Isn't it odd how a change in schedule can provide you with the opportunity to notice things you don't normally?
The big kids (Athos, Faramir, Artemisia) are off visiting their grandparents. Hubby is our tearing up the kitchen at a rental house. And I slept in a little bit (despite Kalliope's best efforts to rouse me by rolling around in bed beside me), which meant I was getting my breakfast a few hours later than usual. I'm often in the kitchen mid-morning, but I suppose by that time I'm so busy passing out instructions to children that I don't notice how lovely my kitchen looks in that light.
But this morning my attention matched the timing and I did notice. As I was heating my water for tea (Constant Comment today), I noticed how pretty the light was slanting in one of the windows and falling on the plants just below the window. The morning sun was just low enough to glance under the lower tree limbs in. Not only that, but the whole kitchen seemed to glow with the light.
But it only lasted for a few minutes and then the sun rose up just high enough to be blocked by the thicker tree limbs. Now the kitchen stays bit darker until late afternoon when it comes in the windows from the other side of the sky.
Showing posts with label Rhythm Reverence Time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rhythm Reverence Time. Show all posts
Monday, July 18, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
{this moment} -- July 1st
| {...this moment...} a moment from our week that I want to savor visit Soulemama for more  |
| My drying line sags under the weight of delight that is well-used beach towels. |
Friday, April 1, 2011
{this moment} -- April 1st, April Fool's Day
{this moment}
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to savor and remember.
Visit Soule Mama for more.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
{this moment} -- March 11th
{this moment} - A Friday ritual.
A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Visit SouleMama for more.
 |
| Not a technically beautiful photo, but captured a truly remarkable moment: Baby L trusting (and enjoying) a new friend! |
(You'll notice I've changed the rules - I cannot help but put a caption on my photos!)
Friday, March 4, 2011
{this moment} -- March 3rd
{this moment} - A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Visit SouleMama for more.
 |
| My little E with the big pink back pack - the rest friends from other families. |
Friday, February 25, 2011
{this moment} -- February 25th
{this moment} - A Friday ritual.
A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Visit SouleMama for more.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Family Altar
Morning light has been slowly growing from thin to bright for an hour or so. Time to wake the children.
"Come on children! Let's hurry down stairs. Daddy wants to read bible before breakfast."
One by one they come, some dragging, some bounding, like the morning's birds to a bird bath.
"Mama, you said I could light the candle," whispers a small one.
"Ok, but let me help you," says Mama.
Carefully, mother's hand clasps little one's hand as the candle is lit and the family is finally all assembled. The little altar shelf displays a white pillar candle - gleaming in its whiteness, a simple wooden cross, a displayed bible, a small icon of Christ Pantokrator, a brass candle snuffer, and an embossed metal storage box. The ribbons adorning the little altar space have recently been changed from purple to white for Easter season.
Baby toddles from person to person for good morning kisses as Daddy starts the morning's reading.
Later, the candle is snuffed and all disperse to chores, breakfast, and the office. The day has begun.
So, what is a Family Altar?
A Family Altar is, first of all, anything you like it to be. Simple or elaborate. Private or Communal. Formal or Relaxed. Above all it is a visual reminder (for your own family) of the importance of the religious life within the family. It can be a place family members gather for bible reading or devotional time alone or as a group. It can be a place to display bits of God's creation you find on your nature walks. It can be a place for your children to practice and learn about the liturgical life.
And how do make one?
Items you’ll need:
A Free-standing cross (purchased or homemade)
A pillar candle (white or red to represent the Holy Spirit)
A shelf or small table (or portion of a table)
Other items you might like to add:
-:- Lengths of ribbon in liturgical colors (red, white, green, purple, black, gold) to lay across altar area, drape around the cross, or otherwise display on the altar. Alternately, you could use pieces of fabric in liturgical colors as a ‘table cloth’ under your altar area.
-:- Candle snuffer – little kids enjoy snuffing out the candle.
-:- Small icon of Jesus – these can be found online and printed on cardstock or laminated or glued onto small wooden plaques (found at most craft stores in the wood craft section). Generally, there are no worries about copyright if you are not selling them to others.
-:- A decorative box to keep the supplies handy, but out of sight.
-:- Bottle of Holy Water (see your priest)
Where to find the items:
Crosses can be found at Hobby Lobby (or other craft store) or a Christian book store. As a family, you might enjoy making yours. Candles and ribbon can be found at any craft store. The icons can be found by doing a Google Image Search on “icon of Jesus”.
Where to place your altar
It doesn’t matter where you locate your family altar, but someplace that the entire family can gather is ideal. If it has the possibility for also being a private prayer place, that might be nice, too. (An example might be a shelf on a bookcase in a less-frequently used room.)
Traditionally, altars are set up in churches so that the congregation is facing East. You can try to do this in your home, too, but it certainly is not necessary.
If you don’t have a place you can keep the altar our permanently, you could keep the pieces in a lovely box and make the set up part of your family prayer time. Each family member could have a different responsibility.
How to set up your altar
Facing the altar: Place your cross on the right and the candle on the left. If you have book holder, place this in the middle and place your bible there. Above that (or if no book holder, in the middle) place the icon. You can tape or tack this in place on the wall, if you want. If you are using the ribbon, decide how you want to display that and choose the appropriate seasonal color. Lent: purple, Good Friday: black, Easter: white or gold, Pentecost: red, Ordinary Time: green, Advent: purple, Christmas: white
How to use the altar
Use it as a focus for family or individual prayer. Allow a child to light and/or snuff the candle at the beginning and end of prayer or bible reading. On feast days, let the children help you lay out the seasonal-colored ribbon or cloth.
Another idea
You might like to add icons for various days of the church year (Easter, Ascension, saints' days, etc). Icons for these can be found by doing a Google image search. Again, no worries about copyright as long as you are not selling the icons. But do be mindful if the website specifically prohibits copying of pictures. You can display them by hanging on the wall or back of shelf or by using a small display easel.
I know many of my readers probably do something similar. If your family uses some sort of family altar, would you leave a comment and share any ideas or suggestions you have?
"Come on children! Let's hurry down stairs. Daddy wants to read bible before breakfast."
One by one they come, some dragging, some bounding, like the morning's birds to a bird bath.
"Mama, you said I could light the candle," whispers a small one.
"Ok, but let me help you," says Mama.
Carefully, mother's hand clasps little one's hand as the candle is lit and the family is finally all assembled. The little altar shelf displays a white pillar candle - gleaming in its whiteness, a simple wooden cross, a displayed bible, a small icon of Christ Pantokrator, a brass candle snuffer, and an embossed metal storage box. The ribbons adorning the little altar space have recently been changed from purple to white for Easter season.Baby toddles from person to person for good morning kisses as Daddy starts the morning's reading.
Later, the candle is snuffed and all disperse to chores, breakfast, and the office. The day has begun.
So, what is a Family Altar?
A Family Altar is, first of all, anything you like it to be. Simple or elaborate. Private or Communal. Formal or Relaxed. Above all it is a visual reminder (for your own family) of the importance of the religious life within the family. It can be a place family members gather for bible reading or devotional time alone or as a group. It can be a place to display bits of God's creation you find on your nature walks. It can be a place for your children to practice and learn about the liturgical life.
And how do make one?
Items you’ll need:
A Free-standing cross (purchased or homemade)
A pillar candle (white or red to represent the Holy Spirit)
A shelf or small table (or portion of a table)
Other items you might like to add:
-:- Lengths of ribbon in liturgical colors (red, white, green, purple, black, gold) to lay across altar area, drape around the cross, or otherwise display on the altar. Alternately, you could use pieces of fabric in liturgical colors as a ‘table cloth’ under your altar area.
-:- Candle snuffer – little kids enjoy snuffing out the candle.
-:- Small icon of Jesus – these can be found online and printed on cardstock or laminated or glued onto small wooden plaques (found at most craft stores in the wood craft section). Generally, there are no worries about copyright if you are not selling them to others.
-:- A decorative box to keep the supplies handy, but out of sight.
