Its been all about logistics again this last couple of weeks. I'm not sure I've presented or chased a particular 'learning topic' in all that time. I have a sneaky feeling that this has not affected the amount thats been learned or explored by the Weststar Twiglets (collective pseudonym....!)
Thanks for the reminder Motherfunker about the shifting waves of home ed. Even though I don't feel there's anything to chart for this last fortnight (although of course if I focus and type it down, they'll be reams of information explored), I know that it is all Good Work!! Its all phemonenal. She said, he said, manoeuvring round each other, listening, feeling, finding, trying.
Its simply not quantifiable in a box ticking kind of way - though as an RE teacher hasbeen, I know that spiritual/emotional development rarely is! Knowledge growth, skill building is hard too, there's no set way of learning. How many times do you think your recipient is not listening only to find out they have a total grasp of whats being said and can take it leagues forwards when you least expect it?!
I can feel its good though and thats a nice feeling, I acknowledge that however irrationally, I intuitively know that we're growing and learning around here at the perfect pace for us.
How do you know when its been a good week? Do you chart it or mark it in any way?
I am looking forward to the next time some creative ideas come my way of activities and focuses for us to dance with. But I'm just accepting that these couple of weeks have not been like that, as with the flow, the ebb, one can not exist without the other.
Wednesday 27 June 2012
Muuuum, Dad said we could.......
Co-parenting whilst home educating often amplifies the life skills being learned as we scale our learning curve. Our life coach has just published her monthly digest, Fruitful: One page of which was this on couple's coaching. I know that we're getting stronger and stronger as a couple, but I wonder if its going to take us longer to deschool ourselves (any excuses why we're still unravelling after nearly the whole first academic year has passed!) because we're bouncing off each other a lot of the time.
Where I might put a strategy or a rhythm in our day if it was just me and the kids, there's a whole other adult to weave around. And the same vice versa. At present, (nearly) everything needs seconding by the other. It can be a relief when the other adult goes out and we become a one (wo)man band for a bit. I trust as our enterprise and employment possibilities progress this will be more and more the norm. We've been alongside (and under) each other's feet for 3 years now.
I very much believe, things are as they are as part of a greater scheme - 'We're not to know' my much-loved aunt would say to me to help comfort when all seemed inexplicably messy! My husband and I are learning masses, growing as individuals and parents as we consistently bounce off each other and learn how to be with an other. Its all practice.
Whilst the progress might feel slow in this new lifestyle, it is likely that having done the hard bit of learning how to work together initially we will be on solid ground for the future when work comes in and things starts changing again. The techniques we have learned to help us communicate and act in assertive, compassionate ways is truly weaving the life we want for our family.
How do you do it? Single parenting, co-parenting, full time, part time, how do your lives ripple in and out of the wholesome tapestry with the kids?
Full Life Living Our Choices
Sitting in the car today with my son, a feast of opportunities around us. Again finding that less is more. I used to find car journeys great for conversation in my family growing up - somehow the lack of distractions gave fertile ground for real comments on life, how we all were as individuals for example. Little (we're yet to come up with his pseudonym) has always been happy sitting in the car seat, whether or not the car is moving, he has a feeling of going somewhere, a reassuring sense of journeying.
Today was the last day for one of their groups, quite happily coming to the end. Its a great group, with great tutors but too much money for us at present and life just feels so busy again. Can it really be as busy as it was at full time school? It certainly feels it! When the kids came out of the local schools today I felt like the day was only just beginning, our commitments and arrangements continue into the evenings, the kids fall into their beds replete and satisfied. Fullness. Thats how life feels at the moment. Wow, I love that.
And yet the flip side of fullness is when the simple things start slipping, where getting to the next appointment takes precedent over respectfulness within the family, or attention to the basics of our living space. So I happily let some things go (be they possessions, thought patterns or outside commitments) safe in the knowledge that we are full. Thats not to say I'm flakey. Far from it, I take our relationships gladly and seriously :) But I'm no longer packing the meet-up dates in, fretting about socialisation, or responding to every cry out for this friend or that friend. Even an empty day in the diary will be full of breath, life, stillness and movement in constant flow and balance.
Today was the last day for one of their groups, quite happily coming to the end. Its a great group, with great tutors but too much money for us at present and life just feels so busy again. Can it really be as busy as it was at full time school? It certainly feels it! When the kids came out of the local schools today I felt like the day was only just beginning, our commitments and arrangements continue into the evenings, the kids fall into their beds replete and satisfied. Fullness. Thats how life feels at the moment. Wow, I love that.
