In my opinion a Waldorf Inspired Home consists of:
Natural toys
Festivals
a nature table
Sensory experiences: water, sand, warmth
climbing trees
a garden
good nourishing food
pleasant sounds, beautiful music, and a singing mama
Daily rhythm
limited media
All of these come somewhat easy for me, but the last two on the list.
To be blatantly honest I feel I have failed because I allowed media to come into my home and now have a hard time getting it out. So, I have decided I must be very selective.
I remember sitting in one of the first parent meetings for my class of First graders at a Waldorf School. I told the parents that the ideal was for their children to have no media exposure and listed so many reasons why. One being that it could impact the development of their pictorial imaging. More about that in a moment. Well when I said this to 20 parents sitting around me in a circle, one parent practically hooted with laughter, and said, "Well it is too late for that!". I laughed too as well as the rest, but I wondered why was it so hard. I did not have television in my home and only occasionally watched a movie or show on my laptop. Children would rather play right?
Well, then I gave birth to my first son who for his first two years lived in the perfect "Mothering with Mindfulness" bubble. We sat in the yard, gardened, only did errands when necessary, took long walks in the pram....
Then when he was 19 months old, our lives changed and my second son was born. With two, I did my best to shelter the senses from what is not so lovely in the world and give their senses all that blesses the soul.
Then nap time became difficult:
How do you put a 2 year old and a 5 month old down for a nap?
Well, I strapped one to my back and one to my front and walked around the house, to the mailbox, and into the dark bedroom for a 1/2 hour every day. Then gently placed them into their beds for a nice long 1 1/2- 2 hours nap. I then sat down, ate a baked good with tea or coffee, composed myself, and either did some cooking, sewing, or computer work. Occasionally, we would make a coffee run for Mama, and the boys would fall asleep on the way home, but the coffee run became exciting with all the interesting construction in our town.
And then, at 2 1/2 my big guy did not nap!!!!!
No nap!! All day, play, play, play!! And this meant that by dinner he was in pieces.
So one day I turned on a 1/2 hour of Mr. Rogers while I put his brother down for his nap.
He was much better composed afterwards, I watched his expressions while his brother nursed to sleep on the other side of the room. He turned and said, "Mama, Mr. Rogers is being funny!", or "Mama, I want to watch how they make bread again."
This turned into his "rest time". And when he gets it, he can go right back to his play in a more balanced state. This is also the result if I spend a 1/2 hour reading to him, but I often spend his 30 minutes having my own 1/2 hour.
In light of all that:
Many of my friends say, "You do what you need to!"
Some of my family says, "He should know who Donald Duck is!"
So I go through the days giving him his daily dose of Mr. Rogers, but on the days he wants more or asks for animation, I feel guilty.
This is why:
Rudolf Steiner talks a great deal about the feeling life and the importance of stories on this feeling life.
I have tons of examples about the impact of stories on children, it was the topic of my Master's thesis.
But, also the pictorial imagery of a story effects the mind and the soul. I have tried to explain this many times to loved ones with no avail. But essentially here it is: If you show a child a cartoon (Or even a picture book) with a character in it, say a mean rabbit that chases a cat around the yard, the child has a mental image of that rabbit with that mean angry face. Now we share with the child a story with a rabbit, if the story teller is not very elaborate with the description of the rabbit or it's temperament, the child may see in it's mind that ugly angry rabbit instead of a new picture he created on his own. I don't know for sure about this, but I do know that I think a great deal of animation is not beautiful or even close to how I would like my child to imagine animals.....
I have watched plenty of images on a screen that stayed with me for a very long time. I have tried to get rid of the image but can not. It is one of the reasons I can not watch violent movies, the news or those horrible CSI shows. I don't want those images in my mind. Some people are not like this. I know there are people who watch a movie where people are shooting the entire time and they say they are unaffected. Really?
But, our children are very impressionable. I think we need to be really aware of what we expose them too.
That being said, I watched my 3 1/2 year old's face as he watched an animated thunderstorm on Winnie the Pooh, and as a red snake ate a small turkey on the Nature Channel. He had a very different experience. The animated thunderstorm was intense, strange and not like a natural thunderstorm. He looked frightened. The snake was a surprise, but natural, and he looked concerned but calm.
