31 Days of Summer... or Moonlit Ramblings

The summer has passed by so quickly that I had to catch myself tonight as I realized that there are only 31 days left until I return to school. Don't get me wrong, September and the beginning of a new year always bring a smile and a warm excitement that only a teacher can have...but my carefree summer days are quite precious too. For the past year, my relationship with myself and others has been out of balance. My priorities have been skewed out of necessity and my mothering skills have been not quite up to par. The past month has brought a bit of solace, and bit of much needed personal space with which I have relished time to sit and think and ponder and just be. I have also had a lot of time to spend with Nina, and although it is mostly challenging and dreadfully humbling to be a mother of a two year old, it is also purely perfect. So perfect in fact that the thought of going back to work and not having snuggle time in the mornings makes me very sad (in a good way :). The past month has also allowed me to catch up on my reading and I keep slipping back into research mode and "how to better myself" mode.

So I pulled out two of my Waldorf teaching books this week in an attempt to heal some of the parenting mishaps that are upon us as of late. The beauty of re-reading these books is remembering the importance of RHYTHM and how we all thrive on it, and have since the beginning of time. Nina and I have had a really "rhythmically great" week together, sitting down for breakfast each morning together, baking and singing through the activities of the day. Steiner was so obsessed with the daily flow of life that he even assigned a grain and a color to each day of the week that symbolize different forces that work within us or different nutrients that we need. I'm not quite there yet...

Anyhoo... I often forget how simple and beautiful the rituals of life can be. Nina now asks for napkins on the table and helps make tea in the morning. She loves having something and someone to rely upon, as she should. Taking life into consideration and stepping back to provide this consistency for her (and also for myself) seems to be very healing. However iconic and idealistic it may sound, the peacefulness of these days feels like the way that it used to be when lives were simpler and less chaotic (Monday market day, Tuesday ironing, Wednesday wash day...etc.)It feels like a meaningful way to spend the summer...immersing ourselves in new rituals and making the daily chores and happenings beautiful and precious.. It's not perfect mind you...yesterday I couldn't wait for her nap and I couldn't wait for 5:00 to roll around so that I could drink my toddler-induced day away...but I'll keep trying! :)

That said...I'm starting a little project with myself tomorrow that I've entitled 31 Days of Summer. I'm hoping to try and create some lasting rituals and daily rhythms with Nina in order to "order" our lives a bit and bring some peace back into the household in honor of these last days of summer ...just simple, beautiful, small things ( some new, some that we've done before) that I'd love to integrate into each day in order to help us get back on track. :)

Summer Ritual # 1: The Beauty of Naptime - The peace on a child's face as they fall asleep is wonderful. Lately I've been taking more time to help Nina go to sleep in a quiet, harmonious way rather than throwing her in the crib and running for the door! :) We have a bit of lavender water that we wash our hands in before bed, and I stay just a little longer in the room as she falls asleep for her nap. I read my book in her chair and she falls asleep in her bed. The look that she has as she drifts off is most definitely one to hold on to forever. I will always be thankful for the time I've had to do this over the summer.