Slow Down With A Toddler

My default setting when stressed and anxious is to be hurried and harried in all that I do. I practically run through my house putting laundry away, picking up clutter, and clearing away dishes. I can be snippy and snappy and a generally unpleasant taskmaster when I feel the heat and pressure of a demanding schedule. It's no small task to manage a household of six.

But God gives grace. And sometimes Grace shows up in the form of a 30 pound little chunk of love named Will. The Lord uses Will to slow me down and to cause me to make space in my day for the small, unexpected graces that I can easily overlook. Will's pace of living is to walk slowly and take delight in the sounds of birds, the roar of airplanes, the beauty of a leaf...to notice the ants on the sidewalk or the caterpillar finding its way. Even as I was writing this, I had to pause as he took my hand and led me across the home to the kitchen to ask for a small bowl of frozen blueberries. What could have been viewed as an interruption I chose to embrace and to enter into his wonder-filled world.

Tuesday is the day that just Will and I have all alone. I usually obsess as to how I will spend my Tuesdays...do I clean? Do I craft? Do I take Will to do something in the community? Get together with someone? For today, I decided to let Will's pace set our tone...and so we went slow.

I stayed in my lounge pants until 10am. I read blogs and he looked at Autumn books.

I made homemade granola.

We listened to a Music Together CD and played Little People and read books.

He colored and I did a French Manicure on my toes (okay that's happened once in my life).

Even now he is pulling me away and I think it's time for a leisurely stroll around our home...to find some of nature's newest offerings. As I finish this post, it's with my sparkly little boy on my lap clawing me, playing in my hair, and grabbing the mouse!

Toddlers are a messy, beautiful, and unpredictable gift of grace to us over-worked mamas. I seek to enjoy this fleeting season of boundless curiosity and delight in the everyday gifts I seem to take for granted. And if you don't have a toddler, borrow one for a day and be prepared to slow down and look at the world with a fresh sense of wonder.

Here's to two year olds everywhere!

Links I Like

We have been gone since Thursday up to Pisgah National Forest for some fun family camping. I have been waist-high in laundry today and getting Sam prepared for his once-a-week academy tomorrow...but I always like taking time to catch up on email and blogs :)

Here are some links to fun stuff that is inspiring me:

• Tutorial on making a cute reversible patchwork bag
• This recipe for homemade applesauce...we went apple pickin' a few weeks ago and I have really been wanting to try my hand at making some.
• This beautifully concise post on walking the road of busy yet truly living well.
• This Find Joy necklace that I just ordered after saving my pennies for a while...I just can't wait til it gets here!
• This free embroidery pattern that inspired me to sew a little owl on the pocket of an old pair of capris.
• This way cute stitching on small bags...what a lovely bag to hold a birthday present in!
• Organization like this always motivates me to re-think the way I manage my stuff.

What's inspiring you this week?


photo from Veronica TM

Celebrating Autumnal Equinox

Today is the first day of autumn. The day when there is 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness by the equator. The closest that our days are marked by a sense of balance. Soon the nights will become longer and the days shorter, but for today, we teeter in a seasonal equilibrium.

I have enjoyed becoming more mindful of the seasonal changes in the past few years. With all the talk on eating locally and seasonally, it makes me stop and think about the time of year that I am in, what foods are being grown now and what foods are being harvested. It has helped to cultivate a greater sense of thankfulness for the growers of my food and the Lord's bounty and provision for His people in every season...both the literal seasons and the spiritual seasons of our lives. Even as I have dipped my toes into the waters of the wonderful crafty blogs, I am always inspired as crafters are ever changing creative gears as they look towards preparations for seasonal holidays and in decorating their homes with the changing colors and textures of the year.

So as I awakened this morning, I realize that today is a seasonal shift. A day I can set apart in a simple way to thank the Lord for His goodness and gifts in my life. A day to worship Him for His amazing creation, the brilliance of His use of color, and the variety of foods that He has chosen to bless us with. A day of simple thanksgiving.

I will also use today to retrieve some fall decorations from my storage...orange and cream candles, fresh throw rugs, pumpkin-y odds and ends, and a cheery wreath for my front door. I may even make some pumpkin muffins this afternoon...my little ones love to be greeted as they come home from school with the yummy scents of cinnamon and nutmeg floating from the kitchen.

It will also be a nice day for some autumn craftiness. Instead of purchasing fall decorations, we can be producers of simple and warm accents for our home. Wreaths and garlands are fun and easy projects to make for every season and don't take much time or money. Be creative and do a little something fall-ish today.

