Brave Men and Women.

Today is Memorial Day and I send a special 'Thank You' out into the universe to all of the brave people who have fought for the freedoms we enjoy today.

I especially want to remember my two grandfathers and A Good Man's dad who all fought in the 2nd World War. They left behind their families and homes and traveled across the seas to lands they had never even seen before.

This photo is of my Dad's dad, Norman. Here, he is holding his first grandchild, me.

And here, he is feeding his pigs with me... 'Piiiiiiiig, Piiiiiiiig' he used to chant.

He left for war shortly after marrying my grandmother. They spent their first years of marriage apart. In the second year of their separation, my grandmother received a telegram informing her that her love had become a prisoner of war. He had been captured by the enemy and they had no further information for her. She didn't hear another word from him for 4 long years. While those around her lost hope, she never wavered in her faith that he was alive and would come back to her.

On the day that she received his telegram telling her that he had been freed by the Allies, was in an army hospital and would be coming home in a few months, she finally broke down and cried for the time they had lost and time they still had ahead of them.

He never talked much about those long years as a prisoner of war. We do know that he watched most of his friends die from starvation, sickness and exhaustion. He was marched across Europe in mid-winter, often shoeless and coatless. He ate rats. He did what he had to to see his sweet Beetie again. And he did.

A few years after their reunion, my dad was born... their only child, their pride and joy. I often think of the countless times Norman could have died and how all of this that I have now, wouldn't be here at all.

So, in so many ways, thank you to all those brave people who fought and died so that I could be right in this very place at this very moment. My gratitude transcends time and space and touches you, wherever you are.

Blessings and magic,

Donni

Silent Saturday.

The colors of my heart.

Blessings and magic for a happy Saturday,

Donni

Friday's Nature Table.

Oh, how I LOVE Friday's! You guys bring so much wonderful inspiration to this page... Thank you!!

I encourage everyone to participate... just add your link in the form below and your post will become the next on the list for all to enjoy.

Grab the above Friday's Nature Table button and link it to www.themagiconions.blogspot.com on your blog so that others can find this wonderful resource too.

Blessings and magic to you for sharing today!

Discovering Waldorf - 'Waldorf Inspired Homeschooling'

Today, I have the HUGE pleasure of welcoming Ariella to Discovering Waldorf. If you haven't already found Ariella's blog, CHILDHOOD MAGIC, you are in for a special treat... it is a rainbow of pure delight. Ariella Waldorf homeschools her two beautiful children and, here, she shares their experiences.

* * *

Waldorf Inspired Homeschooling by Ariella

Hello, my name is Ariella and I am here to share with you the ways in which we have incorporated Waldorf philosophy into our daily homeschooling activities -- also known as Waldorf Inspired Homeschooling. This is a particularly exciting topic for me as I was raised as a Waldorf(ish) homeschooler, so we are now in the second generation of this whole thing, which is very exciting to say the least!

Waldorf is a beautiful philosophy that truly resonates with me, pretty deep down into my soul. It's an education that encompasses many things (too many to ever cover!), but the aspect that speaks to me most is the way it approaches education as a holistic, ever expansive experience, a journey for the mind, body and soul of the child. Great emphasis is placed on strong family connection, oneness/understanding of nature, development of the imagination and senses, health and nourishment, creativity, play, art, beauty and daily/seasonal/yearly rhythms.

Rudolf Steiner had an interesting and unique view of the young person's life, which he saw as a spiritual unfolding, separated into three distinct cycles. Birth to 7, 7 to 14 and 14 to 21 years of age. The first seven years is considered a very special time of magic and wonder. This "dreamtime" is considered a highly valuable time in life -- a time for uninterrupted creative play, exploration, imitation, and cultivation of the awesome power of imagination. At this time, little or no emphasis is placed on "academic excellence." A time in life to just be, not to be messed with! What will this imagination do for you later on in life? It will turn you into a great thinker of course! It is the hopes of Waldorf that the imagination developed in the first seven years of life, in conjunction with the academics and spiritual evolution of the later two cycles will develop a thinker who can operate both inside and more importantly outside of the "box."

