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Friday 29 June 2012

Our Family Rhythm (Part 1)

What is rhythm?  According to Wikipedia (okay not the best source)


Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμόςrhythmos, "any regular recurring motion, symmetry"[1]) may be generally defined as a "movementmarked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions."[2] This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or frequencyof anything from microseconds to millions of years.

For our family and many others rhythm is the regular pattern of our life.  Rhythm is different from a schedule in that you are not tied to the clock.  You know what you'd like your day, week, year to look and feel like.  It is more of a natural flow to your day rather than checking to make sure that you are on schedule.  Today I am going to share our daily rhythm, and in another post (as this will get too long) I'll share some important lessons I have been learning about creating and keeping our rhythm.

I have been struggling for a long time now with having some consistency to our days.  Our situation has changed several times over the years and my adjustments to it have been okay, but there isn't a sense of peace.  While researching different forms of homeschooling for our children I came across Waldorf education.  What I read really resonated with me and I realized it was more of a lifestyle than a specific curriculum. I'll be posting more on that all later too.

I can't tell you how excited I am to have joined the Thinking Feeling, Willing (TFW) program from A little Garden Flower: Waldorf Essentials. Over the next year I'll be sharing with you some of what I am learning, what the kids are up to and the projects we make. The first Mom lesson is about rhythm.  TFW was a great help because there is practical help along with some great articles addressing different areas of concern many other moms have encountered.

I am taking the time to slowly digest what I am learning and putting it into practice.  I look forward to starting some of the children's lessons with TJ and the daycare children once I get some time to read through it.  There are also sections for handiwork too, as you know I love that side of things.

I started by writing down what our current week looks like.  I realized how much we were out and what gaps we had during the day.  Slowly I worked on what I wanted our week, and each day to look and feel like. Here is our current rhythm that is starting to work for us:


Wake (Usually between 5-5:30am)
Bible
Mommy time (Emails, shower)
Breakfast        (TV time)
Daily chores   (Play or help)
Circle Time
Snack
Activity of the day / Outside
Lunch
Chores / Free Play
Quiet Time      (Nap for MJ)
Office work
Timmy Time
Diner prep
Outside/Free play
Dinner
Free play or activity

Activity of the Day
Monday – Handiworks
Tuesday – extra cleaning or outings
Wednesday – painting/crafts
Thursday – Baking
Friday – Sensory/Water
Saturday – Gardening/Nature
Sunday – Church/rest

For more about the program check out the links above.  If you are interested in finding out more about rhythm here are some other good posts or do a google search.  Stay tuned for some lessons I'm learning about keeping the rhythm!

Ordering of days - Waldorf Essentials
Rythm: Part One - Parenting Passageway
Creating Family Rhythm - Imperfect Homemaking
Beginners Guide to Creating Family Rhythm - Natural Parents Network

For more on Waldorf or if you want to know what I'm up to with the kids check out the sites below.  I will be posting about our homeschooling decision later once we are sure that is more of a reality for us.





Friday 22 June 2012

More of MJ's birthday photos

Good Morning Birthday Boy
Here are some photos of what we did for MJ's actual birthday on Tuesday.  We mostly played at home for the day.  I asked TJ if he feel like going to a splash park, but the boys enjoyed  the house more.  We played bubbles, painted, looked at photo albums and had a wonderful day together. Dinner was MJ's favourite meal of spaghetti ('gebby') and ice cream for dessert.

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New Socktopus and bottle quickly found their way into the truck

painting with bubble wands, balls, etc.

Body painting

More body painting

MJ covers himself too

Foot prints
 The boys loved this messy painting.  They enjoyed the feeling of the paint on their feet.  The lawn looks bad, but should clean up after the next mowing.






Happy Birthday my little one!

Thursday 21 June 2012

MJ's Birthday Photos

Here are some photos from MJ's party on Saturday.  We went to Lowville park for a picnic with family and friends.  The kids had fun playing in the river and playground.
Dirt cups with pudding and cookie crumbs

Dirt cake pops


Nanny and Cousin James
Grampy and Aunt Bonnie

TJ found the perfect climbing tree



Cousin E isn't too sure about the gummie worms

Uncle Steve and Baby James
I'll be posting some photos of what we did for MJs actually Birthday soon. We've been focusing on our daily rhythm this week, so the blog isn't top priority.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Happy Birthday MJ

I can hardly believe my little MJ is already 2 years old.
He brings such joy to our lives.  This year he has really begun to communicate.  He started with signing and quickly moved on to a few words, and now he won't stop talking!! I love the running commentary of his day.  It also help greatly now that he can tell us what he needs and what is wrong.  He also love to sing!   

MJ is also a mover.  He has already learned to ride a tricycle, the teeter-toter swing in the swing set, and climbs anything!  He loves to run all over and wrestle too.  And MJ is all boy, anything with wheels is a delight for him, along with sand, mud, puddles...

My little MJ is also a cuddle monster.  He loves his bottle and 'Taggie' and suggling with me.  I think he would enjoy being carried everywhere (except when he is running around).
MJ at the hospital a few hours old
On Saturday we had a birthday party for MJ.  I had decided to make cake pops (photos coming) so we had to have some cake for breakfast! I spent the morning with Aunty Bonnie making desserts while the boys went on a special mission to buy a toy boat to replace TJ's.
TJ is thrilled about cake for breakfast!
 In the afternoon we went to Lowville Park for a picnic.  We joined by some family and friends to play in the river and eat.  It was a wonderful time.  I'll be posting more about that and what we are up to today a little later.

Handmade party hats for the boys.
If you are interested in a party hat you can contact me through my Facebook Page

Saturday 9 June 2012

Sand Playdough

Here is one variety for our typical No cook play dough.  We simply left out the drink powder, as I often do if we don't have anything on hand, and added some sand to the mix.

The kids also loved sprinkling sand on the table to add in.  Some other ideas you could add would be glitter, or rice for a new texture.  Get creative because you really can't go too wrong here.  I've even tried different flours in the recipe too.
Instead of getting out the typical play dough toys, we used shells, rocks and other natural objects.
Cousin E thoughtfully adding more shells to her creation.
TJ making imprints with objects

MJ's little island

Thanks for visiting today I would love for you to leave a comment.  What else do you do with play dough?