Enchanted Chameleon

~ roth :: winter 2012 ~

 I always experience a small thrill when I see that the new season of Rhythm of the Home is out.  It's like when the next issue of your favourite magazine comes out and better than that cause it is free!  Rhythm of the Home Winter 2012 is here and I just wanted to share with you the many articles that caught my eye and will be keeping me comforted, along with a wool blanket and almond milk hot chocolate this winter!  As a bonus to the free magazine, if you head on over to the ROTH Blog you can enter to win many wonderful handmade and earth inspired prizes in celebration of the winter edition's release.  Check it out!  And Enjoy!  XO.  S

Starting in the top left corner and working around clockwise ending in the centre:  1. Designing a Winter Day's Rhythm  2. Simple Waldorf Doll Shoes  3. Mason Jar Snow Globes  4. Hula Hooping  5. Carve Your Own Rubber Stamps  6. Bark Worth Biting  7. Being Saint Nicholas  8. Celebrating Winter Festivals   9. Creating a Blessingway 10. A Cooperative Farm Experience   11. A Photographic Journey 12. Homeschooling in Winter  13. Winter Family Reading List  14. Marking Special Moments with Henna  15. Creating a Cookie Club  16. Felted Wool Farm Playmat  17. Powerful Princesses for Boys

~ christmas fair at the waldorf school ~

Ok, so while I am hot on the trail of favourite Christmas traditions, I obviously must include the one that pretty much kicks off our Christmas season every year for the past five years... The Vancouver Waldorf School Christmas Fair.

LOVE!

This year was a little bittersweet I must add.  The great weather drew a huge crowd which is great for the school but terrible for waiting in line ups.  A friend of mine suggested that the fair might be big enough now to run on two days and I think I will be definitely passing that along to the board.  We hit the must do cookie house and puppet show, a few other smaller activities and then made a feeble attempt at candle dipping.  If we hadn't needed to leave to get me to work, I don't think we would have lasted in there, as C was just to excited and curious to allow the rhythmic circles work its magic.  Maybe next year!  The ultimate sacrilege was me missing out on the Marketplace.  Yes, the rumours are true!  I didn't even step foot in the market!!  Rip my heart out!  Again, next year, planning planning, I will set aside a sitter for me on the Friday night when school parents and alumni are allowed to shop in advance and then maybe I won't be so heartbroken having to leave the fair having missed out.  Lessons lessons.

For all those that attended in support of the school, thank you!  I'm so grateful to have access to this wonderful little piece of the universe, that takes such great care of my child, his spirit and his education.  I look forward to many more fairs to come!  XO.  S

Related articles

~ the soul of discipline with kim john payne :: local event ~

~ 12 days of xmas traditions ~

~ vws children's christmas fair :: local event ~

~ vws children's christmas fair :: local event ~

The Vancouver Waldorf School Children's Christmas Fair is a time honoured tradition at our school, a wonderful community celebration of the magic and beauty of the winter season.

You will find a host of creative activities and events for children, exceptional muscial performances, delicious food and beverages and the very popular Marketplace overflowing with a wide selection of quality handcrafted toys and gifts for children and adults.

The Chirstmas Fair is also an Open House and an invitation to all who are interested to come and learn more about Waldorf education and the school.

~ the soul of discipline with kim john payne :: local event ~

A parent's journey is filled with both precious moments and difficult situations.  Our sense of how we are doing is often determined by the way which we respond to the flashpoints of parenting.  These moments will either refine or consume us.

Parenting and discipline styles have changed over the years yet often these influences flow into our family and classroom life today.  It is so revealing to explore discipline styles past and present, from the old blind obedience to behaviour modification based on punishment and reward or even to our present day behaviour affirmation, often expressed as the good job culture.

While these tools have their place, this presentation will set out three cumulative discipline phases.  Firstly, training creative compliance for the young child, secondly, building emotional skills for the elementary age, and lastly, for the teenager, manageing critical choices.

Because so many of our parenting and teaching challenges occur naturally as part of child development it is possible to aniticipate these difficulties and top prepare for them in advance. For discipline to be effective it must always begin with preventive discipline.  This presentation will provide a developmental roadmap to help parents and educators establish the kind of discipline that is both nurturing and effective.

Date:  Saturday October 20th

Time:  7 - 9 pm

Location:  Vancouver Waldorf School, 2725 St. Christophers Road, North Vancouver

Cost:  $10.00 (cash, debit, VISA and MC acceted at the door)

Kim John Payne is the author of the book Simplicity Parenting.  A consultant and trainer to over 110 US Independent and public schools, Kim John Payne, M. ED has been a school counselor, adult educator, consultant, researcher, educator and a private family counselor for twenty seven years.  He regularly give key note addresses at International conferences for educators, parents and therapists.

