our family rhythm~ with Lucy from motherwho

I am honoured to be able to share with you a beautiful series of guest posts as I take a little extra time to just be during these magical days. "Our Family Rhythm" is a series of stories, advice, recipes, photographs, craft projects and thoughts from some of the most lovely Mothers I 'know' online. I'm immensely grateful to each of them for taking the time to share moments from their own daily rhythm and I am sure you will enjoy each and every one's unique and inspiring voice.

The Art of Storytelling 

~ our family storytelling rhythm ~

There are so many good things I could say about Whole Family Rhythms. But what I want to focus on in particular today is storytelling.

My big girl Birdie has had a passion for reading and books for as long as I can remember. We have photos of her as a tiny baby on her daddy’s lap, engrossed in the pictures and listening to the sounds of his voice reading her a story. While other kids were toddling around and getting into mischief, you can guarantee Birdie would be waving a book around saying: “Wead? Book? Wead?” to anyone who would listen (and obey). Now at three years of age, not much has changed. 

A few months ago we took my Grandma out for a coffee. Birdie was getting a bit sick and tired of being there, as three year olds tend to do, so my Grandma started telling her stories – breaking into song in between. She remembers so many traditional stories as well as songs and music from when she was a child, it really is a treat to listen to. From that point on Birdie was continually asking me to tell her stories – while we were driving in the car, while we were getting ready for bed, while she was in the bath, while we were at the supermarket. The problem was, I realised that without a book as a prompt I could hardly remember any! I couldn’t even remember Goldilocks off by heart: we had her eating spicy porridge and falling asleep in all the wrong places… shame on me.

When I decided to take part in Whole Family Rhythms, I wasn’t sure how I would go with the storytelling part. I tried really hard to read and remember the stories outlined before it was time to tell them.

I then discovered a few things:

How easy it is to tell a verbal story, and how engaging it is for young children.
The first couple of times I told my first story I had the script basically sitting right next to me. I kept referring to it, stunting my story a little, nevertheless Birdie was completely engaged! I quickly realised that part of storytelling is fostering imagination and insight. My own imagination as well as my children’s. As soon as I had finished she wanted me to tell it again. And again. And again. 

How you can turn anything into a prop, and your kid won’t care.
Having had my second baby recently, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to search around for perfect props. I think for the first story I told I used a wooden block as a farmer, a toy rabbit as a mother and an upside down cup as a hill. While I was fretting over the details, like the perfectionist I am, Birdie couldn’t have cared less.

How much fun it is!
After the first week of storytelling most days, I stumbled across Birdie playing on her own one morning. It was one of those moments you walk into the room during something quiet and brilliant and sacred. I quickly took a few steps back and watched her from the doorway. She had arranged her own props, river, farmland, characters, and was carefully narrating a story unfolding in front of her. She remembered most of the story I had been telling, and the parts she didn’t absolutely didn’t bother her – she was improvising as she went and bopping the characters across the scene. 

This is the moment I knew that storytelling – without books – was going to become a steady part of our weekly rhythm. Thanks to Meagan for getting us started!

Lucy is a making, sewing, scribbling, writing, naturopathy-studying, op-shopping, coffee-drinking, toddler-toting mama trying to live the simple life down under. You'll find her cooking up a wholefood storm, at the park, behind the sewing machine, doing yoga with a baby hanging from her toe, on the floor hidden under toys and dirty washing, or sipping a hot cuppa.

She has a beautiful blog: Motherwho
A gorgeous etsy shop: Birdie Said
And you can chat with her on Facebook if you feel so inclined.

turning off and tuning in

I am going to do my very best to stay offline for a few days in order to reconnect with the simple, the real, the tangible and to be with my loved ones as we await the arrival of our newest family member.

I am honoured to be able to share with you a beautiful series of guest posts as I take a little extra time to just be during these magical days. 

