A giraffe threw a temper tantrum on my kitchen floor last week.
 
Now, this wasn’t just any giraffe.  This giraffe is “Baby.”   My two year-old’s baby, to be specific.  My son loves to give Baby rides in his wagon or on his tricycle.  He sleeps with it, runs to help it when he sees it endangered, and carries it tucked in the crook of his neck, sweetly rubbing its back and telling it what a “cute baby” it is.  This giraffe-boy …

It seems we are always searching for the “magic pill”to
miraculously move our family into peaceful nirvana.
But the fact is, parenting and daily rhythm is a process;
a work in progress. You will never be “done” or “perfect”
O.K. Now the good news:
There are a few tips to help move you from exasperated to
centered. They are not magic, but they are not hard either.
Simple tools- if you use them.Choose one to start with,
then add more when you
see some success.
*Get up before your kids. …

Recently I did something, as a mother, that was incredibly daring. Neighbours may consider it scandalous. Friends who know me well might raise an eyebrow. It even gave me a little lump in my stomach but I pushed on, knowing how much it meant to my eldest who had just turned six.
I let her walk four blocks to her friend’s house for a play date. Without me. Alone.
After years of walking the route again and again, she knows it better …

I have always been a bit of a doer. That is neither a good nor bad thing, it just is. I need to keep busy and stimulated, and subsequently always have lots on the go.
Luckily, my career stemmed from my passions and always included a lot of travel. I have worked as a journalist in radio, print and TV; I’ve managed musicians, and did their marketing and publicity. I’ve promoted movies at big film festivals and hung out with stars …

Have you ever had one of those conversations where, no matter what questions you ask, the conversation never went past, “Hey, how are you? How’s the weather?”
My relationship with my father had been that way for as long as I could remember. Conversations rarely got beyond the superficial formalities. Everything was always just ok and the conversations usually lasted five minutes. I longed for a deeper connection with him. I wanted him to open up to me and let me know what was …

We hear so often of the importance of emotional intelligence.  We want desperately for our kids to have it!  In Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne puts a high price on it as, well, saying, “In our hopes and dreams for our children, emotional intelligence should probably elbow out that football scholarship, or the viola concert tour, even the stellar report card.”  Having the ability to understand the feelings of others can easily determine how well our children will get along …

Want to make some New Year’s Resolutions worth keeping?  A new article by the Chicago Tribune, “Words of Wisdom for a New Year of Parenting Experts” , features Kim John Payne along with five other parenting experts – all answering the question, “What is one resolution you would like to see parents make in the New Year?”
Check out the article to find out what they said.  Do you have more parenting resolutions of your own?  Share them with others in …

There is nothing quite like creating special and magical moments of love and warmth for a little one.  The fall is my favorite season for that, I think.  Before Coco was born, when the leaves began to turn, I already felt the “nesting” that comes with preparing for a change in season and rhythm.  Now that I have Coco I feel that immensely more so.  As the days grow mistier and the smell of earth and woodsmoke fills the air, …

Thank you to all who are participating in the Simplicity Parenting book study!  If you are just finding us this week, you are welcome to join in the discussion in the comments below.   I am enjoying the thoughtfulness of your comments and the opportunity to learn from others’ experiences!
This week’s reading, Chapter 2, was on “Soul Fever” – Soul Fever is what Kim describes as the emotional equivalent of a physical fever.  When small (or large) stresses accumulate, you …

“When you act to limit what you don’t want for your family, you clarify what you really do need, what is important to you.  Your values clarify.  Simplification is a path of self-definition for the family.
It is quieter when the insistent noise of popular culture, competition, and consumerism are turned down several notches.  Just as a singer has to shut out ambient noises to hear her own voice, simplification allows a family to “tune in” to their values, to what …