I also hope to take the children for a nature walk and have some fun with leaves. This might also be a good day to go apple picking or take a visit to a local pumpkin patch or purchase some lovely fall mums for your front porch. Maybe make some applesauce or roast pumpkin seeds. Read some autumn-themed books from the library out on a quilt in your backyard. Make a simple nature table with some of creation's treasures.

If nothing else, the most important times today will be the moments we just pause and take a mindful minute to be truly grateful.


Thank you Lord for your lavish gifts and provisions...help us to acknowledge you as the Source of all that we have been given.

Everyday Traditions

It seems as if every person finds great safety, security and belonging from the practice of family traditions. Maybe because we are in an ever-changing world that is so unbelievably unpredictable that we look to traditions to bring a sense of permanence and peace to our lives. Even when in the midst of pain and heartache, we look with anticipation to family traditions knowing that they will give us comfort and a connection to ourselves, others, and God. Tradition gives us a link to the past... a familiar familial continuity that we crave.

We all carry traditions with us into the holidays. All thought of organics flies out the window around here when Thanksgiving rolls around. I want sweet potato casserole, sausage cornbread stuffing, and our family's holiday Derby Pie. Those foods bring us a sense of warmth and joy and bring us together again..."we made it together through another year!" At Christmas we love to open one gift on Christmas Eve...and it's always known to be a new set of cozy pajamas to wear that very night. We have a special Birthday plate and each person looks forward to choosing their favorite meals for the whole day.

But what about incorporating some everyday or every week traditions into our lives? American families are under so much stress these days...financially with rising prices, housing situations, busy schedules, the pressure to conform to a societal mold, angst with schooling decisions. And for Christians you can add an underlying spiritual pressure to give more, perform more, serve more, discipline your children more, and on and on. I think that it can be a blessed thing to incorporate some lifestyle traditions that will allow us to just be who we are as a family. Find our own unique rhythm that's not dictated by society, church, or friends. Find our own family identity. Stop keeping up with the Joneses know matter how wonderful they seem to be. A refreshing oasis-time away from the stress.

I have just started thinking more about this in the past few years as I come out of a place where I was very pressured to be just like those who I was with. I have been in a place of soul-searching and identity-searching...who am I? What do I like? What interests capture my attention? What clothes do I enjoy? How do I like to decorate? What foods do I enjoy? What do I want to learn? How had God made me unique? What are my gifts and talents that I have been asked to steward?

And living within a family of six, what makes our family unique? What are our personalities? Mike and I are both Sanguines which makes sense because we both want to have lots of people to share life with...that leads us to have Hospitality as a hallmark for our family. How do we as a family like to spend time together? Which activities do we want to participate in (instead of doing activities just because other families are!)?

We as a family love to watch movies and now have Friday Family Movie Night each week. Last night was Muppets in Manhattan. It was actually scary to see how much of that movie I had memorized from when I was young!! :)

And then Friday night is also Family Sleepover Night. We haven't allowed our children to sleepover at other kids' houses...instead they get to choose where in our home they want to sleep on Friday nights. John and Katie chose the floor of our room last night, and Sam and Will slept in their own beds. It switches every week and each person is free to decide where they'll sleep (our room is the favorite for all of them!).

We love to play kickball on most summer evenings and take long walks on most fall evenings.

We also love to walk to church on Sundays if weather and time permit.

We like to camp twice in the Spring and twice in the Fall...in the Spring we camp Mother's Day weekend and Father's Day weekend.

John and I like to have "snuggly buggles" which is daily time when he lays next to me for a minute or two to just be near.

Mike and I drink coffee together early on most mornings...he wakes me up with a steaming cup of joe... I prop up in bed and he sits next to me in the rocker and we talk and pray.

We set a pretty table every night for dinner...usually a table cloth with a simple centerpiece and our white plates, cloth napkins, and glass goblets. We don't "say grace" usually...instead we hold hands, and starting with the youngest child, each one shares what they thank God for that happened that day.

My sister's family has moved around a lot in the last few years so they incorporated "Frapp Night"as a connection constancy in the midst of all the change. Wherever they live, they head to Starbucks every Thursday night without fail to have frappucinos together. I just love that.

These are a few examples of simple traditions that we have incorporated into our daily lives. They bring us such joy and connection and security during these busy seasons. It's a time of unity, of laughter, of relaxing, and of being with.

Simple traditions with rich rewards. Be rewarded!

Take Time

We have been moving at a busy pace around here. There has been a relentless routine full of school stuff, keeping the house orderly, the ever-present laundry, a few added extra activities like Brownies, Ballet, and Cub Scouts, cooking meals, checking off lists. You know what I am talking about, because you are probably in the midst of a lot of this stuff too!

