Finding time for it all !

Feminine

Mother is the feminine principle.
She represents the yin, the anima,
the receptive, the earth.
Though she must at times take
the role of the masculine principle,
it is the feminine which gives
her power and from which
she draws her strength.

She teaches her daughters to
respect their feminine nature.
She teaches her sons to respect
their feminine side and thus
all women.

The truly feminine mother
never cringes or defers.
Her strength is unshakable,
like the earth upon which we
walk but which can topple us
with a single deep breath.

~Tao of Motherhood

I have heard this question asked many time before, "How do you effortlessly find the time to do all the housework, cook all your meals, plan all your homeschool lessons, teach your beautiful children, love your supportive partner, tend your garden and of course find time yourself and to read books?"

Well, first of all it is not "effortless"... it has taken a lot of time, trial and error to manage it all as smoothly as you describe! But, the#1 priority is that the children are part of the housework and cooking. That saves so much time in itself and happy children = a pleasant day. We also try to eat a lot of raw foods, fruit plates, salads, and so forth so there are not as many dirty dishes, pots and pans to wash and put away. We especially enjoy this time of year when the fruits and veggies are so bright and beautiful.

Planning lessons at our home consists of wanting to "hunt down the info needed" to "learn" about whatever the subject of the week (day, month) seems to be... a trip to the library? A visit to where it is made/used/ etc... We like to interact with our community and use those resources as much as we can. There is a wealth of information out there and you only need to engage in conversation to access it all. We stop and talk to elderly folks we see at the park. We ask questions and form personal relationships with our librarian, florist, mailman, and so on.

This is what I call "hunting for answers", and it kind of takes on a life of it's own if you really listen to the children. As far as actually planning lessons, this too flies right out the window if you truly trust your children to learn and take the time to observe and listen to what they need at any given moment. My son comes up with so many questions in one day, that I'd have textbooks by the end of the week if I was to write it all down. I try to concentrate on what he really seems interested in and try to develop ways to learn more about that "block" scientifically, mathematically, etc...

My supportive partner has time after the wee ones are asleep and we just watch a video, read some magazines or share an interesting article or chapter from what we've read... many times we just laugh at the all day antics of our children and "re-live" the funny moments of the day! In our home, the garden is not what anyone with a green thumb would even refer to as a garden... its a free-for-all of weeds, veggies and flowers all in a heap and the kids love it this way.... When they are older, they can sort it out.... Most of our fruits and veggies come from local farms which are also a learning experience each week when we drive out there. Like this past weekend we went Blueberry picking:

And, finally, as far as finding time for myself and reading books.... I love information. To be able to sit and read is the most enjoyable part of my day. I read all sorts of books. I see endless possibilities for growth and self improvement and I work on myself each and every day. Personal Evolution is an important part of my life and I firmly believe we could all benefit greatly from life coaching sessions! I have a lifelong love of learning and I know that those were the goals of Rudolf Steiner with his Waldorf Education philosophy. I love to learn myself and I see education as a way to see a broader view of the big picture. It opens doors to other cultures, values, morals, worlds... What better gift can we give our children than to teach them awareness and diversity, spirituality and a love of learning. Once those roots have taken place - their learning becomes a growing part of them and is as easy as breathing, in and out breaths!

I suppose that in simple terms my strategy is just this: I have children and they are a part of my life. I just take them with me and include them in my whole day and I wholeheartedly trust and believe that the learning takes care of itself.... I love to learn and be inquisitive and I do my best to model this for them. So far - it seems to be working very well!