Saturday, April 15, 2006
Friday, April 14, 2006
Dinner Guests
Simplicity
I enjoy being busy. I receive satisfaction in planning activities for myself and my family. While I am not a very organized person, nor do I pay close attention to details, I do find fulfillment in filling our days with trips, to do lists, visiting, errands, adventures, etc. It is the busyness that appeals to me, the doing. I am a very spontaneous person, spur of the moment unplanned explorations excite me. As long as there is doing. Stillness, sitting quietly, hanging out is very challenging for me. If I am watching t.v. I like to be writing lists, letters, sewing, knitting at the same time. If I am having a rest on the couch I do it while reading or planning out what I will do when I am done 'resting'.
It's Good Friday today, Chris is off work and the stores (more applicability the library :) ) are closed. Today we did nothing but hang out. Chris has this ability to do this with great ease. He enjoys the quiet, the absence of a plan, sitting together in the quiet. It has been a challenge for me to not step in and start cleaning, pull out an activity, organize us in gardening assignments. The feel and pace for the day was very calm, the kids just melt into the groove of the day, the dog gets pet, there are lots of cuddles and quiet moments. Although Chris and I are very similar in many ways- I am thankful he brings to our family some simplicity and encourages a slower pace at times.
While the two of us were commenting on the pace of the day we also reflected on the intention of the day (being passive and relaxed). For me I needed to be mindful of not planning, and intentionally let today be calm. Our family is not high tech, no cell phones, no blackberry, one channel on our t.v. I am at home with the kids, homeschooling, and Chris works with the philosophy that he works to live not live to work so his hours are relaxed. We are in awe of families who are constantly on the go; up at 6 am drop the kids at the sitters, drive through traffic for an hour, work at 9 am, lunch at a drive through while running errands, pick up kids from the sitter after work, dinner on the go while driving to swimming and dance, homework and bed. Despite the technology that has enter our society, a slower pace has not been an accompaniment.
As a result movements of intentional slowing down have emerged. One which has struck a cord with me has been the slow food movement. The average family eats out at a restaurant 3-5 times a week, the average fast food meal is prepared and ready in under 7 mins. The slow food movement is mindful of these types of statistics, encouraging people to gather around their kitchen table, enjoying home cooked food, eaten slowly without rush. The gifts of gathering around the table as a family are so bountiful. The conversation, the flavors savored, the enjoyment of good company and reconnection as a family. It is a time of day we love as a family.
Some other great resources on creating simplicity and other similar movements are worth looking into.
It's Good Friday today, Chris is off work and the stores (more applicability the library :) ) are closed. Today we did nothing but hang out. Chris has this ability to do this with great ease. He enjoys the quiet, the absence of a plan, sitting together in the quiet. It has been a challenge for me to not step in and start cleaning, pull out an activity, organize us in gardening assignments. The feel and pace for the day was very calm, the kids just melt into the groove of the day, the dog gets pet, there are lots of cuddles and quiet moments. Although Chris and I are very similar in many ways- I am thankful he brings to our family some simplicity and encourages a slower pace at times.
While the two of us were commenting on the pace of the day we also reflected on the intention of the day (being passive and relaxed). For me I needed to be mindful of not planning, and intentionally let today be calm. Our family is not high tech, no cell phones, no blackberry, one channel on our t.v. I am at home with the kids, homeschooling, and Chris works with the philosophy that he works to live not live to work so his hours are relaxed. We are in awe of families who are constantly on the go; up at 6 am drop the kids at the sitters, drive through traffic for an hour, work at 9 am, lunch at a drive through while running errands, pick up kids from the sitter after work, dinner on the go while driving to swimming and dance, homework and bed. Despite the technology that has enter our society, a slower pace has not been an accompaniment.
As a result movements of intentional slowing down have emerged. One which has struck a cord with me has been the slow food movement. The average family eats out at a restaurant 3-5 times a week, the average fast food meal is prepared and ready in under 7 mins. The slow food movement is mindful of these types of statistics, encouraging people to gather around their kitchen table, enjoying home cooked food, eaten slowly without rush. The gifts of gathering around the table as a family are so bountiful. The conversation, the flavors savored, the enjoyment of good company and reconnection as a family. It is a time of day we love as a family.