-:- Bottle of Holy Water (see your priest)
Where to find the items:
Crosses can be found at Hobby Lobby (or other craft store) or a Christian book store. As a family, you might enjoy making yours. Candles and ribbon can be found at any craft store. The icons can be found by doing a Google Image Search on “icon of Jesus”.
Where to place your altarIt doesn’t matter where you locate your family altar, but someplace that the entire family can gather is ideal. If it has the possibility for also being a private prayer place, that might be nice, too. (An example might be a shelf on a bookcase in a less-frequently used room.)
Traditionally, altars are set up in churches so that the congregation is facing East. You can try to do this in your home, too, but it certainly is not necessary.
If you don’t have a place you can keep the altar our permanently, you could keep the pieces in a lovely box and make the set up part of your family prayer time. Each family member could have a different responsibility.
How to set up your altar
Facing the altar: Place your cross on the right and the candle on the left. If you have book holder, place this in the middle and place your bible there. Above that (or if no book holder, in the middle) place the icon. You can tape or tack this in place on the wall, if you want. If you are using the ribbon, decide how you want to display that and choose the appropriate seasonal color. Lent: purple, Good Friday: black, Easter: white or gold, Pentecost: red, Ordinary Time: green, Advent: purple, Christmas: white
How to use the altar
Use it as a focus for family or individual prayer. Allow a child to light and/or snuff the candle at the beginning and end of prayer or bible reading. On feast days, let the children help you lay out the seasonal-colored ribbon or cloth.
Another ideaYou might like to add icons for various days of the church year (Easter, Ascension, saints' days, etc). Icons for these can be found by doing a Google image search. Again, no worries about copyright as long as you are not selling the icons. But do be mindful if the website specifically prohibits copying of pictures. You can display them by hanging on the wall or back of shelf or by using a small display easel.
I know many of my readers probably do something similar. If your family uses some sort of family altar, would you leave a comment and share any ideas or suggestions you have?
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Summer is HERE!
Sometimes you just gotta pack it in and surrender to it. Yes, I mean SUMMER!
I had another 4 weeks or so of school planned out to try to get us all caught up on the lessons we've missed this year due to the adoption (various appointments, meetings, days where I had a ton of paperwork to finish, and of course the extended travel). My plans were so wonderful! The kids were willingly going along with them, too. But on Tuesday morning I woke up and was just, well, D-O-N-E. Ever been there?
At about 10:05, after putting Baby L down for her morning nap, I looked around at my children happily entertaining themselves and engaged in some really great unstructured playtime, and I made the decision: School's over.
Even though we will continue reading, independently and together, and playing edu-games during our summer break, most of our days will be fairly free and relaxed. So, what did we do on our first day of SUMMER?
Here are some pictures:
Baby L enjoying her "cruising" abilities.
S says he's "dressed for every occassion". Dress-ups don't get boring, do they?
The boys found an old stash of Dixie cups, which were perfect for biulding a great wall. This is about as high as it got before it toppled over.
Every year we celebrate the first and last day of school with an "ice cream dinner". Of course they are all hungry for "real food" within an hour, so we came home to burgers, too.
Not one to skip out on a little something sweet.
Baby L was a bit unsure about the whole thing. She did eventually give it a try and LOVED it, but she looks quite uniterested here. (Although from the look of those legs, you'd think we feed her ice cream all day long!)
Welcome, Summer. I'm so glad you are here!
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to receive my blog updates.
I had another 4 weeks or so of school planned out to try to get us all caught up on the lessons we've missed this year due to the adoption (various appointments, meetings, days where I had a ton of paperwork to finish, and of course the extended travel). My plans were so wonderful! The kids were willingly going along with them, too. But on Tuesday morning I woke up and was just, well, D-O-N-E. Ever been there?
At about 10:05, after putting Baby L down for her morning nap, I looked around at my children happily entertaining themselves and engaged in some really great unstructured playtime, and I made the decision: School's over.
Even though we will continue reading, independently and together, and playing edu-games during our summer break, most of our days will be fairly free and relaxed. So, what did we do on our first day of SUMMER?
Here are some pictures:
Baby L enjoying her "cruising" abilities.
S says he's "dressed for every occassion". Dress-ups don't get boring, do they?
The boys found an old stash of Dixie cups, which were perfect for biulding a great wall. This is about as high as it got before it toppled over.
Every year we celebrate the first and last day of school with an "ice cream dinner". Of course they are all hungry for "real food" within an hour, so we came home to burgers, too.
Not one to skip out on a little something sweet.
Baby L was a bit unsure about the whole thing. She did eventually give it a try and LOVED it, but she looks quite uniterested here. (Although from the look of those legs, you'd think we feed her ice cream all day long!)
Welcome, Summer. I'm so glad you are here!
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to receive my blog updates.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
RePost: Establishing a Summer Routine
Boredom is the big beast of summer isn't it? Nobody wants their kids to be bored! Well, I have a GREAT PLAN that will help you eliminate boredom from your summer... A ROUTINE!
I know that sounds like a contradiction, right? But seriously, I find that one of the biggest reasons my kids get bored is that they don't have a reliable structure to their day. This works fine for a few days, but very soon they are like little spinning tops roaming around the house spinning from activity to activity. However, when I have some sort of regular routine (not a schedule, mind you!) we all do so much better.
Our schedule this summer will include: morning and afternoon chore times, family projects (household projects like cleaning out the playroom), outside playtime, Read or Rest time, screen time (TV, video game, computer), Read Aloud time (where I read aloud or we listen to a book on tape) and game time (educational games to keep schooling, but in a fun way).
So, do you want some help getting your summer routine started?
1) Decide on the big rocks of our daily life. Plan for these and let them be the "anchors" of our day.
Some examples are: regular meal times, planned snack time, chore time, learning time, play time, read or rest time. Pay attention to the flow of these various "anchors". Try to plan for good variety of structured vs. unstructured and active vs. passive.
2) Provide some visual cues for the expected flow of our day.
If your kids are pre-readers or highly visual (verses verbal), make a picture chart. Find or draw simple pictures of each of the daily "anchors". These also help with #4 - transitions. Here's what I did last year: Visual Schedule
Help for Kids' Speech offers suggestions for visual ways to cue children in to expectations for the daily routine. The article mentions the website Do2Learn which offers various picture cards that can be accessed for free. There are loads of other resources in their subscriber areas, too.
Another idea comes from Family Fun: a doorknob daily reminder. You could use this to remind kids of special events or "themes" for each day. (Park Day, Errand Day, Class Day, etc.)
3) Set distinct moods or tones for certain types of activities or times of day.
Quick moodsetters are music and light - moodsetting will also help with #4 - transitions. For example, if you want to get your kids up and going (maybe for chore time or because you are going out for a playdate) make sure the house is bright and try turning on some cheerful or exciting music. In the evening when it is time to wind down, lower the lights in the house and turn on some quieter music. We love the Putumayo Kids CDs (you can listen to samples).
Another important aspect of moodsetting is tone of voice. Pay attention to the tone you set, too. I read somewhere that parentss should be the thermostat not the thermometer of their home (a thermostat sets the temperature; a thermometer just reacts to it).
Collect some CDs that are particularly energetic or quiet or whatever you need and keep those handy. Or do the 80's thing and make a mix-tape! :) "Mom's Quiet Down Music" or "Mom's Get Up and MOVE Music".
4) Work on establishing good transition habits.
Some kids are very easy transitioners and other kids need a lot of help in this area. I have one of each and one inbetween. Here are some quick ideas:
5) Make it a team effort.
Sit down together and go over the daily routine and your expectations. Talk about the fun stuff you all want to have time for this summer and how your daily routine is going to help you have time for the fun stuff.
Want more ideas for beating the boredom beast? We ARE That Family is hosting a "Mom I'm Bored" Works-For-Me-Wednesday and there are TONS of great links!
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to receive my blog updates.
I know that sounds like a contradiction, right? But seriously, I find that one of the biggest reasons my kids get bored is that they don't have a reliable structure to their day. This works fine for a few days, but very soon they are like little spinning tops roaming around the house spinning from activity to activity. However, when I have some sort of regular routine (not a schedule, mind you!) we all do so much better.
