Category Archives: Uncategorized

Part One: Friendships for Ages 10-11

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Friendships are an amazing (and sometimes challenging thing!) for children of the ages ten to fifteen to really navigate! This week is friend week at The Parenting Passageway, and we will discover what children ages 10-15 really need to make friendships that thrive!

Ten- year -olds really love their friends, and it can be astounding all that a ten-year-old will know about their friends.  While it is true that some ten -year girls are in a dramatic fight with their friends for what appears every minute, many ten -year- olds really appreciate having loyal friends.  If neighborhood friends exist, that is probably the healthiest and most wonderful relationship for children.  Neighborhood loyalty can be strong, and a lot can be learned participating in neighborhood games and large groups.  (Sadly, this doesn’t seem to exist as much as it used to).  Ten is also the age for forming “groups” and  even participating in groups such a Girl Scouts.    Ten generally is not a hugely exlusionary age, although they may “forget” to invite people to a birthday party or their club that they made up – they may not really want that person there, but they don’t want to hurt that person’s feelings or lose that person who is a “friend”.  Lots of people are their “friends” – even if it is just an acquaintance from the next neighborhood over.

What you can do to help:  Talk to your children about how to  be a good friend, what is mean behavior, and what is plain bullying.  Encourage the neighborhood group and lots of outside play.  This is the age of games with rules that the children themselves make up (and break, and change the rules).  No adults should be needed.  If fighting erupts, don’t be dramatic with your child and give it a chance, because they may make up in a day or two.  Particularly if the arguments are amongst those in a neighborhood, it will blow over.  Do not give a child this age a phone!  All these little spits and spats that work out do not need a phone element involved!  If you think your child is being bullied,  try  the tips on this website.  Bullying is  different from mean behavior., and I like  this article because it talks about the difference between bullying and when exclusion is or isn’t bullying.    Social media exacerbates this, so please, do not give your child a phone!

Eleven -year-olds  can be a having a time of sadness and anger in general.  Eleven-year-olds often yell, cry, stomp away, become exceedingly competitive, and act very silly or giggly.  Eleven usually marks the beginning of choosing friends not just because of proximity, but because “we get along”.  Best friends are really important for many (not all) at this age, particularly boys.  Girls may still have more of a group to hang around with.  There may still be quarreling, but most eleven-year-olds can work things out.

What you can do to help:  Have your home be a place where eleven-year-olds want to land and be.  Help eleven-year-olds be outside to play and get physical energy out.  Talk to your child about being a good friend, and also about the confidences and loyalty that go along with being a “best” friend.    If they are super competitive, talk to them about how that fits in (or doesn’t) in being a great friend – does super competitiveness lead to incredible friendships and make people comfortable? When is competitiveness healthy and not healthy?

Later this week we will be talking about friendships for ages 12-13 and then ages 14-15.

Blessings,

Carrie

 

Ideas for Deepening Emotional Health: Ages 9-18

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Waldorf Education does an amazing job laying the foundation for empathy, compassion, kindness, respect for the dignity of each child and each child’s differences as folded within the archetypal journey of the human being.

The view of Waldorf Education regarding tiny children and their large emotions, is to handle the children with compassion, caring,  an extremely solid rhythm that incorporates wholesome foods, rest, exercise, and nature, distraction, pictorial imagery for the early years, and general loving authority by a kind adult in the early grades.  There is  not  so much value placed on the words behind emotions as words  1 – are often parroted back by the child but do not really hold meaning (smaller children tend to think in terms closer to “things are good” or “things are bad”and not much beyond that)  and 2 -the child is a creature of will in this developmental stage rather than thinking in terms of heady strategies of dealing with emotion.  So we don’t expect tiny children to dwell and think on emotions in a heady way.  Instead we expect doing, restitution, good modeling from adults, a wonderful dose of “ho-hum” on the part of the adults.  This is really true throughout the early years and even into the early grades.

We can see temperamental tendencies, of course, even in the early grades,  and work with that through methods relating to each temperament and towards helping children find balance throughout all of their years of schooling.  We also can use growth mindset modeling for our younger children.

However, once a child hits past  the nine year change, I think it is time for more direction instruction  for emotional health.  Some in Waldorf Education may balk at this, as true ideas of causality really don’t hit until the twelve year change, but I think with this generation of children, after the nine year change is a great place to start (so fourth to fifth grade seems about right).  

