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Birthday Ritual
I mentioned in this post that I was thinking about creating some kind of candle ceremony to commemorate Henry’s birthday every year. When I stumbled upon this 9-candle holder on Etsy, I realized it was the perfect complement to the ceremony: one tealight candle for every year until he’s 9, then a colored candle to represent 10 years, and additional tealight candles in the remaining eight slots to take him to 18.… Read MoreHere’s how the ceremony went:
- I printed out his one year-old photo.
- We clipped the photo to a ribbon using these mini-clothespins.
- We lit the candle and read the following letter.
Dear Henry,
You bring
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Gearing Up for Toilet Training (i.e., Toilet Awareness/Learning)
Montessorians believe that the sensitive period for helping children use the toilet independently is 12-18 months (according to the book Montessori from the Start). The author cites studies that indicate that in the 1950s, ninety-two percent of babies were using the toilet successfully during the daytime by 18 months of age.… Read MoreWe’ve done a little Elimination Communication with Henry from early on to help him associate diaper changes with the toilet (and we’ve always set up his changing area in the bathroom), but we honestly didn’t have much success with it. Even though I was home with him full-time for the first year of his life, I was never -
Montessori Bedroom for a One Year-Old
I’ve been meaning to share pictures of Henry’s new Montessori bedroom. It’s a lot different than his Montessori nursery in Houston. In our 1930s bungalow in Houston, we only had two bedrooms, so Henry’s nursery also functioned as our office, guest bedroom, and craft room. We designed it with all those functions in mind. It was also my favorite room in the house, so when Henry and I were home together, we hung out in there like a living room (which is why we put his movement mat, mirror, and mobiles there instead of in the living room). Now that we live in a ranch-style home with three bedrooms … Read More
