This was just too cute to not share. I love love love this! Maybe I can find some time this week to make one!
Meal Time Organizer
Monday, March 22, 2010
Mark Bittman Video
Love this guy. Love this video. He reviews what the American diet was 100 years ago around 7 minutes 30 seconds. Then he talks about how we got to where we are today. Processed foods, canned foods, frozen foods, etc. Fantastic.
The Lunch Box
Friday, March 5, 2010
Natural birth is best
Always has been, always will be.
The rate of maternal death has TRIPLED in the US in the past TEN years. Why? C-sections. Lots and lots and lots of C-sections. This makes me so sad for all the families out there who have lost mothers.
I'm just happy that this is finally coming out on mainstream news.
ABC News
The rate of maternal death has TRIPLED in the US in the past TEN years. Why? C-sections. Lots and lots and lots of C-sections. This makes me so sad for all the families out there who have lost mothers.
I'm just happy that this is finally coming out on mainstream news.
ABC News
Monday, March 1, 2010
Rhythm of the Home
Rhythm of the Home is an online magazine, pulled together by the best of the best alternative-parenting moms. This is truly a gem. There is pages of wonderful information, uplifting quotes, and fun projects. They just released their spring edition. Here are a few of my favorite articles.
Fostering Self Esteem in Young Children
Children's Yoga for Healing
Mindfulness as a Spiritual Practice of Motherhood
The Benefits of Play
Playing With Our Children
Making A Family Home: Dining Room
The last link is an excerpt from the book, Making A Family Home. This is my new favorite book. I finished reading it a month ago, but I still find myself carrying it around as a treasure. It will be on my coffee table for a very very long time, if not indefinitely.
Fostering Self Esteem in Young Children
Children's Yoga for Healing
Mindfulness as a Spiritual Practice of Motherhood
The Benefits of Play
Playing With Our Children
Making A Family Home: Dining Room
The last link is an excerpt from the book, Making A Family Home. This is my new favorite book. I finished reading it a month ago, but I still find myself carrying it around as a treasure. It will be on my coffee table for a very very long time, if not indefinitely.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A Place For Everything
We've still got a foot of snow outside, but I'm already catching the spring cleaning bug. This inspired me.
Are So Happy
While I am certainly not some kind of type-A super-organized person, I love to have a tidy home. I feel that the ease and peacefulness it creates is a true gift to the people who live here and everyone who enters our home. Keeping a tidy home used to be a constant (uphill) battle for me, but slowly along the way it became easier and easier. I'm constantly working on making my housewifery more beautiful and more joyful. I want to show my girls what a wonderful thing it is to take care of our home and the people in it!
I'm mostly going to be talking about organizing toys today, but I think you'll see how these ideas really apply to the rest of my home as well. I try my hardest to facilitate the girls' creative and imaginative spirits while appealing to their own innate sense of beauty and order. I hope that in doing so, they will treasure and take care of the things that they have. Here's how:
A Place for Everything
-For big things, try to put them in places that are the most logical. My girls love to play with their barn on the floor, so that's where I store it (instead of up on a shelf where I think it looks cute).
-For small things, baskets! Baskets, baskets, baskets. Keep like things together.
-Be sure that things always go back to their original place at the end of the day. This could mean that they help to pick things up, or it could mean that you do (we've done it both ways). Whatever works for you, just be sure that when they wake up in the morning, it's a clean start to the day.
Less is More
-One small jam jar of acorns is full of creative possibilities. A big basket of them is a mess waiting to happen. Six lids are fun! Thirty-six lids are a pile of junk. The same goes for clothespins, boxes, bolts...
-If the toys all over your house are overwhelming to you, they are exponentially overwhelming to your child. Overwhelm leads very quickly into throwing things around or general disrespect of their things.
-Even if you simply can't get rid of all the "stuff" your little ones have, you can be selective about what you keep out and in view to play with at any one time. Do they really need all the books, or just a few? What about other things that there are multiples of? Animals? Stuffies? Dolls? Keep most of it in the closet and rotate some things out (but not too frequently).
A Thing of Beauty
-If something gets marked/dinged/broken/torn/etc, take it immediately out of play until it can be mended or cleaned (or properly disposed of). If it is something they can help to mend or clean, allow them to help you. If it is not, mend or clean it where and when they can see you do it.
-Make the extra effort to display and store things beautifully and invitingly. Imagine what the most beautiful toy store in the world would look like! Can you create a little piece of that in your home?
-A sweet display of nature treasures can become clutter overnight. When it does, make a clean sweep and refresh the space by creating a sparse display, or putting out one special thing.
Are So Happy
While I am certainly not some kind of type-A super-organized person, I love to have a tidy home. I feel that the ease and peacefulness it creates is a true gift to the people who live here and everyone who enters our home. Keeping a tidy home used to be a constant (uphill) battle for me, but slowly along the way it became easier and easier. I'm constantly working on making my housewifery more beautiful and more joyful. I want to show my girls what a wonderful thing it is to take care of our home and the people in it!
I'm mostly going to be talking about organizing toys today, but I think you'll see how these ideas really apply to the rest of my home as well. I try my hardest to facilitate the girls' creative and imaginative spirits while appealing to their own innate sense of beauty and order. I hope that in doing so, they will treasure and take care of the things that they have. Here's how:
A Place for Everything
-For big things, try to put them in places that are the most logical. My girls love to play with their barn on the floor, so that's where I store it (instead of up on a shelf where I think it looks cute).
-For small things, baskets! Baskets, baskets, baskets. Keep like things together.
-Be sure that things always go back to their original place at the end of the day. This could mean that they help to pick things up, or it could mean that you do (we've done it both ways). Whatever works for you, just be sure that when they wake up in the morning, it's a clean start to the day.
Less is More
-One small jam jar of acorns is full of creative possibilities. A big basket of them is a mess waiting to happen. Six lids are fun! Thirty-six lids are a pile of junk. The same goes for clothespins, boxes, bolts...
-If the toys all over your house are overwhelming to you, they are exponentially overwhelming to your child. Overwhelm leads very quickly into throwing things around or general disrespect of their things.
-Even if you simply can't get rid of all the "stuff" your little ones have, you can be selective about what you keep out and in view to play with at any one time. Do they really need all the books, or just a few? What about other things that there are multiples of? Animals? Stuffies? Dolls? Keep most of it in the closet and rotate some things out (but not too frequently).
A Thing of Beauty
-If something gets marked/dinged/broken/torn/etc, take it immediately out of play until it can be mended or cleaned (or properly disposed of). If it is something they can help to mend or clean, allow them to help you. If it is not, mend or clean it where and when they can see you do it.
-Make the extra effort to display and store things beautifully and invitingly. Imagine what the most beautiful toy store in the world would look like! Can you create a little piece of that in your home?
-A sweet display of nature treasures can become clutter overnight. When it does, make a clean sweep and refresh the space by creating a sparse display, or putting out one special thing.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Why we aren't getting a microwave at the farmhouse
Plants watered with microwaved water (left) and boiled water (right) - day 1.
Plants watered with microwaved water (left) and boiled water (right) - day 9.
Source
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Creating Warmth
My inspiration for the day can be found here
This is an article written by Eileen at Little Acorn Learning, an absolutely fantastic resource for homeschooling Waldorf moms. She creates lesson plans and snack menus for each month.
Creating Warmth
Warmth is important both physically and emotionally for every human being. As caregivers, we work hard to provide a loving and nurturing environment for the children in our care. We must work just as hard to create an environment and practice that gives our own soul the warmth it desires.
Physical Warmth – Warming the Body
Clothing
Keeping our body temperature comfortable reduces stress and promotes good health. We must be especially mindful of keeping young children warm and dressed properly. Layers of clothing that can be easily added or removed are the best choice for both children and adults. When choosing clothing, try to choose natural fibers whenever possible. Cotton, wool and silk materials allow the skin to breathe and feel softer on the skin than synthetics. In the winter months, wearing long underwear helps children to move freely while retaining their body heat. Suggest that each member in your household has a special pair of indoor shoes or slippers that they wear during the day.
Nourishment
Human beings need whole, organic, nourishing foods to promote optimal health. In the colder months, warm soups and breads can be served. Make tea time a daily event by serving the children and yourself herbal or decaffeinated tea in the afternoon after time spent outdoors. We have created seasonal childcare menus to help you serve the children warming meals each day. Visit our website www.littleacornlearning.com for more details.
Bedding and Cozy Places
Wool blankets, sheepskin rugs, natural bedding, oversized pillows and comforters are just some of the ways that you can create a cozy bedtime place for each child and adult in your home. If you have a woodstove or fireplace, take the time to wake up early to start a fire. This time can be your time to relax, meditate and enjoy a warm cup of tea or coffee before the rest of the household wakes up. If you are using our childcare program, you can use this time to do your caregiver meditation each day.