So I am very selective of what he may watch. I prefer no animation. I see nothing wrong with watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as long as the time is limited and he still has time for plenty of play. I also think that an occasional nature program is an interesting and a nice break and I watch these with him. If you haven't experienced this, watch the Turkey documentary on the Nature channel. It is the most wonderful nature program I have ever seen. The footage of animals in Nature is awe inspiring.
There are so many things I am doing for my boys to develop their senses and preserve the joy of childhood.
I must remember this and continue to be selective if they are going to have a "rest time" that includes programming.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Grandma's Fried Mush
Here is my version of Grandma's Fried Mush:
Makes enough for 4 for breakfast.
easy to double if you want more for later.
1 cup cornmeal (I use Breakneck Acres)
1/3 cup lard
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
approx. 4-5 cups warm water.
Bring sugar, lard, salt, and 2 cups water to boil.
Whisk cornmeal with 1 cup warm water to remove lumps.
Add gradually to boiling water on stove.
Return to soft boil then turn heat to medium-low.
Continue to stir and cook adding more water as necessary.
Cook about 20 minutes. A thin layer should stick to the spoon.
Grease a loaf pan. Pour mush into loaf pan.
Cool until set. I place in the fridge.
If you can do this a day before it will set up more for frying.
Frying:
Put 1-2 tablespoon of lard, butter, or bacon fat on non-stick skillet.
Cut rectangle slices from loaf pan and fry 3-5 minutes per side.
Serving:
Serve warm with a big dollop of butter and maple syrup.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
My Mother's Mother
I was just reading an article about mothers and I began to cry.
I thought of my mother who no longer has her mother and my mother's friend who has lost her daughter.
I can't begin to say in words how wonderful, selfless, generous, and loving my mother is. She is so many things to so many people. She is a wonderful mother, a thoughtful mother-in-law, a sister, a friend to many, and a doting grandmother.
What else can I give you on Mother's Day but something from my heart...
For my mom on mother's day, (and for your sisters and brothers), I will share with you my special memories of your mother.
To feel:
My grandma was soft like the grandma's of fairy tales. To clamber into her lap was a climb to the coziest seat to be found. Her hands were soft too. All I need to do to remember them is look at my own, and my mothers. Grandma's were a little more plump and a wee bit crooked but I can see them and I can feel them in my mind. Here skin was soft too. Beautiful creamy skin that invited your cheek to linger when we kissed goodbye.
Most of my memories of grandma are of her sitting. Her hips were not too strong and she would find a seat. One was at the end of the dock at the lake. She might sit there wrapped in a thick sweatshirt with a fishing pole in hand or in a bit of sunshine and watch her grandchildren swim off the dock. But here again, I can remember exactly what is was like to sit beside her and hold her soft hand.
She would also sit on the front porch in an old metal glider while we played crochet in the lawn or picked corn in the field. I can remember the feel of the paint on the glider and the feel of her back as it pressed through the design on the seat back.
Grandma loved cookies, especially the thick soft melt in your mouth buttermilk cookies I continue to make today. Making cookies and pie crust at grandma's counter is a special memory. We rolled, cut, and pinched with her guiding hands. I can feel the pressed dough that became stuck to the Formica counter. She loved having us with her, beside her, talking with her, and we loved her calm steady presence that I will cherish forever.
My Treasures:
Grandma gave me my first knitting needles along with one of her knitting bags when I was in college. She was excited to pass them down to me and it gave me the inspiration to get started on a skill I continue to enjoy. I remember showing her a pair of felt baby booties I had made before I had children. She looked at them, then looked at me and said, "Are these for real babies?". It turns out they were too tiny to fit on any baby I have ever met....
She wrote out her Fried Mush and Boiled Mayonnaise Recipe for me. I rarely make the mush, due to the pound of lard and cup of sugar (no wonder her mush was wonderful!), but I am so glad I have them in her handwriting to make. As a matter of fact, I have lard, white sugar, and cornmeal all in my kitchen right now. Today may be the day for fried mush!
