20/52

Inspired by Jodi, I have made the resolution to take a portrait of my children each week throughout the year. Visit her at Che and Fidel for more details and perhaps you'll be inspired too.North and Indigo- after an awful wave of the flu that rushed through everyone, we were all recovered within 24 hours and a bit more grown up. Sickness seems to change them in the most subtle ways.

on staying calm and centred with children under 7

We actually haven't been experiencing too many major meltdowns or tantrums lately... more so on the weekends when our rhythm is a bit thrown, bedtimes are a later than usual and having Dad around usurps the usual rhythm. But I wanted to say a few words about staying calm and centred in the heat of the moment because this really is what our children need more than anything- for us to keep calm and carry on and it is also one of the most challenging parts of being a mother, isn't it?

Children are such sense beings- what they feel they feel immediately and totally RIGHT NOW. So the injustice your toddler experiences when you button her buttons for her during the morning rush (even though she wanted to do it herself) and the resulting meltdown because things haven't gone exactly the way she had foreseen can be somewhat understandable no matter how irrational it seems at the time. There are habits you can practice to avoid these 'episodes' from happening all the time but they cannot and should not be completely avoided- disappointment, frustration and tears are all natural parts of life. We cannot always be completely contented and it's best to honour that concept for our children instead of bending over backwards to ensure they are always happy. 

There are a whole list of things we can do as parents to help our children transition from one moment to the next. Here are just a few things to help smooth out bumpy days, some of which I have gone into detail about in past posts:

• creating a set of family values which will help you in identifying and upholding the boundaries that are most important to you and your family 
• creating and upholding a strong and steady daily rhythm which includes lots of outdoor play, in breaths and out breaths, unstructured play, time to explore through the senses and meaningful work
• being organised, managing your own time and avoiding including your children in too many adult activities like grocery stores, appointments, computer work and errands
• eating wholesome, unrefined and unprocessed meals and snacks together as a family
• providing a warm, kind, gracious and joyful home life
• using less words for direction and and leading more by example, physical gestures, verses and rhymes
• being familiar with normal developmental stages and adjusting the expectations you have of your child to these norms (The Parenting Passageway is a great place to start reading)

But what do we do when things still go awry? When the screaming, crying, kicking, sometimes even biting or hitting begins?

First of all as mothers we take one big breath and remind ourselves to be the calm during the storm. Keep calm and centred. This is what young children need more than anything in the heat of the moment- a grounding and stable force. The last thing they need is another person throwing a tantrum right there next to them. Instead try as best you can to centre your emotions and to be present with how your child is feeling and acting in that moment and determine what the best action would be to suit his or her needs. If they're getting violent you will need to remove them from other people and perhaps even yourself until their little limbs gain a bit of control again. You don't have to talk everything out right there and then, sometimes a small child simply needs a change of environment or some space to him/herself without parents or siblings for a little while to get over a meltdown.

I have been reading quite a bit on the Non-Violent Communication (NVC) website. They offer some great free resources including a "Free Compassionate Parenting NVC Tips" weekly newsletter.

I also try to find a bit of time to myself although believe me, I know how difficult this can be for mothers with young children. Sometimes just a 10 minute hot bath at the end of the day is enough of a treat. When I practice yoga even as little as once or twice a week I have even more will in me to remain patient when the going gets tough.

Meditation is also a powerful tool for mothers. Every seasonal guide from Whole Family Rhythms includes a weekly meditation to contemplate and carry with you through your days. Meditation does not have to mean sitting crosslegged in silence. It could be enjoying a hot cup of tea in stillness for 5 minutes while your children play at your feet, it could mean waking up earlier than the rest of your family, putting a load of laundry on and looking ahead at your day or it could mean having a spiritual or religious practice of some kind- daily prayer or attending regular worship. For mothers the important part of meditation is cultivating an inner awareness of the bigger picture and creating a space to breath and revitalise when it feels as though little hands, voices and hearts are always taking from you.

What do you do to stay calm and centered with your little ones? 

the little things

A weekly meme capturing the hidden beauty and grace found in the little things that remind us of just how blessed we are :

simple, wholesome lunches 

flowers for mama

colours and life at the kitchen sink

cuddles at the park

Add your link below (click 'read more') if you're so inspired and grab the button if you're so inclined

whole family rhythms winter giveaway

It's May and time to start looking forward to planning your family's Winter Rhythm. Some of my favourite things about winter include warm wool clothing, increased time crafting, sewing and knitting by the warmth of a fire, hot soups for dinner, early bedtimes, warm lavender footbaths and hot cocoa whenever you need a pick me up.

Whole Family Rhythms are a series of seasonal and monthly guides created and designed to help you maintain a calm, joyful and steady rhythm in your home. The rhythms include unstructured, child-led play both outdoors and indoors; early childhood stories and fingerplay; weekly bushwalking themes; daily art, handwork or creative projects; holistic baking and cooking recipes for the whole family as well as weekly caregiver meditations and monthly handwork projects.