Environment
Look at the colors that surround you. The color on your walls, clothing, and other belongings all contribute to your mood. Are they warm and inviting? Deep reds, oranges and yellows work well to create a warm feeling when the temperature is cold. Cool colors create a calming effect. Blues, greens, light colors and neutrals are great when the weather is very warm.
What type of lighting do you think of when you think of a warm environment? Beeswax candles create a beautiful flame, are safe and smell wonderful. The sight of a natural fire instinctively warms us with its beauty. Is there natural light flowing through uncovered windows, sunbeams hitting the walls and mirrors and pretty sun catchers to admire? These are all the simple pleasures that create beauty in our homes.
Living, breathing things need to be surrounded by nature to feel whole. It is important to make sure that we are surrounded by green plants, fresh flowers, animals and other living things. It is also important to bundle up and take the time to go outside to appreciate nature in all types of weather. Let the sun hit your face each day and breathe in the fresh air.
Things
To allow space for warmth in our environment we must create an uncluttered home filled with the things we love. Sound impossible? Do your child’s playthings engage healthy imaginary play? Are there too many of them? Are you displaying the good books, collectibles, crafts and cookbooks that bring you so much joy? Keep what you love and get rid of the rest.
Emotional Warmth – Warming the Senses
Hearing
If you were to tape record a day in your home and play it back what would you hear? Loud noises, negative talk, background music or television create a stressful environment. How can you ensure that the words and sounds in your home are filled with love and warmth?
Sharing special verses, poems and fingerplays throughout the day not only creates a predictable rhythm that children can depend on but also helps create a peaceful home. When you must redirect a child, choose your words wisely… be firm but come from a place of love and warmth. Singing or humming, playing instruments, children laughing, kind words and other happy sounds are what a warm home should be filled with.
Seeing
What images surround you and the children throughout the day? Real work, cooking, baking, painting, hiking, playing, cleaning and other hands-on activities will nourish your soul. How much time is spent in front of computers, televisions, video games or other ‘screens’? The flashing images, content and lack of physical interaction drain our bodies and souls and take up our precious time.
Look back on your day each evening as you would a movie reel played backward. What do you see? Which parts need adjusting, deleting or repeating? When a child watches their caregiver tend to the day with love and reverence it creates warmth and security deep within their innermost self.
Touch
Research shows that physical touch is absolutely essential for the healthy emotional and physical development of children and the ongoing health and well-being of adults. ”We have established a solid foundation of results, including the understanding that touch triggers physiological changes that help infants and children develop,” said Dr. Tiffany Field, Professor of Pediatrics, Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Miami School of Medicine and Director, Touch Research Institutes.
Gentle head rubs, hugs, foot massages, soft places, natural fabrics and fibers, kneading dough, splashing water, applying lotion, warm clothing are only a few of the ways we can find warmth in touch.
Smell
Scented bubble baths, natural incense, foot massages, lavender spray, herbal drinks, beeswax, fresh bread baking, home cooked meals and wood burning. What are some other smells that come to mind when you think of the word ‘warm’? In the morning you can light a special candle or incense to create a peaceful feeling.
When my children feel sad or stressed in any way, we often return to peace by spraying a small amount of lavender spray or using our herbal eye pillows. A simple way to bring in a natural scent and add beauty to your table is to fill a special vase with fresh flowers each day.
When we put the time and energy into making our home a place that warms us both physically and spiritually, we benefit by both the process and the result of our work. Spend time this week meditating on how you can create a warm environment for yourself, your family and those you invite into your home.
This is an article written by Eileen at Little Acorn Learning, an absolutely fantastic resource for homeschooling Waldorf moms. She creates lesson plans and snack menus for each month.
Creating Warmth
Warmth is important both physically and emotionally for every human being. As caregivers, we work hard to provide a loving and nurturing environment for the children in our care. We must work just as hard to create an environment and practice that gives our own soul the warmth it desires.
Physical Warmth – Warming the Body
Clothing
Keeping our body temperature comfortable reduces stress and promotes good health. We must be especially mindful of keeping young children warm and dressed properly. Layers of clothing that can be easily added or removed are the best choice for both children and adults. When choosing clothing, try to choose natural fibers whenever possible. Cotton, wool and silk materials allow the skin to breathe and feel softer on the skin than synthetics. In the winter months, wearing long underwear helps children to move freely while retaining their body heat. Suggest that each member in your household has a special pair of indoor shoes or slippers that they wear during the day.
Nourishment
Human beings need whole, organic, nourishing foods to promote optimal health. In the colder months, warm soups and breads can be served. Make tea time a daily event by serving the children and yourself herbal or decaffeinated tea in the afternoon after time spent outdoors. We have created seasonal childcare menus to help you serve the children warming meals each day. Visit our website www.littleacornlearning.com for more details.
Bedding and Cozy Places
Wool blankets, sheepskin rugs, natural bedding, oversized pillows and comforters are just some of the ways that you can create a cozy bedtime place for each child and adult in your home. If you have a woodstove or fireplace, take the time to wake up early to start a fire. This time can be your time to relax, meditate and enjoy a warm cup of tea or coffee before the rest of the household wakes up. If you are using our childcare program, you can use this time to do your caregiver meditation each day.
Environment
Look at the colors that surround you. The color on your walls, clothing, and other belongings all contribute to your mood. Are they warm and inviting? Deep reds, oranges and yellows work well to create a warm feeling when the temperature is cold. Cool colors create a calming effect. Blues, greens, light colors and neutrals are great when the weather is very warm.
What type of lighting do you think of when you think of a warm environment? Beeswax candles create a beautiful flame, are safe and smell wonderful. The sight of a natural fire instinctively warms us with its beauty. Is there natural light flowing through uncovered windows, sunbeams hitting the walls and mirrors and pretty sun catchers to admire? These are all the simple pleasures that create beauty in our homes.
Living, breathing things need to be surrounded by nature to feel whole. It is important to make sure that we are surrounded by green plants, fresh flowers, animals and other living things. It is also important to bundle up and take the time to go outside to appreciate nature in all types of weather. Let the sun hit your face each day and breathe in the fresh air.
Things
To allow space for warmth in our environment we must create an uncluttered home filled with the things we love. Sound impossible? Do your child’s playthings engage healthy imaginary play? Are there too many of them? Are you displaying the good books, collectibles, crafts and cookbooks that bring you so much joy? Keep what you love and get rid of the rest.
Emotional Warmth – Warming the Senses
Hearing
If you were to tape record a day in your home and play it back what would you hear? Loud noises, negative talk, background music or television create a stressful environment. How can you ensure that the words and sounds in your home are filled with love and warmth?
Sharing special verses, poems and fingerplays throughout the day not only creates a predictable rhythm that children can depend on but also helps create a peaceful home. When you must redirect a child, choose your words wisely… be firm but come from a place of love and warmth. Singing or humming, playing instruments, children laughing, kind words and other happy sounds are what a warm home should be filled with.
Seeing
What images surround you and the children throughout the day? Real work, cooking, baking, painting, hiking, playing, cleaning and other hands-on activities will nourish your soul. How much time is spent in front of computers, televisions, video games or other ‘screens’? The flashing images, content and lack of physical interaction drain our bodies and souls and take up our precious time.
Look back on your day each evening as you would a movie reel played backward. What do you see? Which parts need adjusting, deleting or repeating? When a child watches their caregiver tend to the day with love and reverence it creates warmth and security deep within their innermost self.
Touch
Research shows that physical touch is absolutely essential for the healthy emotional and physical development of children and the ongoing health and well-being of adults. ”We have established a solid foundation of results, including the understanding that touch triggers physiological changes that help infants and children develop,” said Dr. Tiffany Field, Professor of Pediatrics, Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Miami School of Medicine and Director, Touch Research Institutes.
Gentle head rubs, hugs, foot massages, soft places, natural fabrics and fibers, kneading dough, splashing water, applying lotion, warm clothing are only a few of the ways we can find warmth in touch.
Smell
Scented bubble baths, natural incense, foot massages, lavender spray, herbal drinks, beeswax, fresh bread baking, home cooked meals and wood burning. What are some other smells that come to mind when you think of the word ‘warm’? In the morning you can light a special candle or incense to create a peaceful feeling.
When my children feel sad or stressed in any way, we often return to peace by spraying a small amount of lavender spray or using our herbal eye pillows. A simple way to bring in a natural scent and add beauty to your table is to fill a special vase with fresh flowers each day.
