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.
My family is currently smack in the middle of the most dreaded of seasons–
A season of waiting.
As I’ve written before, my husband’s current job is an interim position. A full-time interim, to be sure, and one we’re very blessed to have, but it’s a temporary gig nonetheless. And so we search for a full-time job, dealing with the inconvenience of a job far away with long hours and a daddy who has been very missed.
And you know, it’s very tempting, in the midst of this season, to wait with discontent. Read more...
For one thing, it’s messy. No color-coded, neatly organized, freshly painted rooms here. Instead, there’s dry erase marker on the wall– did you know that not even the chemical mystery that is the Magic Eraser can remove dry erase marker from the wall? No? Well now you know– and as you walk up the stairs you can see where little hands have peeled not one but two layers of ancient wallpaper, both inexplicably featuring shades of avocado green.
For another thing, it’s loud. I don’t mean it to be loud, but even six small people being quiet requires one big person to speak up to be heard over them. Read more...
True story: I was working on writing this last night (Valentine’s Day) and Ms. Molly just would not go to sleep! My husband happened to be passing through the room just as I said, rather exasperatedly, “Please, Molly, stop climbing on Mama. I’m trying to type.” He looked at us and said “Yeah, Mama is too busy writing about how much she loves you to love you right now.” Um… ouch. So of course I turned off the computer and snuggled my sweet little girl. And now here I am tonight with a little boy on my left and a bigger boy on my right, completing yesterday’s Valentine post. I hope your day was full of love! Read more...
I am so excited and blessed to be participating in Erin Goodman’s 10-Day Family Recharge!
Saturday was the first day, and I woke up to this lovely video in my in-box.
Isn’t it a beautiful song? It actually reminded me of a very similar song from Sweet Honey on the Rock’s “All for Freedom” album, which I used to play a lot a billion years ago when I taught preschool. So I dug around a little, and it seems to be based on an old gospel tune. The earliest version I could find was by Bessie Jones. Read more...
Even though I’m surrounded by books and papers with ten tabs open on my browser as I prepare for a Sunday night frenzy of lesson planning, the last word is enough to make me look up and pay attention to what my four-year-old is saying.
“What about blood?”
He lifts his foot and shows me a smear of red covering several toes.
“Daddy said it will be OK. I either stepped in paint or it’s just a little blood.”
He wrinkles his brow and looks to me to tell him that he is indeed fine. I see the question in his eyes. Read more...
Last Friday, I planned two weeks worth of menus. After shopping my stockpile and freezer, I took the remainder of my list and went to the store.
Well, stores. My grocery budget for the 8 of us has just been raised to a high rolling $225 every two weeks. I can make it work, too, with careful planning, shopping multiple stores, and loading my pantry with bargains as I find them. My budget doesn’t include household goods or toiletries, which also helps. We use WIC as well, although rather selectively, and we don’t get everything on the checks because there are some things that we simply can’t get as whole foods. For example, my only choices for peanut butter involve high fructose corn syrup. I do get Cabot cheese, whole milk (BHG free), fruits and veggies, eggs, dry beans, oats, and brown rice. Read more...
My lack of blogging speaks to two ongoing issues in my life right now.
First, no camera. It hasn’t been the same since Michael accidentally spilled his drink on it at the Little League World Series. It hung in there for a bit, but finally gave up the ghost right after Christmas. I had my eye on a really nice replacement until my hubby decided to renew his on-again off-again relationship with Dave Ramsey and pay off our two remaining credit card bills and the remainder of my student loan instead. So instead I have a cute little purple point-and-click Nikon on its way instead. Ah well- easy come, easy go. Read more...
I’ve been putting off writing my resolutions. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been putting off making the time to write out my resolutions. Although to be fair, part of what’s been taking up my time is that I’ve actually already started to live out some of my resolutions, so I guess it’s probably not a bad thing.
Anyway, here we go…
Spiritually, I would like to…
~ Draw closer to God, especially taking delight in finding joy in being a daughter of the King.
~ Return to my Catholic roots.
~ Celebrate the feasts and festivals of the church, passing on this tradition to my children.
~ Maintain a Sabbath. Read more...
Actually, let me backtrack a little. Have you heard of the concept of a life verse? It’s a Scripture verse that has great personal meaning to you. Maybe it defines your life. Maybe it reflects it. Maybe it’s something that you cling to in times to adversity or maybe it’s something you strive to live up to. In my case, it’s a verse that has dogged me ever since I was a small child. Read more...
In January, we delighted in the twins as they continued to grow in their own sweet ways.
As my heart slowly recovered, I began to take back more of my home responsibilities, learning to juggle them with babies in tow.
In February, Mimi and PeePaw met the babies for the first time!
Mama was still recovering, so we made valentines in bed.
As Mama began to feel better, we would exercise by walking the mall. There we discovered that The Children’s Place was an excellent source for matchy matchy outfits! Read more...
Our Current Read Aloud: On the Banks of Plum Creek
In the car we’re listening to… The Incorrigable Children of Ashton Place and the Hidden Gallery
Nursery Rhyme Nursery School
Rain on the green grass,
Rain on the trees,
Rain on the rooftops,
But not on me!
Character Counts! This month we’re learning about…
Sincerity
2 Corinthians 1:12
For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
