Tag Archives: homesteading

Peaceful February

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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 – 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 17 – Lunar New Year for those celebrating

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

Glorious and Golden October

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October is my favorite month of the year! Here in the Deep South, the days can still be so warm, the nights can be so cool in comparison, and the leaves are starting to turn to the beautiful golds and yellows and even brown. I have that poem by Robert Frost in my head in October:

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

But October is surely that golden period where all things are suspended in autumnal glory. I start thinking about flannel sheets, elderberry syrup, what to make for Christmas, pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins, lanterns and lights. It’s the best!

I felt like I was racing around in September. We came back from a lovely beach vacation with all of our grown children (yay for our friends who farm sat so our entire family could go!) but from then on it was a mad dash to get all the pediatric, adult pelvic, and lactation patients in plus two conferences. I was working through Saturdays and Sundays and everything else! So, I am also excited for October and a return to rhythm and loveliness in our home. Our basic home rhythm right now, with homeschooling one tenth grader and outside jobs and a farm will be detailed soon!

These are the festivals that are our anchors this month:

October 4th- Blessing of the Animals and the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi

October 31 – Halloween is my least-favorite holiday of the entire year (Ba! Humbug! LOL), but I love All Saints Day and All Souls Day and those are very important feast days in the liturgical year, so I am looking forward to those days and preparing for those days at the end of this month. You can see a back post about Halloween In The Waldorf Home, and this one about preparing for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day

The little things that make ordinary October days magic:

Playing in the leaves

Apple picking

Pumpkin farm visits

Making pumpkin muffins and breads

Longer nights with deeper and later sleep

Warming foods

Fuzzy flannel sheets

Warm teas

Lantern making for Martinmas

Finding ideas to make for holiday gifts

Some ideas for celebrating:

A back post about warmth and children:

Warmth

Warming Foods – this back post is from January, but it might give you some ideas for warming foods

Autumn Circles and Autumn tales for little ones and you can see an example Circle Time for tiny children here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/10/09/october-circle-time/

Make lanterns

Re-instating tea time – so warming and lovely

If you have small children, you might really enjoy this post from Liza Fox about meaningful work for toddlers

We are going to:

Plant fall bulbs

Make bone broths and infuse it with herbs – dandelion root, burdock, astragalus, and echinacea.

Change bed linens to flannel sheets and adding blankets and thicker comforters

Stock up on birdseed

Make sure we all have hats, gloves, snow gear  and boots for winter

I am thinking about:

Our out-of-the-home activities for the Winter and Spring.

Physical and emotional clutter and having an ordered outer world for a peaceful family

The benefits of rhythm in the home

As we head into the darker days of  autumn and winter, I would love to hear what you would like to see on this blog!  

Warmly from my little corner of the world, and thank you to so many of you who read this blog,

Carrie

A July To Remember

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The best summer memories usually are not the big things like a flashy vacation, but instead the slow and ordinary moments that make up the days of summer. Picking blueberries and eating them off the bush or eating tomatoes off the vine. Sunrises and sunsets. Watching the fireflies.

Farm life is busy and content this time of year. We split a beehive last week, got two horses in (one is a sale horse), and are busy with summer farm life. We don’t have a garden, mainly because where I want to put it still needs trees removed, but I am hopeful to have some raised beds built in time for fall.

I used to get July Doldrums – it was so hot and miserable at times with small children with endless days of park and pool (fun, but exhausting by the end of a hot month). Now our children are almost 23, 19, and 14 so summers look different. Jobs and adult responsibilities, and farm chores and activities for our 14 year old who is still at home.

So, this July, here are the things we are celebrating:

4- Independence Day

22- Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene

25- Feast Day of St. James the Apostle

26- Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Are you thinking about summer menu planning?  I have a back post on July Menu Planning to grab! You might also love this ebook of Waldorf School recipes! https://www.waldorflibrary.org/online-library/ebooks/ebooks/a-collection-of-recipes-from-shepherd-valley-waldorf-school-ebook

I am looking forward to sunflowers, catching fireflies, and watching our adult girls show their horses. I hope you are looking forward to something as well! Also, August is so close and that is my birthday month so I am definitely looking forward to that.