When we put the time and energy into making our home a place that warms us both physically and spiritually, we benefit by both the process and the result of our work. Spend time this week meditating on how you can create a warm environment for yourself, your family and those you invite into your home.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
A Deliberate Life
My inspiration for the day can be found here
"I enjoyed your post. I'm wondering, though, how much your slower more deliberate life is possible because your children are grown and gone? I have tried to be more deliberate in my life, but I have children and I teach them at home. It's certainly a challenge to take from your posts and apply them to my busy life, but I have learned from you and the others. What's really working for me is to take one change at a time. That was great advice. ~ Anonymous
This is a comment from those made yesterday. I'm sorry I can't name the person who wrote as she is only know to me as anonymous. Anonymous, I wanted to address your comment today because I think "living deliberately" can confuse some of us. My interpretation of deliberate living is that I have intentionally taken my life in the direction of my values. I needed to sit and think, and I needed to work out for myself what was important to me. I knew how I didn't want to live, but what exactly did I want? When I changed, I knew I didn't want to keep spending and rushing around like a loon but I had to replace that with something, and that required me to decide on what my core values were and how I could live by those values.
Essentially, I deliberately focused on my values - generosity, kindness, independence, self reliance, self respect and respect for others - and I made my everyday life reflect those values. That, to me, is living deliberately. You make a deliberate decision to live a certain way and every day make sure your life stays true to that. It sounds like a huge commitment, and it is, but it is done in small steps, every day, without fail, deliberately following that path.
I read Walden by Henry David Thoreau about 15 years ago, well before I made my changes towards simplicity. I have no doubt that book, and in particular this quote below, influenced me more than anything else; although I didn't know it at the time and only made that discovery in retrospect.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience ... "
It still takes my breath away to read those words. I am trying to live deep and to suck all the marrow out of life; I want to know if life is mean or sublime, and I want to know it by experience. I do not want to read about it in a magazine or a blog, I want to truly experience my life every day, and every day it is deliberately focused on the values I want to live by.
Now to answer your question: I'm wondering, though, how much your slower more deliberate life is possible because your children are grown and gone? Living deliberately isn't reliant on who is living in your house. It is the decision to discover your real values and live them, on purpose, everyday. That is important when you're raising children. You want them to reflect and live to your values until they have grown and are capable of making a sound decision for themselves on how they want to live. Hopefully, by that stage, your life and the way they were raised will influence them towards the kind of life you want for them. So for instance, deliberate living would be to decide you want to pay off your debt: you want to homeschool your children: you want to instil in them the values of care for others, kindness and generosity; you want to be healthy and connect with nature. Once those decisions on values (whatever they are) are made, everyday from then on, you would make sure your every day life reinforced those ideals, and deliberately move your family towards them. Every day you would deliberately work towards the outcomes you want by the way you homeschool, the behaviour you model for your children and the example your life sets for those young eyes. You would make sacrifices to pay off debt, even when it's difficult, you would continue to homeschool, you would plan into your homeschooling a few nature days and read books about the natural world. You would do all that deliberately - even when it's difficult to do.
Slowing down is another aspect of a simple life. It's concentrating on the task at hand and being mindful. It doing and knowing and experiencing what you're doing, and not thinking about what you'll do later in the day. I've written about slowing down before so I won't repeat that again now. I hope I've answer your question.
Walden, and in particular the quote above did more for my resolve to live as I do than anything else I've read. As I said I read it many years ago, but reread it when I started to live a slower and more deliberate life. That second reading made me certain of the truth of Thoreau's words and I have tried to live true to them ever since. Walden is available free online here. I have it quietly tucked away on my computer and frequently revisit it. It is fine inspiration. It's not an easy read because it is written in the vernacular of the 19th century, but if you decide to take it on, I'm sure you be rewarded for the effort. It would be a great holiday project to read a little bit of Walden every day and if you do that, I hope you gain as much as I did from it."
"I enjoyed your post. I'm wondering, though, how much your slower more deliberate life is possible because your children are grown and gone? I have tried to be more deliberate in my life, but I have children and I teach them at home. It's certainly a challenge to take from your posts and apply them to my busy life, but I have learned from you and the others. What's really working for me is to take one change at a time. That was great advice. ~ Anonymous
This is a comment from those made yesterday. I'm sorry I can't name the person who wrote as she is only know to me as anonymous. Anonymous, I wanted to address your comment today because I think "living deliberately" can confuse some of us. My interpretation of deliberate living is that I have intentionally taken my life in the direction of my values. I needed to sit and think, and I needed to work out for myself what was important to me. I knew how I didn't want to live, but what exactly did I want? When I changed, I knew I didn't want to keep spending and rushing around like a loon but I had to replace that with something, and that required me to decide on what my core values were and how I could live by those values.
Essentially, I deliberately focused on my values - generosity, kindness, independence, self reliance, self respect and respect for others - and I made my everyday life reflect those values. That, to me, is living deliberately. You make a deliberate decision to live a certain way and every day make sure your life stays true to that. It sounds like a huge commitment, and it is, but it is done in small steps, every day, without fail, deliberately following that path.
I read Walden by Henry David Thoreau about 15 years ago, well before I made my changes towards simplicity. I have no doubt that book, and in particular this quote below, influenced me more than anything else; although I didn't know it at the time and only made that discovery in retrospect.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience ... "
It still takes my breath away to read those words. I am trying to live deep and to suck all the marrow out of life; I want to know if life is mean or sublime, and I want to know it by experience. I do not want to read about it in a magazine or a blog, I want to truly experience my life every day, and every day it is deliberately focused on the values I want to live by.
Now to answer your question: I'm wondering, though, how much your slower more deliberate life is possible because your children are grown and gone? Living deliberately isn't reliant on who is living in your house. It is the decision to discover your real values and live them, on purpose, everyday. That is important when you're raising children. You want them to reflect and live to your values until they have grown and are capable of making a sound decision for themselves on how they want to live. Hopefully, by that stage, your life and the way they were raised will influence them towards the kind of life you want for them. So for instance, deliberate living would be to decide you want to pay off your debt: you want to homeschool your children: you want to instil in them the values of care for others, kindness and generosity; you want to be healthy and connect with nature. Once those decisions on values (whatever they are) are made, everyday from then on, you would make sure your every day life reinforced those ideals, and deliberately move your family towards them. Every day you would deliberately work towards the outcomes you want by the way you homeschool, the behaviour you model for your children and the example your life sets for those young eyes. You would make sacrifices to pay off debt, even when it's difficult, you would continue to homeschool, you would plan into your homeschooling a few nature days and read books about the natural world. You would do all that deliberately - even when it's difficult to do.
Slowing down is another aspect of a simple life. It's concentrating on the task at hand and being mindful. It doing and knowing and experiencing what you're doing, and not thinking about what you'll do later in the day. I've written about slowing down before so I won't repeat that again now. I hope I've answer your question.
Walden, and in particular the quote above did more for my resolve to live as I do than anything else I've read. As I said I read it many years ago, but reread it when I started to live a slower and more deliberate life. That second reading made me certain of the truth of Thoreau's words and I have tried to live true to them ever since. Walden is available free online here. I have it quietly tucked away on my computer and frequently revisit it. It is fine inspiration. It's not an easy read because it is written in the vernacular of the 19th century, but if you decide to take it on, I'm sure you be rewarded for the effort. It would be a great holiday project to read a little bit of Walden every day and if you do that, I hope you gain as much as I did from it."
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Just in time for Christmas
The Issue of Toys, Children, and Materialism
By Marsha Johnson, December 2004
Shopping bags and baskets full, parents and family friends arriving with
parcels, long store lines, and big dollar prices...birthdays, holidays,
other occasions both secular and religious, family rooms, play rooms,
bedrooms, living rooms, filled with play items, bright colors, plastics,
woods, cloth, books, and more....is there room for the child? Where is the
child? In late fall, these questions start to present themselves to even the
most unconscious person as we strive to find the `perfect' addition to an
entire house filled with personal items...as well as strive to come up with
a wish list for ourselves. This year, I notice the most advertised item is a
S'more cooker! If only we could just package the happy feelings that we
experience when gathered around a cozy campfire, in the woods, while
toasting food on a stick! This is what the manufacturer knows will sell his
silly little invention: he is selling memories.
Burdened with possessions from before birth, we stumble along this
treacherous pathway at holidays, driven by commercial interests, lists of
best sellers (if other people bought it, it must be good), and short lived
desires stimulated by visual, auditory, and olfactory images. Artistic and
historical pictures of holidays always include the scene where wrappings are
torn off and cries of joy fill the room as each receives exactly the right
gift. Does this sound familiar to you?
