Valentine's day and a bit more



Happy Valentine's Day for yesterday!

I surprised my family with a heart inspired breakfast.
Heart shaped French toast and heart chocolates for everyone.

Annie was so excited and loved helping me cover the table with rose petals.
It was such a small effort on my part, but so deeply appreciated by everyone.

I hope that you had a wonderful day of love.

I had a bit of a sad time last week.
Sohail went to New York for a week.

It was just me and my two little angels.

I really had to work on the bedtime routine, since I did not have Sohail's help in the evenings.

I realised, thanks to learning more from Mr Rudolph Steiner (during my really really quiet evenings), how important rhythm is.

I have always known how children do better when there is a routine.
They know what is coming.
So they feel secure.
And that is always something that I have instilled at home.

But.

I am a creature who is always craving to learn and grow.
So, I tweak things here and there.
And don't always follow things the same way at home.

I find it a bit boring, really.

But I spent the last week with the same rhythm.

Songs, verses, poems for transitions.
The same music playing before bed.
The same bath oil.

By the end of the week, I understood.

We were in a sacred dance.

We all knew what was coming.
And we all felt secure.
Not just them.

But me.

I knew what was coming.
And I was not floundering about, wondering why one of them was having a melt down.

Rhythm is more than a routine.

It is a sacred journey you take with your family.

And I am only just discovering it's beauty.

Thank you Mr Steiner, I will be exploring more of your work.

I spent the whole of Sunday at a full day yoga and meditation workshop.

It was the longest that I have ever been away from Xavier.

We were instructed to leave our "shoulds" at the door.
I didn't bother to pick mine up on the way out, we were told that they would dispose of them humanely.

We spent the day filling up our tanks.

Replenishing our souls.
Not doing anything we "should", but only what was good for us.

We even ate chocolate and blueberry muffins.
The whole day was food for the soul.

I look forward to the next one.
If you are in Melbourne and would like to come, contact me, I will give you the details.

So, my life is good right now.

I hope that you are finding some rhythm in your life.
And you are not doing anything that you should.

Only what fills up your tank.

Blessings to you.

Comments

  1. hmmm...I think I really need to work on rhythm. we are just fly by the seat of our pants, kind of peole and perhaps this is part of our struggle. thank you. and happy love day to you, too. xo

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  2. I thrive on rhythm and structure, if things aren't organised it seems to disturb me. It sounds like your week worked well and was full of learning for all of you. I enjoy reading how you step away and reflect on things so thoughtfully.

    A whole day to focus on your spirit sounds wonderful, I would really like to do something like this. Is there a particular type of yoga you would recommend to someone new to it?

    I'm glad your Valentine's day was full of love and special moments. Enjoy your Tuesday Ola. xo

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  3. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too! Right now I feel like the shoulds are piling up on me. I need to spend more time simplifying so I don't have so many shoulds, but I need help with that since both my kiddos are so small.

    Kudos to you for implementing a routine. It is tough; I struggle with it as well. And it's especially difficult when my little man bucks against the routine - which he has been doing a lot lately. But it's so important.

    This week I am going to start going to a Zumba class that will just be for me. And I'll think of your words and hold it as my own. To fill up my tank.

    Thank you for this post!

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  4. Sounds so nice Ola- the breakfast, the rhythm and the yoga day!! Glad you had some time for yourself- hard to come by as a mama! xo m.

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  5. it is so wonderful to hear you coming from such a peaceful space. i have a lot of respect for steiner and find it actually compliments montessori when used in the home environment. our rhythm has been shifting and i am feeling a little uneasy and unsettled. i am going to follow your lead.

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  6. It's so lovely how the more you give to yourself, there more of you there is to give! The same seems to apply to every area of our lives.

    I love how you give so much of yourself in this public-private spot for the benefit of yourself and others... It's really touching.

    To those of you who read her blog: yes, she is as beautiful and has as wonderful and loving a spirit as what you think she does!

    How blessed we are to have her in our lives. How blessed I am to have her (mostly) to myself.

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  7. One of the simplest and sweetest explanations of rhythm in the home.

    I thrive on change, but as a mama I embrace the meaning in routine/rhythm.
    I can't say we do the same things all the time, but I retain a few significant things at significant times (reading in bed before sleep...)

    What do you mean by transitions?

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  8. @Catherine, I practise a form of yoga called Dru. It is very gentle, but also very potent. It has transformed my life since I started it last year. I recommend it highly!

    @Monica, by transitions I mean going from one thing to another. Like from playing to going upstairs for the bath. We have started singing "We're going on a bear hunt" when we go upstairs to bath and the children absolutely love it. Sohail tried to get Xavier to go upstairs and he said no, until Sohail started singing the song and then Xavier was off immediately. It's quite amazing how much they love the fantasy and songs. It's something I am working on because it doesn't come naturally, but I must say that I enjoy it too!

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  9. beautiful post ola.
    i love your description " sacred dance".
    you have a beautiful way with words and it always feels so peaceful here.
    i always loved routine when my babes were little. it gets harder when they become so involved in outside activities but still i love routine and feel it necessary for a calm life.
    thank you for the sweet words you left my way- you are always so kind.

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  10. Your family is so lucky to have you. That table is breaking.

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