Moving Meditation

Someone commented to me today, "I don't know how you do so many things!" I have two responses that I would really like to share with this friend and with anyone who feels overwhelmed in their life or anyone who would like just a little bit more joy and efficiency in their day:

1. Remember that what you see of anyone online has a bit of illusion in it. I don't want to create the false impression that I am a "super-mom". It may appear that people online accomplish a lot because they only post their accomplishments online. This is the nature of life online. I don't think you all want to see a video of me sleeping in until noon or hear about how I spent two hours petting my cat!

2. As a mother, teacher, healer, friend, cook, cleaner and much more we all have so many "jobs" that it seems to leave little time for getting our work done and even less time for meditation and reflection.

I was inspired years ago by the Turkish (Sufi) or Buddhist method of meditation which involves making every moment of your life an opportunity for reflection, joy, meditation and enrichment rather than specifying a certain time to "meditate". I learned this method by example, first when I met one of my mentors in 1994 and then, again, when I visited Turkey in 1998.

I was first interested in this way of life because I was very frustrated by some of the chores I was doing every day and I was impressed by other people I saw who seemed to find such joy in these chores - even washing dishes!

What surprised me was that the more I practiced this way of living, the more efficient I became and the more work I was able to do each day - as a mother, teacher, healer, and much more.

You can find some written inspiration for this method in the books, "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle and "Shelter for the Spirit" by Thomas Moore. Hmmm...if anyone knows of any females who have written on this topic please tell me so I can include them too!

My favorite quote from "Shelter for the Spirit" is:

"Sometimes I still whine about chores. Cleaning is boring, repetetive, mindless, unappreciated, physically demmanding, sexually sterotyped and socially undervalued. In this state of noredom, reception and mindlessness however, we can be receptive to the divinity within us. Similarly, being called to an activity that is demanding, sterotyping and undervalued, can be used as an opportunity to gain hummility. It can bring us face-to-face with the mytic’s paradox: We are dust and we are divine."

And remember what Shakespere said, "Action is eloquence".

By living fully in each moment and experiencing each moment as divine you will find more joy in your life and you will also find that you get more done without even trying!

I hope that someone else will be inspired by this thought as I was years ago...it changed my life.

Blessings & Health,
Kristie

I felted my pet cat's fur yesterday!

Dear Parents,

So what does one do with their fingers when they have been knitting like mad for a month and suddenly one day they have a break with nothing to do with their hands?

Well, I ended up felting my pet cat's fur. It was sort of an accident, really. She saw that my lap was free (this cat follows me aroud like I am the Pied Piper and waits for me to sit down) a lot yesterday so she got petted A LOT. Finally I decided to switch to the little cat brush we have. So I brushed an brushed an removed some hair and had this little pile of cat hair. I was talking to a friend at the time and didn't want to get up and throw it away so I held it in my hands for a while and started messing with it...pretty soon it started to take on a felted texture. So I thought...hey - perhaps I could make something out of this....so I made a little skirt for a doll.

Encouraged I made some hair for the doll and then a little baby dragon. Ran out of hair then. We have a nice white bunny and I tried to get some hair from her (I was having fun by this time) but she didn't want to be petted so...

Anyway, this was really easy. All I did was roll the hair around in my fingers for a while until it started to come together like felt. Before it was too stiff I started shaping it into what I wanted. I didn't use any needles. So I guess this would be "finger felting?" is there a such thing?

Enjoy!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
Mother to Mosi, 13: Suni, 11: Sofi, 9
http://www.thedreamangels.com/
Natural Healing Online at: http://www.herbnhome.com/
Visual Resources for Waldorf Parents at: http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/
Waldorf Lessons Plans at: http://www.waldorflessonplans.com/


BLOGs about Waldorf, Healing & Humor at:
http://herbnhome.blogspot.com/ (Frugal Natural Healing and Living)
http://waldorfschoolonline.blogspot.com/ (Waldorf Home Schooling Inspirations)
http://healinghumor.blogspot.com/ (Healing Humor)
http://thedreamangels.blogspot.com/ (Inspirational Thoughts)
http://yearofthelimo.blogspot.com/ (A BLOG about my crazy car and charity work)

Response to "Letter from Santa"

I wanted to share with you all the response I received from my children when they received their "letter from Santa" in their stocking this morning (you can read it at: http://thedreamangels.blogspot.com/ )

I was a bit worried. I took a long time writing out the letter from the link above in long hand and I took great care to make it very neat and unlike my own handwriting. As I wrote it on parchment style paper I added bits and modified bits according to the letters the children had written to Santa. Then I rolled the letter up, put a bit of yarn around it and put it in the stockings with their toys.

But as I said, I was a bit worried...what kid wants to be told "the truth" about Santa on Christmas morning? But I just sensed this was the right thing to do. Whew! I was right.