And yet the flip side of fullness is when the simple things start slipping, where getting to the next appointment takes precedent over respectfulness within the family, or attention to the basics of our living space. So I happily let some things go (be they possessions, thought patterns or outside commitments) safe in the knowledge that we are full. Thats not to say I'm flakey. Far from it, I take our relationships gladly and seriously :) But I'm no longer packing the meet-up dates in, fretting about socialisation, or responding to every cry out for this friend or that friend. Even an empty day in the diary will be full of breath, life, stillness and movement in constant flow and balance.
Tuesday 26 June 2012
Yak Yak Yak!
We do a lot of talking in this house: well, we can do a lot of talking! Its not always a good thing, wild horses can run off in different directions and pull at each other, this way no this way. Something we find ourselves saying to the kids on occasion (courtesy of our parents): If you can't say anything nice, keep your mouth shut!
The last few weeks, yesterday and today in particular I've been experimenting with saying less. How about taking our own advice? How about listening for a change?
There is a great calmness in it, it naturally leaves more space. I understand that the key to great communication is being a good listener, observing and being present, repeating phrases back/paraphrasing to show I'm listening. It works really well with kids and does keep me more present with them. From this place of gentle observation I can learn so much more about where they're at and what they're needs are.
The last few weeks, yesterday and today in particular I've been experimenting with saying less. How about taking our own advice? How about listening for a change?
There is a great calmness in it, it naturally leaves more space. I understand that the key to great communication is being a good listener, observing and being present, repeating phrases back/paraphrasing to show I'm listening. It works really well with kids and does keep me more present with them. From this place of gentle observation I can learn so much more about where they're at and what they're needs are.
Free Range Guinea Pigs
I've got to start typing to find my flow again - its been a week or two!
An aborted visit to go look at the flexischool I hope to be postponed rather than cancelled, at least so that we can put the idea to rest one way or the other. Its the inbetween decisions that I least like, I need a fair bit of structure myself although I am letting go of the more restrictive elements of this.
There is a cat in the neighbourhood who has figured that we have guineas and a rabbit grazing in the evenings. I am one eye on the garden! They look so tasty, if I was a cat, I'd have 'em.
A longer term homeschooler balmed me with 'it takes time' when I bathe in the 'togetherness' of her boys. They always seem to be into projects, exploring the world, keen to engage and be responsible for their learning, their life together. (Of course this is through the eyes of being a visitor, but there is much truth in it!) They are a few years out of school.
We are not far off, but we jolt from easy-going flowing learning to fights still, unresponsive, refusal, desperation. There is so much I value about the chance to work through this together. Doing less, being at home more is a key I feel. The process of simplifying warps into many areas of our life, returning to the breath, compassion for ourselves and others (well, this is my journey!) Allowing silence from which questions arise rather than pouring question after question on a hot fire.
I want to say to Elderflower (new self-chosen name for Middle) - It takes time - as there's a bit of me passionate about home ed and wanting to hold on to what we are 'just' grasping. Perhaps 2 weekly days in a classroom won't disturb that. Trust trust trust. What will be will be.
I am hoping to be in half time employment myself before long for my own getting out in the world reasons, it may be the same for Elderflower. I could harp on about this sitting on the fence for paragraphs! And I won't. Lets stick to what will be will be.
The cat is circling, the pigs are unconcerned. They play, they munch, they skip around. And when dark comes they happily wander back to their resting place fairly oblivious to the dangers of the world around them. Who am I to spoil it?!
An aborted visit to go look at the flexischool I hope to be postponed rather than cancelled, at least so that we can put the idea to rest one way or the other. Its the inbetween decisions that I least like, I need a fair bit of structure myself although I am letting go of the more restrictive elements of this.
There is a cat in the neighbourhood who has figured that we have guineas and a rabbit grazing in the evenings. I am one eye on the garden! They look so tasty, if I was a cat, I'd have 'em.
A longer term homeschooler balmed me with 'it takes time' when I bathe in the 'togetherness' of her boys. They always seem to be into projects, exploring the world, keen to engage and be responsible for their learning, their life together. (Of course this is through the eyes of being a visitor, but there is much truth in it!) They are a few years out of school.
We are not far off, but we jolt from easy-going flowing learning to fights still, unresponsive, refusal, desperation. There is so much I value about the chance to work through this together. Doing less, being at home more is a key I feel. The process of simplifying warps into many areas of our life, returning to the breath, compassion for ourselves and others (well, this is my journey!) Allowing silence from which questions arise rather than pouring question after question on a hot fire.
