Lovely Links: Lessons for NonConformists

Throughout the week, I come across a lot of great content in the form of videos, blog posts and books. So I thought I’d share some inspiring links with you today.

(And a photo of this really cute kid I know…)

Uh, mom, can you take this off?

I hope they’ll make you think and inspire you to action, as they’ve done for me.

9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn

The $100 Startup trailer (and the book)

The Great NonConformist Hoax

Sometimes what kids need most from us is nothing at all

Happy Mother’s Day!

Intentional Mom Project

I’m doing something a little different today… I recorded a video! (So scary for me, by the way, but I did it!)

Here it is: (If that doesn’t work, you can find it here. I’m often challenged by embedding video.)

I’m a list maker, so I had to make a list of ideas for spending more special time with my kids:

• Play games/puzzles together
• Snuggle and read stories
• Mama & kiddo “coffee” date
• Play tag at the park
• Dig for worms together (I’d much rather catch frogs, though )
• Build forts with the bunk beds
• Play hide and seek
• Cooking together (without stressing about it)

Would you like to join me in being more intentional as a mom this May?

Leave a comment below and let me know.

What’s That Smell? Using Scents for a Fun Learning Activity

Photo credit: Savannah Lewis

Today’s post comes from friend and parenting coach, Shelly Birger Phillips, of Awake Parent.

The first three years of life are all about sensory development.

We are born hearing echos and with fuzzy vision, but amazingly babies are able to reliably learn their mother’s scent in just three days.

The study I’m referring to was done with infants in the hospital in the 1990’s, so infants spent some of their time in the nursery, just imagine how quickly they learn the scent of a parent who they’re with 24 hours a day!

Scent memories are stored in some of the oldest parts of our brain, that’s why certain smells can bring back such vivid memories. Just today I opened acontainer of Play Dough and I was instantly transported back to preschool.

Yet, when we try to think of activities for our kids, we often forget about the sense of smell.

I worked in Montessori classrooms for several years and one of the sensory development activities that was hugely popular was the scent identification activity or “smelling bottles.”

It’s really quite easy to create your own smelling bottles at home and it can be a great way to help your child develop his/her sense of smell AND his/her attention span. Independent activities for your child can also give you a moment to finish the dishes, laundry, dinner, or some other task.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

1. At least 6 small matching glass bottles with airtight lids that your child can open unassisted
2. Cotton balls
3. 3 or 6 of your favorite essential oils
4. Small stickers (to number the bottoms of each jar)
5. A few note cards

I’ll share two variations of this activity.

The first is a scent matching activity for pre-readers.

Put three to five drops of an essential oil on a cotton ball (or part of a cotton ball, depending on the size of your jars).

Make two matching jars of each scent and then label the bottoms with either numbers or letters so that children can check their work when they’ve completed the activity.

Place the jars in random order on a beautiful tray and put the activity on an easily reachable shelf.

Show your child how you would like them to use the activity and then allowthem to choose it independently after their “lesson.”

The second variation is a scent identification activity for readers.

Using six jars, create a card for each bottle with the name of the essential oil.

Then put three to five drops of essential oil on a cotton ball. Label the jar and the back of the card with a number or letter so that your child can check his work after he has completed the activity.

Demonstrate first by smelling each bottle and matching it up with the appropriate card.

Be sure to show your child how to check her work afterward so that she will know if she made any mistakes.

Then, allow access, sit back and enjoy a few minutes to yourself!

I think you’ll find that by taking a little bit of time to prepare this activity, you’ll reap the benefits for months to come.

One more thing, if your kids stop choosing this activity, tuck it away for a month or so and then bring it back out again. They’ll remember how much fun it was the first time and you can get MUCH more use out of it than if you remove it entirely.

Have so much fun with this!

Warm hugs, Shelly

Herbal Learning Activities You Can Do With Your Kids (and a Soothing Balm How-To)

Photo by: barockschloss

My favorite thing about being intentional about my health is the way it leads to being more intentional in other areas of my life.

Marriage, mothering, work. It’s hard to make one a priority without realizing that others need intentional attention as well.

How do I practice intentionality with my health and calling and still make time with my kids a priority? Rather than putting one aside to focus on another (doesn’t work, I’ve tried), I think it’s best to balance them.

And, thankfully, there are a lot of creative ways to do that by involving my kids in what I do. So today I thought I’d take a look at ways to include kids in a lifestyle that makes holistic wellness a priority.

I hope these ideas inspire you as much as they have me.

Plant an herb garden

This can be done inside in pots or outside in a small garden plot. Involve your kids in choosing the herbs, planting the seeds and taking care of the plants.

