open eye meditation

a recent webcast over at the waldorf connection on 3 ways to create a nourishing home for your child offers some thoughts. danielle epifanie started off discussing the importance of "creating a space of breath around the child" and to be aware of the "what is presenting itself in front of us". heaven on earth author, sharifa oppenheimer, discussed that "rhythm is life". the inner rhythm of the parent is important (i could not agree more) steady. calm. nourishing. (sleep.) start with an open eye meditation. turn your attention to your heart. breathe and let the breath move in and out of your heart. let it swing in and out of your heart (love that) bring gratitude in. the importance of sitting in nature. lastly, lisa boisvert mackenzie talked about play and the child's world being one of awe and wonder. say, "humm, i wonder" to a child's questions and importance of the child being free to play.
check out the webcast here
websites mentioned:

margaretsgarden.org and elementalmother.com

our heaven on earth
celebrate the rhythm of life 
waldorf in the home

just as i remembered

we had great news last week. our little guy jumped up to the 10th percentile. i usually am right next to the nurse as she marks his measurements on the growth chart but this time i was was just playing around with him, although i did glanced over and saw that his numbers increased from his last check-up. i was not my old anxious self of needing to see exactly where he was on the charts. when our doctor came in and told us, i was shocked. warmth and comfort came over me and i became surrounded by huge arms that filled the small room. i felt secure and protected and i immediately knew it was my grandfather, who i know is still here with us.

my grandfather was not one of many words, although his presence was greatly felt. he has come to me a few times other times to let me know that things will be alright. once, after a medical procedure and two times the day i broke my collar bone when i was 6 months pregnant. my grandfather came to me when i just realized that i broke my collar bone and then in the emergency room when my concern for the baby escalated. comfort and warmth for a short while in-between the intense pain i was feeling.

my grandfather was the first man in my life and he was a constant figure in my life. we spent a lot of time together, he and i. if i slept over on the weekend, we would have an early breakfast together (my grandmother always slept in) it was always an omelet and he made the best omelets, i still can taste them but have yet to duplicate them. in the spring, we planted his garden together i remember so vividly the feeling of poking my finger down into the cool earth and how vested i was in the entire growing season. in the summer, i always arrived to a bowl of fresh ripe raspberries and a refreshing pitcher of ice tea with mint from the garden. in the winter, we gathered around the wood burning fireplace and we put in the sparkling colors. those colors were beautiful amidst the flames. and my grandfather always had a big cozy chair. there was always room in his chair for me and that comforting feeling is just as i remembered.

do you know how to fly?

do you know how to fly? well, i am trying to fly. but not up in the air, silly. i am trying to fly in my home. that's right. flying inside via help from the flylady.

i have searched around her website (she also has books) and i think i have the jist of what she is trying to say. basically, consistently do her suggested routines so that they become second nature to you. you will always be a step ahead in your cleaning, and you'll be dressed and ready for company at any time. you'll have a clean sink and bathroom all the time.

i signed up for the daily emailing list, which is rather lengthy, but i am just working on the daily flight plan and mission (it follows the daily flight plan)  i am focusing on my bedtime routine, morning routine and decluttering in small increments. there is a weekly home blessing, where she wants you to set the clock and do all the sweeping, moping, dusting, etc in 1 hour. it takes me far longer to do this, but i think i will be getting more efficient as a practice this more? we'll see because i am not sure if this is possible and i do have a smaller house.

she has a monthly focus and this month is the before bed routine and beginner steps on her website.

anyone else try flying yet?

a new plan

our new journey is re-establishing our family rhythm and learning to nurture oneself. part of our plan is being helped through new services my son is receiving. the wonderful part of the program is that the occupational therapist comes out to your home, observes and offers suggestions. there was high hopes that after we determined his intolerance to milk protein and eliminated milk protein from his diet that he would start eating in a healthy manner and his poor feeding would discontinue. everyone also hoped that my son would outgrown his milk protein intolerance after his first birthday. so we have kind of been in limbo, until recently.

after introducing milk to my son's diet, very slowly, for the past six weeks, we determined that he can not tolerate milk protein. he also has tracked consistently at the 5% for weight on the growth chart, so we still are working with his poor feeding.

our new plan includes:

