In an age where the world seems to be moving at an ever-increasing pace, a shift is occurring in many women, bringing them back into the folds of domesticity. Once seen as a 1950’s sitcom standard, or an oppressive way of passing away the days with laundry, cooking and cleaning, domesticity is taking on new [...]
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Lent, the forty days leading toward Easter, is a sacred season of reflection for many Christians as they remember Christ retreating into solitude for forty days and forty nights where he resisted temptation and stood true to his connection to Truth and Light. What is your truth? What, in your life, is tempting you? What [...]
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In the last issue, we opened the subject of the importance of Play in the life of the young child. Let’s look a little more closely at this question, and see if we can tease out some answers: Why is Play, both indoors and out, so critically important? Through Play the child creates herself. Play [...]
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LifeWays North America is devoted to developing healthy childcare, parent-infant and parent-child programs, and training programs for caregivers, parents and parent educators. These activities are inspired by the works of Rudolf Steiner and the experience of Waldorf education and are supported by contemporary early childhood research as well as common sense and wisdom of many [...]
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Every year, as Earth Day approaches, there is a lot of talk about being green or making changes in our lives to live more sustainably. You might hear about a local tree planting or that your supermarket is giving away reusable bags to celebrate this event. You might wonder: what can you do to bring [...]
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It was just past three o’clock as I ran up the path towards Turtle Rock. The shadows were long, the sun was warm and a gentle breeze was blowing in the air. As I sat there listening, I could hear the sounds of crows cawing, buzzing bees, the annoying mosquitoes, and squirrels running up and [...]
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Last night, while the garden snoozed under blankets of snow, I placed a jar of our home-canned pickles on the dinner table. “Pickles,” mused my six year old son thoughtfully, “aren’t like food you grow. They come from another food.” It could have been an answer from Jeopardy! The Kindergarten Round, as in: “I’ll take [...]
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“Please, come to our town and I’ll show you guys our oak grove. Some of the acorns are fist-sized and look like sea anemones.” Two years ago, the above comment appears on my blog post about acorn necklaces. My kids and I accept the invitation and journey to meet Maya of Urban Organica, who lives [...]
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“For everyone who has ever been seven years old, or is, or soon will be.” ~ Dedication of The Seven-Year-Old Wonder Book, by Isabel Wyatt I remember the day my seven-year-old son turned to me, his face stricken. “Mommy, I can’t see heaven anymore.” His words, and his obvious sadness, tugged at my heart. And [...]
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Whether you are celebrating summer holidays in the Northern Hemisphere or winter vacation in the South, the spring may find you making plans for travel. As parents, I think we’re all familiar with the duality of travel with children: the privilege of visiting a new place coupled with the challenges of being outside of our [...]
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It is a valuable practice at night to spend a little while revisiting sanctuaries of your lived day. Each day is a secret story woven around the radiant heart of wonder. We let our days fall away like empty shells and miss all the treasures. – John O’Donohue My children taught me to open [...]
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When we align ourselves with the primary action of each season, we can harness the energy that permeates the natural world and, thus, facilitate our own transitions. During autumn, as we witness the falling of leaves, we open to the energy of shedding and ask ourselves, “What is it time to let go of?” In [...]
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The sanguine spring awakens, stretches her vining arms, leggy roots and heady blooms and reminds us of the power all living things have to rejuvenate, renew and reinvent. For although she may have been flaming in summer, wilting in autumn and hiding in winter we all know that she will once again come around to [...]
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Lately I’ve noticed that many mothers I talk to are really open and forthright about all of the areas in life in which they feel that they are struggling. Yet I find them very private — almost silent -- about the areas in which they believe that they are thriving and doing well. And although [...]
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