LIVING JOYFULLY NEWSLETTER
Issue #33| April 19, 2014
APRIL’S THEME: Check In Time
Hi, I hope things are well with you and your family!
I like to check in with myself once in a while to ask if I’m living the principles that have meaning for me and our unschooling lifestyle. And maybe it’s that spring is (finally!) in the air, that feeling of reawakening, that has spurred it, but I thought we could do that together this month.
Your questions may not be exactly the same as mine, but you can use them as jumping off points to check in with what’s important to you.
ON THE BLOG …
Am I Feeling Open and Connected?
For me, feeling open is about being open to what’s happening around me. That means being aware of things, letting them penetrate my consciousness, not “in one ear and out the other.” And not rejecting things without some consideration and thought. Open to people. To ideas. To conversations. To activities.
Am I Supporting My Family’s Interests?
This week I’m asking myself if I’m feeling good about the support I’m giving my children’s interests. And my husband’s! Because we’re an unschooling family.
LET’S TALK ABOUT … Just Add Light and Stir, a daily blog of unschooling inspiration
Could you use a short, daily prompt to help you shift to an unschooling mindset?
Sandra Dodd’s Just Add Light and Stir blog is great for that. She sends out snippets, from both herself and others, along with a link if you’d like to delve further, and a beautiful pic. Here are a handful of recent quotes I’ve loved:
Learning to live better with children makes one a better person. Being patient with a child creates more patience. Being kind to a child makes one a kinder person.
“A lot of learning about unschooling is unlearning a lot of stuff that you’re sure is true about learning.” – Joyce Fetteroll
“If you want to establish good habits, be gentle with your kids’ feelings. Make their lives warmer and softer and easier so the habits they develop are those of warmth and joy, comfort and care.” – Meredith Novak
I have it set up in my feedly reader, or you can have them sent to your inbox, or just go to the site when you’re looking for a shot of inspiration.
LIVING JOYFULLY … with unschooling
One of the things I love about unschooling is the freedom from imposed daily routines and the time our children have to explore and discover what works well for them. And how that migrates over time. That deep understanding of themselves will be useful over their lifetime.
So it was really fun a couple weeks ago when I came across a poster that looks at the daily routines of sixteen well-known creatives, including Darwin, Mozart, and Maya Angelou. It was inspired by Mason Curry’s book, Daily Rituals, and you can find it at Creative Routines (click on the poster).
Some work best in the early morning, others at night. Some do their work in one longer session, while others break it up into multiple periods over the day. There’s no one “right” way to structure your day. Other than the way it works best for the individual. 🙂
Have a fun week with your family!