This is the really fast list I came up with after about ten minutes of brainstorming; I am sure you could add an awful lot to it, but maybe it would give you some ideas for your own family.  As always, take what resonates with you and leave the rest.

Ages 10-12 – Make sure the child can correctly identify emotions in themselves and in others (this can take time; many  children are often not good at reading body language at all ); how to discuss problems/conflict to improve relationships and how to apologize most likely done through modeling and helping children along when there is conflict in a group; more direct conversation about growth mindset; what can I do when I am upset/mad/sad;  how big is my problem scales; thinking like a team;  how to be a friend; difference between being a leader and being bossy (comes up in group work!); activity pyramids for physical exercise

Age 12- The value of challenging oneself (works well with Roman History block of 6th grade); the value of physical exertion for emotional health;  how does conflict escalate; rules for fair fighting; how to apologize; thinking like a team; individual accountability; mindfulness techniques

Age 13/14- Understanding steps to self-care (this ties in well with the physiology block of seventh grade)(if you are homeschooling you need to model this too!) ; beginning work on boundaries;  ethics of hard work (fits in well with some of the Explorer stories); negative self talk and what to do about it; repairing relationships after conflict (see Gottman Institute); dealing with friends; what we think about BEFORE we say something; handling gossip;  areas of the brain and how that relates to how we emotionally react to things; dealing with friendship bullying; filters we can use before talking other than just saying the first thing that comes into our mind; self talk for decreasing anger or anxiety

Age 15- Relationships – narcissistic tendencies and personality disorders – what does that mean for dating or intimate relationships?,  abuse in intimate relationships; talking about effective communication; “I” message starters; setting emotionally healthy boundaries; rules for “fair fighting”

Age 16- Things that can tip/trigger depression; active and negative coping ;  what is passive-aggressiveness and how to avoid communicating like that; help discovering personal strengths and weaknesses;  habits of effective people;  fostering good habits; the teenaged brain; communication regarding sexuality and sexual decisions

Age 17/18 – adulting! ;  secrets of happy couples/intimate relationships; what to do when relationships are hard; dealing with difficult co-workers

Many blessings and much love,
Carrie

From Circle Time To Morning Time All Together

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Circle time is something that is fairly well discussed in Waldorf resources; circle time is indeed viewed as the main focal point of the Early Years.  It is a way to help form the fabric of the social cohesiveness of the classroom, mark the seasonal changes and festivals, work together, and develop all twelve senses.  Even in the early grades, the circle time works on the very foundation of learning and is a way to wake up the body, the voice, and the fingers for a day of developing capacities in learning.  Over the years, circle time often morphs into a physical warm-up time for the upper grades, even in the classroom setting.  Many times this includes going for a walk or physical games for these middle school grades.

In the homeschooling realm,  I have often thought about circle time.  Does it always work with just one parent, one child, and the family dog?  Does it work with children who have large age gaps in the family?  What is the purpose and goal of the circle and how can we meet those goals best in the home environment, which is a different thing than developing a social organism of a classroom.

For the early years, I have maintained for years the importance of circle time I think due to the foundational senses developed in movement and word during this time, but that the heart of the home Waldorf kindergarten may actually be practical work.  There are quite a few back posts on this subject.  I have created my own circles for years for the Early Years and early grades and feel circle time can often work for all children under the age of ten.

Lately, though, I have been pondering something else. If circle time is about developing a social cohesiveness, what are we doing to develop the social cohesiveness of the FAMILY.  We are homeschooling and it is still tempting to not combine children in main lesson work as most of the resources on the market, even homeschooling resources, are developed by individual grade (not as combined grades or ages, perhaps with the exception of the work of Master Waldorf Teacher Marsha Johnson).  Also, what happens when circle time or a gathering time morphs into something else as the children grow up. It is easy to start throwing the morning walk out the window because we have more academic work that needs to get done with more children.

In mainstream homeschooling, there is often an idea of a “Morning Basket” or “Morning Time” in which all family members gather for any of the following: family announcements, spiritual direction, read alouds, poetry, art or music history with composers, etc.  It serves as a market to begin the day, and a time in which the smallest to oldest can participate.

So how would this look in a Waldorf Environment?