Our schedule this summer will include: morning and afternoon chore times, family projects (household projects like cleaning out the playroom), outside playtime, Read or Rest time, screen time (TV, video game, computer), Read Aloud time (where I read aloud or we listen to a book on tape) and game time (educational games to keep schooling, but in a fun way).
So, do you want some help getting your summer routine started?
1) Decide on the big rocks of our daily life. Plan for these and let them be the "anchors" of our day.
Some examples are: regular meal times, planned snack time, chore time, learning time, play time, read or rest time. Pay attention to the flow of these various "anchors". Try to plan for good variety of structured vs. unstructured and active vs. passive.
2) Provide some visual cues for the expected flow of our day.
If your kids are pre-readers or highly visual (verses verbal), make a picture chart. Find or draw simple pictures of each of the daily "anchors". These also help with #4 - transitions. Here's what I did last year: Visual Schedule
Help for Kids' Speech offers suggestions for visual ways to cue children in to expectations for the daily routine. The article mentions the website Do2Learn which offers various picture cards that can be accessed for free. There are loads of other resources in their subscriber areas, too.
Another idea comes from Family Fun: a doorknob daily reminder. You could use this to remind kids of special events or "themes" for each day. (Park Day, Errand Day, Class Day, etc.)
3) Set distinct moods or tones for certain types of activities or times of day.
Quick moodsetters are music and light - moodsetting will also help with #4 - transitions. For example, if you want to get your kids up and going (maybe for chore time or because you are going out for a playdate) make sure the house is bright and try turning on some cheerful or exciting music. In the evening when it is time to wind down, lower the lights in the house and turn on some quieter music. We love the Putumayo Kids CDs (you can listen to samples).
Another important aspect of moodsetting is tone of voice. Pay attention to the tone you set, too. I read somewhere that parentss should be the thermostat not the thermometer of their home (a thermostat sets the temperature; a thermometer just reacts to it).
Collect some CDs that are particularly energetic or quiet or whatever you need and keep those handy. Or do the 80's thing and make a mix-tape! :) "Mom's Quiet Down Music" or "Mom's Get Up and MOVE Music".
4) Work on establishing good transition habits.
Some kids are very easy transitioners and other kids need a lot of help in this area. I have one of each and one inbetween. Here are some quick ideas:
- Five Minute "Heads Up" - particularly useful when ending a fun, unstructured activity
- Assessment and Feedback- After chore time is an excellent time to gather the kids and assess how well they did or to "go see" their work. In fact, a "go see" to point out what might have been overlooked followed up with some "good job" kudos is probably a good idea. If you use a chore system or reward chart, this might be the time to incorporate that.
- What's Next? - Encourage the kids to complete what they are doing by telling them what is coming up next. "When you finish cleaning up the breakfast dishes, we are going to walk to the park." or "After lunch it will be time for Read or Rest."
- Until tomorrow - Sometimes kids are satisfied to transition to a new activity when they know the one they are currently being asked to stop is one they will get to do again another day. "We'll come back to the park next week." or "You'll get to do playdough again tomorrow."
- Consolidate- consolidate activities to reduce the number or transitions. (But don't go so far as to spend hours doing the same thing - like chores!) An example might be cleaning up from breakfast and moving right into chore time instead of letting them have playtime after breakfast and chore time later in the morning.
5) Make it a team effort.
Sit down together and go over the daily routine and your expectations. Talk about the fun stuff you all want to have time for this summer and how your daily routine is going to help you have time for the fun stuff.
Want more ideas for beating the boredom beast? We ARE That Family is hosting a "Mom I'm Bored" Works-For-Me-Wednesday and there are TONS of great links!
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to receive my blog updates.
Monday, April 27, 2009
How to Create a Daily Oasis in Your Home
Do you need a bit of quiet in the midst of a busy day? Do your kids need some downtime each day to collect themselves? Does everyone need just a little bit of "alone" time? I have a simple idea for you that will give you a daily oasis for your family: Read or Rest time.
The idea:
Provide your kids and yourself with a bit of calm and quiet each day by instituting a time of quiet reading and resting.This sets a wonderful rhythm to your family's day (and it establishes a good habit of daily reading). You spend the morning working or learning together and then have a little time to relax, regroup, and process what you've learned.
The Basics:
1. Select a timeslot that works for your family schedule.
2. Provide your kids with a good selection of books (personal collection, the library, etc.).
3. Determine the rules that work for your family situation (together, seperately, reading only, books on tape, quiet playing, etc).
4. Discuss the rules and enforce them.
5. Make it a regular part of everyday.
Here's how it works in my home:
Each day after lunch, my kids head up to their rooms for an hour of quiet reading or resting. Simple enough, right? The "catch" is in the rules...the rules are that everyone MUST be on their beds reading a book, listening to a book on tape, or just looking at a book...or they must be resting. Even mom abides by this rule, although my read or rest time is spent downstairs on the couch or in "my chair".
Some other ideas:
You might choose to allow pre-readers to play LEGOs or draw while listening to music or a story on tape instead of reading. Or you might decide that instead of doing a seperate read time, you all lay down together and listen to a book. (This might be especially nice if you aren't together in the morning and you need time to reconnect as a family.) There are many ways to make the basic idea work for your family! It may take a few days to reinforce the rules of Read or Rest time (whatever they are for your family), but I bet you'll find as I have that your kids really need and enjoy the time.
Do you do something similar to Read or Rest? Let me hear about it! Did you try Read or Rest - how did you like?
This post is part of the Carnival of Homeschooling hosted today by Susan at Corn and Oil. It is teeming with great ideas this week. Don't miss it!
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to receive my blog updates.
The idea:
Provide your kids and yourself with a bit of calm and quiet each day by instituting a time of quiet reading and resting.This sets a wonderful rhythm to your family's day (and it establishes a good habit of daily reading). You spend the morning working or learning together and then have a little time to relax, regroup, and process what you've learned.
The Basics:
1. Select a timeslot that works for your family schedule.
2. Provide your kids with a good selection of books (personal collection, the library, etc.).
3. Determine the rules that work for your family situation (together, seperately, reading only, books on tape, quiet playing, etc).
4. Discuss the rules and enforce them.
5. Make it a regular part of everyday.
Here's how it works in my home:
Each day after lunch, my kids head up to their rooms for an hour of quiet reading or resting. Simple enough, right? The "catch" is in the rules...the rules are that everyone MUST be on their beds reading a book, listening to a book on tape, or just looking at a book...or they must be resting. Even mom abides by this rule, although my read or rest time is spent downstairs on the couch or in "my chair".
Some other ideas:
You might choose to allow pre-readers to play LEGOs or draw while listening to music or a story on tape instead of reading. Or you might decide that instead of doing a seperate read time, you all lay down together and listen to a book. (This might be especially nice if you aren't together in the morning and you need time to reconnect as a family.) There are many ways to make the basic idea work for your family! It may take a few days to reinforce the rules of Read or Rest time (whatever they are for your family), but I bet you'll find as I have that your kids really need and enjoy the time.
Do you do something similar to Read or Rest? Let me hear about it! Did you try Read or Rest - how did you like?
This post is part of the Carnival of Homeschooling hosted today by Susan at Corn and Oil. It is teeming with great ideas this week. Don't miss it!
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to receive my blog updates.
Monday, May 12, 2008
5-steps for establishing a summer routine
Summer is just around the corner. We've had spring fever BAD and have gotten way off our routine. So, I'm kind of starting fresh with a summer routine. Here are my ideas...
1) Decide on the big rocks of our daily life. Plan for these and let them be the "anchors" of our day.
Some examples are: regular meal times, planned snack time, chore time, learning time, play time, read or rest time. Pay attention to the flow of these various "anchors". Try to plan for good variety of structured vs. unstructured and active vs. passive.
Anything I'm missing here? What would you add/drop?
2) Provide some visual cues for the expected flow of our day.
If your kids are pre-readers or highly visual (verses verbal), make a picture chart. Find or draw simple pictures of each of the daily "anchors". These also help with #4 - transitions.