I want to say to Elderflower (new self-chosen name for Middle) - It takes time - as there's a bit of me passionate about home ed and wanting to hold on to what we are 'just' grasping. Perhaps 2 weekly days in a classroom won't disturb that. Trust trust trust. What will be will be.
I am hoping to be in half time employment myself before long for my own getting out in the world reasons, it may be the same for Elderflower. I could harp on about this sitting on the fence for paragraphs! And I won't. Lets stick to what will be will be.
The cat is circling, the pigs are unconcerned. They play, they munch, they skip around. And when dark comes they happily wander back to their resting place fairly oblivious to the dangers of the world around them. Who am I to spoil it?!
Thursday 14 June 2012
An immediate answer :)
(I copied this after browsing a well-loved blog (address below) - its very linked to my previous post!
Thanks Mother funker, taking this one to heart:
Pasted from :
http://feetonthegroundandheadintheclouds.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/do-we-need-to-try-so-hard-to-be-good.html
In her book 'Momma Zen, Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood', (on extended loan with many thanks to my dear Buddhish friend Viv) Karen Maezen Miller suggests another way of looking at our roles as mothers;
"You don't have to work so hard at this. You don't have to do so much. You don't have to endeavour to be natural, normal and good. It happens by itself when you least expect it. If you are confused about what you should be doing, try this. Stop what you are doing. Take care of what is in front of you, when it is front of you, and the confusion will pass. This is called the effort of no effort. No effort is what powers the universe.
With time your roots grow deep and your branches long. You lean less backward in fear and a little less forward in doubt, resting solidly right where you are. When the wind blows, you bend. When it stops, you straighten. Your boughs provide shelter and shade. Your strength supports the sky. Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.
Your baby will be ok. "
Thanks Mother funker, taking this one to heart:
Pasted from :
http://feetonthegroundandheadintheclouds.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/do-we-need-to-try-so-hard-to-be-good.html
Hot tin roof head
Its raining hard on my washing at the moment. Its 4am. Solly woke an hour ago wanting the landing light on and my brain has decided its time to get up! Hopefully temporarily, enough time to share and drink herbal tea, then snooze again!
I'm pretty grumpy at the moment and whilst I might have saved that information from my blog a month or so ago, I'm going to share it all with the group today!
The decision about whether or not middle has some school days in her week: we have a school about 15 miles away in a village who's head encourages flexi-schoolers (i think there are 11 out of a total 37 there being partly home edded). Could be a happy half way point to try out.
It brings up loads of stuff though for husband and I. For me there's a comfort in thinking we might do it - and its the weirdest reason. Not because I necessarily think it'll be best for Middle (although in the short term its good to give these things a go) but because they'll be a fixed point or two in our week where someone else is doing the organising. I sometimes find the sheer weight of hearing and going some way to answering everyone's needs (let alone my own) just phenomenal. Its all practise.
Muddled in with that is trying to Guess what others are needing! I think I do this a little too much. I worry they're missing something and swoop sleuthlike on the perceived problem with strategies for sorting out. Some might say this is a clear sign that my own needs aren't being met: If I spent as much time engaging with what I need and reaching out to meet those needs, I would be modelling the behaviour I'm looking for which is clarity in expression, learning to ask for what we want and finding the answers ourselves.
Stuff has taken over our house again, the waves of simplifying are tough. We are like magnets it seems and attract shed loads of objects from the outside world to clutter our living space. The book says be strict to start with. I'm not very good at being strict.
Also, there seems to be this massive time delay between where I see ourselves and where we actually are. Create Your Own Home Ed style. Sure, the potential is exciting, the reality when it works is real, life affirming delight. But as for the times in between its hard work when we never really know how OK it is except for the fact that we'd rather be doing it than not doing it.
And maybe thats enough. How do you do it longer-term home edder goddesses? How do you know this is the right thing? And if you don't (know) how do you keep the task a manageable one?
Love and cinnamon tea, the star in the west.
I'm pretty grumpy at the moment and whilst I might have saved that information from my blog a month or so ago, I'm going to share it all with the group today!
The decision about whether or not middle has some school days in her week: we have a school about 15 miles away in a village who's head encourages flexi-schoolers (i think there are 11 out of a total 37 there being partly home edded). Could be a happy half way point to try out.