Sofi read me the 4-page letter twice, picking out the parts she liked best. The letter explained that Santa is an angel spirit that inspires people. But Sofi insisted that Santa had "Possessed me" last night...hmm...I think I like my version better.

But, overall, she and her brother were overjoyed with the letter. It satisfied their need to know more about Santa and transitioned them from the "stories" to the "truth" in such a smooth way. I was amazed how well it was all received. I didn't get any comments of sadness or dissapointment or anything! They were so excited to have all the extra information that was in the letter. Sofi called up two of her friends and read it to them too. She was beaming all day and could not stop talking about it.

I am sharing this with you all because I am just so happy! This was a "big event" in my childhood (which did not go well for me as a child) and was a "big event" on my parent-hood adgenda. I am just so thrilled that everything went well. It was a dream come true! (I just wish I could say the same of EVERYTHING else on my parenting adgenda!)

- Blessings & Health & Happy Holidays
Kristie

Sofi's Easy Christmas Cape

Sofi went shopping with a friend of mine a few nights ago to get gifts for me and some other family members. I have to admit I was a bit worried. I don't like to set "rules" for people when they do me the great favor of taking my children out (hey, as a single mom you get desperate!) so I waited to see what would happen. Would she come home with a bag full of Polly Pockets and Hershey bars?

She surprised me. I would not have guessed in a million years what she would be buying. She saw some velvety fabric and purchased a couple yards of it. But I didn't even know that until she came out of her room wearing this gorgeous green cape secured with a golden button in the middle.

She wanted me to make another one for her doll. Her doll is very special because he older sister (13) gave it to her. So, although it is not a Waldorf doll, it has a lot of special energy in it as her older sister is living overseas this year so this doll is like a treasure to Sofi.

The fabric she had chosen was a strong velvet-like fabric that does not unravel so she had not had to "finish" the edges with any sewing. All she had to do was cut it and secure it with the button. I helped her make a smaller one for her doll and I showed her how to make a button hole for her button (we just cut in the fabric...no sewing). She wore the capes and carried her doll with her all day yesterday. We got some "looks" as we were shopping - but I think most of them were smiles.

Sofi made her cape by just taking a large rectange of material and securing it with a button. All she had to do was cut the material to the right size and sew on the button. I made the doll cape by cutting the material in more of a circle and then cutting a line half-way down on one side of the circle. Then I cut a tiny button hole in one side and sewed the button on the other side. It took me about 5 minutes. The ease is in finding a fabric you do not have to sew (and in being the kind of person who can overlook a few scraggly edges to your cape).

The Magic Thread of Life...

My children's favorite question this week is "Can we open our gifts yet?"

My answer is --- do you want to hear the story of "The Magic Thread" again?

It is such a wonderful story! A great story for patience during the Solstice, Christmas season and a great story to inspire you in leading your life in the New Year!

It is in the "Book of Virtues" by William Bennet. You can also find it online at:
http://www.noogenesis.com/pineapple/magic_thread.html

Enjoy!
Blessings & Health,
Kristie

Merry Christmas Squirrel

Fluffy Squirrel was our first guest at the wildlife Christmas tree this morning. Scroll down to see how we made the tree...

PS. Someone just e-mailed me from another list that peanut butter is bad for squirrels so to make sure the strings get hung far from squirrels. I didn't know that so I just wanted to tell everyone else too. For some reason this squirrel knew that - all he wanted was the oranges and apples. But, their advice was to hang anything with peanut butter away from the little fluffy darlings :)

Winter Snack w/Special Guests

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Fairies Got Stockings Yesterday

Yesterday we put the finishing touches on the tree and the fairies got some Christmas stockings in their fairy house (see picture) as well. I always let the kids decorate the tree. Sofi did a great job hanging ornaments and Suni did an amazing job stringing the lights! They both decided that one of my knitted unicorns should adorn the top this year. I wonder what Santa will put in the stockings for the fairies?

That really big red present behind the tree is a super large book I found at Sam's club for $15.00 all about CATS. The pictures in the book are larger than real cats. I labelled it "To Stripey and Catnip" (our cats). It is driving the kids crazy! They keep telling me "Please tell us what is in it - we won't tell them (the cats)!"

Sofi's Holiday List - Age 8.5

Dear Parents,

I asked my children to make a Holiday list for me..there are so many holidays and birthdays coming up that I wanted to make sure I purchased them gifts they would appreciate and not just "stuff". So this is Sofi's list. HELP???!!!

1. A new CD player
2. 100$ or 300$ or 1000$
3. A Perfectly Clean Room
4. A REAL Harry Potter robe
5. Long Hair
6. A Fairy - a REAL one
7. To see Santa and his workshop
8. To become a fairy when I put any fairy dust on me
9. Mosi Mandil (her sister who is living far away right now) my WHOLE LIFE.

