-both-parents-need-a-break/

Love and respect:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/02/06/simple-february-love-for-your-partner/

Dads might be interested in this:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/06/30/rite-of-passage-parenting-four-essential-experiences-to-equip-your-kids-for-life-heading-up-to-the-nine-year-change-and-beyond/

Just to keep you busy!

Blessings,

Carrie

Simple February

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We focused a lot on joy in January, and February is now the month to really look at how simple life can be; how confidence can grow when we intuit onto the right path.  Mothers in my local area have often  asked me how they can gain confidence with their parenting decisions, with the decision to homeschool, with the business of raising a family and creating a family culture.  I think this goes back to making life simple:  what do you feel in your heart?

I live in a large metropolitan area.  When I go to the giant Farmer’s Market, it really strikes me to look around at just the large number of people of all different races, backgrounds, ethnicities in one area.  They were not all raised the same way.  Their culture, perhaps their religion, perhaps their education, all influenced how they became who they are. Their experiences, the people they have loved and the people who have loved them, have all contributed to who they are and how they see things.  We all have similarities, but we all look at things differently.  And for some reason, that brings me comfort.  The world is a big place, there are many ways of doing things,  and certainly I cannot err if I approach things gently and with love and with patience.  I can be  easy with myself, and know that while there may be one path that works well for me, it is not the same for all families and there are many wonderful people in the world raised in different ways…Again, if I am gentle and kind and patient, I am doing the best for my family.

Mothers ask me:  well, but how do I find the right path for my family?  I am just researching myself to death!

I have a suggestion for you!  For February, look at yourself.  We talk a lot about biography in Waldorf, but I also think it is really relevant in parenting as well.  Who are you?  What do you believe?  Why do you believe that?  How have your experiences influenced what you believe?  Your values?  The truth is, the way to gain confidence in parenting  is to really know yourself.  Dig deep. Know what irritates you, what calms you, what and who you love, what matters and what doesn’t.  Know what is essential for you and your family and what is not.  There are only so many hours in the day, and to me, I cannot waste these short hours and days on non-essential things.

Once you decide how your biography plays into things, the essential and non-essential things in your life, then your confidence will grow.  You will also be able to pull one thing out at a time and work on changing that one thing for forty days.  Once you decide what is essential and non-essential, you will handle criticism with confidence.  You will be able to carry on!

Simple days in February!

Many blessings,

Carrie

January Focus On The Home: Meal Planning

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Hi there!  Do you know where your meals are?

A very important part of both La Leche League, Attachment Parenting and Waldorf is a focus on nutrition derived from whole foods.  Waldorf also brings in the concept of warmth through food.

I don’t like to dwell specifically on HOW one should each – that really does make me bonkers and you can see my post when I was ranting about this here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/04/05/the-mini-rant-discussing-food-with-children-under-the-age-of-7/  , but I do think no matter how one chooses to eat, it should involve mindfulness. 

I will at some point post some things about an anthroposophic view of eating, just for fun, but here are a few things to ponder to help you get organized:

First, do you have a menu plan each week?  If you abhor making your own and making the grocery lists that go with it, here are a few options for dinner:

Do you have a plan for breakfasts, lunches and snacks?  If you say that the first snack of the day always involves the grain of the day or is always cut-up vegetables with a homemade dip, this simplifies meal planning.  If you are searching for the grain of the day and trying to incorporate that into your week, try this back post:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/23/steiners-grain-of-the-day/

Melisa Nielsen has a lovely post about her “Snack Tray” here:  http://waldorfjourney.typepad.com/a_journey_through_waldorf/2009/03/behold-the-wisdom-of-the-snack-tray.html

Do have a rhythm as to what day of the week you shop and what you buy when?

For the way we eat, and for those of you who want to eat with whole foods, many times there are no cost-savings coupons available.  I suggest connecting with your local farmers or farmers market and eating what is in season.  I have farmers now to supply any meat my family would eat in bulk, eggs, cheese, raw milk, vegetables and there is a farmer’s market (granted 41 miles away!) where I can buy cases of organic oranges and young coconuts, for example.  Sometimes smaller ethnic grocery stores also have good deals.