It brings up loads of stuff though for husband and I. For me there's a comfort in thinking we might do it - and its the weirdest reason. Not because I necessarily think it'll be best for Middle (although in the short term its good to give these things a go) but because they'll be a fixed point or two in our week where someone else is doing the organising. I sometimes find the sheer weight of hearing and going some way to answering everyone's needs (let alone my own) just phenomenal. Its all practise.
Muddled in with that is trying to Guess what others are needing! I think I do this a little too much. I worry they're missing something and swoop sleuthlike on the perceived problem with strategies for sorting out. Some might say this is a clear sign that my own needs aren't being met: If I spent as much time engaging with what I need and reaching out to meet those needs, I would be modelling the behaviour I'm looking for which is clarity in expression, learning to ask for what we want and finding the answers ourselves.
Stuff has taken over our house again, the waves of simplifying are tough. We are like magnets it seems and attract shed loads of objects from the outside world to clutter our living space. The book says be strict to start with. I'm not very good at being strict.
Also, there seems to be this massive time delay between where I see ourselves and where we actually are. Create Your Own Home Ed style. Sure, the potential is exciting, the reality when it works is real, life affirming delight. But as for the times in between its hard work when we never really know how OK it is except for the fact that we'd rather be doing it than not doing it.
And maybe thats enough. How do you do it longer-term home edder goddesses? How do you know this is the right thing? And if you don't (know) how do you keep the task a manageable one?
Love and cinnamon tea, the star in the west.
Tuesday 12 June 2012
Lower the anchor, simplicity as stable roots
I'm in to repitition at the moment... Started reading Mary Poppins again (and I might miss out the zoo chapter this time - have you read that?!!) much to the kids comfort. Its not like they're joyful about it or anything, its that they haven't really noticed, and I figure its not about the story, its about the prose, its about my voice, familiarity.
I know that there are times in my own month when I can assimilate new ideas, stories, influences and other times when I just need to tread water. Ebbing and flowing. I'm carefully learning when not to push myself! See my garden (I will start attaching photos soon), still leagues behind the allotments that have inspired me, but massive steps on from last year. I can get so impatient, but you know what? phenomenal shifts are occurring all the time, even when it feels like we're moving backwards!
A fab game I've refound from The Daily Groove and Dreaming Aloud - is counting the blessings, listing the things I am grateful for in the last week. (A great game to share with kids too, prompted by Sally Lever) Wow, yes alot of people have pointed me to this one in the last week !! Obviously didn't listen to one of them on their own!
This week I am grateful for:
@ reading other blogs and feeling encouraged to keep sharing my own and developing my own style :)
@ a great natter with a friend today, a safe off loading and sharing moment in the thick of kid activity
@ a colin firth moment yesterday evening
@ a note from my biggest today (who often expresses herself with anger and frustration) saying she'd had a nice day
@ time to be with each of my children yesterday for half an hour each, they each understood to stay away when it wasn't their 'slot' allowing us to play with our dynamic
@ our lifecoach standing present through unlimited email time as a witness and support for our relationship
@ friendly happy staff at the petrol station when i realised i'd forgotten my wallet
@ having enough money for what we need
@ having time late into the evening to potter outside in our unfolding garden
Blessed Be :) x
Picking up the subtle signs of comfort. Biggest telling her friends in Sunday Club that "Mum's reading to us", middle and youngest lying in wait for the next instalment. Its new for me to be reading 'proper' books to them and I'm not going to rush it! When so much is changing in our dynamic still (will we be including school next year? what working pattern will each of us parents find? which combination of children are with which parent at what times during the week... lots of change, trial and error, finding our balances), I'm keeping as many roots down as I can. Some stable parts of our day where we touch in to familiar ground.
I know that there are times in my own month when I can assimilate new ideas, stories, influences and other times when I just need to tread water. Ebbing and flowing. I'm carefully learning when not to push myself! See my garden (I will start attaching photos soon), still leagues behind the allotments that have inspired me, but massive steps on from last year. I can get so impatient, but you know what? phenomenal shifts are occurring all the time, even when it feels like we're moving backwards!
I read a beautiful reminder once: At the same pace that we are galloping towards our dreams, our Source, our evolved higher self, so Source is galloping towards us. Picture angels on horseback rushing to be with us, to realise our wildest aspirations, of union with All That Is.
A fab game I've refound from The Daily Groove and Dreaming Aloud - is counting the blessings, listing the things I am grateful for in the last week. (A great game to share with kids too, prompted by Sally Lever) Wow, yes alot of people have pointed me to this one in the last week !! Obviously didn't listen to one of them on their own!