This past fall, I tried something new. I wasn’t quite a Morning Time altogether in a sense because I did Circle Time separate for our second grader. We did have some verses to do together, but the main thing I did was pick an area in geography (Africa) and we all worked together, ages 8 to adult, on   all kinds of  fun things together, including music and singing, poetry recitation, making maps, reading aloud, drawing, and painting.  It was fun, and I think it could be a great way to work in some blocks that are either harder to work into the year or the areas where you want information to be constantly reviewed and refreshed, and a way to tie everyone together instead of sending the notion that learning is only for separate times and we are all on such different levels we can’t possibly all learn together.

So, some ideas for transitioning from a traditional Waldorf circle time to a wonderful family gathering time could include prayers from your spiritual tradition, family singing and accompanying instruments, poetry recitation,  read alouds, geography, math fun, and more.

I encourage you to think about how a wonderful gathering time, which could include a combination of circle time for younger and older children and a gathering time for older children with little ones participating as able.

I would love to hear what you do in your family!

Blessings,
Carrie

Four Things To Do In The Year of Crazy

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This year, as many of you know, has been a super tough year on my family.  We began homeschooling for the simple reason of wanting our children to have health in all its forms, and to choose a developmental educational method.  This year, health hit us all in the face over and over as one thing after another happened that involved a sick horse, sick extended family members, and accidents that required lots of follow-up appointments.  I gained a completely newfound  and amplified respect for mothers who homeschool through chronic illness of themselves or their children. The lack of rhythmicy was okay for a few months but honestly drove me (and my children) insane after the first few months.

I think if you homeschool long enough (my oldest at this writing is 16 and a half), at some point you may just hit a year like what we had.  Maybe it is illness or divorce or death or just one thing after another where the hits just keep coming.   In the midst of a year like that, what do you do?

Let Go.  I think the biggest thing I learned this year is to let go.  I thought I was letting go since my some of the children are older, but what I learned is that just by being physically here there is a lot I normally do and don’t think about it.  When I physically wasn’t present due to having to be in hospitals or meeting health care team members, they really had to step up. I always thought they were fairly independent and good at taking charge of household things, but I learned that they could pull it out without any supervision when they needed to. I also learned that I am still doing an awful lot that I probably need to just let go even when things are calmer.

I let go of things that normally  would bother me or seem like a big deal, extending down to end of year activities at this moment that in the past would seem stressful. I simply haven’t even been physically at home sometimes when my kids were.  I was out of state or out of town dealing with medical emergencies.  This year,  things such as end of year things that would normally be a bigger deal to get everything right and ready  are really no big deal  in the scheme of things.  To the things that normally would bother me in the scheme of dealing with teenagers, I asked myself, is it fatal?  Is it so unhealthful that I can’t stand it or is it something we will survive?  Can it be there with limits?  Let it go. Inner work is perhaps the biggest help here.  Pause and listen.

Find rhythm where you can.  In the beginning of some of these things, there was no rhythm.  We were needed  or I was needed at places daily in the middle of the day or the morning.  It didn’t feel like  much was happening as far as the academic end of school unless my students could do it on their own.  I set very small goals for schooling, and just felt that any little step was a step forward in our original plans.  It also helped that in general I plan less weeks and less days because I know life happens and I otherwise am too ambitious in what we should be covering.

What was comforting to me came from our unschooling friends.  I got remeinded that there is a lot to be learned in life in general and unschoolers go on to college or whatever their life plans are as well! I also took a very long-term view that everything we wanted to do, or at least most of it, would be covered by high school graduation!  As things would calm down, some rhythm would emerge.  Maybe it wasn’t a normal rhythm, but a rhythm nontheless.  Let go, and grab onto what you can regarding rhythm.  Listen when everyone is tired and says they cannot do one more appointment.  Find the spots of rest.  Don’t push through.

Do what you can.  We did get through blocks this year and math practice and reading practice for our little student and more.  We didn’t take field trips really, but things happened – just at a slower pace.  Waldorf homeschooling doesn’t mean covering 9 blocks a year.  It means sinkly deeply into what you are doing; that less is more; and that skills are being supported and emerging.  It also means total overall health.  All you can do is what you can do!

When it is all over, take time to rebuild.  We are looking forward to a summer of rejuvenation and a new year in the fall.

