Life Lately

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It’s been a long while since I’ve felt drawn to blogging here, and as the time passes, I am less and less pulled to this space and more reflective about why. It has been nice to guard my heart a bit more, to not be vulnerable, to hold some things closer to my chest, but mostly to respect my children’s privacy as they grow older.

There is this point, and I’ve certainly reached it with Milo in particular as he comes closer to turning ten years old, where my children’s stories no longer seem like mine to tell. There’s an awareness within him that I want to respect. The other two are not far behind. It’s an interesting thing, to experience looking back on this blog while sitting right next to them. They enjoy laughing at the interviews and funny stories, and sometimes ask to look back on a particular post to read or peruse photos. They never express embarrassment, but I feel that if I continued sharing them with the world in this way, they would come to resent it. Listening to that mother’s intuition has always been my way to navigate these things, so I will go with it, even if it means pulling back from this space.

All in all, this blog has been a good thing. It has helped me through some trying times as a mother, has connected me to so many wonderful people. It has opened doors for me I never even realized were available. It has helped me see my own life through new eyes. I will always cherish it – not only the physical evidence of it, but the process of it all.

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My heart is so full. I often look at my life – my husband, my family, my community, my beautiful children, my job, my friends – and can’t believe my luck. It’s a beautiful life, and I will not take any of it for granted. Andrew and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this Saturday, April 22nd. 10 years married, 18 years together! This blog will turn 10 years old in October. It feels like a good place to stop.

Thank you for reading along after all these years!

Montessori Blog

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I’m sorry for the crickets around here! I have been trying to find the right balance between family life, documenting our own lives through this blog, and the Montessori blog I took over back in October 2016.

While I still plan to post occasionally here, if you’d like to follow along, check out Villa di Maria’s Blog, where I post 4 days a week about parenting topics, Montessori lessons, community, and child development. It’s been a joy to be part of something I am so passionate about (Montessori education), and to channel my loves of photography, writing, and children into one creative outlet! Thanks for following along!

An Invitation to Play

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I’ve read about parents trying to encourage their children to play on their own more frequently, but have found a child (or children) struggling to find their groove and instead keep checking back with the parent, complaining of being bored, or constantly asking the parent to play with them. While I have not experienced this too often, I can sympathize with how frustrating it can be when it does happen. Once a child finds his groove in an activity, he can become completely immersed in it and have such fun, be so engaged, it is such a delight for everyone! Continue reading “An Invitation to Play”

Green, Blue

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I’m reading the most fascinating book, The Nature Fix, by Florence Williams. I’ll fully review the book once I’ve finished it, but so far it’s wonderful. It’s different from other “get out into nature” books in that there is a lot of really interesting new science (or at least new to me) that I find completely enlightening and thought-provoking. There is the chapter on soundscapes, during which stress can be linked to a certain decibel common in big cities and near airports, then the chapter about fractals and their visual appeal to humans – even a section about art and how Jackson Pollock painted nature’s fractals twenty-five years ahead of their scientific discovery (p. 113)!

Also within this chapter, Box of Rain, is the discussion of fluent visual processing, our preferences for certain shapes and saturation, and the affect color has on our brains. This is nothing new; I remember learning, as a child, that warm colors like red and orange were more likely to excite and agitate, and that cool colors like blue and green had a relaxing effect. “The human eye is well designed to respond immediately to color,” writes Williams.

What I found so fascinating was that the reason we are so relaxed and calmed by green and blue is because we’ve learned to associate these colors with “life-giving, healthy ecosystems full of plants (green), clean water (blue) and expansive reflection (sky azures, ocean teals).” Williams continues, “Since we all live under that sky and drink its offerings, these hues may instill feelings of universality and shared humanity.”

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I look around our house, at the deep blue dining room that we painted immediately upon moving in over 7 years ago, at the hosta-green room I’ve just repainted from green to a slightly deeper green, at the plants that I’m so drawn to, with new appreciation. It’s amazing how nature affects us, even when indoors.

I hope you’re having a wonderful Tuesday, the last day of February!