~ rhythm of the home :: autumn edition 2012 ~

Things have been so busy hectic lately that I missed the first day of the Autumn Edition of Rhythm of the Home going up.  But that's ok.  It's still crazy sunny and warm here and it feels as though autumn is giving me plenty of time to ease my way in.  Here's a peak and the things that have peaked my interest for the season.  There is still plenty more articles to browse and Enjoy! XO.  S

Starting in the top, going down left to right:  1.  Pretty Fall Scarf  2.  Autumn Festivals  3.  10 Steps Towards Getting the Break You Need, Tired Mama, Without Relying on TV  4.  Capturing the Season ::  Autumn Photography Tips  5.  When the Student is Ready  6.  Four Fall Simplicity Seeds  7.  Autumn Reading List  8.  Simple Newborn Hat and Mitten Set  9.  Using the Kitchen as a Place to Bond  10.  Hearty Potato Leek Soup  11.  Sew Your Own Reusable Sandwich Bags

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama

~ our belated may festival ~

"Many people don't believe in fairies, but if you look real close they're always there"  ~ Torlila

We finally got our Post-Pertussis May Festival.  C wasn't sick with it but it made its round through the school and the city as I understand it over the past couple of months and finally appears that we are all in the clear.  We had rescheduled our previous date for the May Festival since whether it was whooping cough or not, teachers and students were sick and there wasn't much to celebrate.  It worked out wonderfully as I see it, because we had a beautiful day and maybe a few more flowers in bloom than we may have a few weeks ago.  

C wasn't into it at first.  C is a very 50/50 type personality, you-never-know-when-it's-gonna-hit, wants to jump right in versus wants to stand back and take it all in first kind of guy.  As his mama, I'm the closest to figuring out the patterns and methods of his madness but assume once I do he'll change.  May Festival and the May Pole were no exception to wanting to stand back and observe. When I took my turn to join in on the May Pole though, I found my little C next to me with a ribbon in his hand, as always, he knew what was going on and exactly what to do, he just had to get there on his own.  

It was a beautiful little celebration and intro for us into the May Festival.  I have long wanted to dance around a May Pole and we can officially check that off my Bucket List.  I look forward to more elaborate dances in the future!

A little picnic buffet followed while the children jingled with bells on and frolicked in the yard. I absolutely have to get the recipe for the raw vegan dip.  It was nice to know that I'm not the only one that just stands in front of food and eats to her hearts content.  There was a few of us hovering over the same food and what a wonderfully wholesome selection there was. I believe I even instructed C at one point to just stand there and eat!  I do love a good dip though!  My strong suit is always sweets so it's always my preference to hover over the savoury at a shindig.  This will most likely be my new go to recipe for the summer.

Our contribution were gluten and dairy free pineapple blossom cupcakes.  I was inspired by a beautiful pineapple blossom cake at Food Coma Blog by Emma.  I was originally going to make it a cake but realized at the last second that cupcakes were much more suitable for a picnic.  No cutting, no utensils necessary.  The dried pineapple flowers are a Martha Stewart recipe, however I found that the best flowers came out of my dehydrator as opposed to the oven.  I'm always amazed at how quickly my baked stuff gets scooped up.  If they only knew my track record as a baker in my early years.  I couldn't even measure the right amount of water into a cake-in-the-box mix and these days I can substitute and even eyeball mesurements.  Go me.  

It was a truly beautiful little event.  Feels like it's just the beginning of what is in store for us for the summer.  YUM. XO.  S 

~ with bells on ~

Our first day without TV was easy as pie.  First, C doesn't normally watch TV on a Monday so the only real problem was me and my withdrawal from my as of late nightly visit with Skully and Mulder on Netflix.  It kicked in around mid-afternoon that I would be missing them that night but with a parent meeting at the school to distract I didn't even have to try to keep myself occupied.  The teacher had us busy exploring the development of the 5 1/2 year olds and the orangutans that our children currently resemble, while we finger knitted bracelets with bells on for the children to wear at the May Fest this coming Friday.

I came home quickly, excited to delve into some pattern books to pick a first project for the week and then got sucked into all the DIY's on the internet.  It had me wondering if our TV free week should be more like a Screen Free week, with Mama as the one with the real habit to break.  So much for getting more sleep this week on the very first day.  XO.  S  

~ parent night ~

I was at Whole Foods working yesterday, hoping to get off early enough to be on time for C's kindergarten class Parent Night.  I mentioned it to a few of my customers at the store and one parent said to me that every night was parent night for her when her son was growing up.  He was always in trouble and getting calls from the teacher.  I reassured her that if my son was also in public school I would most likely be experiencing the same.  

Instead, he's at Waldorf.  And I honestly don't know how long we can sustain the budget to send him there, while he is I will soak up every ounce of goodness.  Sure a discussion on why TV is bad for our children makes the parents restless in the tiny kindergarten sized chairs but getting us standing up in a circle to learn the Lady Spring song so that we can sing it at home and then water colour painting with tea afterwards is a real treat and pleasant experience.  I get to hear how my sweet little son once told his teacher Helga that he wanted to sit next to her because he loved her and how touched she was by that.

Who'd of thought I would love Parent Night so much.  I didn't leave the school until 10!  And above is the newest water colour painting of mine in the collection I like to call Parent Night. This one is called Spring.  If you want to see last year's paintings just click here.  C proudly keeps them on his wall.  He also thinks it's a real treat that mama gets to play at school too. XO.  S

~ waldorf school spring craft fair ~

Although I'm sad not to be a part of the Spring Craft Fair festivities this year, I had hoped that I would at least have the Juice Caboose there but I was already booked for the Winter Market when the date of the Spring Fair came out, there are many wonderful reasons to go to the Vancouver Waldorf School this Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm to stock up on all your Easter gifts and Spring celebration needs from the parents and entrepreneurs of the local Waldorf community.  Two of my favourite crafty mama's will be there:  Ella from Little Red Caboose and Gwen from Barn Raising which among the many guarantees lots of delightful goodies to wear and to play with that are handmade with love for your little ones.

I hope that you can make it to both the Spring Craft Fair and the Winter Market.  What better fill of local and wonderful everything in one day!  And of course there will still be time for a green beer or two afterwards!  XO.  S