When you go swimming at our community pool, you get a nice, very bright, orange bracelet to wear that proves you paid.  Children under a certain age don’t have to wear these bracelets, which to some, as we learned the other day, just won’t do.  After returning home from the pool, Coco talked on and on about the bracelets to Sean, who had taken her swimming, and because I was knee deep in making dinner.  The bracelet conversation continued through …

Announcing Simplicity programs in New York City…
• Simplicity Parenting in the Garden: Growing Community through Movement & Parenting.  NYRP Suffolk Street Garden / Manhattan.  Sundays 9-Noon, July 10- August 21.  Includes one hour Yoga & Meditation techniques for calm and clear parenting.  What a lovely way to spend the last summer Sundays and prepare for fall, which comes all too quickly.  Free & Open to the public.
• Site Launch: goldenmomentsnyc.com, an SP resource & blog specific to NYC Parenting.  Our purpose is …

As long as I can remember, having people over for dinner always meant trying new recipes, or at least making something complicated that I already knew how to make.  I’m not sure why that is the case.  Even something “easy” like quiche, I would make it more complicated by putting in ingredients like sliced potatoes and asparagus that had to be cooked and sliced and diced before going into the quiche.  And as far as the new recipes were concerned, …

My young teen-aged sons form deep and often nostalgic attachments to their things.  I love this about them, and recognize more than a little piece of myself in this tendency!  In a small home, however, their collections of once meaningful rocks, piles of past art projects, a rusty metal collection (!), and toys they used to love, were leaving little space for their interests of today.
As I’ve begun to simplify our home, I’ve wondered how to help them to be …

If you’ve been curious to know more about our Simplicity Parenting Parent Groups and you don’t live in an area where there’s a Simplicity Parenting Group Leader then you may want to register for an up-coming free virtual Simplicity Parenting Introductory conference call.  All of our up-coming virtual and in-person groups are listed on our new calendar.
Donna Ashton, founder of The Waldorf Connection, is one of our beloved Simplicity Parenting Group Leaders.
Donna’s received a lot of questions and interest in …

Hello Dear Simplifying Families!
Many of you have asked whether we have an Affiliate Program and we’re so delighted to share with you that we finally do!  Now, you have the opportunity to benefit from all of that wonderful sharing that you do to friends and contacts about this beautiful message.
Please visit our For Affiliate page on our website for all the details!
 
 
 

Sometimes you just wish you had a simple technique as an option when your child, tween, or teen is doing something you do not approve of.  If you’re a fan of Kim Payne then you may know that he works with schools using the Social Inclusion approach.
The Social Inclusion Approach teaches a “justice without blame” method to conflict resolution.  It can easily be adapted for parents at home with their children.

This approach, developed and refined over 25 …

“Earth is crammed with heaven, every bush afire with God.
But only those who see take off their shoes.”
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning
One of the best perks to our new simplified schedule is that the boys have plenty of time to dig and explore. I love to watch the older one get lost in his own world whenever mud, dirt, and bugs are available for his play. A kid who you might say is borderline hyperactive indoors becomes …

One of the root causes of overwhelm and stress in our daily lives boils down to believing that everything must be done exceptionally, if not perfectly.  Parents often are their own worst critics and judges – aren’t we?  The expectations you have of yourself are typically far greater than what others would ever put on your shoulders.
This week let’s focus on becoming The Sustainable Parent! Expecting perfection is not on the list.
Whether you’re a mom with young children, tweens, …

One of the things I greatly admire about the team behind Simplicity Parenting (Kim, Katharine, and Davina) is their consistent practice of staying centered.  As a team, we work remotely from one another, so I don’t get to see them in the office or even often throughout the year.
Our communication is via phone and email and we had the delightful experience of gathering together in March for a team retreat.  Since working with this small group, however, I have had …