"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first."

Feed Thy Soul

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

Moslih Eddin Saadi

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When we adults think of children, there is a simple truth which we ignore: childhood is not preparation for life; childhood is life. A child isn’t getting ready to live; a child is living. The child is constantly confronted with the nagging question, “What are you going to be?” Courageous would be the youngster who, looking the adult squarely in the face, would say, “I’m not going to be anything; I already am.” We adults would be shocked by such an insolent remark, for we have forgotten, if indeed we ever knew, that a child is an active participating and contributing member of society from the time he is born. Childhood isn’t a time when he is molded into a human who will then live life; he is a human who is living life. No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied him by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation. How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize the child as a partner with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing him as an apprentice. How much we would teach each other… adults with the experience and children with the freshness. How full both our lives could be. A little child may not lead us, but at least we ought to discuss the trip with him, for after all, life is his and her journey too." -Professor T. Ripaldi

3 November

We have a winner for the Set & Fresh gift card giveaway. Mhgood, I hope you enjoy your Pink Thai DragonFruit freshener or something else fun. Again, please note: samples and prize pack were provided by P&G through MyBlogSpark. Winner was chosen using Random.org. I have another fun giveaway coming up so stick around! This one is a little spicy, a little mild, and lots of fun for family night. Any guesses? On to yesterday's rundown.

1. Have we done something to strengthen their minds / intellect?

Can I really go an entire day without doing something that falls into this category? It seems like I have. Ok . . . that's not good. Too much screen time yesterday, but those days happen.

2. Have we done something to strength their sprit / faith / their foundation in God?

The thing I'm not sure about sometimes is that we can have a superb day and then I look at these questions and think it was an entire bust. I know a lot of these things are happening subconsciously, but I do want to be purposeful about them. So off with the guilt, and on with the, "Hmm, lets be thinking about that today."

3. Have we done something to strengthen their bodies?

Lots of outside play on the big toys, climbing, stretching, and lifting. In fact, I actually wondered yesterday if I should add a "Did we spend time outside today?" question for the winter. Outside time is really important to me from the tiny baby stage all the way through to adults. Fresh air and sunshine!

4. Have we done something to strengthen their emotional self?

Yes! Sharing a new routine here because I'm no good at routine, I don't like it but my preschooler thrives on it. As part of my Project Simplify my life we are now having tea together immediately following nap time. Little moments of civility enrich our emotions and I want to make this one a habit. The key to AP is attachment, I am so sad when I see people "stop spanking" and get so frustrated because they are not replacing it by nourishing attachment. This just doesn't work any other way. So tea will be our time, our moment of civility (shamelessly stolen from Sally Clarkson), and a scheduled bit of work on that attachment we need. Part of the routine is allowing her to hand wash (rinse) the cups and saucer and pot in the sink when we are finished. Sort of a nod to minimalist "washing your bowl" combined with Montessori family life works and sensory play with the warm water. So there you have it. Hoping to come back at some point and ad some links here to define some of what I mean. If you have questions, please ask!

5. Have we done something to strengthen our family bond(s)?

Last night was trash night and though she didn't help Dad as much as usual due to a very bad mood (Judy Moody, anyone? ;)), we took the time to do a little bit of extra decluttering. I believe she learns about how we work together and support each other from watching even when she isn't involved. And of course she was following us around everywhere and interacting even though she was officially upset about not getting to play on the computer. Attachment makes even the grouchy times better - there's my unsolicited proselytizing for the day. :)

2 November 2010

I'm back! Crazy fun stuff has been happening around here, and blogging, as always, has suffered. Yesterday my bright girl turned 4 and a half! I'm a big fan of half bdays. So here's the rundown for yesterday. I don't expect it to be pretty. I'm in some sort of weird emotional time warp this week.

1. Have we done something to strengthen their minds / intellect?

Monday night wasn't our first frost but it was the first that was both heavy enough and we were outside early enough to observe. Licking frost off of the play house just counts as extra sensory interaction right? ;)

2. Have we done something to strength their sprit / faith / their foundation in God?

Not specifically that I remember though I have a feeling it's the little everyday praying together and living together that counts. I do want to be conscious about it.

3. Have we done something to strengthen their bodies?

Dad and girl went for a walk collecting leaves and seed pods last night while I voted. Again, it might be a bit of a stretch.

4. Have we done something to strengthen their emotional self?

Play skills and cooperation are definitely getting stronger. So proud of herself when she worked together with a friend to right the large pirate ship toy that had been blown over by the wind. Problem solving also came into play when deciding whether to continue a game or come help in the garden. She came up with a really cool solution on her own!

5. Have we done something to strengthen our family bond(s)?

We're still living together. :) Somedays I think that's the best we can do. We struggle and stick together anyway.

Don't forget to enter the drawing for a $5 gift card. Winners will be chosen this evening.