A Place Like This......

Visiting EarthMama and a Big Giveaway

 

Photo by Lisa DeNardo

 

This week sees me out visiting friends. My kid lit blog Jump into a Book is happily a sponsor of the Earthmama herself Lisa Denardo. As part of our sponsor giveaway we are hosting this list of wonderful books to get everyone in the mood for summer.

~Over in the Meadow, by Ezra Jack Keats~
~The Sun Egg, by Elsa Beskow~
~Peter in Blueberry Land, by Elsa Beskow~
~The Kids’ Summer Handbook, by Jane Drake and Ann Love~
~Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome~
~Mud Pies and Other Recipes, by Marjorie Winslow~

 

Can you believe summer is just around the corner?

To enter head on over to Earthmama 101 and pick up some great ideas for creative living as well.

On This Second Day of December: Bookended

On this second day of December there is a thick frost on the ground which  makes me think of sitting by a nice fire reading. Though there are many special books I could recommend, today I'll share a couple of things I wouldn't want you to miss.

The most important is that one lucky family will be receiving 30 hardcover Jan Brett books next week. Today is the last day of the 30 book Jan Brett giveaway over at Jump into a Book.  It has been such an exciting time ! Please stop over and say hello.

Yesterday the new Rhythm of the Home Winter Edition came out. I'm so honored to have an article inside it's cozy and creative pages. For this edition we shared the time we got horribly lost only to discover Louisa May Alcott's house and her very famous neighbors. As with each new edition the Rhythm of the Home Blog is hosting a giveaway. There you will find many wonderful handmade crafts and other treasures. There is also a collection of Louisa May Alcott books being given away. It goes from today until December 5th. 

The last little bit of news I'll share today is a discovery I made earlier this week about an organization called Better World Books. I learned that my book The Fox Diaries is being sold as a new book through them. I was beyond thrilled. This is an incredible organization changing the world one book at a time.

Their Story:

In 2002, 3 university students began selling textbooks online. Though their buisness thrived, they wanted to further their business by enhancing literacy worldwide by gathering used books meant for the landfill and selling them.

Their business model is a conscious and compassionate one, allowing them to take what is already here i.e. books, and generate revenue to support literacy and make a profit. They have an active employee profit sharing program which makes everyone an integral part of the business.

Here are some ways they contribute to literacy:

• They take old books from libraries and sell them. Part of the proceeds are given back to the library to puchase new books.
• Better World Books supports book drives, collecting used books and text books. They gather them from a network of 1,800 college campuses and partnerships with 3000 libraries nationwide.

To date, Better World Books has converted more than 80 million pounds of books into $10,407,405.00 raised for literacy and libraries. 66,579,689 books have been reused or recycled.

For each book you buy, one book is given. They have the best prices anywhere plus free shipping.

If you are considering buying books this holiday season, please consider buying from Better World Books and make an impact on global literacy. 

 

 

KAL and the 19 Book Elsa Beskow Giveaway

I haven't shown you my KAL that I'm doing over at Linda's for a couple of weeks because my cardi became attached and it started looking like a straight jacket. After frogging that mess back I ended up knitting in the wrong direction for a really long while. See what happens when you talk and knit? So back to frogging I went. Finally this week I'm back on track but I'm really thinking of making this a long cardi/vest so I can wear it while I take my long walks. 

At first I was doubting my yarn choice but now I think it will be so cozy and I can see the lovely pattern clearly now. I don't think this is a sweater for a giant any longer but a chunky version of the exsisting pattern. I'll just keep knitting happily along.

On a different note completely....

Today I've gotten to realize one of my dreams and that is to give away all of the existing Elsa Beskow books I could get my hands on. Over at my children's book blog Jump Into A Book, I'll be giving away 19 Elsa Beskow books to one person/family. I have many more giveaways planned throughout the summer  and fall. I think one of the best things in life is to play inside our books but the next best thing is to give them away. To find out all the details head on over to Jump Into A Book. Good Luck

 

 

Winner of the Giveaway Announced!!!

 

 
Photo by Marcy Coalter from the Little Acorn April Enrichment Guide

 

I want to thank everyone who stopped by to leave a comment and shared their fun adventures with us. I hope you'll consider using one of the enrichment guides to nurture yourselves and your little ones by. Not only are they stuffed with crafts but other items of interest are weekly contemplations and thoughts, music, book lists for each week and many more wonderful ways to share time together with our children.

