There have been several occasions when people have made comments to me about how the personalities of my children are related to the order in which they were born into our family. I resisted this idea, thinking that the stereotypes and reductionism of this approach are not helpful. Not only that but I have a […]
Dear Sir, Thank you for taking the time to stop me to address your concern for young children using computers. You took the time to engage with our family even though your sentiment wasn’t clear when you were lurking around the children’s computers glancing at my children then around the library while I was trying […]
It always seems like there’s something to complain about. Today, it’s the weather. A rainy day which is providing fresh water to our ground sources for drinking, to the crops and gardens that will nourish us through the winter, and the living systems that generate oxygen from our carbon emissions. So is the rain really […]
Pushed or pulled, either way I move. Does it matter what force caused the change when the end result is movement? How comfortable it seems to remain still. But like water, if I’m not circulating, flowing, moving, I will stagnate. Change is inevitable. It is what sustains life. Without embracing adaptation, I might as well […]
When I think about what it means to me to be a ‘Permaculture Parent’ I feel that it really is defined by my approach to life. Looking for ways to live more in line with the Permaculture principles is a way of approaching life. When I change, those around me change. When I learn, those […]
I have received a few big news events via email over the past couple of weeks. I wanted to fire off an email immediately to participate in the conversation and share my initial reactions to these pieces of news, but stopped myself. If I hastily send something, I often regret what I did or didn’t […]
Summer has arrived, and so has an abundance of fruit! I am so excited to be preserving fruit from our land for the coming winter months. We have collected rhubarb and strawberries and wanted to preserve what we’re unable to eat fresh. I have been freezing berries whole and unwashed, so they don’t stick together. […]
The downside of a digitized culture is that it makes it so easy to feel like we’re ‘missing out’ on things. Here I find another place where I’m unlearning what has been bestowed upon me. I will on occasion experience feelings of loss because of the choices we’re making as a family to diverge from […]
I am currently struggling with my lack of defined goals for the future. Now that I’m a stay-at-home unschooling mom, I feel lost at times, wanting there to be some sort of tangible short term goal to reach. There isn’t one. And as far as my children’s education is concerned, I don’t want there to […]
I often get so impatient with the amount of time it takes to change. I often feel the need to have things already ‘just so.’ Our culture strives for and cultivates illusions of perfection; something people can never attain. What this elusive striving leaves me with is a sense that I’m not already doing great […]
