Right here, right now

Here is what I am grateful for right here and right now

:: Touching the lily pads that bloom each morning


:: Many exciting rides in the golf cart

:: tender moments spent with loved ones

:: Mornings spent in the ocean experiencing the expansiveness of the earth.

:: A seagull dropped this fish on the beach in front of us. We through him back into the ocean and saved his life.

:: Learning to swim

::Being together

"This post is part of the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge"

Road trip Masterpieces

16+ hours in a car is not the ideal way to spend your day, especially if you are a kid. But with a little creativity and an array of open ended art supplies that they could work with, we had a wonderful drive.

::A beautiful castle made of clay and beads (by Pilot)


::A dainty flower pot/ tea cup made of wax sticks (by Jetta)

:: Giant Pine cones we found at a rest stop in South Carolina that the kids decorated with wire and beads


:: A cute blue cat made with clay and beads (by Jetta)

:: A sea horse made out of clay on the way to the beach at 6:30am (by Pilot)

With all the creative play going on I didn't even have to pull out the DVD player which I brought for emergencies. We all loved listening to the story of Heidi while we drove and we didn't have any fighting, winning, and I think I only heard "are we here yet" a few times. John and I kept looking at each other and smiling in disbelief and joy. Our kids were so content and engaged in their hard work. It is truly amazing what kids can come up with to entertain themselves when given the opportunity and some raw materials.

This Moment: A special Kiss from Great Grandma

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy. If you want to see other moments being shared this morning, go over to SouleMama.

This Moment: Following Grandma's footsteps

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy. If you want to see other moments being shared this morning, go over to SouleMama.

Flower bud birds

 Inspired by the rosebud birds over at Wabi-Sabi Wanderings we made our own flower bud birds using hosta buds, rosemary sprigs, and hydrangea flowers. I was very please at how they turned out. It was so much fun making them too.

:: birds drinking from the pond ::

:: flower head girls ::

:: flower tail bird ::

This Moment: Muddy Fun

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy. If you want to see other moments being shared this morning, go over to SouleMama.

Homeschooling

We decided to home-school about a year ago. I have always been a creative person and valued all the arts highly and I want my kids to know that there are many different intelligences that are valuable in this world and the standard school system does not have those same beliefs. So, I started looking into homeschooling and it seemed to fit well into our life style.
We started out last year doing a very creative, nature and arts based program that I created as the year progressed from my own knowledge, but mostly following my kids interests. We all loved it and felt so happy that we chose this path.Most recently, I have been reading many books on the Waldorf system and I love it. It seems right in line with my own philosophies and ideas about learning. We have decide to use it as as guideline to our creative homeschooling ideas. I still want to stay as flexible and open as I can so as not to become too dogmatic about any one belief or idea or way of thinking. I think my best plan is to keep and open mind and and open heart and really "listen" to my children's needs.
The only structure I will be using this year will be based on daily rhythms. I will also be using Fairy Tales and Broadway Musicals to weave into our "creative time" each morning, where we sit at the art table (which once was our dinning room table) and work with one of our art supplies like clay, paint, colored pencils, wax, or even sticks leaves or bugs from outside. I let them take the project in the direction they want and it is amazing what they can create.
My goals for kindergarten this year: Staying creative, flexible, open and most importantly keeping our hunger for learning and exploring alive and well.

(Some of our homeschooling moments from last year.)

This Moment: Ring around the Rosy

This is a special moment from the past week that I want to stop, savor and enjoy. If you want to see other moments being shared this morning, go over to SouleMama.

Our Labyrinth Journey

We have been attending church for a few months now at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. We found ourselves enjoying the friendships we were making and were amazed at the level of kindness and acceptance of all people among the congregation. We also began helping create a labyrinth that was just getting started a couple moths ago. My husband loves manual labor (I am really serious) and also truly enjoyed the working side by side with other people to create.

The kids even got into the work of it. Pilot loved to work with the boys.

I think they really loved getting rides from Daddy.

One stone at a time, the community created the labyrinth. 

When it was completed we gathered for a dedication and celebration.

The children from the church blessed the labyrinth as the walked it's path with sticks, dirt, water, and fire.

The drums played and we all walked and sang together. 

I used this time to breath in and out and remind myself of all the things I have to be grateful for. As we sang the words were important for me to remember...."Every step is a healing step, every step is a healing step, healing, healing, healing my body, healing, healing, healing the land."

After 2 years of feeling that my body has been sick and not working for me, I am healing, and yes, every step I take is a healing step.

The labyrinth is a place to as questions and listen for the answers. This project was a wonderful way for my family and I to connect with our community, with the land, and with the spirit. It was a girt to us all that we can continue to use in the future.