If you do shop in a store or at a farm, don’t rush.  This is a great opportunity for your small children to learn in life.  Make a morning of your “market day.”  Too often I see parents rushing through shopping and I wonder why. Nourishing our families in warmth and love should be important enough to teach our children about it in an unhurried manner.

Third, do you have a daily rhythm to how you cook?  I think with small children as much preparation ahead of time is good as many children are not happy around meal time – that witching hour!

Here are some suggestions for dealing with the dinner hour:

  • For those of you who are not eating raw and are cooking things, I suggest using a crock pot for wonderful bean soups and other warm meals.
  • Try feeding the children a small snack whilst you cook.
  • Involve the little ones in your cooking as much as possible – keep your gestures light, warm and loving.  Start dinner early so you have time.
  • Give your children some leftover spices or dough or whathave you to make their own concoctions!
  • Try also setting up a small play scenario near the kitchen so your little ones can weave in and out of work and play.

Please don’t forget that an integral part of cooking is the tender way you wipe the counters down, clean off the cabinets, dry dishes – sing, hum, immerse yourself in the task and your children will see the revernce and love one can find in the ordinary.

Much love,

Carrie

My Plan for Personal Development As A Homemaker

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My own plan for developing myself as a homemaker includes an inner and  outer core.  Let me explain further, and maybe this will inspire you to come up with your own plan.

In Waldorf education, we look at the soul development of the child and what the child needs according to seven-year cycles.  Here are some thoughts for the first three seven-year cycles:

Ages Birth- Age 7:  Gratitude; Goodness, Imitation (the notion of the child as one large unfiltered sense organ taking all impressions in); Rhythm and Balance; Movement and Play

Ages 7-14:  Love; Beauty; love for natural authority for elders; Imagination; Feelings; Art

Ages 14-21:  Duty; Truth; Intellectual Work; Idealism

So, with keeping that in mind, then I look at what I personally need to develop or work on according to the stages of my children and also my own goals for my own inner work.  For simplicity’s sake, I develop this into two categories: an inner and our core, but you could divide it however you would like!  And yes, most of the things of the outer core absolutely do nourish the inner soul, but the outer core things I think of as more the “doing” the “physical” piece with the inner core being more the things “to meditate on” “ponder”.

Here are some personal examples of what I consider Outer and Inner Core:

OUTER CORE:

  • Setting a rhythm that work for my family.  I say this all the time, but it seems to bear frequent repeating:  cut back on your outside activities, cultivate your ability to be home, start with a rhythm around waking/sleeping/rest times and meals, and build up from there. If this all new to you, try the “Rhythm” tag in the tags box for back posts.  It also bears repeating that Life Before Children is not the same as Life After Children.
  • The other outer piece is to develop skills.  Part of Waldorf homeschooling is learning to teach a variety of skills that seem to be rather lost in our society today – knitting, crocheting, all kinds of art, music, singing, cooking, baking, gardening.  If you would like a complete list for what to be working on when your children are under 7 years of age please see the skill list Lovey and I came up with here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/03/09/a-mothers-job-in-the-waldorf-homeschool-kindergarten/

So perhaps you pick just one skill for Fall and one skill for Spring and work on those.  Seek out teachers if you need to, buy that book on the subject, watch that YouTube video.  The point is, once you have identified the skill, you can break it  down into what you need to do to make it happen!

  • Time to be outside and observe the seasons, festival preparations and celebrations that are the marker of your family’s traditions and yearly rhythm.

INNER CORE:

When I think of inner core, I am working toward things that nourish the “soul life” of my home.  I am also thinking of the things that add into our Family Mission Statement.  Here is our Family Mission Statement:

Our family will be a place of KINDNESS, as we love one another, help one another, and are gentle and patient with one another in words and actions.

(“Don’t ever forget kindness and truth. Wear them like a necklace. Write them on your heart as if on a tablet.” Proverbs 3:3 and “Someone with a quick temper does foolish things, but someone with understanding remains calm.” Proverbs 14:17).

Our family will be one of INTEGRITY as we do what we say we are going to do and act in honesty and loyalty to one another.

(“The good people who live honest lives will be a blessing to their children.” Proverbs 20:7)

Our family will be a place of POSITIVE ATTITUDES as we have hope, cheerfulness and encouragement for each other in all situations and challenges.

