My husband grew up with an Advent Calendar. Every day his mother would dole out butterscotch candies that were pinned to it. A few years ago, he mentioned it to me, saying that it was a tradition he enjoyed and missed. We don't celebrate Christmas, so we needed to come up with something that would... Continue Reading →
We've been helping our children make gifts for their siblings this year, and I have to admit that I am extremely pleased with the results - not necessarily the physical results of their hard work, which admittedly are lovely, but the results of the experience. The first step for each was to come up with... Continue Reading →
As we gather nearer to the Winter Solstice, the darkness presses in closer, leaving us with an ever decreasing amount of daylight as we go about our lives. This period of darkness is when our family celebrates Halcyon. The word halcyon is used to depict a time of peace and quiet reflection, stemming from the mythical halcyon... Continue Reading →
I recently had a conversation with my children about women covering themselves, after we saw a woman who wore a head covering. My 5 year old daughter wanted to know why the woman's head was covered, and we discussed the fact that some religions require women to cover their heads or bodies so that others... Continue Reading →
Today is World Kindness Day. If you need some ideas on how you can spread kindness in the world and make it a better place for our children, check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Little things can make a difference.
When our oldest child was 2 years old, I designed a wooden play kitchen. My husband and I built it and the kids loved it. Unfortunately, it did take up quite a bit of space, and we eventually sold it. Lately I have been thinking about it, as my younger two children are growing. Our... Continue Reading →
My children have several dolls, all of which have been made by me. I hadn't planned on making more dolls for the holidays, but I was inspired by the tumbleberry dolls. The fun, funky hair was more than I could resist. Considering that I had almost all of the supplies to make the dolls, I set... Continue Reading →
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 →
With six people in our family, one of whom has some obsessive compulsive tendencies with regard to possible germs, we wash hands a lot. We used to go through quite a bit of soap. Afterall, it's fun to play with soap and water. In an effort to conserve some money, I began making our own... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 