1. helping establish a healthy eating and sleeping pattern for my little guy. we have adjusted his eating routine where he will eat 5 times a day, instead of every hour and a half. (he needed meals every hour and a half back before. he was so small and constantly active. he now will take some time to sit and read a book and he also takes some time to cuddle so we felt we were able to work with changing his eating routine) now that we are establishing a consistent eating routine, with meals spaced out more so he could experience a feeling of hunger and the ability to feel fulfilled with food, it has already greatly helped his napping routine. he now sharing a bedroom with his sister, which brings us to

2. getting mama a healthy block of sleep. transiting my son out of our bed and into his crib was a very hard decision. i had too many people that love the both of us urging me to do this and ultimately i decided that this was the best decision for our family. i slept on the floor many nights and watched the sun rise, but this is getting better

3. cooking without milk protein and eggs. (eggs is something that we will try in his diet in the future. my daughter was allergic to egg until she outgrew it at 3 years of age, so this is why he has been egg free)

new waldorf kindergarten resources

:: there are a few books that i use and reference quite frequently. first and foremost is the book, you are your child's first teacher by rahima dancy. i find myself going back and re-reading chapters time and time again. 

i am finding simplicity parenting by kim john payne to be very useful. i am still reading it and have already utilized the book in simplifying my daughter's bedroom. i have started working on small sections around the house and we are doing our second round of simplifying the kids' bedroom and going through the bookshelf, which we did not get a chance to go through yet. kim john payne spoke on the waldorf connection. i jotted down some notes that i am hoping to post soon.

a real treasure is, a child's seasonal treasury by betty jones, which is out-of-print (the first part of the book could be found on google books. it would be wonderful to copy as much as you could) i am still introducing new ideas from this book and i have used it for years now. the book includes verses, poems, movements, fingerplays, games, activities, handwork, baking and cooking for each season. it also is a great introduction to mornings, mealtimes, cleaning up, evening verses, with roughly 2 verses for each. the treasury also contains the birthday anticipation verse as well as a number and alphabet verse that could be used for a first grade resource.

another great book that i can not say enough about is earthways, by carol petrash. the book includes seasonal activities and crafts and seasonal nature table ideas. it also offers valuable earth-friendly tips and ways to create a natural indoor and outdoor play space. there is also a tremendous resource section in the back of the book, included seasonal book recommendations. it is also on google books and you could definitely use the index to plan your projects. 

for songs, there are nursery rhymes, folk songs and a series of songbooks that i really love is from naturally you could sing that i would recommend. the song books from naturally you could sing include a cd, which really helps if you do not know how to read music. we own sing a song of the seasons and i have used it for years, with movement and fingerplays in circle time or on our car rides. their website includes a list of contents for each of the songbooks, including this is the way we wash-a-day, sing a song with baby, lavender's blue dilly dilly, and the wonder of lullabies. i discovered some new lullabies that i really enjoy singing, as well.

for verses, i really like seven times the sun by shea darian, is a wonderful resources, which provides verses and songs for morning, mealtime, play, work, quiet, healing, bedtime, family time, personal renewal and peacemaking. there are a section of family rituals, a passageway for parents and book recommendations for each chapter. there are a few songs that i use all the time and really never would have thought to use at these times because i never really experienced someone singing at these times, in particularly for healing and quiet times.

quiet moments  by shea darian

quiet as the wings of a butterfly

quiet as the gentle falling snow

quiet as the light of a firefly

quiet as a seed starts to grow

quiet as the clouds that are drifting by

quiet as the rocks by the sea

quiet as the mist cross a country road

quiet as the wind in the trees

loving arms  by shea darian 

loving arms that hold you

loving hands that care

loving eyes that see your pain

guide you back to health again

loving arms that hold you

loving arms that care

another series which is great for verses is the wynstones series, which i see cited all the time. we have gateways. along with verses and songs for morning, evening and birthdays, gateways also has a section of fairy tales that are shorter in length. at this time, i can not remember anything so i do use index cards (or cards from our watercolor paintings) or sometimes i only have short amounts of time, which makes this there fairy tale section a great resource for puppet shows.

for stories, of course, a grimm's fairy tales is an essential going into the first grade. we also have a tasha tudor's fairy tales, which has some abbreviated tales that might work well. an enormous resource for FREE stories could be found at www.mainlesson.com. 10397 stories to be exact. WOW. you can search the site by authors, books, stories and curriculum. here is the waldorf kindergarten book list.

