Rhythm: A Series
Part One: What is Rhythm? 

 What is rhythm? Rhythm is the flow of your day and week; what happens in what order on what day. Think about a song’s rhythm. It brings the song together; gives it consistency, a returning place, something that ties the whole thing together. Think of your rhythm at home as much the same: the pulse underneath all the activity (or chaos). The goal is for our days and weeks to unfold in...

I have spent the last nine years being trained by Kim Payne and his staff at the Simplicity Parenting Institute. The foundation of our work is focused on simplifying four main areas: environment, rhythm, scheduling, and the adult world. We find that the more we simplify these areas, the less overwhelmed and anxious our children (and us!) feel. 

I want to look at number two as it is coming up over and over again from parents I’m...

Here in the northern hemisphere, the light is overcoming the darkness and we are quickly moving toward springtime. My family has enjoyed several good snows in our new home; exploring the snow covered woods and sledding down big, open hills. We don't always get good snows in southern Appalachia so they feel like a sweet gift when we do.

Simplify Your Child's Toys & Change Your Life

Most of us are spending a lot more time at home...

Every year I watch the goldenrod to know when school is about to begin. The first day of school comes at the same as the goldenrod displays its bright yellow flowers. 

About three weeks into each school year, we gather the flowers, make the dye, and dye silk "capes" to go along with our story about a child knight befriending a dragon. In this story, the child knight is given a cape to get them strength:

Here's your cape of golden...

Our world is full of fear and uncertainty right now. These are interesting times we live in. Many of us will soon undergo social isolation if we aren't already. Schools across the country and around the world are closing and many families are scrambling to figure out how to support these major, sudden changes.

I wanted to share the post I made on our Facebook page as well as several resources you might find supportive during this time.

How to...

As a member of many Waldorf spaces both online and in-person, I observe the same scenario over and over again. Members of these communities, especially new members, are very concerned about their child’s toys and if they are in alignment with the principles of Waldorf; if they are “Waldorf enough” or not. Parents are donating and discarding loads of toys to replace them with more expensive "Waldorf upgrades." There is a fair...

I have avoided using Kool-Aid as dye for years because, well, it's Kool-Aid! I typically dye with plants but it can be hard to get all the colors we want from the plants that grow locally. We wanted to make a rainbow silk with vibrant colors and decided to give Kool-Aid a try. I wish we had tried it years ago!

This is an easy project with beautiful results. 

Materials needed:
- white vinegar
- silks (we used the 15" x 60" Habotai scarves...

I'm sure you've experienced this: You have all your normal plans and commitments in place and you wake up at 6am to discover your child has a fever and you to have to scramble to reorganize your day and figure out what to do so you can remain home with your sick child.

It's happened to all of us. Sickness is a part of life.

I want you to take a minute a reflect on how life changes when your child is sick. How do your daily rhythms and...

I posted on social media last week about "anchors" in our rhythms as a family and how they can hold us together. 

What is an anchor? An anchor grounds us to a place we have intentionally chosen; it keeps us there despite how calm or rough the sea may be. Sure, we may bounce around but we stay in our general location.

"Anchors" in our rhythm are things we do consistently, at an expected time, that we come to rely on. The beauty in...