I distinctly recall a holiday when our oldest son was two years old, and in
his stocking, he discovered a tiny metal truck and a tiny yellow metal
bulldozer. At that point, his holiday was complete and he was not interested
in any other gaily wrapped packages or presents except one large cardboard
box left over from some item that he played with for weeks. Did this wake us
up a bit? Well, frankly, not enough. Our family cultural background, our own
perceptions of the `ideal' holiday scene, and an inability to resist
commercial pressures and peer pressures, drove us on the mad buying road for
quite a few years to come.
We tread this delicate path each moment, and it seems that their influence
increases geometrically at major holiday times. We smother our children
under a plethora of physical goods! It is no wonder that we cannot breathe
freely under the weight of our possessions.
Reading through a stack of books on child development, from ones generated
out of Waldorf education to just about every other approach, there is indeed
a common theme. Children should be surrounded by a few multi-purpose,
open-ended items that encourage imaginative play, social interaction, and
healthy bodily movement. Young children need to be interactive with the
physical world in a direct sense, stomach or back to the earth, although a
blanket, skin, or floor may lie between. The urge to rise must be allowed to
flourish independently in the infant human being, and nearly all children do
indeed push themselves away from the horizontal and ascend to a vertical
stance. The miracles of scooting, crawling, standing, cruising, and walking
need no artificial assisters such as walkers, jumpers, or swings.
Nearly all of the most popular toy items do not meet the 3 basic criteria
listed above: hard plastic items are too formed to be open-ended, they must
adhere to their pre-conceived shape and form. They feel dead to the touch
and are non responsive to the mood of the child. You can see this disdain in
the actions of the children who play with plastic items as they throw them
around rooms, kick them, leave them outside in the yard, litter them
everywhere and have trouble cleaning them up. Parents literally have garbage
can sized containers into which all these plastic goodies are shoveled and
rarely sorted. Landfills are overwhelmed with plastic debris and it requires
thousands of years to decompose. Plastic also use valuable petroleum
resources and is filled with toxins for the most part. Does this discourage
us? I wonder. Stroll without your child down a toy store items and simply
look for plastic. It is unavoidable.
Open ended items are simple, often made of natural materials such as wool,
wood, metal, or cloth. Undefined or lightly defined toys allow children to
use them in a multitude of ways. A new playmate brings new ideas for logs,
scarves, blocks, and playhouses. Endless games with ropes, sticks, and
simple tools will result during afternoons with friends. Finding toys that
work with social settings as well as all-alone times is a key factor for
parents. Creating and combining personal play areas of family play areas is
important and requires some consideration. Clearly, adults need space for
adult activities and babies need to be protected from dangerous items. It
might be helpful to sit down and think over your home, your room
assignments, notice where your family gathers, do children actually play in
the bedroom? Or do they bring all their play items into the kitchen, the
living room, or family room, where the parents tend to be?
Social interactions can begin for children at about age 3 or 4, when they
can start to actually `play with' another child instead of `play near'
someone else. The child in the 3rd year begins to use the word "I" to
designate self, and this is a critical consciousness step in development.
When we use the word "I", we experience an inner feeling of our free selves,
our free will, our own being, our souls and spirits. We are unique and can
express this wonderful word that only we can use for ourselves (no-one else
can call us I). Before this time, parents notice that children are exploring
their surroundings with interest, imitating the actions of their parents or
caregivers, perhaps using the broom to sweep the floor. Babies under 1 year
are observers and listeners as they move their limbs and learn to manipulate
their small physical bodies in that all encompassing drive to rise. Their
social encounters are based on human interactions, facial expressions, and
echoing or mimicking what they see. Have you ever been about a baby about 9
months old who literally stares at your face until you make eye contact?
Serious hopeful expression transforms into a beautiful body-wide smile! What
a wonderful feeling!
Body movement is critical to healthy brain development and according to
every study in the world, video and computer activities are contributing to
an unprecedented decline in child physical heath. Running, skipping,
dancing, moving, climbing, chasing, and hopping are on the decline! Teachers
see children in the grades who have great challenges with basic balance
skills such as walking a straight line. What to do? Parents are often
exhausted in their own work, and insert the video into the machine to escape
into solitude for 90 minutes while the child is occupied. Our families are
often so isolated from one another that there is no respite or very little.
I know a child who is 18 months old who can turn on tv and video player,
insert and remove the movie, and operate the remote control.
Relatives of families who are trying to find a different path often fall
into a situation where they create conflict with gifts of commercial plastic
or media items. The common culture is such that refusing such gifts often
induces arguments and antipathy. Children of these families are sometimes
then over-exposed to these influences during visits or vacations, when
grandparents can follow their own beliefs and stuff children with nitrite
laced hot dogs and movies. Has this happened to you? It can be a very
difficult emotional experience for the adult children of baby boomer
generation grandparents, born in the 40s and 50s, which was also the birth
of the plastic toy industry. I recall wishing for the Mr. Potato Head Toy
that came with nose, ears, mouth, etc. that were to be pushing into a real
potato. The innocent (?) beginnings of a world wide lifelong addition to the
acquisition of things that have very little significant purpose or meaning.
And most of us do not even realize that we have been registered in this
senseless buying club for life.
Families who are seeking a different way of providing toy items and play
spaces for their children must be willing to undergo some conflicted
feelings and pressures. In addition, parents must be able to agree to
adopting a new approach and support one another: it is not uncommon to find
one parent wishing to be dedicated to a less materialistic lifestyle while
the other one is sneaking the Gameboy into the stocking.
PLAY ITEMS CHECKLIST AND ADVICE:
If you are not a parent yet, good, you can skip the rest of the this
paragraph and go on to the section for specific recommendations for children
by ages. If you have children already, then you must make some tough
decisions. Here is one method that works well and it gentle in its approach.
If you follow this advice, you will find that in about 1 year, your home
will be free of all commercial/material istic toy burdens, you will feel
lighter and more in tune with nature and the seasons, and your family time
will be enhanced and enjoyable with the need to spend hours organizing and
cleaning up after your children and yourself.
First, have a private discussion with spouse and come to agreement. This is
critical and this program will not work unless this has been completed. Then
examine your home and its contents. Go into your child's room and count how
many items are in that space. Include clothing, shoes, and coats. Count
aloud and be amazed. How can one being be surrounded by so many physical
things? Notice how many images or hanging items are on the walls, how many
things hang in windows, etc. Do the same activity with your play room or
family room where toys are kept. Look into the movie cupboard and notice how
many boxes or cases. Count how many TVs are in your home. How many music
CDs? Where are these items kept? Peek into the attic, the basement, the
garage, the kitchen cupboards, the laundry room, the sheet storage, the
towel closet, obtain a good impression of how many items there in your home.
Take a break and have a cup of tea. In a day or two, send the children over
to play at a friend's home. Strengthen yourself with prayer and go into your
play spaces and remove about one third of the toys not on the list below.
Put into large black storage bags and drive over to someone else's home or
garage. (No temptation to retrieve and after 3 months, you can given them to
charity). Include books, posters, stuff, even expensive stuff. This first
foray is the hardest and you can select items that you know your child
rarely plays with. Try to include mostly plastic junky items that will never
be missed. Include stuffed animals that are sitting, lonely, and plastic
dolls that lie heaped in the corner. Sentimental items like grandma's doll
clothes should be kept, there is love in the stitches that cannot be
replaced.
If you are really strong and on a roll, you can do this for other areas of
the home and include the clothing drawers: children do NOT need walk-in
closets, this accumulation of 24 pairs of shoes is both confusing and
ridiculous and I am old enough to remember when children under 3 wore white
baby shoes (1 pair) which we polished. Do your kitchen (who need 4
tablespoon measurers?) and your own closet. Donate your items to charities
and store if you must.
If children notice something is gone, if under six, distract them with a
play idea, or tell a little story about a bunny who had so many things she
couldn't sleep in her cozy bunny hole. Leave it at that if possible.
Children six and older may need to know that the family is making some
changes that are healthy for everyone and that is probably enough. If you
try this on older children, you will need their cooperation.
In about three months, do this again. In the meantime, begin adding to the
store of items listed below. Slowly replace various toys with substitutes
that meet the three criteria of being open-ended, socially healthy, and
encourage body movement. If you continue this pathway for a year, that will
give your four opportunities to reduce, diminish, refocus, alter, redefine,
and re-direct your child's play environment, sleep environment, and living
environment.
In your organization, create specific areas of particular play items:
outdoors for certain pursuits, an art space with paints, crayons, brushes,
pastels, paper, and more, a reading/book area to share, and a game playing
space. These spaces can share your dining room or family room. Bedrooms are
for sleeping and keeping clothing in, maybe 1 special stuffed animal friend,
or 1 doll cradle. When a child is sent to clean their room, it means change
the sheets, sweep the floor, wash the window, and take care of shoes and
clothing. How many times do we confuse cleaning with picking up?