Healing Kool-Aid?

The first time I had a cup of cold hibiscus tea I thought it was Kool-Aid. It was in Egypt and I asked my host "Where did you get Kool-aid in Egypt?" They just gave me a strange look...

But that single memory has remained my motivation for sharing this recipe with as many people as I can. This herb is so healing and so healthy and if it tastes like Kool-aid what kid would not LOVE to drink this? And the benefits are so many!

This morning I woke up with a sore throat and a fever and immmediately made myself some of this drink. It is perfect for my condition - soothing to the throat, cools the body down (in Egypt they use it to stay cool in the summer - here I use it for fevers and for hot flashes :)), and is very high in vitamin C! This is the perfect herb to use all winter.

I made my yummy healing drink by pouring 4 cups of hot water over 4 tsp. of dried hibiscus leaves (order online, or buy at any local health food, Arab or Indian store) and then letting it sit for 15 minutes and straining it. I drank mine warm with honey but I am saving the rest to give my kids as an afterschool snack - whenever ONE person in the house is sick I always give everyone the herbs so more people don't get sick too.

Enjoy!

Let's Count BIRDS!

This post can now be found on our new BLOG HERE.

Easy 5-minute Doll Wardrobe

Dear Parents,

I am so excited about what Sofi and I did last night I have to share it! Sofi was asking me to take her shopping. She has money she has been saving that has been burning a hole in her pocket! She saw this wooden doll wardrobe at the store the other day (to hang doll clothing in) and she HAD to have it. It cost $50.00 and I was not so thrilled about her spending that money on a doll cabinet but I always let the kids do what they want with their allowance and learn their own lessons...sooooo...I told her - sure, we will go, just not tonight.

But Sofi is not the type to wait. So I hear her out in the dining room/woodworking/art/lesson room rummaging around. She asks me where the glue is. I hear noises....NOW I am curious! I find her trying to glue wood pieces together to make her own.

I was so impressed with her efforts I decided to help her a bit. So we thought a bit and rummaged around some more in the drawer, got out the nails and hammer (instead of glue) and came up with a doll wardrobe that was awesome and really took us only about 5-8 minutes to build!!!!

All you need are 4 pre-cut boards from the craft store, 2 screws, and a piece of bamboo (we cut from a garden stake in the garage). You don't even need to measure anything! You screw the screws into the same place on either side of two of the boards, insert the bamboo rod and you have the start. After that you just put a base and a top on and it does not matter if they fit exactly or not - they actually look cool with a little wood hanging over the side. We nailed the top and the bottom to the side with small nails. We only used a small hacksaw to cut the bamboo piece off.

In fact, you could put hooks in the side and hand scarves and hats from the side. Sofi made a couple "Hat Holders" for the top out of two old blocks with a popscicle stick nailed to them!

She LOVES this new doll wardrobe and is already wanting to make another one! Now we just have to make some nice wood hangers so it is all natural :)

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

Inspiration for New Home Schoolers

Dear Parents,

I was updating my websites tonight and found this wonderful page with many pictures of my old classroom on it. It would take you about ten links to find it from my main site so I am not sure how many of you have seen it. It has some samples of our classroom organization, crafts we did, breadmaking time, music time, etc...

You can find the photos at:

http://build.tripod.lycos.com/trellix/sitebuilder/f_edit_page.html

Enjoy!

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

My Favorite Secular Seasonal Story...

This is now located at www.BEarthBLOG.com

Time to Bring the Fairies in for the Winter!

Some people put birdhouses out in the winter - we build fairy houses IN. My eldest daughter, who is now 13, started this tradition years ago and my youngest has continued. However, my youngest insists that only natural things can be used in the fairy house because "fairies don't like manmade things mama". So I thought I would share a tip with you - Sofi created this fairy house below without any tape! She used toothpicks to hold the "floors" of the house up. I didn't help her at all. This was her own project she did one day when I was doing dishes or something (oh, I mean, loading the dishwasher...I STILL can't get used to that!). I have also included a picture of her sister that was taken 5 years ago when she used to make fairy houses too!

Twas the Night before Solstice by Kristie Burns

This can now be found at www.BEarthBLOG.com

New Videos at www.thewaldorfchannel.com

Dear Members,

Check out the new videos at http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/, International Visual Resources for the Waldorf Parent. New posts include:

Eurythmy in the Class
Eurythmy on Stage
The Basics of Waldorf
Reading and Writing in the Waldorf Method

These videos were all generously donated by Eugene Schwartz, International speaker and Waldorf teacher who graduated THREE classes!