There are other things I have of hers, that Grandpa or Mom gave to me after she was gone, but those she gave me herself I hold the most dear.
Tut Tut and Tinkle Tinkle:
My boys ask for stories of when I was a little girl. Here are a few with Grandma:
If you were in trouble with grandma you knew pretty quickly. The first warning: Her pointer finger would begin to rise and if you continued you would hear, "Tut, Tut" not too loud, but it got our attention. We knew that if another "Tut, Tut " arose we would be in big trouble. I never found out. At least I don't recall finding out. I don't remember ever getting in trouble, but I do remember hearing "Tut, Tut" enough that it makes me smile to think of it. Why "Tut, Tut", I have no idea but somehow it works. When I tell Joel that is what Great Grandma Bell would say, he giggles.
We also giggle over "Tinkle Tinkle":
One day in another desperate attempt to use the potty I told Joel what Grandma would say.
Before we needed to leave to get in the car she would ask, "Do you need to make a tinkle?" I elaborated on this for awhile and Joel sometimes giggles while saying, "Do you hear my tinkle tinkle?"
I remember the last kiss from my grandmother, 3 1/2 years ago when my first born was 10 weeks old. Still soft, lovely, and full of tenderness.
I thought of my mother who no longer has her mother and my mother's friend who has lost her daughter.
I can't begin to say in words how wonderful, selfless, generous, and loving my mother is. She is so many things to so many people. She is a wonderful mother, a thoughtful mother-in-law, a sister, a friend to many, and a doting grandmother.
What else can I give you on Mother's Day but something from my heart...
For my mom on mother's day, (and for your sisters and brothers), I will share with you my special memories of your mother.
 |
| My Grandmother and my Aunt Mary |
To feel:
My grandma was soft like the grandma's of fairy tales. To clamber into her lap was a climb to the coziest seat to be found. Her hands were soft too. All I need to do to remember them is look at my own, and my mothers. Grandma's were a little more plump and a wee bit crooked but I can see them and I can feel them in my mind. Here skin was soft too. Beautiful creamy skin that invited your cheek to linger when we kissed goodbye.
Most of my memories of grandma are of her sitting. Her hips were not too strong and she would find a seat. One was at the end of the dock at the lake. She might sit there wrapped in a thick sweatshirt with a fishing pole in hand or in a bit of sunshine and watch her grandchildren swim off the dock. But here again, I can remember exactly what is was like to sit beside her and hold her soft hand.
She would also sit on the front porch in an old metal glider while we played crochet in the lawn or picked corn in the field. I can remember the feel of the paint on the glider and the feel of her back as it pressed through the design on the seat back.
Grandma loved cookies, especially the thick soft melt in your mouth buttermilk cookies I continue to make today. Making cookies and pie crust at grandma's counter is a special memory. We rolled, cut, and pinched with her guiding hands. I can feel the pressed dough that became stuck to the Formica counter. She loved having us with her, beside her, talking with her, and we loved her calm steady presence that I will cherish forever.
 |
| Dawn, my twin sister with Grandma |
 |
| Dannette my big sister with Grandma at her counter |
Grandma gave me my first knitting needles along with one of her knitting bags when I was in college. She was excited to pass them down to me and it gave me the inspiration to get started on a skill I continue to enjoy. I remember showing her a pair of felt baby booties I had made before I had children. She looked at them, then looked at me and said, "Are these for real babies?". It turns out they were too tiny to fit on any baby I have ever met....
She wrote out her Fried Mush and Boiled Mayonnaise Recipe for me. I rarely make the mush, due to the pound of lard and cup of sugar (no wonder her mush was wonderful!), but I am so glad I have them in her handwriting to make. As a matter of fact, I have lard, white sugar, and cornmeal all in my kitchen right now. Today may be the day for fried mush!
There are other things I have of hers, that Grandpa or Mom gave to me after she was gone, but those she gave me herself I hold the most dear.