MUST DO:
1) Remove all TVs from home if possible with young children and middle aged
children and teenagers. You will not regret this decision.
2) If not possible, keep one and put in closet that locks or some space
inaccessible to family members without a lot of work.
3) Obviously same with all video equipment..dvd players
4) Remove all computer games from computer and put cds in a box and hide
them in a closet. Computers are for `working', writing, communicating. If
you play games, do it only after kids are in bed.
5) Ask or persuade friends and family to switch from giving more toys and
clothes to a) buying items you request, b) gift certificates to particular
catalogs (Magic Cabin, Chinaberry Books), or c) put the money they would
have spent into certificates of deposit for future educational expense
(tuition is a big issue for the future) or d) be willing to substitute time
together for physical items. Come over for dinner and stay for a games
night, go out for a walk in a bird reserve, take a trip to the beach, cook a
family recipe together..beg, plead, and insist. They will adopt your
methods, slowly.
6) If child receives an unexpected objectionable item, be gracious and enjoy
it for a while, then `disappear' it magically. Time is a great healer.
7) Frequently visit other families who are like minded to encourage yourself
and find support. You will find that all the children in the neighborhood
will want to hang out at your house! Bring them in and teach their parents.
8) Take the money you save and enjoy a fantastic family camping trip or
vacation. You will literally save thousands and thousands of dollars over
the 18 years of your child's life.
9) Examine wardrobes and put together fourteen outfits for your children,
enough for 2 weeks without laundry, for each season, and donate the rest.
Buy good quality wool, cotton, and natural fiber clothes that will last
through several children, practice the fine art of hand me downs, and gather
a group of other families to have a twice a year `share' time where you all
bring extra clothes and parcel them out. You will be shocked at how this is
so very freeing although you will spend a bit more time doing laundry on
your new schedule.
10) Begin a rhythm in your household that includes all members in a
reasonable cycle of chores that includes and shares out cooking, cleaning,
washing, and gardening. Spend your time together with purpose as opposed to
trying to get a few chores `done' while everyone else sits in front of a
screen. Laundry day can be a good social time to visit over sock matching,
laundry line hanging, and there is nothing that can beat (Sorry commercial
artificial laundry scent manufacturers) the smell of wind-dried sheets on
summer days. Avoid using machines for your household work, study up on how
to make your own healthy cleaners, and treasure old towels for wonderfully
soft rags. Step away from silly products that promise to somehow make your
life easier that actually are simply substitutes for old fashioned, tried
and true methods.
11) Get together with a couple other families and form a study group to
enjoy dinner together once a month and talk about parenting, read new books,
enjoy community, and share ideas. Insist that gift giving occasions be
primarily social events, outdoor adventures, nature immersed, and
intentionally diminish or reduce the time of `gifting' in your life. Try an
`exchange' habit, instead, or take a class and learn how to make something
useful, for example, learn to carve wooden spoons and give these as gifts.
Simple and very helpful and useful. Do not overdo it and give dozens! Avoid
the consumption addiction in all respects.
PLAY ITEMS FOR PARTICULAR AGES LIST:
INFANTS UNDER 1 YEAR: (Secret! Children under 1 year old do not need ANY
toys! None at all. They need humans and something to suck and chew on, like
their fingers and toes. But if you must..)
Wooden chew toy/rattle (1)
Soft ball (size of an adult fist)
2-3 silks to play peek a boo
1 soft cottony type stuffed thing to chew on, can be animal or shape
A special snuggly blanket for bed time
A nature table to observe
1YEAR TO 3 YEARS OLD:
The above items plus....
A set of wooden blocks (can be made by hand, or tree limbs that are smooth
and splinter free, cut into rounds and sanded)
1 soft doll, no features, stuffed with wool, with doll cradle and blanket
Several soft balls
Baskets of smooth sticks, shells, nuts in the shell, stones
Stacking toys (there are wooden ones that are nice)
Small truck or car
Basket of silks, six or eight, in large squares for playing and dress up
3 stick crayons in red, yellow, blue and some sturdy paper for coloring
6 small board books, classics
1 nice picture on the wall
1 nice hanging hand made mobile
4 YEARS TO 7 YEARS
Same as above
Plus dress up capes and crowns
Stick horse is nice, jump rope
Play areas for pretend kitchen, pretend laundry area
Digging tools for the garden, seeds
Board games (2-3 at one time)
Crayons in eight colors
Water color paints in 3 colors (red, yellow, blue)
Beeswax for modeling, sewing kit with big needle
Playstands for creating homes, forts, pirate ships
Simply music instruments are nice: rattles, bells
Outdoor riding toys are enjoyed
Wagons, swings, ropes, small logs outside
1 doll with legs and arms, clothes for the doll
Small animals for playing, wooden shapes are nice
Often a small playhouse with furniture, all wood
Or a barn with horses, stalls, fences, etc. of wood
No more than 2 dozen books on shelf for a few months
Candle next to bed for lighting and night time song and story
8 YEARS TO AGE 12
Cards, dice
Board games for the age: checkers, chess, cribbage
Collectables (big age for starting collections)
Kits for building, tool sets that are real tools
Wood carving with supervision
Sewing kits
Knitting kits, wool, crochet sets and patterns
More paints, include pastels, chalk
Blackboard is nice for wall with chalk
Sport equipment as your family enjoys
Bike
Treasure box for rock collection
Often a more complex doll
Roller Skates, or blades
Bird watching kits, books
Excursions: Take them places!
Books on a shelf, family books, carefully selected for content
Binoculars, telescope, microscope
Magnifying glasses
Items that your child really desires and will take care of...
This is a only a partial list and I am sure more can be added as you think
of your family and their needs. As time passes, the children will become
more independent and the parental guidance loosens quite a bit. If we can
help our children perceive that we can escape from the commercial/material
treadmill that keeps so many sad captive people enslaved to both earning the
money to purchase items and time sacrificed to maintain them, we are doing a
good deed for the world and the future.
--
For more information you can check out Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. I love this website.
By Marsha Johnson, December 2004
Shopping bags and baskets full, parents and family friends arriving with
parcels, long store lines, and big dollar prices...birthdays, holidays,
other occasions both secular and religious, family rooms, play rooms,
bedrooms, living rooms, filled with play items, bright colors, plastics,
woods, cloth, books, and more....is there room for the child? Where is the
child? In late fall, these questions start to present themselves to even the
most unconscious person as we strive to find the `perfect' addition to an
entire house filled with personal items...as well as strive to come up with
a wish list for ourselves. This year, I notice the most advertised item is a
S'more cooker! If only we could just package the happy feelings that we
experience when gathered around a cozy campfire, in the woods, while
toasting food on a stick! This is what the manufacturer knows will sell his
silly little invention: he is selling memories.
Burdened with possessions from before birth, we stumble along this
treacherous pathway at holidays, driven by commercial interests, lists of
best sellers (if other people bought it, it must be good), and short lived
desires stimulated by visual, auditory, and olfactory images. Artistic and
historical pictures of holidays always include the scene where wrappings are
torn off and cries of joy fill the room as each receives exactly the right
gift. Does this sound familiar to you?
I distinctly recall a holiday when our oldest son was two years old, and in
his stocking, he discovered a tiny metal truck and a tiny yellow metal
bulldozer. At that point, his holiday was complete and he was not interested
in any other gaily wrapped packages or presents except one large cardboard
box left over from some item that he played with for weeks. Did this wake us
up a bit? Well, frankly, not enough. Our family cultural background, our own
perceptions of the `ideal' holiday scene, and an inability to resist
commercial pressures and peer pressures, drove us on the mad buying road for
quite a few years to come.
We tread this delicate path each moment, and it seems that their influence
increases geometrically at major holiday times. We smother our children
under a plethora of physical goods! It is no wonder that we cannot breathe
freely under the weight of our possessions.
Reading through a stack of books on child development, from ones generated
out of Waldorf education to just about every other approach, there is indeed
a common theme. Children should be surrounded by a few multi-purpose,
open-ended items that encourage imaginative play, social interaction, and
healthy bodily movement. Young children need to be interactive with the
physical world in a direct sense, stomach or back to the earth, although a
blanket, skin, or floor may lie between. The urge to rise must be allowed to
flourish independently in the infant human being, and nearly all children do
indeed push themselves away from the horizontal and ascend to a vertical
stance. The miracles of scooting, crawling, standing, cruising, and walking
need no artificial assisters such as walkers, jumpers, or swings.