This week I am grateful for:
@ reading other blogs and feeling encouraged to keep sharing my own and developing my own style :)
@ a great natter with a friend today, a safe off loading and sharing moment in the thick of kid activity
@ a colin firth moment yesterday evening
@ a note from my biggest today (who often expresses herself with anger and frustration) saying she'd had a nice day
@ time to be with each of my children yesterday for half an hour each, they each understood to stay away when it wasn't their 'slot' allowing us to play with our dynamic
@ our lifecoach standing present through unlimited email time as a witness and support for our relationship
@ friendly happy staff at the petrol station when i realised i'd forgotten my wallet
@ having enough money for what we need
@ having time late into the evening to potter outside in our unfolding garden
Blessed Be :) x
Sunday 10 June 2012
Just Get On With It!
I feel encouraged to speak honestly about my experience, so am continuing to try to 'get it out' (!) so to speak.
I want to move past the place of questionning home ed. Our first year shows me it most certainly is a viable option. Research shows that children thrive well through this method of preparing them for the world.
It is hard work though!! And it means bending and moving with the times, listening to each of the children, as we do to each other in the adult partnership to get needs met.
In the spirit of Getting On with It! and not airy fairying around talking about it anymore, (we are approaching the end of our first year), I have some dreams about how I would like this to be. At present it is still a radical choice, although I'm not sure how much longer this will be the case. I see school needing to come back from its extreme point on the scale and then home ed can naturally do the same. I'd love the kids to have some of the school experience just not in a 5 day a week kind of a way where many other vital experiences are pushed out.
I'd like group activities with other families that are led by one adult (without needing to pay for it!)
I'd like to see friends daily, weekly regularly, in and out of our normal routines, weaving in and out, no big deal, just together sometimes. I'd like to feel flexible enough to accept opportunities when they come, seize the good weather, the unique moments.
I'd like to not be so reliant on the web, have a bank of resources and ideas that are not always about me tapping into this screen. (I guess I need to simply switch it off!)
I'd like to maintain the stamina to introduce new things, remember to invite and ask involvement from others, remember that quieter patches are needed in the flow of life, its not Do Do Do every day for anyone, or if it is, illness or events will conspire to Stop Stop Stop eventually!
I'd like to learn to trust the ebbs and the flows, the quiet and the noisy, the many various ways we all choose or chose to raise our kids. No two journeys are the same. We can listen and explore and still hold our own course. The decision to do this was not one taken lightly.
I am immensely happy that I've had this chance to learn about myself and my family this year. I am impressed that we had the courage to try this road out for size. Having close contact with the children can only be good for their development. I trust that we will continue to build the experience that we each need to grow and thrive.
I want to move past the place of questionning home ed. Our first year shows me it most certainly is a viable option. Research shows that children thrive well through this method of preparing them for the world.
It is hard work though!! And it means bending and moving with the times, listening to each of the children, as we do to each other in the adult partnership to get needs met.
In the spirit of Getting On with It! and not airy fairying around talking about it anymore, (we are approaching the end of our first year), I have some dreams about how I would like this to be. At present it is still a radical choice, although I'm not sure how much longer this will be the case. I see school needing to come back from its extreme point on the scale and then home ed can naturally do the same. I'd love the kids to have some of the school experience just not in a 5 day a week kind of a way where many other vital experiences are pushed out.
I'd like group activities with other families that are led by one adult (without needing to pay for it!)
I'd like to see friends daily, weekly regularly, in and out of our normal routines, weaving in and out, no big deal, just together sometimes. I'd like to feel flexible enough to accept opportunities when they come, seize the good weather, the unique moments.
I'd like to not be so reliant on the web, have a bank of resources and ideas that are not always about me tapping into this screen. (I guess I need to simply switch it off!)
I'd like to maintain the stamina to introduce new things, remember to invite and ask involvement from others, remember that quieter patches are needed in the flow of life, its not Do Do Do every day for anyone, or if it is, illness or events will conspire to Stop Stop Stop eventually!
I'd like to learn to trust the ebbs and the flows, the quiet and the noisy, the many various ways we all choose or chose to raise our kids. No two journeys are the same. We can listen and explore and still hold our own course. The decision to do this was not one taken lightly.
I am immensely happy that I've had this chance to learn about myself and my family this year. I am impressed that we had the courage to try this road out for size. Having close contact with the children can only be good for their development. I trust that we will continue to build the experience that we each need to grow and thrive.