Some other great resources on creating simplicity and other similar movements are worth looking into.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Shape Shifting
A casual conversation about shapes, and how shapes make up things ie. a tower is a rectangular prism and a cone, lead us to creating our own pictures out of shape stickers (its great when just the right tool is in your cupboard!)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
We love this toad!
While gardening we found a toad, a huge toad, a really gigantic toad (and so cute)! It was quickly adopted and named Golden Eyes, or fondly Goldie. Everyone had a turn holding it, watching it breath, feeling its skin. After we put it in a friendly container to show Dad when he got home. The kids decided on their own the kindest thing for Goldie would be to go back to the garden, even though it was very sad and difficult to do. There are plans to get up early and find our friend.
Oh Golden Eyes, Our Dearest Goldie
"Oh Golden Eyes, oh sweet Golden Eyes,
you come from a garden.
You try so hard to hide away,
to blend into the leafs that are all around you.
Your skin is like mud and warts, but not your belly.
Oh Golden Eyes, Oh sweet Golden Eyes,
I love you, I love you, I love you"
song seranaded by Ben to our toad Golden Eyes
Monday, April 10, 2006
Park Day
The park was great. The kids played, the sun shone, I read a little, played tag, we ate strawberries. I have a good life.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Swirling mud and clear water
With Buddha's birthday on the 8th we have been talking about he is was and what Buddhist's believe. The kids are familiar with yoga, having been exposed to it in a variety of ways, but meditation has been a new concept. After a conversation about what mediation is at what some of the benefits may be we decided we would try it in the morning. While it is by no means every morning (although the crazy chaotic flow to our average morning probably warrants it!), we set a time frame, usually under 5 minutes, and follow an agreed on method. We have tried being completely silent, focusing on a object, a guided meditation. A book that resonated with us in the past Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Lee MacLean, has a fabulous activity in the back.
It goes as follows:
Fill a glass jar with water. Talk about how the water is clear, quiet, clean, like the sky. Take a little sand or soil and put it into the jar.Talk about each of those grains being one of your thoughts- they are all different; sad, happy, hopeful, angry, dark. Put the lid on and shake it up so that everything is swirling around, getting faster and faster. This is what your mind is like when you are moving fast, hurrying. Let the jar calm down by leaving it on the table, this is what your mind is like in meditation. The thoughts fall and settle at the bottom, the water which is your mind, is light and clear instead of muddy. You can act peacefully when you think clearly.
The kids and I have really connected with that visualization. The chaos of the dirt spinning around is often used to describe where someone is at, and we can talk about calming our thoughts and we are all on the same page!!!! so cool!
It goes as follows:
Fill a glass jar with water. Talk about how the water is clear, quiet, clean, like the sky. Take a little sand or soil and put it into the jar.Talk about each of those grains being one of your thoughts- they are all different; sad, happy, hopeful, angry, dark. Put the lid on and shake it up so that everything is swirling around, getting faster and faster. This is what your mind is like when you are moving fast, hurrying. Let the jar calm down by leaving it on the table, this is what your mind is like in meditation. The thoughts fall and settle at the bottom, the water which is your mind, is light and clear instead of muddy. You can act peacefully when you think clearly.
The kids and I have really connected with that visualization. The chaos of the dirt spinning around is often used to describe where someone is at, and we can talk about calming our thoughts and we are all on the same page!!!! so cool!
A time to plant
We started planting... a little late but not without lots of hope! This year we have pumpkins, corn, peas, beans and lots of flowers.
The Flowers
All the names I know from nurse:
Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's snock,
And the Lady Hollyhock.
Fairy places, fairy things,
Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
Tiny trees for tiny dames-
These must all be fairy names!
Tiny woods below whose boughts
Shady fairies weave a house;
Tiny treetops, rose or thyme,
Where the braver fairies climb!
Fair are grown-up people's trees,
But the fairest woods are these;
Where, if I were not so tall,
I should live for good and all.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Guatama Buddha born April 8th 563 b.c.
One of his students asked Buddha "are you the messiah?"
"No" answered Buddha
"Then are you a healer?"
"No" Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No. I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student exasperated.
"I am awake." Buddha replied.
No matter what path you choose, really walk it.
Buddha
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.
Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases being shared.
Buddha
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Dalai Lama
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well being, cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not soley material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.
Dalai Lama
"No" answered Buddha
"Then are you a healer?"