What does all of this mean, and how have I logically transferred this into our homeschooling life? I have some photos to share that I hope will convey the beauty and emotion of our daily projects and adventures.

I want my children to respect, know and be in awe of nature,

to play in the branches,

and adventure to new places.

I want them to love and cherish animals,

even the tiny ones,

and find joy in the sea with her beautiful waves and shores!

We spend much of our days creating/crafting. You'll find simple and natural fibers play a big role in the materials we use---

A bit of Earth

beeswax

wood

wool

silk

paper, paint and light!

We learn to bake and cook! Nourish ourselves and take care of our bodies.

We have fun and creative indoor play

play in the dirt, grow gardens

and enjoy the simple pleasures of our own backyard.

We lay quietly, reading stories

and play with friends!

Last but certainly not least, I need to share with you the glue or the "backbone" that holds this whole homeschooling thing together. It is our weekly routine or "rhythm." Each day of the week has a theme, and each day follows the same predictable pattern. We have times to play and learn, times to rest, times for meals and times for sleep.

I truly believe my children thrive and feel safe when they know "what's next," having rhythm in the home is comforting to them and helps them to find a greater understanding of their world! Not only that, but it brings order to our homeschooling lives and peace into our household. Of course, I try not to be too rigid about it, lots of days will bring differences and possibilities, so things can change--- but I generally like to keep it pretty dependable!

You'll notice the chart is very simple (I promise you there are many more things that go on in a day). I intentionally kept it simple, there is no need to write down every single thing we do in a day. It's meant to be a loose guide that reminds us of our morning theme and an answer to the never ending question "what are we going to do today?!"

I am thinking I'll talk more about this rhythm/routine chart on my blog soon--- there are many points about this that I'd like to discuss!

Click on the photo to get a closer look

I'll finish this post by saying this -- does doing all of this mean that you'll be the perfect mom, with the perfect kids and that your days will pass stress free? No. I can guarantee you there will always be days of whining, jangled nerves and feelings of inadequacy all around. But, in addition to all of that, you'll also have more magic than you could ever dream of!

* * *

Thank you, dear Ariella. You really do embody the magic that is childhood! I can't tell you enough how much I love your blog, CHILDHOOD MAGIC... it has become a staple for me. I love visiting your thoughtfully chosen words, your colorful life, the freedom your family exhibits... it is an utter delight! You make me want to drop everything, pack the family into the van and come to live with you! Thank you for inspiring me.

Here are the other great posts in the Discovering Waldorf Series.

Blessings and magic,

Donni

A Place to Keep Treasures.

With summer, comes lovely long afternoons outside. I water our plants, K plays in her Fairy Garden while Mr T fishes in his fountain. We keep each to our own for a while until a chore arises for us all to participate in. I have become wise with experience... if I say 'We need to weed the roses.' I am met with strong resistance from the two little people-unto-themselves. However, if I start to weed the roses and remark that pretty moss is growing under the clover, I have two little interested gardeners at my side asking if they can weed too. It's fascinating! Parenting is a study in psychology!

Today, I noticed that the printers tray on the fence had become overrun with Morning Glory and when I inspected it closely, the little treasures it held were all covered in spider webs. Thus arose our chore for the afternoon.

Our printers tray is a place to keep treasured finds. The little cubbies are filled with the special shells K has collected and the favorite stones T has found. We have built up quite a collection.

The first objective was to remove all of the treasures so that we could sweep away the cobwebs.

T put them all in a bucket of water while K scrubbed them clean. We set them on the grass to dry and, while they dried, we admired them.

Then K set about replacing each clean and shiny treasure to it's designated spot.

I can almost say with certainty that each shell and stone found it's original place in the printers tray and I am amazed at the brilliance of the 6 year-old brain. To think that I once had a memory like that when I can hardly remember what day it is now!

We rediscovered the treasured Mother of Pearl that K brought back from South Africa when she was 3. Oh, how it shines like a mermaids tail in the sunlight.