"Our Family Rhythm" is a series of stories, advice, recipes, photographs and thoughts from some of the most lovely Mothers I 'know' online. I'm immensely grateful to each of them for taking the time to share moments from their own daily rhythm and I am sure you will enjoy each and every one's unique and inspiring voice.

a few gifts for me, care of Natalie, including her own beautiful birthing affirmation:

"I will birth easily in the water with little pain. My birth will be safe and joyful. It will be hard work and I will do it. My baby will be safe and healthy." 

24/52

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.

Indi and North~ Hair the colour of the earth and grubby fingernails. Forever contented outside discovering nature's little treasures. 

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 :

just made bliss balls and a brand new cookbook

my favourite wooden spoon- carved by hand by a fellow Canadian

waiting, waiting, waiting 

fresh flowers throughout the house bringing light and inspiration

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

easy homemade natural deodorant

I finally got around to making my own homemade deodorant. I have yet to convince Brad to give it a go but it seems to be working just peachy for me. It's very soothing after a shave and best of all unbelievably simple to make. The hardest part was figuring out how to deconstruct and refill one of Brad's old deodorant containers. I highly recommend this recipe- it's all-natural, chemical-free, healthy for you and the environment and very inexpensive compared to the 'natural' deodorants you buy at the health food shop.

Ingredients

1:1

bi-carb

coconut oil 

4-6 drops of tea tree oil

Let's Begin

Mix all ingredients together to form a smooth paste

Store in an air-tight jar or container and apply once a day

Reuse an old deodorant container for easy and quick application

23/52

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.

Indi- adore does not even come close to describing her love for those kittens

North- picking flowers from our hedge to adorn our home

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 :

a high tea to celebrate the blessings to come accompanied by a showering of lovely handmade presents 

bright green succulents that bring vitality, colour and life into our home and onto our porches

the magical transformation of sticks and stones to gnomes homes and fairy tea parties 

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

needle-felted ladybugs ~ rhythm of the home

Please head to Rhythm of the Home today to explore the beautiful new Summer edition. There are some gorgeous contributions (I am now settling in with a hot cup of tea to read through them all!).

I have contributed a tutorial for needle-felted ladybugs that you can use to make adorable necklaces, bracelets, hair ties or just as simple toys or props for a summer story.

Happy creating!

homemade lotion for the whole family

Somehow I managed to completely delete my post from a few months ago on 'lavender lotion bars' - very strange. But I guess that's Okay because we've changed to ritual around just a bit since then so I'll share our new recipe instead. The new and slightly improved version creates a very thick lotion that our entire family loves. Mama and children still love our lavender- it's soothing, it's calming and it's a real part of our current winter bedtime rhythm~ bath, body rubs and moisturising, books, teeth and bed and Dada enjoys a slightly more masculine scent using a small amount of clove bud and sweet orange oil. 

I've also made a eucalyptus oil version using bit more coconut oil and a little less beeswax which acts as a warming and soothing chest rub when one (or all) of us come down with the sniffles. 

And little baby so soon to come into this world has a much subtler version infused without much scent but instead a generous amount of calendula oil- gentle and soothing

The recipe is simple and straight-forward. The finished product is quite firm in the winter (a lot softer and silkier in the summer months) because of the addition of beeswax, but I like this because I feel the beeswax seals our pores (without clogging them) sealing the moisture in and keeping us all soft and supple without having to constantly reapply.

Ingredients

1:1:1 of

beeswax

coconut oil

sweet almond oil

drops of essential oil of your choice to desired strength

*add more coconut oil and the less beeswax for a softer lotion 

Let's Begin

Fill a saucepan with water bring to a boil and add double boiler 

(I must admit I just have a very old pot I got at an Op Shop that I use exclusively for beeswax concoctions and I use this with ingredients directly on the heat of the stove instead but I don't think this is very professional!)

Melt all ingredients (except essential oils) together until clear, stirring occasionally

Take off of the heat, add essential oils and pour into silicone moulds or recycled containers

Let them cool on the counter (or the fridge or freezer if you're impatient)

22/52

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- with those indigo eyes

North- with a feathered friend

photos courtesy of Natalie~ thank you! x