Enjoy!
Blessings & Health,
Kristie

9-in-one Holiday Cookies

This is my FAVORITE holiday cookie recipe. After you are done making the base dough there are instructions to make 8 different cookies and when you end it looks like you made 8 batches of cookies but you didn't! I make these every year now and I don't even bother with other kinds of cookies. Why make a thousand cookies over days and days if I can make one recipe and it LOOKS like I made thousands of cookies over days and days? This coming so soon after my "Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe" will probably establish me as one of the laziest moms around...but really - I love to find recipes that are easy so my kids can help more and so I can have more time to do more things! And these cookies are so buttery and yummy! They are gourmet. Hint: the hardest part of this recipe is gathering all the ingredients. Make substitutions if you need to - don't stress yourself! And I have a 9th idea...how about taking a bit of the white dough and spliting it in half, adding a bit of peppermint and red food coloring to one half and then twisting those into "candy canes" - see? Now you have NINE cookies! Here it is (I got this from a magazine 12 years ago...not sure what the copyright limit is on magazine articles and I can't find it online so I apologize if I am stepping over any boundaries here...)

8-in-One Cookies

Basic Dough

4 sticks of butter (2 cups)
1 cup of light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 lg. Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Beat all except flour until fluffy
Gradually beat in flour
Take ½ of the dough out to make chocolate dough by adding ¼ cup cocoa and ½ tsp. Vanilla.

Divy the dough into 4 parts each and add the following to them:

CHOCOLATE DOUGH divided into four parts makes:
Chocolate chunk
Hugs and kisses
Chocolate-marshamllow thumb-prints
Chocolate-vanilla spirals

VANILLA DOUGH divided into four parts makes:
Oatmeal/peanut butter cookies
Jam Thumb-prints
Apricot-pecan cookies
Chocolate-vanilla spirals

Oatmeal-peanut butter
1 part Vanilla dough
½ cup oats
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup creamy peanut butter

Jam Thumb Prints
1 portion vanilla dough
32 almond slices
1/3 cup apricot or raspberry jam

Roll Dough into 8 inch log
Slice into 16 pieces
Roll pieces into balls
Thumb-print balls
Put a small dab of jam and an almond in the “print”
Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees



Apricot-Pecan
1 portion vanilla dough
¼ tsp. Ground cardamom
8 small dried apricots, diced
¼ cup chopped pecans

Mix cardamom and apricots into the dough
Roll and slice as in the jam prints
Put balls on greased cookie sheet
Bake 12-14 minutes

Chocolate Chunk
1 portion chocolate dough
¼ cup vanilla chips
¼ cup sliced almonds

Mix and bake as in recipes above 10-12 minutes in flattened balls.

Hugs and Kisses
1 portion chocolate dough

Roll as in jam thumb-prints.
Instead of jam put a “hugs and kisses” Hershey’s Kiss (The white and black ones) in the middle before baking 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Marshamallow Thumb Prints
1 portion chocolate dough
small jar of marshamallow topping or small marshmallows

Roll Dough into 8 inch log
Slice into 16 pieces
Roll pieces into balls
Thumb-print balls
Put a small dab of marshmallow sauce or 2 small marshmallows in the print
Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees


Chocolate-Vanilla Spirals
1 portion vanilla dough
1 portion chocolate dough

Roll out both doughs to approximately the same rectangular size.
Put the rectangles on top of each other and roll as if making cinnamon rolls
Slice into circlesBake on a tray for 10-12 minutes at 350

10-minute pumpkin pie!

Every year somebody asks me to publish this recipe again. Ever since I discovered it my kids don't even like the "regular" pumkin pie anymore! This is SOOOOO easy and tastes like a pumpkin pie with a thin crust - the recipe actually makes its own crust. Hope this helps your life be less hectic on Thanksgiving :)

Homemade "Bisquick"
3 cups flour (you can use a mix of whole wheat, oat, white flour, rice flour and other kinds of flour but the best results come from at least ½ the flour being wheat or spelt)
1/3 cup butter or oil (olive or sunflower are both fine)
2 TBS. Baking powder

Mix all this together with a pastry fork and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can make pancakes or waffles in minutes with this or the two recipes below¼


Homemade "Bisquick" Pumpkin Pie
(This REALLY tastes like pumpkin pie and it makes its own crust)

1 eggs
½ cup sugar
2 c. cream, tofu or condensed milk
¼ tsp. Cloves
½ tsp. Ginger
¼ tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 ½ cups pumpkin (1 small can if using a can)½ cup Homemade Bisquick mix (see above)

A Gift For You: Poem for Crafters

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A Classic December Verse

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A Story from the UK

A friend in the UK shared this story. I liked it so much I asked permission to post it here. I think we can all relate to this! Here it is:

AT times its a real battle here to avoid the world of TV and Computer. (Note: We are a multi generational family...My father lives with us and although he has his own annex, he watches the TV almost constantly, trawling the news channels and popping in to impart all that he has seen, and hubby is a musician which today means lots of Computer access) So I get really smug when I see DS playing in a very waldorf way avoiding all the high tec stuff.This morning I stood for an age watching him as he retold the story of Robin Hood using his Holztiger Knights, I was so pleased. A real puffed up moment , until I got close enough to hear his narrative.....Robin Hood was telling the Sheriff of Nottingham that if he did not like his treatment he should call him on his mobile. 087654678739 ( or a similar string of numbers) or goto his website.....

