play

Playtime Grows Up

October 21, 2011

Young children play effortlessly. Kids are naturally predisposed to play, and it doesn’t take much to engage a child in a silly game or role-play. Through play, kids express feelings, needs, thoughts and ideas that they might not yet have the words to articulate. Playing together lets parents connect and communicate with kids beyond a [...]

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Quiet is Okay

June 29, 2011

Early on, I remember being in new groups and being shooed away to “go play with the kids.” I have memories of not really wanting to play with a bunch of kids I didn’t know, but they would look like they were having fun. So I’d force myself, thinking that I might end up having [...]

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Mamas Need White Space

October 4, 2010

One of my favorite non-mom blogs is Zen Habits. This week he posted about making space in your life using the design principle of creating white space. Creating white space around the important things and getting rid of clutter lets you focus on what’s important. I loved the post so much that I immediately began [...]

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If You Can Grow Kids, You Can Grow Anything

July 30, 2010

I spent this morning digging up garlic bulbs with my delighted 5-year-old daughter. She shouted every time she brought one out of the earth and into the scorching July sun. We stopped at 50 bulbs; both of us hot, dirty and reeking of garlic. It was fun for both of us, but also profound. She [...]

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Outdoor Families, Part 1: Hiking with Children

May 28, 2010

Summer is upon us, folks! Summer in our house is… well, not really spent in the house. We are outside as much as possible and have already gone on several hikes and camping trips. This is the first installment in a series of informative posts to help you and your families enjoy the great outdoors [...]

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Tickle Me Not

April 30, 2010

At first glance, tickle games appear to be times of fun and joy. When you tickle a child, the child laughs. What’s not fun about that? But think about the typical tickling game: 1) it is initiated by the adult: tickle-fests are normally started by the parent. The child may run screaming and laughing away [...]

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Trusting Birth

February 4, 2010

A few days ago I was putting together a letter for the 2010 Trust Birth Conference and it started me on a train of thought that culminated today as I was sitting having the second pedicure of my life at the local beauty school. Let me take you for a little ride. Most of us [...]

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How Do Your Kids Play?

January 20, 2010

Some of my favorite memories growing up were pretending and playing with my sisters and brother. Sometimes, we were inside playing with dolls, toy horses, or little ceramic animals – with each, playing out their family lives and school days. Sometimes, we were outside building forts in the hay barn or pretending we were part [...]

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