i have a relatively young journey into waldorf and i have discovered the parenting passageway to be so resourceful. carrie is well versed in waldorf, homeschooling and shares valuable parenting information and book reviews. i am really enjoying the new energy that her postings are bringing me, i have so many postings bookmarked. you could spend hours over there. carrie has a bunch regarding resources, that you might find helpful:

which early years book should i buy?
fairy tales, books and storytelling with little ones

resources for the waldorf kindergarden years

favorite waldorf resource guide #1: joyful movement

favorite waldorf resource guide #2: simplicity parenting by kim john payne and lisa ross

favorite waldorf resource guide #3: melisa nielsen's be a beacon program

favorite waldorf resource guide #4: the files of marsha johnson's yahoo group

favorite waldorf resource guide #5: get more movement in your homeschooling

www.movementforchildhood.com ,  www.healingeducation.org , and the book, Movement Journeys and Circle Adventures by Nancy Blanning and Laurie Clark

review of a lifetime of joy

if you are like me, this is something new to me. there can be a lot that i feel i need to research and i could spend hours searching the web to find more information. it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right thing. but, i have learned that it just is about doing and being with my children, baking with them, cleaning with them, singing with them, being in nature with them, creating joyful moments with them and making connections. slowing down, taking time and nurturing relationships by giving, receiving and responding with love, warmth and truth. rhythm is also key, i am working at re-establish it here because i have experienced the harmony that rhythm brings.

marsh johnson, of waldorfhomeeducators@yahoogroups.com, can put you at easy with her words. she writes the following...


Playing, helping, resting, imagining, thinking, painting, modeling,
experimenting with blocks, logs, string, trees, mud, wind, cooking,
eating, sharing, giggling heaps of preschoolers in a rainbow house,
planting and gardening, sewing, fingerknitting, listening, singing,
playing with bubbles and learning to cut with scissors and use glue,
and sitting on a warm human lap…….hearing the stories, hearing
the words, creating the images inside those adorable curly and stick
straight haired heads………..this is the intellectual development
of the human child in the best sense of the word: addressing all the
aspects, the head, the heart, and the hands.

At home, you can accomplish this so much more easily, in a sense,
because YOU are the creator of your world. Your home, your schedule,
your possessions, your choices, your stories, your food, your tone of
voice, your joy and creativity, you are the queens and kings of your
child’s universe, the King Peter and Queen Susan and Aslan all rolled
into one! In a sense, you are the suns of your galaxes, and your
children dance around you in their own ellipses…as such, you can
select and create elements that will shine on all of us….now and in
the future times.


are there any resources that you love or find helpful? please share

simplicity parenting workshop

kim john payne talked over at the mindful connection. he is the author of the book, simplicity parenting.

every child has a telos, a very special, divine intention when they come into this world. and when we give children an uncluttered life, the telos can be revealed. if fast-paced, stressed life, the telos struggles to gain expression.

simplicity parenting is about creating a vessel for the child's intention, for the telos of the child. allowing them to be what they are supposed to be or what they desire to become. the fast paced life get between us and our hopes and dreams for our family.

changes for a shift

1. simplifying toys, books, clothes

less books, if you want a child to delve deeply into books instead of skim through them.

2. rhythm and predictability in children's lives

children thrive on rhythm. rhythm is a prime vehicle for moving children beyond the primitive brain, fight or flight lobes. children have empathy, creativity, children interested in others, they see cause and effect. makes discipline easier

3. scheduling

to have a balance between busy time, creative time and relaxed time. "gift of boredom" be more boring than the boredom. hold back on the over-scheduling of kids. we have a life-time of socializing. socializing done through the family, caring for brothers and sisters, being with mother and father and being little workers in the home, doing meaningful things in the home. (posed question to a parent) did you ever have a play-date??? and you turned out alright

4. screening out the adult world and being very careful around media

being careful abut what you say in front of children. before you say something in front of your children, ask yourself, is it kind? is it necessary? is it true? young children need to love the world before they question it.

websites mentioned:

simplicityparenting.com/blog

a fairy garden

:: we gathered materials around the house for the past few days for our fairy garden. she gathered some beach rocks gifted from great grandmother for our walkway, a larger shell to hold water, gems, painted mushrooms rocks, marbles, acorn caps and wind chimes. i love hearing her imagination take flight. 

we also headed to the nursery for a shade flower and an accessory (or two). lastly, we gathered some moss from around the yard and the finishing touch was some mica chips that my little one ground down. i had no idea what she was doing but i sat back. and a great lesson and experience unfolded in time. 

i originally thought i would buy a fairy house like this, or make one like this or that, but my little one really enjoys making fairy houses so leaving it open allows her more opportunity for play. another lesson for me, to sit back and let things unfold.

what things do you children put out for the fairies?