Things to Do With Children:

  • Fourth of July decorating; patriotic crafts
  • Find traditional patriotic American music to listen to!
  • Go to Independence Day parades!
  • Sunflower crafts
  • Drying herbs and making things from herbs
  • Picking produce; canning and preserving
  • Earth looms and weaving could be lovely; see my summer Pinterest board for even more craft ideas

Here are a few of my favorite things for small children:

Here are a few of my favorite things for older children/teens:

  • Swimming and sliding on rocks in creeks; maybe even venturing to a water park or splash pad
  • Catching fireflies
  • Gazing at stars
  • The Magic of Boredom

Things for the Home:

  • Going through the school room or school area and cleaning out
  • Ordering art supplies and new resources for the next school year
  • Making new seasonal things for the home
  • Changing out toys if you are on a toy rotation for smaller children
  • I am going to be working in our basement this month – so much to clean up down there and I want it neat and tidy
  • We are getting new towels, which might not seem that exciting, but who doesn’t love soft and fluffy towels?

Homeschooling Fun!:

Our children are mainly finished with school. Our oldest is a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, and our middle daughter just started a business buying, training, and selling horses. She moved back to our area this past week after working and living on her own for a year out of state, so it is nice to have everyone in one area. The first night she came back we had dinner at the farm with their boyfriends and it has just been fun to have them and their friends around this week!

My main goal for our ninth grader this year is to have a strong academic year, to keep him physically fit with kickboxing and boxing (and farm work), to keep him busy building and doing things on the farm, to have him enjoy volunteering as a helper/apprentice at his former middle school boys only program and to grow into leadership, and to branch out into Sea Scouts. He thought about doing naval JROTC but wasn’t quite ready for the commitment of weekend drills and overnight drills, so he decided Sea Scouts would address some of the skills in swimming, boating, sailing, boat mechanics that he is interested in. He is also still interested in computer programming as well, and is working through some things on his own with his dad’s help and then can use dual enrollment to pursue that further in eleventh grade.

Inner Work:

I feel like being on the farm has brought me back around to the inner work of the family life. Here is a back post that I am working off of: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/12/10/my-plan-for-personal-development-as-a-homemaker/

This is my current Waldorf book – have you read it? https://www.waldorflibrary.org/online-library/ebooks/ebooks/an-examination-of-children%E2%80%99s-senses,-the-damaging-effects-of-the-media-and-the-therapeutic-possibilities-of-puppetry-ebook

And this is worth a re-read every year before school starts: https://www.waldorflibrary.org/online-library/ebooks/ebooks/and-who-shall-teach-the-teachers-ebook

I hope you have a blessed July!

Warmly and with many blessings,

Carrie

Hi Friend!

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I am so very glad you are here and welcome to The Parenting Passageway. I wanted to share a little about me for those of you who are new to this page.

I was born and raised in NY but have spent most of my decades in the deep south, where I feel most at home on our equine farm. The farm was a pandemic move, and it is still under lots of renovation as little by little we work towards bringing it to life. We have horses, boarding for horses, dogs, cats, bees (and no chickens! My husband isn’t a fan). I actually didn’t grow up with horses at all, but I started to learn about horse care as all of the children rode. I love the nutrition and health aspects of taking care of horses and am hoping to ride more this year. It’s never too late to do something new!

I have spent decades as a pediatric and pelvic health physical therapist, a board certified lactation consultant, and as a volunteer breastfeeding counselor. Currently I work mainly as a pelvic health physical therapist and as a lactation consultant and I divide my time off the farm pretty evenly between those endeavors.

Waldorf Education is such a developmentally appropriate education and I have loved it for decades. Two of our children are now graduated and off on their own with only our son left at home. I earned a certificate in Anthroposophy and the Arts from Antioch University, which was the precursor at the time to Waldorf teacher training. I have documented nearly every block I taught for every grade throughout educating all three of our children, and I hope you can benefit from the mistakes and successes I have had! I love supporting development!

I am a writer, musician, artist, a cook experimenting with preserving and plant-based recipes, a wanna be gardener , a Christian, hopefully a good friend, and a health thriver after a potentially fatal disease last year, and a big fan of acupuncture. Many weeks,I struggle with finding time to work out ,and sometimes feel like I could do a better job taking care of myself in the busy seasons of life, (and of course there is always a lot to be done on a farm). I love hearing from my readers all around the world, and I thank you! I am not a big traveler, but in my head I have gone many places in just talking to my readers.

I am so glad you are here, and I love learning from you all. In this Eastertide, I hope we can grow together. I would love to hear what is going on in your corner of the world. ❤

Much love,

Carrie