"No" Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No. I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student exasperated.
"I am awake." Buddha replied.
No matter what path you choose, really walk it.
Buddha
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world.
Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases being shared.
Buddha
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Dalai Lama
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well being, cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not soley material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.
Dalai Lama
Friday, April 07, 2006
It's a Party!
We had lots of fun celebrating our friend's 9th birthday. We gathered at her house to paint a pot and plant a flower, swing (literally)from the rafters (including daredevil Aria) , jump on the trampoline, climb the hay bales, eat cake and have lots of fun! Thanks Kiera for including us in your celebration!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
chickadee..dee..dee
Aria's preschool class had a trip to the trail beside the Guelph Lake Nature Centre. It is a place the kids remember fondly from a birthday Ben celebrated there when he was four. It was a beautiful day. We (mostly Elias)spotted many different types of birds; a blue heron, a blue jay, geese, a grackel, a red tailed hawk and of course chickadees. Getting the chickadees to eat the seed from our hands took great patience, but for many it was worth the wait. Elias was thrilled to have had one tickle his palm. Ben remembered the patience it required when we tried at starsky hill before christmas and decided to climb the tree instead. Aria enjoyed the nature centre we were invited into to see the turtles, snakes, and rat. 
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
A short story
I recently read on a friend's blog a story with a moral that she posted. When I lived in Guatemala a life time stories were a way I connected with people. We would exchange stories and a cup of tea, connecting us across cultural barriers. Everyone can enjoy a good story. One story was about the stone cutter. It goes something like this;
On a fine beautiful day a stone cutter was climbing a mountain to cut some stone from which he made tools. As he climbed the sun shone hot, bright, burning his skin. The sun is the greatest thing there is. He thought to himself if I could be anything in this world I would be the sun. The man then became the sun.
For along time the man was happy as the sun, creating heat and helping things grow. As he sat being the sun he noticed that clouds often blew infront of the sun, controlling when and where the rays could shine and raining down on the earth. The sun is not the greatest, it is the clouds. He thought to himself if I could be anything in this world I would be the clouds. The man then became a cloud.
For along time the man was happy as a cloud, blocking the sun and raining on the earth. As he sat being a cloud he noticed that the wind could control when he went and when he blocked the sun. The clouds were not the greatest, it is the wind. He thought to himself if I could be anything in this world I would be the wind. The man then became the wind.
For along time the man was happy as the wind, controlling the clouds, blowing the trees and the water. While he was the wind he noticed that he could blow the trees over, houses down, waves in the water, sand in the desert, but despite his efforts he could not blow a mountain down. The wind was not the greatest, it was the mountain. He thought to himself, if I could be anything in this world I would be a mountain. The man became a mountain.
For along time the man was happy as the wind;controlling the clouds and blowing things over. While he was being happy as a mountain he heard a sound. "clang, clang, clang" He could not figure out what was making that noise. "clang, clang, clang" he heard again. He soon realized the noise was very familiar, it was the noise of a stone cutter.
The moral is what you take from the story.
On a fine beautiful day a stone cutter was climbing a mountain to cut some stone from which he made tools. As he climbed the sun shone hot, bright, burning his skin. The sun is the greatest thing there is. He thought to himself if I could be anything in this world I would be the sun. The man then became the sun.
For along time the man was happy as the sun, creating heat and helping things grow. As he sat being the sun he noticed that clouds often blew infront of the sun, controlling when and where the rays could shine and raining down on the earth. The sun is not the greatest, it is the clouds. He thought to himself if I could be anything in this world I would be the clouds. The man then became a cloud.
For along time the man was happy as a cloud, blocking the sun and raining on the earth. As he sat being a cloud he noticed that the wind could control when he went and when he blocked the sun. The clouds were not the greatest, it is the wind. He thought to himself if I could be anything in this world I would be the wind. The man then became the wind.
For along time the man was happy as the wind, controlling the clouds, blowing the trees and the water. While he was the wind he noticed that he could blow the trees over, houses down, waves in the water, sand in the desert, but despite his efforts he could not blow a mountain down. The wind was not the greatest, it was the mountain. He thought to himself, if I could be anything in this world I would be a mountain. The man became a mountain.