Nearly all of the most popular toy items do not meet the 3 basic criteria
listed above: hard plastic items are too formed to be open-ended, they must
adhere to their pre-conceived shape and form. They feel dead to the touch
and are non responsive to the mood of the child. You can see this disdain in
the actions of the children who play with plastic items as they throw them
around rooms, kick them, leave them outside in the yard, litter them
everywhere and have trouble cleaning them up. Parents literally have garbage
can sized containers into which all these plastic goodies are shoveled and
rarely sorted. Landfills are overwhelmed with plastic debris and it requires
thousands of years to decompose. Plastic also use valuable petroleum
resources and is filled with toxins for the most part. Does this discourage
us? I wonder. Stroll without your child down a toy store items and simply
look for plastic. It is unavoidable.
Open ended items are simple, often made of natural materials such as wool,
wood, metal, or cloth. Undefined or lightly defined toys allow children to
use them in a multitude of ways. A new playmate brings new ideas for logs,
scarves, blocks, and playhouses. Endless games with ropes, sticks, and
simple tools will result during afternoons with friends. Finding toys that
work with social settings as well as all-alone times is a key factor for
parents. Creating and combining personal play areas of family play areas is
important and requires some consideration. Clearly, adults need space for
adult activities and babies need to be protected from dangerous items. It
might be helpful to sit down and think over your home, your room
assignments, notice where your family gathers, do children actually play in
the bedroom? Or do they bring all their play items into the kitchen, the
living room, or family room, where the parents tend to be?
Social interactions can begin for children at about age 3 or 4, when they
can start to actually `play with' another child instead of `play near'
someone else. The child in the 3rd year begins to use the word "I" to
designate self, and this is a critical consciousness step in development.
When we use the word "I", we experience an inner feeling of our free selves,
our free will, our own being, our souls and spirits. We are unique and can
express this wonderful word that only we can use for ourselves (no-one else
can call us I). Before this time, parents notice that children are exploring
their surroundings with interest, imitating the actions of their parents or
caregivers, perhaps using the broom to sweep the floor. Babies under 1 year
are observers and listeners as they move their limbs and learn to manipulate
their small physical bodies in that all encompassing drive to rise. Their
social encounters are based on human interactions, facial expressions, and
echoing or mimicking what they see. Have you ever been about a baby about 9
months old who literally stares at your face until you make eye contact?
Serious hopeful expression transforms into a beautiful body-wide smile! What
a wonderful feeling!
Body movement is critical to healthy brain development and according to
every study in the world, video and computer activities are contributing to
an unprecedented decline in child physical heath. Running, skipping,
dancing, moving, climbing, chasing, and hopping are on the decline! Teachers
see children in the grades who have great challenges with basic balance
skills such as walking a straight line. What to do? Parents are often
exhausted in their own work, and insert the video into the machine to escape
into solitude for 90 minutes while the child is occupied. Our families are
often so isolated from one another that there is no respite or very little.
I know a child who is 18 months old who can turn on tv and video player,
insert and remove the movie, and operate the remote control.
Relatives of families who are trying to find a different path often fall
into a situation where they create conflict with gifts of commercial plastic
or media items. The common culture is such that refusing such gifts often
induces arguments and antipathy. Children of these families are sometimes
then over-exposed to these influences during visits or vacations, when
grandparents can follow their own beliefs and stuff children with nitrite
laced hot dogs and movies. Has this happened to you? It can be a very
difficult emotional experience for the adult children of baby boomer
generation grandparents, born in the 40s and 50s, which was also the birth
of the plastic toy industry. I recall wishing for the Mr. Potato Head Toy
that came with nose, ears, mouth, etc. that were to be pushing into a real
potato. The innocent (?) beginnings of a world wide lifelong addition to the
acquisition of things that have very little significant purpose or meaning.
And most of us do not even realize that we have been registered in this
senseless buying club for life.
Families who are seeking a different way of providing toy items and play
spaces for their children must be willing to undergo some conflicted
feelings and pressures. In addition, parents must be able to agree to
adopting a new approach and support one another: it is not uncommon to find
one parent wishing to be dedicated to a less materialistic lifestyle while
the other one is sneaking the Gameboy into the stocking.
PLAY ITEMS CHECKLIST AND ADVICE:
If you are not a parent yet, good, you can skip the rest of the this
paragraph and go on to the section for specific recommendations for children
by ages. If you have children already, then you must make some tough
decisions. Here is one method that works well and it gentle in its approach.
If you follow this advice, you will find that in about 1 year, your home
will be free of all commercial/material istic toy burdens, you will feel
lighter and more in tune with nature and the seasons, and your family time
will be enhanced and enjoyable with the need to spend hours organizing and
cleaning up after your children and yourself.
First, have a private discussion with spouse and come to agreement. This is
critical and this program will not work unless this has been completed. Then
examine your home and its contents. Go into your child's room and count how
many items are in that space. Include clothing, shoes, and coats. Count
aloud and be amazed. How can one being be surrounded by so many physical
things? Notice how many images or hanging items are on the walls, how many
things hang in windows, etc. Do the same activity with your play room or
family room where toys are kept. Look into the movie cupboard and notice how
many boxes or cases. Count how many TVs are in your home. How many music
CDs? Where are these items kept? Peek into the attic, the basement, the
garage, the kitchen cupboards, the laundry room, the sheet storage, the
towel closet, obtain a good impression of how many items there in your home.
Take a break and have a cup of tea. In a day or two, send the children over
to play at a friend's home. Strengthen yourself with prayer and go into your
play spaces and remove about one third of the toys not on the list below.
Put into large black storage bags and drive over to someone else's home or
garage. (No temptation to retrieve and after 3 months, you can given them to
charity). Include books, posters, stuff, even expensive stuff. This first
foray is the hardest and you can select items that you know your child
rarely plays with. Try to include mostly plastic junky items that will never
be missed. Include stuffed animals that are sitting, lonely, and plastic
dolls that lie heaped in the corner. Sentimental items like grandma's doll
clothes should be kept, there is love in the stitches that cannot be
replaced.
If you are really strong and on a roll, you can do this for other areas of
the home and include the clothing drawers: children do NOT need walk-in
closets, this accumulation of 24 pairs of shoes is both confusing and
ridiculous and I am old enough to remember when children under 3 wore white
baby shoes (1 pair) which we polished. Do your kitchen (who need 4
tablespoon measurers?) and your own closet. Donate your items to charities
and store if you must.
If children notice something is gone, if under six, distract them with a
play idea, or tell a little story about a bunny who had so many things she
couldn't sleep in her cozy bunny hole. Leave it at that if possible.
Children six and older may need to know that the family is making some
changes that are healthy for everyone and that is probably enough. If you
try this on older children, you will need their cooperation.
In about three months, do this again. In the meantime, begin adding to the
store of items listed below. Slowly replace various toys with substitutes
that meet the three criteria of being open-ended, socially healthy, and
encourage body movement. If you continue this pathway for a year, that will
give your four opportunities to reduce, diminish, refocus, alter, redefine,
and re-direct your child's play environment, sleep environment, and living
environment.
In your organization, create specific areas of particular play items:
outdoors for certain pursuits, an art space with paints, crayons, brushes,
pastels, paper, and more, a reading/book area to share, and a game playing
space. These spaces can share your dining room or family room. Bedrooms are
for sleeping and keeping clothing in, maybe 1 special stuffed animal friend,
or 1 doll cradle. When a child is sent to clean their room, it means change
the sheets, sweep the floor, wash the window, and take care of shoes and
clothing. How many times do we confuse cleaning with picking up?
MUST DO:
1) Remove all TVs from home if possible with young children and middle aged
children and teenagers. You will not regret this decision.
2) If not possible, keep one and put in closet that locks or some space
inaccessible to family members without a lot of work.
3) Obviously same with all video equipment..dvd players
4) Remove all computer games from computer and put cds in a box and hide
them in a closet. Computers are for `working', writing, communicating. If
you play games, do it only after kids are in bed.
5) Ask or persuade friends and family to switch from giving more toys and
clothes to a) buying items you request, b) gift certificates to particular
catalogs (Magic Cabin, Chinaberry Books), or c) put the money they would
have spent into certificates of deposit for future educational expense
(tuition is a big issue for the future) or d) be willing to substitute time
together for physical items. Come over for dinner and stay for a games
night, go out for a walk in a bird reserve, take a trip to the beach, cook a
family recipe together..beg, plead, and insist. They will adopt your
methods, slowly.
6) If child receives an unexpected objectionable item, be gracious and enjoy
it for a while, then `disappear' it magically. Time is a great healer.
7) Frequently visit other families who are like minded to encourage yourself
and find support. You will find that all the children in the neighborhood
will want to hang out at your house! Bring them in and teach their parents.
8) Take the money you save and enjoy a fantastic family camping trip or
vacation. You will literally save thousands and thousands of dollars over
the 18 years of your child's life.