Help for Kids' Speech offers suggestions for visual ways to cue children in to expectations for the daily routine. The article mentions the website Do2Learn which offers various picture cards that can be accessed for free. There are loads of other resources in their subscriber areas, too.
Another idea comes from Family Fun: a doorknob daily reminder. You could use this to remind kids of special events or "themes" for each day. (Park Day, Errand Day, Class Day, etc.)
Any ideas for other wasy to use visual cues? Do you have a resource I might try?
3) Set distinct moods or tones for certain types of activities or times of day.
Quick moodsetters are music and light - moodsetting will also help with #4 - transitions. For example, if you want to get your kids up and going (maybe for chore time or because you are going out for a playdate) make sure the house is bright and try turning on some cheerful or exciting music. In the evening when it is time to wind down, lower the lights in the house and turn on some quieter music.
Another important aspect of moodsetting is tone of voice. Pay attention to the tone you set, too. I read somewhere that parentss should be the thermostat not the thermometer of their home (a thermostat sets the temperature; a thermometer just reacts to it).
Collect some CDs that are particularly energetic or quiet or whatever you need and keep those handy. Or do the 80's thing and make a mix-tape! :) "Mom's Quiet Down Music" or "Mom's Get Up and MOVE Music".
Got some favorite CDs or songs for certain times of day?
4) Work on establishing good transition habits.
Some kids are very easy transitioners and other kids need a lot of help in this area. I have one of each and one inbetween. Here are some quick ideas:
1) Decide on the big rocks of our daily life. Plan for these and let them be the "anchors" of our day.
Some examples are: regular meal times, planned snack time, chore time, learning time, play time, read or rest time. Pay attention to the flow of these various "anchors". Try to plan for good variety of structured vs. unstructured and active vs. passive.
Anything I'm missing here? What would you add/drop?
2) Provide some visual cues for the expected flow of our day.
If your kids are pre-readers or highly visual (verses verbal), make a picture chart. Find or draw simple pictures of each of the daily "anchors". These also help with #4 - transitions.
Help for Kids' Speech offers suggestions for visual ways to cue children in to expectations for the daily routine. The article mentions the website Do2Learn which offers various picture cards that can be accessed for free. There are loads of other resources in their subscriber areas, too.
Another idea comes from Family Fun: a doorknob daily reminder. You could use this to remind kids of special events or "themes" for each day. (Park Day, Errand Day, Class Day, etc.)
Any ideas for other wasy to use visual cues? Do you have a resource I might try?
3) Set distinct moods or tones for certain types of activities or times of day.
Quick moodsetters are music and light - moodsetting will also help with #4 - transitions. For example, if you want to get your kids up and going (maybe for chore time or because you are going out for a playdate) make sure the house is bright and try turning on some cheerful or exciting music. In the evening when it is time to wind down, lower the lights in the house and turn on some quieter music.
Another important aspect of moodsetting is tone of voice. Pay attention to the tone you set, too. I read somewhere that parentss should be the thermostat not the thermometer of their home (a thermostat sets the temperature; a thermometer just reacts to it).
Collect some CDs that are particularly energetic or quiet or whatever you need and keep those handy. Or do the 80's thing and make a mix-tape! :) "Mom's Quiet Down Music" or "Mom's Get Up and MOVE Music".
Got some favorite CDs or songs for certain times of day?
4) Work on establishing good transition habits.
Some kids are very easy transitioners and other kids need a lot of help in this area. I have one of each and one inbetween. Here are some quick ideas:
- Five Minute "Heads Up" - particularly useful when ending a fun, unstructured activity
- Assessment and Feedback- After chore time is an excellent time to gather the kids and assess how well they did or to "go see" their work. In fact, a "go see" to point out what might have been overlooked followed up with some "good job" kudos is probably a good idea. If you use a chore system or reward chart, this might be the time to incorporate that.
- What's Next? - Encourage the kids to complete what they are doing by telling them what is coming up next. "When you finish cleaning up the breakfast dishes, we are going to walk to the park." or "After lunch it will be time for Read or Rest."
- Until tomorrow - Sometimes kids are satisfied to transition to a new activity when they know the one they are currently being asked to stop is one they will get to do again another day. "We'll come back to the park next week." or "You'll get to do playdough again tomorrow."
- Consolidate- consolidate activities to reduce the number or transitions. (But don't go so far as to spend hours doing the same thing - like chores!) An example might be cleaning up from breakfast and moving right into chore time instead of letting them have playtime after breakfast and chore time later in the morning.
What are some ways you help your kids transition to the next activity?
5) Make it a team effort.
Sit down together and go over the daily routine and your expectations. Talk about the fun stuff you all want to have time for this summer and how your daily routine is going to help you have time for the fun stuff.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Time to start our summer routine
The past couple of weeks we've really let the household routine slide and my kids are starting to get massively crabby because of it (How could I forget Habit #1?). What can I say, it's the end of the school year, we all have Spring Fever, and the adoption home study has kept us hopping.
My middle son is especially sensitive to having a lack of structure to his day and after a particularly nasty explosion today, I vented to hubby, "What is wrong with him?" (I knew the answer, but had to hear someone else say it.) "He needs structure, Kerry."
Yup, we all do.
Some of us enjoy non-structure to a degree and can get along fine without it for a time, but then it wears on us. I'm that way. That middle boy tends to be our household barometer - if he's feeling out of sorts; our home is out of sorts. His outburst today tells me it is way past time to get us back into a routine.
A while ago (like months) I posted about Rhythm, Reverence and Time. These are concepts around which I really want to shape my children's (and my) days. (Unfortunately, I've been slacking severly in all three of these areas. ) I'm going to start with focusing on Rhythm - particularly the rhythm of everyday life in our home.
The first thing I need to do is determine a reasonable daily routine. Then I will look at ways to set moods for certain activities and times of day. And finally I'll examine different ways to ease transitions during our day. I'll share my thoughts and plans, but I would also really appreciate your feedback on all of this - so please share you ideas, questions, resources, etc!
My middle son is especially sensitive to having a lack of structure to his day and after a particularly nasty explosion today, I vented to hubby, "What is wrong with him?" (I knew the answer, but had to hear someone else say it.) "He needs structure, Kerry."
Yup, we all do.
Some of us enjoy non-structure to a degree and can get along fine without it for a time, but then it wears on us. I'm that way. That middle boy tends to be our household barometer - if he's feeling out of sorts; our home is out of sorts. His outburst today tells me it is way past time to get us back into a routine.
A while ago (like months) I posted about Rhythm, Reverence and Time. These are concepts around which I really want to shape my children's (and my) days. (Unfortunately, I've been slacking severly in all three of these areas. ) I'm going to start with focusing on Rhythm - particularly the rhythm of everyday life in our home.
The first thing I need to do is determine a reasonable daily routine. Then I will look at ways to set moods for certain activities and times of day. And finally I'll examine different ways to ease transitions during our day. I'll share my thoughts and plans, but I would also really appreciate your feedback on all of this - so please share you ideas, questions, resources, etc!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Weekly "Big Rocks"
This is part of a series I'm doing on the "Big Rocks" and planning, which is part of a theme I'd like to do more thinking and writing about "Rhythm, Reverence and Time".
A couple of years ago, I tried using Flylady. I found that, once adapted to suit me, it helped me get my days and weeks in order. Recently, however, I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit. The holidays always seem to do this to me…and I’ve been taking my time getting back on. But it is TIME!
Planning out my week’s activities keeps me from getting to the end of the week with only the bare minimum accomplished. Without planning, my days just have a way of slipping by, how about you?
Here’s how I plan:
To Do – Make my “to do” list. Make a plan for what to do when (I put a notation down for which day of the week I plan to accomplish what). Refer to this each day to see what you need to do. I like to transfer those “today” items to a sticky note and stick that on my weekly planner page. I use a priority system: A- for those things that MUST be done today, B- for those things that should be done today, C- for those things I might like to get done today, but can wait on if I need to. I have a LOT of “C”, a number of “B” and just a few of “A”.