A big thank you to Eileen for letting us get to know her a little better and for making our days, weeks, and months brighter because of the care and creativity she gives.  Be well everyone and have a great rest of the weekend.

 

Giveaway from Little Acorn Learning

 A little over a year ago I virtually met Eileen Straiton from Little Acorn Learning. The moment I received her e-newsletter, I immediately felt nurtured by her daily creative caring. As the year has progressed I've had the honor and pleasure of collaborating with Eileen on her newsletter and working as a contributing author for the Little Acorn Enrichment Guides.

Her bright energy, kindness, good humor and creativity never cease to amaze me. I thought you might like to meet her too and so today she is visiting and at the end of this post a giveaway for your very own edition of the April Enrichment Guide.

 

Tell us a little bit about you and your family.

 

My husband and I have four daughters ages 17, 10, 6 and 4.  We live in a small town in Connecticut and strive to create a home filled with warmth, love and creativity.I run Little Acorn Playgarden out of the lower level of our home.  I also publish the Little Acorn Learning guides which support parents, homeschoolers and caregivers in their work with children. Our daughters attend our local school and enjoy coming home to our playgarden each day.  I work hard to enrich their lives with nature, crafting, baking, song, artistic activities and domestic tasks.  I like to call us ‘waldorf afterschoolers’ and the term inspired me to create a new monthly enrichment program for other parents and teachers working with school aged children. My husband, Brian, works full time and also enjoys woodworking and creates many fun project with our girls in his workshop. 

 

2. What led you to starting a day-care center in your home and how long have you had your nature based daycare?

Before my work with young children, I was a direct mail advertising executive working crazy hours.  I desperately wanted to find a way to be home with my daughters and was frustrated with the childcare offered at many of the centers I visited.  After a brief time of freelancing from home, I decided to open up my playgarden and created the childcare program that I had dreamt about for my own children.  Our little ‘school’ opened in 2005 and I have been so lucky to have such wonderful families that also support me in finding balance as I raise my daughters. 

 

3.       How did you first become introduced to Waldorf?

I rediscovered myself after becoming a mother and sought out anything I could find on how to provide my children with a healthy childhood.  I was naturally drawn to the beauty and truth behind the philosophy of Waldorf Education. It not only supports the healthy development of a child’s physical being but also that of the child’s soul.  I feel this is so very important, especially in the times we live in now; to develop the whole child – head, heart and hands.

 
 

 

4.    What inspired you to start your own publishing company?

Little Acorn Learning began as a monthly childcare program that I used in my own childcare center.  I decided to offer my monthly ‘guides’ to others who work with children each day and the response was amazing.  The guides offer crafts, recipes, songs, games, book recommendations and caregiver inner-work for the well-being of the adult. 

In addition to our original monthly guides we have added natural childcare menus, seasonal celebration ebooks, ecourses and our new monthly enrichment program which has taken a unique form of almost an ezine with contributions from amazing writers and bloggers based on weekly themes.

 

5.    I know everyone is going to want an answer to this next question, Where do you find time to get it all done?”

Finding balance is a real challenge for me.  I struggle just like all working parents to manage home, family, work and self-care.  I often have to shift things around to make it work.  I get overwhelmed sometimes – many times.  I remind myself often that my main responsibility is to be a good parent and wife.  That will always be my most important job in life… the rest is just a bonus. 

 I am very lucky to have a husband who cooks dinner many nights and helps with dishes, baths and bedtime stories when need be.  He is a wonderful father and I’m so grateful to have him.  I also have great kids who do their part around the house when asked and are very responsible. 

 One thing I am working on now is finding time to include more silence in my life.  As you can imagine, working with children and having a large family makes that very difficult.  I have begun by including walks alone, yoga classes and time outdoors into my schedule.  Nature heals me and brings me back to center when life gets too crazy. 

For a chance to win the April Edition please leave a comment below. The Giveaway ends on Friday at 8 pm EST.

 

This is a completely enchanting edition for the whole family to enjoy. Eileen says:"The Afterschool Enrichment books are different from our regular 3 day and 5 day lesson plan guides... the Enrichment books follow the
rhythm of a weekly theme with the flexibility that teachers, homeschoolers and afterschooling parents need to enrich their children's
Waldorf learning experience at home or school.  Our new Monthly Enrichment Guides are filled to the rim with crafts, recipes,
activities, stories and inner-work suggestions and they follow a weekly theme to keep your home or school following a seasonal rhythm.  
They are not structured like classroom lesson plans, as our Childcare Lesson Plan Guides are and keep older children in mind along with
the caregiver.  They are created so you can use the ideas as time allows without having each day specifically planned out for you

 For more information about April's Enrichment Guide have a look here.