(“Worry is a heavy load, but a kind word cheers you up.” Proverbs 12:25 and “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, making people happy and healthy.” Proverbs 16:24)

If you need help writing your Family Mission Statement, here is a back post on that: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/05/08/creating-a-family-mission-statement/ 

Your family mission statement can help guide you as to the “intangibles” you need to develop in fulfilling this.  For me, part of kindness is also warmth and  being present.  So  those are the things I choose to focus on and develop in order to fulfill part of our Mission Statement.  Maybe your things to work on are different but I think you can see how this works.

Most of all, KEEP IT SIMPLE.  All of this simply cannot happen overnight; it takes years.  If your children are very small and you are drowning yourself in books and research and plans but no action, I suggest several simple steps:

  • Read Steiner for yourself
  • Pick one main resource for homeschooling help if you are that point (ie, for example, if you are using a Waldorf consultant’s work, pick ONE consultant to follow and consult with!)
  • Pick one skill to develop per semester or year
  • Remember that your own intuition and inner work, along with developing rhythm and being present with your family counts first and foremost.
  • Anything can be done if you break it up bit by bit!

Children, Chores, Housecleaning and Homeschooling

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This post  is for my dear friend Andrea, and also for Molly, who asked in the comment section of this post (https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/03/this-week-in-our-december-waldorf-homeschool/#comments) when and how I got housecleaning, baby care, dog care done with homeschooling.

Great question!  Many of you know I have an eight-week-old, so the answer is this:

One person cannot do everything.

There has to be priorities.  I have been involved with La Leche League for years, and one of the things I have heard repeatedly is “people before things.”

You cannot homeschool and do beautiful main lessons and extra lessons, tend to a nursing baby, cook everything from scratch, make all your children’s clothes, tend to yourself and your husband – and do it all and not be crazy!

Forging close and intimate connections with your children, rediscovering the creativity from a child’s perspective, having the time to play a board game with that eight-year-old, being outside with a preschooler learning to ride a bike,  all takes time.  Children are only small once.  Yes, things still have to “get done”, but we also need to realize this period of time is a SEASON.  It will not be this way forever.  I love gardening, cooking, baking, needle felting and I love my house to be clean – but warm connection with my children is more important right now than those things.  This can be very difficult for those of us who are used to doing everything by hand and having everything a certain way!  Do not treat your children as if they are an intrusion in your work; treat them as the precious gifts they are!

I detailed my housecleaning routine here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/05/11/housecleaning-and-homeschooling/

and will be happy to tell you where I am now:

My morning routine is essentially to grab a fast shower if I didn’t take one the night before, cook a warm breakfast for everyone, throw laundry in and then either run the vacuum cleaner or clean the bathrooms (and if the baby is in the sling it may not be me getting down on my hands and knees to scrub the bathroom  floor!)

We typically go outside and go for a walk or a bike ride and jump rope and then come in and start school.  We then come in and prepare a snack.  School begins and we work in increments of about 20 to 30 minutes and take breaks where the children play and I either make food for lunch or dinner ahead of time or switch laundry or do diaper changes.  After school is finished, before lunch and quiet time, we pick up any toys that are on the floor and clean up the school room.  After lunch and quiet time is when we do any other focused chores (see original housecleaning/homeschooling post).  I plan in preparation time before dinner where we clean up the house again and also prepare food.  We have been home a lot, so we are here and can work slowly and stop with these breaks and be okay with that.  I am also lucky in that my husband is generally home at night and can help with dinner dishes and anything else I really need.  In fact, I am really lucky this month as he has a whole four weeks of paid paternity leave right now!

Baby care happens all the time – the baby usually falls asleep in the sling during our morning movement, and then sometimes he stays in the sling or I can put him down in the co-sleeper for a nap.  He usually takes another nap late morning in  my lap whilst I am homeschooling.  After lunch, we lay down together for another nap and then he takes his fourth nap somewhere in the later afternoon (many times the children are  playing outside in the yard by then).  Some days he is awake a lot of the day, some days he is growing and sleeping a lot.  He nurses on demand, and tends to fall asleep fairly early at night.   We co-sleep, and I try to go to bed by nine so I can be refreshed the next day.  Nursing at night does not usually wake me up, and we may get up once or twice to change diapers but usually he goes right back to sleep after that.  This season will pass, and we will soon be into a more mobile, teeth-getting stage that I am sure will be more challenging.  But, having a basic rhythm  really does help at this point.  Temperament also plays into it as he is a fairly laid-back little guy.  He is held most of the time 🙂 because he will only be this little once and I so love him!