Each day, I’ll devote a bit of my time to a certain type of task:
Monday – correspondence;
Tuesday - zone cleaning (a little each day, but a bigger project today);
Wednesday – bills;
Thursday – meal planning;
Friday – household cleaning (the weekly chores);
Saturday – family work day (big, family projects) and errands;
Sunday - planning for the next week; missionary support work
Calendar – Look at my family calendar (hubby, kids’, personal) for events, and thinking about whether or not these events require anything special from me or the family as a whole and plan accordingly. (hubby’s late meeting may mean I need to plan to a late dinner; daughter’s ballet means I need to plan transportation; etc.) I WRITE DOWN those things I need to do – I can’t rely on my memory. Then when I review my calendar each day, I won't make mistakes like I did today. (Missed son's Drama Class!)
School – Plan lessons for the week. I especially note on my calendar those projects or assignments that might take a bit extra of my time…or that need supplies I may not have on hand. Then I need to schedule in the time to work with that child and any errands that need to be done to get supplies.
Chores – Review chore lists. Using Flylady’s Zone system, keeps me on track with getting all the cleaning done around the house. I look over the week’s Zone and note what needs to be done from the suggested list. Also, I’ll make a note of any extra chores (monthly or annual type) that might need to be completed.
Because we get a produce delivery on Thursdays, my meal planning is not done with the rest of the planning. I do this on Thursdays:
A couple of years ago, I tried using Flylady. I found that, once adapted to suit me, it helped me get my days and weeks in order. Recently, however, I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit. The holidays always seem to do this to me…and I’ve been taking my time getting back on. But it is TIME!
Planning out my week’s activities keeps me from getting to the end of the week with only the bare minimum accomplished. Without planning, my days just have a way of slipping by, how about you?
Here’s how I plan:
To Do – Make my “to do” list. Make a plan for what to do when (I put a notation down for which day of the week I plan to accomplish what). Refer to this each day to see what you need to do. I like to transfer those “today” items to a sticky note and stick that on my weekly planner page. I use a priority system: A- for those things that MUST be done today, B- for those things that should be done today, C- for those things I might like to get done today, but can wait on if I need to. I have a LOT of “C”, a number of “B” and just a few of “A”.
Each day, I’ll devote a bit of my time to a certain type of task:
Monday – correspondence;
Tuesday - zone cleaning (a little each day, but a bigger project today);
Wednesday – bills;
Thursday – meal planning;
Friday – household cleaning (the weekly chores);
Saturday – family work day (big, family projects) and errands;
Sunday - planning for the next week; missionary support work
Calendar – Look at my family calendar (hubby, kids’, personal) for events, and thinking about whether or not these events require anything special from me or the family as a whole and plan accordingly. (hubby’s late meeting may mean I need to plan to a late dinner; daughter’s ballet means I need to plan transportation; etc.) I WRITE DOWN those things I need to do – I can’t rely on my memory. Then when I review my calendar each day, I won't make mistakes like I did today. (Missed son's Drama Class!)
School – Plan lessons for the week. I especially note on my calendar those projects or assignments that might take a bit extra of my time…or that need supplies I may not have on hand. Then I need to schedule in the time to work with that child and any errands that need to be done to get supplies.
Chores – Review chore lists. Using Flylady’s Zone system, keeps me on track with getting all the cleaning done around the house. I look over the week’s Zone and note what needs to be done from the suggested list. Also, I’ll make a note of any extra chores (monthly or annual type) that might need to be completed.
Because we get a produce delivery on Thursdays, my meal planning is not done with the rest of the planning. I do this on Thursdays:
Meal plan – Get my meal plan done. I make a note of any food supplies I may need. Also, noting any prep. work I might want or need to do ahead (thawing out the meat; chopping onions early in the day to use later). Then I add the food supplies to my grocery list and the prep. work to my “to do” list. Because we homeschool, I plan out Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks, too. I live by the dinner plan, but the other (breakfast, lunch and snacks) or more like suggestions.
Next time … the daily schedule.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Monthly "Big Rocks"
At the beginning of this year, I posted a bit about rhythm, reverence and time and getting my "Big Rocks " in my jar first. I started with the largest rocks first: the semi-annual ones. For my family, those are the seasonal observances and celebrations relating to the church year. I want these to be what we plan our family activities around, because I believe the church seasons help to shape our theology in important ways. They provide our family rhythm and instill reverence toward the the right things: God and His Church.
Now, I need to spend some time thinking and planning the monthly "big rocks". These are: My personal hobbies; Enjoy God's Creation with family; and Creative, Cultural, Educational events for myself and for the whole family. It is easy to want to do these types of things, but life sometimes just happens and this stuff never gets planned. In my world, if it doesn't get planned, it doesn't get done.
So, I look at the things that are important to meet each of these needs and determine when and how they'll happen. Each "rock" won't happen every week and maybe not even every month. But a plan will help set aside the time to see that they do happen with some regularity. Otherwise, I'll wake up on January 1, 2009 disappointed that I still have not finished that (fill-in the blank with favorite hobby project) done or make it to my local museum.
Here's my basic plan for these monthly "rocks":
Now, I need to spend some time thinking and planning the monthly "big rocks". These are: My personal hobbies; Enjoy God's Creation with family; and Creative, Cultural, Educational events for myself and for the whole family. It is easy to want to do these types of things, but life sometimes just happens and this stuff never gets planned. In my world, if it doesn't get planned, it doesn't get done.
So, I look at the things that are important to meet each of these needs and determine when and how they'll happen. Each "rock" won't happen every week and maybe not even every month. But a plan will help set aside the time to see that they do happen with some regularity. Otherwise, I'll wake up on January 1, 2009 disappointed that I still have not finished that (fill-in the blank with favorite hobby project) done or make it to my local museum.
Here's my basic plan for these monthly "rocks":
- Decide what creative pursuits are the most important to me and my family, and what hobbies I actually have the money, time and space to accomplish. There are many things I enjoy doing, but there is only so much room in the jar, after all! The creative pursuits I've chosen to focus on this year are: scrapbooking, crochet, and photography. I also enjoy sketching, but I'm able to work that in while doing art with my kids. Scrapbooking is the one that seems the hardest for me to accomplish. I've decided to set aside one weekend day each month to spend working on those scrapbooks. This should help me keep this year's up to date. Maybe I'll even be able to catch up from years' past.
- Look at our calendar and determine what days we have that make sense to set aside for family "nature days". Hubby in particular is a "nature nut", so I like to save these for when he has a day off or on weekends.
- I've discovered that my local Arts League has a weekly email alert to notify me of upcoming events. I can look over their listings and decide what I might like to take part in. (Many museums, science centers, arts organizations are utilizing email for similar alerts. Check this out in your town!) I'm going to select events each month or so to attend with the family. This month's is an exhibit of Chinese porcelain. The museum hosting this exhibit has FREE admission on Tuesdays from 5-10pm.
- Another important aspect is planning some regular cultural or creative time for myself. If I don't plan these ahead of time, I'll never actually take the time to enjoy taking a day to shoot some film or do some sketching, visiting a museum, or attending a concert, play, or lecture. Each month I'm going to plan to take do something along these lines - by myself or with friends (or hubby).
That's my plan, how about you?
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The First Rock: Feasting, Fasting, and other church year observances: part 2
The following is a from a series of posts about my new year's resolutions or my "Big Rocks". These posts can be found here, or by selecting the "Rhythm, Reverence and Time" label.
Did you enjoy visiting with my friend, Deb? I hope you'll go by and visit her blog! She's got lots to say about life, homeschooling, books, and Orthodoxy, and I've learned a great deal.
My friend, Nissa, has had some craziness in her life this week and we just haven't been able to get together on a post. But hopefully we will in the near future! Go by and visit her blogs - they are truly wonderful. She has two blogs: Simple Gifts (which is more than just a blog, it also is a whole website dedicated to simple, faithful living - podcasts, eloops, a magazine, a conference and a shop!) and a specifically Lenten blog, which is just a fabulous resource.
As these ladies would tell you, there is more to observing the church year than just fasting, so, I'll share what I plan to do as an Anglican.
