Wednesday 22 August 2012

Slow parenting


When Alice was a tiny little baby, while I was breastfeeding her, I read Simplicity Parenting with great interest. It is obvious that this book had a wonderful influence on my family life.

It is that simple! - Part 1

It is that simple! - Part 2

It is that simple! - Part 3

One year later, while Alice is at day care (her first official morning today!), I sat at a local bakery with a cup of tea and I flipped through the pages of another interesting book called Fed Up with Frenzy. I wrote flipped through because I quickly realized that Alice is still too young for most of the activities suggested in the book. However, I will keep it in my "parenting books drawer" and officially read it next summer!

That being said, Fed up with Frenzy is jam-packed with fun activities for families who are looking for a slower life pace while reconnecting with each other. Felting soap, making homemade butter (awesome!), creating wind chimes and celebrating the changing seasons are only a few examples presented in the book.

I can't wait to get bread (maybe next year?) at the local bakery and spread "family" homemade butter on it...yum!    

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I still remember making homemade bread and butter (shaking the cream in a container until it turned) from a Laura Ingals Wilder 'Little House on the Prarie' cookbook for a school project for 2nd grade. That butter was so good! And obviously had some impact on me as its still a fond memory today. I found the book online, I am sure its something you and Alice would enjoy, making food like they did way back when ;)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-House-Cookbook-Frontier/dp/0064460908

oscarlucinda said...

Ah Claudia! I love your book suggestions (I've almost finished Simplicity)...I used to run a little butter making program for preschoolers at the museum/gallery I work for, and it was always such a delight to see their eyes widen as the butter formed (we had three stations that they rotated around - churns, whisks and in little jars - a little bit of 'adult' help was required at times on the churns/whisks!). Magic! And it's funny how delicious bread and homemade butter can be after all that hard work :) x

Ali said...

We made some once - must ask the boys if they remember. It's funny - I think I used to be pretty good at slow and mindful parenting when they were small. But their lives have taken off now and increasingly I feel as if they are driving a rollercoaster and I am just trying to cling on to the side.
Hope your transition to daycare has been a smooth one.

Suz @ Slow Family Online said...

Hi Claudia, Thank you so much for mentioning my book. I'm so glad you serendipitously picked it up. Your lovely posts took me back to a time when my daughter was smaller - I will have to think of and share some fun family activities for younger children! (Some of the ideas in the "Everyday Slow" chapter are geared pretty young.)

I do love making butter as well as many of the activities from simpler times and from the Little House cookbooks, some of which are included in my book. (There is also a wonderful book called A Pioneer Sampler by Barbara Greenwood that has some great old-time projects.)

I'm also a fan of Simplicity Parenting and try to live by its tenets. I'm sure you will get to do lots of fun and meaningful activities with Alice as she grows and make plenty of wonderful family memories, as we have.

Sandra said...

You read the best stuff! I must get my hands on these books. I just started daycare from my home and I would love for us to do some of these things.