Category Archives: Family Life

Celebrating The First Week of Advent

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The first light of Advent is the light of stone–.

Stones that live in crystals, seashells, and bones.
The second light of Advent is the light of plants–
Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.
The third light of Advent is the light of beasts–
All await the birth, from the greatest and in least.
The fourth light of Advent is the light of humankind–
The light of hope that we may learn to love and understand.  –  attributed to R. Steiner or to an anonymous author

That beautiful season of waiting and anticipation is here, and I love the slowing down and stillness that occurs during Advent.  In a season full of  often materialistic bigger and over the top, we have a chance to wait the coming of Christ with a realization of our own frailness, and the time to search for own epiphany of what God can do  everyday with the ordinary, with the small, with the weak, with the impossible.  It is a season which demands our attention, our watchfulness, and our slowing down to really be present with our children and families.

Celebrating festivals often starts simply, and traditions deepen over time as the children and the family unit and family culture grows.  Each year layers upon the next, and it is never too late to begin. Continue reading →

Linky Love

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Kara over at Rockin’ Granola is dreaming up some change:  http://www.rockingranola.com/2012/10/dreaming-new-dreams.html#disqus_thread

I will miss Kara’s blogging whilst she is gone; I have always loved Rockin’  Granola

I see Annette has a Martinmas book out here:  http://ourseasonsofjoy.com/seasons-of-joy/martinmas-round-up/  and don’t forget Waldorf Wednesdays!  http://ourseasonsofjoy.com/seasons-of-joy/waldorf-wednesday-11/ Continue reading →

What Is In Your Way Of Being A Light?: Anger and Fear

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(So, this is the kick in the fanny post that is a continuation of the post I just did about showing warmth and being a light for others this season, but from the polar opposite side of the issue.  If you are not in the mood for this, feel free to return for the next post, which will be lighter!  Smile)

Part of parenting, and a huge part of Waldorf homeschooling, is the spiritual journey we should all be on to develop our spiritual lives.  What we are is what we teach our children and what we show the world and how we interact with the world.

Fear and anger cannot drive a family life or a community without ripping it apart, even if you try to cover it up with other happier things. Continue reading →

Warmth

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This is one of my favorite days of the whole year:  All Saints Sunday!   I love celebrating this day, which this year was this past Thursday, the day after Halloween and I love attending church to deepen the meaning of this day, the beginning of a whole season of Light.

I have Roman Catholic friends who remember All Saints Day being a major festival in their year – they got off from school, first of all, LOL, but I do think it is an important day that is now being lost and dwarfed by Halloween.  All Saints Day, to me,  is a very special day to recognize the light that the Saints carried inside of them, that spark of God and the angels, and that we too, carry that light within us.  We have within us the light, the spark of the Divine and when we act with love in full social community, we show not only our higher selves but the thinning of the material and spiritual worlds.

One way we share this light with others is through our warmth.  Emotional warmth is so important.  How do we relate to others?  With judgment, with cynicism?  Do we isolate ourselves instead of trying to be part of a community?  Do we answer our children with love when they speak to us or do we yell at them?  Are we so overwhelmed we find it difficult to share our light and warmth with anyone? Continue reading →

Keeping Healthy Through The Winter

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The winters of 2012-2013 and the 2013-2014 could be particularly frigid, according to some reports. (Here is one I was looking at:  http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/combination-of-factors-could-m/36990).

This is also the time of year when many mothers, especially homeschooling mothers, find themselves in the throws of trying to homeschool, bake, cook, craft, make gifts, visit family and travel…and essentially overextend themselves and get sick on top of all the holiday bustle!  Many homeschooling mothers I know seem to have long-term health issues that affect their immune systems, which really doesn’t help as well!