9) Examine wardrobes and put together fourteen outfits for your children,
enough for 2 weeks without laundry, for each season, and donate the rest.
Buy good quality wool, cotton, and natural fiber clothes that will last
through several children, practice the fine art of hand me downs, and gather
a group of other families to have a twice a year `share' time where you all
bring extra clothes and parcel them out. You will be shocked at how this is
so very freeing although you will spend a bit more time doing laundry on
your new schedule.
10) Begin a rhythm in your household that includes all members in a
reasonable cycle of chores that includes and shares out cooking, cleaning,
washing, and gardening. Spend your time together with purpose as opposed to
trying to get a few chores `done' while everyone else sits in front of a
screen. Laundry day can be a good social time to visit over sock matching,
laundry line hanging, and there is nothing that can beat (Sorry commercial
artificial laundry scent manufacturers) the smell of wind-dried sheets on
summer days. Avoid using machines for your household work, study up on how
to make your own healthy cleaners, and treasure old towels for wonderfully
soft rags. Step away from silly products that promise to somehow make your
life easier that actually are simply substitutes for old fashioned, tried
and true methods.
11) Get together with a couple other families and form a study group to
enjoy dinner together once a month and talk about parenting, read new books,
enjoy community, and share ideas. Insist that gift giving occasions be
primarily social events, outdoor adventures, nature immersed, and
intentionally diminish or reduce the time of `gifting' in your life. Try an
`exchange' habit, instead, or take a class and learn how to make something
useful, for example, learn to carve wooden spoons and give these as gifts.
Simple and very helpful and useful. Do not overdo it and give dozens! Avoid
the consumption addiction in all respects.
PLAY ITEMS FOR PARTICULAR AGES LIST:
INFANTS UNDER 1 YEAR: (Secret! Children under 1 year old do not need ANY
toys! None at all. They need humans and something to suck and chew on, like
their fingers and toes. But if you must..)
Wooden chew toy/rattle (1)
Soft ball (size of an adult fist)
2-3 silks to play peek a boo
1 soft cottony type stuffed thing to chew on, can be animal or shape
A special snuggly blanket for bed time
A nature table to observe
1YEAR TO 3 YEARS OLD:
The above items plus....
A set of wooden blocks (can be made by hand, or tree limbs that are smooth
and splinter free, cut into rounds and sanded)
1 soft doll, no features, stuffed with wool, with doll cradle and blanket
Several soft balls
Baskets of smooth sticks, shells, nuts in the shell, stones
Stacking toys (there are wooden ones that are nice)
Small truck or car
Basket of silks, six or eight, in large squares for playing and dress up
3 stick crayons in red, yellow, blue and some sturdy paper for coloring
6 small board books, classics
1 nice picture on the wall
1 nice hanging hand made mobile
4 YEARS TO 7 YEARS
Same as above
Plus dress up capes and crowns
Stick horse is nice, jump rope
Play areas for pretend kitchen, pretend laundry area
Digging tools for the garden, seeds
Board games (2-3 at one time)
Crayons in eight colors
Water color paints in 3 colors (red, yellow, blue)
Beeswax for modeling, sewing kit with big needle
Playstands for creating homes, forts, pirate ships
Simply music instruments are nice: rattles, bells
Outdoor riding toys are enjoyed
Wagons, swings, ropes, small logs outside
1 doll with legs and arms, clothes for the doll
Small animals for playing, wooden shapes are nice
Often a small playhouse with furniture, all wood
Or a barn with horses, stalls, fences, etc. of wood
No more than 2 dozen books on shelf for a few months
Candle next to bed for lighting and night time song and story
8 YEARS TO AGE 12
Cards, dice
Board games for the age: checkers, chess, cribbage
Collectables (big age for starting collections)
Kits for building, tool sets that are real tools
Wood carving with supervision
Sewing kits
Knitting kits, wool, crochet sets and patterns
More paints, include pastels, chalk
Blackboard is nice for wall with chalk
Sport equipment as your family enjoys
Bike
Treasure box for rock collection
Often a more complex doll
Roller Skates, or blades
Bird watching kits, books
Excursions: Take them places!
Books on a shelf, family books, carefully selected for content
Binoculars, telescope, microscope
Magnifying glasses
Items that your child really desires and will take care of...
This is a only a partial list and I am sure more can be added as you think
of your family and their needs. As time passes, the children will become
more independent and the parental guidance loosens quite a bit. If we can
help our children perceive that we can escape from the commercial/material
treadmill that keeps so many sad captive people enslaved to both earning the
money to purchase items and time sacrificed to maintain them, we are doing a
good deed for the world and the future.
--
For more information you can check out Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. I love this website.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Natural Remedies for ADHD
Fantastic article
Natural Remedies for ADHD
By Brigitte Mars, Master Herbalist
Funny thing is, A.D.H.D., or A.D.D. as it used to be known, didn’t “exist” 20 years ago. It’s as if a group of drug manufacturers gather around a conference table every once in a while and choose a different unlikable part of the human condition (Depression! Sleeplessness! Anxiety! Stress!), then manufacture and market drugs to match. But drugs, all too often, have their own side effects—and rarely get at the root of whatever issue they’re designed to address.
Now, A.D.H.D. is real enough. Create a society without gaps in activities: “Walking half a block? Waiting for a bus? Check text or call someone on your phone!,” where we often eat bad food on the go or even standing up…a society without meditation in the morning or prayer on Sundays…and you’re going to create individuals who have a hard time focusing, relaxing—whose attention is split into a million little pieces.
Contributing factors to Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (A.D.H.D.) include birth trauma, brain injury, environmental toxins (molds, heavy metals and chemicals), genetics, loud music, fluorescent lighting and stress. Those with A.D.H.D. may have had digestive, respiratory and ear disorders early in life—all signals of food allergies.
The easiest factor to change is… diet. Blood sugar imbalance, nutritional deficiency, sugar, caffeine (while in the womb and being nursed) and food allergies can make one prone to A.D.H.D. Wheat, dairy, eggs, tomatoes, corn, soy, sugar, peanuts, shellfish, citrus, peanuts, yeast and chocolate can be allergenic. Keep a food journal to determine what foods have an effect.
Hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings, chemical sweeteners (including possibly-carcinogenic aspartame, found in “sugar free” foods and drinks such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi) and meats treated with nitrates can cause problems. Better to eat a piece of fruit than drink fruit juice (which elevates blood sugar). Refined grains like bread, cereals, and potatoes are high glycemic—opt for whole grains, brown rice and sweet potatoes instead. Avoid heated oils, including margarine and peanut butter.
Changing a child’s diet works best when the whole family improves theirs. Encourage peaceful mealtimes: before sitting down to eat turn off phones, say whatever blessing is appropriate to your family. During the meal, try to speak calmly and eat slowly, paying attention to taste. Green vegetables, including celery and cucumbers are cooling to an overly heated condition. Sea vegetables provide trace minerals and brain nourishing D.H.A. (an essential omega-3 fatty acid). Wild salmon or sardines provide beneficial essential fatty acids (raw tahini is a good vegan source). Organic foods and pure water minimize and eliminate toxins. Pack lunch rather than purchase one.
Sleepytime: create a mellow, loving environment. Encourage deep breathing. Strive for regular meals and bedtimes. Get rid of clutter. Provide soft, natural lighting. Clean the house of smoke, molds and chemical fumes. Protect children’s developing nervous systems by keeping beds away from sources of electromagnetic pollution (radios, cell phones, TVs). Play relaxing music. A little waterfall can have a serene effect.
Spend time in nature—gardening, hiking and yard work. Yoga aligns the chakras, helping to streamline tangled energy. Martial arts and exercise focus and use up excessive energy. Find an activity you or your child enjoys and is good at. Encourage followthrough and completion. I find knitting, drawing, sewing and crochet to be grounding.
Breaking tasks into small portions helps avoid overwhelm. Give specific praise for positive behavior. Be consistent, and patient. Avoid loud, crowded places and chaotic situations.
Spend one-on-one time daily. Physical contact like hugging and massage can stimulate endorphins (a good thing). Cranial sacral work can relieve pressure upon the brain stem. Neurofeedback (or biofeedback) helps train the brain’s ability to function normally.
Spend more time reading and playing games. Minimize T.V. and video games. Many T.V., websurfing and video games keep one indoors and promote frantic messages, constant visual changes, violence and hyper chatter. (However, games like wilddivine.com can encourage serenity and mental abilities.) Watch favorite programs together and only after chores and homework.
Encourage hands-on learning. Don’t spend long periods of time near distractions such as pencil sharpeners and areas of traffic. Consider tutoring, alternative schooling, smaller classes.