Tut Tut and Tinkle Tinkle:
My boys ask for stories of when I was a little girl. Here are a few with Grandma:
If you were in trouble with grandma you knew pretty quickly. The first warning: Her pointer finger would begin to rise and if you continued you would hear, "Tut, Tut" not too loud, but it got our attention. We knew that if another "Tut, Tut " arose we would be in big trouble. I never found out. At least I don't recall finding out. I don't remember ever getting in trouble, but I do remember hearing "Tut, Tut" enough that it makes me smile to think of it. Why "Tut, Tut", I have no idea but somehow it works. When I tell Joel that is what Great Grandma Bell would say, he giggles.
We also giggle over "Tinkle Tinkle":
One day in another desperate attempt to use the potty I told Joel what Grandma would say.
Before we needed to leave to get in the car she would ask, "Do you need to make a tinkle?" I elaborated on this for awhile and Joel sometimes giggles while saying, "Do you hear my tinkle tinkle?"
I remember the last kiss from my grandmother, 3 1/2 years ago when my first born was 10 weeks old. Still soft, lovely, and full of tenderness.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Chicken Coop Remodel
For the chickens we love, Sammy and Soma:
We were given our two chickens, the coop, and the run last fall. I am so grateful that our friends gave us these to get started. There is nothing like just doing something to see if you can. The financial investment can be very daunting. My friends removed this problem and enabled me to see that I can add chicken keeping to my life. We have been caring for these two girls for 5 months in a stationary pen, while letting them out to roam in the yard when we are out and about. But roam, chickens do well. Ours, love to venture over into our neighbor's bird feeding area. My little herdsmen are very good at chasing them back home or just picking them up and carrying the chickens back where they belong, but it can not continue for good reasons. 1.The disease that could be passed from wild birds. 2. Good Neighborly conduct. 3. If they venture a little further in any direction there are many large dogs just steps behind an invisible fence.
I have been dreaming about this Coop remodel all Winter.
I love to see the beautiful coops in the Williams-Sonoma magazine. I wanted the tin roof from one and the beautiful green paint from another.
I am also an avid repurposer. I believe that if you have something that works well, but doesn't look so good anymore, it is your responsibility to make it more beautiful and functional So many things just get tossed after they no longer look new! (Hence, the chair in the yard, great frame but needs a new seat!)
Therefore, we took what we were so graciously given and improved upon it.
 |
| loving Sammy |
 |
| Winter coop |
 |
| Winter run |
My father saved the wheels and axles from our childhood double stroller. We built a frame for them and placed them on the bottom.
Then I wanted to add more space for a taller roost and more chickens.
We cut three pieces of plywood for the roof expansion and added a window. We then trimmed the edges of the roof frame to make it smaller and more lightweight.
A new door was cut in the center for the run door. The old door will be for egg collection by my little helpers. It is just there size. Actually a little too perfect because they both crawled into the coop with the chickens when Sammy and Soma went inside to check it out!
We still have more hardware (hinges and hooks) to add and a little more paint.
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Cost:
Tin Roof: $25.00 (+ $14.00 for wire snips to cut roof in half on the floor of Lowes so that I could fit in car)
Green NO VOC paint: $30.00 (This will also be used to paint garden gate, trellis, and cold frame)
nylon rope: $1.00
Scrap Plywood from Dad: Free
4 wheels on axle with frame from Dad: Free
Coop base and run with chicken wire from friends: Free
hardware cloth for window and a piece on run: $12.00 (with a lot leftover for other purposes)
2" x 4" x 10' welded wire fencing: $6.00 (I took 10 ft off the roll before I put up my garden fence)
tie wraps, screws, electrical staples: free from my father's collection of hardware
Total Cost: $88.00
(Williams- Sonoma Coops $1500)
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Pea Gravel Patio
I have been in my own little bubble lately.
Or in other words, I have had a project that I wanted to finish.
This time it is the pea gravel patio I have been thinking about all winter.
I priced quotes through the winter of pea gravel, landscape timbers and figured I would spend about $200
on this patio. That was too much. I also redesigned to get materials that I could fit in my old Jetta.
So to save a $40 delivery fee, I decided to gather my own pea gravel four 5 gallon buckets at a time. $6.00 for 4 buckets. We put 15 buckets of pea gravel on the patio, approximately $22.00
And I spent $18 on 18 pavers.