10 Homemade Laundry Soup Detergent Recipes

I had been searching for a recipe for a homemade laundry detergent recipe without borax and someone on the mothering boards gave me this wonderful link to tipnut. The following is taken directly from there site. If you try or have tried a recipe, please leave a comment with your feedback.

10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes

First Some Tips:

• For the bar soaps required in the recipes, you could try Fels-Naptha, Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, and Zote. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps.
• Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found in the laundry and cleaning aisles.
• Some people with really hard water or well water may have to adjust the recipes if the clothes look dingy.
• Although several of the recipes have the same ingredients, the measurements are different–some contain a higher soap to water ratio. Test and see which works best for your laundry needs.
• You can make huge pails of this at once, or smaller quantities. Also if you can get your hands on a few empty liquid laundry detergent bottles they work great for storing the detergent. Just make a big batch and pour in bottles, cap then use as needed–shake before use.
• Some of the recipes call for large amounts of water. Check with a local restaurant to see if they have any empty large pails from deep fryer oil–that’s how many restaurants buy the oil. See if you can have one or two of the pails after they’ve emptied it–just wash them out really well before using. They’re big, heavy plastic and very sturdy when stirring the soap and hot water.

 

10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes

Recipe #1

1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

Recipe #2

Hot water
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1 Soap bar

• Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
• Fill a 10 gallon pail half full of hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax and Washing soda, stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail up with more hot water.
• Use 1 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Recipe #3

Hot water
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1/3 bar Soap (grated)

• In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.
• In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
• Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #4

2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated – you could also try the other bar soaps listed at the top)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

• Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
• Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Recipe #5

Hot water
1 bar (4.5 oz) Ivory Soap – grated
1 cup Washing Soda

• In a large saucepan add grated soap and enough hot water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is melted.
• Fill a large pail with 2.5 gallons of hot water, add hot soap mixture. Stir until well mixed.
• Then add the washing soda, again stirring until well mixed.
• Set aside to cool.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, stirring well before each use (will gel)

Recipe #6

2.5 gallons Water (hot)
1 Bar soap (grated)
3/4 cup Washing Soda
3/4 cup Borax
2 TBS Glycerin

• Melt bar soap over medium-low heat topped with water, stir until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2.5 gallons of hot water, add melted soap mixture, washing soda, borax and glycerin. Mix well.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load.

Recipe #7

2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Washing Soda
2 – 2.5 gallons hot water

• Melt grated soap in saucepan with water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is dissolved.
• Pour hot water in large pail, add hot soap and washing soda. Stir very well.
• Use 1 cup per full load.

Recipe #8

2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
• Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #9

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)

• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Recipe #10 – (Powdered)

1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap

• Mix well and store in sealed container.
• I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results.

Liquid Detergents Note

Soap will be lumpy, goopy and gel-like. This is normal. Just give it a good stir before using. Make sure soap is covered with a lid when not in use. You could also pour the homemade soap in old (and cleaned) laundry detergent bottles and shake well before each use.

*If you can’t find Fels-Naptha locally, you can buy it online (check Amazon).

Optional

You can add between 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons) to your homemade laundry detergent. Add once the soap has cooled to room temperature. Stir well and cover.

Essential oil ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil

 

nurturing ourselves

did you catch the mindful connection on nurturing ourselves as women and mothers with heather fonenot from rhythm of the home? 

a few things that i took from the talk
that nurturing is nourishing every part of ourselves
- establishing a yoga practice
- choosing to honor your body with very good food
- spiritual aspect of nourishment and nurturing
- global aspect about how we choose our company that we keep
- how we allow others to define us and how we choose to define ourselves

real *nurturing* comes from being able to carry that with you the whole day
it is the attitude about why
why you deserve 5 minutes in the bathtub
why you deserve to go to the grocery store by yourself

- choosing your breakfast  and how that starts your day
- choosing clothes and how that makes you feel
- choosing your routine and giving ourselves 10 extra minutes
- choosing the company we keep  what kind of friendships are we developing? how do they play a role in our happiness?

the choices that we make helps to create a nurturing environment for ourselves as women and mother


- if you have taken to the time (to make choices that nourish yourself) to eat well, to listen to soft music, to take the long way to school with beautiful scenery, nourishing friends to talk they make everything more manageable
- and at the end of the day you have more purpose, more success, more happiness in the easy or more difficult situations
- if unexpected things come up, if you get basics in place, you can stay true to yourself

staying true to yourself
being okay with who we are
being okay with where our family is now
set boundaries for what you expect from others and expectations for yourself
be clear about what nurturing ourselves is
authenticity, be the best you
it is up to us to create a nurturing family enviornment
recognizing and defining self-worth is most important

finding sacred moments

finding sacred moments in your life discuseed by elizabeth sterling on the mindful connection.