Fall can just be busy. I am not a fan of busy. I like simple days and not much on the schedule. This year we have added several things. I made these scheduling choices with much thought and prayer. I believe that what we have chosen is good and right for this season. But it still means busy. So in the midst of it all I was forgetting to take time.

Take time for what?

• An afternoon nap...the siesta my body and mind so desperately need. I chose that today and it was bliss.
• A nature walk...the weather was cooler today and it seemed like the perfect pre-dinner family need. We've had some nature-deficit around here lately and taking a 30-45 minute walk was incredible...it almost seemed decadent! John and I walked slowly...savoring the quiet and finding nature treasures. We were blessed to find unexpected wildflowers along the sides of the red-clay road we strolled on.
  

• Adding daily beauty... the simple wildflowers were gathered and placed in a recycled diced tomato can and the lively bouquet added color and warmth to our dinner table. It brought such pleasure to live in the moment and let all of the cares of life slip away and just enjoy and drink in the simplicity of nature's offerings.

So dear friends, in the midst of your current busyness, make sure you take time. To breathe. To rest. Read a magazine. Take a walk. Dance with your children. Create a little something. Listen well. Celebrate. Encourage. Take a step back from the routine and let go. Have fun. Laugh.

Today was anything but routine and it was exactly what we needed.

What do you need to take time for?

Cool Campaigning

I'm not a big politics girl, but as soon as we get some extra funds in the bank account next week, I will quickly place an order here for this too-cool T-shirt....and of course another little bumper sticker for my crunchy van. :)

Library Goodies

I picked this book for the monthly Book Club that I am in, and it has been fabulous! Much of the push towards "buying local" is not at all new to me, but I appreciated her experience, passion, and perspective. I found myself drooling throughout most of the chapters and it was fun to find recipes at the end of each one. In case you don't know the premise, this is their family's year-long journey of only eating local, and beyond that, eating mostly what they grow themselves. Fabulous read.

A beautiful cookbook inspired by her journey visiting many farmer's markets around the country and giving ideas and recipes for how to use the fresh, local fruits and vegetables that we purchase. Very inspiring and fascinating.

I am in the middle of reading this one now but will give you an excerpt from the back cover:

"Live in less space but have more room to enjoy it. Does that sound like a contradiction? Smart readers will discover that, on the contrary, living small can free up your mind, your wallet, and your soul. With the cost of living rising, and the environment suffering from excessive building, now is the time to scale back. Join the movement.

Little House On A Small Planet is a guidebook and an invitation. With floor plans, photographs, advice and anecdotes, this unique book asks and answers, 'What fills a home when the excess is cut away, and how do we get there from here?'

Pockets of people all over the continent are realizing the benefits of scaling down. You, too, can build a joyful, sane life that emphasizes home life over home maintenance."

What good stuff have you found at the library lately?

Musings on Schooling

This time of year always brings to the surface my thoughts and ideas and philosophies of learning and educating children. I have come to see that every child is unique and may need different learning environments in different seasons of their life. For now my middle two children are thriving on the structure of the public school and really enjoy structured curriculum. My daughter Katie is especially learning really well this way....in fact, she LOVES learning this way, and I feel she could be challenged even further!

My son Sam however does not learn well this way. It brings him pressure, frustration, feelings of stupidity and inadequacy...it destroys his love of learning and he becomes irritable, stubborn, and tired. Over the years of really seeking to know my children (which is the key!), I have found that a focus on delight-directed learning is what works best for him and what works best for me.

This philosophy of learning says that children learn best when you tap into their God-given identities, giftings, bents, and desires. You find that which sparks interest and excitement and provide for them all that they need to really learn in that area. If a child is really into dinosaurs, you would take them to a local museum that has a dinosaur exhibit, check out lots of cool books and videos from the library to read and watch, give them a writing assignment on their favorite dinosaur, and do some hands-on projects or experiments that allow them to produce something about this interest to communicate their learnings with others. Instead of teaching them bunches of facts, you are empowering them with the tools of learning (researching, writing, reading, oral presentations, creative productions).

And I have found that God has created my particular personality as one who seeks to empower others to learn and study, not as a teacher who tells you what you should know. My goal is for Sam to be an independent learner who knows how to access information, understand it, and be able to present his findings clearly to others. It matters less to me the scope of what he knows, but if he knows how to learn and to reason and to communicate.