 Comments are now closed. I want to thank everyone who participated. We'll have a winner announcement soon.

Puppy Love on Halloween

Here it is November 1st. Look what I woke up to this morning!

 
Before I delve into sharing, I wanted to remind everyone about the giveaway. It's open through tomorrow. Goodluck, you just might win.

I could start off this blog post by showing photos of cute little children and a cute guy in a witch's hat.

 
or I could share this sad little tale of a WWII airplane made out of cardboard that wouldn't fit into the car for a trick or treating extravaganza. Honestly, it was more like a theater piece than a costume. So this boy with the sad face had to explain to everyone all night long what he was. It went something like this: "I was a WWII pilot with a plane but we couldn't fit it into the car and so now I'm a deck hand on an aircraft carrier." The best line of the whole weekend is when this sweet boy looked at his parents with tears in his eyes and said,"You're taking the lemonade out of my lemons." Hey buddy, maybe we can use your airplane for the Christmas parade float. ;) Ta-dah, the lemonade is back.

   

The story I really want to share with you today is about a new puppy. My best friend has a whippet named Lucy. We all greatly love her and she loves us too. She let's us know this by almost jumping over our heads each time she sees us and giving many hugs and kisses.

 

Lucy now has a little brother,.....Coco.

 

 
Lucy was not feeling sure at first if she would like this newcomer. Doing what dogs do best.......she rolled him.

 

 
"Ok, I think he'll do just fine but remember, I'm the queen." From this point on everywhere Lucy went Coco followed.

 

 

Welcome little Coco.

 

 

Meet Donna and a Great Giveaway

This past Spring I was introduced to the wonderful programs at The Waldorf Connection. Donna Ashton is the creator and owner of the Waldorf Connection where she brings some of the best in Waldorf Education to teach and share their knowledge. I wanted to know more about this homeschooling mother of twins and so I've invited her to share a little bit about herself, her family, and what's new this Autumn over at the Waldorf Connection.

Please welcome Donna Ashton. Be sure to check out the generous GIVEAWAY that Donna has generously offered to one lucky reader.

Welcome Donna....

First, tell us a little about yourself.

I have been married 19 years (yikes!) to a wonderful man who is my best friend. The birth of my twin daughters began a transformation for me spiritually and emotionally that I am growing into.   They have already taught me so much and in turn, I am passing on my knowledge of homeschooling using Waldorf-inspired methods. 

In my “past life” I was a supervisor at a telecommunications company, an office manager, and in my days out of college, I was a visual merchandiser (a fancy name for one who does the window displays at a clothing store).  I grew up expecting to become a singer. (Haven’t totally given up on yet!) I am a Master Gardener; I love herbs and flowers and working in the garden.

Until a few years ago I couldn’t cook or bake a thing. Now, I love baking and my girls are great cooks at age 8.  I am creative in a lot of ways, but not mechanical. (Have a handy-man hubby for all of that)

I hope to grow my service business to reach many families and down the line publish a few children’s books.

 

       When and how did you first discover Waldorf? 

 

  Well, you can hear about this in an upcoming workshop (nov.) but I will tell you it was by accident! I was reading a book that mentioned Waldorf a few times, so I checked it out and that was that!  My girls were about 3 ½ at the time.

 

 What is it about Waldorf that felt right to you? 

 

 Everything! It was like all the things I was already doing for my girls finally had a name. The gentle way the education unfolds, the beauty of the creative expressions, the simple toys and nature exploration. It all resonated with me.

 

   When did you decide to home school? 

   I had thought about it a few times and as Lily & Brooke turned 4, it was decided they would not continue on in preschool (They had attended a 3 days a week morning group) I was going to be the teacher!

What has been your biggest challenge as a Waldorf home schooling mom?

 

     Understanding the concepts behind the wonderful curriculum and being able to bring them to my children. Trying not to feel isolated by finding others in my “tribe” who understand what I am doing.

  What brought you to creating the Waldorf Connection?

 

      I thought, I can’t be the only one who needs help! This became an outlet to help me and many others, as well as, mom’s who make their living providing Waldorf-inspired curricula, crafts, etc.

    What programs is the Waldorf Connection offering this season?

We are kicking off in October with an intensive early childhood Telecourse.  This is a bit different than the Teleseminars we have done in the past. It is an intimate, interactive workshop that goes into the 5 keys of raising a happy child & creating a peaceful home. We are limiting the number of people, so if this sounds of interest, have a look here.