(these are just my notes, i recommend listening to the webcast over at the mindful connection.)

sacred moments

right now

just as you are

there are sacred moments you are meant to experience

to be the changing one to see in the world

- weave sacred moments throughout your day

- shifting an attitude or how you approach a problem

tools for finding sacred moments 

tools to bring connectedness and wholeness into your life

1. mirrors in our lives - opportunity for us to start looking at the world around us a little differently and open our awareness to the idea or the role that we have in co-creating the world in which we live and we realize that we have help in doing this

- use people in your life as mirrors and messengers

- we co-create the world in which we live

- who we are, what we need and where we might want to go > everyone is our guide

- children are great guides, they tell it to us straight

- if you recognize something in someone it is a reflection 

- example, you come across someone hostile person, acknowledge that what i see in this person is a reflection of some small thing in me that i can choose to release at that moment by engaging with that person in a more positive way or taking a few breaths to release that energy. it can have a profound impact, you do not know that type of impact that might have in the world

- will you look at the sign or listen to the message?

- if we start approaching the people in our lives that way, we become empowered and begin to make positive changes in ourselves that ripple out into the world

2. spiral of gratitude - a cycle for manifesting intention in small steps in using gratitude to see as a way to see that sacred is always revealing itself in our lives and that it is always there

- step 1. put out intentions, dreams or desire for change in our life

- step 2. we have to become aware and alert, looking for signs, guidance, opportunities are going to start coming our way that are going to help us on our path to this bigger dream that we have

- step 3. give thanks for each one of the signs or opportunities

3. keeping your vessel open - gentle reminded that we are given a lot of opportunity to make conscious choices everyday and a lot of times the choices are in unexpected ways and unexpected packages. if you could allow yourself to be open

- step 1. expect unexpected

- step 2. remove stagnation, stagnant chi from our energy system, ie. house organized or not organized, hanging onto stuff that we do not need anymore, even emotional things or routines not serving us any longer. shaking things up can be a good thing

- step 3. get out of the rut of habitual choices with simple changes. view all of our choices and everything we do as a conscious choice. a powerful way to create new opportunities for us

4. grounding and maintaining a balance - requires time and dedication

- step 1. seek our balance in nature

- step 2. using mundane activities as opportunities for mindfulness, repetitive activities, opportunity for mindfulness, focus attentively on task at hand, perform task with sense of purposefulness and mindfulness, like hanging laundry, weeding, washing dishes, folding laundry

- step 3. meditation, focus on breath, walking mediation with baby, walking mindfully focus on each step
- step 4. mind/ body practices. yoga, qigong, tai chi

9 sacred moment practices
1. tree of gratitude, root of tree as breath. be grateful for breath. limbs of tree reaching out for the light
2. breath prayers and mantras. choose a couple of words to focus on. love and gratitude. love and peace, ommm chante ommm, ahhh
3. savor sipping = a practice of sipping a beverage mindfully. with each sip give thanks to people, plants, animals that made the beverage possible. use tool of gratitude to make it a more mindful experience. fosters a great sense of connectedness to the world in which we living in
4. mindful cooking and eating. take time to prepare the meal from local growers or grow yourself. interact with growers and give thanks and visualize people, plants, animals and send them a little blessing
5. listening to gratitude's voice.
6. shifting our focus. so much beauty, joy, magic all around us. children can be wonderful to look at the world differently if we open up to them. view our intention as seeds we plant
7. use power of written and spoken words. expose ourselves to more life enriching words
8. meridan tapping, emotional accupuncture. emotional freedom technique. tap gratitudes
9. mandalas = universal symbols of wholeness. they can help us to create sacred spaces in our lives.

*workshops beginning on summer solstice. sign up on the threading light blog

websites mentioned:

so wabu sabi
threading light