Seasons of Joy Looking for a way to bring peace and joy to your day?
Seasons of Joy is my 10-week seasonal guidebook to add rhythm and fun to your daily routine. Each guidebook has ten weeks' worth of circle times, stories, arts, crafts, and handwork, painting, playtime activities and more!
Seasons of Joy seeks to empower families to create peaceful rhythms and routines and joyful celebrations that follow the circle of the year. The blog also chronicles our adventures in living simply, loving exuberantly, and Waldorf inspired homeschooling.
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As I’ve been facing so many changes in my life over the past two months, one question I find myself constantly asking is this: how does one gracefully extricate oneself from something that is just no longer working?
It’s a question without an answer, I fear.
When I worked at Mothering.com as a moderator for all those years, I observed that people who became disenchanted with natural family living and attachment parenting as billed by MDC generally took one of three paths when they decided the community was no longer for them: they flamed, flounced, or faded out. Read more...
Last Sunday, I was so blessed to attend the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth. It was amazing. Also? Long. Usually I get lost in the music but for some reason I found myself really thinking about the lyrics of the fourth movement. The real lyrics, translated of course, which have absolutely nothing to do with the “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee!” stuff we sing at church or when watching Sister Act.
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary. Read more...
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.
~C. S. Lewis
As I’ve been embarking on this whole journey, I’ve been challenging myself to do one hard thing every day.
As I shared on my personal Facebook page, doing hard things is… well, hard. And I’ve become so unaccustomed to doing hard things that I’ve become kind of soft. But you know what else I’m learning?
The more hard things you do, the easier it becomes.
And since I’m not one to suffer in silence, I’m going to challenge you as well. Read more...
In the slip of a bolt, there’s a tiny revolt.
The seeds of a war in the creak of a floorboard.
A storm can begin with the flap of a wing.
The tiniest mite packs the mightiest sting.
Every day starts with the tick of a clock.
All escapes start with the click of a lock.
If you’re stuck in your story and want to get out,
You don’t have to cry; you don’t have to shout.
~Matilda the Musical (Naughty)
It’s been quiet here, I know. I thought maybe I would take a few moments to explain what’s going on. Read more...
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| Cuddled up with Big Brother Michael to take a nap |
Molly calls throwing up “makin’ nasties.”
Pretty cute, huh?
Maybe. But it definitely loses cute points at 1:30 AM.
Poor baby.
In the middle of the night, we did the Twinkie shuffle. Matthew not-so-happily went downstairs to sleep with Daddy on the sofa bed. Molly and the barf bowl bunked with me, as did Katie Grace once she changed her clothes, stripped her bedding, and cracked open a window to air out her room. What an awesome big sister! Read more...
I’ve always loved the story of Pascal’s wager.
Cliff notes version: Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician, philosopher, and physicist, proposed that, since God (and the existence of God) was unknowable, the wisest course of action is to live your life as if God exists because there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. If we live as if God exists and He does indeed exist, we’ve gained Heaven. If we live as if God exists and He doesn’t exist, we’ve lost nothing. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say we’ve still gained something because we’ve chosen to live a loving way of life. Read more...
watch·word
1: a word or phrase used as a sign of recognition among members of the same society, class, or group
2a : a word or motto that embodies a principle or guide to action of an individual or group
2b : a guiding principle
I’ve been doing this “one little word” dealio for a few years now. Read more...
This is just one of the reasons I love my oldest son, Michael.
Last week, tired of being snowed in and needing to burn off a little energy, I took the children to Chuck E. Cheese. It was noisy, hectic, and we won’t be doing it again. But oh, it was worth it for this.
That’s Michael, my 13-year-old. And next to him is his ball-crazy little brother, Matthew. And see that boy next to him? Do you know who he is?
Yeah, neither do I.
And neither did Michael. Read more...
Hmmm…. according to tradition, we are in the midst of the Halcyon Days—the seven days following the winter solstice that are supposed to be calm and tranquil and without storms.
And yet, it also means calm or tranquil days—much like these days betwixt Christmas and the New Year, as we come down from the bustle of Advent and Christmas and aren’t yet quite ready to pick up school again. As the children explore their new toys and activities, as we tidy and organize and make room for the new, as we prepare for the changes next year will bring, perhaps we are enjoying Halcyon Days after all. Read more...
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Our Current Read Aloud: When You Reach Me
In the car we’re listening to… The Mysterious Benedict Society and Prisoner’s Dilemma
Character Counts! This month’s character trait is: Courage!!
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." ~C S Lewis Blessed Mother Teresa, Pray for Us! 
Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home.
~Mother Teresa |
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