This approach to education has brought us great pleasure and freedom and passion. I am modeling a lifestyle of learning to my children by being a reader and writer and thinker...they see the excitement I have when I am learning new ideas about green living, the Lord's character, crafting, social causes, cooking/health, supporting local economies, etc. These are areas of passion for me, and as a result, I pass on that passion to others... particularly my children. If learning is viewed as a dull discipline to be endured, then we pass on drudgery and passivity and resentment. Education should not done with an "eat your vegetables!" approach. It should be promoted as a positive, exciting gift from the Lord with infinite possibilities!!

We should desire our children to have a positive relationship to learning with a deep love for it. If that can be achieved in a formal school setting, then WONDERFUL! My middle children's love of learning is not being diminished in any way being in the school system. That's not to say that it will always be that way. If that begins to happen we will reevaluate and adjust. With Sam, we are recapturing that love and I will fight hard as a mama to protect him from the harsh and demanding approach to education that doesn't nurture learning but hinders it.

Some say, "Well schooling isn't always fun and they need to learn responsibility through doing that which they don't want to do." Responsibility and work ethic are achieved in our home through chores, household responsibilities, team work and reasonable assignments related to our areas of passion. Those ideals are not learned well and acted on from the heart under educational pressure, threat, and control.

There are also some great articles here that tell about other people's journeys into a delight-directed learning experience. I think that most of us learn best this way, but certainly it isn't an approach for everyone. However, if you have a divergent learner who thinks and lives outside the box, these principles breathe much life and freedom and joy into your educational atmosphere.

Here's to doing whatever it takes to keep our love of learning alive, passionate, and flourishing!

School Anywhere

With my oldest son Sam at home with me this year, we are having a delightful time revisiting the joys of relaxed homeschooling. We spend a lot of time talking to each other and I answer lots of his insatiable curious questionings. We read lots of books...he picks some and I pick some for him. We discuss them. He is doing a math review worksheet a day for a few weeks before we pick up some new concepts. I have him trace and draw and pick his favorite wild animal and go research it online. That's his favorite thing to do...to find out the habitats, diets, appearances, and adaptations of wild animals and then make a folded book out of his findings.

But the best thing that we have done this year (and it also happens to be the cheapest school purchase!!) has been our trip to the Dollar Tree for a few simple clipboards. It's revolutionized my son's day! Instead of taking that math sheet and having to sit at the table, he puts it in his clipboard and heads outside. When I have him write letters to relatives or write me a summary of what he has read, I tell him, "Just put it in your clipboard and go find a favorite spot!" He immediately perks up and heads out. He sits on his bed, the couch, the front porch rocker, the hammock and probably some other spots that I have no idea about.

And that's what I love about homeschooling...the flexibility and the adaptability for kids who need lots of breaks, fresh environments, and alternate ways of learning new things. Who knew that our days of learning would flow smoothly and be energized with just the simple addition of a clipboard?!


photo by hownowdesign

Coffee Goodness

Mike and I love to try out new kinds of coffee. As much as possible I seek to buy organic and Fair Trade because it's better for individuals, countries, and the environment. But I also like to "buy local" as much as possible to show my support for my community and to enjoy the freshness and flavor that comes with local goodness. So when I found organic, Fair Trade, and locally roasted coffee yesterday, I was giddy!

And anything with the words "mother" and "nature" is bound to make it into my shopping cart...those are "good livin' " words that will garner my purchasing power quite easily :) Add a cute font and it's mine.

Eco-friendly Lunches

When I make Katie and John's lunches every day, I just cringe as I use plastic baggie after plastic baggie. I picture all the mamas across America fixing lunches, and if we are all using 3-10 baggies a day for our kids... can you imagine all that waste?!? Ugh.

So with my green sensibilities I was wanting to make a switch, but again, it's gotta be simple and not too expensive or difficult. I really was intrigued by the Laptop Lunchboxes but with four kiddos, I just can't afford it. I thought that Gladware type containers would be cost-effective but wanted to stay away because of plastic leaching and the lack of long-term durability. Then I saw how to make these cute sandwich wraps, but school time caught up with me and creating these moved way down the to-do priority list.

So this morning I had a delightful time with my little Will at Earth Fare after dropping Sam off at his once-a-week homeschool classes. Light jazz playing. Yummy fresh smells tempting me from the deli. The earthiness of all those natural products. I was in heaven :) I stumbled upon these two containers in the photo that are sandwich containers for lunchboxes! Eco-friendly and bisphenol-A free! And for only $2.99 each! That's something I can afford!

Then I looked in their food storage section and found these natural waxed paper bags to use for their "side" lunch items or for when I have been too lazy or distracted to wash the sandwich containers :) No plastic and landfill-friendly. Sounds good and simple to me.

Just one more small step towards some good-livin' greenness...

What are your back-to-school greenie tips?