We can make any act beautiful if we set about doing it with love. We can make any endeavor into a meditation if we set about performing it with mindfulness. In this way, we can be conscious of the actual moment in which we are living.
Focused on the now in which we exist, we come face-to-face with the one bit of life in which we can participate at any given time. … Continue reading
We recently returned from a two-week trip to visit family. My husband was on the road for the two weeks before we left, and returned with only one day at home between his business trip and the departure for our family trip. All that to say, the planning and packing largely fell on my shoulders.
While I spent some time the week before we departed preparing myself for the trip, I didn’t worry about packing. … Continue reading
To find happiness and joy in our days doesn’t require something big or exciting. We simply need to look for the beauty in the thousands of moments that generally just pass us by.
It is the small things: the feel of your child’s hand in yours, the aroma from your favorite cup of hot tea, the exquisite creamy texture of a bite of good ice cream, the feel of your barefoot feet in the soft grass, the soft warmth of your favorite blanket.… Continue reading
This week we were reminded of the preciousness and fragility of life. Yesterday is already gone, and none of us has a guarantee of tomorrow. Today is the day to live, love, and do.
May we all value our todays. May we all live, love, and do with passion.
“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.… Continue reading
Isn’t it nice to know that each day we can start over again? Every night we go to sleep, and the next day we have a chance to begin anew. Lovely.
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
From Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery… Continue reading
Do you want to encourage your children to engage in imaginative play? In that case, I’m generally of the theory that less is more.
Kids do not need fancy costumes or toys in order to pretend. While this picture shows my son thoroughly decked out in a costume, kids can have just as much fun without such things. Dirt, sticks, rocks, and anything else they find outside are generally enough. … Continue reading
Last week my 4-year-old decided to build a block tower. He wanted to build a tower that went “way above [his] head.”
First, he asked if I could build the tower with him. However, I was busy cooking. I told my son that he would have to wait until I finished or he could do it on his own.
Then he went to ask his big brother’s assistance. … Continue reading
As a child there always seemed to be something magical about sleeping outside. There are different sounds. The light is different. There are different smells. The air feels different. When we’re outside, particularly during the night, our sense attune to all of these things that are mitigated or filtered out entirely by sleeping inside a building.
You can, of course, get this feeling by heading out on a camping trip. … Continue reading
A very Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Enchanted Mamas. You make every day fascinating, and the world a better place.
Screaming and Yelling, by Maurice Sendak
When everybody screams and yells
Who calms them down?
Who rings their bells?
When everybody screams and yells?
The enchanted one. That’s me.
When everybody screams and yells,
There’s nothing to do!… Continue reading
I love watching and listening to my boys engage in imaginative play. And when they are imagining worlds together with their friends, it gets even better.
I firmly believe that play is the work of childhood, and that imaginative play is one of the fundamental reasons why play is so important. Kids can learn so much through engaging their imaginations. … Continue reading