But before I do, perhaps you are curious about WHY someone would observe the Church Year. You might find these links helpful: Maybe you need a good overview of the Church Year, it's history, and modern usage. Wondering why some churches don't observe Lent or other holy days? But is is scriptural?
Each year, it seems, our family broadens our observance of the Church Year. We started, as many people do, with taking Lent more seriously and then grew into a more faithful Advent. Having found these celebrations very enriching to our own faith and that of our children, we've made the decision to learn more about the whole Church Year. Lately, we've begun, slowly, incorporating feast days of saints that are special to our family. One area in particular I'm focusing on this year, for myself, is Ember Days.
So, here is what our calendar will look like this year:
January
Epiphany season
Febuary
5- Shrove Tuesday Feast
6 - Ash Wednesday Fast, Imposition of Ashes, "Quiet Day"
8 - Friday Abstain (from meat)
13 - Ember Day Fast, Wendesday "Quiet Day"
15 - Ember Day Fast
16 - Ember Day Fast
20 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
22 - Friday Abstain from meat
27 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
29 - Friday Abstain from meat
March
5 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
7 - Friday Abstain from meat
12 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
14 - Friday Abstain from meat
16 - Palm Sunday
16-22 - Holy Week
19 - St. Joseph's Feast
20 - Maundy Thursday
21 - Good Friday Fast
22 - Holy Saturday, Vigil
23 - Easter Feast and season observances
April
23 - St. George's Feast
May
11 - Pentecost Feast and season observances
14 - Ember Day Fast
16 - Ember Day Fast
17 - Ember Day Fast
21 - St. Constantine's and St. Helena's Feast
26 - St. Augustine of Canterbury's Feast
June
10 - Martyrs of China Feast
24 - Nativity of St. John the Baptist Feast
August
15 – Dormition of the Theotokos
September
14 - Holy Cross Feast
17 - Ember Day Fast
19 - Ember Day Fast
20 - Ember Day Fast
29 - St. Michael and All Angels Feast
October
4 - St. Francis of Assisi Feast
31 - All Saint's Eve
November
1 - All Saints' Feast
2 - All Souls' Feast
30 - St. Andrew's Feast, Advent observations begin (Advent 1)
December
6 - St. Nicholas' Feast
7 - Advent 2
13 - St. Lucy's Feast
14 - Advent 3
17 - Ember Day Fast
19 - Ember Day Fast
20 - Ember Day Fast
21 - St. Thomas' Feast, Advent 4
24 - Christmas Eve
25 - Christmas
25- Jan 5 Twelve Days of Christmas Feast
I'm not totally sure how I'll observe the Ember days, yet. I'm still just learning about them, but I suspect there will be fasting or abstaining from certain foods or activities in order to focus more on prayer.
When I get to sharing the "daily rocks", I'll include more details about this, but until then I'll just mention that I'm in the middle of setting up a family worship area for Morning and Evening Prayer (one or the other at this point - eventually we'll get to both). I've heard about doing this in numerous places, but just recently was loaned a book by my Dear Neighbor (DN for short - not to be confused with DH!) that gave me a good grasp of what this might look like. The book, Living in God's Time: A Parent's Guide to Nurturing Children Throughout the Christian Year
, is a great resource to learn about and share the Church Year with your family.
As the dates get closer, I'll flesh out the celebration plans for our family, which I will share here. Generally, for saints' feast days, we'll learn a bit about the history of the saint (how they served God) and perhaps a little a history, geography, and/or cultural lesson to go along with that. We may have a special snack or meal, too. And we'll give thanks to God for the example of that person's life. Another book my DN has that I'm dying to dig through is A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family and Faith Throughout the Christian Year
.
(FYI, if you decide to purchase any books I recommend, click through this site to Amazon and I'll get a small credit. Thanks!)
If you are interested in following along as I incorporate these celebrations into our family, subscribe to my RSS (see the orange button under the photo). Then you'll be notified when I update! Or check back and select the "Holidays and Holy Days" label.
Did you enjoy visiting with my friend, Deb? I hope you'll go by and visit her blog! She's got lots to say about life, homeschooling, books, and Orthodoxy, and I've learned a great deal.
My friend, Nissa, has had some craziness in her life this week and we just haven't been able to get together on a post. But hopefully we will in the near future! Go by and visit her blogs - they are truly wonderful. She has two blogs: Simple Gifts (which is more than just a blog, it also is a whole website dedicated to simple, faithful living - podcasts, eloops, a magazine, a conference and a shop!) and a specifically Lenten blog, which is just a fabulous resource.
As these ladies would tell you, there is more to observing the church year than just fasting, so, I'll share what I plan to do as an Anglican.
But before I do, perhaps you are curious about WHY someone would observe the Church Year. You might find these links helpful: Maybe you need a good overview of the Church Year, it's history, and modern usage. Wondering why some churches don't observe Lent or other holy days? But is is scriptural?
Each year, it seems, our family broadens our observance of the Church Year. We started, as many people do, with taking Lent more seriously and then grew into a more faithful Advent. Having found these celebrations very enriching to our own faith and that of our children, we've made the decision to learn more about the whole Church Year. Lately, we've begun, slowly, incorporating feast days of saints that are special to our family. One area in particular I'm focusing on this year, for myself, is Ember Days.
So, here is what our calendar will look like this year:
January
Epiphany season
Febuary
5- Shrove Tuesday Feast
6 - Ash Wednesday Fast, Imposition of Ashes, "Quiet Day"
8 - Friday Abstain (from meat)
13 - Ember Day Fast, Wendesday "Quiet Day"
15 - Ember Day Fast
16 - Ember Day Fast
20 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
22 - Friday Abstain from meat
27 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
29 - Friday Abstain from meat
March
5 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
7 - Friday Abstain from meat
12 - Wednesday "Quiet Day"
14 - Friday Abstain from meat
16 - Palm Sunday
16-22 - Holy Week
19 - St. Joseph's Feast
20 - Maundy Thursday
21 - Good Friday Fast
22 - Holy Saturday, Vigil
23 - Easter Feast and season observances
April
23 - St. George's Feast
May
11 - Pentecost Feast and season observances
14 - Ember Day Fast
16 - Ember Day Fast
17 - Ember Day Fast
21 - St. Constantine's and St. Helena's Feast
26 - St. Augustine of Canterbury's Feast
June
10 - Martyrs of China Feast
24 - Nativity of St. John the Baptist Feast
August
15 – Dormition of the Theotokos
September
14 - Holy Cross Feast
17 - Ember Day Fast
19 - Ember Day Fast
20 - Ember Day Fast
29 - St. Michael and All Angels Feast
October
4 - St. Francis of Assisi Feast
31 - All Saint's Eve
November
1 - All Saints' Feast
2 - All Souls' Feast
30 - St. Andrew's Feast, Advent observations begin (Advent 1)
December
6 - St. Nicholas' Feast
7 - Advent 2
13 - St. Lucy's Feast
14 - Advent 3
17 - Ember Day Fast
19 - Ember Day Fast
20 - Ember Day Fast
21 - St. Thomas' Feast, Advent 4
24 - Christmas Eve
25 - Christmas
25- Jan 5 Twelve Days of Christmas Feast
I'm not totally sure how I'll observe the Ember days, yet. I'm still just learning about them, but I suspect there will be fasting or abstaining from certain foods or activities in order to focus more on prayer.
When I get to sharing the "daily rocks", I'll include more details about this, but until then I'll just mention that I'm in the middle of setting up a family worship area for Morning and Evening Prayer (one or the other at this point - eventually we'll get to both). I've heard about doing this in numerous places, but just recently was loaned a book by my Dear Neighbor (DN for short - not to be confused with DH!) that gave me a good grasp of what this might look like. The book, Living in God's Time: A Parent's Guide to Nurturing Children Throughout the Christian Year
, is a great resource to learn about and share the Church Year with your family.As the dates get closer, I'll flesh out the celebration plans for our family, which I will share here. Generally, for saints' feast days, we'll learn a bit about the history of the saint (how they served God) and perhaps a little a history, geography, and/or cultural lesson to go along with that. We may have a special snack or meal, too. And we'll give thanks to God for the example of that person's life. Another book my DN has that I'm dying to dig through is A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family and Faith Throughout the Christian Year
.(FYI, if you decide to purchase any books I recommend, click through this site to Amazon and I'll get a small credit. Thanks!)
