Time Lines

Submit, submit, submit! I can't seem to focus on all the submissions
I want to do and yet there they are, almost complete,
crying to be finished and I can't seem to get at them!

Do you ever fly this spiral? The studio is a circus of tea stained lace and textured paper, art dolls and rosettes - the sun is shining and yet the (have) to do list is way too long, laughing children home already
- I shouldn't even be doing this now!

Ok just had to vent! The creative mind - blessing and curse! Time for an affirmation, after all; we all know dreams do come true!

I will complete. I will submit (on time :-)

I have completed - I have submitted on time!
I have completed - I have submitted on time!

Have a great day!

March Goals and Rhythm

'spring garden' by C (c)2008

If you have not followed this blog before these monthly planning pages lay out a general structure for the month, including a theme and seasonal table, a way to wake, a table candle blessing, a couple of projects and a verse for going to sleep. These are goals the follow up varies from great to imperfect but having the plan helps it to happen and helps bring rhythm to our days!

March Festival / Theme: Spring
March, while we still try to ski and snowshoe and hang onto winter, it is Spring Break, in our family the beginning of preparation for the arts - our speaking, dance and piano competitions are all in the next few months!

Seasonal Table - Spring
Whatever the children choose from our spring box - mermaids, flower fairies, garden gnomes! No the kids want to continue the red Canadian theme for ParOlympics, plus some tulips for spring!

Breakfast Verse
Continuing with author June Cotner's book House Blessings as a resource.

"The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth - One is nearer God's heart in a garden. Than anywhere else on earth.."
by Dorothy Frances Gurney (1858-1932). From House Blessings by June Cotner

Waking Song
Kids are wanting to continue with he line from "Beautiful Day" by the Boo Radley's. They like to join in! Find it on itunes.

"Wake up its a beautiful morning, the sun is shining for your eyes.., Wake up its a beautiful morning.."

Bedtime Verse
The children have started this calling our thing in the manner of "the Waltons" though they have never seen or heard of that show. We call out "good night great mama", "good night great daddy""good night great T.." "good night great C.." Its fun, its their own, we're going to run with it!

March Project 1 Poetry
The children are all over poetry at the moment so they are writing away. We will aim to submit some once i find a collaborate call for poetry submissions - it is never to early to practice this as long as children can handle being turned down!

March Project 2 Gratitude Book
The Secret Gratitude Book, by Rhonda Byrne - I love this we are filling in a page a day in the morning! Next year C wants to make our own - great idea!

Not a lot of bread or soup happening at the moment! Disappeared since we went away! That happens, we'll get back to it :-) Great salmon bbq, tenderloin bbq and even pie, however! We had a fabulous Bakehouse pie and now that has triggered a renewed interest in pie making, well pie eating at least!

January Goals and Rhythm

If you have not followed this blog before these monthly planning pages lay out a general structure for the month, including a theme and seasonal table, a way to wake, a table candle blessing, a couple of projects and a verse for going to sleep. These are goals the follow up varies from great to imperfect but having the plan helps it to happen and helps bring rhythm to our days!

January Theme / Festival - New Year
It is always fun to make New Years resolutions, a feeling of starting fresh, the human gift of eternal hope and renewal!

Seasonal Table - Stars
Our seasonal table seems to center around stars for New Years or Chinese New Years Festival colours. This year stars, candles, lanterns, blue, gold, yellow and red!

Breakfast Verse
"January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow. Blessings on our meal today."
From Around the Year by Elsa Beskow.

Waking Song
"Good morning dear earth, good morning dear sun, good morning dear stones and flowers everyone. Good morning dear and birds in the trees, good morning to you and good morning to me!" (at least that is how my children remember it!)

Actually not a song, but children still love and requested "Good Morning Dear Earth" from preschool and playgroup!

Bedtime Verse
The children want to continue with "Oh Holy Night" from December and though I love Christmas I need to move on! So from A Child's Seasonal Treasury by Betty M Jones we have Colourful Journey which is probably for art but my children like to think of it as for dreaming too.

"With my crayons I will go, Journeying o'er the bright rainbow, Red and yellow, green and blue, Orange and purple, that will do, Now let's see where they take me to."

January project 1 New Years Resolution Collage
Taking New Years Resolutions a step further this is a Wonderful tool I learned from a friend last year. I found doing this had a huge impact on my year in a very subtle manner and my children are all over doing this!

Simply take a large piece of poster paper (dollar store / staples / wallmart) and a bunch of magazines and some magazines and collage what the you (or the new you!) looks like for this year. Ideas that strike you, images you like, images that represent what you want from, or for yourself (not stuff you want rather the image of who you want to be).

For example last year I had all kinds of sexy and more outlandish model pictures as I want to loosen up my style a bit, be more artsy, more attractive - hey don't we all? For me not for anybody else! Then I have fresh veggies for healthy food, social eating activities! I want to eat better and with friends more - and from my own garden - all those thoughts are in my food images, then I had romance and flowers. I want to be more romantic, be treated more romantically; have more flowers in my life, my garden, my home.


Then you add words, quotes, again vocabulary, poetry, prose that inspire you! That evoke your goals. Use different colours, different pens. You can go a step further add ephemera or anything you wish, you can put more on the back if you run our of space or have super secret goals :-) but my project is just two step. Step 1 Images Step 2 Words. The whole family can do this together or just you or just the children, but I do suggest you give it a try it is surprisingly powerful. When December rolls 'round and the New Year is on the horizon you will know what i mean! You'll want to so this every year!

January Project 2 Trip to China Town to see it Decked Out for Chinese New Year
Meant to do that last 2 years and haven't so we'll try again!

Happy New Years!