Rainbow Turtle

I just had the BEST customer service from http://www.rainbowturtle.com/ - they have a large assortment of Waldorf items and there are real people on the other end of that ordering form! They also have some items that are hard to find on other sites. Just thought I would share.

Free Waldorf Tutorials & Resources

This can now be found on our new BLOG at www.BEarthBlog.com

New Mama/Baby Sets

Dear Members,

I just posted some new mama/baby unicorn sets to Ebay - they are sooooo cute! You can see them at:

UNICORNS

or

http://stores.ebay.com/herbnhome_Unicorns_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ12656590QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Thank you for looking :)

Blessings & Health,

Kristie

QUOTE of the week by Picasso

I was at the Art Center having lunch a couple weeks ago and the hostess recieved a birthday card with the following quote:

- "It takes a long time to become young" - Picasso

Such a wonderful concept to ponder...

NEW PIANO method has a touch of Waldorf :)

Dear Parents,

There is a new piano method created by a previous neighbor and (current) friend of mine - Sarah Lyngra. I have seen and used most of her books and they teach piano through stories and colors. Sound familiar? She sends out a monthly newsletter and has so many clever ideas such as a monthly "music sudoko" (Mudoko) and many more! Check out her site at:

http://www.yellowcatpublishing.com/

IN THE NEWS: Chinese Toys

I am sure none of you have missed the articles in the news lately about the dangers of some Chinese toys. It looks like appreciation of handmade &/or natural toys are finally seeing their time in the spotlight!

However, in the chaos that has emerged from this I want to remind people not to make their choices based on fear. Information and research are the best way to shop. I know of some wonderful fair trade products that come out of China, as well as some products that are sub-standard made by crafters or made in the USA. So before you buy anything make sure you have all the information you can on the person who made the product and how they made it. Even though the newspapers are finally "on our side" we don't want to make the mistake of blindly following what we are told to do. Keep doing your own research and following your own intuition. That said...

There was one article, however, that stood out for me because it was so shocking. Here is a quote from that article:"You might be surprised to hear Chinese suppliers complaining that the prices at Wal-Mart are too low, but that is just what this translated article appears to be saying. The complaint is related to the retailer's classic fallback position of slashing prices across the board in order to boost sales whenever revenue performance is lagging.

Although Wal-Mart has tried to increase profits by recruiting a different kind of customer -- one who is interested in more fashionable clothes and name-brand products and has the money to buy them -- its classic price chops continue to serve as an old, reliable crutch. In other words, it will likely never recover from the "always low prices" mantra it has built for itself.

So it's interesting that many of the retailer's largest Chinese suppliers are now saying they can't continue to supply Wal-Mart with the "low prices" it requires of them. It's quite a retail epiphany when a Chinese supplier says that it can't supply products as cheaply as retail requires. Only Wal-Mart has this kind of power, and if these vendor and supplier feelings are true, then signs of desperation are probably starting to swirl in the hallways of Bentonville right now.

PRODUCT: Playsilks to Dye

A friend recommended the following site to purchase plain playsilks from:

http://www.thaisilks.com/

once purchased, you can use natural dyes to color them! This makes a great project for the children and is also an affordable way to double the costumes in your dress-up trunk. It is amazing what children can do with playsilks!

MAGAZINE: Living Crafts

A new magazine called "Living Crafts" has come out from the Waldorf community and met with a wonderful response from even the non-Waldorf crowd. It is being carried by Michaels and Barnes & Noble as well as available online. Finally! I look forward to seeing more issues.

Do you have UFOs in your house?

Dear Friends,

I just heard the term "UFO" used to mean "un-finished object". I thought it was so cute I wanted to share it with you all just in case you have not heard it before. I was writing to another crafter about crafting and projects we are doing and her response included, "I have a lot of UFOs in my house"

NATURE WALK: What ever happened to Cloud Gazing?

Has it been dreary and cold in your town too? We sometimes forget that along with those dreary days come some gorgeous clouds! Take a look at this society online that makes it their job to appreciate clouds and share that appreciation with others - you will be inspired to take a nature walk and do some cloud gazing. Does anyone have any good cloud-gazing stories?

Link here:

CLOUD APPRECIATION SOCIETY

PARENT CRAFT: Baby or Doll Sling

Dear Parents,

I am not very good at sewing and to make it worse I really don't like to sew! However, when my daughter was born I managed to make a sling for her and a few years later I made a smaller one so she could carry around her dolls - she LOVE them. Give it a try for a holiday gift. Make your child a sling for their dolls or animals and save a lot of money! You are basically paying for the price of a little bit of fabric.