If you are interested in following along as I incorporate these celebrations into our family, subscribe to my RSS (see the orange button under the photo). Then you'll be notified when I update! Or check back and select the "Holidays and Holy Days" label.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The First Rock: Feasting, Fasting and other church year observances: Part 1
The following is a from a series of posts about my new year's resolutions or my "Big Rocks". These posts (2 so far) can be found here, or by selecting the "Rhythm, Reverence and Time" label.
Are you interested in being more intentional about observing the feasts, fasts, and other observances of the Church Year? I am! Occassionaly, I manage to get my plans together, but not as regularly as I'd like. This is one of my Big Rocks for 2008. But as I'm learning, having the Big Rock in mind (or in hand) doesn't mean it is actually put into the jar of accomplishment. That takes forethought and planning. These posts are my way of getting my thoughts and plans together for 2008 - making sure I get that big rock into the jar.
Those who are Catholic or Eastern Orthodox are blessed to have excellent guidance from their churches on when and how to observe the church year, but Protestants are often left to fend for themselves a bit in this area. And yet, for many Protestants, I'd bet this would be something they'd find very valuable to themselves personally and to their families. If more Protestants plumbed the excellent depths of Catholic and Orthodox tradition, they'd see the beauty and truth in many of their practices.
I've asked two of my online friends, Deb and Nissa, if they would share with me (and you) a little about their own fasting practices. Deb is Eastern Orthodox and Nissa is Roman Catholic. Deb has agreed to be a guest blogger here. And Nissa has a whole blog devoted to Lent with lots of good fasting information. I'd like to start with Deb, call it alphabetical order.
So, with no further ado... May I present to you my friend, Deb - from Deb on the Run.
_________
"Mom? How much longer until Lent starts?" My daughter asked me one day. This is not the first time I've heard this question. Several times a month one child or another will ask me when Lent starts and how much longer until Easter (called Pascha in the Orthodox church). Usually,
they end with "Mom I can't wait until Pascha!" In fact, my 16 yr old has been telling me she can't wait until Lent & Pascha since before summer even started.
I never thought that my children would look forward to Easter more than Christmas. This has been one of the unknown joys of becoming Orthodox almost 2 years ago. Some of it is due to the 6 weeks preparation for Pascha called Great Lent. Within the Eastern Orthodox tradition we fast every Wednesday and Friday and have 4 fasting periods: Dormition Fast (Aug), Apostles Fast (July), Nativity Fast (Nov-Dec) and the most important: Great Lent which preceeds Pascha. During this time, Orthodox faithful prepare for the Death and Resurrection of our Lord by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We also have extra services during the week to encourage the faithful during our Lenten Journey to Pascha. Of course, the most daunting for a convert is
fasting. Traditionally, on fast days we are expected to fast from animal products (except shrimp/clams/Lobster, etc.), wine, and oil. However, Orthodox Christianity is not about following a set of rules, it is about the salvation and sanctification of our souls.
No one expects a newbie like me to be fasting like someone who grew up in the church or a monk. When I began my first Lenten Fast I went to my priest and asked him what the heck was I supposed to do. Because my husband and teenage son were not Orthodox he advised me to talk with the whole family and come up with a workable plan using the traditional guidelines as a goal. There are also food allergies in the family that needed consideration too. Since my husband is a die-hard meat and potatoes man, we decided that those who were Orthodox would abstain from meat products and reduce (or eliminate if possible) - treat type foods - cake, cookies, chocolates- etc. Hubby and son would continue with their meats during meals, and we all would eat the rest.
But, the fasting is about so much more than food. It is about reflection on our own lives in relationship to Christ and our brother's and sisters. This is what John Chrysostom said about fasting:
"The value of fasting consists not only in avoiding certain foods, but in giving up of sinful practices. The person who limits his fast only to abstaining from meat is the one who especially lowers the value of it.
Do you fast? Prove it by doing good works. If you see someone in need, take pity on them. If you see a friend being honored, don't get jealous of him or her. For a true fast, you cannot fast only with your mouth. You must fast with your eyes, your ears, your feet, your hands, and all parts of your body."
And a priest once told me: "fasting without prayer is dieting."
This is central to the Orthodox understanding of fasting = its not just about the food. Even though it looks like its about food, its not. However, I could say fasting is the spotlight that shines in all the dark spaces. It was amazing (and frightening even) that what I didn't put in my mouth effected how much I noticed I wasn't all that "together" as I might have otherwise convinced myself. Suddenly, I noticed how easy it was to get annoyed or short tempered. My thoughts weren't as Christian and loving as I would have liked them to be either. I became aware of my own spiritual shortcomings and laziness.
The Lenten journey was long but a good learning experience. I fell many times and clung to God. When I reached that Paschal night it really was the Feast of all Feasts. When we got home from the services before dawn, I wanted to turn on all the lights and wake up the rest of the house and all the neighbors, shouting "Haven't your heard? Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!"
____________
Thank you, Deb.
If you are interested in learning more about the Eastern Orthodox church, Deb has links on her blog, not to mention her great posts!
In my next post on this subject, Nissa will share her experience with fasting from a Roman Catholic perspective.
Are you interested in being more intentional about observing the feasts, fasts, and other observances of the Church Year? I am! Occassionaly, I manage to get my plans together, but not as regularly as I'd like. This is one of my Big Rocks for 2008. But as I'm learning, having the Big Rock in mind (or in hand) doesn't mean it is actually put into the jar of accomplishment. That takes forethought and planning. These posts are my way of getting my thoughts and plans together for 2008 - making sure I get that big rock into the jar.
Those who are Catholic or Eastern Orthodox are blessed to have excellent guidance from their churches on when and how to observe the church year, but Protestants are often left to fend for themselves a bit in this area. And yet, for many Protestants, I'd bet this would be something they'd find very valuable to themselves personally and to their families. If more Protestants plumbed the excellent depths of Catholic and Orthodox tradition, they'd see the beauty and truth in many of their practices.
I've asked two of my online friends, Deb and Nissa, if they would share with me (and you) a little about their own fasting practices. Deb is Eastern Orthodox and Nissa is Roman Catholic. Deb has agreed to be a guest blogger here. And Nissa has a whole blog devoted to Lent with lots of good fasting information. I'd like to start with Deb, call it alphabetical order.
So, with no further ado... May I present to you my friend, Deb - from Deb on the Run.
_________
"Mom? How much longer until Lent starts?" My daughter asked me one day. This is not the first time I've heard this question. Several times a month one child or another will ask me when Lent starts and how much longer until Easter (called Pascha in the Orthodox church). Usually,
they end with "Mom I can't wait until Pascha!" In fact, my 16 yr old has been telling me she can't wait until Lent & Pascha since before summer even started.
I never thought that my children would look forward to Easter more than Christmas. This has been one of the unknown joys of becoming Orthodox almost 2 years ago. Some of it is due to the 6 weeks preparation for Pascha called Great Lent. Within the Eastern Orthodox tradition we fast every Wednesday and Friday and have 4 fasting periods: Dormition Fast (Aug), Apostles Fast (July), Nativity Fast (Nov-Dec) and the most important: Great Lent which preceeds Pascha. During this time, Orthodox faithful prepare for the Death and Resurrection of our Lord by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We also have extra services during the week to encourage the faithful during our Lenten Journey to Pascha. Of course, the most daunting for a convert is
fasting. Traditionally, on fast days we are expected to fast from animal products (except shrimp/clams/Lobster, etc.), wine, and oil. However, Orthodox Christianity is not about following a set of rules, it is about the salvation and sanctification of our souls.
No one expects a newbie like me to be fasting like someone who grew up in the church or a monk. When I began my first Lenten Fast I went to my priest and asked him what the heck was I supposed to do. Because my husband and teenage son were not Orthodox he advised me to talk with the whole family and come up with a workable plan using the traditional guidelines as a goal. There are also food allergies in the family that needed consideration too. Since my husband is a die-hard meat and potatoes man, we decided that those who were Orthodox would abstain from meat products and reduce (or eliminate if possible) - treat type foods - cake, cookies, chocolates- etc. Hubby and son would continue with their meats during meals, and we all would eat the rest.
