Presence

The Practice of Attachment Parenting

February 9, 2011

There are days when I think to myself, “I shouldn’t call what I do attachment parenting – because quite honestly, today was anything but.” I never thought of attachment parenting with any interest until about a year ago, right after Bella was born. Before that, I just knew I didn’t want to spank or hit, and [...]

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Motherhood’s Magic Mirror

August 17, 2010

My daughters had a hard time using the word “please.” I noticed this several years ago, when I was constantly correcting their demands, making them insert the word before I would honor their request. They always said, “Thank you,” just not the “p” word. I remember the moment when I discovered why this phenomenon was [...]

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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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Fully Present

December 30, 2009

Most parents are skilled at the art of multi-tasking. The busyness and pace of life with kids demands that you learn how to do more than one thing at a time. You have to be one step ahead, you have to be prepared, you have to learn to anticipate where your day is going to [...]

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Born Into the Present Moment

November 17, 2009

My son turned three yesterday. As I’ve done every year since his birth, I spent the week leading up to the actual day recalling what I was doing and thinking, and who I even was, right before he was born. All of that anticipation about what our lives would be like was the beginning of [...]

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Hey, that was fun!

October 21, 2008

We took the kids to the farm where our milk and beef comes from today.  We got to see the cows being milked, met the young calves, went for a hay ride, sampled the cheese, and enjoyed beautiful weather. When we got home, my husband John and I remarked to each other that the trip [...]

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A Guiding Presence

October 8, 2008

My daughter is four and very angry at me. She doesn’t know that watching too much television is not good for her, in so many ways. She doesn’t know how much better it is physically, mentally, and emotionally, for her to play outside instead. She just knows that she wants to watch Dora, and that [...]

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