Herbal tinctures can help A.D.H.D. Look for tinctures in vegetable glycerin rather than alcohol. Herbs that improve A.D.H.D. include calming and intelligence-enhancing Bacopa, Catnip, Lemon balm, Passionflower and St John’s wort.
Herbal baths can provide relaxation. Beneficial aromas include orange, lavender, peppermint and rosemary. They can be used as inhalations with three drops placed on a handkerchief and ten deep inhalations taken. Five drops can be added to baths.
Natural possibilities can always be tried before resorting to drugs. Calcium and magnesium have muscle relaxing properties and aid sleep. A yeast-free B-complex vitamin has a calming effect, improves neurotransmission and appetite. G.T.F. chromium keeps blood sugar levels stable and decreases cravings. D.H.A. made from fish oils or algaes improve focus and intelligence. Digestive enzymes bromelain and papain reduce inflammation and help to calm uneven moods. G.A.B.A. (gamma amino butyric acid) helps protect the brain from excitatory/anxiety-related messages.
Natural Remedies for ADHD
By Brigitte Mars, Master Herbalist
Funny thing is, A.D.H.D., or A.D.D. as it used to be known, didn’t “exist” 20 years ago. It’s as if a group of drug manufacturers gather around a conference table every once in a while and choose a different unlikable part of the human condition (Depression! Sleeplessness! Anxiety! Stress!), then manufacture and market drugs to match. But drugs, all too often, have their own side effects—and rarely get at the root of whatever issue they’re designed to address.
Now, A.D.H.D. is real enough. Create a society without gaps in activities: “Walking half a block? Waiting for a bus? Check text or call someone on your phone!,” where we often eat bad food on the go or even standing up…a society without meditation in the morning or prayer on Sundays…and you’re going to create individuals who have a hard time focusing, relaxing—whose attention is split into a million little pieces.
Contributing factors to Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (A.D.H.D.) include birth trauma, brain injury, environmental toxins (molds, heavy metals and chemicals), genetics, loud music, fluorescent lighting and stress. Those with A.D.H.D. may have had digestive, respiratory and ear disorders early in life—all signals of food allergies.
The easiest factor to change is… diet. Blood sugar imbalance, nutritional deficiency, sugar, caffeine (while in the womb and being nursed) and food allergies can make one prone to A.D.H.D. Wheat, dairy, eggs, tomatoes, corn, soy, sugar, peanuts, shellfish, citrus, peanuts, yeast and chocolate can be allergenic. Keep a food journal to determine what foods have an effect.
Hydrogenated oils, artificial colorings, chemical sweeteners (including possibly-carcinogenic aspartame, found in “sugar free” foods and drinks such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi) and meats treated with nitrates can cause problems. Better to eat a piece of fruit than drink fruit juice (which elevates blood sugar). Refined grains like bread, cereals, and potatoes are high glycemic—opt for whole grains, brown rice and sweet potatoes instead. Avoid heated oils, including margarine and peanut butter.
Changing a child’s diet works best when the whole family improves theirs. Encourage peaceful mealtimes: before sitting down to eat turn off phones, say whatever blessing is appropriate to your family. During the meal, try to speak calmly and eat slowly, paying attention to taste. Green vegetables, including celery and cucumbers are cooling to an overly heated condition. Sea vegetables provide trace minerals and brain nourishing D.H.A. (an essential omega-3 fatty acid). Wild salmon or sardines provide beneficial essential fatty acids (raw tahini is a good vegan source). Organic foods and pure water minimize and eliminate toxins. Pack lunch rather than purchase one.
Sleepytime: create a mellow, loving environment. Encourage deep breathing. Strive for regular meals and bedtimes. Get rid of clutter. Provide soft, natural lighting. Clean the house of smoke, molds and chemical fumes. Protect children’s developing nervous systems by keeping beds away from sources of electromagnetic pollution (radios, cell phones, TVs). Play relaxing music. A little waterfall can have a serene effect.
Spend time in nature—gardening, hiking and yard work. Yoga aligns the chakras, helping to streamline tangled energy. Martial arts and exercise focus and use up excessive energy. Find an activity you or your child enjoys and is good at. Encourage followthrough and completion. I find knitting, drawing, sewing and crochet to be grounding.
Breaking tasks into small portions helps avoid overwhelm. Give specific praise for positive behavior. Be consistent, and patient. Avoid loud, crowded places and chaotic situations.
Spend one-on-one time daily. Physical contact like hugging and massage can stimulate endorphins (a good thing). Cranial sacral work can relieve pressure upon the brain stem. Neurofeedback (or biofeedback) helps train the brain’s ability to function normally.
Spend more time reading and playing games. Minimize T.V. and video games. Many T.V., websurfing and video games keep one indoors and promote frantic messages, constant visual changes, violence and hyper chatter. (However, games like wilddivine.com can encourage serenity and mental abilities.) Watch favorite programs together and only after chores and homework.
Encourage hands-on learning. Don’t spend long periods of time near distractions such as pencil sharpeners and areas of traffic. Consider tutoring, alternative schooling, smaller classes.
Herbal tinctures can help A.D.H.D. Look for tinctures in vegetable glycerin rather than alcohol. Herbs that improve A.D.H.D. include calming and intelligence-enhancing Bacopa, Catnip, Lemon balm, Passionflower and St John’s wort.
Herbal baths can provide relaxation. Beneficial aromas include orange, lavender, peppermint and rosemary. They can be used as inhalations with three drops placed on a handkerchief and ten deep inhalations taken. Five drops can be added to baths.
Natural possibilities can always be tried before resorting to drugs. Calcium and magnesium have muscle relaxing properties and aid sleep. A yeast-free B-complex vitamin has a calming effect, improves neurotransmission and appetite. G.T.F. chromium keeps blood sugar levels stable and decreases cravings. D.H.A. made from fish oils or algaes improve focus and intelligence. Digestive enzymes bromelain and papain reduce inflammation and help to calm uneven moods. G.A.B.A. (gamma amino butyric acid) helps protect the brain from excitatory/anxiety-related messages.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Formula Fed America
"When we trust the makers of baby formula more than we do our own ability to nourish our babies, we lose a chance to claim an aspect of our power as women. Thinking that baby formula is as good as breast milk is believing that thirty years of technology is superior to three million years of nature's evolution. Countless women have regained trust in their bodies through nursing their children, even if they weren't sure at first that they could do it. It is an act of female power, and I think of it as feminism in its purest form." -Christine Northrup, M.D.
Formula Fed America
Formula Fed America
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Green Our Vaccines
This is a pretty powerful video. We were lucky enough to be at this march in DC to hear Jim and Jenny speak. What they are doing for the autism community is unbelievable.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Children Always Cooperate
This was in my inbox from Scott Noelle at The Daily Groove.
:: Children ALWAYS Cooperate ::
Parents often feel frustrated when their children
don't "cooperate" -- when they don't go along with the
parents' stated intentions.
Today, no matter how your child behaves, take the
perspective that your child is *always* cooperating
with you -- if not behaviorally then *vibrationally*.
Children sense their parents' "vibes" and reflect back
a similar vibration, often exaggerated in their
behavior.
For example, if your child is impatient, ask
yourself how s/he might be "cooperating" with
you vibrationally. "In what way(s) have *I* been
emanating an impatient vibe?"
If your child is resistant, ask yourself, "Am *I*
being resistant in some way?" Look beyond the
obvious and *feel* for an answer.
Fortunately, it works both ways, so that when you're
feeling joyful, your child will "cooperate" with that,
too. But depending on your established patterns of
interaction, it may take some time for your child's
*behavior* to reflect your positive vibration.
In the meantime, you can be enjoying Well-Being
*unconditionally*. :-)
:: Children ALWAYS Cooperate ::
Parents often feel frustrated when their children
don't "cooperate" -- when they don't go along with the
parents' stated intentions.
Today, no matter how your child behaves, take the
perspective that your child is *always* cooperating
with you -- if not behaviorally then *vibrationally*.
Children sense their parents' "vibes" and reflect back
a similar vibration, often exaggerated in their
behavior.
For example, if your child is impatient, ask
yourself how s/he might be "cooperating" with
you vibrationally. "In what way(s) have *I* been
emanating an impatient vibe?"
If your child is resistant, ask yourself, "Am *I*
being resistant in some way?" Look beyond the
obvious and *feel* for an answer.
Fortunately, it works both ways, so that when you're
feeling joyful, your child will "cooperate" with that,
too. But depending on your established patterns of
interaction, it may take some time for your child's
*behavior* to reflect your positive vibration.
In the meantime, you can be enjoying Well-Being
*unconditionally*. :-)
Monday, November 2, 2009
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