It’s 11:30am, you’ve just finished up three hours of work and you have an hour in which to feed your 2 ½ yr old son and ‘attempt’ to get him to take a nap (which he stopped doing about 6 months ago) before your next three hour block of work.  Here’s how it goes down: you plop something down in front of him while you go about cleaning up from the morning’s events; checking and replying to email; preparing and …

Screen Free Week at our house….didn’t go the way I expected.
I was excited to participate in it.  I love the idea of a digital detox….But, since our kids usually see just one show each day, I didn’t expect it to make a huge difference in our home.  I expected to have calmer, more peaceful kids (which I got), but I also expected to get way behind on all those not-kid-friendly tasks I usually try (quite hurriedly!) to knock out during …

We have a very simple rule in our house about television or computers.       NONE.
Of course, like all rules, this gets broken from time to time. It gets broken on the occasions when I’ve been working all day and my husband has had a busy day full of child care and he is cooking dinner (yes he is a home husband).  I come home and the children are watching the television. What I know when I find them there is my …

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 …

The Simplicity Parenting movement is seeing a definite strengthening across the nation and has enjoyed some good, extra attention in several recent news features!   These are two great ones you will enjoy if you missed them when they came out.
Last week, Bamboo Magazine featured an interview with Kim John Payne in their “Conscious Close Up”:

 
Also recently, NBC featured Simplicity Parenting in their series, “Back to Basics”:
 

Are you feeling the temptation yet? This time of year it really does seem that the best way we can honor our children is to shower them with toys! The push to do this may come from commercials or family or from our own desire as a parent to show our kids some love.
This week the Mother Company featured Simplicity Parenting in a wonderful article;  “What Too Many Toys Can Do.” I think you’ll enjoy it, and hope it will …

This is the time of year, isn’t it, when all of our intentions to stay slow and mindful are put to the test?  I admit to playing my Christmas music from time to time for a couple of weeks now…okay, 3 weeks, but how can I not fill the house with wintry and festive fiddle music?  I do get, though, that for many people hearing carols the day after Halloween is just too much and despite my love of Celtic …

A few years ago, I became very conscious of the impact stories had on my son (now age 4.)  Stories have helped him overcome fears, accept new challenges, and have even shaped his behavior as he imitates the characters.  At the same time, I noticed how most stories in popular children’s media did not reinforce our values of simplicity or wonder, and how many of the characters were simply not worthy of his imitation!
Around this time we found Sparkle Stories …

Welcome back book-studiers!  We are nearing the end of our discussion.  We have one final chapter to cover next week, and then I hope to cover a few of the (really great) questions which have been brought up in the comments.  All are welcome to join in that discussion, even if this is your first week to find us.
This week – Filtering out the adult world.  One way we protect childhood is by acting as a “filter” for our young …

We are excited to share news of a new home-study parenting conference, The Ultimate Parenting Course, which opens for registration today.  The course will include interviews with many experts, psychologists, and bestselling authors, including Kim John Payne M.Ed (Simplicity Parenting), Christine Carter, PhD (Raising Happiness), Betsy Brown Braun (bestselling author of Just Tell Me What to Say), and Elizabeth Pantley (The No-Cry Sleep Solution), as well as many others.
The course begins its pre-launch this Thursday with a free, live teleclass …