Here is a nice online link on how to make them:

http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1894

ALERT: Linseed Oil Self-Ignites

Dear Waldorf Parents,

Just as "safe and natural" herbs sometimes have dangerous contraindications so do other natural products. Be sure to use everything you have with wisdom and knowlege - if it is "natural" or not!

There are many reports (confirmed by a firefighter as well) that cloths soaked in linseed (used sometimes to put a natural finish on wood or remove old paint) will SELF-IGNITE. Please be aware of this if you are going to use this natural product and be sure to clean and store cloths related to this oil properly.

Blankie Jeans

Dear Parents,

I wanted to share with you what my daughter, Sofi, did with her old Blankie today. She is 8-years-old and her grandmother quilted her a blanket when she was very little. She loves it so much and once when I was sick I had nothing else I could do so I sat for 4 hours and sewed up all the ripped parts! But they ripped again so today she cut out pieces from it and designed a new pair of 8-year-old jeans. I just thought that was so cool! Here's a picture:

LESSON: From a Car Accident Yesterday

Dear Members,

Yesterday I was in the first car accident of my life. I had some injury to my back and neck. They say there are no broken bones but I have to wait a few days to see if the pain and swelling are just muscle stress or something more serious. I am hoping it all just gets better in a few days. Right now I am just able to work very slowly but I am thankful for a lot of things and I wanted to share these with you so you can learn from what happened to me and perhaps have a little time to reflect on the things that you are thankful for today.

I am thankful that...

1. ...The kids were in the backseat. Sometimes I do let the older child sit in front, but if he had been sitting in front he would have rammed his head into the dashboard and not the soft seat in front of him. Note to self - NEVER let even an older child sit in front!

2. ...The kids were wearing their seatbelts. Sometimes they "forget" and I have to remind them. And sometimes I forget to remind them and we go a few blocks before I realize they are not belted in. Note to self: Be 100% diligent about reminding them and don't forget in the future AT ALL!

3. ...I was wearing my seatbelt. I was rammed into very hard from behind. If I had not been wearing my seatbelt I imagine my face would not be too pretty right now.

4. ...That is was not worse. About the only thing I can do today is type a little and sit. So I was reading the paper a bit and there was a story about a lady who was in a similar accident 4 years ago and the spine injuries she sustained cause paralysis. She is looking for donations for a surgery that she needs. I think I will send some money.

5. ...That I was not talking on my cell phone or eating while I was driving. I have to admit (shame on me) that I occassionally did this in the past. Well, I realize if I HAD been doing that last night the accident would have been much worse. I had fast enough reflexes and was focused enough that I stopped before I hit the car in front of me. Of course my car hit him eventually anyway after the car behind me hit ME but the accident would have been much worse if I had not been completely focused on my driving at that moment.

6...That is was rush hour and traffic was slow. I usually hate 73rd street because of the slow traffic. I am learning to appreciate it now.

Wishing you all a safe driving day!

Blessings & Health,
Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND
www.thedreamangels.com

FREE KNITTING PATTERN: Seahorse or Mermicorn

Dear Members,

I have a knitting pattern for a seahorse on a PDF file that I created. You
can access it at our group site. It is my way of saying "Thank You" for being part of the group. If you are not already part of the group you can become a member to access the free patterns.

FREE SEAHORSE OR MERMICORN PATTERN

However,if you prefer I also sell the pattern for $1.00 on Ebay at:

SEAHORSE OR MERMICORN PATTERN ONLY $1.00

ENJOY!

STORIES: Apple Star - NEW Story!

This post can now be found on our new BLOG HERE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Alternatives to OTC Cold Meds

This is now located at www.BEarthBLOG.com

FREE: "How to Start Your Own Waldorf Enrichment Program"

You can get a very comprehesive packet on how to start your own Waldorf Enrichment Program either for your own family, a co-op or for profit. You can download the packets and e-books for free at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorfschoolonline/files/

ORGANIZING IDEAS: Creative Use of Baskets

I love having everything in my craft room and art room (some people call it the dining room) organized in pretty baskets so that everything is always ready to be used and I am more inspired to do my crafts and art and so are the kids. This basket organization system works wonders for our creativity. I can sit down any time and pick up my knitting basket and start to work. Suni often grabs the basket of wood to whitle and Sofi and her friends love to grab the baskets of paper and colored pencils. Having things out in view like this really helps inspire items to be used!

