Simplicity Celebration Tuesday!
Happy Tuesday morning! Let’s share some simplicity happenings, shall we?
We have been homeschooling Edie for three years now using a Waldorf-inspired curriculum; two years of kindergarten and this year we sailed through grade one. Gawd it was magic! Introducing the letters through fairy tales, math gnomes, drawings of prince and princess with no faces. Sounds creepy but it’s actually really cute.
After the Christmas holidays we decided to have Edie attend a home school enrichment program partially due to my thinking she seemed to be a little down in the dumpsters (that pesky six and half year change). I was told by many kin folk about this gifted Waldorf educator who just started teaching a small class one out of her home; like only eight cuties in there. Edie tried it out and fell deep in love. Like, it’s all she talks about.
The only problemo though is that it’s forty minutes away and because of that we have to stay in town three days a week killing time while we wait for her little school to let out. And in the winter that’s forty minutes of scary winter in the mountains driving; my greatest fear.
This triggered hmmmmm… maybe we should sell the farm and move to town?- type thoughts for a while. But I’m happy to report we’re over that now.
Yup, we’re going to stay put here in our little dream house on our little hobby farm (turns out there’s some silly bylaw in Nelson that doesn’t allow milk cows in one’s backyard) and try out the local alternative school in our community in the fall. It’s not Waldorf but it’s small, sweet and is super progressive in its thinking. There are also some cool mamas I want to get in there with that hang out there so, yeah, I smell a few new best friends around the corner. Plus, no school on Fridays – that’s outdoor adventure day!
I still consider myself a Waldorf mama (of the silly variety) and will continue to hold my cherished home-centered rhythms and instill a nurturing, calming, low tech environment that made me fall in love with this amazing philosophy in the first place.
So I’m celebrating this step toward more simplicity this week. A step that is reminding me to live in accordance with our values of resiliency, keeping it local, involvement in community and living sustainably.
As for Kale, so far I plan on offering him the same slow moving pre-school years that Edie enjoyed and offer him a some home schooling years until maybe the coming in of his adult teeth too.
Or maybe we won’t.
But whenever we do come to those cross roads we will dial into that compass called our core family values to check in on the path to take at that time of our lives. And using that as a decision making tool usually results in a step toward more simplicity in our lives worth celebrating. On Tuesdays especially.
Leave a comment or a link to a blog post of yours sharing a recent simplicity epiphany, celebration; big or small. Which one of your family values does it echo?
And now I got a widdle widget (said while wiggling my digits in the air) that you see up there and you can grab over there (nodding my head to the side bar) to help you toot your simplicity horn on your blog and to invite others to play this simple game with us. Celebrate – feels great!
Hey mama
I’m glad you’re keeping miss daisy and the farm!!
I’m starting my own sweet simple home schooling rhythm this fall with my boy Phoenix, I’m wondering if you have some good online waldorf resources you’d be so kind to share with us.
Thanks so much!!
This is what I absolutely recommend. http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/home.html
I could write a whole blog post on why and I just might. Otherwise, I’d be more than happy to chat with you about it via phone or skype if you’d like
As you know we are in a similar place. You really are such an inspiration my friend. I am following your Tuesday Celebration here is the link to my post:
http://littlebirdvv.blogspot.com/2012/06/simplicity-tuesdays.html
Also Violet was wondering if Edie would like to be her pen pal?
CUTE! Edie would love to but her letters would probably only read “happy birthday Edie” and not much else. Maybe in spring 2013? I’d imagine she’d have more words under her little playsilk belt by then. Gawd that’s CUTE!
Sounds like a plan!
I love Vintage looking like she is getting her coffee fix lol…Thanks for sharing that!
simplicity tuesday..hmmm..It has been so crazy around here for the past week..my 17 year old finishing grade 11 and yesterday we took her to Toronto (2.5hour drive one way)to audition for a tv show (no luck)..it’s sometimes difficult to live simply and be supportive at the same time! Anyway..I will say that I am pretty determined to tidy and clean everyday, vs it getting really crazy and then start nagging and then doing too much myself. I am taking even 30 minutes to do what needs to be done…(especially about 5 minutes in the bathroom since apparently, I live with pigs)…not letting things build up and make me crazy is what I”m focusing on for today!
Simplicity strength to you Lisa! I’m so impressed (and slightly envious) of the show audition. Ahhhh… in another life. What a lucky kid to have such a simply supportive mama! 30 minutes is loads for clean up. Make it 25 and kick your feet up for five
Simplifying cleaning helps us have a good day! Read more about our set up at:
http://www.goodearthfarmschool.com/farm-school-tips-treasures/simplicity-celebration-tuesdays!
We need a Daisy!
Much ado about happiness! See the blog Squam -there is a video made by kids in highschool as a senior project about simply —what is happiness.
My simplicity happiness today-is taking the time to crochet just one bracelet!(A tukish love knot pattern with beads,)ust a little time to be crafty is good enough today!
I’ve got a first grader that I’ve been homeschooling (we’re city-dwellers) but we’ve hit a bit of the same bump. School or no school? When they seem to need more than just mom and home its hard to ignore. Good for you for being open to widening your definition of “home-schooling”. It doesn’t have to happen all at home, right? And sometimes, school can be part of home-schooling and vice-versa. I wish I could come sew with you and let our little ones play!