The dog gets walked every night by my husband (she used to get walked by the kids and I in the morning as well, and we will go back to that once the baby is bigger).  I have the kids clicker train her during some of the breaks, and she plays in all the kids’ games (which sometimes involves her getting dressed up in tutus, poor dog!)

The main thing is to not get too excited about it all, it will all get done eventually.  One has to be patient and realize that again, this is a season, it won’t be like this forever and it is okay that  things take longer than before.

The other things that have helped me include the following:

  • To have my children have an early bedtime.  The time after they go to bed is the time I do any last minute cleaning up, folding of laundry, gathering things for homeschool the next day. 
  • To have a quiet time after lunch.  When you homeschool and are with your children all day long, it can become important to have some space and a little break mid-day.
  • To build in time of cleaning up throughout the day, and to generally think ahead regarding food preparation.
  • To really consider what is absolutely essential – for me, it makes me crazy to have things not picked up.  My flat surfaces have to be cleaned up.  The bathrooms can’t be dirty and there cannot be mounds of dishes in the kitchen sink.  So those things are top priority so I can function.
  • Enlist help. Don’t be afraid to ask your spouse to help you, and don’t feel resentful that he cannot read your mind and know what you want done!
  • Less is more. Rotate the toys and don’t put so many out.  Limit access to art supplies that require your assistance.
  • Work in small chunks of time that have stopping points.
  • Keep in mind realistic expectations for each age.  Children under age 7 typically need more than a verbal directive to do something; you usually need to be there to physically help as well.  Don’t verbally ask them to do something while you do something else and then become frustrated they are not doing what you asked!  At the same time, repetition builds habit so do involve your children!

Just a few thoughts,

Carrie

My Notebook

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I started out a long time ago with a “Control Journal” as suggested from Flylady (www.flylady.net).  This is essentially suggested to be a binder with your household routines and such in it.    I still have it, and mine is mainly  now divided into sections for phone numbers,  directories for the neighborhood, some deep cleaning routines/checkliststs and dinner menu plans I printed out from my membership at www.cookingTF.com

Then I read this book during the last trimester of my third pregnancy  (“Becoming The Woman God Wants Me To Be” by Donna Patrow):http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Woman-God-Wants-Me/dp/0800730720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258915978&sr=8-1.  I cannot say I loved all of the advice in the book.  As a physical therapist and someone who took many, many college-level nutrition courses, I was particularly and seriously concerned about the exercise and nutrition advice offered in this book.  But, this book did instill a further inspiration for that “inner work” we are always talking about with parenting and Waldorf homeschooling.  All of us need a “nudge” to keep on track!  I pulled out two other books that were inspiring to me in the past, “The Power of A Praying Wife” by Stormie OMartian ( http://www.amazon.com/Power-Praying%C2%AE-Wife-Deluxe/dp/0736919899/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258916244&sr=1-3)  and this one, The Power of A Positive Mom” by Karol Ladd ( http://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-Mom-Revised/dp/1416551212/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258916301&sr=1-5) .  These two books provide me much inspiration when I need it. I combined some of the things from those books along with the idea of making a binder as mentioned in “Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be” and made a sort of household notebook with sections that also fulfill my penchant for being a prayer warrior and my inner work.

So, when you open up my binder, the first thing you see is my Personal Vision Statement and our Family Mission Statement.  The entire first section is “Power Tools” of inspiring quotes, Affirmations, a page of Scripture Memory Verses, prayer lists for people outside our immediate family and prayer lists for the immediate family.

The other sections are:

Personal:    Our weekly rhythm, Cleaning Routines/Checklists, Evening Routines, to-do list

My Husband (I have personalized daily prayers there for my husband based upon some of the areas mentioned in “The Power of A Praying Wife”)

My Children (separate prayer lists for each of the three children)

Household (seasonal deep cleaning checklists, menu for the week, recipes for the week)

Projects (typically this includes lectures of Steiner’s I have printed out and am in the midst of reading)

A Section for Melisa Nielsen’s “Be A Beacon” Program

I use this binder two to three times a day or more as I pray for people and take some moments in the midst of our busy day to connect to my Creator.