The only problem I was having with this organization system was that my CATS were always getting into the felting material. And they LOVE to sleep on it. I finally found a solution!!! Those adorable baskets with a hole on top. The small ones are meant to be kleenex holders and the large ones are meant to be picnic baskets that provide extra space for bottles and larger items. This one (see picture) is wonderful for my stuffing! Now the cats don't mess it up anymore and I always have it handy for my projects - no need to hide it anymore in a cuboard now that it looks cute :). I don't think I have opened most of my cupboads in a month anyway.

ORGANIZING IDEAS: Tea Tin Pencil Holders

I often buy this wonderful tea from Barnes & Noble that comes in these lovely tins that I hate to throw out so I was keeping them for a while...not knowing what to do with them. Then, the other day I had some kids over and I needed a place to put the markers they were going to use to color with (I'm also using this for my colored pencils). We don't get the markers out too often so they were all nice and organized in color order in the bag...I couldn't bear to have them all mixed in a basket. So I took out the tea-tins and - voila! A wonderful way to organize any colored drawing tools! I was even able to match the colored markers to the colors on the tins :)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Are you an Indigo Adult?

Dear Parents,

We often spend so much time working on our children than we forget to look at ourselves and how we can understand and help ourselves more. I found the following article on the Indigo network and found it interesting. We often look for signs in our children of Indigo, Special, Gifted, etc...but what about YOU, the parent?

Are you an Indigo adult?
Are you gifted with a brilliant mind and special intuitive skills yet people tell you that you should not use it. Do you hate injustice? Do you find it difficult to handle authority? Do you feel you where misunderstood all your life?

Indigo children where born all through out times. Only recently, in the 1970’s, Indigos where born on a much lager scale all over the world. So by now most Indigo children are Indigo adults.

Indigo children are supposedly a set of people having certain special psychological and spiritual attributes. The indigo child concept was first popularized by the book, The Indigo Children, written by the husband and wife team of Lee Carroll and Jan Tober, with the contributions of medical doctors, psychologists, and parents whose essays are included in the text. The adjective "indigo" is used because it is claimed these children appear with an indigo-hued energy field (aura).

Indigos process their emotions differently than non Indigos because they have high self-esteem and strong integrity. They have inherently strong determination to work things through for themselves and only want outside guidance if it's presented to them with respect and within a format of true choice. They prefer to work situations out for themselves.

They can suck up knowledge like a sponge, especially if they like or are drawn to a subject, which makes them very advanced in their areas of interest. Experiencing life helps them learn best, so they create the experiences they need to help them with their current problem or area where they need to grow. They respond best when treated like a respected adult.

Indigos are born masters — each and every one! We have to understand that they fully expect every one of us to do what they are doing naturally, and if we don't, they keep pushing our buttons until we get it right — that is, until we become the masters of our own lives.

Safety is very important, because all children need to feel safe to fully explore their universe. For Indigos, safety means that it's okay to do things differently! Giving everyone this space is the best thing we can do for children and for ourselves.

One thesis of The Indigo Children seems to be that many children diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder (ADD) or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) represent "a new kind of evolution of humanity." These children don't need drugs like Ritalin, but special care and training.

One can understand why many parents would not want their child to be labeled as ADD or ADHD. The label implies imperfection. Some may even take it to mean the child is "damaged." Specifically, it means your child's behavior is due to a neuro-biological condition. To some, this is the same as having a malfunctioning brain or a mental disorder. Understandably, emotions run high here. The National Institute of Mental Health says that ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorder.

Indigo’s: special people with a lot of gifts to bring in. Unfortunately these people where often misunderstood and therefore treated as if not normal. This is one of the reasons most Indigo’s are now damaged people having all kind of disorders or difficulties within the family or other relationships.

QUOTE: Making Time

I think the following essay strikes a chord with all of us parents:

The Time You Find
Simplifying Your Schedule

For many, life is a hodgepodge of never-ending commitments. Yet few
of us can be truly healthy or happy without regular periods of
downtime. While there is nothing inherently wrong with busyness,
those of us who over-commit or over-extend ourselves potentially
face exhaustion and burnout. When you feel overwhelmed by your
commitments, examining your motivation for taking on so many
obligations can help you understand why you feel compelled to do so
much. You may discover that you are being driven by fear that no one
else will do the job or guilt that you aren't doing enough. To
regain your equilibrium and clear the clutter from your calendar,
simplify your life by establishing limits regarding what you will
and will not do based on your personal priorities.

Determining where your priorities lie can be as easy as making two
lists: one that outlines all those obligations that are vital to
your wellbeing, such as work, meditation, and exercise, and another
that describes everything you do that is not directly related to
your wellbeing. Although there will likely be items in the latter
list that excite your passion or bring you joy, you may discover
that you devote a large portion of your time to unnecessary
activities. To simplify your schedule, consider which of these
unnecessary activities add little value to your life and edit them
from your agenda. Remember that you may need to ask for help, say no
firmly, or delegate responsibility in order to distance yourself
from such encumbrances. However, as you divest yourself of non-vital
obligations that cause you stress, serve no purpose, or rob you of
opportunities to refresh yourself, you will feel more energetic and
enthusiastic about life in general.

