Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes, by Eric Litwin

Pete the Cat, I Love my White ShoesPete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is a very simple, but wonderfully put together book. In this book, we meet Pete the Cat, a hip blue cat who loves his shoes. The illustrations reveal Pete to be a hipster-esque cat, who walks through life to the tune of his own internal groove.

As Pete takes a walk outside, he steps in all sorts of things: strawberries, blueberries, mud, and water.… Continue reading

Simplify Saturday: Evaluate your Commitments

Over the last couple of weeks, it seems like we’ve been invited to take on a number of commitments for the upcoming months. Most of these sound great, but I don’t know that all of them are the best use of our time.

I have particular goals for our family and for our boys. My boys have interests that I want to foster.… Continue reading

Thought for the Day: Milne

The other day I read A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh to my boys. As we read one of my favorite passages, I realized that it would be a perfect thing to share here:

 

“…Pooh and Piglet walked home thoughtfully together in the golden evening, and for a long time they were silent.

‘When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,’ said Piglet at last, ‘what’s the first thing you say to yourself?’… Continue reading

Simplify Saturday: Exit Cabinet

Simplify Saturday: Exit CabinetToday I’m setting up an Exit Cabinet, a place to store all of the things that I need to take with me when I leave the house.

Right now, the items I need to gather and bring with me are scattered about. My bag is on the floor of the coat closet. The deposits I need to take to the bank and the items I need to mail at the post office sit in a pile on my desk.… Continue reading

Thought for the Day: Hanh

“Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath.… Continue reading

Making Art Teaches Mindfulness and More

We make a lot of art in our house. I keep a wide array of open-ended supplies available, and my boys have a space that they can work on their own projects (my toddler, with some help; my 6-year-old, mostly independently). While I frequently choose and set up supplies for my toddler, my older son has full creative control over his art experience, and he’ll help himself to whichever supplies will help him to bring his vision to fruition.… Continue reading