Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός—rhythmos, "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.