November is a Fall Mini-series in our old format, free calls and free 48-replays!    6 great workshops including form drawing, Waldorf basics,  and the 9-yr change. Register at http://thewaldorfconnection.com

On Thursday Donna is hosting a free call " 3 Ways to Create a Nourishing Home for your Child", with (3) Waldorf Early Childhood teachers to give you a few "behind-the-scenes" inspirations you can take back and implement right away!

This is a bit different then previous. You MUST register at this link  http://waldorfhomeschoolingassociation.comto receive the "back stage pass".

 

Donna, thanks so much for sharing a little bit about yourself.

 

You can follow Donna on her homeschool blog at School for all Seasons.

 

GIVEAWAY

 

 Donna is giving away Carrie Dendtler's workshop on "The First 7 Year Cycle."

Carrie is such a brillant teacher and has so much to share.

 

To win just leave a comment. Contest ends tomorrow morningg  8 AM. and then we'll announce the winner.

 

Comments closed.

 

 

The Most Incredible Giveaway

When I read about this giveaway I knew I had to share it. I've never heard of a giveaway this big but here it is. What would you think about winning a one week stay in a castle in Scotland for 13 people?

I thought you might feel the same way I did with a resounding YES! Here's how it works. Hey maybe if one of us wins we could have a "blogfest" or something. Just an idea.

  You and 12 other people have a chance to stay at the beautiful Balbegno.  

This giveaway is offered by the very generous Charlie and Caroline's Blog. If you are from Great Britain you might be familiar with a store called Pedlars. They own it. It's a fantastic place. A not to be missed sort of place.

 

All you need to do is.....

 Leave a comment AND become a follower
here on their blog
 

The winner will be drawn on Christmas Day 25th December

How exciting is that?

For an extra chance at winning be sure and add them as a friend on facebook.

Good Luck Everyone.

A Little Goodness to Share

While I was visiting blog friends yesterday, I noticed that there were a lot of wonderful giveaways and I thought I would share them.

Emily, over at Ravenhill is having the most incredible giveaway of twine by Whisker Graphics. Not only that but she is including one of her beautiful hearts as well. To sign-up for a chance to win have a look just right here.

(Photos by Emily Moss and Whisker Graphics)

Next is a book I've been hearing a lot about. Handemade Fun: 101 crafts and activities to do with kids, by Rae Grant has the cutest projects for kids to make. The projects look so manageable and just plain fun. Mary over at The Yellow Door Paperie is hosting a giveaway for a copy of this fantastic book. Just leave a comment here. Hurry up though because you have until midnight tonight.

(photo by Mary of The Yellow Door Paperie)

Do you like coffee and/or chocolate? Yep I thought so.To celebrate the wedding of Crown Princess Viktoria of Sweden this saturday, my blogging buddy Julie is ready to give away the choice of your dreams.

 Just leave a comment stating whether you would like Swedish coffee or chocolate and you've just entered yourself in a giveaway for some goodness. I can smell that coffee now so head on over and enter this great giveaway. The drawing ends June 19th 2010, the day of the actual wedding.

Last week I was given a beautiful blogger award by Perches in the Soul. I am so very honored and just plain thrilled. There is a little responsibility which comes with this award. First one must list 7 things you didn't know about them and the second is you must pass on the award to 7 other bloggers. All of this will be done next Tuesday. I'm a little cramped for time and I want to give this award the attention it deserves. Thank you again for honoring me with this lovely award.

 

  Last but not least, I want to remind everyone that the Treasure Island Summer Book Adventure starts next Monday.

 

Even if you haven't read the book, stop by over at Jump Into A Book, all next week and see the fun things we are doing. There will be lots of adventures, from making our own pirate wear, flags, daggers, playing fun games,talking like a pirate, eat treasure island fare, make big water balloon slingshots and sing great songs of pirate legends. Step inside the pages of this fine classic and create memories which will last a lifetime. We don't want to miss you. Find out more over here. We even have a fine badge to prove that we are reading and jumping into books this summer. Please feel free to put it on your blog.

<a href="http://jumpintoabook.com"><img src="http://valariebudayr.typepad.com/jump-into-a-book-summer-reading-adventures.jpg" /></a>

So that's all the goodness I have today. Everything from twine and hearts,craft books, swedish coffee/chocolate, and Treasure Island.  You don't see those things together everyday. I hope you find something you like and go for it. Happy Day to everyone.