Many blessings,

Carrie

 

A Month of Joy: April

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Looking forward to spring in the Northern Hemisphere? So am I!  It seems to be very slowly moving into the Deep South – we had very low temperatures last week which is unusual,(although today it is supposed to be summer temperatures for some odd reason). We went on holiday to Florida a few weeks ago  to catch some sun and came back to cold.  We used to live in Florida, and I said I would never move back there, but now that I am older and hating the cold even more I am reconsidering! LOL.

This is normally a month of great beauty and joy – the springtime of creation.  The plants and flowers are bursting anew; the sun is out more often and the temperatures are (hopefully) rising.  The world seems fresh and full of possibilities.  In this sense, I too am excited to begin anew.

We will be celebrating:

April 4- Martin Luther King Jr’s Feast Day in the Episcopal Church

April 25- The Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist

and getting ready for Ascension Day, which is May 10th and the Rogation Days of the Episcopal Church, which are the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that precede Ascension.  If you are planning ahead as well, try this back post on Rogation Days and this back post on Ascension Day

What I thinking about in the home:

Spring Cleaning and Deep Cleaning.  I hurt my ankle/foot on holiday and have been hobbling about, but I still love to think of spring cleaning and have plans for deep decluttering and deep cleaning once I am able!  Here is a post on Housecleaning and Homeschooling and a favorite on  An Ordered Outer World for a Peaceful Family

Spring Crafting – I am looking forward to receiving our box from Happy Hedghog Post and also looking forward to some beautiful spring crafts.  I have some great projects on Spring Pinterest Board

Spring Self-care – We are still dealing with a lot of doctor’s appointments for our little guy who fell and hurt his teeth.  I fell on our vacation and had a doctor’s appointment for a very sprained ankle.  But beyond that, I have been in a little phase of establishing new morning, afternoon, and evening self-care routines.  I will be utilizing some of my favorite health care people to build a health care team to help me stabilize some of the health challenges I have faced this school year.  Yay for me winning!  We might also be doing a little moving challenge around our house for the big kids.

Spring Friend Care – I read the other day that the five people we spend the most time with clearly influence us.  I was thinking about the people I spend time with the most outside of my husband and family, and really want to focus on making spring and summer with those beautiful friends as lovely as possible.  In order to have friendships, which are so important, we have to put effort into them!

Spring attitude – Time for a fresh start in the expansiveness of spring!

Can’t wait to hear what you are up to!

Blessings,
carrie

50 Ways to Celebrate Eastertide

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Eastertide is such a joyous time – in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is beginning, and the season of Eastertide runs all the way from Easter Day until Pentecost on May 20.  I think of Eastertide as a time to remember that play and joy are such an important part of being human.  So, without further ado, here are 50 ways to make Eastertide memorable:

  1.  Dye eggs and try your hand at some spring crafts
  2. Visit a sheep farm where the sheep are being shorn and then wash, card, and dye some fleece.
  3. Make projects having to do with sheep – I have an entire Pinterest board devoted to to wool and knitting here
  4. Spring clean your house (deep clean)
  5. Get rid of things you no longer use; paring down in the spring feels so good!
  6. Re-vamp your diet to include even more fruits and vegetables and meatless meals.
  7. Take great care of your skin
  8. Cleanse your rhythm from things outside the home that are no longer serving you or your family
  9. Look at our bee and butterfly friends in the garden, in books, and in crafts.  There are some ideas on my spring Pinterest board
  10.  Clear your life from people who bring you negative energy
  11. Make time to spend with those you love and trust – family and friends
  12. Think carefully about new endeavors.  What are you growing for this season?
  13. Find a wonderful new book to read!
  14. Go hiking.
  15. Go camping. If your spouse doesn’t like to camp, gather a moms and childrens group to go.
  16. Spend time in nature every day.
  17. Add some puppetry to your life
  18. Try journaling 50 days of gratitude
  19. Change your priorities so you have time for self-care.
  20. Slow down and rest
  21. Learn some beautiful new songs for spring for circle time or to sing as a family
  22.  Carefully investigate your spiritual path and find a way to deepen your inner work
  23. Go easy on yourself and give yourself space
  24. Find an app to help you meditate or visualize
  25. Go swimming
  26. Get a massage or sit in a sauna.
  27. Spend time with animals.
  28. Get to know your local farmers and enjoy local foods.
  29. Create art
  30. Plan ahead…or not. Whichever brings you joy in your homeschooling!  Here is some inspiration for planning high school and here is some inspiration for planning the grades.  Also, here is  a whole Pinterest board devoted to the  Early Years
  31. Learn some new Waldorf verses
  32. Pick fruit
  33. Plant a garden
  34. Create something beautiful for your outdoor space
  35. Plan new adventures in travel –
  36. Have a May Day festival shared with friends
  37. Plan for Ascension Day
  38. Plan for Pentecost through these musings
  39. Make some rock art
  40. Create, cook, and sing for Pentecost
  41. If you celebrate Pentecost as a family, consider a gathering for Pentecost
  42. Encourage someone or become someone’s mentor.
  43. Drink more water
  44. Set up a new exercise plan
  45. Catch up on your doctor and dentist appointments
  46. Take naps
  47. Walk in nature
  48. Watch a sunrise
  49. Go slow and enjoy spending time with your children.  If you are homeschooling, less books and more play.
  50. Have a picnic