So with maybe $10 in gas (the hardware store in 6 miles away x 4 trips). I made a patio for $50.
I needed to power wash the wall and rake away the soil, before I put the pea gravel down.
But after that, the boys and I hauled pea gravel and one load of pavers.
We just need to paint the wall and add a new bench and plants, and hopefully a rain barrel.
It withstood a heavy rainfall. Before this would have been a small pond.
We also moved our raised bed garden from the front yard to the back yard.
I moved leaf compost and soil by the 5 gallon buckets too.
I moved about 9 buckets of leaf compost and 15 buckets of soil.
So I guess it makes sense that for 2 weeks I fell asleep at 8pm and slept till 8 am.
The rain was a welcome break.
Or in other words, I have had a project that I wanted to finish.
This time it is the pea gravel patio I have been thinking about all winter.
I priced quotes through the winter of pea gravel, landscape timbers and figured I would spend about $200
on this patio. That was too much. I also redesigned to get materials that I could fit in my old Jetta.
So to save a $40 delivery fee, I decided to gather my own pea gravel four 5 gallon buckets at a time. $6.00 for 4 buckets. We put 15 buckets of pea gravel on the patio, approximately $22.00
And I spent $18 on 18 pavers.
So with maybe $10 in gas (the hardware store in 6 miles away x 4 trips). I made a patio for $50.
I needed to power wash the wall and rake away the soil, before I put the pea gravel down.
But after that, the boys and I hauled pea gravel and one load of pavers.
We just need to paint the wall and add a new bench and plants, and hopefully a rain barrel.
It withstood a heavy rainfall. Before this would have been a small pond.
We also moved our raised bed garden from the front yard to the back yard.
I moved leaf compost and soil by the 5 gallon buckets too.
I moved about 9 buckets of leaf compost and 15 buckets of soil.
So I guess it makes sense that for 2 weeks I fell asleep at 8pm and slept till 8 am.
The rain was a welcome break.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Hats, Hats for Sale, 50 cents a hat...
Hats:
I have been searching for a hat pattern that would work with wool that lacks stretch.
Well, it turned into a bit of an obsession and I have found one as well as a bunch of cute Easter hats.
Easter Memories
I have very fond memories of Easter as a child.
The Easter Bunny hid hard-boiled eggs (that we dyed with our Grandma) all around the house. And our Easter baskets were always completed by a solid chocolate bunny, a little figurine, and jelly beans.
We were allowed to fill one special egg with goodies to take with us to Church.
I also remember crisp morning walks to church in brand new Easter clothes and hats.
Here is my spin incorporating my memories and the magic of new beginnings.
We planted Easter grass very early. 4 weeks before Easter. I was eager to see something green!
So we needed to do a little trimming.
In their Easter bags were, wee little felt chicks and a mother hen I made for them, a "Spring" book,an organic lollipop, hollow chocolate eggs, a package of organic gummy bears, and a chocolate bunny from the same local chocolatier as the bunnies of my childhood (Thanks Grandma!).
We made Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday.
I used our regular Kindi Bread recipe and added soaked raisins, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.
We topped them with a glaze of 1/4 cup powdered sugar and juice of one lemon.
We invited a friend over to dye Easter eggs with us. Somehow all of Joel's eggs were blue/ green and Henri's were orange brown.
I shared a story each night with my boys from Festival, Family, and Food. by Diana Carey and Judy Large.
I embellished it is a few parts but this is the main point. The story tells of how the earth was beginning to die and brown, but the Christ Child is coming to give the earth new birth. Christ asked for an animal that could send the work throughout the land. Many animals tried but the Hare was the only one who stayed on task. So it came to be that the Easter hare was meant to spread the news of Eastertide. The hare said, "But how will I show them?" Christ answered, "Take this egg and show them that just as the yellow yolk is hidden inside this egg so is the warmth and love of Christ in the world".
For my eldest, Easter was about the confirmation that indeed this warmth and love has come and that the Easter Hare came to our garden to share the news with us.
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