For along time the man was happy as the wind;controlling the clouds and blowing things over. While he was being happy as a mountain he heard a sound. "clang, clang, clang" He could not figure out what was making that noise. "clang, clang, clang" he heard again. He soon realized the noise was very familiar, it was the noise of a stone cutter.
The moral is what you take from the story.
Our angle on geometry
We are taking the month of April to explore geometry. Although I haven't shared that with the kids, they have been loving the activities we have been doing. I have been bringing out different manipulatives (some thanks to a friend with a wonderful cupboard of resources) for the kids to explore with. With little to no direction from me they have been created beautiful patterns and designs. On one afternoon the creations led us to a discussion on symmetry and in turn a hunt for symmetrical things. We did some drawing of symmetircal patterns and finished pictures so they were symmetrical. I just love when our exploration takes us on an unplanned journey- this is a huge reason I homeschool; because its such a great adventure for ME!
Monday, April 03, 2006
Little Boy Humour
Elias and Ben:Mum! Mum! have you looked at your computer yet?
Me: No, why
E & B: Mum, go look at your computer, just because.
Me: When I come downstairs I will
E & B go outside to play with their Dad. When I come downstairs of course I go to the computer. They have changed my screensaver(with a little help from dad I am sure) to a close up picture of a dung fly!!!! When they came in from outside I was at the computer and told them I had found their photo change. They could not stop laughing, they thought it was the funniest thing they could have done!!! Their laughter was full of fun, mischief and innocence, and it was totally contagious! I still have that picture as my screensaver and I can't help but smile everytime.
This prank finds me remembering one Elias pulled last fall. Grammy gave each of the grandkids little clocks that had alarms on them. After a talk about time, and setting a clock ahead for a different time Elias was able to set this alarm. That evening, without us knowing, he set the alarm for 2am and put it under Chris' pillow!!! In a deep sleep it took us about 15mins to figure out where the sound was coming from. The next morning the kids all piled into our bed, as per our normal morning routine. Elias causally asked "how was your sleep dad?" giggle giggle giggle!!! It has become a joke we often reminisce as a family, and I don't doubt will be talked about years to come!
Me: No, why
E & B: Mum, go look at your computer, just because.
Me: When I come downstairs I will
E & B go outside to play with their Dad. When I come downstairs of course I go to the computer. They have changed my screensaver(with a little help from dad I am sure) to a close up picture of a dung fly!!!! When they came in from outside I was at the computer and told them I had found their photo change. They could not stop laughing, they thought it was the funniest thing they could have done!!! Their laughter was full of fun, mischief and innocence, and it was totally contagious! I still have that picture as my screensaver and I can't help but smile everytime.
This prank finds me remembering one Elias pulled last fall. Grammy gave each of the grandkids little clocks that had alarms on them. After a talk about time, and setting a clock ahead for a different time Elias was able to set this alarm. That evening, without us knowing, he set the alarm for 2am and put it under Chris' pillow!!! In a deep sleep it took us about 15mins to figure out where the sound was coming from. The next morning the kids all piled into our bed, as per our normal morning routine. Elias causally asked "how was your sleep dad?" giggle giggle giggle!!! It has become a joke we often reminisce as a family, and I don't doubt will be talked about years to come!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Time for Families
We really enjoy hiking as a family. The kids and I go at least once together during the week, lately its been 2 or three times as the weather has been so inviting. Today we went with our neighbor's and family friends. It is such a joy to go out with another family. I get lots of interactions with mums and kids during the week and on the weekend we are very intentional in spending rich time together as a family. It isn't often that we go out as a whole family with another family of friends, dad's included. It is a different dynamic with dad's around, one the children aren't exposed to as often. My kids have create wonderful friendships with women, most of whom mothers of their friends. These women are great role models but also value my children for who they are, as individuals. I hope to help my kids create rich relationships with men who are family friends and role models.
I am reminded how much we enjoy the whole family interacting. Combined with the nice weather I am looking forward to inviting families over for bbq's and brunch on the deck, going out for full moon hikes, stargazing, potluck dessert at the park, crawfish catching and a game of soccer baseball in the park.
I am reminded how much we enjoy the whole family interacting. Combined with the nice weather I am looking forward to inviting families over for bbq's and brunch on the deck, going out for full moon hikes, stargazing, potluck dessert at the park, crawfish catching and a game of soccer baseball in the park.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
