The Joy of Boxes, The Joy of Imagination

I have been enjoying watching Baby Bear play with a variety of boxes, over the past few days. The first was a giant box from our new dryer, which promptly became her new house. Today, an empty cracker box became a bed for a stuffed friend- a clean rag became the blanket.

It makes me think about the many times I've thought "Oh, Baby Bear NEEDS this toy or that toy... she'll just LOVE it!" Only to have the object met with mixed reviews. The best toys in the world, it seems, are the ones conjured up by a 2-1/2 year old's imagination.

Baby Bear constantly teaches me lessons about what's truly important in life and how little we actually need. The cracker box was later used to practice her scissor-cutting skills, and I didn't even need to worry about Baby Bear "destroying" her expensive (and apparently unnecessary) things. :)

Blessings,

Mama Bear

The House Experiment

As with the birth of any child, Baby Bear's entrance into the world brought about many changes. This past fall, we decided to make one of our most drastic changes yet; we spiffed up our house and put it on the market. We were fortunate enough to purchase it at a time when the market was low so, even with it "priced to sell," we intended that we would be able to us our profit to purchase another, larger home in a "less desirable neighborhood," thus eliminating our mortgage.

I'm happy to say that we were successful! After three months on the market, our house sold right around where we needed it to be. Finding a new house ended up being harder than we had imagined, but we have finally closed on our new home, and are quite happy with then results. It is a fixer-upper, but not terribly so. Dada Bear has spent the last week building a fence for our dogs and refinishing the hardwood floors. We anticipate fully moving in this coming weekend. A little paint and a little love (and some new appliances), and it will be just dandy! As for the "less desirable neighborhood" part, we have never been so welcomed into any other neighborhood where we've lived. We already know the names of more of our neighbors than we ever did in our old home, after 10 years! All in all, we couldn't be happier.

During this tenuous time for our nation, we are so happy to say we now own our home and are on our way to becoming self-sustainable. We praise God for the blessing! Have you taken any drastic steps to become self-sustaining?

Waldorf and Weaving

Baby Bear started participating in a parent/child Waldorf class this week. For those unfamiliar with the Waldorf philosophy of teaching, here's a useful link:

whywaldorfworks.org

The class focuses on the importance to young children of finding rhythm in life-- Ecclesiastes comes to mind. Waldorf schools like to teach about seasonal changes as well as the day to day tasks we do as we go through our lives. There is truly a purpose to everything under heaven!

One of the activities we did during class consisted of the parents doing a "meaningful work" task while the children played near by. In this case, it was sewing. There were sewing/threading boards available if the kids wanted to give it a try, but mostly it was about watching us, their parents, perform necessary tasks. It got me to thinking how, not too long ago, Baby Bear would not let me think of sitting and doing something that didn't involve her. She's now matured to a point where she understands that she can play quietly by herself, or just watch me, and that it's perfectly okay! I remember when I never thought we'd get to this point. Time does certainly fly!

Later in the week, Baby Bear and I had a Waldorf-like moment when we went out to Grandma Bear's pasture. I sat and wove Baby Bear a basket out of twigs while she played near by, "baking cakes" out of hay and tree stumps. It was a truly delightful afternoon! This was my first attempt at basket weaving-- I will have to go into more detail about that, at a later date.

Blessings,

Mama Bear

An Experiment for Love- An Introduction

It is strange where life takes us. I can remember a time, not too long ago, when the important thing in my life was my next great vacation. In fact, until my daughter was born, I had only an inkling of whom I wanted to be-- whom I was meant to be.

Baby Bear was born in 2006, by way of a most glorious (though unplanned) home-birth. My husband and I had everything planned out prior to her arrival-- where she would be born, where she would sleep when we brought her home, how we would juggle work and childcare-- all the plans of a couple having their first child! I think Baby Bear's unexpected arrival should have been taken as a sign demonstrating just how quickly our plans would change.

It was love at first sight. Dada Bear and I quickly realized we would do anything for our sweet girl. Even still, we attempted to make "The Plan" work. I returned to my previous work life after three months of maternity leave, while my husband juggled his own business, a part time job, and caring for Baby Bear while I worked. When I got home, he was off to work; we never saw each other, and Baby Bear wasn't very happy with the situation either.

The first thing to fall was His part time job. He was miserable and exhausted. This part of the plan was definitely not working! Things eased after that first, vital step, but I was still not satisfied. I spent my whole work day thinking about Baby Bear and wishing I was with her. She never learned to take a bottle, so I was acutely aware of just how much she needed me-- I was her only form of sustenance! After three months "on the job," Dada Bear and I both agreed home was where I needed to be. The result is a family previously supported by three incomes now being supported by one small, family business.

So, that's the Great Experiment. Making this work will take sacrifice, ingenuity, frugality and FAITH! This blog is meant to outline the great and drastic steps a family can take in the name of Love. Come along for the journey, if you're so inclined. Have you done something similar? Do you have advice to share? Your comments are welcome and appreciated!

Blessings,

Mama Bear