For today's giveaway the winner with receive:

The Whole Family Rhythm Winter Guide valued at $29 including:

1. The Daily Rhythm - a glance at the week- in editable excel format

2. The June, July and August Monthly Guides

• Notes and Guidelines

• The Daily Rhythm

• June, July and August Ingredients and Supplies Master List

• Twelve weeks of Daily Activities including a weekly story and bushwalking theme

• Twelve Weekly Caregiver Meditations 

• Three Caregiver Handwork Projects

• Seasonal Book Recommendations

Plus some lovelies to stock up your crafting cupboard including:

• 10 Million Blossoms Beeswax Candle Kit- valued at $17.50
• 3 Stockmar block crayons in winter colours: Ultramarine, Violet Blue and Magneta valued at $7.50
• Hand-Dyed Winter Coloured Wool Felt Pack (pack of 6) courtesy of Winterwood Toys valued at $23
• 1 Waldorf Journal (white papered journal) valued at $3

You can enter this giveaway a maximum of three times:

•  first entry- leave a comment below
• second entry- like Whole Family Rhythms on Facebook
• third entry- share this giveaway on your blog, twitter or Facebook page

**Please write a new comment for every entry!**

A winner will be chosen by the random number generator on Tuesday, May 21st by 10pm EST and announced here on the original giveaway post.

creating watercolour notecards and stationery together

Set up a the table for watercolour painting 
You'll need soft brushes, paint and water for everyone including yourself
Use a combination of complimentary colours 
Soak the watercolour paper for a minute or two then wipe with a clean sponge before beginning
A piece of wood or a cutting board under each piece of paper keeps it from breaking and bleeding 

Take your time and paint, try to keep the space quiet and warm
Natural inspiration from your environment- stones, feathers, flowers and leaves might act as colour or texture inspiration

Let them dry in the sunlight

Cut into assorted card sizes and save them to create thank you, congratulations and love you notes and cards or even gorgeous to do and grocery lists for Mama

19/52

Inspired by Jodi, I have made the resolution to take a portrait of my children each week throughout the year. Visit her at Che and Fidel for more details and perhaps you'll be inspired too.

Indigo and North- Finally just cold enough this week for them to wear their stunning, new knit hats by the immensely talented Greer from Typically Red. The artistry and detail put into them takes my breath away.

mother

It's no coincidence that the word 'mother' has such close linguistic roots to the word love

mama, mum, ma, amma

amor, amare, kama, aimer, ai

North and I                                                                         My Mum and me

Happy Mother's Day to my Mum and my first love. 

And Happy Mother's Day to all of you! 

the creatives

Last Friday I abandoned all motherly duties and instead sat on a creamy white couch absorbing poetic, insightful and authentically unique advice from Jodi and Tim.

It was a beautiful day interspersed with new and familiar faces, laughter, tears and wholesome vegetarian food. Just the restorative pick-me-up I needed leading up to the arrival of another bundle of sweet and hard work.

My camera is now more than ever my constant companion and I am joyfully (and finally!) capturing our daily moments only in manual mode.

Thank you to Belinda for welcoming us into her home, to Steph for the gorgeous handmade journals, to Jodi and Tim for sharing their knowledge and passion and to all the women who shared the space and made the day so lovely. Visit Che and Fidel for information about the upcoming July workshop. It really is a magical day spent inspiring the creative in everyone.

the little things

A weekly meme capturing the hidden beauty and grace found in the little things that remind us of just how blessed we are
::
the soothing yellows of homemade jelly and chicken broth for a very sick little one

the next round garden seedlings climbing their way towards the sunshine

bushwalks at twighlight

Add your link below (click 'read more') if you're so inspired and grab the button if you're so inclined

grain-free, naturally sweet brownies

These chewy, sumptuous brownies are sweetened with with dark chocolate (which can have added sugar depending on the brand) and dates. They are the perfect kind of rich- not too sweet but sweet enough that you're more than satisfied with just one. 

Ingredients

1 cup (ideally homemade, soaked, then blanched and ground) almond flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon bi-carb

100 g dark chocolate, in chunks

8-10 organic dates

3 open range eggs

1/2 virgin coconut oil, warmed

1/22 teaspoon natural vanilla

Let's Begin

*I used my (beloved) thermomix for this recipe which was very easy but if you have a food processor it should be almost as simple although you may have to change the order of processing and do one ingredient at a time before adding them all together*

Preheat the oven to 180˚C

Grind the almonds if they're not already ground

Add salt and bicarb and mix with almond meal for a few seconds until well combined

Add the dark chocolate to the food processor and pulse or mix at high speed until the mixture is dark brown and crumbly

Add the dates and pulse or mix again at high speed until the mixture has a similar texture but is shiny and more wet looking

Add the warmed coconut oil, eggs and vanilla and combine well

Pour into a small, lined and greased cake pan

Bake at 180˚C for 25 minutes 

Let it cool thoroughly (30-40 minutes) until set before cutting

According to my latest readings, nuts are not the ideal health food, but as an occasional grain-free treat I still think almond meal beats the bloat and sensitivity that wheat causes in our family.