Inner work is so important; if you make this a priority you will reap many benefits in your parenting, your homeschooling and your life!

Blessings,

Carrie

Links for Dangers of Media for Children

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This is a great article that describes the phenomenon of “age compression” as viewed by a Kindergarten teacher and some things she did to combat this:

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/23_03/six233.shtml

Here is an article from TIME:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914450-2,00.html

The sad statistics regarding how much media children are watching:

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/tv-viewing-among-kids-at-an-eight-year-high/

The best antidote you can provide to your children besides the obvious step of limiting media exposure from screens includes providing opportunity for time in nature and plenty of time and open ended toys for imaginative play.

Peace,

Carrie

My Top Three Favorite Crafty Blogs

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I am sure everyone has heard of SouleMama or seen Amanda Soule’s wonderful books, but just in case you have not, here is the blog link: http://soulemama.typepad.com/ 

Another “biggie” with a book to buy for Christmas! http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/

Those are two well-read blogs to check out!  There are many, many others, but I wanted to spotlight a few I really like that I don’t think has as big an audience as some of the others (yet!).  So, for purposes of this post, my personal top three favorite crafty blogs are these (drum roll please!):

1.  http://www.skiptomylou.org/     Skip To My Lou always has great seasonal ideas, along with money saving ideas!

2.  http://www.purlbee.com/      A great source for knitting, embroidery and other handwork ideas.

3.  http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/  New Zealand’s answer to SouleMama!

And this one, especially for Waldorf Handwork:  http://teachinghandwork.blogspot.com/

Happy Browsing!

Carrie

Is Your Home A Sanctuary?

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If you have small children and read this blog, you know the mantra I have regarding the need to entrench your small children firmly in the home and the need for us as parents to be careful about establishing rhythm at home and being happy in the home before we start adding many outside errands or activities.  Part of Waldorf in our homes is learning and practicing many practical life skills for the small child to see and emulate – and how can we do this if we are not home?

One thing to consider with being home is our physical environment.  We probably all have areas of our homes we would like to improve, but being home does not mean we need to have an expensive house or furnishings to be happy.

One of the first things one can do to improve the physical beauty of the home is to seriously look at the amount of stuff and clutter in the home and pare it all down.  Many folks are first attracted to Waldorf because of all those beautiful wooden toys – interesting that Steiner often discussed how the best toys were extremely simple and homemade, and yet we have this cottage industry of many, many toys.  Pare down your toys, the amount of clothes your kids have and how many things you have.  Your small home will seem spacious!

The second thing may be to consider unusual uses of space.  I currently have a lovely school room in my dining room area and my dining room in a sunroom area.  The dining room is more contained for homeschooling (ie, can’t see it from the front door when you walk in) and the sunroom area is larger and visible directly from the front door.  Our breakfast nook area off the kitchen is a also now a playroom to keep the children close whilst I cook or clean.

Paint is something to consider as well.  The right shade of paint can really warm a room and make it inviting.  Evaluate your furniture as well – if you painted this piece of furniture or changed the drawer pulls, would it look totally different?  Many times this is just as good as getting new furniture!  Can you reupholster anything? 

Rugs, curtains and pillows are last.  If you can sew, that is so helpful but even if you cannot, perhaps you can find wonderful thrift store bargains.  Can you take down the blinds and clean them all before you put up new curtains?

Then look at the outside of your house.  Does it need painting?  Pressure washing? Mulch?  Is the front entry inviting? If you enter through the garage can you walk through the garage?  Does the garage need painting?

This is a lot about the physical environment because I think when we are home all day the physical clutter, cleanliness and appearance of our homes can really affect how we feel!

Of course, the most important aspect of the home is the aspect of ensoulement.  Is your home a happy place to be?  A place where your children feel most calm and peaceful? Is it a warm and friendly place?  Is is a place where if a relative fell asleep on the sofa that would be okay and even welcomed?  Does your home attract people to want to come and be in it?

Happy cleaning!

Carrie