But, the fasting is about so much more than food. It is about reflection on our own lives in relationship to Christ and our brother's and sisters. This is what John Chrysostom said about fasting:
"The value of fasting consists not only in avoiding certain foods, but in giving up of sinful practices. The person who limits his fast only to abstaining from meat is the one who especially lowers the value of it.
Do you fast? Prove it by doing good works. If you see someone in need, take pity on them. If you see a friend being honored, don't get jealous of him or her. For a true fast, you cannot fast only with your mouth. You must fast with your eyes, your ears, your feet, your hands, and all parts of your body."
And a priest once told me: "fasting without prayer is dieting."
This is central to the Orthodox understanding of fasting = its not just about the food. Even though it looks like its about food, its not. However, I could say fasting is the spotlight that shines in all the dark spaces. It was amazing (and frightening even) that what I didn't put in my mouth effected how much I noticed I wasn't all that "together" as I might have otherwise convinced myself. Suddenly, I noticed how easy it was to get annoyed or short tempered. My thoughts weren't as Christian and loving as I would have liked them to be either. I became aware of my own spiritual shortcomings and laziness.
The Lenten journey was long but a good learning experience. I fell many times and clung to God. When I reached that Paschal night it really was the Feast of all Feasts. When we got home from the services before dawn, I wanted to turn on all the lights and wake up the rest of the house and all the neighbors, shouting "Haven't your heard? Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!"
____________
Thank you, Deb.
If you are interested in learning more about the Eastern Orthodox church, Deb has links on her blog, not to mention her great posts!
In my next post on this subject, Nissa will share her experience with fasting from a Roman Catholic perspective.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Big Rocks
So, the Big Rocks from my last post. They've been rolling around in my head for the past day or so. Decided I needed to put pen to paper, or rather finger to keyboard, to do some active thinking about them.What are the Big Rocks? For me, they are those things that nurture and sustain me and my family. Time spent: in enjoyment of one another, in worship or prayer, at creative pursuits, and in keeping a peaceful home are some examples of the things I consider Big Rocks. There is other stuff in my jar, the "grit" as Anne calls it, I'll look at that in another post, perhaps.
As I turned the rocks over in my brain, I realize that there are different types of Big Rocks. Some are daily rocks, some are weekly, some are monthly, some are semi-annualy - I think you get my drift. I understand thinking about the Rocks on a daily basis - and making sure these accomplished (not that I don't need to work on that, but I do try to do that). But I often find that I neglect planning for the Big Rocks that are the weekly, monthly and semi-annual type. I need to plan when these Rocks should happen and then....write them down in my calendar. This is not revolutionary thinking for many of you, I know, but for me it is!
Here's an example: Scrapbooking, obviously not a daily or even weekly Rock, but one I do want to accomplish. In my mind, I know that I want to do some scrapbooking each month; however, because I do not actually write it on my calendar, it doesn't happen.
So, following is my list of the Big Rocks in my life's jar for 2008. In each area (daily, weekly, etc.) , I will literally be writing these down in my calendar today with as much detail as I can. Some will have to be planned out month by month (like the cultural events, which will depend on local events), but most can at least be "penciled in" figuratively and literally.
Daily:
Prayer - personal and family
Home Education and family learning
Mother Culture (personal reading, blogging, crochet or other craft project)
Weekly:
Writing letters and making calls to family and friends
Special Lord's Day plans (special meals, activities)
Missionary support work
Monthly:
Scrapbooking
Enjoy God's Creation with family
Creative, Cultural, Educational events (taking a day to shoot some film or do some sketching, visiting a museum, attending a concert or play, listening to a lecture)
Semi-Annually:
Celebrating Feasts and Fasts and other Church Year observances
Family travel
I'll follow this post up in the next couple of days (time-permitting - we are getting back to homeschool) with some of my thoughts and plans.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Making resolutions - Rhythm, Reverence and Time
So, this week, after making some homeschool-related resolutions, I've been mulling over my personal resolutions. Of course, there are SO MANY I could make...that nagging 15 lbs, better organization, less TV, yelling at the kids, crabbing at the hubby...and on and on. I often feel so paralyzed by the thought of making RESOLUTIONS, that in the end, I don't. And to tell the truth, I've never been very faithful to keep arbitrarily set "rules" like New Year's resolutions, anyway. It just seems so "band-wagon", doesn't it? Most often, I find my best "resolutions" are made when I have just decided "Everything's (got to) CHAAANGE" (said in my best Holly Hunter Texas-drawl - and if you can name the movie, you'll win some link love).
However, this year I feel a little differently. Things in our family and my life have recently changed significantly for the better (in terms of stress and "busy-ness) and we are all really enjoying the breathing room. In fact, my husband has been telling anyone who asks, "This has been the most peaceful and enjoyable Advent and Christmas, EVER." None of us really know *why*, but we all agree with him. And we want it to continue!
I'm very quick to want to take on any task that needs doing, and of course, my particular weakness is church. (If it needs doing, just ask Kerry. Well, that is a little prideful when there are PLENTY of others who do so much more than me. How about this, if it needs doing, I volunteer.) But, after a long season of hyper-work at our church, hubby and I find ourselves in a lull with many of our previous responsibilities having ended. Now, we are able to truly evaluate what we take on vs. what we choose to not be involved in.
So, here is where I am in relation to resolutions. I want to spend some time this weekend evaluating the "big rocks" vs the "pebbles" vs the "sand" in my life. Then I want to begin developing a realistic "Rule" for myself and my family.
And my resolution? It's simple...and not.
Rhythm, Reverence and Time. I want to see our household, our family, our homeschool, and myself develop a sense of Rhytm and Reverence...and that takes TIME.
This saying "Rhythm, Reverence, and Time" is NOT mine - but it has been hanging on my kitchen cabinet door on a little yellow sticky for about 6 months. (If you know where it came from, PLEASE leave a comment!)
I'm not totally sure how I'm going to accomplish that...it might take all of 2008, but I'll let you know what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. In fact, any post relating to this I'll give it's own label "Rhythm, Reverence and Time". Check back in the coming days - I hope to share some of what I've discovered. In the meantime, do go read the two links in this post, you will be inspired and delighted.
However, this year I feel a little differently. Things in our family and my life have recently changed significantly for the better (in terms of stress and "busy-ness) and we are all really enjoying the breathing room. In fact, my husband has been telling anyone who asks, "This has been the most peaceful and enjoyable Advent and Christmas, EVER." None of us really know *why*, but we all agree with him. And we want it to continue!
I'm very quick to want to take on any task that needs doing, and of course, my particular weakness is church. (If it needs doing, just ask Kerry. Well, that is a little prideful when there are PLENTY of others who do so much more than me. How about this, if it needs doing, I volunteer.) But, after a long season of hyper-work at our church, hubby and I find ourselves in a lull with many of our previous responsibilities having ended. Now, we are able to truly evaluate what we take on vs. what we choose to not be involved in.
So, here is where I am in relation to resolutions. I want to spend some time this weekend evaluating the "big rocks" vs the "pebbles" vs the "sand" in my life. Then I want to begin developing a realistic "Rule" for myself and my family.
And my resolution? It's simple...and not.
Rhythm, Reverence and Time. I want to see our household, our family, our homeschool, and myself develop a sense of Rhytm and Reverence...and that takes TIME.
This saying "Rhythm, Reverence, and Time" is NOT mine - but it has been hanging on my kitchen cabinet door on a little yellow sticky for about 6 months. (If you know where it came from, PLEASE leave a comment!)
I'm not totally sure how I'm going to accomplish that...it might take all of 2008, but I'll let you know what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. In fact, any post relating to this I'll give it's own label "Rhythm, Reverence and Time". Check back in the coming days - I hope to share some of what I've discovered. In the meantime, do go read the two links in this post, you will be inspired and delighted.
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