Blessings,

Carrie

The Wonder of A Simple Lent

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Candlemas is upon us next Friday, and I am planning something simple to celebrate.  However, Lent is  also coming.  It begins on Valentine’s Day this year.  This long season of anticipation and wonder always takes me longer to plan, so I am beginning to look at how we want to keep wonder alive during these 40 days.  During Lent,  I have that feeling of love for this introspective time of the year.  There is something so moving and wonderful about this season.  The gradual awakening of the earth from its beginning budding of the flowers and trees to the jubliant and triumpant spring is wonderful each and every year.

Lent in the Waldorf home has a certain spirituality of the soul that can be transmitted to children with the doing of the most simple things that are outside of any specific religious tradition.  If you are new to Lent as a spiritual practice, I recommend that you start small!  It can be as simple as commiting to watching the birds at your bird feeder every day; commiting to taking a beautiful hike or walk outside all the Saturdays of Lent, or doing work to help someone else.

Lent is a wonderful time to empty your calendar and focus on what matters most in your heart.  Let us recommit to our children in the most wonderful of ways.

My  own spirituality is tied to my religious practice as an Episcopalian and part of the world-wide Anglican communion, so I am sharing my Lenten plans based upon this. Perhaps you can modify these ideas for your own family.  Any Lenten practice is more about doing  than words when children are involved, but I do have two  teenagers so it seems appropriate to have both the words and the doing this year!

My main plans include:

Lenten meals.  I am focused on make ahead breakfasts and eating many vegetarian meals.  There are quite a few links on my Lent Pinterest board board for different meal ideas.

Lenten housecleaning.  I typically spread “spring cleaning” throughout Lent.

Establishing healthy habits to last not only the 40 days of Lent but for the rest of the year; you can see more about my view of Lent as a time for re-growth and renewal here

We will be attending Ash Wednesday Mass, Mass throughout Lent, and the masses of Holy Week.  They are quite different than the typical Divine Liturgy. My favorites include Maundy Thursday and Easter Vigil.

There will be an offering jar to donate to Episcopal Relief and Development on our table.

We will be saying the Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim (St. Ephrem in the Orthodox tradition) together daily.  It is short and easy to say with children.

I ordered Station of the Cross cards from a Roman Catholic supplier, and will modify prayers for each station from this document from The Episcopal Church Stations of the Cross for Global Justice and Reconciliation  to go through on the Fridays of Lent.

I will be reading along with The Good Book Club  and will be listening to the podcast from the Episcopal Migration Ministries that will be running throughout the Lenten Season

I will make a  Lenten calendar for the smallest member of our family to follow along.

Hoping to incorporate suggestions from the 2018 Carbon Fast for Lent calendar

I would love to hear what you are doing to build up the wonder, renewal, anticipation of Lent!

Blessings,
carrie

 

Raising Light in Darkness

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As Candlemas is coming soon (February 2nd), I have been thinking a lot about the image of light in the darkness.  Some parents tell me that they see  the world as dark place.

I agree that even general politeness and reverance seems to have taken a distinct turn for the worse.  I saw something this morning where after the Eagles won the play-off game against the Minnesota Vikings, some people held up a sign mocking the Viking’s 99- year old- fan, Millie.  The sign said “F— Millie.” (and there was more on Twitter, as related in this article.)   To me, that just about sadly epitomized where we are as a society. Sometimes everything in the media seems so rude, raw, and ugly, down to disrespecting an elder over a football game.

