With everyone in the house being sick, we have had an opportunity to slow down. I wish it didn't take all of us feeling so cruddy to get to that point. There has been a lot of knitting, a lot of reading, and a lot of rice pudding making (4 batches to be exact). Oh, and a whole lot of sleeping - which is something I tend to not do so much, lol.
Something I've been focusing a lot of my attention on lately is staying in the moment, and trying to promote a calm and relaxed atmosphere around our house and with the kids. Much easier said than done, I assure you! :)
A while ago, I sat down and really put a lot of thought into what values I thought we should focus the most on with our children. I want my children to be honest, compassionate, happy people who contribute to society - ultimately. I realize those are very broad terms and ideas. So I set to work researching different child rearing books, methods and so on.
I feel from the research that I have done, that the best way for me to accomplish said goals, is to keep my children in tune with nature and their surroundings, engage their senses, and most importantly, stay in the moment with them, and really listen to what they have to say. Please note that this is just how I feel, and I am not an expert, nor is there only one right way to raise a child. This is just what feels soooo right inside, and for that reason, what I'm going with.
We're not too far off track, but adjustments will have to take place. For one, the T.V. is on too much in my house. It has become a sort of crutch for me, in order to get things done quickly, and it's just not right - I know this. I also know that there are a million studies out there to prove it as well. The kids watch about an hour a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I'd like to keep it much less. So we'll see. I'm sure we'll all do just fine :) It helps that the only T.V. in the house is in our bedroom, so a lot of the time, it's as easy as out of sight, out of mind.
The house is (was) too cluttered, with papers, toys, and random odds and ends. Over the course of a couple weeks, I successfully cleared out most of the excess. Our local thrift store really likes us right now, lol. I think we donated close to 15 super large garbage bags full, and gave away boxes and boxes of clothing to friends. I have to say, without a doubt, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders since doing so. The house is more relaxing and enjoyable to be in. Not to mention more work is getting done. I'm not done yet, and have made a personal goal to remove at least one bag a week of unnecessary "stuff".
The toys. There are too many, and most offer either very little or no opportunity for creative thought and play. My son obviously has his favorites, and obsessions, which I would never ask him to part with. My daughter, thankfully, is still pretty young, and once the tv characters are out of her world, the desire to play with them probably will be too. We did go around and pick out the toys no one plays with anymore to donate, and that's done. But from now on, I want to keep everything we bring into the house educational, thought provoking and from natural sources. Obviously they need to be fun of course too.
We read a lot, and I have always placed quite a bit of importance on books. The only change I want to make with those is maybe to have a few baskets full of them in different areas of the house, to encourage the children (and adults) to pick up a book.
This is a starting point, and it may not go according to my plan - but it's a goal, and everyone is on board. The overall goal really is just to slow down and simplify, which should help allow a more natural curiosity to evolve in my children.
Here are a few (but not all) of the books I've been reading to help get us to where I want to be...
Calm and Compassionate Children by Susan Usha Dermond - I can't recommend this one enough
Making A Family Home by Shannon Honeybloom - I teetered listing this one, but overall it is helpful and full of vivid photography.
Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv
And for the kids....
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean - it sounds goofy, but they love it
I think that's enough for today :)
Something I've been focusing a lot of my attention on lately is staying in the moment, and trying to promote a calm and relaxed atmosphere around our house and with the kids. Much easier said than done, I assure you! :)
A while ago, I sat down and really put a lot of thought into what values I thought we should focus the most on with our children. I want my children to be honest, compassionate, happy people who contribute to society - ultimately. I realize those are very broad terms and ideas. So I set to work researching different child rearing books, methods and so on.
I feel from the research that I have done, that the best way for me to accomplish said goals, is to keep my children in tune with nature and their surroundings, engage their senses, and most importantly, stay in the moment with them, and really listen to what they have to say. Please note that this is just how I feel, and I am not an expert, nor is there only one right way to raise a child. This is just what feels soooo right inside, and for that reason, what I'm going with.
We're not too far off track, but adjustments will have to take place. For one, the T.V. is on too much in my house. It has become a sort of crutch for me, in order to get things done quickly, and it's just not right - I know this. I also know that there are a million studies out there to prove it as well. The kids watch about an hour a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I'd like to keep it much less. So we'll see. I'm sure we'll all do just fine :) It helps that the only T.V. in the house is in our bedroom, so a lot of the time, it's as easy as out of sight, out of mind.
The house is (was) too cluttered, with papers, toys, and random odds and ends. Over the course of a couple weeks, I successfully cleared out most of the excess. Our local thrift store really likes us right now, lol. I think we donated close to 15 super large garbage bags full, and gave away boxes and boxes of clothing to friends. I have to say, without a doubt, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders since doing so. The house is more relaxing and enjoyable to be in. Not to mention more work is getting done. I'm not done yet, and have made a personal goal to remove at least one bag a week of unnecessary "stuff".
The toys. There are too many, and most offer either very little or no opportunity for creative thought and play. My son obviously has his favorites, and obsessions, which I would never ask him to part with. My daughter, thankfully, is still pretty young, and once the tv characters are out of her world, the desire to play with them probably will be too. We did go around and pick out the toys no one plays with anymore to donate, and that's done. But from now on, I want to keep everything we bring into the house educational, thought provoking and from natural sources. Obviously they need to be fun of course too.
We read a lot, and I have always placed quite a bit of importance on books. The only change I want to make with those is maybe to have a few baskets full of them in different areas of the house, to encourage the children (and adults) to pick up a book.
This is a starting point, and it may not go according to my plan - but it's a goal, and everyone is on board. The overall goal really is just to slow down and simplify, which should help allow a more natural curiosity to evolve in my children.
Here are a few (but not all) of the books I've been reading to help get us to where I want to be...
Calm and Compassionate Children by Susan Usha Dermond - I can't recommend this one enough
Making A Family Home by Shannon Honeybloom - I teetered listing this one, but overall it is helpful and full of vivid photography.
Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv
And for the kids....
Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean - it sounds goofy, but they love it
I think that's enough for today :)
Take Care!
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