Let them have their own container of herbs or section in the garden. Talk about the different properties of the plants and how you can use them.

Use your senses

Learn about herbs by using all of your senses. Check out some books on herbs or look online for herbal information (with pictures of plants). Quiz each other by covering up the name of the plant and identifying by sight alone. Or read a property and guess what plant it is.

Get some fresh herbs like lavender, mint, marigold (calendula) and basil. Memorize how they smell and taste. For essential oils, take turns being blindfolded and identifying oils by smell. List the different properties that go with them. This is a fun activity for all ages.

Give a foot bath

My kiddos really love this one and it’s pretty simple. All you need is a pot of hot water (and cool water to make it safe), a basin of some kind and their choice of herbs and/or essential oils.

Let them choose the combination they like best and talk about the different properties. Example: calendula is a really soothing herb for your skin or lavender helps you feel calm.

Steep a handful of herbs (I recommend calendula, lavender or comfrey) in the hot water for fifteen minutes. Pour the water into the basin (strain the herbs if you want to) and add cool water until it’s a comfy temperature.

Add a drop or two of essential oil (I recommend wild orange, peppermint or lavender). Hang out with them as they soak their feet and then give them a little foot rub.

Make remedies together

My kids love to help me with pretty much anything in the kitchen. Use natural remedies as a fun way to interact with your kids and teach them about ways to take care of themselves.

If you want an easy one to start with, try making some soothing balm or Sleep EZ tea. Let them help you measure, pour and stir. Younger kiddos can help you count out containers for the balm and take off the lids.

Here’s the recipe for the soothing balm:

Rub on temples, foreheads, necks and shoulders to soothe little ones and help them sleep.

Ingredients needed:

• ¼ cup Lemon balm
• ¼ cup Chamomile flowers
• Lavender essential oil
• Vitamin e oil
• ¾ cup Jojoba oil or olive oil or grapeseed oil
• ¾ cup Coconut oil
• Candelilla wax (beeswax is totally fine, too)

Directions:

Add coconut oil and jojoba oil to your pan (or double boiler). Let the coconut oil melt on medium heat. Next add your herbs. Stir into the oil. Let your herbs heat through for a few minutes. While they’re heating, turn your oven on to 200 degrees and then turn it off once it reaches that. Take them off the heat, cover them and stick them in the heated oven. Let them continue to steep for about 3 hours. Use this time to play with your kids. They’ll appreciate it.

Now, take out your herbs and strain them into a glass quart jar (or bowl). I really love those mesh strainers that fit into a bowl. You can toss the herbs once they’ve drained (I put ours in the compost bin).

Clean out your pan and pour your strained oil into it. Put it back on the stove and turn it on to low heat. Add 5 drops of lavender essential oil. Start low and if it doesn’t smell strong enough, add more. It’s easy to overdo it with lavender, so add a few drops at a time. Then add 10 drops of the vitamin e oil. It helps to keep it from going rancid.

Add 1/4 cup wax to the mixture. Stir it in until it melts. Then pour your balm into dry (make sure they are very dry) jars, put the lid on and wait for it to dry. Make a nice label for your jar(s) so you can remember what’s in there.

Visit my resources page for more information on finding herbs, essential oils and recipes. Enjoy!

Building Community

A few months ago, Ian and I sat in our living room, praying together for a couple that we could build a strong relationship with. One that would just embrace us for the broken people we are and help us grow.

We wanted needed people to do life with.

Two days later, they knocked on our door, Megan and Justin, all smiles, with a gift of fresh-pressed apple cider. Talk about a quick answer to prayer.

It’s pretty awesome how God works, bringing the right people at the right time. These two have been a huge blessing to us. Our friendship has blossomed so quickly that I can’t believe we’ve only known each other for a few short months. And I can’t believe how alike we are. It’s just amazing.

When we met them, Ian was also reading through Waking the Dead (a fantastic book). The end speaks a lot about building a small, intimate community where you can grow and lean on each other.

The first time I read that book, I was sold on the idea. When Ian read that part to me a couple months ago, we both knew that it was time to start fostering that.

There’s something about doing life with other people that makes it so much better. We’re meant for relationships, for community. It is essential to our well-being and growth.

It’s hard to pick yourself back up when you fall. It’s hard to pull yourself out of a crappy mood. And it’s really hard to enjoy a day-long, epic grocery shopping trip by yourself. Trust me, I’ve tried.

But when you have other people to help you, the bad stuff isn’t as bad. And the good stuff is so much better.

Community.

I just love that word.

How have you been fostering community in your life? Join me and other like-minded people building community here.