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Less and Slower
I've copied a bit from our private blog here (is there any such thing as a private blog?!) - its the place where I don't withhold their names and am literally charting where they are each at with their learning. I think if I find pseudonyms to use for them I might just attach the blogs together, trusting that after this initial year of change and transformation, there will be a gentler flow of learning for me to share aloud in blogworld.
There are many great blogs literally explaining day to day happenings in home educating families, some of them are on my blogroll. I love being in touch this way and sharing experiences.
A new plan of ours is to have more one-to-one time with each of the kids. It has already strengthened the link as I've had a few hours each with the girls this week. Time to follow their particular interests and loves. Hopefully the more frequently it happens, the less of an 'event' it will be and these times will add in to the gentle tapestry of how we grow and learn together.
I'm reading Mary Poppins to them all at bedtime which is working beautifully, they're all in to it. I'm intending to simply start at the beginning again when we finish as I'm really embracing this idea of Less. Where before I have wanted to pour information into them, stretch to the highest mountains in search of books, experiences, now I want to hold back and let them climb their own mountain. The world around us can hurtle and flash its lights at us as much as it chooses! We're going to grow our way in our own natural timings.
There is no way that I can know precisely what they need to know for their individual growth (though I'm the best placed person to guess if it is needed!). We write, we read and we do numbers - that much is agreed. The rest is flowing moment by moment and it feels good to trust that. If I find myself worrying about their development, all I need do is stop and listen. The evidence is right there in each question they ponder, each expression they experiment with, each idea they follow.
There are many great blogs literally explaining day to day happenings in home educating families, some of them are on my blogroll. I love being in touch this way and sharing experiences.
A new plan of ours is to have more one-to-one time with each of the kids. It has already strengthened the link as I've had a few hours each with the girls this week. Time to follow their particular interests and loves. Hopefully the more frequently it happens, the less of an 'event' it will be and these times will add in to the gentle tapestry of how we grow and learn together.
I'm reading Mary Poppins to them all at bedtime which is working beautifully, they're all in to it. I'm intending to simply start at the beginning again when we finish as I'm really embracing this idea of Less. Where before I have wanted to pour information into them, stretch to the highest mountains in search of books, experiences, now I want to hold back and let them climb their own mountain. The world around us can hurtle and flash its lights at us as much as it chooses! We're going to grow our way in our own natural timings.
There is no way that I can know precisely what they need to know for their individual growth (though I'm the best placed person to guess if it is needed!). We write, we read and we do numbers - that much is agreed. The rest is flowing moment by moment and it feels good to trust that. If I find myself worrying about their development, all I need do is stop and listen. The evidence is right there in each question they ponder, each expression they experiment with, each idea they follow.
Wow, thanks Mum!
This was the response to the third wave of simplifying in the kids' bedroom - it could have gone either way!
Literally hundreds of books have been moved into storage (gulp slightly damp shed!), fluffy toys also, dvds from downstairs, and two thirds of the dressing up wardrobe.
There is wave 4 to come, movement of games cupboards downstairs, but I'm going to need back up for that one! Its taken days to get this far!
We've been reading 'Simplicity Parenting', a straightforward and quality read :) Already as we start implementing the suggestions, we can see and feel it in the family. I can't believe I didn't see it before! Kids don't need toys - well not millions of them anyway, or books. They have a few at a time in their room and then we can swap for the ones in storage as we go along, probably learning more about what they really want to play with along the way.
And clearing out feels so good, accompanying the massive changes that are still taking place in this home, making way for the new.
A favourite phrase from the book: the best thing we can do for our kids is often to stay out of their way. Another little project for the parents to be working on...!
Literally hundreds of books have been moved into storage (gulp slightly damp shed!), fluffy toys also, dvds from downstairs, and two thirds of the dressing up wardrobe.
There is wave 4 to come, movement of games cupboards downstairs, but I'm going to need back up for that one! Its taken days to get this far!
We've been reading 'Simplicity Parenting', a straightforward and quality read :) Already as we start implementing the suggestions, we can see and feel it in the family. I can't believe I didn't see it before! Kids don't need toys - well not millions of them anyway, or books. They have a few at a time in their room and then we can swap for the ones in storage as we go along, probably learning more about what they really want to play with along the way.
And clearing out feels so good, accompanying the massive changes that are still taking place in this home, making way for the new.
A favourite phrase from the book: the best thing we can do for our kids is often to stay out of their way. Another little project for the parents to be working on...!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)