The spiky shells given to us by a special friend.

Mr T's beloved smooth rock and holy stick.

A final inspection that all was as it should be.

A nod of approval and our printers tray was back to show condition.

An afternoon of working together, remembering old times and making new memories.

Blessings and magic,

Donni

Make a Bean Teepee.

Time for a little honesty here... the truth is my kids struggle to eat vegetables. Let me tell you, we are a relatively health conscious family... I have offered sweet carrots, delicious corn and even frozen peas from the time my children were mere babies and yet, would you know, they often refuse to eat anything green, orange or yellow. The old adage of offering a food option 20 times before it is accepted has been surpassed long ago in our house... try 978 times! Still, healthy greens are rejected in favor of other, less healthy, foods. But, and it's a BIG but, my children will eat anything we grow in our garden... green, yellow, red and even purple! If only we lived on a huge farm where I could grow all the food we needed to survive... my children would be the healthiest kids on the block!

Alas, we don't... we live in the middle of one of the busiest metropolises in the world and my 'vegetable growing' land is very minimal. So, when my friend suggested that we concentrate on growing easy and prolifically producing vegetables, I wondered why I had tried to grow exotic and unusual vegetables for all these years? Why not grow the things I know my children will eat straight from the bush?

So, tomatoes and green beans it is!

Beans need to climb which is great if you don't have much horizontal space... onto the tools we got to make a bean teepee.

We needed;

* Bamboo sticks,

* Bendy wire (galvanized so as not to rust)

* Pliers (or, if you are like me and cant find yours, old garden scissors will do)

* Bean plants

*A nice big pot

*Soil

Place the bamboo sticks in a teepee shape and fix by wrapping a length of wire around them.

Cut another length of wire, larger this time, and fix a loop around the teepee frame for the climbing bean plants to attach to.

Repeat until you have 3 or 4 wrungs on your bean teepee.

Sink the bottom of the teepee into the soil - an old whiskey barrel in our case.

Plant bean plants and water profusely. Beans are very hardy... these particular plants were pulled out and replanted several times by an overenthusiastic little garden helper (Mr T has found a new passion to add to his love of playing his pink guitar, fishing in the fountain and riding his sisters scooter).

Look at our bean plants now, a few weeks later...

I wonder if we'll ever get to eat them at dinnertime as a bean is picked each and every time someone from my family walks past this lush-looking planter. They are super delicious - who says you have to eat your vegetables at suppertime??

Happy planting!

Blessing and magic,

Donni

Silent Saturday.

Oh, Daddy! Look what's happened while you've been away - a toothless grin!

Blessings and magic.

Friday's Nature Table.

It's Friday again and I look forward to enjoying the nature you have enjoyed. Thank you all so much for sharing your inspirational links.

I encourage everyone to participate... just add your link in the form below and your post will become the next on the list for all to enjoy.

Grab the above Friday's Nature Table button and link it to www.themagiconions.blogspot.com on your blog so that others can find this wonderful resource too.

Blessings and magic to you for sharing today!

Discovering Waldorf - 'The Elephant in my Living Room'

Media in the home... a Waldorf topic to be delicately discussed. In our media-driven age, it is such a difficulty to adhere to the Waldorf insistence of a media-free home. We are all aware of the harmful effect that too much TV has on our children. Yet, some of us can't imagine how to achieve a life without the big screen. 'TV is educational.' 'TV gives me the break from my kids that I need'. 'TV give them a space in which to wind down'. 'TV gives them so much pleasure' These are all excuses I myself have used while knowing, in my heart, that these needs can be satisfied in a much more wholesome, nurturing and soulful way than is ever delivered by Television.

My dear friend Shannon, has agreed to share her experiences of how she and her family have embarked on the slow process of moving towards a media free home. Yes, it is difficult in the beginning, but as you will see, the rewards are great. Enjoy!

