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My Love/Hate Relationship with Running
Dear Running,… Read MoreI hate you and I love you. It’s as simple as that. When we started our relationship over nine years ago, you opened me up to new possibilities. You showed me that changing my daily habits can actually change my identity. By showing up to the park five times a week and making the trek around the three-mile loop, I became A Runner. I felt healthier, stronger, less stressed, and more proud of myself. I lost weight, built muscle tone, and eventually got comfortable running in just a sports bra. (I gasp just thinking about that now!).
But there was always the underside of our relationship. I always
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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
