First Light of Advent

From Our December Afterschool Guide:

In Waldorf Homes many people follow Rudolf Steiner’s teaching on celebrating the four kingdoms separately each week:

Week One begins with honoring the mineral kingdom by placing stones, shells, bone fossils, crystals, etc. on the wreath. Invite your family to choose their favorites from their collections or found in nature and place on wreath.

“The first light of Advent, it is the light of stone.
Stones we find in seashells, crystals, and even our bones.”
~ Rudolf Steiner (adapted)

December Afterschool Guide and Winter Offerings!

So very excited to offer these wonderful products to all of you the day before Advent begins!

We've worked tirelessly to create heartwarming ideas and support for your seasonal homemaking and caregiving this December.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Gratitude

For the honor of teaching a new generation...

And the ability to make my house a home..

For holidays...
Family celebrations...

and ordinary days...

for children that create beauty for my eyes to see...

for family and friends that fill my world...

for the outer senses of sight, smell, hearing and taste....

and the inner senses we are discovering as we grow..

for laughter and silly jokes... and sticky little fingers in my kitchen...

for growing hands that help their Mama...

for fresh food and water to sustain us...

and unrushed time together...

for creativity and love...

and sweetness and truth..
for motherhood and marriage...

and comfort and loving creatures.

for music and talent..

and taking new chances...

for moments to capture...

health and life...

for Spirit and prayer...
I am so very thankful.

Weaving Pinecones

Over One,

Under One,

Over One Again,

Under One,

Over One,

Then We Do The Same,

Hi, Weavers!

Ho, Weavers!

Come And Weave With Me!

In my November Afterschool guide, we enjoyed our week three activities this month with our theme Spiders, Weaving. We experienced all different types of weaving and this particular day we decided to take our scrap yarn, wool and felt and weave pinecones.

It was a good day to do this because it was also the day that Nico and Cole started Little Acorn Playgarden. The boys loved creating their own special piece of work to take home to share with mom and dad. They are both homeschooled and I'm so excited that I now have four homeschoolers who have joined my program for Waldorf enrichment.

Brianna has done this a few times before but each time feels like the first ;) The children really take their time and work piece by piece with each strand. Its awesome.

Lilah made her own piece of art! LOL - my assistant and I turned around and were so impressed with her little creation. Later, she decided to stick them into the pinecone a bit deeper ;)

Obviously the little ones need more help with this sort of thing but once they get started it is a wonderful activity for them to master. And the big ones always step up to help the little ones in our group which is one of the things I love most about having a mixed-aged childcare center.

These make such sweet ornaments this time of year. They can be hung on a tree or in a room. Or, even better, added to your Autumn nature table!

What do you think?

“We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up in the morning.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Ten Years to Puerto Rico

My wonderful, hard working husband insisted that we do something very special to celebrate ten years of marriage together this year.

We looked at various climates and opportunities and finally decided on Puerto Rico.

Ten years of marriage is such an accomplishment. It hasn't always been easy but its always been full of life, love and commitment.

When we met, we were both in our mid-twenties and becoming a 'couple' and establishing ourselves in our marriage took time and hard work.

A lot of time. And even more work. And we are still figuring it out. Working it each day.

The one thing that holds us throughout it all - is a burning, passionate love for one another. That passion can be our best friend and our worst enemy. It can be the thing that draws us close - and also the thing that pulls us apart.... but it is always there - this intense, magical and invisible cord of burning love, holding us together...

I remember as a little girl imagining who my love would be. I painted a picture of what our life would look like and I so looked forward to the day that I would find *this* other part of myself - the half to make me whole - the person who I could build dreams with and create a family with.

And I found him. Out of all the dreams I ever had, my biggest was to find a good man with whom I could create a family with. I am so blessed to have found him.

But what I also found out along the way is that we are both already whole. We all are. Each one of us. And our relationship together is just an added bonus to an already perfect creation.

Searching for someone to make you 'whole' is setting yourself up for disappointment. It can create unrealistic expectations of your partner. A trap that I still can find myself falling into on occasion.

What I know now is that love is something that must stand alone without expectation. You love someone for everything they are - not just who you want them to be.

Because if you don't, then it is not really love in the first place. It is an image that you have created - an expectation of what it should be.

And life is too real for false images. Love must stand alone without strings.

And I am so thankful that I have been able to travel this journey with my husband, finding myself through the process...

Growing and loving myself enough to know that I can love him unselfishly and unconditionally... without expectation ... just because I do.

Forgiving.

Reevaluating.

Dreaming.

Learning.

Traveling.

Changing our view and perspective when necessary.

I'm grateful for the colors of our life together. The burning bright moments.

And the ordinary and silent ones.

I'm grateful for the vibrant and intense moments - both good and bad.

Because it is within those moments that we have grown to learn to seek the quiet and steady again. But always together.

I'm grateful for the nights on the town we've shared.

And the nights we've stayed in.

Sharing each changing season and finding our way....

Screwing up...

And getting it right.

Living in our moments and letting them be what they are...

Letting go and having faith

learning that the most wonderful part of being together - has been learning how to stand on our own.