One of the first things that I find helpful is to make sure warmth becomes a priority.  I love Green Mountain Organics, and I notice they are having a 10 percent off sale on all their warm woolens.  http://www.facebook.com/notes/green-mountain-organics/winter-woolen-sale/166623896683512.  If you are unfamiliar with the importance of warmth, this back post may be helpful to you:   https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/06/warmth-strength-and-freedom-by-mary-kelly-sutton/

Rest is another huge priority; and I think rest extends even past going to bed every night at a decent hour.  I think it also requires Continue reading →

Relating And Connecting

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I absolutely love the book, “Connecting With Young Children:  Educating The Will”, by Master Waldorf Kindergarten teacher Stephen Spitalny.  (If you have not read this book, I really think you should.  Here is the link for it:  http://www.amazon.com/Connecting-With-Young-Children-Educating/dp/1105320820/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351371198&sr=8-1&keywords=connecting+with+young+children+educating+the+will.  It is chock full of wonderful thoughts for the self development of the adult, how to guide small children, and yes, how to work with and shape the will forces of the young child.)

Mr.  Spitalny begins his book with this paragraph:  Continue reading →

Friday Linky Love!

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I have a great list of links for you all today!

 

First of all, I have to say the launch of Atlanta Homeschool Magazine has only added fuel to my fire that Atlanta has a vibrant homeschooling community!   A family in my very own homeschool group partnered up with the magazine to help see it come to life, so I feel very excited for them!  Here is the link where you can check out the premier issue for  free:  http://www.atlanta-homeschool.com/  . 

 

Another wonderful mother  in my homeschool group sent me this link to a gorgeous post from the Fifth Grade Botany block.  There is also a list of botany resources this particular family used in order to put together their block.  Check it out here:  http://homeschoolingwaldorf.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/botany/

 

My oldest is only in fifth grade, and in that time frame of homeschooling, I have seen quite a few families come and go as far as having a homeschool experience inspired by Waldorf Education.  I am thoroughly impressed with Annette, who makes Waldorf work for her, in her Christian home, with her six children.  Love to you, Annette!  Check out her Waldorf Wednesday Link-Ups:  http://ourseasonsofjoy.com/general/waldorf-wednesday-link-up-3/

 

We made these coconut flour muffins; my oldest and I enjoyed them whilst my husband and middle child did not.  I think they are yummy!  http://mexicanwildflower.blogspot.com/2011/10/chocolate-cherry-coconut-flour-muffins.html

 

And, in the midst of moving houses in two weeks and teaching, I am already gathering thoughts for sixth grade next year (and third grade too!)…Here is a lovely link for sixth grade:  http://pinterest.com/queenslace/6th-waldorf/

 

Much love, happy weekend,

Carrie

Inadequate 24 Hours A Day

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I told my husband the other day that on my bad days, I feel like mothering is a stint in being inadequate 24 hours a day.  I can’t meet everyone’s needs; there is no way that  I, as one single faulty human being, can fully meet the needs of the other four people in my immediate family (not to mention extended family and other obligations!)

 

Have you ever felt like that?  I have gone through periods of that in my mothering where I have felt more strongly like that than others, and I am sure you have too. 

 

I am constantly encouraging mothers in this really short season of mothering and especially for my homeschooling mothers to do the best they can to slow down, to not wear so many hats and to simplify things.

 

But even in doing all these things, you probably still are not going to be able to “do it all”.  Doing it all is a fallacy.

 

I can set priorities.

I can recognize that everyone in the family has needs, and I can see who desperately has to have their needs met first or right away and then work down the list.  I can’t meet everyone’s needs at the exact same moment.

I can enlist help – my spouse, my extended family, my neighbors, my intimate friends.

I can help my children learn and take on more responsibility as they grow.

I can set aside time to nurture myself so I can be centered and calm. 

I can allow other people to also nurture me.

 

When we homeschool, I do think we so set that as a priority and give up other things in terms of time and energy…more about that in another post.   It is more important than ever when we parent, and especially when we homeschool, to find the best ways to  simplify, prioritize, delegate, and to allow the family to work as a team.

 

If I can work from this space:

Time and space in the rhythm of the day to allow for connections, and yes, to allow for when challenges occur.

Time and space in the rhythm of the school year to make up any work that didn’t go as smoothly as I originally thought.

Time and space for when life intervenes.

Less hats, less obligations because right now parenting smaller children and homeschooling is the priority.