If simplifying your schedule seems prohibitively difficult and you
still feel pressed to take on more, try imagining how each new
commitment will impact your life before saying yes. When you
consider the hassle associated with superfluous obligations, you may
be surprised to see that your schedule is impeding your attempts to
grow as an individual. Your willingness to pare down your agenda, no
matter how gradual your progress, will empower you to retake active
control of the life that defines you.

GREAT PRODUCT: Brambleberry Tea

I love this site because it has SAMPLES available AND it offers tea bags - two things you often don't find in one site. Check them out (and remember I don't accept payments or do advertising. I just discover great things and pass on the news to you):

http://www.brambleberry.com/herbs.html

MOM'S CRAFT: Knitted Teacups

This site has a gorgeous pattern for knitted teacups. The pattern seems a challenge but the result is worth it!

http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2007/08/safe_toys_you_can_make.html

IN THE NEWS: Bad News about TV...Again

A friend of mine sent me the following article:

By Anne Harding
Fri Sep 7, 11:30 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young children who watch more than a couple of hours of television a day are more likely to have attention problems as adolescents, researchers from New Zealand have found.

The two-hour point is very, very clear with our data, very consistent with what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends," Carl Erik Landhuis of the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago, the study's first author, told Reuters Health.

"We're not saying don't watch TV, just don't watch too much TV," he added.

While there is a widespread perception that TV can contribute to attention problems, there is actually very little data on the issue, Landhuis noted in an interview. To investigate, he and his colleagues looked at 1,037 boys and girls born in 1972 and 1973, following them from age 5 to 15.

On average, kids watched about 2 hours of TV daily when they were 5 to 11 years old, but were watching 3.13 hours on weekdays by age 13 to 15.

Study participants who had watched more than 2 hours of TV in early childhood were more likely to have attention problems as young teens, the researchers found. Those who watched more than 3 hours were at even greater risk.

The researchers used statistical techniques to control for the effects of attention problems in early childhood and other factors that could influence both TV watching and later attention difficulties. They found that TV watching, both in early childhood and in adolescence, independently influenced the risk of these problems in adolescence.

"Although it doesn't prove causation, it certainly provides evidence that the causal link is in that direction," Landhuis said.

He and his colleagues suggest that kids who get used to watching lots of attention-grabbing TV may find ordinary life situations -- like the classroom -- boring. It's also possible, they add, that TV may simply crowd out time spent doing other activities that can build attention and concentration skills, such as reading and playing games.

It's likely, Landhuis said, that kids today watch much more TV than the participants in his study, who had only 2 channels to choose from in the late 1970s.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, September 2007.

GREAT WEBSITE: Dailyom.com

I have discovered a wonderful website I wanted to share with all you parents. The following post I was sent from their site last week was very inspiring to me as a Waldorf mom:

Conscious Brilliance
Autumn's Beauty

The birth of autumn is an event missed by many. Autumn reveals itself slowly, hovering on the edges of our consciousness until its crisp breezes are strong enough to pierce our summer clothing, and we notice for the first time the transformations taking place all around us. It is only when the last fruits and vegetables have emerged in the crisp tangy air and the trees have begun to deck themselves in shifting patterns of crimson and gold that we internalize that fall has indeed returned. Autumn is invigorating and a time to gather our thoughts, in the same way that we might once have collected crops. Just as animals collect acorns to store them, we reap the fruit of our accomplishments. Autumn also ushers in a new slowness of being for most of us, as the tone and tempo of our lives change along with those of all of Mother Earth's children.

As the days grow shorter and the blossoms that brightened our gardens through summer's heat begin to droop and wilt, we tend to acknowledge the changing season without understanding that we, too, are in transition. The brilliance of autumn's foliage, the flocks of southbound geese honking overhead, and the arrival of a bountiful harvest are all signs that our lives will soon be changing. Whether the season's cooler days are a prelude to a cold winter or a long stretch of sweater weather, we feel obliged to slow down and take stock of our lives. Autumn's pleasures and rituals revolve around the gathering of abundance in preparation for the winter to come. There is ample time to contemplate what we accomplished during the warmer seasons while tasting the year's first cider or breathing in the sweet fragrance of leaves breaking down. The same stirring that inspires animals to burrow deep into the earth compels us to celebrate the rich bounty we instinctively know will not appear again until springtime.

Appearances deceive in autumn. The transformations undergone by living beings seem much more like endings than the transitions they really are. Dormancy, not death, is the hallmark of fall. Your priorities will likely change as nature flares into sunset brilliance and then lapses slowly into slumber, but remember to rejoice in the beauty of nature where every finale serves as an overture for a new beginning.

DailyOM.com