Creating in this garden of life
parenting, childcare, discipline, safety, social skills
On Being a Woman in a House Full of Men Throughout my life, I have watched and participated in the evolution of the role of women in today’s society. As I grew up, there was a strict division of labor within our household. Mom stayed home with the five children, taught us right from … Read more
I believe that a loving spirit and creative energy surrounds and passes through each of us, and all of life and nature. One has to be present in the moment to be aware of this energy. A tiny flame within each of us (Love) will act as an inner guide in navigating, clarifying, and illuminating … Read more
We all make mistakes All too often in our struggles to maintain control over a situation, we lose perspective. There are times when what starts out to be a minor annoyance gets blown up out of proportion as a result of the exhaustion and frustration of our day. We have all been in a situation … Read more
We were blessed with four sons under the age of four, the last being a set of twins twenty-one months younger than our middle child. Four in diapers; four car seats; four child seats at table, four snowsuits, a million little socks and six loads of laundry a day… I nursed all of the … Read more
In our day to day whizzing about, our feet hit the floor running. Work; kids; relationships; meal planning, shopping, and preparation; laundry; cleaning; errands; ferrying people about; making and keeping appointments; volunteering; providing a shoulder to cry on… We give and give and give, sooner or later to have nothing left to sustain ourselves, … Read more
As summer approaches we start fantasizing about hitting the road, but the reality of traveling with little kids brings our revelry to a screeching halt. So many of us are intimidated by the idea of making a long trip with very young children; but doing so is not only great fun, it lays the groundwork … Read more
Often, we develop our manner of raising children by way of the example set by our own parents, whether that be to mimic their style, decide to take a different approach altogether, or something in between. In identifying our personal and family values, and how these came to be shaped by our ancestry and upbringing, … Read more
Twenty-five years ago I stood on the rocky coast of Maine, lost in the rhythm of waves crashing along the shoreline and contemplating the imminent birth of my first child.I could not have imagined that this day would arrive in the blink of a cosmic eye. My pregnancy had been filled with thrilling, scary, idealistic … Read more
Bedrest. Weeks of confinement and being sequestered in my bedroom with admonitions to stay put, the only exception being to use the bathroom. It is a mixed blessing really- an opportunity to send long handwritten letters to everyone in my address book. It is a chance to read and sleep, be waited upon, and to … Read more
I was so delighted the first two times I was expecting. When Henry was almost two, I had thought, “Okay. I’ve done this. I know what I’m doing. I can do it again.” Boy, was I ever caught completely off guard! Two kids take every bit of energy and attention, constant vigilance, draining all reservoirs … Read more