Monday, June 23, 2014

Reflections of a day


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Today Nolan ventured to camp with his big brother (at Hudson's kindergarten school). It was a BIG day for me as I watched my youngest child find his comfort in a world that was unknown to him. He has been home with me since birth and we plan on him staying with me for at least another year if not two. As we walked out the door Hudson said to him "don't worry Nolly, I will take care of you."

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And off we went. We arrived at the school and said our good-byes. A big hold and a hug and a greeting from one of his favorite big kids, Peter, and he was doing just fine. There were no tears, no big drama and when he returned home, here are his words on how his day went.

"I had so much fun today" "it was a very long day" "you should have stayed closer because I wanted to hug you at times" "I'm excited to go back tomorrow" "I really have to go poop now because I waited" "I couldn't reach the soap to wash my hands" "Peter is my best friend"

After we said our good byes and I drove down the long gravel road, my chest was tight and I thought of all the things that could go wrong. For the first couple of hours I anticipated the phone call telling me that Nolan was inconsolable and that I needed to return to school immediately (that is how things went when Hudson was first trying this stuff out). After the first hour I really started to relax and by hour four I was feeling pretty relaxed.


So what did I do during these four hours? I sat! Yes! I sat! I first grabbed my coffee in my new coolest mug with an amazing sippy cup attachment from CUPPOW. I feel so much better about getting coffee knowing that I am not using their disposable cups and this has the same feeling as using one of those (do you know that feeling? That disposable cup feeling? I love those cups! These are just as great!)
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After my coffee was in hand I headed to Lithia Park ( and did you know that Lithia Park was just voted 20th best park in the US?) and I found myself at the duck pond. I found a bench in the shade and I began relaxing. I see people there all the time spending hours just reading and staring at the water and trees. I have always wanted to be one of those people and here I was.

The focus of my time alone was to do more self education. I am in the middle of the book Under the Stars; The Foundations of Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Education. This book brings such a deeper understanding of Waldorf in the early years and it's perfect for my children's ages. I love finding deeper meaning into Steiner and his form of education. When I read his work and works about him, I find that I have a deeper connection to my children and a better understanding of them. I am also taking the time to work on my handwriting. I have recently taken to writing letters. The one thing I have noticed is that my arm will hurt very badly after writing one page. Falling victim of not really using my hands for handwriting, I am trying to restrengthen these muscles. I find such beauty in penmanship and getting thoughts of importance down on paper. I then can share these thoughts more clearly with Adrian and it finds a deeper rooting and placement in my brain.
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While sitting I was in awe of the beauty that came in and out of that space. I sat there from 9:30-11:30. I watched an array of dragonflies made there way to and from the same bush. I watch the red ones and blue and white ones do a very intricate dance around each other. I captured their beauty and saw their faces in a way I have never even imagined. They are quite magical.  A turtle came to visit. I felt like we had a special bond this turtle and me because when I come here with Nolan, the turtle always peaks it's head up at Nolan. Nolan calls the turtle his "pet turtle." I like the think Nolan's turtle was there to keep me company. And he did. He would come out and sunbathe and as soon as someone would walk by he would pop back into the water, then make his way back out to his sunbathing spot.
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A morning wouldn't be complete without some summer knitting.  Summer knitting is my favorite. There is no winter in sight and no holidays to prepare for. It's just pure knitting for pleasure.
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Towards the end of my day I happened upon the plaza where the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra was putting on a free show. Nothing like ending a glorious morning with some amazing music.
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Tomorrow they venture off together again. I have no plans to clean or run errands, but I do have many plans of self relaxation and reflection.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Making for Baby

Last month my dear friend had a baby girl! I was so excited to start crafting for her! She is the most adorable baby and just sleeps and nuzzles and all that really amazing baby stuff.

Here are a couple of pictures of what was made for Baby Abby:

A knit coat with a tulle dress.
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And a little summer fancy dress! I was in heaven with getting to make girly clothes. As much as I try, my boys just don't wear dresses ;-)
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I love making for friends and babies. There is something about how every stitch makes you think of them wearing it and growing into it. It's such a great thing to be a crafter!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Setting Limits

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There comes a time when we all set limits: how much to spend on something.. how far we will go... how much of "that" I can eat??? ETC.

I love setting limits for myself and creating challenges for my own self. I've recently set a challenge not to go to Medford. Medford is the biggest "city" close to our small town. It's a fine "city" but it reminds me of a lot of things I don't want to indulge in.. mostly consumption. When we first moved to Ashland I told myself that I wouldn't go to Medford all that often. That I would do all my shopping locally and that lasted for a good 10 minutes. I really don't have much against Medford. I enjoy going to Target, to JoAnns, to Chipotle.. you name it.. I'm pretty much OK with it. I am, however, not OK with the effect it has on my pocket book and what I am teaching my kids.

Medford to me and my kids means we are going to consume. I will make excuses on why I need to go to places like Target. I need toilet paper (got that in Ashland), I need cleaning supplies (got those in Ashland), I need something (probably got that in Ashland too). But I realized that when I would go, I would always leave with a few shirts for the boys, a new something for me, a little something for the house. I realized I was leaving with more than I had set out for. Then came my kids. They are good at not asking for much and I am good at not giving much. Toys were always off the list. We don't buy toys outside of Christmas and birthdays, but I started watching them lose it over getting a new shirt, or socks, or something. They felt entitled to getting "something." They needed it...  But really they don't really need anything right now. I realized that I was setting them up for a need for material things, even if it was just something as simple as socks. And let's get real, this town of mine, was listed as one of the best small town's by Fodor's!Ashland kicks Ass! Shouldn't I keep my dollars in this town? Isn't that kind of my personal responsibility?

It wasn't really how I wanted to raise my kids. I really want to raise them to appreciate the things that they have. I know that it's natural for kids to want things and at times have a need for things, but I also want to provide a good example. To find simple pleasures in things surrounding us. To not drive 40 minutes to consume when our town does provide us with the necessities that we need.

Going beyond my kids, I realized how I was supplementing consuming with being bored. Instead of finding something that would fulfill me in a positive manner, I was finding ways to quickly release the dopamine in my brain from purchasing. So here I am, journeying into self control. Finding ways to set limits for myself and to reduce consumption. I feel that consumption is hard on us physically and mentally and I do want to tread lightly on the Earth. Even if it's a small step, I hope this is a bigger change for my family.

Do you ever feel the need to set limits on consumption?

If you'd like to read more on the subject of entitled kids, I recommend this article:  http://www.ahaparenting.com/_blog/Parenting_Blog/post/Giving_your_child_the_gift_of_abundance--without_spoiling/