Once upon a time, tape had a near immortal life at my house. I rarely used it, and it sat quietly in the basket on the fridge, contemplating the meaning of its existence, perfecting its stickiness, and preparing for when it would be called upon to stitch together paper. Then I had children and those children... Continue Reading →
As our populaton grows and more people live in urban areas, many find themselves without easy access to large wild areas. More and more children are growing up in cities without ever experiencing what most people think of as nature. However, nature always finds a way to prevail, and if you stop and think about... Continue Reading →
Jennifer Hallisy, a pediatric occupational therapist, has written a wonderful resource for parents and early childhood educators entitled The Write Start. In an age of e-mail and texting, the focus on writing has shifted. However, encouraging our children to write gives them a freedom of expression not found elsewhere. I wasn't certain what to expect... 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 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 →
When asked one time about sleeping arrangements with subsequent children, I shared with a group about our sleeping arrangements. We have a family bed, which at this time, includes two adults and four children. A young mother exclaimed how she would never have that many children in her bed. That is her perogative. It works... Continue Reading →
My children enjoy playing with Play-Doh. My three year old especially likes it. For the past year, he played with Play-Doh while his older brother and sister were in gymnastics class. It has a tendency to dry out, though, depsite carefully putting it away. I had been purchasing Play-Doh on sale. Then I decided to try... Continue Reading →
I was in charge of planning the Not-Back-to-School Luau for a local homeschool group. We kept it pretty low key. We rented out the lodge at a local nature center - nature activities conveniently provided. Everyone brought a dish to share and one of the fathers was in charge of grilling hot dogs. We had... Continue Reading →
Though conflict, we learn to establish healthy boundaries between ourselves and other people. Conflict provides an opportunity for growth and learning. This is true not only for children, but also for ourselves.
living peacefully with children 