However, my  children have to live in this world, and their children will live in it too.  I can only hope we as a family  are equipping them to:

Be capable — Interesting article on that here in the NY Times from 2012

Be resilient. Notice  the beauty even amidst the struggle

Do what is right  and not be afraid to stand up for that even if it is different (for me, much of this is centered around our spiritual lives as part of The Episcopal Church and of the  Anglican Communion, but also  entwined with the idea of integrity and just not being a horrible human being.  Some days my parenting goals are as small as “just don’t grow up to be a terrible human being.” )

Have integrity – to be who they are at all times. I never want them to have a private life that is completely different and unethical than their public life.

Be a lover of  the whole of  humankind, to be kind and help people. Here is a back post on kindness in the home.

Have and keep the faith.  This was an expression in my family growing up that  when we would part someone would inevitably say, “Keep the faith.”  We knew as a family that life was hard, life was up and life was down,  but goodness remained.  I still feel that way today.

Tell me your favorite ways you are equipping your children  and yourself to be a light in the darkness.

Blessings and love,
carrie

Joyful January!

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I just love January.  The organizer in me loves new calendars, new organizers, the promise of a new school semester.  The cozy introverted part of me loves the colder weather and being warm and cozy at home, snuggled up with hot chocolate and a good book and having things slow down.  It is going to be a great month in so many ways.

This month we  are celebrating:

Christmastide until Epiphany

6- Epiphany

15- Martin Luther King Jr Day

31 – St. John Bosco, celebrating with books and maybe a viewing of a movie about his life

If you are thinking about:

Rhythm  – this is one of THE best back posts on rhythm for families with children of different ages.  It includes tips for families with early years children to teenagers, and links to a seven part series on rhythm.

Fun things to do with children:  Cut out paper snowflakes, including really cool 3-D snowflakes; 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

Meal planning:  I am thinking about overnight steel cut oats for breakfast; soups; roasts; fresh squeezed sunny juices to counteract the cold outside

Health:  Rest and replenishment and getting outside!  Even with the cold!  Have you seen the 365 Mile Challenge?

Reaching Out:  I will be focusing on the issues that is part of the public policy of The Episcopal Church.  We will also be reaching out in service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

My Word of the Year:  #Replenish:  I am setting goals as to what replenishment would look like in action to me.

I would love to hear what you are up to!

Blessings and love,
Carrie

 

 

 

A Crafted Life

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One thing I love about the beautiful and peaceful this winter season and the inner work of Christmastide is the ability to stop and think about how I want to craft our life – for me, for our family.  Do you ever think about that? Many of the parents who read this blog have made very conscious decisions in their parenting in order to provide the healthiest home environment they can for their children, so I know many of you do.

Often I need that mid-school year check in.  Things can so easily get off course depending upon what emergencies came up in the fall.  So I often use this time between Christmas and New Year’s to think about  what are the most pressing needs for each and every family member, including myself, and what would be best for building for the future.  Often what we need and what our family members  changes with the age/developmental stage of our children, the age we are (!!), and the seasons.  So each year, I invite myself to turn inward and think about, “What does my family need?  What does my spouse need?  What do I need? What is the most important and essential thing that we need?”

Sometimes this leads toward me thinking of a word to carry myself through the year.  You can see the little tradition of picking a word for the New Year and some of the things I typically do with that word here.  You can see my word this year, “replenish,” on The Parenting Passageway Facebook page as the pinned post.  Some people will go so far as to choose a word to embody their entire family.  We have a family motto that we have had for years (KIPPA – kindness, integrity, positive attitude, patience, adventure), but I am meditating on the idea of a word for 2018 for our family.

 

People often ask about choosing a word for their year.  Sometimes a word is obvious depending upon what has happened during the year, but if not I usually start by thinking what is the most important and essential thing and will that word help me or us strive in that direction?

Once I have my word, I think then is the time to work artistically with my word and see what arises.  This is almost like the idea of just free artistic journaling as mentioned in  the book The Artist’s Way.  And then I need an action plan if there is anything that needs to happen.  This year, my word will require some action, otherwise how will I feel replensihed if everything remains the same?  Something will have to change in my inner or outer world.  And the final piece is the action. It is not enough even to dream or to have a plan.  As I always tell my children, the dream is free, but the hustle is real!

Can’t wait to hear about your word!

Blessings,
Carrie