Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: What is natural parenting? This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our Carnival coincides with the launch of Natural Parents Network, a community of parents and parents-to-be who practice or are... Continue Reading →
The Gift of Listening... Listen. Really listen. Don't multi-task, daydream, or do anything else. If you are physically with the person, look them in the eye. Practice active listening. The Gift of Affection... Act in ways that communicate how you feel about someone. Give hugs, kisses, pats in the back. Shake someone's hand or... Continue Reading →
When my daughter was two years old, she drew on the wall with a pencil. It was actually a pretty cool drawing. We took a picture of it before she helped me wash the wall off. There is something appealing about drawing on the wall, though. It's a different experience drawing on a vertical surface... Continue Reading →
My little witch found the perfect hat last month - it was black and purple satin with black lace and sparkly ribbon and it was on sale. Her eyes lit up with delight, and we finally knew which direction her witch costume would go. A little black and purple satin had me desiging the perfect... Continue Reading →
Halloween is almost here, and the hot discussion among parents is how to deal with the anticipated candy from Halloween night. Is it better to let their kids pick out a few pieces and make the rest magically disappear, either by buying it from them or having a mythical Halloween goblin? Would it be better... Continue Reading →
I decided to do something a little different from our regular pizza. I rolled the same dough out into a rectangle. The kids painted on garlicy butter and we liberally sprinkled it with shredded mozzeralla. We then rolled it and sliced it like cinnamon rolls before baking like we normally do. Bowls of yummy sauce graced... Continue Reading →
My children see hearts everywhere. Every time, I hear a "Mom? I [point at the heart] you!" I love you , too, my dear sweet ones.
I often come across the question from others about what to do when you haven't parented according to your ideals. When posted on a parenting forum, there seems to be an overwhelming urge for others to tell the original poster that, "It's okay." They regal everyone with posts about their less than stellar moments and... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago I made a comment to my husband about being middle-aged. He looked at me and stated that you can't consider yourself middle-aged at thirty. I did. My mother was 57 when she died. Her parents were in their early 60's. The odds weren't looking good that I would live much past... Continue Reading →
I thought my daughter might like a unicorn version of the stick horse I made earlier this year for her birthday, as she likes mythical creatures. I had a scrap of lavender corduroy that was just big enough to use, along with a scrap of white corduroy for the horn. She picked the rainbow yarn... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 