* * *

The Elephant in my Livingroom - by Shannon

For a long time I had been fascinated with the Waldorf education model. I spent hours researching schools and the practice online. It was not until the creation of a Waldorf program near our home that I jumped in. It was so comfortable and easy to be at school with my young son. It was like soul food to be honest. I felt like we had finally found our community. The natural beauty of the world was welcomed in the form of the toys, teacher and curriculum. There was really only one challenge for my family....no media.

In my families quest to deepen our waldorf practice, I had to tackle our love affair with the television. As many of you are aware the waldorf philosophy sees media input as detrimental to our childrens development. It hinders their imagination and blocks their soul. As I began to pay attention to the play in our home, I saw how serious this really was. My youngest, only two at the time, was mesmerized by the images flashing across the screen. Even if he had begun to play something on his own, which was rare, he would scream if you tried to turn off the T.V. I felt awful, I had created a tiny television addict. This apathy was apparent in my whole family.

Thus we began our journey away from "the elephant in my living room". Our play group teacher suggested we start a weaning process. I began by just trying to distract from turning on the t.v. as long as possible. We started to really play together and get out of the house on outings more. We started to really reign in what there was to watch. The real shift came for us when my now 3 yr old entered the pre-k/kindy class. Our teacher very kindly and firmly asked us to restrict the media viewing even further as it was affecting his play at school.

Our next step down the path was to cancel the cable and create family movie night. Not only did this generate some quality together time but it stopped the constant asking for t.v. time. The children know it happens ever week at the same time. The results have been amazing. The children not only play on their own more, their creativity is through the roof. My young son now asks for floor games instead of the television.

A floor game we developed called 'Crashing Castles'. Each player builds a fantastic feat of engineering. Then each player gets a turn to see if he can crash his car into the opposite players castle. The player whose castle remains standing the longest is the winner.

He relishes time spent with his father, making up games after work.

Everyone seems to be happier, less agitated and wound up.

We are not media free yet but we are working towards it.

* * *

Thank you, Shannon. I love the fact that your family now relishes time spent together playing games, reading and just talking together. These are memories you will all cherish. An episode of Dora will soon be forgotten but the sweet 'Castle Crash' games your son and his father play will be family heirlooms remembered forever. I bet he will even play it with his own son some day.

Shannon writes a super fun blog called Shenanigans. She is one of the few people who have found a 'country' lifestyle in our huge metropolis. She also runs a gorgeous natural soap shop called Sacred Waters Soap Co. We use her gorgeous smelling, gentle feeling soap every night. It cleans us and calms us and sends us to bed happy. Thank you, Shannon - luv ya!

Read the other great discussions in the Discovering Waldorf Series.

Blessings and magic.

May I have S'more!!

To all of my American friends... I bet you can't believe that the first time I ever tried a S'more was a few years ago on our first American camping trip. I'm totally serious... I'd never even heard of a S'more before then. Yes, we grew up roasting marshmallows over the coals, but a S'more, nope, never had!

So, for all my friends who aren't American and have, perhaps, never had a S'more, you are in for a culinary treat! This, my darlings, is a S'more!


It is quite the yummiest thing you'll ever have.

This is how it's made...

Marshmallows, chocolate and biscuits (called Gram Crackers in America, kind of like a digestive)


First, scour the countryside to find the most perfect marshmallow-roasting stick. Your stick needs to be sturdy, smooth and long. K found a beauty...


If you can't find the perfect stick for yourself, niggle your sister until she gives you hers and then 'Whoop' in triumph at your prize...


Insert your stick into one end of your marshmallow and roast it over the coals until it becomes golden and delicious.


If you can't wait for your marshmallow to roast, eat it, by all means and try again...


But if you are patient and choose a lovely glowing ember to cook it over, your marshmallow roasts wonderfully.


While your roasted marshmallow is still hot, place a piece of chocolate on a biscuit. Cover the chocolate with the hot roasted marshmallow and top with another biscuit. You now have a S'more!

The hot marshmallow melts the chocolate into the biscuit and it's so super delicious that one is definitely not enough.


You'll soon be asking for S'more!

Blessings and magic.