Doing our best to plan ahead so we have the financial resources available to homeschool and parent. 

A laid-back attitude to know that this is how mothering rolls.

A good sense of humor to address the needs of children in multiple ages.

Our family works as a team, and the children have ways to contribute as well.

To remember to have fun!  This season of mothering is really small.  Fun actually is a priority!!

 

…than life flows more abundantly and more freely, and I can feel free to know life is life, no one can be perfect, and that family life has its ups and downs, its connection and fun.

 

Many blessings,
Carrie

Finding Center

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I am busy reading “A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing The Universe:  The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, And Science” by Michael S. Schneider.  This is a fabulous read, especially for those of you homeschooling fifth graders and up in the Waldorf tradition, where the child moves from movement and form drawing to freehand geometry into geometry with tools.

I was re-reading the first section of the book, on the circle and the number one, and came across this passage:

“Nothing exists without a center around which it revolves, whether the nucleus of an atom, the heart of our body, hearth of the home, capital of a nation, sun in the solar system, or black hole at the core of a galaxy.  When the center does not hold, the entire affair collapses.  An idea or conversation is considered “pointless” not because it leads nowhere but because it has no center holding it together.”

I think parenting is learning how to revolve around our center, and how to find our center again if we loose it.  If our center is kindness, gentleness and self-control, then we have a center to return to in the moment (https://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/01/23/a-guest-post-take-pause-with-the-10-x-7-rule/).  We also then have a center to set our long-term vision around in terms of what drives the decisions in our family.

However, there is another very real and important reason to find our center:   If what we do and say becomes the inner voice of our children as adults, why not practice now?

Say these critical things to your child:

You are so strong.

You are so helpful.

I love you.

Thank you.

I know you can do this.

I am proud of you.

More importantly, show your child that they belong in your family.  That they make you laugh.  That they make you happy and make you  feel joyous.  Give them a smile, a hug, a kiss.  Tell them they are a precious treasure.  Because they are.

And you are too. If you are feeling dragged down, and lower than low about your parenting, your mothering, your life, please fight against those thoughts.  Some of the Early Church fathers had an idea about thoughts such as these; they called them logismi in Greek.  Thoughts that are not beautiful or joyous , helpful or kind are not from the Divine Source.  Don’t let them take you over.  Don’t wallow in them.

Find your center, find your joy again.  Work is a huge help in this.  Meaningful work for ourselves, our children.   A huge part of the Waldorf curriculum, outside of the art and the movement, is work.  Within Waldorf homeschooling, we learn practical skills,  we learn how to do things with our hands to help our family and to help our neighbor.

Find your center of kindness.  Your children can help you work and nurture your home, they can work and help make something for a member of your community who needs it.

You are so strong.

You are so kind.

You are such a good mother.

You make great decisions for your family.

You bring joy to those around you.

Peace,

Carrie

Linky Love

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Here are some links to love today:

From the Lifeways newsletter about gardening with small children throughout the year and different activities for children  from the garden: http://lifewaysnorthamerica.org/about/newsletters-and-articles/how-does-your-garden-grow

From the Lifeways blog regarding focusing on the present and being in the moment, even when going through difficult or challenging times within the life of the family:  http://lifewaysnorthamerica.org/about/newsletters-and-articles/saying-yes-motherhood

enjoyed this post of Melisa Nielsen’s here regarding outside activities and the Waldorf home, and balancing the needs of younger and older children in the family:  http://waldorfessentials.com/blog/2012/06/outsidestuff/

I liked this post about Donna Ashton’s view of color and classrooms in a Waldorf school setting and how that might translate to home:  http://thewaldorfconnection.com/waldorf-homeschool/the-color-of-grades/

I am enjoying the Simplicity Parenting Blog here: http://www.simplicityparenting.com/2012/03/ah-no-thats-our-shopping-errandscleaningvisiting-day/  and a great post for those of thinking about rhythm and schedules for school:  http://www.simplicityparenting.com/2012/01/schedule-unschedule/

Lots of love,
Carrie